Chat with Your Favorite Authors During This Easter Fiesta!

Are you on Facebook? Then gather up your burning questions for writers, actors, and other artists you admire, because my dear friend Miranda is hosting a fabulous chat celebration! Be in the know and discover all the details below. ;) And be sure to pull out your planner so you can note the conversations you want to join!

* * *

About the Fiesta:

TBAP’s (To Be a Person) Easter Fiesta is a social media event where the professionals of the literary and entertainment industries give back to the audience that has supported them over time, by chatting with the audience through TBAP’s social media on a set date/time. For 2016, it’s TBAP’s Facebook page! The professionals are drawn from the following categories: authors, actors, alliances. music artists.

Meet Your Host:

Miranda A. Uyeh is the author of To Die Once: Child of Grace #1, a book/entertainment blogger, and a Mogul Global Ambassador. She’s passionate about all these and even found herself to be shortlisted as one of the Inspy Awards’ Judges in 2014. You can connect with Miranda on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube and Pinterest, or visit her corner of the web, TBAP!

Meet the Featured Guests:

• Julie Lessman (Author)
• Cheryl McKay (Screenwriter/Author)
• Rene Gutteridge (Screenwriter/Director/Author)
• DiAnn Mills (Author)
• Michelle Griep (Author)
• Rich Swingle (Actor)
• Kirk Fernwood (Film Critic/Entertainment Blogger)
• K. Victoria Chase (Author)
• Brenda S. Anderson (Author)
• Heather Manning (Author)
• Melica Niccole (Author)
• Bill Ewing (Producer/Director/Screenwriter)
• Doc Benson (Director/Producer/Actor)
• Rebekah Cook (Actress/Casting Director/Script Supervisor)
• Francine Locke (Actress)
• Jody Thomae (Author/Music Artist)
• Juli Tapken (Actress/Producer/Director)
• Katie Pavao (Actress)
• Bronwyn Angley (Actress)
• Apolonia Davalos (Actress/Filmmaker)
• Irene Santiago (Actress)
• Sharon Wilharm (Director/Producer/Screenwriter)

When You Can Chat with the Guests:

• March 17th, 2:00-3:00pm Pacific Time – Julie Lessman, Cheryl McKay, Rene Gutteridge
• Today! → March 18th, 2:00-3:00pm PT – DiAnn Mills, Michelle Griep
• March 19th, 3:00-4:00pm PT – Rich Swingle, Kirk Fernwood
• March 20th, 2:00-3:00pm PT – K. Victoria Chase, Brenda Anderson
• March 21st, 2:00-3:00pm PT – Heather Manning, Melica Niccole
• March 22nd, 2:00-3:00pm PT – Bill Ewing, Doc Benson
• March 24th, 5:00-6:00pm PT – Rebekah Cooke, Katie Pavao
• March 25th, 2:00-3:00pm PT – Jody Thomae, Juli Tapken
• March 26th, 2:00-3:00pm PT – Francine Locke, Bronwyn Angley, Apolonia Davalos
• March 27th, 7:00-8:00pm PT – Irene Santiago, Sharon Wilharm

How to Share the Fiesta with Your Friends:

Tweet at @Rini_MAU and use the hashtag #TBAPFiesta, or update your Facebook status by using the hashtag #TBAPFiesta and tagging your post with Miranda Afa Uyeh or Miranda’s To Be A Person. You can also post directly on TBAP’s Facebook page.

P.S. For some lovely inspirational messages from some of the guests (just for you!), check out TBAP’s official YouTube channel!

Don't miss this opportunity to talk with talented individuals who have made a name for themselves in the book and entertainment industries! All the chats will be happening on the TBAP Facebook page.

Autumn Bash 2013 ~ Coming Soon!

In place of my annual End of Summer Bash celebrating the change of seasons, I'm doing a strictly fall-related party this year. But don't worry - the Autumn Bash will still include a fantastic author line-up, fun interview responses, book excerpts, and giveaways! It's all autumn-themed this time around, and there will also be a cover reveal and review or two thrown in there to round out the occasion. So mark your calendars, and please grab the button if you'd like to help spread the word!


