Once Upon a Bowl of Oatmeal (paperback cover)

Annie Douglass Lima’s latest writing project is very different from anything else she’s written. It’s a cookbook! But those who know how much she loves fantasy might not be surprised that this cookbook ended up with a fantasy theme. Many of the recipes have names inspired by fairy tales or fantasy stories, and she loves the hints of fantasy in the two covers designed by the awesome Savannah Jezowski

 

Why two different covers? The paperback version of the cookbook is an unusual shape due to the unusual recipe format (more information about that below), so it couldn’t share a cover with the ebook.

Once Upon a Bowl of Oatmeal (ebook cover)

Some people might be surprised, though, that the whole book is focused on oatmeal. After all, isn’t oatmeal that boring goop that nobody really eats if there’s anything else available? 

NOT ANYMORE! In this book, you’ll find recipes for delectable dishes like creamy mango coconut spice oatmeal, cinnamon almond oatmeal, blueberry cream cheese oatmeal, and (Annie’s personal favorite:) caramel banana oatmeal with peanut butter. (Okay, so that one is a little closer to the dessert end of the spectrum than the porridge end!) 

 

Take a look at the book blurb Continue reading “Once Upon A Bowl of Oatmeal – say WHAT?!”

Book 2 in my latest series is NOW available! Let me share with you the juicy details…

 

 

For weeks, The Margaret Killer terrorized Crimson Shores, claiming the lives of seven people. Suspect number one is Laura Keaton. She looks the part. She has a connection with each victim and can’t provide a credible alibi. Evidence for each death was found in her home. And then Detective Kojak discovered her birth name: Louisa Margaret.

Now arrested and facing trial, Laura maintains her innocence. But while in prison, The Margaret Killer disappears. Coincidence? The prosecution doesn’t think so. They use that fact, along with the rest of the evidence to prove Laura’s guilt.

However, an anonymous tip throws the whole case on its head. Not only does it provide definitive proof of Laura’s guilt or innocence, but it raises more questions even while revealing deeper truths.

It also forces The Margaret Killer to reappear…with a vengeance.

 

To get your copy of this serial killer thriller titled A Kiss Revealed, please visit:

www.amazon.com/dp/B07XHNF5J6

This is just half the story, too! Stay tuned for books 3 and 4, coming SOON!

 

 

 

I’m excited to announce that my newest release is finally here!

 

 

A Kiss with Death is book one of what is a four-book series in the crime thriller genre. Each book is rated PG-13 or so as there is murder, some seduction, and occasional drug/alcohol references. However, there is no swearing, and no on-page/descriptive sexual references and/or graphic violence.

 

Here is the blurb:

After a rough past, Professor Laura Marie Keaton now has the perfect life. The perfect house along the lakeshore. The perfect job at Capstone University. The perfect boyfriend who she knows is the one. The only thing she doesn’t have? The perfect alibi.

When a serial killer emerges in Crimson Shores, leaving behind only a card with a number, a kiss, and the name Margaret on it, Laura’s life begins to crumble yet again. She believes she’s the hunted. But as the victim count rises, Detective Randy Kojak believes she’s the hunter.

One piece of information about Laura’s past holds the truth. But like everything else with The Margaret Killer, it may not be what it seems.

 

As of right now it is available in e-book format only through Amazon. However, the paperback and audiobook versions are in the works!! With many twists and turns and a smidgen of suspense and mystery, you will not want to miss this series. I’d love for you to check it out, share with a friend, and even leave an honest review if you get the chance!

 

To get your copy, please head to:

 

www.amazon.com/dp/B07VD8Y9JC

 

Thanks for stopping by! Take a look at this brand-new fantasy adventure story with a hint of romance by author Annie Douglass Lima. 

You can

download a copy of the ebook for free

between today, July 9th, and July 11th!

 

Book Description:
Life as the king’s younger sister should be exciting.

 

Not for Princess Kalendria. She’s sick of the dissent and of constantly having her
family undermined by those who think they could rule Malorn better than King
Korram.

 

Hoping to lighten the mood in the palace, Kalendria plans a ball to celebrate her
seventeenth birthday. It doesn’t hurt that their handsome Alasian ally King
Jaymin has promised to attend, and she’s been waiting for him to notice her for
as long as she can remember.

