Proud Bargain Hunting

Okay, I'll admit it: I'm not a great bargain shopper. I have my favorite brands; and as long as the quality is consistent, I'm willing to pay for it. I'll buy clothes for myself off-season to save cash, but you'll never see me scouring ads to find the best deal on a product. If it isn't where I normally shop, I don't need it that badly.

Do I sound like a snob?

So, I had to share how proud I am of myself for the great deal I got on a dress from Land's End yesterday. Since my post-40 body has changed shapes in the middle, not many of my old clothes fit. That's what I get for wearing snug-fitting pants and skirts (I truly hate loose clothes). Anticipating a return to the workforce (outside my home), I've slowly been updating my wardrobe. I honestly only have one skirt set and no dresses in  my closet.

Land's End sent me an email with a promo code for 30% off one item, so I decided to see what they have. I found this beautiful dress that was originally $89.99 on sale for $29.99. So, I scooped it up in the wineberry color. The 30% off brought my cost down to $20.99. But I still had to pay $5.95 shipping, so we're at $26.94. Still not bad.

Over Christmas, I turned some of my credit card rewards into gift cards for Land's End. Even though I spent hundreds of dollars, my gift cards covered 98% of it, and I still got to accrue Land's End membership rewards. My total Land's End rewards came to $19.08, which I used toward the purchase of this dress.

In the end, I paid $7.86 total. I had to rush over and tell my mother-in-law, the queen of bargain hunting all about it.

What's the best deal you've ever taken advantage of?

Teaser Tuesdays - January 22nd

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"As we fall upward through the in-between, I realize the light of the sun orbits around us. Bright on bright, it stands out against the galactic tapioca smear of stars behind."

~ page 159, Untimed by Andy Gavin

Is Poor Customer Service Sinking Sears?

If you look like this after a customer service experience, that's never good. After my most recent experience with Sears®, I'm beginning to wonder if poor customer service is partially to blame for their financial woes.

My mother-in-law (MIL) visited our local Sears at the beginning of January to order a Kenmore bread machine like the one I received for Christmas. They didn't have one in stock, but the salesperson offered to order one for her. According to my MIL, they were having technology issues and the order couldn't be placed then, so she left. The reason she went to Sears in the first place was because she had a $40 gift card. This gift card was an attempt on Sears's part to make up for the total screw up on their hot water heater. Sears has a next day delivery guarantee. It took them eight days to deliver and install my in-laws' hot water heater.

At any rate, a few days later, my MIL asked me to order her bread machine online. When I went to do that, however, the gift card now had a zero balance. I checked her email, and she had a message from Sears that said, "Thank you for your purchase." We figured, the salesperson at Sears was able to get the order put through and in a week or so a bread machine would arrive at her home.

Well, when I was at their house Thursday and they still had no bread machine, I called our local Sears store. They were totally useless. They couldn't even find her order in the system. So, I then had to call Sears.com. After a lengthy, frustrating conversation, I discovered the order had been placed, but cancelled because they were out of stock of the unit. Now, you have to realize, both on the day I originally tried to order the unit online and the day I had this conversation with Sears.com their website claimed the unit could be delivered within a few days.

So, what about the balance of my MIL's gift card? I was told she would receive a new one within 3 to 5 days from the date of the cancelled order. We're still waiting on it.

I could give you other examples of our unfavorable customer service experiences with Sears, but instead, I'll offer this link to Consumer Affairs that lists numerous other complaints from people around the country: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/retail/sears_cust.html 

Poor holiday sales and news that CIT Group halted loans to Sears's suppliers seem to be signs of more tough times for this retailer. Hopefully, they can work on improving customer service and gain back some of their customers. My family shopped at Sears when I was growing up, and it pains me to think one more piece of my childhood will be eliminated.

You've Got Mail Monday

Looking for a job has to be the most depressing task. I feel like I'm trying to get votes for Homecoming Queen and failing miserably. Sent more applications out over the weekend. We'll see what happens.

