Today is the first Sunday of Advent – the Sunday of Hope.
Celebrate with praises the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has shown us his extravagant mercy. For his fountain of mercy has given us a new life — we are reborn to experience a living, energetic hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:5, The Passion Translation)
Hi everyone! I’m pretty excited to bring December to you. Not only do I have the privilege of sharing Advent for the next few weeks, I’ll introduce you to some Christmassy photos of Inspy Romance authors’ pets. Today I’m delighted to have you meet my cat, Moxie. She was one or two years old when I snapped this photo, and she and her sister are ten now. They scrap like sisters, too, LOL. She craves attention so much she’ll let toddlers carry her around. Her sister… vanishes for days on end when the grandgirls are visiting.
Winners this Week
Don’t forget… every comment you make qualifies you to win one of the monthly Amazon card giveaways!
Specials this Week
A Splash of Substance by Elizabeth Maddrey will be free through Dec 2.
Secrets of Sunbeams by Valerie Comer is free through Dec 2.
A Sidelined Christmas by Toni Shiloh is free through Dec 2.
A Time to Laugh by Marion Ueckermann is free through Dec 2.
Love, Laughter, and Luminarias by Jaycee Weaver is free through Dec 3.
Orphaned Hearts by Marion Ueckermann is free though Dec 3.
What Makes a Home by Jaycee Weaver is 99¢ through Dec 3.
Butterflies on Breezes by Valerie Comer is 99¢ through Dec 4.
Love, Lies, and Homemade Pie by Sally Bayless is 99¢ through Dec 4.
Pathway to Peace by Elizabeth Maddrey is 99¢ through Dec 5.
Once Upon a Christmas by Jaycee Weaver, Angela Ruth Strong, Toni Shiloh, and others is 99¢ through Dec 5.
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!
Last Week on Inspy Romance
On Monday, Valerie Comer offered a tea and chat with Nancy Morrison.
On Tuesday, Angela Ruth Strong shared a plot twist of her own.
On Wednesday, Liwen Y Ho gave 10 reasons authors are thankful for their readers.
On Thursday, we were closed for Thanksgiving!
On Friday, Ginger Solomon presented a book review of The Cowboy’s Christmas Reunion by Valerie Comer.
On Saturday, Deb Kastner claimed it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Next Week on Inspy Romance
Monday: Sally Bayless (My Life as a Small-Town Girl…plus a Book Bonanza!)
Tuesday: Jolene Navarro
Wednesday: Laurie Larsen (Shaking it Up a Little!)
Thursday: Julie Arduini (Nancy Naigle: Christmas Angels & A Snickerdoodle Recipe)
Friday: Jan Thompson (Favorite Christmas Themes (Plus #Giveaway))
Saturday: Elizabeth Maddrey (In Defense of Negative Reviews)
This charming (and unpopular) kitty belonged to my son’s family for a time. My daughter caught the cat attacking the tree in this full action shot which I just love. Since it isn’t my Christmas tree…
New Releases
December 2019
Not Until Christmas Morning (Hope Springs 5) by Valerie M. Bodden
November 2019
A Heart Reconsidered (Peacock Hill 6) by Elizabeth Maddrey
The Cowboy’s Belated Discovery (Saddle Springs Romance 5) by Valerie Comer
A Place to Find Love (Front Porch Promises 6) by Merrillee Whren
Always (Imagination 7) by Staci Stallings
Southern Hearts 1-4 by Janet W. Ferguson
Restoring Christmas by Julie Arduini
A Proxy Wedding by Toni Shiloh
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!
Valerie Comer is a USA Today bestselling author and a two-time Word Award winner who writes where food meets faith and fiction. She injects experience laced with humor into her green clean romances. Her life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local foods movement as well as their church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily-ever-afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughters.
Hi Valerie, crazy how fast this year has gone, December already!! Love the photo of the cat attacking the tree:)
Our school year is beginning to wind up- 2 more weeks to go.
Blessings:)
Hi Valerie! Blessings this first Sunday of Advent. Difficult to fathom that it is already December. Our cats Smokey and his half sister Crabby Tabby Abbey loved sleeping under the Christmas Tree. I miss having a cat. Best wishes.