Copy this code to your website to display this banner!
<a href="http://seasonsofhumility.blogspot.com/search/label/Autumn%20Bash%202013" target="_blank"><img src="http://mbmfiles.com/Sep2013/130916-gW0gdy-BEP8X.jpg" alt='' border=0 /></a><br>
Autumn Bash 2013 Schedule:

• Sunday, Sept. 22nd ~ Laura Frantz (Love's Awakening)
• Monday, Sept. 23rd ~ Anne Elisabeth Stengl (Goddess Tithe w/cover reveal)
• Tuesday, Sept. 24th ~ Melissa Tagg (Made to Last)
• Wednesday, Sept. 25th ~ Elizabeth Ludwig (Dark Road Home)
• Thursday, Sept. 26th ~ Jolina Petersheim (The Outcast)
• Friday, Sept. 27th ~ Jessica Dotta (Born of Persuasion)
• Saturday, Sept. 28th ~ Winners Announced

I will note the rules for each giveaway on its corresponding post. I'm still undecided as to whether I'm going to put together Rafflecopter forms for the giveaways or just have you enter via the comments section... The former would probably be easier and more organized for me, but if the majority of you don't like to use those forms, I want to keep things simple for you, too! So do chime in with your thoughts and preferences on entering giveaways, if you're so inclined. =)

Can't wait to celebrate the new season with you and these wonderful authors! What are you most looking forward to about autumn?

Road Trip and Coming Attractions!

I'm so excited to be off on my first solo road trip!! I'll be making the one-day drive (about 7 hours) up to Oregon tomorrow to attend my first roommate's wedding on Saturday and to spend close to a week with my second roommate and her husband. So blessed to have this chance to celebrate and make new memories with these wonderful friends!

Don't worry, though - I've heard all the warnings and cautions and tips from my parents, so I'm set! *wink* (But seriously, I wouldn't mind any prayers for safety, and for my parents' peace of mind. I'm grateful they're allowing me to take one of the cars and giving me this chance to test my independence a bit, and I don't want them to worry too much about me.)

So I'll be bringing the GPS, clothes and necessities, a wedding gift, etc.... But even though I'm new to this sort of thing, I believe a road trip also requires:

Music

I love listening and singing along to music while I'm driving! Here are the CDs I'm bringing with me:

• Red by Taylor Swift
• Paper Airplane by Alison Krauss & Union Station
• Tornado by Little Big Town

That last one is assuming that it arrives today... Don't let me down now, Amazon Prime 2-day shipping! **Update: It came! I love you, UPS!

I'm also bringing along Heist Society by Ally Carter on CD (audiobook), which I've been saving for this occasion, so there's that, too!

Books

How can you go on a vacation without one...or two...or a ton of these?? I'm planning on bringing Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson, as well as Falk's Claim by Jon Humboldt Gates (research for Bleeding Heart!) and my Kindle (which has a nice variety of reading options on it).

I realize I probably won't have a lot of time for reading... But it's better to make like a Boy Scout and be prepared than to be left hanging somewhere with no reading options!! (At least, that's my opinion on the subject. You all agree, right?)

Coming Attractions

In the meantime, I still plan to share a book review next Tuesday (Undeniably Yours by Becky Wade, for the Litfuse Publicity blog tour), and the Love's Miracles blog tour will still be in full swing. Don't forget to follow along and check out all of the fun interviews, giveaways, and reviews! You can keep up-to-date by visiting the blog tour page.While I might not be around on social media sites quite as often as I generally am, I'm still planning on checking in on things while I'm gone and spreading the word about the blog tour and all that jazz!

And when I get back? The winner(s) from the blog tour will be announced on May 31st, and I'll wrap up the tour then. And on the following Monday, June 3rd, I'll be revealing the cover for my debut novel, Bleeding Heart, along with a new blog especially for the book!!! So excited!!! (Huge thanks to all those who are helping me with the cover reveal!)

Well, that's it for now! Just be sure to stay off the sidewalks tomorrow - and don't mind the girl rocking out to her tunes as she travels the highways and Interstates. ;)

(Disclaimer: Despite the pictures of Cars Land, I'm not actually going to Disneyland...at this point in time, anyway! Still holding out hope for a family vacation there later this summer. Maybe! Regardless, I thought the pictures from last year's trip were fitting for a road-trip post, don't you think?)

