Pleating For Mercy by Melissa Bourbon Giveaway at Reviews By Molly

Do you love cozy mysteries? I sure do. I still  miss Murder, She Wrote on TV.

Melissa Bourbon is the pen name of talented author, Misa Ramirez (something I just learned today). Pleating for Mercy is the first book in her Magical Dressmaking Mystery series.

All the Cassidy women possess special gifts. Harlow Jane Cassidy’s is creating beautiful dresses. But she’s about to discover secrets in her own family, and another gift—one that can reach beyond the grave…
When her great-grandmother passes away, Harlow Jane Cassidy leaves her job as a Manhattan fashion designer and moves back to Bliss, Texas. But soon after she opens Buttons & Bows, a custom dressmaking boutique in the turn-of-the-century farmhouse she inherited, Harlow begins to feel an inexplicable presence…

One of her first clients is her old friend Josie, who needs a gown for her upcoming wedding. But when Josie’s boss turns up dead, it starts to look as if the bride-to-be may be wearing handcuffs instead of a veil. Suddenly Josie needs a lot more from Harlow than hemming a dress. Can Harlow find the real killer—with a little help from beyond?

Reviews by Molly has one copy of this book to giveaway. Visit http://www.reviewsbymolly.com/2011/09/book-review-and-giveaway-pleating-for.html for details.

Pirates Gold: Treasure to Die For by Evelyn Uslar-Pietri Giveaway at Linda Weaver Clarke's Blog

Click on over to the blog of my friend, Linda Weaver Clarke. She is running a giveaway for a copy of Pirate's Gold: Treasure to Die For by Evelyn Uslar-Pietri.

Pirate's Gold is not for the faint of heart... It's a roller coaster of a ride that will plunge you into a world of dizzying adventure: a place of hideous monsters, evil wizards, enchanting nymphs and unimaginable riches! Tag along (if you dare!) with Captain Johnny B. Wilde and his motley crew as they sail the infamous islands of Vasquez searching for long-lost treasure.

From Skull's Island, where beastly terrors haunt, to the magical empire of Encantada, and on to the treacherous deserts of Cursyu, a trail of clues leads to an ancient and deadly secret--a secret that may spell eternal doom for our daring pirates... On behalf of Captain Wilde, author Evelyn Uslar-Pietri cordially invites you to take a deep breath (perhaps your last!) and hop onboard for this thrilling ride. But just remember, mate, you've been warned!

Doesn't this sound like a fabulous book? Linda has an interview with the author, where you can find out more. And don't forget to check out Evelyn's website. It's amazing!

Deadline to enter is October 1st, so head on over to http://lindaweaverclarke.blogspot.com/2011/09/interview-with-fantasy-author-evelyn.html and comment for your chance to win!

Movie Review: Joshua (2002)

The small community of Auburn is home to a lot of heartache. Though everyone knows each other, they have no sense of community. Maggie is aching to leave Auburn behind so she can forget about the car accident that took her husband's life and shattered her world. Joan and Steve's marriage is on the rocks so they are leading separate lives. A young guitarist named Kevin is at odds with his dad. Father Pat, a funny, awkward priest at the Catholic church is dismayed that he never seems to garner the approval of his superior Father Tardone.

But the appearance of a mysterious stranger changes all that. Suddenly, people are talking about Joshua, who seems to know how to get everyone to work together for the greater good--which seems to be troublesome to the serious Father Tardone.

This 2002 movie is based upon Joseph Girzone's novel, Joshua: A Parable for Today. The idea behind the story is that Jesus has returned to earth to help his people find their way and teach them how to love again. I read the book many years ago, along with Girzone's other Joshua books. My husband purchased Joshua, the movie, for me a few years ago as a Christmas gift.

While the premise is basically the same, as is typical with book to movie projects, Joshua barely resembles the written story. The story was modernized a bit, so the residents of Auburn now have cell phones, but overall filmmakers captured simple, small town American well. I was less than thrilled, however, with certain aspects of the movie: the romantic feelings Joshua's appearance awaken in Maggie (though handled in a family friendly way); having Joshua make a statue of Peter for the Catholic church instead of a statue of Moses for the synagogue (book); and the divisive relationship between Father Pat and Father Tardone.

