Interview with Cynthia Ructhi

The Interview with Cynthia Ructhi, author of They Almost Always Come Home. Scroll down for the giveway as well. All you have to do is leave a comment. to enter.


1. How would you describe your book?
The tagline for the book is “She’d leave her husband…if she could find him.”

When Libby’s husband Greg doesn’t return from a two-week canoe trip to the Canadian wilderness, the authorities write off his disappearance as an unhappy husband’s escape from an oatmeal marriage and mind-numbing career. Their marriage might have survived if their daughter Lacey hadn’t died and if Greg hadn’t been responsible. Libby enlists the aid of her wilderness-savvy father-in-law and her faith-walking best friend to help her search for clues to her husband’s disappearance. What the trio discovers in the wilderness search upends Libby’s assumptions about her husband and rearranges her faith.

It’s my prayer that this fictional adventure story and emotional journey will reveal its own hope-laden clues for those struggling to survive or longing to exit what they believe are uninspiring marriages. How can a woman survive a season or a lifetime when she finds it difficult to like the man she loves?

2. How were you different as a writer and as a person when you finished writing They Almost Always Come Home?
This book changed me in a profound way. It forced me to take a more honest look at myself and my reactions to crises so I could write Libby’s character with authenticity. Libby is a composite of many women. I haven’t experienced what she did, but I identify with some of her struggles and longings, as I hope my readers will. I see my friends in her eyes and know that her tears aren’t hers alone. Her shining moments feed my courage. Libby speaks for me and for many others when she discovers that she is stronger than she realized and weaker than she wanted to admit.

Writing her story was a journey for the author as much as for the character.

3. What did you feel the tug on your heart to become a writer?
My journey toward a lifetime of writing began by reading books that stirred me, changed me, convinced me that imagination is a gift from an imaginative Creator. As a child, I read when I should have been sleeping…and still do. I couldn’t wait for the BookMobile (library on wheels) to pull up in front of the post office in our small town and open its arms to me. Somewhere between the pages of a book, my heart warmed to the idea that one day I too might tell stories that made readers stay up past their bedtimes.
4. What books line your bookshelves?
My bookshelves—don’t ask how many!—hold a wide variety of genres. The collection expands faster than a good yeast dough. I’m a mood reader, grabbing a light comedy one day and a literarily rich work the next. Although I appreciate well-written nonfiction, I gravitate toward an emotionally engaging contemporary women’s fiction story.

Somthing Extra From the Author's Heart
Ten years ago, my husband almost didn’t come home. His canoe adventure with our son Matt soured on Day Two when Bill grew violently ill from what we presume was either pancreatitis or a gall bladder attack. He’s an insulin-dependent diabetic, so any grave illness is a threat. One in the middle of the Canadian wilderness is morgue material.

With no satellite phone with which to call for help, Matt took turns caring for his father and watching the shore for other canoeists happening past their hastily constructed campsite. The few other canoes were headed deeper into the remote areas of the park, not on their way out. None had a satellite phone. And none of them were doctors.

As my husband grew sicker, his diabetes went nuclear. He couldn’t eat, yet needed insulin because his liver thought it should help out by dumping vast quantities of sugar into his system. Even in a hospital setting, the situation would have been difficult to control, and the nearest hospital was light years away across vast stretches of water and woodland, through peopleless, roadless wilderness.

Our son stretched a yellow tarp across the rocks on shore and wrote S.O.S. with charcoal from a dead fire. He scratched out countless notes on pieces of notebook paper torn from their trip journal:

Send rescue! My dad is deathly ill.

Read the rest of the story at the KCWC BLOG

Blog Tour Giveaway Includes:

North Pak 20 inch cinch sack (lime)

Day Runner journal

Canoe Brand wild rice

Canada's brand blueberry jam
Coleman 60-piece mini first aid kit
Wood canoe/paddle shelf ornament
Six original photography notecards from video trailer
"Hope" hanging ornament
Mini Coleman "lantern" prayer reminder

They Almost Come Home

A new book I can't wait to read! Come back for tomorrow's post with an Interview with the author and info about a very nice giveaway that includes a Day Runner Journal, a mini Coleman "lantern" prayer reminder and much more!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

(Wausau, WI) – At the foundation of each relationship resides the need to know love can survive even when feelings fade. In Cynthia Ruchti’s debut novel, They Almost Always Come Home, readers feel the desperation of this foundational yearning in a marriage clearly pulling loose from its moorings. Compounded by other issues—an unrewarding career and mismatched dreams—it’s enough to drive a man into the arms of the Canadian wilderness. When Greg Holden doesn’t return home from a wilderness canoe trip, his wife Libby wrestles with survivor guilt, a new layer of grief, and the belief that she was supposed to know how to fix her marriage. She planned to leave him—but how can she leave a man who’s no longer there? He was supposed to go fishing, not missing.

