#FavouriteThings Holiday Gift Suggestions | a good read…

“In this series we bring you our #FavouriteThings Holiday Gift Suggestions which we personally recommend”

Wouldn’t you just enjoy spending the holidays with your nose in a good book? Or how about a book and a glass of wine? No matter how or when you enjoy it a good book is sometimes the best gift of all.

Breaking Ground: From Landmines to Grapevines, One Woman’s Mission to Heal the World

In 1997 as the world watched Princess Diana walk through warzones in Angola and Bosnia-Herzegovina and visit hospitals where doctors cared for children who had been maimed by landmines, it stirred not only Heidi Kühn‘s political conscience but her maternal instincts as well. A producer and reporter for CNN and other news organizations at the time, she had already earned a reputation for bridging borders for peace. Less than a month later, the world would lose more than a glamorous young princess in a tragic car accident, but its most vibrant advocate for eliminating landmines, impacting innocent children whose lives might have been saved by her efforts.

And, so began Heidi’s lifelong mission to eradicate fields of landmines and replace them with agricultural projects that bring families in war-torn regions relief from poverty and a way out of conflict. She founded Roots of Peace, and their mission to turn “Mines to Vines” was born. Turning her ideas into reality, Kühn turned to her local Napa Valley community and attracted the support of legendary vintners such as Robert Mondavi, Mike Grgich, Diane Disney Miller, and over 400 California vintners. To date, the organization has impacted over 1 million farmers and families in eight countries and has facilitated the removal of over 100,000 landmines and unexploded bombs, restoring the land for agricultural bounty.

In her inspiring and deeply personal memoir, Breaking Ground: From Landmines to Grapevines, One Woman’s Mission to Heal the World (April 28, 2020; Earth Aware Editions, foreword by Her Majesty Queen Noor) Heidi shares her extraordinary journey of creating a nongovernmental organization of groundbreaking impact from the basement of her California home to her current presence on the global stage, where she has worked with presidents, prime ministers, landmine survivors, and religious leaders from around the world to spread a message of peace and recovery.

Remarkably inspiring and at times, heart-pounding and heartbreaking, Breaking Ground tells the story of a passionate and dedicated mother turned pioneering social entrepreneur, whose faith and raw courage has built partnerships here and abroad, survived countless trips to the front lines, raised millions to underwrite the cause, and helped wounded survivors, all while championing the needs of families and children throughout the world.

To learn more: www.rootsofpeace.org, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram.

Breaking Ground: From Landmines to Grapevines, One Woman’s Mission to Heal the World is available for pre-order and will release on April 28, 2020 in hardcover and eBook at booksellers nationwide and online retailers including amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound.

Adventure-Filled Story Woven with Faith and Family Values

Matt Loman has already saved his family and his village from famine, finding his life’s true purpose in the process. But the journey toward his ultimate destiny is far from over, and just two days into his much-anticipated honeymoon, a compelling voice in his dreams pleads with him to “come home.”

Following the voice, Matt embarks on an adventure that few could imagine, as he spars with a band of crazed warriors, gets stuck in an enormous web and is nearly torn to shreds by giant beasts. How will he explain his latest escapades to his beautiful young wife, Patience?

With the Kingdom of Truevine and all that is good threatened by evil forces, it’s up to Matt and Patience to push beyond their own strengths, draw upon their faith and find the answer to saving the kingdom and their lives. Will they find it in time?

Coming Home takes readers on a family-friendly journey filled with faith, suspense and sweet romance. Written by father-daughter authors Bruce and Vernae Ewing, Coming Home unfolds one adventure at a time, with colorful characters and clever challenges for Matt and Patience that subtly reinforce family values and inspire readers to seek out their own true purposes. Suitable for all ages, Coming Home is an immensely enjoyable read that makes the perfect choice for family story time.

Dr. Bruce Ewing has been a pastor for 48 years, with 28 of those spent as a military chaplain. He has been married to the love of his life, Valerie, for 47 years and is the father of two precious daughters, Brecia and Vernae. Dr. Bruce is a Marriage and Family Relationship Consultant, teacher of biblical principles and teller of stories. His love for God and family is the catalyst for his writing. Love healed his own heart, so he tells stories to inspire others to discover the same grace he has received.

