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Day Five: Celebrate Lit Tour!
Today is Day Five of the Celebrate Lit virtual tour of “Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise”, and two great bloggers posted about my book!
Here’s what the first one, Roxanne C. from Girls in White Dresses Blog has to say about my book: (Be sure to click through to the post so you can enter to win a print copy of the book, and a $25 Amazon e-gift card!
My Thoughts: By Roxanne C. from Girls in White Dresses
This was a well-done debut novel for the author; I liked reading about how excited she was to find an agent and a publisher. I’ve read several Amish fiction books and a few things I enjoyed about this one were 1) the emphasis that the Amish have of dealing with life’s disappointments by reminding themselves that all things are God’s will (“Holding tightly to the living hope of salvation while accepting whatever came as God’s will, as was the Amish way, had helped her through some very hard times”). This thought has been emphasized many times in the weekly Amish columns I read. I also found it interesting that 2) the Amish feel it’s strange to have pet cats in the house, rather than outside. I was heartened, as an animal lover, to see that all the cats in this book were safely indoors
If you enjoy Amish fiction with a bit of romance, give “Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise” a try.
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Day 4 Celebrate Lit Virtual Book Tour for “Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise”, Bonus Blog Review!
Today I was fortunate to have two popular bloggers review my new book!
Check out my previous post by The Avid Reader!
This post is by Lakeside Living site. Here is what they have to say!
Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise by Anne Blackburne is part of the Heart of the Amish series. This is a series of Amish stories written by different authors. This is an enjoyable story of Ruth and Jonas. They have both lost their spouses and are being given a second chance at love. I enjoyed reading this nice story of neighborly friendship that grows into much more and enjoyed seeing how the two would react. I found Jonas’s daughter to be a cute part of the story. The addition of the house cats also makes for fun reading. This story gives the reminder of importance of prayer and how God answers the prayers. When the Bishop tries pushing Ruth into selling her family farm, many opportunities present themselves to give her a reason to stay. I enjoy the strength she has and how she is open to new things.
I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book, this is my honest review.
Be sure to visit their blog post and click through to win another chance at a print copy of the book and a Amazon e-gift card! Oh, and scroll down past the first review of another great book!
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Day 4: Celebrate Lit Tour for Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise!
Each day from December 9-22, one or two popular bloggers will post about my new release, “Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise” as part of the Celebrate Lit virtual book tour!
Today’s Blogger is Kris Anderson: The Avid Reader. Be sure to go to her site and click on the link to enter to win a print copy of the book and a $25 Amazon e-gift card! The link to her blogpost is below!
https://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/
Oh, and please scroll down past Avid Reader’s first review of Tricia Goyer’s “Trust the Stars”.
Here is what Kris, The Avid Reader had to say about Gingersnap!
My Thoughts (by Kris Anderson, aka The Avid Reader)
Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise by Anne Blackburne is a sweet story. I thought the book was well-written with realistic, developed characters. I enjoyed getting to know Ruth Helmuth, Jonas Hershberger, and little Abigail Hershberger. I could not believe that Ruth’s bishop, Abram Troyer suggested that she sell her family farm, which held many memories for her, because she lived alone. The bishop felt a family could make better use of the large house and property. Ruth is a good businesswoman. She has her herd of wily goats. Ruth uses their milk and fiber. She comes up with other ways to utilize the property and earn money. I liked learning about Jonas and his sister’s basket business. Their baskets sounded lovely, especially the Christmas baskets. You can feel that faith is a part of the character’s daily lives. They pray to God for guidance and assistance. They know that He will provide in His own time. I enjoyed the humor sprinkled through the story. The kitten that Ruth receives from her dear friend, Lydia Coblentz, provides many lighthearted moments. Lydia knew what she was doing when she gifted the ginger kitten to Ruth. A couple of Ruth’s friends also received kittens. Lydia is an insightful woman. Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise may be the second book in The Heart of the Amish series, but it can be read as a standalone. I especially enjoyed the heartwarming ending. I finished Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise with a smile on my face.
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Day Three: Celebrate Lit Tour for Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise!
My virtual book tour of “Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise” continues today through Dec. 22, with Blog Stops each day (sometimes two!) by popular Christian literature bloggers. Today’s blog post is from Texas Book-aholic. Here’s what she has to say!
(Don’t forget to click through to her blog post to have a chance to enter the grand prize giveaway of a print copy of Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise and a $25 Amazon e-gift card! My review is the second one down…scroll on down to find it; although you may also want to read her review of Daniel Petronelli’s new book, The Seeds of Faith: A Christmas Miracle, on your way to my book post!)
