THE SCENT OF A SOUL Giveaway

Hello, all! I'm very happy to share with you that a Rafflecopter giveaway is being hosted on Clean Romance Reviews for my new novel, The Scent of a Soul. The winner will have their choice of either a paperback or Kindle version. Visit the site here and enter your chance to win. Thanks, and good luck!!

To read a review of The Scent of a Soul by Clean Romance Reviews, please click here.

Please Help Baby Cliff!

Today my post is not about me or my book, it's about Baby Cliff. This sweet little boy is the nephew of my cover design artist (and sister-in-law), Julie Thompson. Precious Cliff is nine-months-old and was born with a very rare syndrome; so rare there is only one other case exactly like it recorded. He suffers from a variant of Alagille Syndrome, which affected the growth of his organs. His kidneys and liver do not work properly, but they have responded well to medication. It is his pulmonary arteries that have everyone very concerned. His arteries haven't grown since he was born. Just trying to drink from a bottle was so exhausting to him, because of the exertion put on his heart, that they had to fit him with a tube that goes into his nose, down his esophagus and into his tummy to supply his food without him having to nurse from a bottle. However, even that is causing congestion and they hope to be able to fit him with a tube that goes directly into his stomach.

I am writing to ask all of you for your help. Baby Cliff's parents are in dire need of help with the medical costs that are accruing for Cliff's care. Many have expressed their desire to help in this regard, so Julie and her sister TeriDel (Cliff's mother) have compiled a cookbook with some of their families' favorite recipes. This is not just a spiral bound book with type-written recipes---they went all out! It is a beautiful cookbook with brief, insightful descriptions and beautiful pictures of the food they prepared themselves and photographed. The cover itself is a work of art. They worked incredibly hard to have something to be able to raise money to help this sweet baby get the medical attention he needs.

I'm asking you to visit their blog at www.babycliffnotes.blogspot.com to learn more about Cliff and perhaps purchase a cookbook to benefit him. (If you prefer, you can just donate to his cause on the blog site as well.) All funds go to help with his medical care.

Please give just a few moments to see how you can help Cliff, and feel free to pass this message and Cliff's blog address along to others you think may be interested in helping. My heartfelt thanks to you for your time.

The Proverbial "Resolution"

I know myself, and resolutions don't usually work out for me. But this year feels different. I want it to be different. So, my resolution is...diligence. I know exactly what I should be doing with my life, but sometimes I get sloppy, lazy, apathetic. What I need is a healthy dose of diligence. I want to do better, be better, so why not start with the good things in my life that I let sit by the wayside sometimes. It's time to pick up the good, no...great things in life that I have put off for far too long, dust them off and Just. Do. Them! From exercise, to spending more time with my children, to communing with God a little more each day, it's time to be diligent. Just a little more each day is my plan, but the results will be big!

Have a great year, everyone. I look forward to sharing on this blog in new ways, and I hope to hear from you in return.