Tag: God

Posted in Wedding Wednesday

Wedding Wednesday: Beachside

Posted on by Mikal

Wedding Wednesday (1)

(Sorry I’m about 12 hours later than I wanted to be! Life.)

It’s everyone’s favorite day again! Woohoo!

I know you’ve all been waiting with baited breath, and it’s finally here!

Last week, one of the sweet commenters (mki52, I’m looking at you!) mentioned beach weddings, so I thought I’d have fun with it, especially in the midst of winter. While I love winter and the cold, I know pretty much all but one of you are down in the dumps about it. Ha!

So, welcome to our beach wedding. ❤

The dress:

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From ModWedding

 

The shoes:

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From ZKKoo

How fun are these?! With a dress as simple as the one above, a little pearls and bling on the shoes are perfect! So cute for walking down the aisle in the sand.

The venue:

Town and Country Mag
From Town and Country Magazine

The ring:

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From Topazery

I love these types of wedding bands. Subtle glitz and glam with intricate and pretty design.

The cake:

 

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From Colin Cowie Weddings

I love the turquoise on this cake! It’s pretty, simple, elegant, yet beach-worthy!

The flowers:

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From Weddingomania

Look at that sweet bouquet!! And love that the ribbon matches the cake. 😉

The fun photo:

Pinterest pin from beau-coupDOTcom
Pinned from Pinterest courtesy of beau-coup.com

Honestly, I think this is the best photo. I love it!!

What do you think? Would you do a beach wedding?

Signature

Posted in Forever Friday

Forever Friday: 1 Corinthians 13

Posted on by Mikal

FOREVER FRIDAY (1)

Last week, I started a new feature called Wedding Wednesday (see my first post here). However, we all know that while weddings are super stressful fun, it’s the marriage that truly counts.

I’m by no means a marriage expert, so this in no way, shape, or…anything…should be considered advice. It’s more of a “let’s learn together” feature.

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Every time I think of marriage, I hear this in my head from The Princess Bride:

The Impressive Clergyman: Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam… And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva… So tweasure your wuv.

I. love. that. movie. But I digress.

“Tweasure your wuv.” (Just in case you need help translating, that’d be “treasure your love.”)

What does it mean to treasure something? Dictionary.com defines the verb treasure as “to retain carefully or keep in store, as in the mind; to regard or treat as precious; cherish.”

holding-hands-1149411_640Society has changed the way a lot of people thing about marriage. You’re not happy? Divorce. You’re interested in someone else? Divorce. You’ve grown apart? Divorce. All these boil down to one thing: you don’t feel in love with your spouse anymore. (A quick note here: I do believe there are circumstances in which divorce is the best thing to do, such as abuse, infidelity, etc.  Here are some verses you can look up.) What society forgets, though, is that love isn’t a feeling. Feelings can lie to us. Love is, however, a choice.

We can choose, on a daily basis–sometimes a minute-by-minute basis if it’s that hard–to truly love someone. But how do we do that?

We’ve likely all heard 1 Corinthians 13, the chapter of the Bible that describes tru wuv…a-hem, true love. The nitty-gritty description is verses 4 through 7. But let’s break it down. Love:

Where you see the words underlined, those are links to Dictionary.com so you can read the definitions (make sure you read the “adjective” or “verb” definition for that word!). Hey, sometimes you gotta do your own research to really learn. 😉

The list seems overwhelming. But Jesus is all these things…and more. And He created old-people-545232_640marriage, so I’m confident (I believe) that He has given us the capacity to achieve this list in our marriages.

And for you singles out there, use this passage as a measure for anyone you’re dating! Replace “love” with their name. If they don’t fill these things (or at least most of them since we’re all a work in progress), consider ending that relationship. Not because they aren’t worth it, but because you are worth it.

Until next time.

Posted in Book Review

Book Review: The Bachelor Girl’s Guide to Murder by Rachel McMillan

Posted on by Mikal

Ohhhhh, have I got a fun one for you today!! The Bachelor Girl’s Guide to Murder by Rachel McMillan is so….well, read my review!

The Bachelor Girl's Guide to Murder

Release date: March 1, 2016

Publisher: Harvest House Publishers

Author’s Web Site: http://www.rkmcmillan.com/

Order it: Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com

From the publisher:

In 1910 Toronto, while other bachelor girls perfect their domestic skills and find husbands, two friends perfect their sleuthing skills and find a murderer.

Inspired by their fascination with all things Sherlock Holmes, best friends and flatmates Merinda and Jem launch a consulting detective business. The deaths of young Irish women lead Merinda and Jem deeper into the mire of the city’s underbelly, where the high hopes of those dreaming to make a new life in Canada are met with prejudice and squalor.

While searching for answers, donning disguises, and sneaking around where no proper ladies would ever go, they pair with Jasper Forth, a police constable, and Ray DeLuca, a reporter in whom Jem takes a more than professional interest. Merinda could well be Toronto’s premiere consulting detective, and Jem may just find a way to put her bachelor girlhood behind her forever—if they can stay alive long enough to do so.