Love Will Find You

At least in the pages of the "Love Finds You" book series!

This is a friendly reminder that Sunday (December 4th) marks the beginning of the "Love Finds You" blog party taking place right here at this very blog! There will be some really fun interviews and giveaways to get you in the Christmas spirit, so I do hope to see you there. And don't forget (if you haven't already!) to check out the party page to see the schedule and learn how to gain extra entries in the main prize package drawing!

While we're on this "Love Finds You" theme, there are new covers up on the Goodreads site for a couple of February 2012 LFY releases. Care to see them? They're quite lovely!


I'm eager to see what else is in store for this series in 2012! And I'm also quite eager to show you what's in store for next week! Soon, very soon... ;)

Fall Friday: More Fun to Come!

Despite the fact that fall is just flying by like a leaf on the wind, there's still some fall fun in store in the blogosphere! Here's a peek at some upcoming attractions:

Book Swap!

Only two more Contentment Reading Challenge update posts left! We've had two book swaps this year, and I've enjoyed hearing the positive responses to these events. So how 'bout one more go-around? Stop by on Wednesday (November 2nd) next week for another book swap! Start preparing your lists - one for books you're willing to swap and another one for books you're looking for - and I'll see you then!

The New and Improved BB

Just to recap, I post weekly on a blog called The Borrowed Book. It's an awesome place for writers and readers alike to gather and find writing tips, book spotlights and other book news, author interviews, giveaways, and more! I'd really, really love to see more visitors over there, especially as we're working on some new features and a new look. Interaction is what makes blogging so much fun, and it would mean a lot to me if you'd pop in every now and again to see what we've got going on!

Author Elizabeth Ludwig's new feature is called "Field Trip Fridays." She is uber talented, and her videos are both informative and interesting. Check out her first Field Trip Friday post and see if you don't agree with me!

As for me, I post on Mondays, and my new feature is called "Where the Past Meets the Present." I even made a nifty button to celebrate! ;)

These posts will include anything from comparison posts between classics and modern books (or reviews of classics), to intriguing historical facts-sharing that writers can incorporate in their stories, to writing advice garnered from reading classic literature. The ambiguous title allows me a little wiggle room, which I hope will translate into more creative posts that will be helpful and enjoyable to readers and writers alike! I'll also continue to post some books reviews/spotlights off and on, as well. So come on over and visit us at the BB!

Coming Soon: 2nd Annual LFY Blog Party!

October is swiftly racing by, and soon November will be upon us. After that it will be December - time for Christmas preparations and, of course, the "Love Finds You" Blog Party! I'm very excited to be hosting this event again, as we had such a blast last year!

Did you miss last year's festivities? Or perhaps you'd like a chance to reminisce? Click HERE to read the party posts from December 2010 (be sure to scroll down)!

As of right now I have five wonderful guests lined up for this event, and there will be fun and prizes galore! Want to find out who two of the guests are? Take a look at the blog button I created for the party:

The background is a bit obscure, but if you look at the Summerside Press website I think you should be able to figure out who's book it is...and she's going to be one of our guests!

Now click on this blog button in the sidebar (not the one in the post). One of our guests' lovely covers is gracing the party page! (Note that the party page will be updated with more specific information in the coming weeks.)

Want to help spread the word? Just grab the button in the sidebar (using the code below the button) and share it on your own blog! If you leave a comment here letting me know that you've done this, you can have 2 extra entries in the main prize package drawing to be announced on December 4th!

Hope to see you there!

Big News!