Click the link below.
https://deana0326.blogspot.com/
MY REVIEW (This is Texas Book-aholic’s review, folks)
This has been such a fun book to read and I’m impressed that this is a debut book for the author. The wonderful characters become like family as I find myself enjoying each one. The setting is nice as we get a glimpse at Amish life. The author gives vivid details about raising goats and making baskets. These are just a few ways the Amish make money.
I would love to visit Jonas as he makes the baskets and gets them ready to sell. He has been raising his sweet daughter Abigail on his own since the death of his wife. I admire how dedicated he is to Abagail and his determination to raise her in a Godly home. When he meets Ruth I started wondering if there would be any sparks between them. He has thought about Abigail needing a mother so perhaps he should open his heart to a new relationship.
Ruth is such a good character. She lives on a big farm raising ghosts, making soaps and milk to sell. I laughed when the bishop stopped by with a proposal that took Ruth by surprise. The thought of selling her farm is ridiculous, she thinks to herself. God will provide the answer she needs, so she prays and waits on Him. I love how kind Ruth is and her desire to help others.
The story is filled with faith, hope, surprises and a new beginning for several characters. I loved getting to know the author’s writing skills and can’t wait to read her next book.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
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Wait, What? Day Two of my Celebrate Lit Tour has TWO blog posts, with two reviews! Here is the second, from Blogger Mary Ann Hake:
(Spoiler: She liked the book!)
Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise by Anne Blackburne, A Review
“A great new Amish read. Both main characters have lost their spouses. Jonas has a precocious young daughter, and Ruth was never able to have children. Life pushes them together, and they could help each other out, but is that God’s plan for their future? Then the bishop’s granddaughter pushes her way into the community and sets her sights on Levi. This endearing tale quickly draws the reader in and makes them care about these realistic characters. The story offers some circumstances a bit different than typical Amish novels and drops you into an engaging story world to hang out in for a while. The book contains plenty of twists and troubles, making readers wonder how everything will ever all come out right. And the cookie title also is the name given to Ruth’s new kitten. This new author will be one to look for in the future. I received a copy from Celebrate Lit. All opinions are my own.”
Link to purchase book: https://amzn.to/3Qhc0wg
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Celebrate Lit Tour for Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise: Day 2 by Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations!
Today’s Celebrate Lit Blogger is Debbie Curto. Follow the link below to see what she has to say about Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise!
https://debbieloseanything.blogspot.com/
(In case you missed yesterday’s post, from December 9-22, my book is part of a virtual book tour through Celebrate Literature. Not only can you see what popular bloggers think about the book, you can also enter to win a free print copy AND a $25 Amazon gift card! Be sure to enter every day by returning to check out each day’s blog post!)
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Celebrate Lit Tour for Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise!
December 9 – 22, Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise will be on a “virtual” tour with Celebrate Lit! Each day during this time, one or more blogger will post about my book. I’ll share the blog posts the following day. There is also a fun giveaway. Check it out!
To celebrate my tour, I’m giving away the grand prize package of a print copy of the book and a $25 Amazon eGift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/2924b/ruth-s-ginger-snap-surprise-celebration-tour-giveaway
The first blogger celebrating “Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise” is Vicky Sluiter. Here is what she has to say!
About the Book
Book: Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise
Author: Anne Blackburne
Genre: Amish/Christian Fiction
Release Date: December, 2023
Ruth Defies Authority to Hold on to her Family Farm
Full of faith, hope, and romance, this new series takes you into the Heart of Amish country.Ruth Helmuth has never been rude in her life; trust her to choose the bishop of her Amish community for her first time!
Ruth has worked hard to keep body and soul together since her husband, Levi’s, death. She tends her herd of goats, making her living from the milk and fiber she gets from them, all while running a farm and household by herself—and very competently, thank you! How could she imagine the bishop suggesting she should give it all up to another family, who will “make better use of the space”?
Enter widower Jonas Hershberger, owner of a pair of adorable dimples and father of a charming 4-year-old daughter. Jonas is in need of a larger place to house his growing business. Ruth’s big red barn may be just the ticket. Little Abigail is in need of a new mother. Ruth might be just the ticket there, too!
Can two independent souls learn to work together for their mutual good? And will they be willing to explore what grows between them? Or will Ruth’s fear over her “big secret” and Jonas’s caution about allowing someone new to get close to his young daughter, kill their love before it has a chance to grow?