 

But unfriendly forces have their own party plans. When Kalendria, Korram, and
Jaymin barely survive an assassination attempt, their only recourse is to flee
into the wilderness. Tracked by unknown assassins, they must figure out whom
they can trust and who is behind the plot. Can Kalendria help her brother
reclaim his throne – oh, and catch Jaymin’s attention while she’s at it –
before they are all killed and war destroys both kingdoms?


Click here

to download your copy of King of Malorn on Amazon now! 

 

Click here

to see King of Malorn on Goodreads.

 

Series Information:



King of Malorn is book 5 in the Annals of Alasia. But don’t worry if you haven’t read the others; it will still make sense on its own. 

Each of the first four books can stand on its own as well. They each deal with events surrounding the same major political incident: the invasion of the kingdom of Alasia by the neighboring kingdom of Malorn. 


Prince of Alasia begins on the night of the Invasion and describes what happens to twelve-year-old Prince Jaymin after he is forced to flee for his life. 

In the Enemy’s Service features a girl as the protagonist and tells the story of those who were not able to escape from the Alasian palace when the enemy invaded. 

Prince of Malorn begins several months earlier and focuses on the Malornian perspective of the events leading up to the Invasion. 

The Nameless Soldier shows how a young Alasian soldier lives through the Invasion but then has to survive and make a name for himself in enemy-occupied Alasia. 


In each of the books, main characters from the others make brief appearances and interact with each other
at the point where the timeframes and settings overlap. 



Annie also has a short ebook of “interviews” that she conducted with the characters in the other three
books. Annals of Alasia: The Collected nterviews is not available on Amazon, but she sends a free copy to anyone who signs up for her mailing list (to receive updates when she releases new books or occasionally offers them for free).


Author Biography:

Annie Douglass Lima considers herself fortunate to have traveled in twenty different countries and lived in four of them. A fifth-grade teacher in her “other” life, she loves reading to her students and sparking their imaginations. Her books include science fiction, fantasy, YA action and adventure novels, a puppet script, anthologies of her
students’ poetry, and Bible verse coloring and activity books. When she isn’t
teaching or writing, Annie can often be found sipping spiced chai or pomegranate green tea in exotic locations, some of which exist in this world.

 
Author Contact Info:


Blog:

http://anniedouglasslima.blogspot.com

 
 
 
 
Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/author/anniedouglasslima
 
 
 

 

Hi, friends! I’m so excited to share about a new book from YA Christian Fiction Author, Beloved Smart, called The Daily Life of Hailey Grace! Keep reading for info on the book and a giveaway where you can win a free copy! (Oh, yeah, and there’s also a $10.00 Amazon Gift Card! Sweet!)

 

Here’s the Book Blurb:

For Hailey Grace, birthdays suck! She hopes with all her heart that her big day passes without gifts, or even a birthday wish. But with loving parents and two witty best friends who keep her on her toes, there’s no telling what adventure Hailey Grace will be forced to explore this time. Unexpectedly, her best friend Alex challenges her to do something she’s never done before. With that comes a whole new set of rules, and another life Hailey isn’t sure she’s quite ready for. Now questioning all that she has ever believed, she takes Alex up on the dare by asking for something that no one but God can give her. Her request also comes with a twenty-four-hour deadline. As the minutes slowly but surely tick by, Hailey’s life shifts into overdrive and she wonders if she has asked for too much too soon.

 

Click the link below for the giveaway!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/8af75d4811/?

 

This post is part of The Daily Life of Hailey Grace Blog Tour. To learn more about the author and her book, check out all these other cool blogs that are part of the tour!

 

Livy Lynn Blog

http://www.livylynnblog.com

My Worst Birthday Ever

January 1

 

R.M Archer

http://rmarcher.com

Guest post from Beloved

January 2

 

Hot Town Cool Girl

www.hottowncoolgirl.blogspot.com

Guest Post from Beloved & Giveaway

January 3

 

Spoonful of Surprises

www.spoonfulofsurprises.com

Giveaway

January 4

 

Uniquely Marie Blog

Hi there!