Part of the appeal of the book, is that Jesus comes back and reaches out to all people, just like he did during his first time on earth. By having the movie focus on the Catholic church and Joshua helping rebuild a Baptist church that was destroyed by a storm, they remove the powerful element of Joshua reaching out to the Jews, which was a big part of the book. They make a point to mention there is a Jewish person in Auburn, but it's a humorous moment where this man enters the Catholic confessional to tell Father Tardone about one of Joshua's miracles.

Maggie's interest in Joshua, while depicted purely, adds nothing to the film. Perhaps they were going for a modern-day Mary Magdalene--as some people believe she saw the Lord as something more than a teacher--by portraying the character this way, but I felt it fell flat. Besides, Maggie wears her tops a bit too tight. In most shots, her "headlights" are on. Somehow, I think that's a no-no for a family film.

While the book did have the religious leaders of Auburn confronting Joshua about his motives, the man steering the destroy Joshua committee is Father Tardone. He preaches more about fear of God, than about God's love. At one point, Father Tardone invites Joshua to Mass, where he proceeds to give a sermon on how you cannot hide your sins from God. They exchange words after the service, and it's obvious they have a different version of who God is and the message he gives to us through his Word.

It is the moving scenes when Joshua interacts with certain people that save this movie. Joshua and the blind woman at the revival meeting; Joshua and Theo after his accident; Joshua and Father Tardone in Rome (where Joshua has been called to be interviewed by the cardinal about his actions); and the tear-jerking scene between Joshua and the Pope.

Despite its departure from the book, Joshua is filled with many talented actors who perform well with the material they were handed. I also feel, the message of God's love shines through.

Actors: Tony Goldwyn, F. Murray Abraham, Kurt Fuller, Stacy Edwards, Giancarlo Giannini
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: G (General Audience)
Studio: Lions Gate
DVD Release Date: October 22, 2002
Run Time: 91 minutes
Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (206 customer reviews)
ASIN: B00006IUFW

Guest Blogger: Chamed, Author of My Heart Stopped Beating

Fourteen year old Italian girl, Chamed, is a living miracle after fighting illness since birth to live a normal life. Now fourteen years old, she feels a thrill of freedom when she convinces her parents to let her stay home alone while they go on holiday. She soon regrets that decision when she receives a call from her aunt Patrizia that the worst has happened: her parents have died in a car accident.

Living with My Past by Chamed

Things only get worse for Chamed as she mourns the deaths of her parents and suffers under the care of her aunt and uncle. Her aunt repeatedly abuses her and convinces others that she is an evil child. When Chamed’s best friend’s father sexually harasses her, the blame is placed on Chamed. Deeply depressed, she attempts suicide, only to find herself waking up in a mental hospital. Her nightmare is only beginning as she is subjected to electroshock therapy against her will – and worse from the nurses and doctors.

Finally she finds hope again in Dr. Franco, but will he be enough to save her from this living nightmare?

A few years ago, I was thinking to myself about the destiny of the people who were in asylums before they closed, in Italy, at the end of the Eighties.

Where are they now? I was wondering. Those asylums, which still exist in other countries or under other names, are not usually places of cure, but of segregation.

What are the problems these people must face to integrate in our world?

I am now out of the madhouses but I have to live with my past. Day after day I must face my past. In the attempt of overcoming my past, once for all, one day I decided I would read the diaries I had written as a 14-year-old girl, and I would tell my story in a book. I have published my book this year, My Heart Stopped Beating (MindLeaves, second revised edition, August 2011).

In this book I tell the story of the time when I had fallen into an inferno of torture and abuse after my parents passed away. I was abused by my stepmother, and administered electroshock. I didn’t remember anything, they obscured my mind, I couldn’t read, I couldn’t even scribble and I encountered complications in relating my ideas to my way of expressing myself, in verbal language most of all.

Then for many years, for fear, I withdrew into myself and fought with my past.