My thoughts:

Jem, Merinda, Jasper, and Ray. Four characters who personify independence, joy, love, wit, and charisma.

This book, on the surface, is a rollicking good time. Lots of smirks, laughs, intelligence, and a bit of romance. What’s under the surface, however, is what makes this book so fascinating. You have two independent women who are “past an age” for proper society. These are women you’d love to know in real life and have on your side. They’re not trying to fit in with society—they’re trying to find out who they are, and in Jem’s case, come to terms with it.

Jasper and Ray are charmers. Ray was more the focus in this story, and may be a new crush. He is sweet, caring, loyal, compassionate, and has just enough flaws to make you love him that much more. Including his bad poetry. 😉

Rachel McMillan has done a phenomenal job giving us lovable characters in the tempestuous setting of 1910 Toronto.  She’s crafted a fun murder mystery with wit and charm while not shying away from the plight of women and immigrants in Toronto during that time.

This is a book I highly recommend!

*I was given this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

 

Posted in Blog

Valentine’s Day: True Love

Posted on by Mikal

You all no doubt know by now that I love love and romance. I love my husband, and I know without a doubt he loves me. But there is One who loves me–and loves my husband–more than those of us on earth can ever love. The One who created romance.

If you know Him, you know this truth. If you don’t know Him, I pray that He shines His face on you today and surrounds you with the knowledge and goodness of His love. He has shown the world His love through His sacrifice.

So with that, I leave these here. If you want to talk, please always feel free to contact me here.

VDay MemeVDay Meme2

Posted in Wedding Wednesday

Wedding Wednesday: Over the Top Glam

Posted on by Mikal

Wedding Wednesday (1)

Welcome to my very first Wedding Wednesday!! This is where we bat around fun wedding ideas, themes, drool over dresses, and even rings. So let’s get this party started!

In each of my stories, there’s going to be a wedding. I can’t help it. I just can’t! I blame Pinterest. For real.

So, I’m all about the glam in my little dream world. But that’s not practical. Or cheap. So for our first Wedding Wednesday, I thought about keeping it simple.

I know. I laughed hard at that thought, too.

Glam it is!

Because, in my mind, the wedding revolves around the dress, let’s start there!

The dress:

 

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Ralph Russo Couture Fall/Winter 2014-15

Look at that detail!

The reception venue:

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Article from MODwedding uploaded to Pinterest: http://www.modwedding.com/2015/09/how-to-design-a-glamorous-wedding-reception/

Um…I drool.

The ring:

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Uploaded to Pinterest from Skinner Auctions: https://www.skinnerinc.com/auctions/2586B/lots/620

Because a dress that royal neeeeeeeds a ring this royal.

The cake:

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Made by Liz Gater Sheridan of Fantasy Cakes Fantastic Tastes in Westport, Ireland. Uploaded to Pinterest.

Uh, yes. That is a cake. Shocked me too! It’s gorgeous.

And finally, the flowers:

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Article from MODwedding uploaded to Pinterest: http://www.modwedding.com/2016/01/top-5-glamorous-wedding-trends-2016/

Believe it or not, I had the hardest time choosing flowers! There are so many beautiful bouquets out there, and I was tempted to go with a floral and jeweled bouquet, but with all the other over-the-top glamour, I thought a straight floral cascading bouquet would be elegant.

I admit that this wedding would be a little too much for my personal tastes, but I couldn’t help going glam. I’m a sucker for fairy tales, and this reminds me so much of a fairy tale wedding. I hope you enjoyed!

Posted in Forever Friday, Wedding Wednesday

New Weekly Features

Posted on by Mikal

Since my novels are clearly romance, and my “brand” is about bringing you faith, fun, and forever, I thought it would be tons of fun to bring you two special blog days each week!

Wedding Wednesday (1)
I don’t think it’s going to be any secret that I. love. weddings. For the longest time, I wanted to be a wedding planner. Only I don’t think I could politely handle a bridezilla. So I created a Pinterest board to fulfill my wedding planner self. But that just wasn’t good enough. 😉 So I started writing books that will include weddings.

That still isn’t quite enough for me. Ha! So here’s hoping Wedding Wednesday will do the trick! Twice a month (and it could increase in frequency because ❤ Pinterest ❤ ), I’ll post some of my favorite wedding themes, reception ideas, dresses, flowers, jewelry…whatever I can find that I adore! Because we all love to drool. At least, I do.

FOREVER FRIDAY (1)

Weddings are awesome, but marriage is forever. Hence, Forever Friday.

Often in books, we don’t get to follow the characters throughout their marriage. I’m by no means an expert on marriage, but I pray God will give me the words (again, twice a month) to write to encourage you in your own marriages–whether you’re currently married, currently engaged, currently dating, or currently single–and to share what I’ve learned in my life. I hope to even bring in a guest now and then to discuss marriage and/or their books about marriage.

So I hope you join me in this new venture! Because I love weddings, and I love marriage. But I love Jesus the most, and pray to be used to strengthen relationships, including my own.

Posted in Blog

Keep an eye on her!

