Are you excited about our Back-2-School Bash? Ginger launched of our Back-2-School Bash on Friday, and the month long giveaway will end on September 9. For more information on our giveaway rules and entrant eligibility, please check out our Giveaways Page.
Ironically, while many of you in the northern hemisphere are thinking about your summer vacation ending and going back to school/college/work next month, I’ll have my son graduating from college. Where I live, college is the equivalent of Year 11 and 12 in other parts of Australia, and junior and senior high school years in the US.
And… I do have a snow report update! After saying I’d given up on seeing snow this winter in Canberra, it snowed on Friday night!
I was out working late, and Inspy Romance reader Jenny (Ausjenny) messaged me to say she’d heard it was snowing at the football in Canberra. It wasn’t snowing when I walked back to my car, nor when I drove through the nearby Maccas (McDonalds) Drive Thru to buy a hot chocolate and hot apple pie. Have I mentioned it was really cold, and therefore a late night snack was essential for keeping warm, lol.
But it did start snowing as I drove home. Snow is a big novelty in Canberra and, of course, I stood outside my garage in the snow shower. The obligatory selfie wasn’t taken and posted on social media because it was too dark to take a good photo. Instead, I’ve posted below a short video clip from the AFL football game Jenny had mentioned.
International Print Book Bundle
Our Back-2-School Bash includes a print book bundle giveaway for our International Readers. Please visit our Giveaways Page and don’t forget to Register to enter the international print book bundle giveaway.
Please note: Only international entrants (who live outside of the USA) need to Register for the giveaways.
Winners this Week
If you’re a winner, you should have received an email from the author in charge of the giveaway. If not, please email us at: prizes at inspyromance dot com.
Marion Ueckermann’s winner was Natalya Lakhno!
Janet Ferguson and Heidi McCahan’s winner was Paula Marie!
Congratulations!
Don’t forget… every comment you make qualifies you to win one of the monthly Amazon card giveaways!
Specials this Week
Imperfectly Proverbs 31 by Autumn Macarthur is 99c through to August 13!
Secrets of Sunbeams by Valerie Comer is 99c through to August 13!
Match Made in Heaven by Julie Arduini is FREE through to August 11!
Reader Gathering
Did you know Inspy Romance hosts a Christian Romance Reader Gathering group on Facebook? Join us… but don’t forget to answer the questions for admittance!
Have you seen our Back List Book Club in Christian Romance Reader Gathering? During August we’re featuring books from Laurie Larsen and Janet W. Ferguson.
Last Week on Inspy Romance
On Monday, Heather Gray talked about When Life is Normal (+ #Giveaway)
On Tuesday, Melanie Snitker talked about Treasuring The Bright Spots in Life (+ Giveaway)
On Wednesday, Julie Arduini discussed Inspy Romance Across the USA (+ #giveaway)
On Thursday, Jolene Navarro shared her experiences Romancing New York (+ Giveaway)
On Friday, Ginger Solomon launched our Back-2-School Bash
On Saturday, Lindi Peterson discussed Small Town Anchors (#giveaway)
Next Week on Inspy Romance
Monday: Merrillee Whren
Tuesday: Laurie Larsen
Wednesday: Jan Thompson
Thursday: Shannon Taylor Vannatter
Friday: Jaycee Weaver
Saturday: Hallee Bridgeman
New Releases
August 2019
Her Forgotten Cowboy (Cowboy Country) by Deb Kastner
Call You Home (Savannah Sweethearts 10) by Jan Thompson
Moments: Savannah Sweethearts Books 9-10 & Bonus Novel (Savannah Sweethearts Boxed Set 4) by Jan Thompson
Choose Me (Chapel Cove Romances 4) by Marion Ueckermann
September 2019
Dancing at Daybreak (Urban Farm Fresh Romance 7) by Valerie Comer
A Heart Rearranged (Peacock Hill Romance 5) by Elizabeth Maddrey
An Extra Spark (The Spark Brothers 5) by Liwen Y. Ho
Wait for Me (Vacation Sweethearts 3) by Jan Thompson
A complete list of Inspy Romance books by our authors is always available on our BOOKS tab. Find our audiobooks, our permanently free e-books, and our thank-you gifts for newsletter subscribers there as well!
