Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

books

I gave up fiction for Lent, but you can still win a prize

Before I gave up reading fiction for Lent, I devoured the new book, Cold Shot, by Dani Pettrey. And to celebrate the launch, Dani is hosting a giveaway with some amazing prizes.

Things like this:

GRAND PRIZE:
Cold Shot Sweepstakes Grand Prize

ROAD TRIP REUNION GETAWAY

In COLD SHOT, Griffin reunites with friends after they’ve drifted apart over the years. Do you have a friend you want to reconnect with? Here’s your chance to hit the road with them for a friend getaway!

Our Grand Prize winner will receive: A $250 gift certificate to BedandBreakfast.com, good for reservations at lodges across the Continental US, plus a $50 Darden restaurants gift card, and a Chesapeake Bay tote bag, to pack your road trip essentials.

SECOND PRIZE:

FINLEY’S FAVORITES PACK

Cold Shot Sweepstakes Second Prize
Finley has a lifelong love of travel and exploration, something captured in her cozy home decor, right down to her steamer trunk coffee table. This prize gives you a chance to have a steamer trunk just like Finley’s, and a coffee table book from the Chesapeake Bay to go with it.

Our Second Prize winner will receive: A $150 value cedar wood steamer trunk and vivid Maryland coffee table photo book.

 

TASTE OF MARYLAND KIT

Cold Shot Sweepstakes Third PrizeTHIRD PRIZE:
COLD SHOT is sure to leave you with a craving for the mouth-watering snacks Griffin, Finley, and the rest of the crew enjoy in the story. If you wish you could sample Chesapeake’s one-of-a-kind local fare too, this prize is for you.

Our Third Prize winner will receive: The beautifully lithographed, $50 value Taste of Maryland Tin, including the Chesapeake Bay Cookbook and famed local treats such as Old Bay Seasoning, Maple Syrup, Maryland crab soup mix, specialty dip, and Goetze’s Caramel Creams.

 

The series takes place in Pennsylvania and Maryland, in and around the Chesapeake Bay area, and these look like some great prizes! You have until March 7 to enter, and you can do that by clicking the banner below, or here:

Enter the COLD SHOT Sweepstakes from Author Dani Pettrey
So, enter the contest, and then get your hands on a copy of the book. Here’s an excerpt, to peak your interest:

In COLD SHOT, the first book of author Dani Pettrey’s brand new Chesapeake Valor series, park ranger Griffin McCray and forensic anthropologist Finley Scott uncover buried remains near the Civil War battleground of Little Round Top. There’s only one problem: the bones aren’t Civil War-era.

Griffin just wants the case to go away, but when Finley discovers evidence pointing to the work of an expert sniper, the case connects them with FBI agent Declan Grey, and crime scene investigator Parker Mitchell, friends from a past Griffin’s tried to leave behind.

Soon the reunited friends realize they’ll need to confront the darkest days in their shared history if they–and those they care about–are going to escape a downward spiral of crime, danger, and murder.

It’s an exciting adventure, and a dynamite start to a new series!

Finding the strength to go on: Review of One More Step by Rachel Wojo

No one begins a journey in hopes it will end before they get too far down the path. The roads of life don’t begin with detour signs, and people don’t start with the feeling of wanting to give up. Not one person sets goals because she wants to fail. The beginning of a journey usually appears to be streamlined. We calculate the route from point A to point B and draw plans to connect our dreams with real life. We want to finish strong, but circumstances creep in, people change, and negative feelings emerge.” (p. 3)

From the start of One More Step, I connected with Rachel Wojo’s circumstances and encouragement when life’s journey becomes hard. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for my review.) One More Step offers tools for finding strength to face unwanted challenges. one more step

Rachel Wojo relates personal experiences of challenge from her life: divorce and a child with increasing medical needs. Each chapter finishes with Scripture verses and a journaling exercise to apply the themes and steps discussed in the chapter. I appreciated the chance to make personal what I had read, and I was surprised at how transforming the exercises were. From the first stepping stone to the fourth, my attitude changed, as reflected by the written prayers I recorded in a journal. The steps were challenging and encouraging and helped me immediately apply what I had read.

Though taking one more step sounds simple, this is not a book to take lightly or breeze through. I read it more slowly than most books, and took time to let each chapter sink in and take root.

If you’re facing a challenging situation in life and aren’t sure whether you’ll get through, One More Step will give you practical tools and encouragement to help you believe that you can.