My Worst Birthday Ever

January 5

 

Smyling Girl

www.smylinggirl.blogspot.com

Guest Post & Giveaway

January 7

 

Bookish Orchestrations

http://bookishorchestrations.blogspot.com

Interview & Giveaway

January 10

 

Victoria’s Book Nook

www.victoriasbooknook.blogspot.com.

Interview

January 11

 

Riley Aline

www.rileyaline.com

Guest post from Beloved

January 12

 

Stories and Soul Speak

www.storiesandsoulspeak.wordpress.com

Guest Post & Giveaway

January 13

 

Once Upon an Ordinary

https://onceuponanordinary.wordpress.com/

Interview

January 14

 

Imperial Scribis

https://imperialscribis.wordpress.com

Book Review

January 15

 

English Mysteries

https://englishmysteriesblog.blogspot.com/

Interview & Giveaway

January 16

 

Novels Dragons and Wardrobe Doors

http://www.novelsdragonsandwardrobedoors.blogspot.com

Book Review

January 17

 

Unorthedox Mama

www.unorthodoxmomma.com

Guest post from Beloved & Giveaway

January 18

 

Among the Reads

http://amongTheReads.net

Book Review

January 21

 

In My Book Case

http://inthebookcase.blogspot.com

Giveaway

January 22

 

Authoring Arrowheads

https://authoringarrowheads.wordpress.com/

Interview

January 23

 

Frances Hoelsema’s Blog

www.franceshoelsema.com/blog

Book Spotlight

January 24

 

The Calico Books

https://thecalicobooks.wordpress.com

Giveaway

January 26

 

Home with Hummingbirds

www.homewithhummingbirds.com

Guest Post & Giveaway

January 28

 

Among the Reads

http://amongTheReads.net

Guest post & Giveaway

January 29

 

Writing’s From a God Girl

www.writingsfromagodgirl.wordpress.com

Interview

January 30

 

The Lens and the Hard Drive

https://thelensandtheharddrive.wordpress.com/

Book Review & Interview

January 31

 

About the Book

 

Everything is against them…

Born into slavery, Rapha is a Philistine who is almost twice as big as his Israelite masters. They find any excuse they can to beat him. When he is accused of murder, he runs off into the desert, planning to never return and hate all Israelites forever.

Nava’s mother died when she was born. Since then she has been raised mostly by her father, but her grandmother and grandfather have also helped. Her passion is to help those who need it most, whether it is watching the healer’s young daughter, Rina, or bringing fresh tunics for the Philistine slave who receives far too many whippings. When Rapha runs off into the desert with no water, Nava begs her father to go after him and bring him back safely.

Will Nava’s father find Rapha? Can Rapha learn that not all Israelites are untrustworthy? Will Nava trust her abba and Rapha to Yahweh’s care or take matters into her own hands?

A Beauty and the Beast reimagining set during the time of King David

 

 

Excerpt

Forgotten and untended, the roses grew wild and untamed across the ruins. The only living creatures to see their beauty were the myriad of animals who made the ruins their home.

In a no-man’s land between two nations, the ruins were in a lonely place far from people and civilization. No one alive knew who had lived there, what kind of people they had been, or how they had been defeated.
Local legend said a race of giants had lived in that place. Others said it had been sorcerers and magicians. Yet others claimed it was a place of the gods from a long-forgotten nation. How else could the roses still grow in such inhumane terrain?

But the roses were dying out. Each year fewer and fewer bloomed. Their beauty faded, and no one saw them or cared enough to tend them and make them grow. Rose bushes surrounded the massive ruins, but as this story begins, there is but one lonely rosebud in the entire heap of bushes. One single, solitary rose in the whole of the known world.

 

To purchase, please go to: http://books2read.com/lohowarose

 

Giveaway

 

This book was released on the author’s 28th birthday! So she’s doing a super fun giveaway by sharing 28 fun facts about herself. To enter the giveaway, you need to collect all 28 fun facts and copy them onto this Google form with your email address and name. You will be entered to win the following:

• Trust and Obey paperback
• Lo, How a Rose paperback
• Handmade rose from the author’s wedding
• A Trust and Obey mouse pad

This giveaway is only open to those in the US. For those who are not in the US, you can fill out this form to receive eBooks of Trust and Obey and Lo, How a Rose.