Posted on by Mikal

Hi all!

I just wanted to write a quick note to let you all know of an up and coming author! Teresa Tysinger is a sweet friend and one of my critique partners. She’s finished her first novel and is querying it right now.

In the meantime, I’d love for you to visit her site, follow it, and sign up for her newsletter! Believe me, you won’t regret it!! ❤

Visit her here!

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Posted in Blog

Faith. Fun. Forever.

Posted on by Mikal

Hi all!

I’m actually writing on a deadline at the moment, but took a time-out for some dinner and was thinking of you.

You may have noticed the design change. If you haven’t read my Books page, I’ll fill you in. 🙂 (So I’m lazy. The next few paragraphs are copied right from my Books page. Not even gonna.)

I’ve always been drawn to humorous love stories. I love the deep, meaningful books full of gorgeous prose and imagery, but each time I try to write in that vein, I get stuck. Kind of like God is trying to tell me that He has other plans for me. Instead, I play the comparing game and think that if I don’t write the deep prose, I’m not as talented or hard-working as those other authors.

Lies, my friends.

I was at a coffee shop, brainstorming with three other authors yesterday morning and mentioned this to them. One of them, a very dear friend, said that there is a place for humorous love stories, especially in the lives of those going through some very difficult bible-896220_640times. (End of copying! The rest is fresh from my heart tonight.)

Obviously, my faith makes me who I am. I’m a work-in-progress. A messy, imperfect woman who loves Jesus and wants to share the joy of loving Him with others. So it’s just naturally going to come into play in my novels. I can’t help it. And I don’t think He wants me to. 🙂 (And that picture there includes coffee because it’s one of my favorite loves.)

The “fun” part? Well…I love humor! I love to laugh. Who doesn’t? And quite honestly, I’m terribly hilarious. 😉 At least, that’s what I tell everyone. Whether it’s true or not…. But bridal-636018_640really, I hope to get others to laugh, or at least smile, while reading my books. I want that woman who is sitting through a chemo appointment to smile and have her mind taken off what’s being put into her veins to help her be healed. I want that young woman hoping for a love story of her own to see that God loves and pursues her passionately–more passionately than any earthly man ever could–and does so with joy and laughter. I want that mum who’s so worn out from work or being at home with her kids all day to have a few minutes at night to just let go.

Forever. Oh, who doesn’t dream of forever? The romance of a new relationship, the stress ring-441783_640of planning a wedding, the joy in the ceremony and reception…then the forever. I want you, my readers, to fall in love with the characters. To join them in their celebration of “forever,” and dream of not just their wedding, but their “ever after.” I also want my readers to see the romance and joy of an “ever after” with their Creator! Jesus on the cross is the most stunning picture of love. A commitment to Him–and His to us–will make all the difference in our lives. Will it make our lives easier? Nope. He doesn’t promise that. What He does promise is that He’ll be there with us, through it all (Matthew 28:20).

Obviously, I’m a romantic at heart. And I make no apologies for it. So, expect it from me. 🙂 But also expect characters who are real, flawed, messy. Because those characters will also be redeemed through Christ’s death, resurrection, grace, and mercy.

Just like us.

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Posted in Cover Reveal, Giveaway

A Cover Reveal…and Giveaway!

Posted on by Mikal

Oh. My. Goodness. I can’t even.

If you’ve been on my Facebook author page, have read a few posts here, or are friends with me, both on Facebook and real life (wait…isn’t Facebook real life??), you know that I’m a ginormous fan of author Dawn Crandall. So, it’s a true honor and huge treat for me that today, I get to participate in her cover reveal!!! <—That’s three exclamation marks, people!

Dawn has written an absolutely incredible series called The Everstone Chronicles (click on the title to be taken to the ebooks). These include the titles, The Hesitant Heiress, The Bound Heart, and The Captive Imposter (click on the titles to be taken to the paperback books). Well, despite no original plans to do so, she’s been contracted and is currently writing book four, The Cautious Maiden! Color me excited, dear readers!!

Here’s a little bit about the Fall 2016 release:

Violet Hawthorne is beyond mortified when her brother transforms her deceased parents’ respectable country inn into a brothel to accommodate the lumberjacks in the area. When her reputation is compromised, she finds herself forced to enter into an engagement with Vance Everstone. Can she trust this man she hardly knows who has a scandalous reputation in his own right?

So…are you ready for the cover?

Start. Drumroll. Now.

thecautiousmaiden

Isn’t it gorgeous?!?! And if I can brag or a moment, *sniff* I was one of a select few (read: around 15 or so) who caught a first glance of two potential covers. And yes. This one was my favorite. Okay. It was everyone’s favorite. 😉

Now who’s ready for a giveaway?!? Dawn is graciously giving away paperback copies of The Everstone Chronicles, an Everstone Chronicles mug, and a $25 Amazon gift card! Hello!

Click below to be taken to Rafflecopter to enter:

Or visit Dawn’s site to enter directly.

And if you haven’t already, don’t forget to enter my very first giveaway! Click here to read the post and enter!

Good luck, everyone!!