In just a few short weeks I'll be hosting a big bash to celebrate the change of seasons - saying "farewell" to summer and "welcome" to autumn! Some of you may recall this week-long event from last year, when I hosted authors Deborah Vogts, Robin Lee Hatcher, T.L. Higley, MaryLu Tyndall, and Tamera Alexander. Well, this year we have a new line-up of authors (except for MaryLu, who is visiting again!), and a new set of interview questions. Here's the tentative schedule:

• Sunday, August 21st: Julie Lessman (Giveaway: A Heart Revealed)

• Monday, August 22nd: Sarah Sundin (Giveaway: Blue Skies Tomorrow)

• Tuesday, August 23rd: Laura Frantz (Giveaway: The Colonel's Lady)

• Wednesday, August 24th: Mary Connealy (Giveaway: Out of Control)

• Thursday, August 25th: Leanna Ellis (Giveaway: Forsaken)

• Friday, August 26th: MaryLu Tyndall (Giveaway: Surrender the Dawn)

• Saturday, August 27th: Winners announced
  

It should be loads of fun, and thanks to the generosity of these authors/publishers, we have a fantastic set of giveaways! I'm honored to host these wonderful authors, and I do hope you'll hop on over and join us later this month.

Want to get extra entries for one of the drawings? If you take the blog button I put together for this event and share it on your blog (you'll find the code to the right below the button in the sidebar), then you can get 2 extra entries in one of the drawings of your choice during the "End of Summer Bash." (Both extra entries will only be counted for one drawing; no splitting the entries, as I would soon get very confused!)

Just leave a comment on this post letting me know that you've taken the button, and I'll give you the two extra entries. If you could let me know your blog URL and which drawing you would like to use those extra entries in, that would be most helpful!

Thank you so much for your help in spreading the word about this event!

P.S. You might also have noticed a couple of other new blog buttons decorating "Seasons of Humility"... I'll be posting about that soon, too! ;)

Friends, Crafts, and a Mystery!

Today is a super fun day, because I have so much I get to show all of you! Let's start with an extra special blessing I received at the very beginning of my last vacation:

That's right! I got to meet our very own Casey from Writing for Christ!!!

Casey came and spent a couple of days with me and my family at a home we rented in Sunriver, Oregon. We had such a blast! It was almost unreal--getting to meet a dear friend I had known online for over a year in person!! I even got to have lunch with her family one day, which was a real treat, as well. Casey is a beautiful person inside and out, and I consider myself very blessed indeed to call her my friend!

Here's us at the park! We put together a picnic lunch and bicycled to the park, sat on the grass, and talked forever! ;) Loved it!

Of course, we had to get a picture of us together with books! ;) Forget snail mail when you can swap books in person!!

We packed a lot of wonderful memories into one weekend. Casey's friendship, as well as the friendships of all my dear blogging friends, are blessings I'll be forever grateful for!

Also, while I was on vacation, I finished this:

The hummingbird counted cross-stitch piece for my grandma is complete!

For those of you who attended Camp Humility 2011 here on the blog, you might recall me showing you this piece as a work-in-progress during our craft time. Well, my grandma and I spent some time cross-stitching together during our vacation. So my "hummingbirds" didn't turn out to be a complete surprise after all, but we had fun working on cross-stitching together, and the memories were even better than the surprise!

My sister was sweet enough to take a picture of me with my completed project!

As for the mystery? The mystery is what the schedule will be like for "Mystery Week." ;)

First, here are the results of the "Mystery Week Poll":

Do you enjoy reading mysteries? 19 votes

• 14 Yes, very much!
  
• 5 Once in a while.
• 1 Nope.

(Amber's Note: Good to know!)

Do you watch the PBS Masterpiece Mystery season? 19 votes

• 2 Yes, I love it!
• 6 Sometimes.
• 7 No.
• 5 What's PBS Masterpiece?

(Amber's Note: Oh, dear! Ya'll are missing out! I do hope this upcoming week might help some of you discover the wonders of PBS Masterpiece. Remember, you can watch some of these shows online for free for a limited time!) ;)

Which of these books would you be interested in discussing this week? 21 votes

• 9 Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
  
• 6 Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
  
• 7 A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
  

Which of these movies would you be interested in discussing this week? 18 votes

• 7 PBS Masterpiece: Sherlock, A Study in Pink (2010)
• 4 PBS Masterpiece: Poirot, Hallowe'en Party (2011)
• 5 PBS Masterpiece: Miss Marple, The Pale Horse (2011)
• 1 PBS Masterpiece: Zen, Vendetta (2011)
• 2 Other (Inspector Lewis, and a voter noting that they hadn't seen PBS Masterpiece)
  

~ ~ ~

Thank you to all of you who voted! So, here's the game plan for "Mystery Week" (July 18th-22nd):

• Monday: Special Book/Author Feature (Who's the author? Well, it's a mystery that you'll have to solve by checking in on Monday!)
  

