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This past week I have been thinking about a friend and fellow author who passed away over a year ago. Arlette Gaffrey was an amazing woman and one of the sweetest and best people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, she was the very talented writer of two amazing historical romance novels set in New Orleans, and she was also a successful fashion model from the age of 18 up into her 50s.

I have loved Arlette's stories and just finished reading one of them again. Since I've been missing her, it brought me comfort, and the ending again left me with a sigh. If you are looking for a good comfort read, check out A World of His Own - In the Land of the Creoles.

About the Book
LAND OF THE CREOLES: An epic saga of love, marriage and betrayal.
Andre de Javon escaped the French Revolution as a child. Now as an adult, he arrives in New Orleans determined to make a new life for himself. In due time he becomes one of the wealthiest plantation owners in the Territory. He is helped by his mentor Jean-Claude Charlevoix, whose young daughter Julie falls in love with Andre, and hopes he will wait for her to grow up and marry her. But, Andre marries Gabrielle Ste. Claire who turns his life into a nightmare. Gabrielle dies leaving Andre with her illegitimate son. As Julie grows up Andre realizes how much he loves her, and wants to marry her. But will Julie still have him, a man who is eleven years her senior with an illegitimate child? The pirate Jean Lafitte and General Andrew Jackson are but some of the colorful characters woven throughout the story.

Available at Amazon

Arlette's second book, Behind the Columns is also available at Amazon
Both are standalone novels.

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Thought for Today
To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. - Ralph Waldo Emerson


Suggested Reading
 Book:  Hot Pursuit
Author Susan Dayley

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Thought for Today

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Thought for Today

~ Judy Garland

Suggested Reading

Book: Trouble At the Red Pueblo - A Spider Latham Mystery

About the Book

When Deputy Sheriff turned private investigator Spider Latham is sent to help the Red Pueblo Museum, he doesn’t suspect it will cause a rift between his wife, Laurie, and himself.
Museum Director Martin Taylor is desperate, and his son Matt is angry. Some unknown person is bent on destroying the museum financially and is about to succeed. Things turn violent. It ends with someone’s skull bashed in with an Anasazi ax, and everyone has motive for the murder.
Can Spider untangle the web of secrecy and lies surrounding the museum before the Taylors lose it all? And in the process, can he save his own marriage?

I have always been a fan of Liz Adair's stories, but I never read one of her Spider Latham Mysteries until now. I was still able to get into the story despite not reading the others. Trouble at the Red Pueblo - A Spider Latham Mystery Book 4 is a fun -and at times intense- cozy read set in Southern Utah. Spider is kept busy solving cases and working on his home life. I don't want to give anything away, but there is plenty going on to keep you glued to the story. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series.
Trouble At the Red Pueblo is available on Amazon.com

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This past week, I went to the theater to see Belle. The movie is inspired by the true story of Dido

Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate mixed raced daughter of Royal Navy Admiral, Sir John Lindsey and African slave, Maria Belle. Dido's father placed her in the care of a great uncle and aunt who raised her as a free young woman, along with another great niece. Her uncle, Lord Mansfield, held the position of Lord Chief Justice and had a hand in ending slavery in England.
Because of her aristocratic blood, Dido lived a privileged life in the upperclass society, but the color of her skin kept her from being fully accepted into society, and she was unable to participate in the traditions of her social standing.
Dido eventually married a man who loved her unconditionally and they had three sons.

I've often pondered what life must have been like for Dido Belle, to be a member of a family, yet having to eat dinner separate from them to appease fellow aristocratic diners because of their discomfort over the color of her skin - what it must have been like to be brought up in elevated social standings, yet be unable to look forward to marriage because her African mother's blood flowed through her veins. Dido was a good and gentle woman with a kind heart and possessed all the social graces of her upperclass station, yet no one outside her family could look past the color of her skin.
Then she was blessed with the love of John Davinier, a man who truly saw her beauty because he looked into her heart.