I hope my book will help other people overcome an unbearable past. I think of my book as written for an ethical purpose. If the 'moral issue' might be given more importance, you may create, day after day, in every place and corner of the earth, the words, the big and small deeds that are the conditions for a better world. A world where everyone is given the opportunity to live a more human life.

At the end of the game what remains is only the love that has been given. I thank God for giving me four wonderful parents and I would not know who to choose among all four. The first two gave me a strong base of concrete and the other two have built on this basis, which with any storm doesn’t fall down, I believe.

It certainly can be damaged, ruined, but can never fall, and without their teaching I would not be here to tell my story. So many people of the asylums had incredible stories to tell, but the lack of real care for their world silenced their word forever.

I have written my book in the most authentic and honest way for me, putting in it all my heart and all of my life and reality. I wanted to keep my story essential, going straight to the heart of the matter.

I think of my book as a message in a bottle, as my diaries were. A bottle that now, with the English edition, has crossed the ocean, and reached a public that includes many people and many countries. In most of those countries many people are still imprisoned in asylums. I wish somehow my message could reach them, adding some hope, or at least awareness.

Chamed is not the registry office name of the author, yet it is not a pseudonym. She lives in Tuscany, she works mostly abroad, as a painter on canvas and porcelain. Some of her porcelain works are displayed in exhibitions in Italy, Sweden and Poland, France, Portugal and Brazil. My Heart Stopped Beating is her first novel. A second novel by her is forthcoming.

Book Spotlight: While There is Still Time by Terrence Dunnum

God always sends messengers to warn his people before a special event. He sent Noah before the flood. He sent angels before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. He send John the Baptist before the arrival of Jesus Christ.

In the same way God spoke to Noah and John the Baptist, he has spoken to Terrell Dunnum. Terrell had released the Lord’s messages into a book of poetry that will bring hope and healing to all who read it.

While There is Still Time is filled with poetry that is enjoyable both for its messages and its unique rhythms and rhymes. The poetry in While There is Still Time will touch all people, whether saved or unsaved. The lost will be drawn back to God, the weak in faith will be strengthened, and all readers will find encouragement and inspiration.


Read the Excerpt!


Yearning for You
Like a whistle from a kettle as steam is set free
Is my yearning for you
Like a hand that rocks the cradle
With a soft, gentle touch
Is my yearning for you
My fragrance is sweet, so why don’t you sit, relax
Let it warm your feet
I am warmer than milk and sweeter than honey
With words of love as gentle as a little baby bunny
So come into my presence, my dear, my sweet
I have all the bread and wine and so much more to eat
For I will satisfy your longing no man can fill
With my words full of comfort
I’ll carry you to this great and awesome hill
So be still and know that I am
You are my bride
Prepare yourself

Available from the publisher or in a Kindle edition.



Read the reviews!

"For individuals of faith WHILE THERE IS STILL TIME is a book of hope that tells us exactly what is needed to make sure we are living the life destined for us. Poignant without being preachy, it is a poetic message that will resonate with individuals of all walks of life."

--C.A. Webb, Conversations Book Club

"You will be touched by the message and the thoughtfulness that Mr. Dunnum puts into his work."

--Katherine Boyer

Terrell Dunnum is the founder of Total Freedom Ministries, Inc., an organization that provides mentoring and biblical counseling to youth and families in crisis. He holds a master’s degree in Christian counseling from American Bible College and Seminary. While There is Still Time is Mr. Dunnum’s first poetry book.



At the age of 12 he began to teach Sunday school and help his mother prepare for her missionary license. Terrell’s unique message is one that has inspired, educated, and challenged individuals of all ages in making life changing choices.


At the age of 18, Terrell Dunnum’s mother died from an aneurism and a year later his father died from a coronary heart failure. Finding it difficult to continue with life and questioning God about the traumatic events left Terrell in a confused and depressed state. Terrell graduated from High School and continue through college receiving a bachelors degree in education through the help and encouragement of his older sibling.


Terrell says,” it was not easy, but I had to let go of the past, and learn to trust God in ways that my intellectual mind could not understand.” Through prayer and fasting, Terrell began to witness the miraculous effects of forgiveness and faith. Terrell later received his master’s degree in Christian Counseling from the American Bible College and Seminary.