On a fun note, my All You and Traditional Home magazines arrived last week. I found some recipes in the first one that I would like to try. The latter has an article titled, "10 Pretty and Practical Ideas to Refresh a Tired Kitchen." I'll definitely look at that one, but right around now I'm thinking I need practical ideas to refresh a tired house. After 13 years of looking at a lot of the same stuff, I'm ready for a change.

I was excited to find Untimed by Andy Gavin. I'll be reviewing that one in March at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection.

That's it for this week's You've Got Mail Monday. Hope you have a blessed week.

Guest Blogger: Tanya Stowe, Author of Leap of Faith (Heart's Haven)

Zack Manning is a computer software genius. His company has just offered him a six-figure position. He thinks Zoe Wyndham is pretty in a wispy sort of way but she’s far too ‘other-worldly’ for practical Zack…until she shows up at his front door. Then Zack falls head over heels. There isn’t room in his world for someone like Zoe. Can he trust his heart and take a leap of faith?

Avoiding Land Mines

by Tanya Stowe

Books written in a series with other authors can be a process filled with dangerous land mines. Blow-ups can and often do occur, resulting in tension, frustration, and hurt feelings. Relationships can even be permanently damaged. But if the project is approached with the right attitude and a few smart tricks and tips, a writing partnership can create friendships for a lifetime. Just ask those of us participating in the Heart’s Haven Collection!

I wrote two books with a close friend and collaborated with four other authors on a very successful musical play. I had also worked with friends on a series of linked Valentine’s stories in the local paper. I was very familiar with the ups and downs of writing a series with multiple partners, but I was relatively new to the Pelican Book Group when Mary Manners approached me with the idea of writing a novelette in a series. Mary, Marianne Evans and I had already worked together on a short publicity linked story project, so I knew they were good partners. I simply loved Delia Latham’s story idea centered around an apartment complex with a grumpy landlord who sees angels. My imagination took flight and before I knew it, I had a rough draft and an outline. That’s when we ran into snags.

Great minds think alike. We were shocked and surprised to find we had many crossovers in our stories. We had taken our plots in similar directions, sometimes repeating, but at other times, we contradicted each other. That taught us our first lesson. Tip number 1:
     Create a detailed description of your setting, location, time line and characters.

With a detailed outline, each writer is free to describe the characters and setting in their own way without inhibitions. In spite of precautions however, we discovered that our main shared character, Mr. Hart, our landlord, had different speech patterns. Since he was used in every story, he needed a consistent way of speaking. Delia created a dialect, gave us a few rules of thumb and we stuck to it throughout our stories. This tip provided continuity to Mr. Hart and made Heart’s Haven real to us…and our readers!

After those initial corrections, the editing stopped. We were all experienced writers and knew better than to interfere with another person’s creative process or storyline. Tip number 2:
     Resist the temptation to edit too much.

As writers, our stories are close to our hearts. We write and re-write until we feel they’re perfect. When someone else is writing a part of our story, it never seems right and sometimes the itch to edit is hard to ignore. Ignore it, unless of course, it’s a simple grammar error or typo.

One of the joys of a series project is seeing where each author’s creativity takes the story. Too much editing can stifle an author’s unique voice, and in my opinion, is the main reason for the failure of most partnerships.
   
     3. Have a designated decision maker and speaker.

Since Heart’s Haven was Delia’s brainchild, we made her the designated contact point. Most of our decisions are made by consensus, but when we needed someone to make a call, that duty…by consensus fell to Delia.

     4. Know what you bring to the table.

Delia has a wonderful, smooth writing voice and is an excellent editor. Mary Manners is the best at creating atmosphere and setting scenes. Marianne clearly sees God’s hand in all things and shares that inspiration in her stories. I’m pretty good at plotting. Since none of these strengths competes or challenges the other, we had very little differences of opinions. Whenever a question did arise, we deferred to the opinion of the writer with that strength. Knowing what we did best and checking our egos at the door made our writing process run smooth and best of all…made it fun!

Following these simple tips, and keeping the right attitude, turned the four of us into a lean, mean writing machine. That writing machine created a community that is real, so real we even created a Facebook page where our characters live and breathe. We’d love for you to come and visit with Pia, Suzanna, Zoe and Kaci at https://www.facebook.com/HHFriends. There’s nothing those four love better than a cozy chat…except maybe another Heart’s Haven story of romance and love.

