Pelican Ventures Announces Acquisition of ChristianBookVideos.com

Aztec, NM - November 11, 2013 - Nicola Martinez, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief for Pelican Book Group, a Pelican Ventures company, announced today that Pelican Ventures, LLC has acquired the ChristianBookVideos.com web site from Marketing Christian Books, Inc. This comes on the heels of the Pelican Ventures purchasing The Wordsmith Journal (now redubbed TWJ Magazine; twjmag.com a popular e-zine. "TWJ and CBV complement each other," said Martinez. "The goal of both is to spotlight wholesome entertainment with an emphasis on Christian products."

Edward Bolme, Managing Director for Marketing Christian Books, Inc. said, "I am pleased that Pelican Book Group has taken over the operation of ChristianBookVideos.com. I believe that this is a great move for the loyal fans of the site, and will secure the future of the original vision of this wonderful resource for Christian book lovers." 

ChristianBookVideos.com was launched in 2009 and features hundreds of videos for both Christian non-fiction and fiction. While the site had grown dormant in recent months, it now has been through a redesign and is open to receiving video listing submissions.

There is no charge to have a video listed on the site, however Featured Videos and Site Ads are available and are proven to receive more dedicated views as the next most popular video.

Videos placed on the site are also promoted on the Christian Book Videos Twitter® and Facebook® accounts, found respectively at http://twitter.com/christnbookvids and http://www.facebook.com/ChristianBookVideos

For more information contact:
Pamela Thibodeaux, Marketing Manager at:

 

pthib@pelicanbookgroup.com

Save Time with O’Charley’s Award-winning Pies This Holiday Season

I love baking, especially around the holidays; but sometimes I simply run out of time. I haven't made a pie--crust and all--since I was in high school, and I'm not the kind of person who feels comfortable letting my guests be guinea pigs when I try something new.

Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., O’Charley’s includes 213 restaurants in 17 states in the Southeast and Midwest. They have this great weekly promotion called Free Pie Wednesday, where guests can try a free slice of their pie with the purchase of any entrée. Now they are offering whole pies from O’Charley’s very own bakery for their patrons to take home and enjoy. While dining in at their local O’Charley’s, guests can order a whole pie to take home or schedule a future pickup. Guests can also call in advance to schedule a pie pickup at their convenience.

O’Charley’s Holiday Whole Pie Menu includes:

• Perfect Pumpkin Pie – This seasonal favorite starts with a golden flaky crust that’s filled with a creamy blend of real pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices including cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

• Double-Crust Peach Pie – Tender, flaky double-crust fresh-baked pie filled with deliciously sweet sun-ripened Free Stone peaches. Awarded a 2013 blue ribbon by the American Pie Council.

• Country Apple Pie – “Old fashioned” double-crust fresh-baked pie filled with sweet, crisp Michigan apples seasoned with delicate spices. Awarded a 2013 blue ribbon by the American Pie Council.

• Southern Pecan Pie – This delicious Southern classic is made with butter and brown sugar then topped with plenty of pecans for a deep nutty flavor. Awarded a 2013 blue ribbon by the American Pie Council.

• French Silk Pie – Semi-sweet chocolates blended into a velvety smooth filling in a flaky pastry crust. Topped with real whipped cream and milk chocolate shavings.

• Ooey Gooey Caramel Pie – Creamy caramel in a graham cracker crust topped with real whipped cream, milk chocolate shavings and pecans.

Can you say, yum! I want to try all of these.

“Nothing goes hand-in-hand with the Holidays quite like pie,” said Mickey Mills, president of O’Charley’s. “Pies are more than a dessert; they are an important part of the holiday tradition. We take great pride and care in baking these pies which is why our guests are raving about their fresh-from-the-oven homemade taste. We are excited to offer quality, award-winning pies that are also conveniently ready and perfectly prepared to serve at holiday gatherings.”

For more details on O’Charley’s exclusive whole holiday pies, or to find an O’Charley’s location near you, visit www.ocharleys.com.

From My TBR Pile: Lilly's Weding Quilt by Kelly Long

This is a book I won a while ago. It has an autographed book plate, which makes it special. I adore Amish fiction. They also have some of the nicest covers around.