How many times are we judged because of how we look, how much we weigh, how much money we have, how talented we are, or even our background? How often do we judge others in these same ways?
A person's worth is so much more than the shallow value we place on one another. Part of the problem is most of the time our eyes aren't truly opened enough to look past the outer shell and see deep into the heart. We are so blinded by things that hold no importance. Instead of just living in the world, we let the world transform us, we let it mold us, mold our minds and shape our thoughts until we no longer do our own thinking. We let the world think for us. It happens often, and most of the time we don't realize the power we allow the world to have over us.

I challenge all of us to open our minds and hearts and enable our vision to see beyond the outer shell, and glimpse inside the heart. Because that is where the true treasure lies. That is where we will see the real person and realize the true value that is placed on us all.

Suggested Reading
Book: Waterfall: A Novel (River of Time Series)
Author: Lisa T. Bergren

About the Book

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Thought for Today

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”

- C.S. Lewis

Speaking of Love . . .

Check out these romance titles at bargain prices:-)

Say What You Need to Say

Free-spirited Capri Harris has always embraced life to the fullest, but a major health trial brings unexpected changes and her outlook shifts, leaving her with doubts of her worth to any man. 

Like the force of a hurricane, Jagger Colby enters Capri's life, weakening her resolve and shaking the walls of self-preservation she has tried so hard to build around her heart.

But Capri knows that once Jagger discovers the truth about her, he will walk away and never look back.

When words mean everything, say what you need to say.

Amazon

 

                          Tears of Heaven

Escaping from an abusive relationship, Heaven Gundersen flees to the safety of her grandparent's home and begins a new life in Sweden, praying the past is behind her. When she accepts the housekeeping job arranged by her grandparents, she has no idea how much it will change his life. Her boss, Sergei Petrenko, is a retired hockey player, and definitely not what she had expected. 

No matter how hard she tries to guard her heart, Sergei's kindness makes it impossible to do and she once again opens up to love.

But leaving the past behind isn't as easy as she hoped it would be, and the peace she has found in her new life is about to be shattered by the nightmare she thought she'd escaped.
Tears of Heaven is an emotionally charged novella by Jewel Adams that will touch your heart and make you cheer the endurance of the human spirit. 

Amazon

For Love of Angel
Angel Hughes was only a year old when her parents were killed in an airplane crash while traveling

from England to the United States for a vacation. Her mother's aunt moved into their flat and raised Angel, showering her with all the love she could. But despite the love Angel felt for her aunt, she still missed her parents.
In time, the little girl grew into a beautiful and accomplished young woman with a musical talent that everyone declared was a gift. One day Angel meets a young man from the United States who completely captures her heart.
Wanting Angel to be a part of his life, Mitchell Greenland convinces her to attend college in his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina. Little does Angel know how her decision to move to the states will affect her life, nor could she ever guess the joys and pains that await her.

Amazon

 

 Letters In the Moonlight of Taj Mahal
Lyla Kelly and Marc Hosseini have never met. The forty-seven-year-old widow and mother of grown twin boys doesn't know what to think when she begins receiving letters from the son of an old friend. She never fathomed that Marc, twelve years her junior, could ever be interested in someone likeher, especially since they have never even seen one another. Nor does she count on the passion that his mere words invoke in her.
Go with Lyla and Marc on their journey of discovery, and watch a surprisingly-powerful love bloom between them–a love strong enough to rival the undying adoration that inspired the building of
one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The beautiful shrine, Taj Mahal.

Amazon

 

Sweet 21 Birthday Ball

When Italian pastry chef, Marcello Giannini took the train to visit his parents, he could never have guess how much this one trip would change the course of his life.
Dominique Jensen has only loved one man her entire life, and she has been unable to open her heart to another. Discouraged, she wonders if the dreams and wishes she has fostered for so long will ever come true.
But how long is too long to wait for love?

