Book Details:
Book Title: MANCALA MOON by Asa Bowers
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 242 pages
Genre: Literary fiction with magical realism
Publisher: Asa Bowers
Release date: December 2025
Content Rating: PG -13 +M: however there is one F - word in the book. So I rated it PG-13.
Book: My Prayer Ministry (in daily blog form)
Author: Anita Higman
Genre: Daily Scriptures, Prayers, and Questions for Pondering
My latest endeavor is not a book, but a prayer ministry in blog form, which is entitled, JourneyWomanPrayers. Please feel free to drop by my website at anitahigman.com and check out my free miniblog of daily prayers, scriptures, and questions for pondering. If you would like to receive future prayers straight to your inbox, you may subscribe to them on my website.
Anita’s latest endeavor is a prayer ministry entitled, JourneyWomanPrayers. Please feel free to drop by her website at anitahigman.com and check out her free miniblog of daily prayers, scriptures, and questions for pondering. If you would like to receive future prayers straight to your inbox, you may subscribe to them on her website.
Beginnings….
Some might wonder why I chose to start a prayer blog entitled, JourneyWomanPrayers. Well, I guess you could say I fell off a cliff. Not literally, but sometimes the tumult of these past few years has felt like a wild freefall—a crazy journey—and the world still feels that way!
As I see ongoing global chaos, violence, fear, and loneliness, my prayer life has become more raw and real than ever before. I no longer come to the foot of the cross with a list; I come with a soul ready to listen. Since sometimes it’s hard to know truth from lies in our world, I’m hungrier than ever for God’s truth. As I watch the culture collapse, social media explode, and our nation divide, the need becomes greater in me for those quiet waters and green pastures—and those daily visits with Jesus. He will lead me to what is tranquil, genuine, and hope-filled—what is redemptive, miraculous, and eternal.
And then I thought, “I wonder if these ongoing prayers would resonate with anyone else?” And so, that it is how JourneyWomanPrayers came to be born. Please join me, and together we will pray, and we will dance this sacred dance with God…
Anita Higman
Hints of This Mystery
He has made everything beautiful in its time.
He has also set eternity in the human heart;
yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)
Today—deep in my soul—I caught a glimpse of the beyond, Lord. I know You have set eternity in our hearts, and even though I can’t comprehend the richness of this truth or have an understanding of all Your unfathomable workings, I am seriously thrilled to catch hints of this mystery when my spirit is quiet with You…
Questions for Pondering…
What do I discover when I am quiet before the Lord?
What do I think it means for God to set eternity in my heart?
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 18
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 19
Tell Tale Book Reviews, March 20 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, March 21
Locks, Hooks and Books, March 22
Blossoms and Blessings, March 23 (Author Interview)
Simple Harvest Reads, March 24
Artistic Nobody, March 25
Stories By Gina, March 26 (Author Interview)
Guild Master, March 27
Fiction Book Lover, March 28
Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, March 29 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, March 29
The Bookish Ledger, March 30
The Quiet Bookmark, March 31
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://gleam.io/Ubd8Z/my-prayer-ministry-in-daily-blog-form-celebration-tour-giveaway
God's Surprising Way: The Path to Lasting Joy, Healing, and Love guides readers into the upside-down kingdom of God, where human expectations are consistently overturned. In this transformative journey, the humble are exalted, the last are lifted, and true greatness is found through servanthood, surrender, and sacrificial love. Through Scripture, theological insights, and historical reflections-from Augustine and Luther to Bonhoeffer and Nouwen-readers discover how God's surprising ways cultivate lasting joy, deep healing, and authentic love.
Each chapter explores a distinct paradox of the gospel, demonstrating how humility, generosity, and obedience can transform relationships, communities, and personal faith. Practical reflections and prompts invite readers to integrate these principles into daily life-choosing forgiveness over resentment, service over recognition, and trust over control.
With accessible scholarship, devotional insight, and concrete application, this book reveals the practical power of God's reversals. It challenges conventional assumptions about success, power, and happiness, inviting believers to live counterculturally in alignment with Christ's teachings. God's Surprising Way is both an invitation and a roadmap: to encounter God's transformative presence, embody the values of the Kingdom, and experience joy, healing, and love that endure.