A fun loving Aussie girl at heart, Narelle Atkins was born and raised on the beautiful northern beaches in Sydney, Australia. She has settled in Canberra with her husband and children. A lifelong romance reader, she found the perfect genre to write when she discovered inspirational romance. Narelle's contemporary stories of faith and romance are set in Australia and international locations.
Hi Narelle! Congrats on your son’s upcoming graduation and that you were able to experience snow. Enjoy learning about “Down Under.” In Michigan we are experiencing cooler morning temps, but after a very soggy spring we need rain. Fall seems in the air. Grandkids have 3 more weeks of summer vacation before school starts Tuesday after Labor Day. Best wishes. Enjoy your Sunday.
Hi Renate, Thanks for your congrats. I hope you’ll receive some rain soon. Enjoy the rest of your summer vacation with your grandkids. Best wishes. :)
Our kids go back to school in a week. Love to buy back to school things. It is hot here so snow sounds good, especially since it would all melt unlike during the winter!
Hi Lori, We have an office supplies store in Australia called Officeworks that’s our favorite place to shop for back to school. Next year I’ll only have one teen going back to school, and she’ll graduate in late 2021. I wish I could send some snow your way, lol. :)
Wow! Wish I could have snow!! I’d have to move, though! It does seem strange that y’all are in winter now, with it so hot here. However, since I have a niece living in New Zealand with her Kiwi hubby and two Kiwi children, it’s not quite as strange as it was!! It’s hard to keep the times straight, though!!! Congratulations to your son!!
Hi Trudy, Sometimes I think I’ll have to move to ever see snow fall at home, lol. It was a fun and fleeting visit! I agree, the time differences can be confusing, especially as our daylight saving time zone changes don’t move in synch with the US. I hope you’ll have a chance to visit NZ! Thanks for your congrats. :)
Congrats on his graduation. My daughter starts her junior year Sept. 3. You can keep the snow down there though. I see way way too much of that nasty four letter s word in winter up here in Minnesnowta
Hi Cassandra, yes, it’s a novelty for us because the snow never overstays it’s welcome here, lol. I like our cool winter temps, but I think Minnesota would be way too icy cold for me. Thanks for the congrats and enjoy the rest of your summer vacation. :)
Fun to see your snow clip! Here in SE British Columbia, we’ve had a couple of weeks of hot weather (high 30s C, high 90s F), just when we took our grandgirls camping at the river, so that was perfect! And now it is a bit cooler and rainy again. Yay! I am not a heat-lover.
I’m so excited by the International giveaway! Readers, if you live outside the USA, as I do, PLEASE make sure you’re registered for the International prize!
If you’ve registered in previous giveaways, we still have your name/email there. If you do NOT live outside the USA, please do NOT fill in the form. :)
Hi Valerie, I’m glad you had warm weather for your camping trip. It’s so not fun camping in cold, wet weather. :)
I live in British Columbia, Canada, where we have been breaking heat records. Snow is around the corner for us though, as it is usually snowing here by November. I love the look of freshly fallen snow, but don’t enjoy shovelling it. We get enough snow that we have a snowblower to clean the driveway in the winter.
Hi Tammy, Wow, one thing I’ve never had to do is shovel snow. Sometimes the snow will stay on the ground overnight, but it will usually melt by lunchtime. Enjoy the hot weather while it lasts! :)
Congratulations and blessings as your son’s new journey begins!
Here, in California, hearing about snow when it’s 100 degrees outside sounds surreal ?
Have a blessed Sunday!
Hi Natalya, Thanks for your congrats. 100F is sounding pretty good to me right now, lol. That’s not unusual for us to reach in summer, usually with low humidity. Blessings. :)
My kids start back this week. Summer break always goes by quickly!