Co-author and Dr. Bruce’s daughter Vernae Ewing Thompson holds a BS in marketing and an MBA. She is married to singer/songwriter Lance Thompson. Vernae is an actor, model, producer, director and business owner. She acquired her love for books and writing through her childhood experiences while listening to her father’s wild bedtime adventure stories and stories from the Bible.

Coming Home is the second installment in the popular Treasure Tree series. Watch for the next book, The Reign of War. For more information, please visit www.thetreasuretreebook.com, or connect with the authors on Instagram: @thetreasuretreebook; or on Facebook: thetreasuretreebook.

Coming Home (Book 2 of the Treasure Tree series)

Publisher: High Bridge Books

ISBN: (Paperback): 978-1-946615-65-7

Available from Amazon.com

Spirit of Christmas Shines through in Uplifting, Small-Town Romance

Build a crackling fire, pour a cup of cocoa and immerse yourself in the holiday spirit with Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy, a heartwarming, small-town romance from Hallmark Publishing author Janice Lynn.

Set in the charming little town of Pine Hill, Kentucky, Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy introduces readers to quilt shop owner Sophie Davis and former Marine Cole Aaron, whose lives intersect at Pine Hill’s Christmas festivities.

The story begins when Sophie finds Cole’s journal among a box of books that had been donated to her church. She can’t help but peruse the personal entries, finding herself drawn to the stranger on the pages. As the daughter of a veteran and a seamstress who sews Quilts of Valor, she feels a deep connection to the former soldier who wrote the emotional entries, and she longs to heal his heart.

As a former Marine, Cole battled to find peace after returning to civilian life, and his journal was the conduit toward a truce with his past. Always needing to protect others, Cole now fights fires and is embracing his new life in Pine Hill. When Sophie shows up at the fire hall with his journal, he fears digging up the demons from his past and tells her to trash it.

Their paths continue to intertwine, with both Sophie and Cole volunteering for their community. But it’s hard for Cole to let down his guard, and he doesn’t need anyone’s pity. After all he’s been through in the past, can he find faith in a more hopeful future — one touched by joy?

Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy is the perfect small-town Christmas romance to warm readers’ hearts during the holiday season. It is the sequel to Janice’s first story, Wrapped Up in Christmas, and can also stand alone.

Janice Lynn is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. She strives to write characters who evoke strong emotions and make readers want to go along on their journeys.

Her first sweet romance, Wrapped Up in Christmas, was a bestseller on Barnes & Noble, Wal-Mart, Amazon (hit No. 13 overall in paid fiction in Kindle) and ibooks (hit number No. 1 paid ebook fiction); was Hallmark Publishing’s first release to hit the USA TODAY and Wall Street Journal’s bestseller lists; and was a finalist in the Bookseller’s Best Award. Janice also writes contemporary Medical Romances for Harlequin, and her books have won numerous awards, including the National Readers’ Choice Award, the Golden Quill for Best Short contemporary Romance and for Best First Book, Romantic Times Magazine’s American Title, and the Holt Medallion Award of Merit.

Janice lives in Tennessee with her Prince Charming, their seven kids, her vivid imagination, an adorable Maltese named Halo who’s the true princess of the house and a bunch of unnamed dust bunnies who took up permanent residence after Janice started her writing career. In addition to writing romance, Janice is a nurse practitioner, a quilter, an exercise queen, a military mama and a member of and an avid supporter of the Quilts of Valor Foundation. Just kidding on the exercise queen.

For more information, please visit www.janicelynn.com. You can also connect with the author on social media at: https://www.facebook.com/janicemarielynn;

https://twitter.com/janicemarielynn; or https://www.instagram.com/janice.lynn.author/.

Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy

Publisher: Hallmark Publishing

ISBN-10: 1952210038

ISBN-13: 978-1952210037

Available from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Walmart.com

Book reviews provided by Smith Publicity, High Bridge Book and Hallmark Publishing. I received a copy of each book to facilitate this feature.

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