Terrell Dunnum now encourages others as a motivational speaker. He has a gift to touch the hearts and minds of individuals struggling with identity crisis and relational barriers. He has helped thousands of young men and women find true meaning and purpose in life.

Visit the author online at http://whilethereisstilltime.com/.

Product Review: PackIt® Lunch Bag

If you've watched any kids channels on TV, you've probably run across the ad for PackIt® lunch bags. According to the PackIt website, this revolutionary new lunch bag allows you to pack foods and keep them cold for up to 10 hours.

After incessant bugging from my girls, I broke down and bought two--actually, they are currently running a Buy One, Get One free sale on PackIt, so I spent $19.95 plus shipping and handling (for both) and got two lunch bags. The bags are currently offered in three colors: aqua, orange polka dot, and grey plaid. I place them in the freezer at night and then remove them the next morning to pack their lunches.

In the two weeks that I've used the PackIt bags for my girls' lunches, they've lived up to their claim. I send the girls off to school in the morning and the bags are still cold when they return home seven hours later--even though both girls have recess before lunch and the bags sit out in the heat for 15 minutes before they take the bags back inside to eat. If they have leftovers, I feel confident in returning them to the fridge and packing them for the next day's lunch. I'm sure I'll be bringing PackIt with me next year when we visit the Outer Banks again. It should be great on the beach.

I don't feel they are the best for small children, because the bags are bulky and heavy due to the material built into the sides of the bag that freezes and keeps the food cold. My oldest daughter can't fit the PackIt into her book bag with all the folders and notebooks she carries back and forth each day, so she has to carry it separately. She's complained about it a few times, but luckily once the bag is empty it folds up and is secured by a strong Velcro® fastener, which does allow her to toss it in her bag on the bus ride home.

The one major downside to the product is that you can't pack lunches the night before, which is what I used to do. I don't know how your mornings are, but with two adults getting ready for work and bugging two kids to eat and get dressed so they don't miss the bus, having to wait until the morning to pack their lunches is a big obstacle. What I've taken to doing is making the lunches the night before and leaving them in the fridge, so all I have to do is take the PackIt lunch bags out of the freezer and fill them; but it seems even that throws a kink into the routine that was the same for years. The inside of the bag gets a little wet as it warms up too, so it's a good idea to wipe it down before folding it back up and placing it in the freezer again.

Overall, PackIt was a good purchase. These bags allow me to pack foods and drinks that I wouldn't have packed in the past. Salads stay crisp. Milk stays fresh. Cold cuts don't get warm and slimy. Considering you can spend almost $10 on a regular lunch bag, PackIt is definitely a wiser choice. Right now, when you purchase your PackIt, they include an eBook with 30 days of recipes. With names like "Go Texas" and "Lunchbox Luau," these recipes will be as much fun to make as they are to eat.

I purchased my PackIt from their official website. I received no monetary compensation of any kind to provide this review.

The Door At The Top Of The Stairs by Alison Holt Giveaway at Reviews by Molly

Stop by Reviews by Molly and enter for your chance to win an e-version of The Door At The Top Of The Stairs by Alison Holt.

Undercover narcotics officer, Jesse Shaunessy, is kidnapped and tortured, then thrown away by her department as damaged goods. The mind is a powerful ally, and 26-year-old Jesse has no memory of the abduction or the subsequent torture. Inevitably, as Jesse drifts from one itinerant job to another, the protective walls carefully constructed by her subconscious are beginning to crumble.


Fate lands her on a farm owned by Dr. Ryland Caldwell, a retired psychologist and her partner, Morgan Davis, the master of the Myrena Fox Hunt club. Ryland suspects there is more to Jesse’s foul temper than meets the eye. When Morgan and Ryland accidentally discover vicious scars on Jesse’s back, Ryland knows that without their help, Jesse’s descent into insanity will rapidly overwhelm them all.

Giveaway ends on September 23rd, so enter right away. Visit http://www.reviewsbymolly.com/2011/09/blb-tourreview-door-at-top-of-stairs-by.html for full details.