• Tuesday: Miss Marple, "The Pale Horse" (Movie review and discussion)
  

• Wednesday: Death on the Nile (Book review and discussion)
  

• Thursday: Sherlock Double Feature--Review/discussion of the 2010 episode "A Study in Pink" and the book A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
  

• Friday: Murder on the Orient Express (Book review and discussion)

• Saturday: I might throw in a review of "Hallowe'en Party" or "Vendetta" if I find time!

~ ~ ~

"Mystery Week" is no longer a mystery! I hope that this overview helps you--now you can get a start on reading these books and/or watching these movies that we'll be discussing.

Yesterday I should have included a link to the PBS Masterpiece website, and I should have let you know that some of the movies I listed are available to watch online for free! So, here's that info in case you're interested:

• Visit the PBS Masterpiece website to learn all about this summer's Mystery season!

• You can watch "Hallowe'en Party" (Poirot) now through August 2nd, "The Pale Horse" (Miss Marple) now through August 10th, and "Vendetta" (Zen) starting Monday, July 18th, online! (As you can see from the schedule above, we'll be discussing "The Pale Horse" on Tuesday, so you can watch it online before then!)
  

I know this is a lot to take in, so please feel free to share any and all thoughts (or questions!) on Mystery Week, crafts, blogging friends, or whatever! ;)

Contentment Reading Challenge: July

For this month's challenge update, I want to start by giving ya'll a glimpse at some summer events that are coming up here at "Seasons of Humility." I did some brainstorming while I was on vacation, and I'm excited to put these plans to action!

July 18-22, Mystery Week: Because it's the PBS Masterpiece Mystery season, this will be a week dedicated to reviews of several of the shows, as well as some mystery book reviews. Maybe we can get some good discussions going!

July 25-29, Christmas in July: 'Tis the season to be jolly! Grab a cup of hot chocolate and join us for a fun Christmas celebration--a little cool reminiscing in the midst of the hot days of summer. ;) Be on the lookout for some fun Christmas themed posts (including the pickle ornament hunt!), as well as a fun giveaway!

August 15-19, County Fair Week: Greasy food, flashy rides, exciting games, and fun competitions...it's time for the county fair! Get ready for a judged competition, shared stories, and maybe some Amish book reviews in honor of this community event.

August 21-27, End of Summer Bash: This is the place to be when the end of August rolls around! We're throwing a big party here at "Seasons of Humility" with the help of some dear author friends, including MaryLu Tyndall, Sarah Sundin, and Laura Frantz--to name a few! Great giveaways and summer-themed interviews should make this a bash to remember!

~ ~ ~

Let me know what you think of these plans! I've done these themed weeks before, but this is a new year with new fun scheduled!

As far as re-reading goes, well...I don't really have anything to report. I read two books from last month's book swap (Love Starts with Elle and Chateau of Echoes, both from Casey), but I haven't re-read any more books. (Let me just say that I LOVED Chateau of Echoes! Thanks for the chance to read those books, Casey!) However, during the "Christmas in July" week, I plan on re-reading a couple of books, so hopefully the August update will be a little more positive. ;)

I'd love to know how you all are doing!

Christian Fiction Book Club Meets Here July 9th!

I am thrilled to tell you that I will be hosting next month's Christian Fiction Book Club meeting here at "Seasons of Humility!" I apologize for being so late in making this announcement, but I do hope you'll consider stopping by Saturday, July 9th and joining in on our discussion of Pompeii: City on Fire by T.L. Higley.

If you're never participated in one of these meetings before (and I confess that I'm not too familiar with them yet, either!), here's the scoop from Joy at Edgy Inspirational Romance:

Want to participate?