Something tells me more of those stories may be on the way. This lean, mean writing machine is just getting started!

Tanya Stowe has had an eclectic career in market research, arts education and event coordination. She has written for television, publicity firms, national publications, and even collaborated on a Christmas musical. Tanya has been married to her high school sweetheart for thirty-nine years. They have four children and eighteen grandchildren. Recently her husband retired from government work to take a new position. They live in the Middle East and are sharing many new adventures.

Visit Tanya at www.TanyaStowe.com.

Find out more about the Heart's Haven series at www.pelicanbookgroup.com

Free for All Friday: A Christmas Kindness by C.C. Gevry

Eight-year-old Robert is eager to share his wish list with Santa at the mall on Christmas Eve. When he meets Glenn, who has only one request for Santa, Robert is confused over what he should do. Can he cast aside what he wants and ask Santa to bring his new friend a special gift?

Inspiration Behind A Christmas Kindness

How is it that children have the ability to reach out and help others in ways adults don't always think to do?

One year, our oldest daughter--then only eight--went door-to-door in our neighborhood collecting money for Toys for Tots. Coordinated by the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve, this program collects new, unwrapped toys each year and distributes them as Christmas gifts to less fortunate children in our communities. This summer, my girls ran a lemonade stand so they could bring money to a local animal shelter.

Why don't I think of doing such things? I guess it's easier to write a check and send it in the mail. But what effort is involved in that? My children make it personal, and much more meaningful, by giving something of themselves.

With A Christmas Kindness, I hope to capture the generosity of a child's heart--the way they look at the world as a place of endless opportunities to make a difference.

Use the Rafflecopter form to enter for your chance to win a copy of A Christmas Kindness.

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Guest Blogger: Marianne Evans, Author of Operation Breathless (Heart's Haven)

Psychologist Susanna Daniels helps troubled teens find their footing and their faith, but in the face of erroneous accusations, she's lost hope, wondering if her work at Wellsprings of Grace even makes a difference any more.

Detroit police officer Gabe Peretti has returned home to Angel Falls, Texas, burned out by the big city, his faith stretched to the breaking point by the badlands he's witnessed and tried so hard to change. He craves fresh perspective, and wisdom enough to discern God's will.

A sparkling kiss and an embattled young lady careening down the wrong path bring Susanna and Gabe together, sweeping them into a set of circumstances that will require enough faith to shine bright, and enough love to leave them both forever changed, and positively breathless.


Read an excerpt!

The woman was in tears.

Curious, Gabe Peretti tugged on his dog’s leash, drawing his companion to a standstill. These weren’t slow building, trickle-and-roll tears. Her head bowed down, her shoulders trembled, and she kept swiping at her eyes with a mangled tissue.

What a sad picture.

The hop and charge of his German Shepherd, who suddenly wanted to spring ahead, distracted Gabe for a moment. Until now he and Axle had enjoyed a quiet, leisurely walk through Falls Park, a municipal facility located at the heart of downtown Angel Falls. A new year had just begun. In East Texas that meant cool weather, but chilly air didn’t keep folks inside. The sun was out, so the park teemed with kids and parents. Verdant trees, jungle gyms, and a few swing sets dotted the facility. Gabe continued to stare, maintaining a tug-of-war that kept Axle in place. Barely. The dog wanted to beeline straight for the woman.

Weird.

She sat alone, not far away. Tucked against the far end of a green metal bench, bathed in dappled sunlight, her profile was framed by dancing leaves and tree branches that rustled and swayed around her. Gorgeous—but heart achingly sad. Dark brown hair trailed down her back in a satiny river. She was fair skinned and slender.

Fair skinned. Slender. How clinical, how distant. Gabe groaned at himself. He really had been a cop for too long.

A yank on his arm ended his perusal and nearly dislocated Gabe’s shoulder, reminding him to tend to Axle. Grumpy about being interrupted while he admired the woman, Gabe cast his dog a scowl—as if that would accomplish anything of value. “Axle, settle down.”