Luckily for both of them, God’s plan involves the stubborn pair getting a little help in the form of a wise, elderly friend; a quirky orange kitten; and a smart little girl who takes one look at Ruth and decides she would make her the perfect new mother! Click here to get your copy!
About the Author
Anne Blackburne lives and works in Southeast Ohio as a newspaper editor and writer. She is the mother of five grown children, has one wonderful grandchild, and a spoiled poodle named Millie. For fun, when she isn’t working on Amish romance or sweet mysteries, Anne directs and acts in community theater productions and writes and directs original plays. She also enjoys reading, kayaking, swimming, searching for beach glass, and just sitting with a cup of coffee looking at large bodies of water. Her idea of the perfect vacation is cruising and seeing amazing new places with people she loves.
More from Anne
I’m so excited that my debut novel, Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise, will release soon from Barbour Publishing! This is the realization of a long-held dream; 30 years long!
About 30 years ago I wrote my first book, a middle reader about a group of tweens who wanted to start a pet sitting business. I found an agent who worked hard to sell my series. Unfortunately, someone else came up with the same basic idea and beat me to the bookshelves!
Of course, I was crushed – I’d been so close!
I wondered if it was a sign that I wasn’t meant to become a published author. Maybe I just wasn’t good enough?
Being the tenacious sort, I rejected that idea and buckled down. I looked at each subsequent rejection as proof that I’d been hard at work practicing my craft, and would inevitably, eventually, succeed.
I read somewhere that it takes 10,000 hours of toiling away at the computer before a new author sells a book. That would be about right!
Of course, it isn’t the same for everyone. Some authors are lucky – or just that good – and hit a home run their first at bat. Others simply can’t seem to break in.
For me, the big break came nearly two years ago. I’d been working and polishing my Amish romance for a couple years. I also had a couple of other projects in the works, but I didn’t want to give up on Ruth and Jonas’ story. I queried many agents, being very careful to follow their individual guidelines. And finally – finally! – I got that phone call new authors dream about, offering representation. I’m proud to be represented by the wonderful Tamela Hancock Murray from the Steve Laube Agency. And Tamela quickly sold my story to Barbour Publishing, Inc.
What a blessing! All those years of work and hope and yes, faith, had finally paid off. I was going to be a published author. I still have to pinch myself from time to time.
And here I am. I hope you love Ruth and Jonas – and of course, Ginger Snap! – as much as I do. I have another book from their make-believe town of Willow Creek coming out next summer, also from Barbour. Both books are part of a new series called “Heart of the Amish”, and feature three authors. The other two, Mindy Steele and Lisa Jones Baker, are both seasoned veterans with a number of Amish and other Christian books under their belts. It’s such an honor to be included with them in this project!
Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise is available now for pre-order on Amazon. And my second book, tentatively titled Mary’s Calico Hope, will be available late this winter.
Be sure to look for Mindy Steele’s wonderful book, The Flower Quilter, which kicks off the series. It is also available on Amazon. I read an early release and boy, was I impressed. I can’t wait to read Lisa Jones Baker’s story!
My Review!
by Vicky Sluiter
“Part of the Heart of the Amish series, each book is a standalone by some of our favorite authors of Amish fiction. Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise happens to be author Anne Blackburne’s debut novel and she is definitely going to become a favorite.
I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know spunky Ruth Helmuth, who is dealing with loss and struggling to keep her family farm. And then there’s our hero, Jonas Hershberger who is also dealing with loss, and his adorable daughter, Abigail. Add in Ruth’s elderly friend and lots of kittens and you have the makings of a fun, heartwarming story. I highly recommend it!
I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.”
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Friday is THE Day!
My debut novel, Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise, launches this Friday, December 1!
What am I doing about it? Well, to be honest, Friday I’ll be going to work at the newspaper I manage. Hey, gotta keep the lights on, right?
But Saturday is another thing! On Saturday, I have an author event at Kerns Home & Garden Christian Bookstore Christmas Open House & Book Signing! My book will be available for sale, and I’ll be signing copies. (This seems very strange; I haven’t been asked for an autograph since I played Ursula the Sea Witch in The Little Mermaid!)
Kern’s is located at 2438 Canton Rd., Akron, Ohio. I’ll be there from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., so if you’re in the area, please stop by and say hello! There will be five other terrific Christian authors signing their books as well! We’d all love to meet you.
I’m not entirely sure what to expect this first time, but I’m feeling optimistic!
And for an extra measure of fun, I’ll be holding a drawing for a tiny painting of the sweet orange kitty from my book, Ginger Snap! All you have to do is sign my notebook and leave me your email. Eventually, I plan to launch a newsletter, and the folks who give me their emails will be the first to get that.
