You can be a winner!

In almost every Book Blast I give away one free book, usually by another Christian author. As I said in my April Book Blast, for the next eleven months, everyone can get a free book every month. Scroll down to find out more.

April 2 was a special day for my husband, Art, and me. We had the opportunity to express our appreciation to First Baptist Church in Columbia Falls, Montana for being our sending church for over 25 years. We value the role they play in our ministry and the generous spirit they have always shown us. In the photo above you can see the “grateful plaque” we presented to them. We are standing with Pastor Marc Dobson and two other men who flew down to New Zealand to help us with a building project at the church. Sometimes we forget to thank the people in our lives who give us continual help year after year. We almost let this milestone go by unnoticed. I’m thankful the Lord brought it to our attention that our sending church has been doing this for 25 years.

Our furlough is almost over. On May 9 Art and I fly out of Minneapolis to return to our home in Invercargill, New Zealand. The flight should take about 28 hours from the time we leave Minneapolis until we land in Invercargill. We are anxious to get back to our home and our church. If all goes to plan, we will return to the States by the end of 2023 to prepare for retirement from career ministry. That doesn’t mean we’re done serving the Lord. We want to continue to serve him throughout our retirement years as long as we are able. Many changes lie ahead for us, but we know God will lead us each step of the way.

As an author, my goal for 2023 is to finish writing Pop In for a Cuppa, Book 3 in my New Beginnings series. Church ministry must come first, but at this stage, it seems reasonable that I will be able to finish writing this series, publish this last book as an ebook, and print all three books of the series by the end of the year.

Do you have people in your life who give you significant help year after year? Can you find a special way to thank them for what they do? What goals are you hoping to achieve during 2023? Feel free to share them with me and my readers in the comment section below.

If you read my last Book Blast, you may remember that we defined the genre of women’s fiction. Though women usually make up the largest proportion of readers, men may also enjoy it. The main protagonist is usually female, but not always.

Women’s fiction may have elements of romance, suspense, history, even fantasy. But the main focus of the story is about the character’s emotional journey and her relationships. That gives women’s fiction a greater opportunity to deal with deeper spiritual issues and complex themes and emotions.

Today’s Book Blast is the second in a series of twelve monthly articles that introduce you to different Christian authors who write women’s fiction. I am one of those authors. Each month you’ll have a chance to read a novel by one of those authors— for free.  The only obligation to get the book is to subscribe to the newsletter of the author. This is a good opportunity to meet some new Christian authors who write women’s fiction. If, after reading your free book and a few of an author’s newsletters, you really don’t want to read any more, you can always unsubscribe. But we hope you will take the time to find out who an author is before you take that action.

Carol J. Nelson started publishing Christian books after she retired. As I prepare to retire and spend more time writing, I’m encouraged by Carol. If the Lord wills, I hope to have many more years to write for His glory.

Carol J. Nelson lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she spends most days writing Christian women’s fiction. Although she started writing in childhood, it took a lifetime to know what her heart truly desired and needed to write—stories that touch the fabric of women’s lives with hope, grace, and faith, combined with the little spice of clean romance women enjoy. She has three daughters, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. She served as an aid in a nursing home, worked in the purchasing department of a large corporation, spent time as the head cook at an all-you-can-eat buffet, and went full circle to become a care giver before settling in to her first love, writing. When she’s not at the computer, church, gardening, cooking, and playing games keep her busy.

Here’s Carol’s free book.

It’s a beautiful day for a stroll in the park, until one critical word threatens to rip a friendship apart.

 Phyllis isn’t Janna Day’s favorite neighbor, and her two grandsons are aggravating. But when Janna’s friend, Marian, criticizes Phyllis, Janna defends her. After the boys cause serious trouble, and Janna forgives them, the rift between Janna and Marian widens. Gossip about Phyllis and the boys infiltrates the book club at church, and Janna takes a stand. It may fracture her friendship with Marian totally, but she has to do what’s right. And all she can do is hope and pray that God’s wisdom will prevail.

But will God’s wisdom prevail when Janna’s son, Dann, announces he may have to move out of state to escape the clutches of a designing woman? Will God answer Janna’s prayer that Dann stay? Come join Janna and her family as God molds and shapes them in order for His will to be done.

Get Carol’s free book.