Amazon

 

Stop by Amazon and grab a story or two. Or three:-)

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Thought for Today
"Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections."
--Anonymous

Suggested Reading

Book: Visions of Glory - One Man's Astounding Account of the Last Days
Author: John Pontius

About the Book
In this true account of near-death experiences, we learn about the miracles of the millennium, the return of the Ten Tribes, the building of the New Jerusalem and temple, and many other astonishing events long prophesied in scripture but never before described in such vivid detail. Visions of Glory is a mesmerizing and fascinating read that you will not be able to put down.
Visions of Glory is available on Amazon.com

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Thought for Today

"Don't measure your neighbor's honesty by your own."— American Proverb

Indie Author Hub Writing & Publishing Conference

That's right, it's conference time! Not just any conference, but a conference targeted toward all aspects of indie publishing. This year, our self-published keynote speaker is NYT bestselling author of A Different Blue, Amy Harmon. We will also have 21 breakout classes in three tracks: writing, book creation, and marketing/business. We are so excited to have many experienced and successful self-published authors and other professionals who have agreed to share their time with us.

Saturday June 7th

Courtyard Marriott in Provo
1600 N Freedom Blvd (200 W.), Provo, Utah

 For schedule and registration: indieauthorhub

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Thought for Today
”I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.”- Martha Washington

Suggested Reading
Book: A Death In the Family: An Erica Coleman Mystery
Author:  Marlene Bateman

About the Book

Order your copy of A Death In the Family from:
Amazon.com

Deseretbook.com

Seagullbook.com

Also available at Deseret Book, Seagull Book, and everywhere LDS books are sold.

About Marlene
Marlene Bateman Sullivan was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and graduated from the University of Utah with a BA in English. She is married to Kelly R. Sullivan and they are the parents of seven
children. Her hobbies are gardening, camping, and reading. Marlene has been published extensively in magazines and newspapers and has written a number of non-fiction books,including: Latter-day Saint Heroes and Heroines, And There Were Angels Among Them,Visit’s From Beyond the Veil, By the Ministering of Angels, Brigham’s Boys, and Heroesof Faith. Her latest book is Gaze Into Heaven, a fascinating collection of over 50 documented near-death experiences in early church history.

Marlene’s first novel was the best-selling Light on Fire Island. Her next novel was Motive for Murder, which is the first in a mystery series that features the quirky private eye with OCD, Erica Coleman.
To learn more about Marlene and her books, visit her website. www.marlenebateman.info

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Thought for Today
"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter." - E.E. Cummings

Suggested Reading

Book: The Phoenix Legion & The Dark Occults
Author: Zohaib A. Ahmed

About the Book

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Thought for Today

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If Not For Love, the first book in my new Highland Trilogy is out! Help me celebrate by logging on to Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com and grabbing a copy.

I'm also celebrating by holding a fun giveaway!

The grand prize is a bag filled with some great swag and a paperback copy of If Not for Love!

Also up for grabs are 10 e-copies of If Not for Love.

4 ways to win:

*Become a follower of my blog.

*Leave a comment along with your email address.

*Leave a review on Amazon.com

*Share the blog link on Facebook.

Doing all four of these gets your name entered four times, improving your chances of winning!

Giveaway goes from January 1-7. Winners will be selected by random drawing.

About the book
Escaping the immoral advances of her publisher, Adia Stone takes her career into her own hands and starts over. Scotland seems like the perfect place to get her creative juices flowing again, and being there also fuels her fascination with her family's Scottish history. The last thing she expects to find is love.
After watching Tavish MacLachlan walk by her apartment every day for two months, Adia officially meets him and the budding friendship quickly turns to love.
But there are forces at work around them that they are unaware of, and people willing to do whatever it takes to keep them apart. Will their love be able to survive the secrets that come to light?

