Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

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The Book You’ve Been Waiting For! (And a Giveaway!)

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This week I’m celebrating the release of Searching For You, the final installment of my orphan train series. As always, watching a book finally make its way into reader hands is pure delight, especially when readers have been eagerly waiting for the book!

Reviews are rolling in, and I’m happy to report readers are very satisfied with the conclusion of the series!

One reader said: “A perfect ending to a great series… It was so good! The pages were filled with loveable characters! I was hooked from page one! This is definitely going on my keeper shelf! I highly recommend it!”

Another reader said: “This was my favorite of the three books in this series. Sophie’s chance at a redeemed life is a literal page-turner, and I loved all the secondary characters in the story.”

Readers are also posting pictures and quotes which I always love seeing! Here are just a few:

Credit: Susan Cornwell

Credit: Trisha Robertson

Credit: Trixi Oberembt‎

To finish off the week of celebrations, I’m giving away 3 more copies of Searching For You to 3 different readers! Enter the Rafflecopter form below for a chance to win!

Speaking of celebrations, what is your favorite way to celebrate and prepare for the coming of Christmas? Baking? Decorating? Reading a special book? Other?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Jody Hedlund

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Award-winning author Jody Hedlund makes her home in central Michigan with her husband and five children. When she's not busy with her family, she loves to read and consume large amounts of chocolate and coffee.
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Comments

  1. We have many traditions! Every year the kids get to pick out a new ornament, so decorating the tree becomes a wonderful time to reflect, tell stories and laugh. We decorate advent sugar cookies together. Each kid gets a plate of cookies to call their own and several bags of colorful icing to decorate however they wish. We read together every night by the light of the tree. I could list many more, but those are some of my favorites.

  3. When the kids were hoe, we made a lot of cookies and pumpkin bread. Now that it is just my husband and I, I don’t bake. I always want to our tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving but that hasn’t happened the last two years. I used to read the Christmas story out of the bible to my kids on Christmas eve. We used to get together at my parents’ home on Christmas day but now we do it at my daughter’s home since my parents died. We have a good time visiting, eating, and exchanging gifts. This is my favorite holiday.

  4. Decorating is one of my favorite things, with family and on my own, reminiscing and laughing over holidays past. I also love Xmas Eve’s yankee swap.

  5. Baking and decorating are to of the main things I enjoy about getting ready for the holidays. I haven’t done any special baking yet this year, and barely started decorating I’m a bit behind!

  8. We read The Tale of The Three Trees. It’s a beautiful children’s book that I’ve read each Christmas since my children were little.

  10. I love decorating, baking, playing Christmas music, watching Hallmark Christmas movies and all sorts of other Christmassy things🤗☃🎄✨❄

  11. After hurricane Michael we are keeping things simple this year. I’ve done a little decorating and we plan to drive around looking at lights with our kids and spend time with our grandbabies. We’ll watch Christmas movies together and hopefully I’ll get a quiet day at home alone to read in front of the fireplace.

  12. I used to do a lot of baking when my kids were little, but I don’t do that much anymore. I do love sitting at night after everyone else has gone to bed with just the tree lights on. It’s so peaceful and beautiful.

  14. Can’t wait for the opportunity to read “Searching For You”!

    My favorite thing to do to prepare for Christmas has to be baking. After all, it wouldn’t be right for a person whose clown name was Cook E. Lady not to love to bake.

    Hubby and I both love to work our magic in the kitchen and then to share the bounty with loved ones. The majority of the gifts we give at Christmas are the end result from our labors in the kitchen together. I think when you put love into the gift, that the recipient can’t help but feel the love when they enjoy the gift.

    Baking together definite gets us in the holiday frame of mind. There’s nothing like turning up the Christmas music, enjoying the smells of things a baking and spending good quality time together doing what we both enjoy.

    May you have the merriest of Christmas’ and the happiest of new years!

    • Shared on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and with friends privately. Didn’t see where you were to state in comment about sharing until after I had posted and opened the rest of the entries.

  16. Congratulations! Can’t wait to read this one. 🙂 I love decorating and singing. Since we are temporarily living in an RV, the decorating does not take much time at all! I do miss my favorite decorations hanging out in storage. The singing I can do anytime. Merry Christmas!