1. Secure a copy of the book club pick and read it before the discussion date.

2. Find the reading group guide in the back of the book or on the publisher's website. Choose one or more of the discussion questions to address in a blog post. You might also want to include a short review of the book. *Click HERE for a link to discussion questions for Pompeii on the author's website.*

3. Schedule your blog post to run on the discussion date. You may copy and use the book club logo above if you'd like.

4. On the discussion date, the host will run his/her review and answer a few discussion questions. The host will also include a MckLinky at the bottom so bloggers can link their posts.

5. On the discussion date, we all hop around reading and commenting on the reviews and opinions of participating bloggers.

6. If you do not have a blog of your own, you can share your opinions about the book club pick in the comment sections of other blogs.

7. Have you already read our book club picks? Great, participate anyway! You'll have a head start answering some of the questions!

Pompeii: City on Fire is a powerful book. T.L. Higley's work is action-packed, complete with spiritual truths and some sweet romance. You won't want to miss her latest release! So grab a copy and join us here July 9th--we'd love to hear your thoughts!

Back from the Happiest Place on Earth!

Hello, everyone! I just got back from a most wonderful vacation in Disneyland!! I'm sure I'll be posting more pictures and sharing some stories soon, but for now I simply wanted to let you know that I haven't dropped off the face of the planet. ;)

Next week I plan on sharing quite a few book reviews with you. And drum roll please...the next Contentment Reading Challenge Book Swap is headed your way soon!!

Hope you all are having a great summer so far!

P.S. If you would like to read my review of To Win Her Heart by Karen Witemeyer, stop by the Radiant Lit website!

Camp Humility Starts Next Week!

This is just a quick notice to let all my readers know that the Second Annual Camp Humility starts Monday, May 23rd! There will be fun camping activities, campfire devotionals/discussions, and some cool giveaways to help us kick-off the summer season and go off to camp without ever leaving our computers. ;)

If you didn't get the chance to make it to Camp Humility 2010, check out these links from last year to see what this unique blogging event is all about:

• Let's Go Camping!
• Campfire: First Evening
• Let's Go Rafting!
• Campfire: Second Evening
• Let's Go Hiking!
• Campfire: Night Game!
• Mail Call
• Campfire: Fourth Evening
• Craft Time!
• Campfire: Winners and Our Story!
• Farewell to Camp Humility

So, will we have any returners to camp this year? If so, what did you enjoy most about last year's camp?

This year we'll be participating in some old favorites, but there will also be some new activities, new prizes, and hopefully some new campers, too! ;) Can't wait to see you there bright and early Monday morning!

Spring Cleaning Winners!

Love Amid the Ashes: Michelle

The Rhythm of Secrets: Linda

Congratulations, ladies! Thanks for helping me make more room in my boxes. ;)

As for the rest of this week, I've got a couple of reviews for you and a special treat on Saturday, so stay tuned for more fun!

Happy reading!

Fun Facts Friday

Fun Fact: There's only a little over a week left until Easter! I'm going to spend the day with my sweet roomie and some of her family in Portland. Yay!

Fun Fact: Speaking of my roomie, she's engaged as of last Sunday!!! Yay, Adrienne! Here's a super adorable picture I took of her and her betrothed when he proposed by a waterfall. (And yes, those are rose petals on the rock!) They're getting married in August. I'm so excited for them!

Fun Fact: I really appreciate all of you! Thank you to those of you who took the time to answer my poll! I'm glad that, for the most part, my blog is pretty easy to navigate. (If you don't agree with that, though, feel free to leave me some suggestions in the comments section!) If you want to answer another poll question, just check out the sidebar. ;)

Fun Fact: I love reading! (Not sure if you were aware of that or not...) And I'm really looking forward to reading and reviewing a book called Yesterday's Tomorrow by Catherine West soon! Here's a picture of me with the book (which the author kindly agreed to send to me!):

Fun Fact: I'm also grateful for all of you who shared your opinions with me about some possible future post series! I'm planning on incorporating the series Operation: Let's Get Published!, and I might do some sort of Behind the Scenes feature in regards to publishing/book review programs some time in the future (definitely something to keep in mind!). Also, I'm planning on using something similar to at least one of Vince's ideas (characters interviewing authors) starting with an interview next week with Leanna Sain, author of Gate to Nowhere--thank you, Vince, for the suggestion!