Be sure to grab your copy at Amazon.com

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Thought for Today
“Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.”  - Marianne Williamson

Suggested Gift Ideas and Holiday Reads

Book: The Gift
Author: Richard Paul Evans

Nathan Hurst hated Christmas. For the rest of the world it was a day of joy and celebration; for Nathan it was simply a reminder of the event that destroyed his childhood until a snowstorm, a cancelled flight, and an unexpected meeting with a young mother and her very special son would show him that Christmas is indeed the season of miracles.

Book: Santa Maybe
Author: Aubrey Mace

Dear Santa,
I've been a good girl this year. (Well . . . pretty good.) I have a nice life and there's only one thing that I really want one thing that's missing. If you happen to have an extra one lying around your workshop, I would really like a husband. I promise to take good care of him.
Love, Abbie

With a successful bakery to run, super cute nieces and nephews to spoil, and plenty of good friends to keep her company, Abbie s not about to start crying over the fact that she s doesn't have a boyfriend to spend Christmas with. But when her sister convinces her to write a note to Santa, Abbie has no idea that a little Christmas magic is about to land her the man of her dreams. Or rather, that man is about to land smack dab on the floor in front of her Christmas tree with no memory of how he got there.

Now Abbie and Ben have to figure out where he came from, who he really is, and if he's actually available.

Book: Grace
Author: Richard Paul Evans

She was my first kiss. My first love. She was a little match girl who could see the future in the flame of a candle. She was a runaway who taught me more about life than anyone has before or since. And when she was gone my innocence left with her.

As I begin to write, a part of me feels as if I am awakening something best left dead and buried, or at least buried. We can bury the past, but it never really dies. The experience of that winter has grown on my soul like ivy climbing the outside of a home, growing until it begins to tear and tug at the brick and mortar.

I pray I can still get the story right. My memory, like my eyesight, has waned with age. Still, there are things that become clearer to me as I grow older. This much I know: too many things were kept secret in those days. Things that never should have been hidden. And things that should have.

Movie: The Christmas Shoes

In this heartwarming holiday drama, a workaholic attorney (Rob Lowe) crosses paths with a young boy on Christmas Eve and rediscovers the true meaning of love, life, and the holiday season. Kimberly Williams costars.

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Suggested Reading

Book: Castles, Customs, and Kings: True Tales by English Historical Fiction Authors
Author: Debra Brown

About the Book
A compilation of essays from the English Historical Fiction Authors blog, this book provides a wealth of historical information from Roman Britain to early twentieth century England. Over fifty different authors share hundreds of real life stories and tantalizing tidbits discovered while doing research for their own historical novels.

From Queen Boadicea’s revolt to Tudor ladies-in-waiting, from Regency dining and dress to Victorian crime and technology, immerse yourself in the lore of Great Britain. Read the history behind the fiction and discover the true tales surrounding England’s castles, customs, and kings.

Amazon Review:
Behind every good historical novel is a ream of in-depth research. The characters and the plot are important, but blatant errors of fact can ruin the enjoyment of a fictional adventure. Most modern Historical Fiction authors take great care to delve into the reality of the period they intend to write about, often down to the minutest detail. This book is a splendid source of interesting information gleaned to serve as a solid foundation to some very good novels. Castles, Customs and Kings is a compilation of easy to read essays written by a variety of enthusiastic authors - some indie, some mainstream - all of whom possess a keenness to unravel the facts from the fiction. From Roman Britain to the Twentieth Century, the articles are superbly laid out in chronological order - you can dip in and out as you please, or read from article to article; either way, when you eventually put the book down you'll have discovered something new while being thoroughly entertained. This is an "I didn't know that" book, guaranteed to inspire and intrigue; you'll find yourself absorbed in the fountain of knowledge penned by wordsmiths who have a passion for the past.