Just remember, I’m a writer, not a painter, Jim! (Extra points if you get the Star Trek reference!)
Here is the painting I’ll be giving away at Saturday’s event! I hope to see you Saturday at Kern’s in Akron! And if you can’t make it, please consider going to Amazon.com, or Books a Million.com, or Barnes & Noble.com, or Barbour.com (possibly the best deal!), and purchasing Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise. And if you love it, please leave me a review at Amazon.com, or Good Reads.com.
Thanks! Hope to meet you Saturday!
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Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise Releases Three Weeks from Friday!
From the “Heart of the Amish” series, published by Barbour Publishing, comes Book Two of the series, which launched in September with Mindy Steele’s wonderful book, “The Flower Quilter”, which is set in Shipshewana, Indiana.
“Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise” is the second book in the series, and takes place in the fictional town of Willow Creek, in the real Holmes County, Ohio.
This is my first published book, and I couldn’t be more excited. It seems as if every day I get more thrilling information from my publisher about this amazing journey.
Most recently, I learned that my book will be part of a blog tour in a partnership between Barbour Publishing and Celebrate Lit!
“Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise” will be featured by a different Celebrate Lit blogger every day from December 9 to December 22!
I’ll post the blog post from the previous day each day during that period here, on my blog.
I’m so honored that all these people are going to read my book, and then take the time to post about it. Hopefully, they’ll all like it!
Here is a list of the bloggers who will feature my book on their popular blogs for a day:
Blog Stops
You can read more about this very cool, online book tour, at https://www.celebratelit.com/ruths-ginger-snap-surprise-celebration-tour/
Ouch! (That was just me, pinching myself again to make sure this is all real!)
Have you pre-ordered your copy of “Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise” yet? It’s available from a number of places, including Amazon.com, Barbour Publishing, Books-a-Million.com, Walmart.com, Target.com, Barnes & Noble.com, and in Christian bookstores! And I just discovered that my second book in the series, “Mary’s Calico Hope”, is ALSO available for pre-order. I’d be honored if you picked up a copy.
I’m doing a happy dance! 🙂
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Ohio Author Festival; a Great Opportunity to Meet Fellow Authors and Try Out my Author Table Set-up!
Last weekend I was privileged to be invited to participate in an Ohio Author’s Festival at my local library branch. Here I am, pictured with my author table and my stuffed Ginger Snap kitty! I honestly did not realize the photo was mimicking the cover painting! I’ll bet my good friend, who took the picture, did that on purpose! Most of the other authors at the event came from a couple hours away, and were much better known than I am.
Of course, being better-known-than-I-am is not hard to do; my first book doesn’t come out until December 1! So I was quite happy to be included in this illustrious group, even though I had no actual, physical books to sell that day.
The event also gave me a chance to set up my table display, which I will use for future author signing events, for the first time.
This was a good thing, as I found out my banner is way too big to hang from a standard table! I guess I should have asked other authors how big their banners are before ordering mine! I’ll look at this as a humorous learning opportunity.
I think my stuffed orange kitty was a big hit, though, and people seemed to like the cat stickers I was giving away.
I’m not as certain about my original painting of Ginger Snap. You can see it in the bottom left corner of the attached photo. It’s a bit cartoonish, but I like it. I am giving it as a gift to one of the people who attended the event and signed their name and email in my pretty, little notebook. I need to pull a winner’s name and mail it off! I’ll do that later this weekend.
Two of the authors attending spoke to the group, and both were amazing. One woman was a fellow Amish romance author; although she had us all in stitches explaining how she writes Amish murder mysteries, and apologizing for “killing off Amish folks right and left”.
The other spoke about how some of her books have been banned, and why. She really got me thinking about this disturbing topic.
There was a wide range of genres represented at the event, and I looked over all the work of my fellow authors, and made some notes about books I wish to purchase.
Several of my friends attended the event and come over to wish me well after hearing the speakers. That made me feel great!
Next time, I’ll be prepared with a banner that fits my table, and I’ll actually have books available for purchase!
This little shake-down was good for me, and fun. I hope to see you at a future event! Maybe you’ll win an original, Anne Blackburne, painting! I plan to do them for all the kitties in my books.
My next event will be at the Christmas Open House at Kerns Christian book store in Akron, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 2. That’s the day after my book releases! It’s really getting close! Drop in and say hi if you are from the Akron/Canton area. I’d love to meet you!
Amish Stories