COVER: What a nice cover this is. There are currently three books in the A Patch of Heaven Series. All the covers are stunning and have a patch quilt pattern as the background behind the title and author's name. The warm colors in this cover (Book 2) give it a harvest time feel. They also make the blue in the woman's eyes stand out.

BLURB:  Handsome, headstrong Jacob offers Lilly his hand in marriage, but his heart belongs to someone else.

While Lilly Lapp has loved Jacob for years, she wouldn't compete with Sarah King, the woman Jacob was determined to marry. But when Sarah marries another, Jacob spontaneously agrees to wed Lilly.

Lilly divides her time between teaching the local Amish children and caring for her widowed mother who suffers from depression. Lilly's faith comforts her, but her heart still longs to be the sole object of Jacob's affection.

As the days slip by, Lilly decides that hoping is too risky and vows to protect her heart. But God is subtly as work, and as winter turns to spring, their hearts awaken.

The furthest thing from Lilly's mind is her Amish wedding quilt, a traditional gift for new brides. And the person she'd least suspect is the one making it. Like stray pieces of fabric quilted into a new design, Jacob and Lilly's marriage begins to bind them together in ways neither expected.

FIRST SENTENCE: Lilly Lapp was late.

Series: A Patch of Heaven Novel
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (March 29, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0373787111
ISBN-13: 978-0373787111

PURCHASE FROM CHRISTIANBOOK.COM OR AMAZON!

Mary Elizabeth The Spotless Cow On Sale and Giveaway

The story of "Mary Elizabeth The Spotless Cow" takes us on the journey she travels to figure out how to get the cows at a new farm to like and accept her.

While she hopes to find friendship at her new home, instead she learns what it means to be different from everyone else. (Spotless!) Mary Elizabeth uses clever ideas and a sense of humor to help her on her quest for friends at the new farm.

This inspiring tale shows how perseverance in spite of obstacles, using a sound thought process to arrive at solutions and the importance of having fun, using humor and enjoying playtime can build friendships.

Excerpt:


Once upon a time........there was a farm in Ohio with lots of Cows. They all had many spots to be proud of. One day a truck pulled into the farm. The back door opened and out came a new Cow. The other Cows were so excited to have a new friend!

But as the new Cow came out of the truck the other Cows looked on in shock!!! "Oh My! What on Earth?!"

It seems the new Cow, whose name was Mary Elizabeth, had no spots!

’’Where are your spots??!!’’ Demanded the Cow called Anna Belle. ’’I don’t have any spots. I was born spotless, you see.’’

Well, Anna Belle and the other Cows were horrified.
(Not mad, you had to be very careful about mad)



Purchasing information: From now through December 31, 2013, you can purchase Mary Elizabeth The Spotless Cow from the Sweetles website for only $12.00 (List price: $17.99).

When you buy this book, 50% of net proceeds go to Phoenix Children’s Hospital Child Life Program. Visit http://www.sweetles.com/product/books/mary-elizabeth-the-spotless-cow-book/ for more information.

Enter for your chance to win a 25 Amazon gift card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Sal is the author and illustrator of “A Sweetles Dream”® book series. As the Creative Director for

Hartman-Barbera llc, a family media and entertainment company, he is also an animator, sculptor, painter and all around fun guy. Sal lives the phrase: “A day without laughter is a wasted day”. To that end, he uses his writing, illustrating and animation skills to create endearing characters and comedic stories.

Sal's sense of humor and empathy for his characters explore personal and social situations in ways that makes it enjoyable for both adults and children to experience together. Born in New York City, Sal moved to North Bergen, NJ where he grew up on a steep hillside neighborhood with his four older sisters. He currently lives in sunny Arizona with his wife and artistic partner, Sheri, who he defines as his inspiration. On any given day Sal might be painting, sculpting, drawing, animating, writing or enjoying one of his favorite pastimes: cooking, television, movies and golf.

Visit Sal Barbera’s website at http://www.salbarbera.com.

This Week's Countdown to Christmas Schedule on Hallmark Channel

Though my crazy schedule for November hasn't allowed me to watch any shows yet, I plan to make up for that soon.