Libby has to find him before she can discover how their marriage ends. She plunges into the wilderness on an adventurous and risky manhunt, unsure what she will do if she finds him…or if she doesn’t. She expects to meet hardship, discomfort, and danger in the wilderness. She doesn’t expect to face the stark reality of her spiritual longing and a faint, but steady pulse that promises hope for reviving her marriage. If Greg’s still alive.

They Almost Always Come Home provides a glimpse into common, however uncomfortable, marital conflicts. Cynthia weaves a page-turning story, suspense building scene by scene. Her characters mirror ordinary people, living real-to-life situations, allowing readers to relate and sort through a myriad of emotions and life decisions. If fiction can contain adventure, riveting self-awareness, and romance all between the same covers, this is the book!

Cynthia Ruchti writes stories of “hope that glows in the dark.” She writes and produces The Heartbeat of the Home, a syndicated drama/devotional radio broadcast, and is editor for the ministry’s Backyard Friends magazine. She also serves as current president of American Christian Fiction Writers. Cynthia married her childhood sweetheart, who tells his own tales of wilderness adventures.

Swimwear Giveaway

Christina from LWH is hosting a great giveaway. A giftcard for free clothing. I would use the giftcard on a new swimsuit. I so need a new one this summer since having my little one several weeks ago, something with a little more coverage if you know what I mean. And Layers Clothing that is giving away the giftcard away is the right kind of place. There goal is to provide stylish yet conservative clothing in our show-as-much-flesh-as-possible-without-getting-arrested society. It is so hard to find clothing, especially swimsuits that give you the right coverage and still allow you to sport a young, stylish look. So, visit LWH to see how you can enter too.

Bloggy Giveaways Carnival Winner

I used the Custom Random Number Generator to generate the winner for the book Snow Angel by Jamie Carie.

The winner is:

Shilo from Samsakara

Congratulations!!

How to Properly Care for Our Fickle Yet Beloved House Cat, Mr. Paw

Kailiani at An Island Life has started a Group Writing Project. This weeks theme is "How to..." A random winner will be drawn on July 17 and will recieve a $30 Amazon giftcard. See the link above for the guidelines to participate. Here is my entry:

Dear Janice, (our adored nanny for hire),

With all due respect, I am exceptionally grateful to you for your commitment to care and nurture our beloved cat whilst we are away. I have left you a few simple and may I say quite concise instructions of his proper care. Please read as follows:

Monday
7:02 am Scratch P. Paw or Mr. Paw as I will be referring to him for the remainder of our correspondence requests his first bowl of kit chowder to be served in a glass (please do not bother with plastic or the like as Mr. Paw is highly inconvenienced by the squeaky clamor the outer waxy layer of such bowls produce as he is feasting on his delicacies) dish, his favorite in red, slightly warmed over an open flame of due proportion and mixed delicately with a cream of goat’s milk.

7:05 am Mr. Paw may not finish his platter immediately but may savor the like as you in return may offer him a chilled concoction of bottled well water and savory lemon peel to cleanse his palate.

8:54 am Upon your return if in fact you have left the premises to parade the city streets in a mild mannerly fashion, of course, for an errand or two Mr. Paw requests to be walked. Although but slightly finicky Mr. Paw does enjoy the fresh breeze of the morning air as he is pranced about upon yonder leash through the cropped grass of our beloved neighborhood. He prefers not to allow his delicate paws to touch the rough, and decidedly uneven, surface of the commoners’ road of pavement. His pace of choice is a brisk yet expectantly gentle scamper as to not ruffle his coat of velvety fur.

9:09 am Mr. Paw will expect to be efficiently littered at this time. I do regard this is a delicate procedure, but I assure you, you will succeed in your efforts if you stay within these succinct guidelines. Place Mr. Paw within eyeing distance of his favored littering box but do not exit in haste. If he is ready upon immediate arrival you willst need offer some further assistance and perhaps a bit of coaxing with light fanning and gentle humming to summon forth his efforts. If Mr. Paw becomes agitated by your choice of tune to the point of spitting or hissing you must abort, I say ABORT child or you may receive a good lashing. Proper anesthetic is hidden under the back cupboard among various other elixirs and the like.

