Thursday, April 25, 2019

A Question of Loyalty by Jesseca Wheaton || blog tour || THIS BOOK.



Happy Thursday, lovelies humans!

How are you all on this dandy morning? Pleased to see me twice in a week after I basically vanished for like 16 days? (Or maybe you could care less? You're entitled to your own incorrect opinions. xD) I'm glad to be—hopefully—getting back on top of things and catching up in a few areas.

Starting with this blog tour!

So what's it all about? We're here today for a celebration. Just because it's Thursday, you ask? Well, except that I'm working Saturday morning. But that's neither here nor there. Actually, scratch that. It is both here and there.)

But nope. Not that. It's the blog tour for my dear friend Jess' epic historical novel, A Question of Loyalty. For fans of the Questions of War series, this is the time you've been waiting for. :D



|| Synopsis

A Man. A Brother. A Traitor.



The war has taken everything Micah Wilson has ever held dear, and with all his being he wishes he could do something to stop the heartache. But he often wonders if he'll ever be able to move on after the war, or forget the brother who left six years before. How can God still have a plan when it seems that the world around him is falling to pieces, to say nothing of his own heart? 


Ann Sullivan has seen two brothers changed by the war. And she's resolved to do something to stop the pain she sees in their eyes from becoming a reality for so many others. The world is on the brink of Normandy when her nursing unit is shipped to England and, while there, an unexpected encounter promises to change her own life . . . forever. But it's only the beginning. As the war in Europe rages on, Ann is caught in the crossfires. And when the unthinkable happens, she comes face to face with the evil of the Third Reich. Is it possible that the reality of it all is more deadly than even her worst nightmares? 


Erich Essler never questioned his duty to his country. All his life he's struggled to live up to his father's expectations, and bring honor to the Essler name. But when the man he thought of as his only friend turns out to be the enemy, he can no longer rid himself of the questions that continue to torment him. Is what he's doing really honorable? And does he owe his loyalty to his country . . . or a higher power?


Freedom for Europe dawns on the distant horizon. But in the midst of the fight, four lives will be forever changed, and their loyalty to God and Country brought into question.

Add on Goodreads




|| Praise & Squeals

Having read each of the books in this series, I reserve the right to pick and choose favorite(s)—and A Question of Courage will always be my favorite of the trilogy. (This can be attributed to the fact that I love Rafe and he is mine. Hands off, ladies.)

Okkaaaay, I'm gonna be serious now. I'm trying, y'all.

As I was saying, A Question of Courage is amazing and A Question of Honor is such an epic, but I adored A Question of Loyalty. It was quite a bit different from AQoC and closer to AQoH in plot. Not only is there friendship, a brothers thread, and a darling romance, but...Ya know those books that ripped your heart out and trampled all over it? This book will do that to you. Like, a dozen times.

Nope, that's not a warning; that's an encouragement to grab the book, hide away for a few hours to read, and be challenged to discover where your loyalties lie.

A satisfyingly heartbreaking conclusion to the series and certainly one you need to read. Releasing tomorrow!



*smirks* I asked permission to use "my own" photo as the author pic, a request which was
absentmindedly granted by the child in question. Although, considering what I
COULD have posted, I figure I'm playing fair.

(Did I mention this child is LETHAL when it comes to card games?) 

|| About the Author

Jesseca is a daughter, sister, and a child of God. Her days are spent reading, cooking, spending time with siblings, or playing piano. And writing, of course! At an early age words fascinated her, and her love for the printed page has only grown. She lives with her parents and seven siblings in the sunny state of Kansas, and she's convinced there's no place like home.




a Rafflecopter giveaway


are you a fan of the Questions of War series? have you read book-3 yet? 

did my rambles get old/boring/nonsensical?