 

Today’s Fun Facts

  1. Faith is outlining a book set in WWI and will be writing it for NaNoWriMo in November
  2. Faith had 3 ushers for her wedding, a now call them the Three Musketeers
  3. Faith went from one brother to one brother and three brothers-in-law
  4. Faith’s favorite writing drink is water

 

To find the other fun facts, check out the blog tour schedule below to know where to look!

 

About the Author

 

Faith Blum is a small-town Wisconsin girl. She’s lived in, or outside of, small towns her whole life. The thought of living in a city with more than 60,000 people in it scares her, especially after some interesting adventures driving through big cities like Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.

Faith currently resides in the middle of the state of Wisconsin with her husband and their cat, Smokey. She is blessed to be able to have writing as her full-time career with household work and cooking to do on the side. She loves to paint walls as long as she doesn’t have to do hallways or ceilings.

When not writing, you can find her cooking food from scratch due to food allergies (fun), doing dishes (meh), knitting, crocheting, sewing, reading, or spending time with her husband (yay!). She is also a Community Assistant for the Young Writers Workshop and loves her work there. She loves to hear from her readers, so feel free to contact her on her website.

 

 Tour Schedule

 

October 26
Bookish Orchestrations – Introductory Post
Lit Aflame – Book Review

 

October 27
Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections – Special post from the author
Kaylee’s Kind Of Writes – Book Review
His Princess Warrior – Book Review

 

October 29
Frances Hoelsema’s Blog – Book Spotlight
sgwilloughby – Book Review
The Treasure Within – Author Interview

 

October 30
Bookish Orchestrations – Giveaway Winner

 

 

 

 

 

This 2019 calendar features a Bible verse for each week in creative fonts that can be colored in. A wide variety of holidays are listed, both traditional and unusual. (Do you know when Appreciate a Dragon Day is? How about Lost Sock Memorial Day?) You’ll have plenty of room to record your activities and appointments in the section for each day and week. After every month, you’ll find word puzzles featuring key words from that month’s scriptures and holidays.

 

Prepare for a year full of coloring and fun that will help you hide God’s Word in your heart in 2019 without even trying!

 

 


Now take a look at some sample pages! (In the actual calendar, each page is 8 1/2″ x 11″.) 

Clicking on a picture will open up a PDF of the left-hand page (just the part with the Bible verse, not the calendar week) that you can print and color.

 

Click here to print the coloring page for this verse.

 

Click here to print the coloring page for this verse.

 

Click here to print the coloring page for this verse.

 

Click here to print the coloring page for this verse.

 

Click here to print the coloring page for this verse.

 

 

Click here to order a copy of Hide it In Your Heart in 2019 for yourself or a friend now!

 

 

Two alien worlds.
One teen emissary.
No reality she can trust.
Thirteen-year-old Liz Smith has been ripped away from one foster family after another for years, so the idea of a permanent home is tantalizing. Who cares if that home is a colony sixty-five thousand light-years from Earth? The friends in her trusty e-reader will keep her company just fine on her interstellar relocation.
But when the adventure of a lifetime turns into the disaster of the cosmos, Liz can only retreat so far into the books that have always sheltered her from loneliness and loss. Trapped in half-truths and secrets that leave her questioning reality, can one orphaned bookworm find a way to stop two races from destroying each other … and somehow write a happy ending to her own story?
 

If you like books about space travel, aliens, or cross-cultural transitions, you’ll love this poignant science fiction adventure.

Click here

to get your copy of Heartsong now and start the journey today! (Shh! Today only, the ebook is available for free!)

 
Read on for a sample of the story …
 
Heartsong
Chapter One
 

My love of reading started the whole thing.