10:22 am Mr. Paw requires massage at this point. With scantily light fingers begin at his lower back and work your way up to the tips of his ears. Too rough and he will reciprocate in an ungentlemanly behavior. Too light, and he will speak unpleasantly until the job is done to his liking.

11:17 am Mr. Paw will take his mid-morning nap. I dare say he refuses to fluff his own pillows. You will be expected to accommodate his fickleness and fluff both the left and the right feathered pillow of his napping quarters. The center bundle is to be left untouched as too much fluffing causes an uneasy lumpiness that sets Mr. Paw into a frenzy of spats.

12:06 pm Din-din is expected on the dot. His midday meal should be proportionately halved between a moist succulent potted duck and a dry basted fish tender. The local grocery conveniently carries both delicacies. You will promptly be reimbursed for any costs you incur minus the 20 percent the grocer will demand for immediate service.

1:16 pm Mr. Paw delights in his afternoon nap. Again, you must fluff the pillows and lightly massage in the exact fashion of the aforementioned instructions. Any change of routine will cause serious consequences on your part.

3:34 pm Mr. Paw requests to be promptly woken from his nap with gentle birdsong. If your imitation of the sweet voiced swallow is lacking, you may attempt the mating song of the yellow canary. Be fore-warned that if Mr. Paw isn’t delicately woken, he will respond distastefully.

5:54 pm Supper is to be served. Mr. Paw’s evening tastes vary drastically therefore he will make his cravings known at this time. It is best if you inscribe his exact instructions on parchment and dictate them back to him before proceeding in the preparation.

7:29 pm Mr. Paw relishes his evening moonlit scamper. Leash-liberated and fancy free, Mr. Paw expects to romp and play free from the burdens of his tedious day. You are not to interfere in his play of choice.

8:59 pm Time to bed Mr. Paw. Again begin with the pillows but end with your best rendition of Over the Rainbow. If your voice is incapable of rendering the beautiful melody, Mr. Paw may fall into a fitful sleep upon which you must rock him until his restless slumber embarks on a beautiful journey of tender dreaming.

Congratulations. You’ve survived day one. Now, that you’ve perfected Mr. Paw’s proper care I expect day two will be just as fulfilling. Thanks be to you for your cordial service.

Sincerely,

Mr. Paw’s Mother-of-Sorts

Side-Note: I left these instructions as a joke for my friend Janice who so graciously cared for Scratchy while we were on vacation. I'm so glad I had a reason to post this.

I Heard It through the Grapevine Challenge

I saw the I Heard It Through the Grapevine Challenge at Gail's blog. Lynne's Little Corner of the World is hosting, and here's what you need to know:

Where do you find new books to read? Do you get recommendations from friends? From the library? From the person next to you on the plane or train or bus? From other book blogs?
The goal of this challenge is to read 3 new-to-you books between May 1 and November 30 that have been recommended to you. Feel free to read more if you want! Any type of book is OK. It can even be a book by an author you’ve read before. Cross-overs with other challenges are fine, and you can change books at any time. And there will be a prize at the end of the challenge. You will need to sign up before June 1.

All I had to do was look at my Amazon Wishlist to find books others have recommended. Here are my choices:

1. Island of Saints by Andy Andrews (recommended by Coach Jenny), which I picked up at the library today!
2. Winter Haven by Athol Dickson from Sonya's blog.
3. Snow Angel by Jamie Carie recommended by another blogger I just can't remember who.:)
4. The Shack by William P. Young. Recommended by Deanna from my BSF discussion group.
Alternate 1: Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George (recommended by Emily from Deliciously Clean Reads. BTW, check her blog out!).

Also, we may play along at Teen Lit Review as well. Happy Reading!

Contests Going Around

I wanted to let you know that Coach Jenny is giving away a copy of Steven Curtis Chapman's new CD. If you like Contemporary Christian, you'll like this album. Stop on by her place to enter.

Also, Sonya is giving away a book a week for the next few weeks at her blog. Her contests start every Tuesday so go on over a see what her newest giveaway is.

CWO Has Joined the Blog Party

Have you heard? Christian Women Online has joined this year's blog party, and to celebrate they are playing a game of tag (sponsored by Art Bookbindery). Play along and you could win a Sony Walkman Video MP3 Player with 4GB Memory!

You don't have to be a member of their blogroll to play along. All you have to do is tag someone by inviting them to participate on your blog. Don't forget to comment on their party invite. I don't have a blog, you say? That's ok, just tag a friend and have them mention your name in their comment at CWO. But, they have to tag someone as well to be entered into the drawing. The winner will be drawn the morning of March 15.