Book: The Convict’s Courtship
Author: KyLee Woodley
Genre: Christian Historical Romance
Release Date: March 3, 2026
A remote mining town, an aspiring journalist, and the reformed convict who saves her life.
When Clara Alexander returned from finishing school to Virginia City she had two goals: to become a reporter and make peace with the father who betrayed her mother. But even in the West, there is no room for her in the newsroom or in the family her father made when he married his mistress. Clara is forced to take desperate measures to prove her worth to an editor—including a reckless venture into a dangerous mine shaft.
Reformed convict Beau Vulpe lives a quiet life of obscurity in a remote mining town in Nevada. When he rescues a beautiful woman from a sweltering mine shaft, he’s welcomed into her home as a hero, only to discover that they are the same family he deeply wronged the summer before. Now, with winter’s grip choking the mountain town and rumors of mines going bust, he is forced to stay, praying Clara won’t discover the truth before the spring thaw.
As Clara pursues her dreams of writing for the renowned Territorial Enterprise, she continually crosses paths with the mysterious Frenchman who saved her life and is drawn to him a little more with each interaction. Beau finds himself not only falling for the lovely lady but befriending her family as well. Can he protect his freedom and atone for his wrongs without losing his heart in the process? And what about Clara—will her attraction toward Beau Vulpe lead to the disappointment her mother warned her about?
Click here to get your copy!
KyLee Woodley is a cheery romantic who loves to write about bygone days and heartwarming romance with a pinch of adventure. She teaches preschool at a lab school in Texas, where she lives with her husband of eighteen years and their three teenage children. On weekends, KyLee cohosts and produces the Historical Bookworm Show, a steadily growing author interview podcast for history lovers and readers of historical fiction.
In her spare time, she cares for a rescue mutt—Lucky Dog—a feisty feline named Hazel, and three adorable Boston Terrier puppies. She listens to Cricket Country and K-Love radio, reads classic books with her children, and watches Marvel movies with her husband, who might resemble Superman.
A Heart in Exile: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Heroine
We all carry “wounds”—those hurts from our past that shape how we see the world today. For Clara, my heroine in The Convict’s Courtship, that wound is deep and it’s personal.
In her youth, Clara loved to write fanciful stories. With a love of history and a strong faith in God, she strove as a teen to write Bible studies for young ladies. But she comes from a troubled home, the daughter of an impulsive father and a mother she believes died of a broken heart after her father’s betrayal. Weeks after her mother’s death, her father married his mistress, who gave birth to a baby boy just months later. At this point, a sixteen-year-old Clara hoped they might finally be a family, only to be sent away to an elite boarding school—Miss Porter’s School. This was the same prestigious school attended by Nellie Grant, President Grant’s daughter. Everyone said her father sent her there out of love, but Clara knew better. It was time for Clara to grow up.
During her time in the East, she discovered the pioneering work of 19th-century female journalists and activists like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Jane Swisshelm, and Anne Newport Royall. She admired these strong women, seeing them as a stark contrast to her mother’s perceived weakness. This shift led Clara away from “fanciful” notions of hope toward a life built on facts, proof, and logic—so much so that rather than pray, she now seeks guidance through the analytical study of the Bible.
After four years of exile, Clara returns to a Virginia City that is soon decimated by the Great Fire of 1875.
Now, she must find a way to reconcile her mother’s memory, her own search for significance, and her desire for a family. It is among the ruins of the city and of her family that she encounters Monsieur Beau Vulpe—a convict on the run with deep wounds of his own and a secret connection to her family that makes her the last woman in the world he would choose to love. Will the mysterious Frenchman be part of her healing or her final ruin?
Clara’s journey is one of healing, hard truths, and finding hope in the midst of the ashes. Have you ever had to face a “wound” from your past that felt impossible to heal? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. And if you’re ready to see how Clara and Beau’s story unfolds, you’ll want to read The Convict’s Courtship.”
Extinguishing flames on C Street While this picture does not depict the actual fire in 1875, it does show how the fire department and the town fought the flames. Source: The Historic Fourth Ward School Museum. http://fourthwardschool.org/events/virginia-citys-great-fire-of-1875/.
