My Latest Celebrate Lit Blog Tour
I am so grateful to my dear, sweet friend Sandra Barela, who runs Celebrate Lit Publishing & Publicity, for doing a series of blog tours for my Fiction Lover’s Devotional series. Last month, she sent preview copies of the fourth book, 21 Days of Joy: Stories that Celebrate Mom, to her reviewers. Sandy’s blog tours reap amazing results!
21 Days of Joy reached 232,451 people through bloggers views, 9,456 tweets, and 213 Facebook shares.
21 Days of Love, book 3 in the series, reached 248, 421 people through bloggers views, 16, 789 tweets, and 302Facebook shares.
21 Days of Christmas, book 2, reached 308, 698 through bloggers views, 12 tweets, and 645, 342Facebook shares.
21 Days of Grace, the book that launched this series, reached 390, 126 through bloggers views, 4,876 tweets, and 323 Facebook shares.
WOW! If you’ve got a book you’d like to get the word out about, check out Celebrate Lit Publishing & Publicity. Their blog tours are extremely reasonably priced. (I keep telling Sandy she really needs raise her prices—so contact her soon, before she takes my advice!)
After each tour, Sandy sends me a file with the reviews that got posted. I love reading them! It confirms that people like the books. More important, it shows how God is using the stories in them to touch people’s lives.
Her are some excerpts from the wonderful things the Celebrate Lit reviewers said about 21 Days of Joy: Stories that Celebrate Mom:
This is the fourth book I’ve read in this series. I have enjoyed reading the stories and getting to know some new authors (although there are many that were familiar as well). The short length of the stories make them perfect for reading with your devotions or when you have a short amount of time to read.
The title made me want to really read this book. Who wouldn’t want joy in their life? The first chapter was so good I reread it. How many of us wish we looked different, had a better house or just envied other women because they looked happy? We forget to be content with what we have and find joy in what God has given us. God helps us find joy in ways we don’t expect. Each story in the book is a wonderful reminder of what a joy it is to be a mom. It may not always be fun but it is always rewarding.
Some of these stories made the tears want to start but they also show what motherhood is like. I recommend this book to all mothers, well to all women. I think my favorite story in the book is “You Can Take This Job, and Love It” because it explains all the disadvantages of being a mother and then shows the joys. Although, after typing that I am thinking Wait, I really like all of them, so I will say they are all my favorites.
I appreciated each story I read in 21 Days of Joy. Each story’s life applications were different, leaving a profound impact. The stories are perfect for whenever you have your devotions. The book is the ideal size to fit into your purse and carry with you to read on occasions like doctor’s appointments or kids’ after-school activities, when you have an extended wait time.
I have appreciated the other three books I’ve read in this series created by Kathy Ide so I was glad to read this one also. Each short fiction selection is accompanied by a spiritual devotion to help readers apply principles to their own lives. The book also has a touching foreword and closing. Motherhood is the common theme for all the entries in this compilation, so it would make a great gift for Mother’s Day. But you don’t have to be a mom to enjoy the stories. I read it straight through rather than taking one a day—it doesn’t take long for each story. The variety of tales, each by a different author, adds to the delight. I think anyone could find a story within these pages to relate to.
A delightful collection of stories to celebrate Mom. This is great gift to give your mom for Mother’s Day. I would love this book with an inscription by my children and/or husband. Something you can read over and over again.
I read 21 Days of Love previously and enjoyed the short fictional stories with life applications at the end of each story. Likewise, 21 Days of Joy features multiple authors (some known to me and some who are new to me) who deliver short fictional stories centered on mother’s love, accompanied by life applications related to each story.
21 Days of Joy is an especially thoughtful and lovely compilation of short stories and devotionals celebrating mothers and motherhood. Included are diverse and touching, poignant, creative, and memorable selections by very talented authors, which are well integrated by editor Kathy Ide. This volume would make an excellent gift selection for any time of the year and a real keepsake during May when we celebrate those special women we call Mom.
In this book I found stories that aligned with mine and those that opened my heart to perspectives that were unknown to me. There are so many ways to be a mom. They may not always be the common way but through the past 21 days I learned that when given the opportunity to parent and love children, women can do it all. I hope that the stories in this collection will touch your heart in the way it touched mine.
This is a book that every mom should read, and not just biological moms. Grandmothers, adoptive moms, aunts, and even women who oversee children in the church. These stories will uplift you, bring a smile to your face, comfort you, and remind you of the important impact you are making in the lives of the children around you. I always enjoy reading the stories that Kathy Ide has brought together. It’s almost like reading a Chicken Soup for the Soul book, only a little bit more personal and reflective. Won’t you share this book with a mother in your life that you know could benefit from it? I know I will.
21 Days of Joy is an open door to stories of “moms” in all their forms. “Pieces and Quiet” by Barbara Curtis I think is my favorite short story as it reminded me of the days when my children were young. However, Martha Bolton’s “You Can Take this Job and Love it!” is also a lovely piece of writing and could be used to help youngsters understand the nature of motherhood. There are so many great words in this collection to ponder on, and at the end of each story, Kathy Ide gives you some thoughts to chew on. 21 Days of Joy is a good book to give any mother figure. It is also worth reading if you are a daughter.
What a great gift this book would make for a woman in your life, especially a woman who likes fiction and maybe hasn’t even thought of taking time to do a daily devotion. I believe that this book would get her hooked on both. The short stories can be read in about 15 minutes, but the life application lesson at the end of each chapter will need to be thought over for longer. The chapters deal with different life challenges including forgiveness, gentleness, self-worth and acceptance. The characters in each story become our friends, and as we root for them to find joy and happiness, we begin to seek it for ourselves.
I’ve never been a huge fan of short stories, because, well, they are too short! I want more!! I read 21 Days of Joy over the course of about 4 nights, while pumping for my newborn. Turns out, short stories are pretty much perfect for the amount of brain cells I had in those first sleep-deprived weeks. 😉 I was able to absorb the story and the meaning/application and distract myself at the same time. Several of the stories are still bouncing around in my heart weeks later. All of the stories resonated with me at some level, which is awesome, and I would encourage you to give it a try if you love someone as a mom or are mothering someone in any fashion.
I love the power of the written word to touch hearts and sometimes even change lives!