Fun Fact: The month of May means two very exciting things--the beginning of summer vacation and the return of Camp Humility! (For those of you who are new to the blog, Camp Humility is a week-long post series where we all head off to camp! We do games, outdoors activities, and spend our evenings around the campfire. Super fun!)

Fun Fact: I love Bug's Beads! On top of running two awesome blogs (Writing for Christ and Operation Encourage an Author), contributing to The Writers Alley, and writing/reading/etc., my blogging friend Casey has her own jewelry business called Bug's Beads. I've bought several pieces from her for family and friends and one necklace of my very own. She's a pleasure to do business with! Here's a picture of me wearing my lovely necklace:

And although I hesitate to mention a pig right under my picture...in the words of Porky Pig from Looney Tunes: "Th-th-that's all folks!" ;) Happy Friday!

Spring is in the Air!

Spring is almost here!!! This Sunday marks the first official day of spring according to my planner, which is cause for celebration! Add to that the fact that my spring break is next week, and my blogoversary is the week after that, and I'm even more excited!

(Speaking of my blogoversary, any long-time followers recognize the picture above? Can you believe it's been almost a year since those lovely leaves first graced the top of my blog?!)

Spring also brings to mind thoughts of spring cleaning...

I think my cluttered thoughts could use a bit of organization! I feel like my list of possible blog posts just keeps getting longer and longer, which can be a good, but also stressful, thing.

• I still haven't posted about the rest of my Women to Women Conference Experience.

• I really need to post my CSN Stores review soon... This is especially timely since spring is starting, and who doesn't want to talk about pretty vases for those spring flowers?

• I went on a fabulous field trip this past Saturday for my Literature of the American West class! We went to the McLoughlin House in Oregon City and to Fort Vancouver. And I have pictures!!

• Just last night I went to see a special showing of Meek's Cutoff, a movie about a story from the Oregon Trail. I have a lot of conflicting thoughts about it... Anyone interested in reading a review?

• I'm scheduled to review Bathsheba by Jill Eileen Smith this week. And next week I'm scheduled to review Love Amid the Ashes. I'll have a special interview to go along with that review! Also, I'm sure I'll be reading some more over spring break. ;)

See what I mean? Good grief, I'm practically drowning in post ideas, not to mention the whole week dedicated to my blogoversary coming up soon...

So, are you all excited about spring? And do these upcoming posts sound interesting to you? Which ones sound most appealing?

P.S. The winner of a signed copy of A Soldier's Devotion is...

Renee!

Congratulations! (Loved your party mask, by the way!)

Thank you all so much for helping me celebrate Hannah's birthday yesterday!

Dracula and Surrender the Night

Today I'm over at The Borrowed Book talking about Dracula, Surrender the Night, and writing what you read. If you have some time, I'd love to see you there! It should be an interesting discussion!

Click HERE to read the post!

I thought I'd also take this time to mention some of what's coming up in the next week or so here at Seasons of Humility:

• CSN Stores review of a set of six mini vases, just in time for spring!

• Second-chance book swap. For all those who couldn't make it to the Contentment Reading Challenge book swap on Friday or for those who would just like to try for some more swaps, there will be another day to post your lists and get in touch with your fellow bloggers!

• More on the Woman to Woman Conference. I apologize for having these posts so broken up! There are two more posts to come about my experiences at this conference, including a post about Spiritual Discipline and a post about the talks given by author Robin Jones Gunn.

• Review of Surrender the Night. If this book just keeps getting better as I expect it will, I'm going to have a lot of wonderful things to say about it in my review!!

• And don't forget, this blog's first blogoversary week is the last week of March! You won't want to miss it!
  

300th Post with Upcoming Events and a Giveaway!

There are a lot of plans going on behind-the-scenes here at "Seasons of Humility," and I thought I would let my 300th post be a list of some of the upcoming events we have to look forward to in the near future!

