Monday, June 3, 2013

THE PROMISE BOX BY TRICIA GOYER/AMISH BAKING BOX GIVEAWAY/FACEBOOK PARTY/AND "MY REVIEW"!


           LitFuse Publicity Presents:

Enter Today - 5/22 - 6/12!
Tricia Goyer The Promise Box Amish Baking Box Giveaway


One “promising” winner will receive:
  • Apron, hot mitts, and kitchen towels
  • Amish baking items (rolling pin, pie plate, etc…)
  • Sherry Gore’s Simply Delicious Amish Cooking
  • The Memory Jar and The Promise Box by Tricia Goyer 
Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. 
But hurry, the giveaway ends on June 11th. 
Winner will be announced at the The Promise Box” Facebook Author Chat Party on June 12th. Connect with Tricia for an evening of Amish fun – book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Tricia will also share an exclusive look at the next book book in the Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors series and give away books and other fun prizes throughout the evening.
So grab your copy of The Promise Box and join Tricia on the evening of June 12th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the book, don’t let that stop you from coming!)

DON’T MISS A MOMENT OF THE FUN; RSVP TODAYTELL YOUR FRIENDS VIA FACEBOOK OR TWITTER AND INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. HOPE TO SEE YOU ON THE 12TH!

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My Thoughts:

4 Stars!

Another masterpiece of a book by Tricia Goyer! She never fails to deliver when she writes about the Amish! So you think living the Amish life could/would be boring? Think again! Tricia Goyer makes writing about Amish living "very life-like and very real" in all of her books she writes. You can almost forget it's a book about the Amish you are reading until something that is Amish pops up.
Tricia Goyer makes the characters human, facing everyday life, just like you and I live it. Even though this book is the second book in a series of seven, it can be completely read as a stand-alone, no problem. The very faint difference is if you have been reading all of Tricia's books about this town in Montana, you might recognize some of the characters, but they do not have a part in each of these books.
In this book, The Promise Box, Book 2 of the series Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors, we meet Lydia Wyse, who grew up Amish, but decided on living as an Englisher after learning she was adopted, and is now working full time as an Editor in Seattle, far away from her hometown in West Kootenai, Montana.
After her mother passes away, she, decides she needs to return home to care for her father.   
In West Kootenai, Montana, where Lydia lives, every Spring young bachelors flood her hometown to live there for 6 months, the required time to obtain their 'resident status' which is required before they can go hunting in the Fall. Not only are they there to hunt, but sometimes many of them end up finding their brides there to take home with them, wherever they are from.
Lydia happens to meet bachelor Gideon Hooley who can be considered a Horse Whisperer. Could there be sparks flying here with Gideon? Is he enough to keep Lydia here for good?
Gideon has his own issues he is trying to figure out, too. When he was a young boy, he was lost in these woods by himself when he was four years old, and he is looking for answers to this. He and Lydia, as we'll find out, both have a very long, hard struggle ahead of them.
With Lydia back home now living the Amish life again, in her Amish clothing and cap, she takes a job as a school teacher. Since Lydia is back doing what she has always known, she starts contemplating and considering joining the church. She prays a lot trying to make the decision. Lydia ends up finding she has a lot of decisions to pray over. I found this book had more prayer and references to Scripture and prayer than in any other book that Tricia Goyer has written so far. Gideon is heavy on her mind as well as she wants nothing more than to become his Amish bride, and for that, she needs to be a member of the church.
As both Lydia and Gideon struggle, they pray a lot, and read a lot of scripture. They cannot fully come to each other until each of them has gotten their answers from God.
One day Lydia finds a special promise box of her mothers that was left for her. A promise box is a box where her mother had put many special things inside, including scripture, Amish proverbs, thoughts, trinkets and notes to Lydia. When her publisher gets wind of what she found, she suggests Lydia write a tell-all book about the Amish. Of course this does not sit well with Lydia as she feels it's a betrayal to herself and her community. Now Lydia has more issues she has to decide upon, with God's help. She prays and prays over whether or not to do this, the adoption, and joining the church. She truly has a lot on her plate.
Both Lydia and Gideon have so much to struggle through before they can consider each other with romantic interest, and it is very clear through the book, so any romance takes a backseat in this story while each of them go through what they need to to come to terms with what they feel they must first. Will they both come to terms with their past and be able to marry? You'll have to read this one to find out!
I have loved these books about this town in Montana in previous books, too, before this series was decided upon being written. Now with this series we know there are seven books in total, so we get to spend that much more time here in this town I love.
The one thing I missed most in this book was more romance. I'm a sucker for it! I missed it. However, as I mentioned, each of these characters had so much self work to do with God that it kept them away from each other while they did so, and rightfully so. I hope the next book we have more romance! Who doesn't LOVE romance! Just my hope!
I received this book for FREE from the publisher, Zondervan, and being a part of Tricia's 2013 Fiction Launch Team, in exchange to read and write a review about it. It is NOT required for this review to be either positive or negative, but of my own honest opinion. "Free" means I was provided with ZERO MONIES to read this book nor to write this review, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.