Sunday, April 21, 2019

The Third Day || Easter '19



Good morning, friends! And a happy Resurrection Day to you all. :D

In participation with an Easter celebration blog event known as The Third Day, I wanted to share a few random Easter-related things with y'all. Just some things I've been mulling over and contemplating. Maybe you can gain something from it as well, and I'd love to chat about these points with y'all in the comments. :)


For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 
~ 1 corinthians 1:18 kjv


• Knowing that Judas would betray him—already had even—Jesus still welcomed him to the table in the Upper Room for a meal. He still bowed low and washed the feet that had went to the Pharisees and sold His life. Still placed food in the palm that clutched the thirty pieces of silver. Still offered drink to the lips that agreed to a price of coin in exchange for the King of Kings.

What kind of amazing, unconditional, agape love is that? I know there's no way we could even begin to love like Jesus did, but...but what if we at least tried? What if we strove a little harder? What kind of crazy-radical impact could we have then? I don't know, but I can imagine it would be more than the talk of the town.


• In order to become one of His, one has to take heed to the message of salvation, has to have faith, has to believe in the bloodied cross and the three day burial and glorious resurrection. Because THAT is Christ. That is the message that brings hope and peace and joy.


• Jesus Christ, the One who healed the lame and blind and demon-posessed. Who flipped over tables and chased the money-changers from the house of worship. Who taught the children and mentored His disciples. Who defeated death, hell, and the grave.

You see... It wasn't all for glory, fame, or honor. He did it for you. All of it—He did it for me. And He did it for you.


When Christ is preached with passion and power, no matter the persecution, profession will be made and His presence will come and bring joy. 

~ * ~



The Third Day blog and social media trend was started by Julia from Lit Aflame. Hop on over to her blog for details on the giveaway! Other awesome people sharing today are...

Lit Aflame: The Third Day Official Launch Post // Giveaway, Schedules, and PRAISING GOD 
Lit Aflame: Karis' Testimony // A Guest Post 
Soldier Girl Stories: And It Was Good 
A Need To Breathe: Testimony 
A Passion For Christ: Testimony 
Books, Life, and Christ: Testimony 
Standing Firm In My Faith: Testimony  

thoughts on these? are you enjoying The Third Day series? 

how are you celebrating the Savior's death, burial, and resurrection? 

Friday, April 5, 2019

A New Routine + Secret WIP || March Recap


I'm not even going to waste time expounding on just how quick March flew by—other than to say it's went by even faster than the past two months of the year. So, like, by the end of the week I'll probably be thirty years old or something.

(Also, yes, I'm aware this post is embarrassingly late. Read on for a flimsy excuse.)



|| New Routine

• So, my routine got tossed up a bit this month—meaning, it went right out the window. I've been working 30-35 hours a week, which—on top of ASL homework, blogging, writing, and communicating with other human beings once in awhile—doesn't allow much time for anything other than food and the occasional snooze. So figuring out how to juggle has been a, uh, learning curve. ;)

• For the next two weeks, I'm on the schedule at work for 40+ hours/week. So this is probably the story of how I died. Or how I actually made some decent money. Ya know, one or the other. *clueless shrug*

• Looking back though my phone...apparently I was tired a lot? In all the selfies (I never realized I took so many blurry shots of my face, yikes) I look like I'm half dead... But my guy is adorable, so it's fine. <3




|| Craziness

• March had lots of crazy days. Like the days where you find yourself falling asleep at your desk because you've hardly slept all week.

• Speaking of which, I graduated to a new kind of crazy this month. This realization struck me when I found myself drinking coffee in the shower at 10:30 pm...

• Not knowing what day it is. Since my off days are sporadic, unless it's Sunday, I'm always going "wait, what day is it?" (I think I need help. Go to www.faithneedscounseling.com to donate to my therapy fund.)

• (OKAY, FINE, I'M KIDDING. Not even sure I can apologize for the sarcasm at this point.)



|| Random

• My fam went to a rodeo one weekend in celebration of the bro's birthday. So that was pretty cool. ;D  And a good reason to dress like an honorary Traven, ahaha.



• I felt like I was literally always looking for a pen...? One night, while pilfering through my bookbag for one, I shouted into the next room, "that's probably what they'll put on my tombstone, ya know? 'She never found the pen.' " No one laughed as hard as I did.


• More conversations with my clan of crazies. (You're welcome.)