Hi Susanne, Our summer school holidays (6 weeks, including Christmas) always fly be too fast as well. :)
No kids to go back to school but my two grandsons are going back to homeschool and two of my daughter’s girls are going to a Christian School and being homeschooled, starting next week.
I’m retired, so just read my heart out!
Need to go to a follow up appointment from hubby’s eye surgery on Weds. then maybe get back to making and serving our once a month meal for the visually impaired on Thursday. Temps will be close to 100 tomorrow, hope they are a little cooler by Weds and Thursday.
Hi Paula, I hope your hubby’s eye surgery has gone well and he gets a good report. As I write this (early Monday evening), my father should be having an angiogram and stents put in. He has been in hospital for five days after having a heart attack last week. Praying all goes well, and I’m very thankful for modern surgical technology . :)
Congrats for your son. Woohoo, snow. I am sure you had a blast. When our kiddos were young we would go out into the rain and or snow and dance and have a great time. Thank you for sharing the video.
Hi Lori, yes, the snowfall was fun. I was talking to my sister on the phone at the time – she lives in sunny Queensland and never sees snow at her home, lol. I’m glad you enjoyed the video. :)
My grandkids have started school so I have started daycare and preschool for my 3 year old granddaughter. Her mom is a teacher. It is hot so snow sounds good. I love a good snow storm but we don’t get much in southern Kentucky.
Hi Diana, Enjoy your daycare and preschool with your granddaughter. :) I’ve never experienced a real snow storm, which is probably a good thing. The thought of driving in those conditions is very scary.
Hi Narelle, what a fun game that turned into!! We woke up Sunday morning to a white neighborhood. There was a thin layer of snow on the ground covering everything- it was lots of fun to see everyone enjoying snow in their own yards! Saturday we were out XC skiing in amazing powder, so it’s been a great snow weekend.
Congrats to your son on his upcoming grad, I imagine he is eager to be done with final exams and on to the next phase of his journey.
Blessings :)
Hi Wemble, Wow, I’m glad you had the chance to experience a snowy morning and a great weekend of XC skiing! Thanks for your congrats. My son doesn’t particularly like change, so we’ll have a few hurdles to overcome as he transitions into his next stage in life. :)
I have to say I am jealous of my fellow Aussies who have had some snow. Its been so cold the past few days but as we are in a bit of a valley (not that you see mountains or anything) It almost never snows. A Church members Father saw it last century before WW2. Also pilots see it when flying but by the time it gets even close to the ground its rain. They say we have one or two days left of this polar blast. Its not so much the temp around 12 C today its the wind chill. Its been so cold and strong.
Hi Jenny, It’s fun to occasionally experience some snow. It was snowing above 600m, and we can still see snow today on the Brindabella Ranges. On Saturday we watched it snow on the mountains in the distance. The wind chill, otoh, hasn’t been fun. Stay warm. :)
Congratulations! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Lucy :)
Congrats to all the winners!
Thanks, Melinda :)
Congratulations to your son My Grandchildren started back to school today it seems like the summer flew by!
Hi Sarah, Thank you! Enjoy the rest of your summer. :)
How fun! The first snow of the season always seems so special and I would imagine it’s even more so if it’s likely the only one you’ll get.
Hi Jessica, yes, any snow we see is special, lol. :)
I love the clip of the football players smiling at the snow. It just goes to show you that we are all kids at heart!
Hi Suzannah, yes! The excitement of rarely seen snow is exciting, lol. 😊
YAAAAAAAAAAAY for snow, Narelle!!! Ok I don’t cheer for snow here in Northern Utah but I am happy you are happy for snow! :D lol
And YAAAAAAAAAAY for the Back-to -School Bash!!! Fun stuff afoot! :)
Hi Sabrina, ROFLOL! I’m sure if I lived in Northern Utah with abundance of snow, I’d feel less enthusiastic, lol. 😊