***Want a chance to win a copy of this book? Go to your Goodreads account, look up this book, and you will see below after the description of the book a spot that say WIN A COPY OF THIS BOOK. Click on ENTER TO WIN, and it takes you to the page to enter to win! She is giving away 25 copies of this book!




Each of my books has a theme. In fact this is the first thing I figure out with all of my books. For example, in
The Promise Box my focus was “truth.” Throughout the book the Scriptures I picked spoke truth into a character's situation. Many of the Scripture verses in the books were ones that spoke to my life. They are seeds of truth I've planted within my own life that find themselves on the page.


Laurel Thomas: Do you actually try the dishes that characters eat?


I have tried some of the Amish recipes. I've made whoopie pies and some of the other treats. But some things I've tasted from Amish restaurants and I didn't make . . . but I haven't had anything that I didn’t like! The Amish have very good taste!


Sarah Reed Levels: How do the Amish deal with adoption?


The Amish deal with adoption just like anyone else. They have to follow the same laws and go through the same processes. Adoption isn't common, but it does happen in the Amish community.


Jalynn Patterson: How do you pick characters for your books?


I had to think about this question for a while because the characters seem to pick me! When I get the idea, the people sort of show up. When I first thought of The Promise Box I immediately saw Lydia with her red hair blowing in the breeze as she drove up to the West Kootenai.

I do have a “characters” board on Pinterest, and I do find inspiration after looking at faces and expressions:
http://pinterest.com/triciagoyer/characters/

When I was thinking about The Promise Box, this image really stood out to me as Lydia: http://pinterest.com/pin/108156828523843059/

I felt her uncertainty and vulnerability, and that came out on the page.

Jalynn Patterson: How do you come up with a storyline? Do you have a process you go through?

My process.

The title of the book usually comes first and the general idea of what will happen. The characters soon follow, and they're usually dragging BAGGAGE. I use a lot of baggage in my books: past pain, hurt relationships, burdens, and regrets.

Then I think about the theme. For The Promise Box, it was TRUTH. Any time my characters grew in truth, walked toward truth, and turned to Jesus—our TRUTH—then things went well. Any time they focused on lies or mistruth, then things got hard for them. Just coming to this realization helps me shape the main plot points of my novel.

Since I have two characters they will each have their own struggles, but they will both deal with the same theme. Lydia needed to discover the truth of her birth. Gideon needed to discover the truth of the day he got lost. Of course as they both try to come to terms with the truth, a dance happens where they are pulled together and pushed apart.

Once I get the main plot points written down, then I start writing. I usually write the first chapter, but then after that I'll jump around. I'll move from the beginning, to the end, and then I'll write a little here and a little there throughout the book. I usually hit the main emotional scenes and focus on those first. I have those scattered throughout the book.

After I have about 1/2 of the book in pieces, I then start from the beginning of the book, starting over at chapter one and moving through the manuscript. By this point the whole story is already in my mind—like a movie—and it's just getting it on paper!


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