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 10
Pause for Tales, March 10
lakesidelivingsite, March 11
Texas Book-aholic, March 12
Bizwings Blog, March 13
Sydney Schmied Books, March 13
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 14
For Him and My Family, March 15
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, March 16
Devoted Steps, March 17
Devoted To Hope, March 18
Locks, Hooks and Books, March 19
Stories By Gina, March 20 (Author Interview)
Connie’s History Classroom, March 20
Cover Lover Book Review, March 21
Life on Chickadee Lane, March 22
Holly’s Book Corner, March 23
To celebrate her tour, KyLee is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a gift basket, which includes the whole series!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://gleam.io/sErXk/the-convicts-courtship-celebration-tour-giveaway
My Review
I have loved the books from the Outlaw Heart series by KyLee Woodley and was happy to have the opportunity to read the third installment called The Convict's Courtship. I loved going back in time to the early days of the state of Nevada and meeting Clara and Beau. I thought their story was a delight to read and I enjoyed taking this adventure with them.
I am going to give The Convict's Courtship five stars. I highly recommend it for readers who love to read clean historical romance particularly from the Western era of the United States. I would love to read more like this one from KyLee Woodley in the near future and see where her imagination takes her readers to next.
I received a digital copy of KyLee Woodley's The Convict's Courtship from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.
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LAUGHING THROUGH THE STORM
by Jane Rogers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Memoir
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Diagnosed
with epilepsy at 13, Jane's life took a wild turn full of seizures,
specialists, and some seriously strange hospital adventures. But instead of
letting it break her, she learned to laugh—at the chaos, the cringe, and even
the curveballs. Laughing Through the Storm is a hilariously honest memoir about
finding resilience, ridiculousness, and unexpected joy in the middle of life's
messiest moments.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
It was a frosty January morning in 1981 when I
decided to make my dramatic debut in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. As
the latest addition to the family line-up, I was a calm and easy-going baby,
quietly lulling everyone into a false sense of security. Classic me— always
setting up for a twist.
My dad worked for the Health of Animals, a
branch of the Canadian federal government, as a veterinarian in Prince Edward
Island. They were responsible for the control, prevention and eradication of
certain animal diseases. As the district veterinarian for the entire province,
he had responsibilities for the health and well-being of all livestock, from
pigs and cows to chickens. His days were a mix of travelling to farms to test
animals for serious diseases like tuberculosis and rabies; visiting auction houses
to ensure only healthy animals were sold; attending meat-packing plants to
collect samples; and making safety diagnoses to ensure that animals entering
the food chain were safe for human consumption.
When I was two, my parents decided to move us to Riverview, New Brunswick, a town that became the stage for my happiest childhood memories. We lived on Hamilton Court, a little slice of suburban heaven with one particularly glorious feature: hills. Our backyard sloped gently, but our neighbours’ yards were even steeper, perfect for sledding. Every winter, kids from all over the neighbourhood would arrive armed with sleds, ready to turn those snowy slopes into the ultimate playground. We would shriek with laughter as we careened down the hill and tumbled into a snowbank. Gravity may have been our accomplice in the winter, but in the summer, it was the architect of our joy. My friends and I would roll down those same hills, giggling uncontrollably, dizzy from both the spinning and the laughter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
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Jane
Rogers is an accidental expert in epilepsy, diagnosed at 13 and living with it
ever since. She's spent over three decades navigating seizures, side effects,
and hospital adventures with grit, sarcasm, and a solid sense of humor.
Laughing Through the Storm is her first book—a tribute to resilience,
ridiculous moments, and finding light in the darkest places.
She
lives in Ottawa with her supportive husband, Pascal, and their two mischievous
chihuahuas, Junior and Bailey.
Fun
Fact: Jane once had a seizure during a comedy show— and still insists the
comedian owes her one.
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/laughingthroughthestorm
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/jane.rogers.339999
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY:
Jane Rogers will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift
card to a randomly drawn winner.
Get tickets today to see He Calls Me Daughter in theaters only 3/17-3/18!
A Heavenly Father changes everything.
HE CALLS ME DAUGHTER hits theaters March 17 & 18 only.
True healing isn’t found in earthly relationships,
but a relationship with our heavenly Father.