The best place to read on the Laika was in the lifeboats. I’d discovered that on the first leg of the trip, during the flight from Earth to the jump point off of Phoebe. I mean, what else was there to do when we couldn’t see much through the viewports? The view was exciting when there was one, but when you’re far away from anything, space all looks the same.
The hyperspace jump that shot us across the galaxy had been quick, of course, so no time to get bored there. And after we came out of it at the jump point off of Somav, the blue giant that would light my skies for the rest of my life, the flight toward the little moon Soma was pretty exciting, too. I couldn’t stop staring as we passed Somavia, the blue and white planet I knew none of us would ever see close up again. I wondered about the aliens whose home it was. What were they like? The pictures and video Forerunner had sent back, from the few passes it had taken in high orbit, left everyone with more questions than they answered.
Of course, we knew the planet had a breathable atmosphere. If it hadn’t been for the alien race who already lived there — and the tirtellium that we were going to mine on Soma, of course — New Horizons Industries might have decided to set up its colony on the planet Somavia instead of on its moon.
We passed Somavia three days ago, and we’d been orbiting Soma ever since. Which was also exciting, at first. I couldn’t wait to actually get down there and start life on my new home. A home I would get to help create, along with the adult scientists and miners and the rest of the Young Explorers. A home I would never be taken away from just when I was starting to settle in. My forever home. Normally I hated new beginnings, but this one was different. This would be the last new beginning of my life.
Even the colony’s name, chosen by the Samoan astronomer who discovered this solar system, was perfect. Avanoa, which apparently meant opportunity in the Samoan language, sounded to me like a kingdom from some fantasy novel.

Not that life in Avanoa was going to be a fantasy. I knew that Continue reading “Heartsong – A New Release by Annie Douglass Lima”

Trust and Obey Blog Tour

Faith Blum has a new book. And it’s not a Western. It is a fairy tale retelling set during the time of King Saul. Read on to learn more about the book.

About the Book

Trust and Obey_KindleA wicked priestess, a morally corrupt king, and two children stuck in the middle…

Hadassah and Gidal love their parents and will do anything for them. When Priestess Basmat tell Ehud and Jerusha to pay their debt, they cannot and she takes Hadassah and Gidal as her slaves for two years.

The priestess works them hard, but there are two other servants to divide the load with, so they cope as well as they can. Then King Saul comes in disguise requesting the priestess’s other services—as a medium.

Will Hadassah and Gidal trust Adonai to take care of them? What will happen after Priestess Basmat comes face-to-face with the prophet Samuel?

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D939ZPL Continue reading “Trust and Obey – A Fairy Tale Retelling of Biblical Proportions”

 


The Nameless Soldier is book 4 in the Annals of Alasia young adult fantasy series. Haven’t read all (or any) of the others? That’s okay! The books can be read in any order, and each one can stand on its own.


Description:

What do you do when you’re the only survivor?

Nineteen-year-old Tarvic bears the name of a mighty hero from Alasia’s past. However, the young soldier feels anything but heroic when he regains consciousness to find himself the lone survivor of a brutal attack by invaders from the neighboring kingdom. 

Forced to leave his identity behind, Tarvic is thrust into civilian life in the role of protector to three war orphans. When the four of them encounter a mysterious stranger, he must choose between keeping the young girls safe and taking on a mission that could help free his kingdom. Can Tarvic live up to his noble name and find a way to balance his duty and his dreams?


Where to Get a Copy:

Click here to buy the ebook or paperback from Amazon. (The ebook is $2.99 just $0.99 through June 6th!)

Not sure if you’ll like the story or not? Take a look at the first chapter and see!

 

 

The Nameless Soldier
Chapter One

 

      

