Oodles of Free Books!

My publisher, Enclave, is sponsoring giveaways of many of their books. Enclave specializes in the best Christian speculative fiction (sci-fi, fantasy, etc.) and carries a huge variety.

And The Restorer-Expanded Edition in paperback is one of the books you can enter to win!

So stop by and see which books interest you, then follow the link to enter to win! Hurry, because some expire by tomorrow.

Have a blessed day!

Sharon

New Contest for Readers in 2012

A new contest to celebrate the re-release of the award-winning Sword of Lyric series!

The first book, The Restorer--Expanded Edition, released in October 2011 and The Restorer's Son--Expanded Edition, releases in April 2012.

In thanks for your support for these books, we are holding a giveaway to get a FIRST PEEK of the all new bonus material in The Restorer's Son--Expanded Edition!

And that's not all--ONE grand prize winner will receive a canvas Restorer Book Bag full of goodies like: 4 other Sharon Hinck books, a Restorer t-shirt transfer, clavo tea, and other treats.

Sounds great, right? So how do you enter?

1) Post a review of The Restorer--Expanded Edition to 3 major review sites (such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Good Reads, Shelfari, etc.) between January 2st and February 28th, 2012.

2) Email your review links to Sharon's literary assistant at jamie.words (at) gmail.com. For each review posted to a major site, your name will be entered in the drawing once.

3) On March 3rd, 5 winners will be randomly selected from the pool of contestants. And of those 5, ONE will be randomly drawn to receive the grand prize.

Put on your writing hat and enter the contest today!

* Please note that the contest begins January 2st and runs through February 28th. No reviews posted before or after those dates will be considered in the contest. The winners will be randomly selected from the pool of contestants who email their links to Sharon's literary assistant at jamie.words (at) gmail.com. Reviews that are not emailed to Jamie will not be entered in the contest. Once announced on the Facebook page, it is the winner's responsibility to contact Jamie with his / her contact information. In order to receive the PDF file of the bonus material in The Restorer's Son--Expanded Edition, the winner will also have to supply his / her email address. The grand prize winner of the Restorer Book Bag shall also have to supply a physical mailing address. Should any of the winners not respond to Jamie by March 10, 2012, new winners shall be selected. For any further questions, please contact Jamie at: jamie.words (at) gmail.com.

Speculative Fatih

There's a wonderful group blog, made up of Christian writers and readers with a heart for beautiful, skilled, artistic fiction. It's called "Speculative Faith," because they particularly blog about "speculative" fiction that explores themes of faith - meaning the kind of stories that imaginatively ask, "What if?" These may be fantasy tales of amazing creatures and foreign worlds, or science fiction novels set in far off planets or the distant future. I know several of the bloggers personally, and they are faith-filled and thoughtful folk.

On Friday, I visited the blog to talk about The Restorer-Expanded Edition.

I even shared a secret about one character in the comments section.

Please stop by and feel free to post your thoughts, too!

Blessings,
Sharon Hinck

Mind Poison

Devotion Guide #3 (Excerpted from The Restorer-Expanded Edition)

Read: The Restorer chapters 7-8

Read: Romans 12:2, I Peter 1:13

Mind poison. We live in an age where we’re exposed to non-stop clamoring voices. Marketing experts do all they can to stir discontent and a perceived need so we’ll purchase their products. Television commercials sing a siren song promising us the world if only we’ll buy a cheeseburger, a cleaning product, or a shiny new car. Magazine ads remind us that we haven’t yet accomplished the goal of being one of the world’s “beautiful people” – but would be a step closer if we use their makeup, hair color, or fashion accessories. A million “how-to” books remind us that we are never enough. Never smart enough, thin enough, rich enough, popular enough.

Meanwhile, we battle with our own sinful nature that murmurs lies in the background of our thought life – sometimes just below the level of our awareness. And fellow flawed people, sometimes well intentioned, say things that pierce like splinters and remain beneath the skin to fester. All the while, the enemy of our soul, Satan, also tempts us by twisting and distorting the truth.

Is it any wonder that the onslaught of messages we face each day can leave us reeling?

Catch a few of the thoughts that have drifted through your mind in the past day. Look at them closely. Do you spot any lies?

Ephesians 5:19-21 gives us a glimpse of one powerful way to protect our minds and hearts from lies. Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs can change our perspective, drawing our eyes off the false picture that mind poison can paint – and back to God, the source of all that is good and true. Think back to the lies you’ve battled recently. Can you find a verse of scripture that speaks specifically against that lie?

Can you find this scripture set to music? Many hymnals include an index that will help you find a hymn based on the verse. A Google search might also uncover a contemporary scripture song melody. You can also form your own simple melody to help you memorize and internalize the verse and carry it with you throughout the day.

Let’s pray:

Lord, thank You for the gift of your Word, the Truth that drowns out the clamoring lies around us. Please transform our thoughts, our minds, our deepest motivations. Thank You also for the gift of music. Help us remind our own hearts of Your goodness through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Guide us to specific verses and songs that will help us hold to truth in the specific area where we are most tempted today. Amen.

Podcast Interview

I was interviewed at Rick and Amy Moyer's "Take Him With You" podcast, and you can listen at their site here.

We chatted about faith, arts, inspiration, our love of fantasy and sci-fi, and The Restorer - Expanded Edition.

And if you're a fan of Star Trek, be sure to check out Rick's links to his Star Trek parody songs. They gave me lots of giggles.