Hi, Val! Happy December!! I love those cat photos, I never had a cat, only dogs…but no pets right now 😥
That was one crazy kitty!
Now that’s a fun cat name! I might have to ask permission to borrow it for a story sometime!
Daily as I clean up dog/cat hair and… other things animals leave behind… I think I’d like to go petless when this crew passes on. But I’m not sure I could manage it.
Moxie is beautiful!! My sister has a Maine Coon, solid black, named Cinder. One of my nephews has two Maine Coon’s. The one attacking the tree is cute!! I love cats, just can’t have one during this season. I’d be afraid it’d trip Mom! When I need a “fix”, I can go next door, as my neighbor has two cats, or on the other side of me, my neighbor has two dogs. I’m covered!
I love this blog, and thank you for the freebies 💕.
I’m pretty thrilled to see everyone’s pets this month.
Aw, I’m glad your neighbors are into sharing their pets! Moxie is gorgeous. Her sister, Coonie, looks much the same but with no white. Hence, one of the grandgirls’ first complete sentences (in all four cases) was, “Moxie has white feet,” so they could tell them apart!
You’re welcome! I guess you can tell that many of us participated in a large sale taking place over this weekend!
We have two new cats this Christmas, and I suspect the youngest one, Gracie, may be attacking the tree just like in your photo… We aren’t putting our tree up for another couple of weeks because my one niece & family won’t come to celebrate with us until the first weekend in January. I don’t want a dead tree when they arrive :-)
I love seeing everyone’s pets! I lost my dog on the 1st of November, but the Lord gave us a new kitty, a muted calico cat with a white body, who we named Callie. She hasn’t touched the Christmas tree yet, so here’s hoping I don’t need any pictures of attacking kitties–which I have to say is hilarious! :D
A cat we had from 1994-2008 took the tree completely down his second Christmas. Thankfully most of my ornaments are on the rustic side and not fragile, but he did break a spun glass angel! We learned to tie our tree to a hook in the ceiling. Still do, every year, just in case…
Ooh, I’d love to see a photo of Callie!
Enjoyed your cat pictures. My kitty is named Trouble…no need to say more.
Ha, you’re right! That explains everything!
What a shot of the cat attacking the tree! This will be the first Christmas for my 8 month old kitten and I have had to change some of my decorations to accommodate him. I haven’t put up the tree yet but I’m planning to only put non-breakable ornaments on it because I think there is a good chance he will view it as a giant jungle gym.
May I recommend tying the tree to a hook in the ceiling or a nearby curtain rod or something? #experiencespeaking
I love the photo of Moxie she is beautiful. Love the photo of the cat attacking the tree but not what probably happened.
I put my tree up yesterday minus several breakable ornaments as I have 2 monsters. I mean cats! I need a new star for the top as the one I have is heavy and a few shakes of the tree nearly toppled everything. They have attacked it a few times (Libby more so) and she now runs when she sees the reds squirt bottle!
I will add more in a few days as I want them to get use to it as it is before adding much more.
Valerie, you can use her name. I would be honored. Abbey was a gray tabby, but extremely verbal. She lived to be 17 and always made her needs known – be it food, play or have her back scratched. So we started calling her crabby Abbey. Best wishes.
Thanks for the suggestions. ☺
The voice of experience LOL.
Good idea to decorate it in turn and use the squirt bottle!
My son’s tree stayed upright. He’d learned from his parents to tie the tree up!
My cats are very verbal, too, especially Coonie, who always sounds indignant. We should call HER Crabby Coonie. Instead, her nickname is Coonigan. No idea why LOL.
I love the cat pictures, especially the one attacking the tree! I can’t believe how fast this year has flown…we just celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas is coming. I don’t even know where 2019 went.
I’m considering buying a new artificial tree this year, we have nice high ceilings so I’m thinking a 6ft tree would do. I love those pre-lit ones with all the colorful lights, and we have NO pets to worry about, lol! I have years & years worth of special ornaments that I really love seeing hung up but have no room on our little 4ft one. Now to talk the hubby into it :-)
We have a small house and thus always need a skinny tree, so all my ornaments do not fit. I should probably see if either of my kids wants some of the ones that don’t seem to make the cut!