Helen Hollick - author of Historical Fiction, Historical Adventure and UK Indie Review Editor for the Historical Novel Society 
Order at Amazon.com

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Thought for Today
“We should not judge people by their peak of excellence; but by the distance they have traveled from the point where they started." - Henry Ward Beecher

Suggested Reading

Book: A Just Man & a Highly Favored Woman - The Story of Joseph & Mary
Author: Julie L. York

About the book
Ever since Jesus made his humble appearance just over 2000 years ago, there has been much written about Him and His life.
But, how was He raised? Being the Son of God, were His earthly parents really a necessity? What did his family really know about him?
Beyond the Biblical account, little is known of Mary, and Joseph has just a few verses.
Come on a journey and follow the story of Joseph and Mary, from their childhood together, through Jesus’ birth, life, ministry and death.
Witness their love and devotion to each other, their family, and the Son they loved and cared for, who saved us all.
Historical Fiction

This is a different take on the greatest story ever told and I love it:-) Available on
Amazon.com

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Thought for Today

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Thought for Today
"Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day."
--Henri Nouwen

Suggested Reading

Book: Handbook of Nothin'
Author: N. K. Wright

About the book

Straight from the middle-late 20th century comes the tale of a teen always on the cusp of trouble!
The year is 1972. Against the stormy backdrop of a nuclear arms race, Watergate break-ins, the Vietnam war, and indescribable acts of terror, a teenage boy lives out his simple, rural life. But despite his seemingly tranquil farm life, “Nothin’ Right”—as he’s known to many of his seventh-grade classmates—faces trouble on numerous fronts and against several adversaries. Can a resourceful farm boy solve his own epic problems when the often-violent world around him is on the verge of self-destruction?

Handbook of Nothin' is a 1972 snapshot of rural western America as told through the experiences of a 13-year-old junior high boy and the scrawled pencil drawings in his school notebook.
Handbook of Nothin' could be considered a higher-end middle grade book, but is a fun read for all ages.

This was such a fun book! No matter if you are 10 or 100, this is a story we can all relate to in some way. "Nothin' Right" is a lovable character and his experiences totally cracked me up. Very entertaining read!
Handbook of Nothin' is available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-of-Nothin-ebook/dp/B00DT7YLIS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1377399958&sr=1-1&keywords=the+handbook+of+nothin

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With all the things going on in the world today, it is so easy to allow negativity to cloud our view and bring us down about life. Yes, there is misery everywhere we turn, but there is also beauty and joy, and so many things to be grateful for. We should never turn a blind eye or close ourselves off to the affairs of the world, but we do need to remember that we are meant to have joy, which means being grateful for what we have been given in this life, living the best we can, and doing what we can to make the world better by being here. Yes, there are moments when we all complain, and that is okay because we are human, but the trick is to allow ourselves that moment, then move on.

Everyone's circumstances are different and some of us are far worse off than others, but there are people who possess little and still smile each day simply because they are alive. True, I've never walked in anyone's shoes but my own, but I have worn many different pairs of shoes in my life. Some have been pretty comfortable and some have hurt like nobody's business, but I've learned something about myself while wearing every pair, and I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything, because each was a different lesson in learning to be happy while reaching to attain something more.
Thinking outward brings inner joy. And therein lies true happiness.
Here are a few neat little quotes on finding joy.

The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions, and not on our circumstances. We carry the seeds of the one or the other about with us in our minds wherever we go. --Martha Washington

To get up each morning with the resolve to be happy…is to set our own conditions to the events of each day. To do this is to condition circumstances instead of being conditioned by them.--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Suggested Reading
 Book: My Lady Coward

Author: Jaimey Grant

About the Book
"My Lady Coward" debuted as a serial romance, each installment posted somewhere online as it was written. "My Lady Coward: An Episodic Regency Romance" is a compilation of those ten installments. They have not been changed from the original postings, merely formatted into one file for those who desire to have the whole story in one convenient place.
 
A lady knows her place, no matter what...
With Maria's vows came a title and security. At her wedding she gained a position amongst Society's elite. With her marriage Maria acquired everything a young woman could possibly desire. 
Except love. 
Going about her day-to-day activities, all Maria wants is Richard's love, the attentions he lavishes upon his mistress. But can she set aside her ladylike training long enough to tell him? 