Sharon

Black Friday Book Specials

I'm so excited to be holding a shiny new copy of The Restorer - Expanded Edition. And I'm excited that I figured out how to use "photo booth" on my computer to take this picture.

If you want to treat yourself or others to a book (which is still one of the best, most enduring entertainment values around in my humble opinion - hooray for books!) I wanted to alert you to some "Black Friday and Beyond" specials.

Be sure to check out Marcher Lord Press - If you order The Restorer-Expanded Edition (at their discount price!) you'll get two free gifts. But visit soon, since it's a limited time offer. And check out all their other books by terrific authors. Huge discounts for two days only.

*****************************************************************************************

AND if you want a gift under $5 - take a peek at . . .

The Secret Life of Becky Miller (a would-be super mom struggles with her spouses job loss)
Renovating Becky Miller (coping with a disability while juggling a home remodel and more)
Symphony of Secrets (musical mystery with a touch of romance)
Stepping Into Sunlight (inspiring novel of a woman's emotional healing)

Those aren't used books, either. Those are new, autographed, and will be personalized to you, or whomever you wish to give the book to.

Happy gift giving and happy reading!

Sharon Hinck

Book Give-away

What's better than a brand new, shiny, ink-scented book full of adventure?

Getting that book for free!

Visit Lena Nelson Dooley's blog today to learn about her give-away of a copy of
The Restorer-Expanded Edition.

And feel free to spread the word to other friends who might be interested!

Blessings, Sharon

Visiting Novel Rocket

One of the few blogs I subscribe to is Novel Rocket. Today, I'm honored to be their guest, as I'm interviewed about The Restorer Expanded Edition.
Check it out!

Blessings,
Sharon Hinck

Change: A Call to Follow?

I've been reading Mark 1: 16-20.

Whenever I read this account in Mark, my heart beats a little faster. I stand on tiptoe, hoping to be ready to spring into action when I hear the call of my Savior asking me to follow Him. I’d like to think that if Jesus walked up to my fishing boat, I’d respond “without delay” and follow Him.

But in daily life, I tumble into situations or am confronted by challenges that invade unexpectedly and these situations and challenges don’t feel at all like God’s call to follow Him. They feel like accidents.

In The Restorer, Susan was listening for God’s call in her life. She wanted guidance in her choices about which committee to join at her children’s school, or where to volunteer at church. She would have loved a few insights into how to grow in patience when the needs of her household left her frazzled and exhausted.

Instead, change invaded. Dramatic, inexplicable, confusing change. It didn’t feel like God’s call to follow. For her it felt like being tossed into a place where she was lost to Him.

What changes have recently intruded into your life – whether changes that came unasked for, or changes you initiated?

When I wrote about Susan being pulled through a portal into a new place, I thought about women I know who faced sudden change. A child with a learning disability. A friend diagnosed with cancer. A parent who develops Alzheimer’s. At some point in all our lives, we are pulled into a new world where we don’t know the rules, and we just want to go back to the familiar.

Sometimes my response to change is to use all my energy trying to get things back to normal. Or I scream for others to fix the problem. Or I curl up in despair. Or I grit my teeth and plow ahead. But when I read this account in the Gospel of Mark, I hear Jesus' gentle call, and I ask Him to show me how to follow Him in this new place.

We aren’t here by accident. Even in this new place, we can trust Him to guide us.

Let’s pray:

Dear Lord, sometimes I don’t have much choice about the changes that hit my life. But I do have choices about how I’ll respond. I’ll admit that there are challenges in my life I’d like to run away from, problems I want to barrel through in my own strength, situations I’d love to berate others for. Instead, please give me the courage to take up my cross and follow You. Amen.

(Adapted from the devotion guide in the back of The Restorer-Expanded Edition, 2011)

Blessings!

Sharon Hinck

Christmas Shopping Made Easy

Here's an idea to save loads of time on Christmas shopping.

I love "Signed by the Author." It's a great site that connects readers and authors, and provides you a chance to have your book signed and personalized (makes a great gift!)

I love writing a birthday greeting, or confirmation blessing, or Christmas note to the person the book is for.

I've just added The Restorer-Expanded Edition to their site.

Not only that, but I've listed all my contemporary fiction novels from Bethany House at a huge discount - so they would make a super affordable gift. If you need recommendations for the people on your gift list, just email me with your questions. I hope you'll check it out.

Thanksgiving Gift for You

I'm thankful for readers!

So from now until Thanksgiving Day, I have two free gifts (both developed by Stacy Oliver of Christian Book Preview) for readers who enjoy The Restorer-Expanded Edition.

1. FREE - A beautiful 36-page in-depth literary guide (great tool for homeschoolers who are using the book - or for book group discussions)

2. FREE - A fun party planner with creative ideas for a book club gathering or a Restorer-themed party.

Just share online about something that inspired or encouraged you about The Restorer, or something you particularly enjoy in the new expanded edition. Then email me through my website contact page with a link to where you've shared, and I'll send you the down-loadable booklets via email.

You can post at:

Amazon

or

Barnes and Noble

or at Goodreads or Shelfari, or on your own blog.

So jump on in! Post your thoughts online and send me the link, so I can send your gift. I’m giving thanks for every time God has used this new edition to inspire or encourage a reader…and giving thanks for the readers who share the land of Lyric and Braide Wood with me.

Blessings!

Sharon Hinck...

...stories for the hero in all of us