What 3 Book Tours in 40 Days Taught Me

When book bloggers review a book, they do NOT mess around.

I've met some wonderful, intuitive reader/reviewers in the past several weeks. Of course I'm honored and humbled by their glowing praise of Like There's No Tomorrow, Like a Love Song, and The Memoir of Johnny Devine, but I'm also highly impressed at the gifts of insight and articulation these women possess. I wish I could write book reviews half so well!

Carrie - a.k.a. Reading Is My Superpower - has a gift for not only thoroughly enjoying a good love story, but also mining the depths of it for things that, quite frankly, few people find. It is a particular delight to me and author friends when something we've so carefully woven into a story--by the inspiration and guidance of God's Spirit--is not only found, but leaves a lasting impression or impact. 

Yes, Carrie, God's Story is THE story, and our stories, whether we write fiction or live and breathe out our guts-and-glory story of real life, stem like tender shoots from the Vine, from the Master's own story. 

May the One who inspires true love continue to redeem, refresh, renew, repair, restore, and inspire us all to receive and re-gift the Love that never fails.

Since I absolutely can't help myself, here are a couple of snippets of Carrie's wonderful review of Like a Love Song:

"...I love books that point me to THE Story, to the Author of my days, to the ultimate Romance. This is why I adore reading books by Camille Eide. Because along with a great love story, readers are shown a reflection of THE great love story...

...Sue is guarded and perpetually stressed but her heart is in the right place. It just needs some TLC. The kids at the ranch, just like any group of kids that age, some were easier to like than others. But see, I’ve known kids like them – in the foster system, abandoned by everyone who should have been protecting them, rejected one too many times. My heart ached and swelled and broke – and healed again – in turns.

And Joe… It took me longer than I care to admit to realize that Joe and his convoluted ex-adoptive family were a sort-of picture, if you will, of another convoluted family – this one hailing all the way back to the Biblical book of Genesis. But once I discovered it (and after I squealed in allegory-loving delight), I was reminded of how much depth there is beneath Camille Eide’s books.  In fact, they really need to be read more than once because there is priceless gold to mine that surpasses what can first be seen on the surface... 

The beauty of this story – the tender victory of every story on earth – is that God specializes in binding up heart-wounds. He is the Father to the fatherless. He places the lonely in families – even unconventional ones. He sets people free who have been imprisoned by the trauma of their past and gives them joy. (Psalm 68:5-6)"

Please click HERE to read the rest of this lovely review AND to enter the final hours of the giveaway for a free copy of the book, but hurry! 

More Like a Love Song reviews:

• Wishful Endings
• The Power of Words
• Smiling Book Reviews

PS: I am deeply grateful to Singing Librarian Books and Sydney Anderson's mad skills in putting together these amazing Book Tours. I highly recommend her services to authors interested in launching a book tour.

You CAN Be A Great Dad - Even If You Didn't Have One

“It’s easy to talk about being a great dad . . . but when the rubber meets the road it’s not always so easy . . . If we didn’t have those qualities modeled for us by a father, it makes it even more difficult. Interestingly enough though, the qualities that make a great dad are easily learned and mastered by all men. Most men want to be a better dad, even a great dad, but just don’t know how . . .” From 10 Things Great Dads Do: Strategies For RaisingGreat Kids - by Rick Johnson, releasing September 15, 2015

My review: Fatherhood can be challenging, but it can also be fun, rewarding, and fulfilling. 10 Things Great Dads Do is packed full of things that fathers (as well as moms and grandparents) can begin doing today to improve the challenging but doable task of raising confident, healthy, great kids. This book is an easy read (YES!) and an excellent tool for providing some very doable things to develop the kinds of characteristics in you, dads, that will positively impact your kids lives as well as yours.

This book is a godsend that fills in the gaps of what may be missing in our “toolbox” of parenting.

My kids are adults now and beginning families of their own. My husband did (and still does) a tremendous job as a father, but even so, I wish we’d had this book when our kids were young. Even after raising three great kids into great adults, this book is full of eye-opening information about what kids need that I wish I’d known. As someone who didn’t have the blessing of a great dad until I was an adult myself, I found myself nodding (tearfully) in agreement with everything Mr. Johnson said about what children need from their dad.

As grandparents, we are looking forward to putting some of these wonderful strategies into practice. I highly recommend this book to dads as well as to moms who want to partner with the father of their children to give them the best chance in life they can have.

The Author: Rick Johnson is a bestselling author of That's My Son, That's My Teenage Son, That's My Girl, and Better Dads, Stronger Sons, as well as Becoming Your Spouse's Better Half and Romancing Your Better Half. He is the founder of Better Dads and is a sought-after speaker at many large parenting and marriage conferences across the United States and Canada. Rick, his wife Suzanne, and their grown children live in Oregon. To find out more about Rick Johnson, visit www.betterdads.net

Pre-order the book on Amazon