      Granny: *giving Mom some dishes* When Faith ever wifes out, you can split some of that stuff with her
      Me: *splutters* uh, wife out?!

      Fam: talking about steps in old house and how to make then not as slick
      Dad: our steps aren't slick. ...are they?
      Mom: Faith fell down them. Like, all the way from the top
      Dad: oh yeah
      Mom: I fell down them when they were still carpet
      Dad: I fell up them...


• Spring is coming! Maybe...? I think? I hope...? Let's just pretend it is. I'm so ready for summer.



• My little bro turned SIXTEEN and I just... I just can't even... *sobs*



• My friend, Bethany (of A Great God and Good Cocoa fame) shared with me a video that she and her sister filmed and put together. I know they'd greatly appreciate it if you took a minute to watch their video and perhaps subscribed to their channel!



|| Best Read

Just Sayin' by Dandi Daley Mackall was FANTABULOUS. The kids, the dogs, the snark, the grandma, the match-making, the epistolary style... *happy sigh* Adored it to pieces. I'd got this book for free from Tyndale Rewards Program because it looked cute and I was far from disappointed!

(Psst! If you sign up for the Reader Rewards program using this link, you'll get extra points and so will I. Free books all around, am I right? :D)

|| Worst Read

The American Sign Language Phrase Book by Lou Fant, I suppose? It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't astounding either. And, I mean, given the measly amount of books I read, I don't have much to pick from here. :P

Total Reads: 3




|| Update

I'm still writing and it's SUCH a beautiful thing, y'all. (The fact that I'm writing, I mean. What I'm writing isn't exactly beautiful. It needs help. It all needs help. Shucks, the writer needs help—what do you expect?)

I did more short story work during the month of March as well as some plotting because... Well, you see...

I'm writing a new book.

Yes, you read that right. And, yes, I felt the bold font was necessary. I had this idea dumped in my lap mid-month and just couldn't escape it, so I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to do Camp NaNo this April (previously, I'd planned to skip and/or edit) and just write the darn thing.

So here I am, the girl that has a zillion other things she should be doing, drafting a sixth book. And I am SO darn hyped over this pathetic little bundle of words, y'all. I could ramble all day about it... except, not.

You see, I've decided that I ain't spilling details. None. Zero. Zilch. (If you're in my Cabin, you're hereby sworn to secrecy, 'k?) If I finish—or nearly finish—the WIP during Camp NaNo, I'll divulge all my deep dark secrets in April's recap. But if the plot fails and the storyline totally falls apart and I burn my notes in a fit of rage... Well, let's just hope it doesn't come down to that, aye?

|| Snippet

The fire had burned low, now only a heap of smoldering coals that emitted just enough of a glow to outline his brother’s tall form as he loaded a rifle on the far side of the room.  
“What do you think you’re doing?”  
The rancher whirled toward the voice, cartridges scattering across the carpet. “Blasted… I thought you went to bed.”  
“I asked what you’re doing.”  
Running his hand through his damp hair and still growling, he reached for the rifle. “I don’t know yet, but it's about time somebody did something.” 



|| Favorite Posts

More Precious than Gold >> I Need God

The Peculiar Messenger >> Most Anticipated Reads of 2019

twilight to dawn >> it's part of the journey

Alyssa N. >> 19 Life Lessons I've Learned in 19 Years

Allison's Well >> How to Survive Camp NaNo


|| My Posts






|| March Goals

• Read 8 books.       Nope.

• Finish a short story.       Nope...

• Blog weekly.       Uh, barely not...?

• Review 3 books.      *just cries*


|| April Goals 

• Write a book.  (Whew, it's gonna be lit.)

• Blog 4 times.   (*fingers crossed*)

• Read 3 books.    (Puhleeaasseeee....) 

• Announce 3 super awesome writerly things.   (All are wickedly awesome. Not that I'm biased. And none are the new WIP.) 

• Don't die.   (Ya know. Just thought I'd add this just in case.) 



so how was your month, lovely human? are you doing something crazy in April—like writing a book or climbing Mt. Everest or fighting grizzlies or jumping out of a plane?