Week Three: Monday, November 18 - Sunday, November 24

Monday, November 18
12a/11c: Karroll's Christmas
2a/1c: Matchmaker Santa
4a/3c: Christmas With Holly, from the Hallmark Hall of Fame
6a/5c: The Night Before the Night Before Christmas
8a/7c: It's Christmas, Carol!
2/1c: A Boyfriend for Christmas
4/3c: Baby's First Christmas
6/5c: A Holiday Engagement
8/7c: A Princess for Christmas
10/9c: Matchmaker Santa

Tuesday, November 19
12a/11c: It's Christmas, Carol!
2a/1c: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving
4a/3c: Christmas With Holly, from the Hallmark Hall of Fame
6a/5c: Eve's Christmas
8a/7c: A Princess for Christmas
2/1c: Debbie Macomber's Mrs. Miracle
4/3c: Debbie Macomber's Call Me Mrs. Miracle
6/5c: Christmas With Holly, from the Hallmark Hall of Fame
8/7c: Pete's Christmas
10/9c: The Christmas Card

Wednesday, November 20
12a/11c: Eve's Christmas
2a/1c: Debbie Macomber's Mrs. Miracle
4a/3c: Debbie Macomber's Call Me Mrs. Miracle
6a/5c: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
8a/7c: Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade
2/1c: The Wishing Tree
4/3c: The Christmas Card
6/5c: Jingle All the Way
6:30/5:30c: Jingle and Bell's Christmas Star
7/6c: Jingle All the Way
7:30/6:30c: Jingle and Bell's Christmas Star
8/7c: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
10/9c: A Very Merry Mix-Up

Thursday, November 21
12a/11c: Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade
2a/1c: Once Upon a Christmas
4a/3c: Fallen Angel, from the Hallmark Hall of Fame
6a/5c: Karroll's Christmas
8a/7c: Twice Upon a Christmas
2/1c: A Season for Miracles, from the Hallmark Hall of Fame
4/3c: Fallen Angel, from the Hallmark Hall of Fame
6/5c: Once Upon a Christmas
8/7c: The Christmas Ornament
10/9c: Snow Bride

Friday, November 22
12a/11c: Twice Upon a Christmas
2a/1c: Karroll's Christmas
4a/3c: Battle of the Bulbs
6a/5c: A Season for Miracles, from the Hallmark Hall of Fame
8a/7c: Farewell Mr. Kringle
2/1c: Battle of the Bulbs
4/3c: The Santa Suit
6/5c: Catch a Christmas Star
8/7c: Eloise at Christmastime
10/9c: A Bride for Christmas

Saturday, November 23
12a/11c: Farewell Mr. Kringle
2a/1c: All I Want for Christmas
4a/3c: The Santa Suit
6a/5c: The Dog Who Saved Christmas
8a/7c: Eloise at Christmastime
10a/9c: A Bride for Christmas
12/11c: All I Want for Christmas
2/1c: Catch a Christmas Star
4/3c: The Christmas Ornament
6/5c: Help for the Holidays
8/7c: Window Wonderland, a Hallmark Channel Original Premiere!
10/9c: Debbie Macomber's Trading Christmas

Sunday, November 24
12a/11c: Mistletoe Over Manhattan
2a/1c: The Dog Who Saved Christmas
4a/3c: Lucky Christmas
6a/5c: Debbie Macomber's Trading Christmas
8a/7c: Mistletoe Over Manhattan
10a/9c: Help for the Holidays
12/11c: Lucky Christmas
2/1c: Window Wonderland
4/3c: Snow Bride
6/5c: Naughty or Nice (2012)
8/7c: Fir Crazy, a Hallmark Channel Original Premiere!
10/9c: Moonlight & Mistletoe

You've Got Mail Monday

November is halfway over. Thank goodness. I'm just about done in, but if I can make it to November 30th, it will get easier from there. I attended the WriteAngles Conference this Saturday. John Katzenback, author of Hart's War and Just Cause sat on one of the panels I attended. Anthony Swofford, author of the memoir, Jarhead was on another panel. Keynote speakers were Pat Schneider and Suzy Becker. Great day and bought books I have no room for in my office--like always. I picked up Katzenbach's book, What Comes Next, Everything I Was by Corinne Demas (she sat on the same panel as Kaztzenbach and I loved her), Swofford's book, Jarhead, for my hubby, and The King's Agent by Donna Russo Morin, who just so happens to be friends with one of my favorite historical fiction authors, C.W. Gortner. I also saw a local teacher and purchased her book directly from her: The Paladins DuBois by Patricia Donaruma Williford.