Doodlebug Designs Giveaway

Doodlebug Designs not only did a complete customized design for Scamp's Place but also designed the header and button for Teen Lit Review. To celebrate the grand opening, Doodlebug Designs is hosting a great giveaway.

1st Place Prize ~ FREE completely customized blog design for a blogger blog!

2nd Place Prize ~ FREE completely customized header for a blogger blog!

3rd Place Prize ~ 10% off any service!

Go to Doodlebug Designs and:
1. Leave your link on the Mr. Linky.
2. Leave a comment.
3. Include the button and information about the give away with a link back to Doodlebug Designs on your blog.

The winner will be announced on Friday February 22nd!

The Proverbs 31 She Speaks Conference

Proverbs 31 Ministries is hosting a contest for a chance to win a scholarship to She Speaks Conference 2008. The conference is specifically designed to help improve the skills of speakers, writers and women’s ministry leaders alike.

"The winner of this contest will be awarded a scholarship for the cost of one person’s registration for the 2008 She Speaks conference. The value of this scholarship is $525 which includes your conference registration, 2 nights at the conference hotel and meals associated with the conference."

You choose which part of the conference you'd like to attend. I would love to be apart of the writing portion. I feel God has given me a gift with writing and wants me to serve in this area. It's how I express myself best. I would love to be given the opportunity to hone in on my skills through the conference. I've always had a dream to write a book and over the last year or so my passion for writing has increased. One door for me to serve in this area has already been opened with the start of the Teen Lit Review blog, a ministry a couple of other blogging friends and I created just recently.

The last day to enter the contest is TODAY! Go to Proverbs 31 Ministries to read about the details and enter the contest.

'65 Mustang Giveaway

5 Minutes for Mom is giving away a mustang...for your preschooler. It's a pedal car that looks exactly like the '65 Mustang. They sell the cars at their Pedal Cars and Retro Collectibles online store. Click here to go over and sign up.

Young Adult Challenge 2008

Joy at Thoughts of Joy is hosting a Young Adult Challenge where you pick 12 Young Adult books to read in 2008. What an appropriate challenge for the gals at Teen Lit Review! Check out our combined list here. And here's my own list, which will probably change:

I'm Not Joey Pigza - Jack Gantos
Dizzy - Cathy Cassidy
Hollywood Nobody - Lisa Samson
Finding Hollywood Nobody - Lisa Samson (out Feb. 15)
Songbird - Lisa Samson
The Name of This Book is Secret - Pseudonymous Bosch
Over Sea, Under Stone - Susan Cooper
Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
Eclispe - Stephenie Meyer
Brides of Eden: A True Story Imagined - Linda Crew
Becoming Me (Diary of a Teenage Girl Book 1)- Melody Carlson

Alternates:
ttyl (Internet Girls series Book 1)
ttfn (Internet Girls series Book 2)
l8r, g8r (Internet Girls series Book 3)
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
All by Lauren Myracle

All the books will be reviewed at Teen Lit Review.

Free Movies and Popcorn

5 Minutes for Mom is giving away a free one year subscription to Netflix and are topping it off with a year's worth of free Orville Popcorn. Mmm! Click here to sign up.

Vote for the Best Costumes

**Scamp's Place hasn't been added to the Best Adult Costume yet. The poll is open until Nov. 5, so I'll let you know what to do about voting. But, I think you can leave a comment at An Island Life to vote if you'd like to go ahead***

It's time to vote for the 2007 Halloween Contest participants at an Island Life. Scroll down or click here to view my two entires.

The poll is open. Click here to vote for Scamp's Place for the Best Child Costume AND Best Adult Costume.

THANK YOU!!!!

And the Winner Is. . .

It's been a great year, and to say thank you to all my readers, I held a drawing for a free $10 Starbucks gift card. And the winner is:

Zana

Congratulations! I'll be contacting you shortly! I hope you enjoy your coffee!

And don't forget, you can vote for both my costume photos in two days at An Island Life. The voting poll won't be open until then, and all my buddies will be receiving a reminder email! Scroll down to see the photos! And here's a sweet video for you to enjoy of Scamp cleaning out her first pumpkin. Have a safe evening!

2007 Halloween Costume Contest: Vote for Me

VOTE FOR ME . . . PLEASE! And scroll down to enter my Blogging Aniversary Giveaway -- a $10 Starbucks giftcard.

