Congratulations to Valerie R., who won a Kindle or Nook copy of the short story Amish Blizzards set or the paperback, Nook, or Kindle version of An Autumn Wind in Walnut Creek.! Thanks to all who have entered! 

XOXO

Sicily

Blog Hop

   I am giving away a FREE Kindle or Nook set of my best-selling Amish Blizzards series to one lucky winner!  Comment below, with your favorite summertime treat to win.Those without a Nook or Kindle will be entered to win a hard-copy of An Autumn Wind in Walnut Creek, signed by me.

Morning Blessings

Good Morning, Fans!  I am picking up some supplies tomorrow to bake bread with my daughters this weekend, and Ashlee Anne is coming over to clean all day. She is shampooing my carpets. The car wreck is still poking at me, but I will one day be healed through Jesus Christ' stripes. The Bible promises this. All I need is the faith of  a mustard seed.
   Do you sometimes doubt, second-guessing God? We all do from time to time, but if we replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts, our minds can be refocused on believing that we can conquer the problem at hand. I've done this, time and time again, and it change my whole day.
   Prayer is essential. Prayer Warriors change lives as God works through them. Some of the strongest Christian sisters that I know spend a lot of time on their knees. You've seen them on social media, they are always lifting everyone else up. What would the world be like if a teenager group of cowgirls thought they could transform each community that they go compete in?  That's a lot of praying, isn't it?
   Cowgirls for Jesus is my new series, and it will be written as I travel, following my son, Jason Taylor, on the rodeo circuit. He competes in rodeos. While I pray. And I pray hard. Now, if he was roping cattle, I admit, which he has done for years, I wouldn't have been praying as much since that's almost natural in farm settings.
   The big question is, why would I have been praying less? The Bible says to pray without ceasing. There are several teachings that say that mothers should pray over their children. In this case, I have failed as a parent.
   The good thing is that today is a new day, and I can become a better parent. We can all learn from the past and strengthen our faith, love, and courage. I'm sure I'll be stronger one rodeo at a time. Come along with me for the ride! I will be keeping a journal, entitled  "Rodeo Prayers."


XOXO

SICILY

"The best place to find God is down on the floor."

I know that you've heard the saying, "All good things must come to an end." Well, that is how it is with my very popular  short-story serial, Amish Blizzards. The last volume will be out next weekend. As I look back on the previous volumes, I reflect on how the "cowboy" is always so enticing in many romance stories. He is intriguing, rough, and resilient.
   When he is a Christian, it makes him even more of a man, in my opinion, mainly, because faith and courage is hard during extreme hardships, especially for farmers. One would think that I love to write about the Amish and Mennonites because of this strong bond of family, the land, and faith, and that would be partly true.
   You seem, my "second parents," since I was around twenty-one-years-old, are conservative Mennonites, and I learned how to drive next to the church/school, and I spent a summer living next to the church/school. "Write about what you know" is another very common saying, and most people do write about what they know.
   I would be fibbing, for sure, if I said that I began writing because I wanted to solely write about what I know. Of course, part of the reason that I told my Chas Levy supervisor that I would write a book in the book section in K-Mart, where we we were stocking the weekly shipment, was because I enjoyed telling about my "second parents" and how I felt more connected to God when I was there. It is this "connection" that I set out to show fans. I felt like I have done that very well in Amish Blizzards, but I have also done a good job of providing a need: comfort.
   Books provide comfort. I saw if first hand when I was a book merchandiser. The mother that had just came from the doctor's office where she found out that she has terminal cancer needed a good romance book. The teen that decided to keep her baby wanted a book with a real teen like her who had made mistakes. And the man whose wife was on oxygen and only had an hour a day where she would sit in her chair and he would read her love stories. That was the main reason that I chose to write.
   Books inspire, they make people laugh, cry, and even scream sometimes, and all of these emotions help people feel comfort that they are still worthy, even with their flaws, all because there is a God of Angel Armies Who strengthens, molds, and fixes boo-boos in the least expectant ways.
   I hope that you will pick up all eight volumes of Amish Blizzards and eagerly wait for the last one, An Amish Wedding,  which comes out next weekend and feel more connected to God.  Pick up the first volume on Amazon at: Amish Blizzards: Volume Eight: Abby's Choice.

Blessings in Jesus' Arms,

XOXO
___________
Sicily

"I can do climb all mountains if Christ carries me."

The Guardian is out!! I and a large group of  friends stayed up to wait for it to be released. I think that it is the "Book of the Decade."  The series is fast-paced but tugs at your heartstrings. Beverly Lewis is the #1 Amish Author, a writing legend in her own right. Her heart is as big as the heroines in her Christian love stories, and I have her as my top Christian author. Please check out the Home to Hickory Hollow series. Please read them in order to fully enjoy the plots!  The following bio is used with permission by Beverly Lewis:

Beverly Marie Jones (Lewis) was born in the heart of Amish country—Lancaster, Pennsylvania. At the tender age of nine, she began writing short stories and poetry.
A member of the National League of American Pen Women, as well as a Distinguished Alumnus of Evangel University, Lewis has written over 80 books for children, youth, and adults, many of them award-winning. She and her husband, David, make their home in Colorado, where they enjoy hiking, biking, and spending time with their family. They are also avid musicians and fiction "book worms."

Booksellers across the country, and around the world, have spread the word of Beverly's tender tales of Plain country life. A clerk in a Virginia bookstore wrote, "Beverly's books have a compelling freshness and spark. You just don't run across writing like that every day. I hope she'll keep writing stories about the Plain people for a long, long time."

Updates

I have been busy with family and am writing the next books to the Amish Blizzards and Amish Snowflakes series this week. The next book to the Single in Indiana series comes out next week. How has your February been going? Lots to do around my place. I am still facing chronic pain from the car wreck, so have missed church, but I have enjoyed church at my place. I have started a Bible Study page on Facebook. Please do join. This morning, I led the discussion from Psalms 1. Please note that I am a conservative Christian who has spent over two decades having a "second" family of conservative Mennonites. Although Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Arvin are not my biological family, they became like second parents to me more than two decades ago,and my foster children have grown up calling them, "Aunt Dorothy" and "Uncle Arvin." They are NOT Beachy Mennonite. They are conservative Mennonite and have no sister communities that are Beachy. Although I am more liberal, at times, I share a lot of the same beliefs about believing in Christ as our Savior, etc. Plans for the future: to enjoy being a "grandma" again, as Jessica, one of my foster children, is expecting her first child, to attend Dorothy and Arvin's church more often, and to eventually go back through instruction class. You have to go through instruction class to join the church. I once went to instruction class in another Mennonite community, but decided not to join. That was when my children were little. I hope that you have an awesome week. March is almost here!! Although I can't work in the garden because of the car wreck injuries, I hope to enjoy some good salads from an early garden.