December 13, 2017

.99c Christmas Romance

Savanna's Gift is priced for Christmas at .99c!


Grab it along with a mug of cocoa, or gift it (or both, at that price). This may be just the quick (but not rushed) romantic holiday read you needed at the end of a busy day. ;) And if you don't mind, please take a moment to pass it on:
http://amzn.to/2nYno68
Thanks!
-Camille

Forced to return to the ski lodge where she once worked, Savanna Holt is reminded of one special Christmas and how ambition led her to make the worst mistake of her life: Leaving Luke Nelson.Stunned to discover Luke never left, but worked his way up from lift operator to manager, Savanna sees the opportunity as a gift from God. She's determined to win Luke back. But Luke wants no reminders of his past hurt, or a relationship with the woman who put ambition before love. Can Savanna convince Luke she's changed and her interest isn't because of his position? And when her dream job beckons, will she sacrifice her dream for a second chance at love?

https://www.amazon.com/Savannas-Gift-Christmas-Holiday-Extravaganza-ebook/dp/B0181NIS2Y/ref=la_B006GHY1JM_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1513230066&sr=1-2

November 6, 2017

Southern Writers: The Gift of Encouragement

Southern Writers Magazine is a publication, in digital, print, and online formats, for readers and writers and is full of valuable writing tips and encouragement. And in the Nov/Dec special 2017 holiday issue, SWM saved the "Last Word" for me, bless their hearts. I'm tickled pink to be included alongside so many top-notch authors! And I declare, I'm not even from the south!

(Okay, enough is enough. This yankee could never pull off the charm and hyperbole that only those from the south have in their DNA.)

If you need a little reminder of the value of your God-given gifts---especially if you're not winning gold medals with them at the moment, you'll want to read my article.




Check out that list of topics on the cover! If you're a writer (or harboring fantasies of becoming one), let the 2017 holiday issue be a little Christmas gift to yourself. Give yourself some sugar! You deserve it. :)


(Psssst..... here's a link to a free back issue.)

~Camille


October 3, 2017

RADIANT LIGHT: Top Ten Tuesday . . . Ten Bookish Boyfriends

RADIANT LIGHT: Top Ten Tuesday . . . Ten Bookish Boyfriends



Featuring some reader favorite heroes, including Johnny Devine. See if you think this reviewer captured the essence of these fictional leading men.



-Camille

September 4, 2017

.99 cent eBook Sale, All 3 Titles!

In honor of 
National Read a Book Day, 
all ASHBERRY LANE TITLES (eBook) are just .99c
SEPTEMBER 4 - 6 ONLY


Like There's No Tomorrow
Like a Love Song
The Memoir of Johnny Devine

(or Click HERE for all 3 on Amazon/Kindle)

 

"I had the pleasure of reading [The Memoir of Johnny Devine] and it instantly went to the top of my all time favorites list. I won't share much about the plot as it's just way too fun to discover so I'll just say this - I started it at noon and finished it a bit after midnight and somewhere in between HAD to cook dinner and sort of have a life (which was really difficult!) so OH BOY...this book was so fantastic. Absolutely no surprise that it got 5 stars from RT book reviews. It's one that I read on eBook and plan on getting in paperback as well to have on my keeper shelf and to share with friends!"  -Joanne Bischof, Author

April 13, 2017

Film Review: ‘The Case for Christ’ (2017, Drama) PG

When an entire theater breaks into spontaneous applause at the closing credits, it’s probably a film I’ll want to recommend. And see again.

The title (if you somehow haven’t heard that ‘The Case for Christ’ is the title of a best-selling book) might make a viewer think the film is some kind of documentary.

This is no documentary, but rather an intense, gut-wrenching drama. Based on a true story, an award-winning investigative journalist and self-proclaimed atheist sets out to disprove the existence of God after his wife becomes a Christian.

Lee Strobel’s passion and drive will resonate with anyone who has ever felt determined to be vindicated. Even as a Christian, I genuinely sympathized with this man as he worked hard to gather evidence and disprove Christ’s resurrection. Strobel is logical to a fault, and to this viewer, logic is his — and the film’s — strength, ironically. I applaud the filmmakers for letting us follow Strobel at every turn and allowing us to see what he discovers at every angle and crossroads of his investigation, through the eyes and mind of a man driven (and earning a living) to believe nothing but instead “check it out.”

The writing and acting are superb—on par with Hollywood's best. L. Scott Caldwell (Alfie) was genuinely convincing as the “happenstance” heroine who suddenly plays a pivotal role in the Strobels’ life and future. Christensen (Leslie) and Vogel (Lee) quite naturally give dimension and heart to a couple that could be real—and just so happen to be. We (I speak for the entire theater, I think) loved them instantly.

The acting and writing also offer a refreshing break from 'Us Against Them' faith-based storytelling. There is no atheist/Christian stereotyping here—just a family who loves each other struggling with a sudden cross-purposed core value in their life. Conflict intensifies as the couple’s opposing beliefs become unavoidable. Powerfully genuine. Powerfully emotional.

And powerfully true.

It’s a deeply personal story, one that can’t help but touch every viewer on some level. If you’re not a Christian, be prepared to process some mind-blowing, indisputable facts. If you’re a believer, be prepared to hear evidence of Christ’s resurrection you may not have known.