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Thought for the Week
 "Self pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in the world."
Helen Keller
"Self-pity gets you nowhere. One must have the adventurous daring to accept oneself as a bundle of possibilities and undertake the most interesting game in the world making the most of one's best."
Harry Emerson Fosdick

Excerpt for the Week

Book: The Legacy

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Thought for Today

We all have days that we compare ourselves to others, thinking we don't measure up or we are not as good a person as someone else. There is nothing wrong with wanting to improve in various

areas or wanting to be a better person. But while we are reaching for these things, we need to remember that no one is perfect. And the sooner we come to understand this, the easier we will be on ourselves. We all have our faults and problems, and no one can truly know what is going on inside another person.
But God does know, and that is what is important.
So stop comparing and do your best. That is all any of us can do:-)

Have an awesome day!

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Suggested Reading

Book: Blood Relations: A Good Mormon Girl Mystery
Author: Michaelbrent Collins

About the Book

Lane Cooley is the best Homicide Detective on the LAPD. But she isn't anything like you'd imagine. She's no fast-talking femme fatale... no, she's a Good Mormon Girl who doesn't smoke, drink, cuss, or even watch R-rated movies.
But that doesn't mean Lane misses out on all the blood and guts. Especially now. A new serial killer is in town, one who knows all the cops' tricks, all their secrets. One who is targeting young girls, killing them, and cutting them to pieces.
Now, Lane has to race against the clock to find the killer. Because the murderer has chosen his next victim. And it's Lane's little sister.

This book was definitely not what I expected, and I mean that in a good way. I read a little mystery every now and then and I can usually take it or leave it, but Blood Relations was one that threw me for a loop and I had a hard time putting it down, though there were moments when I had to stop because my heart was pounding so hard. The story is not only about a police woman trying to catch a psychopathic murderer on the loose, it's also about family, unconditional love, and trying to keep your sanity in an impossible situation. It's a great read and not for the squeamish, but it is one I would highly recommend to fans of murder mysteries.
Blood Relations: A Good Mormon Girl Mystery is available in paperback and Kindle format on Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BVCGOWO/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1F0P6BS7048TDJ4MHSAW&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1389517282&pf_rd_i=507846

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A Different Blue is an amazing new novel by Amy Harmon, a beautiful and very talented author. I'm a total fan and just adore her writing style.

About the book

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Thought for Today
“It took me fifteen years to discover that I had no talent for writing, but I couldn’t give it up because by that time I was too famous.”
—Robert Benchley

Suggested Reading

Book: Son of Liberty
Author: Daron D. Fraley

About the Book
If the love of a parent can make a young man brave, then Alexander Martinez should have been a selfish coward. For almost sixteen years of his life, Alex had never felt that kind of love. So after new foster parents take him in and teach him what it's like to have a real family--a loving family--and Alex finally experiences the joys that life can provide, he discovers a strength of character buried deep within his soul.

But Alex's dream of family doesn't last. Instead, he finds himself in a society suffering from the aftermath of total collapse, and he realizes that he has to make a choice: Will he choose to protect the liberty and freedom of others, even at the peril of his own life? Or will his own fears and lack of confidence cause him to remain on the sidelines, only to witness the complete and utter destruction of America?

SON OF LIBERTY is a story of post apocalyptic possibilities. It's a little bit "Prepper". Certainly gun friendly. And absolutely patriotic. Long live the Sons of Liberty!

This was a fun story to read and is one that gives you a lot to think about. It is a quick read that the entire family will enjoy and should definitely be shared. If you hold conservative views, you will love it -if not, the scenario will be an eye opener:-)
Order your copy of Son of Liberty from amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Son-of-Liberty-ebook/dp/B00BDFFUDS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1362711340&sr=1-1&keywords=son+of+liberty

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