• Blogoversary! The end of March (March 30th, to be exact) is my first anniversary of the creation of this blog, and I've been contacting some wonderful authors to help me celebrate! I don't want to give too much away, but here's a hint of what's to come: themed weeks. Remember all those themed weeks we had this past year? Food week? Mystery week? Well, there will be little flashbacks to those days, some fabulous giveaways, and some great author interviews (including interviews with Julie Lessman, Leanna Ellis, and maybe more)! So mark your calendars for March 27th through April 2nd!
  

• Mondays for the Military: I don't want to guarantee anything at this point, but I've just heard back from an author who is willing to do an interview for an upcoming Monday regarding her military books. I'm excited to maybe host her here, and I can't wait to share the interview with you--hopefully soon!

• Courting Morrow Little Book Discussion: Nope, I haven't forgotten! I'm still hoping to host this book discussion soon, and I'm thinking maybe next week will work well. We'll see! I apologize for the delay.
  

• The Borrowed Book: The third and final installment of my writing tips series is scheduled for this upcoming Monday, February 21st. As with my first two posts for this group blog, I'll plan on posting a link here, as well!

• Book Reviews: Be on the lookout for my full review of The Rhythm of Secrets soon, as well as a review of Lady in the Mist. After that, there should be plenty more to come! I have quite the list of books to review. ;)
  

Thank you for sticking with me, and I look forward to many more posts in the coming year, if it is the Lord's will. I'm already anticipating "Camp Humility" and fun summer posts!

Anyway, since this is my 300th post, I thought I'd do a giveaway to celebrate! If you would like a chance to win a gently used copy of Stars Collide by Janice Thompson, just leave a comment with your e-mail address. (This giveaway is only open to those with a U.S. mailing address.) If you'd like to read my review of this fun book, click HERE.

CSN Stores: Another Review to Come!

I have had the pleasure of working with CSN Stores in the past to promote their site here on my blog, through doing a review and through doing a giveaway. CSN Stores sells a variety of products on their website, and I was quite happy with my shopping experience when I got to review a pair of heels!

The time has come when I get to do another review for CSN Stores, so I've been scouring their site looking for just the right product to enjoy and post about. I think I've finally decided on something: a pretty set of 6 mini vases! I'm hoping this will bring a touch of spring into my dorm room.

So be on the lookout for a future review of some pretty vases!

Season of Love Blog Party Reminder!

I just wanted to remind all of you that the "Season of Love Blog Party" is drawing to a close, so you've only got today (Sunday) to make sure to get your name entered into all of these great giveaways! Plus, there have been some super fun, creative interviews and posts, and you'll want to be sure to visit all of them as you get ready to celebrate Valentine's Day!


Here are the links to all of the posts/giveaways included in this party:

Amber at Seasons of Humility--Interview with MaryLu Tyndall and a giveaway of Surrender the Night

Renee Ann at Doorkeeper--True-life story of love and sacrifice plus Giveaway Trifecta

Casey at Writing for Christ--Interview with Kristin Billerbeck and a giveaway of A Billion Reasons Why

Hannah at Project Journal--The Single Girl's Guide to Valentine's Day with a surprise book/chocolate giveaway

Joy at Edgy Inspirational Romance--"Love Stories from My Favorite Bloggers" with $10 Amazon.com gift card giveaway

Julia at Darkglass Ponderings--Interview with Jody Hedlund, dessert recipe, and two giveaways: Godiva chocolate and a copy of The Preacher's Bride

Renee at Black 'n Gold Girl's Bookspot--Interview with Laura Frantz and a 3-surprise-Christian-fiction-books giveaway (including Save the Date)

Remember to come back here to Seasons of Humility for a Mr. Linky listing of all the blogs writing a special post tomorrow (Valentine's Day!). The winners will be announced on the participating blogs, and there will be some really sweet posts! See you then, and good luck in all of the giveaways!

(Thank you again to all of these fabulous blogger friends for participating in the party!!!)

A New Season is Almost Here!

That is to say, the "Season of Love" begins tomorrow! Stop by here on Monday for the first day of the "Season of Love Blog Party," where I'll be hosting author MaryLu Tyndall and offering a fun giveaway. Click HERE to see what else is in store for this upcoming week-long bash to celebrate Valentine's Day!

See you tomorrow!