My office remains a mountain of books, which I have to clean because the Lil' Diva is having party here on Friday night and I sure don't want anyone to think I'm a total slob. I'm really not, I've just had a hectic year and haven't been able to stay on top of things the way I usually do.

Christmas presents have started to arrive from various retailers. One of the presents I was going to get the hubby ended up being an emergency purchase when his shaver died. Well, died isn't actually accurate; it broke and wouldn't shut off. The new Braun will arrive tomorrow. In the meantime, I managed to convince the old shaver to stop running constantly by knifing it almost to death. Some of its parts will never be the same. Dad used to have one of those self-cleaning shavers, but it took up a lot of counter space and required regular purchases of the cleaning cartridge, which weren't cheap even at Walmart. Here's the new purchase:




I wonder why he opted to go with a wet and dry shaver this time. He's never done that before.

The coming of Christmas means the mail carrier, the UPS driver and the FedEx driver are all visiting us often. I still have boxes in the playroom from this week's deliveries. I picked up a couple of cute seasonal bread pans so I can make something for the church bazaar. I'm not much of a crafter these days, so I'm focusing on filling up the bake sale table.

Thy Will Be Done by Ronald Kirk and Closet Words by Kim Hilton arrived this week. I'll be reviewing those books during their December virtual book tours. I received a small catalog from the National Home Gardening Club, which I am a member of, about the AeroGarden. These units allow you to garden all year long. Too bad my cats would eat anything I tried to grow in the house. My December issue of All You magazine arrived, as did the first issue of my new HGTV Magazine subscription. Actually, my office right now is also piles of unread magazines. I swear, I will get to them all. I don't subscribe to anything just for the heck of it.

I also received this new product to review. It's called Re-Grip®. You install it on tool handles and it redistributes the energy created by impact. I think I'll try to add it to my rubber mallet to see how it works.

That's it for this week's You've Got Mail Monday. Hope you enjoy your week.

Book Spotlight: My Name Used to Be Muhammad by Tito Momen with Jeff Benedict

The True Story of a Muslim Who Became a Christian.

Tito Momen was raised Muhammad Momen. He was born in Nigeria and was taught to observe the strict teachings of Islam. At age five he woke at 4:45 every morning to attend the mosque and perform dawn prayer with the other men in his village. Training to memorize the Qur’an began at age six. It was at this same age that he began copying the entire Qur’an word for word. He was being raised to emerge as a leader among clerics, capable of leading a jihad, or holy struggle, to convert nonbelievers to Islam. However, Tito’s path took an unexpected turn when he was introduced to Christianity. His decision to believe in Jesus Christ cost him his family and his freedom. Tito thought he would spend his remaining days enduring a life sentence in an uncivilized Egyptian prison. For fifteen years he suffered and waited and prayed. Tito said, “I never gave up hope. I never stopped believing.” Although he was falsely imprisoned, beaten, and ridiculed, Tito’s remarkable true story is one of faith, forgiveness, and testimony that God does hear and answer prayers.

You can read an excerpt at www.jeffbenedict.com

"My Name Used to Be Muhammad" is a life changing book! It was fascinating to me to learn about

what it was like to grow up in an Islamic community with very extreme beliefs and rules. Titon Momen’s story about finding Christianity makes me reflect on my own Christianity and resolve to be a better Christian. I am a better person for having read this book. It was easy to read, and hard to put down. I marvel at Tito’s faith and optimism. If he can remain positive in his trials, then I know I can be more positive in mine. I am grateful to have read such a wonderful book, and look forward to reading it again. —Tom Castleton

Purchase at: 

Deseret Books: http://deseretbook.com/My-Name-Used-Muhammad-Jeff-Benedict/i/5108900

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/My-Name-Used-Be-Muhammad-ebook/dp/B00F45XGWA/ 

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-name-used-to-be-muhammad-jeff-benedict/1117376861

Jeff Benedict is considered one of America’s top investigative journalists He has published several acclaimed books, including Out of Bounds and Pros and Cons. His work has also been published in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times, among other publications, and he has appeared on ESPN, NBC Nightly News, CBS’ 48 Hours, and ABC News.

Visit Jeff online at http://www.jeffbenedict.com/