I was standing in one of those Christmas shoppers line where everyone was impatiently waiting to the point of complaint. I found myself instead with profound gratitude thinking, “I can stand without a cane and without pain! You see it’s been a long year with three surgeries on my knee. I was finally approved for surgery in April, but since my leg didn’t heal properly they scheduled me again in May to cleanup more residue from the baker’s cyst. They were evil after the second surgery putting me in a soft, yet full leg cast. I had to endure crutches but thank goodness was allowed to put weight on it a week later. Stitches and cast were finally removed, and I was able to return to teaching with a cane. All was fine until my knee swelled up again. It was water on the knee and extremely painful. After draining it they decided to do one more surgery in August this time on the front of my knee where they removed pseudogout crystals. I’m walking normally now without pain, and my knees ar...

"My Thoughts:  This is an outstanding novel.   It's something that a lot of Christian students go through when they leave home for college.  A world full of choices and pressures from the secular world.  This novel touches on some difficult subjects which I believe the author handled really well.   This is a story about a young Christian woman who gets caught up in finding love and getting the recognition she's never had before.  Carrie is determined to hold to her convictions, even though she finds she is being pressured by her new friends on the crew team.   This was a really good novel.  With a few twists in the plot, it really holds the readers' attention until the end of the story.  It was easy to identify with the characters and it was interesting to learn about the rowing competitions.     Without giving too much of the story away, I was pleased with the end choices that Carrie made.   The author...

"This book deals with a lot that went on in the 70's, with Carrie getting caught up in the morals of that time period and having to deal with the consequences. This book does have some language in it, as well as intimacy outside of marriage. It also deals with abortion and the arguments on both sides. While the book deals with sensitive topics, I thought-over all-it did a good job of writing about that time in history. It's an easy read that I was able to get through quickly, since I was curious to see where the story lead. I liked the element of rowing that it had. It's a thought provoking book that built up for a sequel, so I look forward to reading the rest of Carrie's story to see where her choices take her!" Read more at:  http://amandanicolle.blogspot.com/2019/12/lone-falcon.html?m=1

"Lone Falcon really speaks to the college-age kid who finds their faith challenged like never before. We start college many times as teenagers still and for most of us, it's our first time out from our parent's roof. We have to figure out things, and sometimes that includes questioning, including faith that seems so irrelevant when surrounded with so many peers. Carrie is no exception. This book really shows the slow fade that sin brings us to starting with just skipping church which seems innocent enough until you just don't go anymore, and then start making decisions based around peer pressure, etc. The book wasn't overly judgmental especially for the time frame it is set in. I found the backdrop with the rowing team and all the ins and outs to be an interesting dive into something I have no knowledge of. The book was a little slow for me, and it took me a while to get interested. I'm not sure how applicable this would be to YA readers because it's not...

What about writing do you love? I regard writing as a ministry. I love when people say my writing really made them think, since I strive to have my readers learn something or see another point of view. I love creating stories and characters with situations the reader can wrestle along with – where they can decide what solution they would choose, yet also understand the character’s decision. In this way I aim to bring a greater openness and acceptance to my readers. When I started writing  Lone Falcon  in college, I wanted to write a book about standing up for your own convictions, and not conform to what your friends and society tell you to do. In  Lone Choices,  I loved exploring all the choices women make, the consequences they may face, but the redemption the Lord can bring. Presently, I feel called to write about the plight of women in Africa. So my third book in the  Lone  series will bring light to the global suffering of women. REPORT TH...