The deep spoken, firm command worked. For two seconds. After that, Axle surged ahead all over again, straining and coughing, dancing against the confines of the leash, pulling relentlessly on Gabe’s arm, which grew increasingly sore. Axle kept bouncing his attention back and forth between Gabe and the lovely lady.

Weird again.

His policeman’s instinct kicked in once more—the good old protect and defend aspect of Gabe Peretti’s persona that family and friends swore was hard-wired into his DNA. The pedestrian trail led right past her bench. He could wander by, casually. Just to be sure she was OK. Just out of courtesy. Would she be offended? Would she think him intrusive, or—

Another starburst of pain shot through his arm when Axle charged ahead—again. This time, eighty pounds of hard-muscled determination refused to be denied.

“Axle—gimme a break. C’mon!”

Gabe blustered but the next thing he noticed? A prompting. Subtle pressure moved against his shoulders—whisper soft and invisible but strong as steel.

He was drawn to the woman. Physically compelled.

Keeping it Real 

by Marianna Evans

If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it hundreds of times: ‘Christian fiction and romance needs to keep it real. Christian fiction needs to paint pictures of modern Christians dealing with modern culture in a Godly manner.’ I couldn’t agree. Fulfilling that challenge spreads hope like seeds just waiting for the nourishment of water and soil.

Answering the call to minister via words and characters to a world that’s becoming more and more secular isn’t easy. Some of you may have heard of the term ‘edgy Christian fiction.’ The label helps to define a level of storytelling that will tackle, in frank terms, such issues as child and spousal abuse, substance addiction, adultery. Issues Christians must confront every day. As authors, so must we. We can’t allow ourselves to back away from looking at modern problems straight on. No fear or self-righteousness must be allowed. After all, we all fall short. We’re all sinners.

I’ve been writing Christian inspirational romance and fiction for three years and if someone had told me back then that I would write a book for the Christian market centered on the crumbling—and redemption—of a loving, Christ-centered marriage as the result of adultery, I would have thought they were crazy. As modern as I can be in my approach to writing Christian fiction and romance, I never dreamed of working hand-in-heart with God to pull off such a plot. Devotion, however, accomplished just that—a portrait of redemption after a very human fall. Then there’s my Heart’s Haven novella, Operation Breathless, which deals with a burned-out cop in recovery after being caught in the crossfire of a gang shoot-out. Meanwhile, the heroine of the story is a counselor for troubled teens who finds herself framed for robbery by one of her young charges.

Messy stuff, huh? Well, sometimes life is messy. That’s when Christian love must shine through. That’s when the loving hand of God reaches into our spirits and works miracles. That’s the reward of writing in this genre: the romance between man and woman, and the romance between God and his beloved creation—you and me—each and every one of us.

And that’s an amazing thing to consider each time I put fingers to keyboard!

I hope you can join me and my dear friends, Delia Latham, Tanya Stowe and Mary Manners this month as we put a wrap on part one of the adventures taking place at Heart’s Haven with the release of Dance with Me! Stories from our favorite apartment complex in southeast Texas continue through the coming year – with special holiday titles we can’t wait to share with you then a special Easter offering as well!

Marianne Evans is an award-winning author of Christian romance and fiction. Her hope is to spread the faith-affirming message of God’s love through the stories He prompts her to create. Readers laud her work as: ‘Riveting.’ ‘Realistic and true to heart.’ ‘Compelling.’

Evans’s novel, Hearts Communion, earned Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year honors in the Romance category as well as best inspirational romance of 2012 by ACRA, a chapter of the Romance Writers of America. Evans has also won acclaim in such RWA contests as The Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence where she has been a finalist twice, and the Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence contest.

A lifelong resident of Michigan, Evans is active in a number of a number of Romance Writers of America chapters, most notably the Greater Detroit Chapter where she served two terms as President. She’s also active in American Christian Fiction Writers and the Michigan Literary Network.

Connect with Marianne:
Website: www.marianneevans.com
Blog: www.marianneevans.blogspot.com
Facebook Reader Page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Marianne-Evans/308711716744
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Marmo212

Find out more about the Heart's Haven series at www.pelicanbookgroup.com