Kailani at An Island Life is hosting a Halloween costume contest!

Here’s how it works:

• From now until November 1st, post your photo entry (current or past) on your blog then sign the Mr. Linky with the actual url of your post.
  



• On November 2nd, all entries will be listed by category and a voting poll will be opened.
  Once the polls are opened, you may vote just once for each category. Don’t forget to ask your friends to vote for you, too!
  



• The winner in each category will receive $20 cash from PayPal or a $20 gift certificate to Amazon.com (your choice) plus a 2008 Hawaiian Pictorial Wall Calendar.
  
  The categories are:
  Best Child Costume
  Best Adult Costume
  Best Pet Costume

Here are my entries (Best Child Costume first then the Best Adult Costume second):

You can vote for both pictures! I'll probably be reminding you:) And go see the other Masquerade Ball Pictures if you haven't already!

Fall Into Reading 2007

The challenge is on! Callapidder Days is hosting "Fall Into Reading 2007" as a way to set some goals for ourselves and read, read, read. The challenge is from Septemeber 23 to December 21. To participate, make your own reading list, and sign the Mr. Linky here by September 26. Then, you'll be entered in a drawing for a great prize.

I don't need much of a challenge to read fiction because I pretty much start a new fiction book every week or so. Non-fiction is a different story. I'm halfway through 3 non-fiction books and am dragging on finishing them, so this challenge will be great for me to set goals to finish them. Of course my list includes both fiction and non-fiction, and here it it:

Fiction:
Dark Star: Confessions of a Rock Idol by Creston Mapes

The Truth Teller by Angela Hunt

Even Now by Karen Kingsbury

In Search of Eden by Linda Nichols

The Measure of a Lady by Deeanne Gist

Non-fiction:
Get Out of That Pit by Beth Moore

Bad Girls of the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs

Confessions of an Irritable Mother by Karen Hossink

Fall Into Reading 2007

The Fall Into Reading 2007 challenge hosted by Callapidder Days is about to begin. So, start working on your lists, post them on September 23 and sign the Mr. Linky here Sept 23 - 26, and read, read, read. And of course there's a prize!

Riddle Rhyme Giveaway

Poems can be used for any occasion, and I've been on a ryhme quest the last week or so. Therefore, I have written a rhyming riddle for you to solve. I hope it's easy enough, but if not I'll try to give more hints. You will probably need a calendar and an Internet search engine to figure it out.

I will be giving away a prize to the person who guesses it. If there's more than one solver, I'll draw a name out of a hat. The prize will probably be a book, but I may gear the prize toward the person who wins. This is not a requirement, but if you would please write a small post and link back to the article, I would be thrilled. Here we go:

Two girls, they are not sisters
But are related just the same.
There’s a generation between them,
And they share a similar name.

Two special events will happen
In which both girls will be blessed.
They’ll celebrate God’s gift of life,
One on the day of rest.

Tis not the Ides of March
Nor April, May, or June.
When this special occasion
Will happen upon us soon.

But add one to the day of Caesar
And half the date is revealed.
Still need another hint?
When did you first get behind the wheel?

The season of the equinox
When Autumn approaches soon,
This is the month; you're almost there.
But, don’t forget there’s two.

The original gal came first you see.
Then was joined by the latter.
One day past Mexican Independence,
And we had a whole new matter.

What two girls am I speaking of?
What events?
And what are the dates of the events?

If you can't figure it out, I'll give you a hint! And EMAIL me your answer at nutritionshawna@yahoo.com.

Huge Contest!!

I found Camy's blog through another blogger. She writes Christian chick lit with Asian American characters and her newest book is Sushi for One?

"She is giving away THREE huge baskets of books AND an 8 GB iPod Nano!

1st place winner will receive a copy of her novel, Sushi for One?, a basket of books by other Christian authors, and an 8 GB iPod Nano. (The winner can also elect to receive a 4 GB colored Nano instead of the 8 GB Nano, which is only available in black or red.)

2nd place winner will receive a copy of her novel, Sushi for One?, a basket of books by other Christian authors, and a 1 GB iPod Shuffle.

3rd place winner will receive a copy of her novel, Sushi for One?, a basket of books by other Christian authors, and a 1 GB iPod Shuffle (silver).

20 Honorable Mentions will each receive a copy of her novel, Sushi for One? and a $10 Amazon gift certificate.

You read that right! 23 winners in all!"

****Please go to her site and read the contest rules. And if you sign up, please name me (it has to say nutritionshawna) for your referral.****