Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Spotlight (+ Tour GIVEAWAY): The Valentine Verse



About the Book

Author: JoAnn Durgin  
Genre: Contemporary Romance  
Release Date: May 5, 2017

Valentine’s Day isn’t just for February 14th anymore! Love should be celebrated every day of the year. That’s Thornton Fielding’s philosophy. In spite of a few false starts in the arena of love, he holds out hope he’ll eventually find the woman of his dreams. The problem? He loves his job, and there’s no end in sight to his travels. But when Thornton returns to his tiny hometown of Cherish, Minnesota, he meets a beautiful and intriguing woman he believes might be God’s answer to ending his bachelor status—permanently.  
Vara Alexandris is soured on love and scoffs at the notion of soul mates. But soon after meeting the handsome and unconventional Thornton, the speech and language pathologist suspects he might be the perfect ally to help jump-start her stroke patient’s recovery—if only Vara can keep Thornton grounded in Cherish long enough. This man who spouts romanticized and idealistic ideas about love seems all too eager to resume his world travels. Could it be Thornton actually prefers globetrotting in order to avoid a romantic relationship? 

Is it time for Vara to call the dreamer’s bluff? And can Thornton convince Vara to put past heartache behind her and trust in God’s plan for her heart? 

Join Thornton and Vara in USA Today bestselling author JoAnn Durgin’s latest release full of her trademark humor, romance, and lively, small-town characters in a story of God’s fierce passion and loving guidance for His children—if only they pay attention! The Valentine Verse is sure to warm your soul during any season of the year.

Click here to get your copy.
 

About the Author

JoAnn Durgin is the USA Today bestselling author of the beloved Lewis Legacy Series as well as Prelude, the prequel to the series. Her other works include the Amazon bestselling Catching Serenity, Heart’s Design and its sequel, Gentle Like the Rain, The Wondrous Love Series, Echoes of Edinburgh, Perchance to Dream, Whisper to My Heart, Thee Will I Cherish, The Christmas Challenge, and the popular Starlight Christmas Series. 

A former estate administration paralegal, JoAnn now writes contemporary Christian romance full-time and lives with her family in her native southern Indiana. Writing Christian fiction is her passion, and she loves nothing more than sharing the hope to be found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.


Guest Post from JoAnn Durgin

A Little More about The Valentine Verse from Author JoAnn Durgin 

I adore writing and reading contemporary Christian romance, but I’ve noticed very few novels in the genre have an actual Valentine’s Day theme and/or title. Perhaps authors believe it would limit the “shelf life” of their book. The way I see it, if Christmas novels (and Hallmark Christmas movies) can be popular year-round, why not Valentine’s Day books? 

I’ve always been somewhat of a rebel in my writing career. Don’t tell me I can’t do something or I might just try it (within reason)! After a Christmas release last year followed closely by the eighth installment (500 pages!) of my longest-running series, I knew I couldn’t possibly release a Valentine’s Day book. That’s when one of the primary themes of The Valentine Verse “hit” me—Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be reserved only for February 14th. Expressing our love to one another should be celebrated throughout the year! This concept became the philosophy of the hero, Thornton Fielding, and the book released in early May. Let me tell you a little more about the idea for Thornton… 

I dedicated The Valentine Verse to my uncle, Mr. Thornton, and named my hero after him. My uncle was instrumental in my being able to quit my full-time paralegal job in mid-August 2014. Without going into specific details, there were three things that took place (“signs,” if you will) beginning earlier that same year, which seemed to clearly indicate I should try to make writing my full-time career. My debut novel released in late 2010, and the story of my road to publication can be found on my website at www.joanndurgin.com. By early 2014, my books were beginning to find faithful readers, and I was blessed with decent sales. The third and final “sign” and blessing came from Mr. Thornton. Truly, it was as if God were saying, “JoAnn, what more will it take for you to step out in faith?” I promised the Lord and myself that I’d take a year and see how it went…and I haven’t looked back since! I took the leap of faith, but I’m also doing what I feel the Lord has called me to do. Almost three years to the day of quitting my day job, I released my 24th novel. God is so good, and it is my great honor and privilege to write for His glory. 

Thank you to Celebrate Lit for the gracious opportunity for this blog tour. The Valentine Verse features fun characters (how can you miss with a small Minnesota town named Cherish?), heartwarming lessons, *sightings* of two of my most popular heroes from another series, and even a surprising twist at the end! I hope you’ll enjoy The Valentine Verse

Blessings, friends. 
JoAnn 
Matthew 5:16


Blog Stops

Mommynificent, January 10

Power of Words, January 10 (Spotlight)
Karen Sue Hadley, January 11
Reading is my Super Power, January 11 (Interview)
Quiet Quilter, January 12
Remembrancy, January 13
Bibliophile Reviews, January 15
Texas Book-aholic, January 16
Janices book reviews, January 18
Jeanette’s Thoughts, January 19
Carpe Diem, January 20
Simple Harvest Reads, January 21 (Guest post from Mindy Houng)
God is Love, January 22
A Greater Yes, January 23
margaret kazmierczak, January 23 (Interview)
Pursuing Stacie, January 24
Bigreadersite, January 24


Giveaway:



To celebrate her tour, JoAnn is giving away a grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Click the image above or the link below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! 



14 comments:

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    1. Kim, I entered the link again and it seems to be working now. Thanks for letting me know.

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  2. 24 novels is amazing! And I love Mr Thornton's name. :) Want to read this book.

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    1. Thanks, Arletta! I saw my Mr. Thornton a few months back and we shared a lovely conversation. He patted my arm and said, "I'm happy to see you're happy {writing the books}." He is a dear man, and I like to believe Thornton is a distinctive first name for a hero (although I've since seen it in a few Christian historical novels). I appreciate your leaving a comment. Blessings!

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  3. Thank you for featuring The Valentine Verse on your blog today! I sincerely appreciate it. :) Blessings.

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  4. I love your books and this new one looks just as good! Thanks again for the chance at another giveaway!

    faithdcreech at gmail dot com

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    1. Hi Faith, and thanks so much for your kind comments! I'm glad you can appreciate my characters and their stories. If you've read any of my Lewis Legacy Series books, you might find a couple of nice surprises near the end of The Valentine Verse. :) Blessings!

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  5. God is always so so faithful. Congratulations and continued success! And thanks for the opportunity to win

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    1. Amen, Shamekka! God is indeed faithful, and I don't know how people go through life withOUT Him. So thankful I was led to Christ at a fairly early age and have Him to walk beside me. I appreciate your comment so much. :) Blessings to you!

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  6. This is a new author for me but this book sounds awesome. Have added it to my TBR list and can't wait to read it.

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    1. Hi Becky, and thanks so much for reading the blog and commenting! I hope you'll enjoy Vara and Thornton's story in The Valentine Verse. :) Blessings!

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  7. This sounds like a book that would be fun to read, and I look forward to reading it!

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    1. Hi Rose-Marie, and thanks for the comment! I hope you'll enjoy reading The Valentine Verse! :) Blessings.

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