Tarvic woke to the sound of a distant yell, abruptly silenced. He pushed his blankets aside and sat up, puzzled, but heard only the light patter of rain on the canvas. “What was that?”
Drevel, his roommate in the barracks and tentmate out on campaigns like this, stirred and rolled over. “What?”
“I heard something. Someone shouting.”
“It’s probably just another drill.” But Drevel sat up too, shoving his own blankets away, as Tarvic crawled over and untied the tent flap.
A blast of wintry air and raindrops greeted him as he leaned out, peering across the tent-studded hillside. Clouds hid the moon and stars, and on every side the thick dark of the forest leaned in from the edges of the large clearing. But the telltale flickering light of distant torches sent shadows leaping over tents and across the open spaces between them. Why would someone be using torches out here? Any soldier in camp had easy access to lanterns among the supplies.
Something was wrong. Very wrong. Tarvic pulled back into the tent and yanked on his breeches and jacket.
They both heard the next yell, closer this time, and then the unmistakable clash of swords. Both men snatched up their own swords, jamming their feet into their boots and fumbling for shields. From all around them, shouts of alarm erupted as men in their company woke up.
And then the enemy was upon them. Horses exploded through the camp, trampling tents and the soldiers just crawling out of them. Riders leaned low off their mounts’ backs, swinging swords and waving torches.
Halfway out of his tent, Tarvic threw himself flat on his face to avoid a slash that would probably have decapitated him. He scrambled to his feet, only to be knocked off them again by a blow that he barely caught on his shield.
Light, shadows, horses, blades, rain. Chaos raged through the clearing to the sound of crashing metal, pounding hooves, shouts of challenge and desperation. Tarvic regained his feet and fought as best he could from the ground while enemy riders thundered around him. Dodging and ducking, he aimed for the men’s legs and tried to keep out from under their horses’ hooves. With no idea who he was fighting or why, his only goal to stay alive for the next heartbeat, he dodged and darted through the tumult looking for spots where horses and enemy swords weren’t. All around him, men fought and ran and crumpled to lie as limply as the trampled tents.
Slipping and stumbling in the mud, Tarvic felt a surge of satisfaction as his sword met flesh and an enemy yelled in pain. And then the man wheeled his horse and charged back toward him, and Tarvic turned to flee.
He tripped on something soft that groaned. Pain shot through Tarvic’s wrist as he caught his fall, and only a quick roll saved him from being trampled as the man’s horse cantered over him.
Its rider wheeled again, and Tarvic rose to his knees, barely raising his shield in time to protect his face. The force of the blow threw him backward, jarring his already sore wrist.
Another horse leaped over him, and Tarvic cried out in pain as a hoof struck him on the shoulder. He stumbled to his feet, ducking low to present as small a target as possible, and ran through the melee.
He saw fewer people on foot now, more obstacles in the mud. Was it cowardly to flee from a battle you couldn’t win? Nothing in Tarvic’s eight months in the military had prepared him for this. Not counting occasional minor border skirmishes, the kingdom of Alasia hadn’t seen an actual war in six generations. Besides routine patrols, city peacekeeping, and the frequent drills and training, the military’s primary duties involved escorting merchant wagons through robber-frequented stretches of rural highway and keeping an eye on the sections of coastline where seafaring raiders were known to attack. Tarvic had never fought in a battle that involved more than a handful of opponents at a time, and none of those opponents had been anywhere near this organized — or this deadly.
If we escape, we can regroup somewhere safer and — A hard blow to the back knocked him to the ground again as another horse pounded over him. Giving up all pretense of courage, Tarvic scrambled to his feet once more and fled for the edge of the clearing and the relative safety of the trees beyond. I can’t do anything here. They’re going to slaughter us all!
He was practically there when another rider appeared in front of him, leaning low with sword outstretched. Tarvic almost impaled himself on the blade, raising his shield just in time. He fought back frantically as the man slashed, swinging his weapon again and again. I need my horse! Military training had included nothing about how to fight a mounted enemy from the ground. But Lightning was tethered in the row of makeshift stalls on the far side of the camp, probably prancing restlessly under his blanket and wondering why his rider didn’t come to spur him into battle.
Tarvic didn’t even see the blow that almost killed him. His ears barely registered the thudding of more galloping hooves from behind, nearly drowned out by the rain and the sounds of battle. But the world exploded in light and pain as something struck the back of his head harder than anything had ever hit him before.
He lurched forward, feeling his sword drop from limp fingers. Managing two steps before his legs buckled, he was just conscious enough to recognize the urgent need to crawl. Don’t stop. Don’t stop. Don’t stop. Or they’ll kill you out here. That was the only thought left in his mind as he pulled himself toward the concealing shadows behind the line of tree trunks. And then even that faded, giving way to darkness.
 

Want to know what happens to Tarvic? Click 

here

 to purchase the book and find out!

 

 

 
About the Author:
 

 

Annie Douglass Lima spent most of her childhood in Kenya and later graduated from Biola University in Southern California. She and her husband Floyd currently live in Taiwan, where she teaches fifth grade at Morrison Academy. She has been writing poetry, short stories, and novels since her childhood, and to date has published seventeen books (four YA action and adventure novels, five fantasies, a puppet script, six anthologies of her students’ poetry, and a Bible verse coloring and activity book). Besides writing, her hobbies include reading (especially fantasy and science fiction), scrapbooking, and international travel.