This is not a faith film that preaches (to the choir or anyone else), uses unnatural dialogue, or tiptoes around the rawness of reality—the weakness, self-indulgence, and resentment humans are so capable of, believer or not. There is without question a need for clean, wholesome, family-safe, faith-friendly storytelling, and I don’t mean to say that this film is not clean or appropriate for family viewing. But it is also not a story created for the sake of offering a well-meant but sometimes inferior alternative to Christian viewers. This is a gutsy detective story that takes an unrestrained pickax to Christianity’s core root in an attempt to uncover truth and and comes away with not only a love of truth intact, but something far, far more precious. It will move, entertain, and leave viewers breathless. And applauding. 

10 stars, Highly recommended. And bring tissues.

-Camille


A Pure Flix Entertainment release of a Pure Flix, Triple Horse Studios production. Director: Jon Gunn. Screenplay: Brian Bird, based on the book by Lee Strobel. Stars: Mike Vogel, Erika Christensen, Faye Dunaway

March 28, 2017

Oscar the Octopus: The Story Behind the Story

A few weeks ago, while I was babysitting my grandchildren, my 2-1/2 year old granddaughter and I hung out while baby brother napped. She wanted us to color, so out came the sketchpad which was already full of her "sketchings." She asked me to draw an Octopus, so I scrawled one out quickly, because, you know, the attention span of a preschooler. I asked her to name him and suggested we tell his story (storytellers can be so singularly focused...).

She agreed and asked for more creatures in our story and insisted that Oscar, the Octopus, needed a Mommy, and that Chickie, the Seagull (whom she also named), needed a baby. I dutifully obeyed and quickly scrawled out all the characters in our tale, with no more than a line or two of story on each "page."

I am a Plotter, not a Pantser, which, if you are a writer, know is the subject of debate and dilemma. I am not one to come up with a story by the seat of my pants but rather spend a great deal of time plotting and planning. So I was pleasantly surprised that we actually came up with the basic nutshell of a story. I chalk it up it to the inspiration of an intelligent child with a short attention span and a deep appreciation for family (she thoroughly adores her old baby brother and is surrounded by loving relatives).

The Story in a nut seashell: Hero wants something. Hero sets out to get said something. Hero has a dark moment, followed by an epiphany. Hero is rewarded for his perseverance and lives happily ever after (or HEA to us word nerds). All told in 8 pages, with just enough text per page for the big reader to finish reading aloud before the little reader is done looking at the picture and is turning the page.

Hello, Flash Fiction. :)

So this is how Oscar the Octopus, the tentacled little trooper, was born. The story is available on Kindle for .99, so take a minute download it and see what a novel-writing Grammy, a smart little cookie, a used sketchpad, and a handful of colored pencils created, and all while baby brother slept.

~Camille

March 3, 2017

ONE DAY 99 Cent Sale: The Memoir of Johnny Devine


will be available for .99 (Kindle) 
ONE DAY ONLY: SATURDAY, MARCH 4

 
“The romantic tension sizzles nearly from the beginning, and readers will often find themselves breathless from the sheer delight of it. The message of redemption is conveyed with such poignant elegance that it will linger long after turning the last page.”

-Carrie Townsend, RT Book Reviews, 5 Gold Stars, Top Pick
"I had the pleasure of reading this book and it instantly went to the top of my all time favorites list. I won't share much about the plot as it's just way too fun to discover so I'll just say this - I started it at noon and finished it a bit after midnight and somewhere in between HAD to cook dinner and sort of have a life (which was really difficult!) so OH BOY...this book was so fantastic. Absolutely no surprise that it got 5 stars from RT book reviews. It's one that I read on eBook and plan on getting in paperback as well to have on my keeper shelf and to share with friends!"

-Joanne Bischof, Author
 
The Memoir of Johnny Devine is a dramatic story-within-a-story of a bad boy reformed and a good girl in need of reform. It’s a powerful tale of love, redemption, intrigue, and the miracle of deliberate grace.
The Memoir of Johnny Devine

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ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF. . . .

RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME:

I've published five novels and 2 novellas (more about those on my website.) I've been writing all my life, but decided in 2007 to get serious about being published.

I love action movies and Jane Austen. (she’s dead, I know. I found that out when I tried to get her to endorse my novel)

They let me play Bass guitar and sing in a worship band.

I can produce 4 dozen homemade cinnamon rolls in a flash for a crowd of drooling young adults. Or publishing house editors.

I used to have a Harley. Now we have seven grandkiddos. Decent trade, really.

I am a proud Grammy. Don't even think about taking candy from my babies.

I hate shopping (Yes, I'm aware that I'm a girl)

MY ROOTS:
I've lived in Oregon all my life, spent time in Eugene (Go DUCKS!), Springfield, Reedsport, and Smith River. Which is not really a town, but a river, about 70 miles long, a tributary of the Umpqua River in southwest Oregon.

Although it's not a town, it is a community with a strong sense of pioneer history. It's cool to say you've lived there, especially if you lived there during the days when you had to take a boat to school. No joke! The old farmhouse my grandfather and my mother grew up in still stands, nestled into a narrow, pasture carpeted valley, complete with a swimmin' hole and its own 'crick'. It may turn up in one of my novels.

There's a rumor that my ancestors had a connection with the Mafia back in Sicily. I used to fantasize as a kid about a big black limo with tinted windows pulling up and whisking me away from school. Ahhh. So THAT'S why I'm having so much trouble conjugating my dangling participles now.

NOT RANDOM: I am challenged by the truth and amazed by the grace of God. And it's either in spite of or because of that grace that I hold a PhD in Learning Stuff the Hard Way.