  18. We usually get together to make hard-candy wreaths to kick off our holiday season. Then a few weeks after that, we get together to do some holiday baking. Family times are the best times. Merry Christmas!

  19. Watch classic Christmas movies! My niece loves the original “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” but she’s watched all the other versions as well. My favorite is “The Year Without a Santa Claus.” Love the Miser brothers!

  21. I think my favorite of all my family’s Christmas traditions is decorating the tree. As I and my sisters were growing up we chose a special ornament each year. Now, when we help my mom decorate our tree, we pull each ornament out and remember the story that goes with it. There is always a lot of laughter and reminiscence.

  22. We read through the Jesus Stirybook Bible with our kids each night ending with the birth of Jesus. And hang an ornament up on our Jesse Tree.

  24. First let me say Thank you for these wonderful books.
    Love decorating and baking nd spending time with family.

  26. I love to start reading Christmas books a month or two before the holidays. Since I select books by Christian authors, the stories I read inspire me and put me in the Christmas mood.

  28. I start listening to Christmas music as soon as Thanksgiving is over and I love to reflect on the Christmas story from Luke 2…..

  32. I don’t do a lot of preparing since I’ve gotten older, I leave that to the kids and grandkids and go with the flow, lol.

    I am reading the second book in this series right now and would love to win this one, thank you for the chance. I love Jody’s books and watch for each new one.

    wfnren at aol com

  34. My favorite way to prepare for Christmas is reading a Christmas book and listening to non-stop Christmas music!

  35. Decorating the tree, making cookies, playing games, reading the Christmas story from the Bible. Family time!

  36. I think my favorite thing to do is watch Hallmark’s new Christmas movies. It’s a time when I snuggle up in a blanket with my daughter, a hot cup of tea, a bowl of puppy chow, and just relax & enjoy the season!

    • I think my favorite thing to do is watch Hallmark’s new Christmas movies. It’s a time when I snuggle up in a blanket with my daughter, a hot cup of tea, a bowl of puppy chow, and just relax & enjoy the season! And I pinned on Pinterest!

  37. I enjoy reading books by the light of the Christmas tree and thinking about how Christ came to be born in such a humble way. It’s my favorite way of celebrating. I like all the other things too, like getting together with family and eating, baking and decorating, but those quiet moments are just the best.

  39. I love to bake for Christmas. I make 4 different flavors of candied pecans, cookies and pumpkin bread.

  41. Try to focus on the real meaning of the season otherwise I get overwhelmed and tend to lean towards seasonal depression. TMI 😬

  42. My favorite way to prepare for Christmas is to read advent devotionals each day and hand an ornament in the tree for each day.

  44. My favorite way to prepare for the Christmas season is baking. I always bring a tin of cookies to my favorite coffee shop to share and love baking for my family.

  46. I really love my personal worship time during the days leading up to Christmas. I sing all the verses of a different carol each day — the messages are so wonderful. Joy to the world!

  48. We celebrate with family time. Decorating sugar cookies, opening presents and driving around looking at the Christmas lights.

  50. There is something special about Christmas lights. I would not consider myself to be good at decorating, but I love the look of Christmas. 🎄

  51. I enjoy watch Christmas movies and having a bit more time to read. Looking forward to reading “Searching For You”.

  52. Congrats on the release! I love how the 3 covers in the series compliment each other.

    “Catching up” a bit on my TBR pile during Thanksgiving and Christmas is a favorite part of the season, along with drinking as much Celestial Seasonings ‘Sugar Plum Spice’ tea as possible! Decorating is also definitely a highlight, especially making royal icing snowflakes to “blizzard” over the tree, and I love choreographing Christmas dances for my dance students.

    I also take time to find a Christmas “theme song” of sorts for myself for the year; one that focuses on some aspect of the Christmas story or God Himself that really stirs my heart this year, and try to listen to that song frequently, pondering and thanking God for that aspect in particular throughout the season. (It also definitely helps prevent accidentally falling into cynicism or numbness to the wonder of Christmas, which can be so easy to slip into this time of year.)

    Merry Christmas to all of you!

  54. I love Christmas! I try not to set expectations – but to let each Christmas hold its own. But I do love to decorate, sometimes a little, other times a lot. I keep adding to the decorations till Christmas is over – same way with the baking.

  57. I like to make personal photo ornaments for our tree (one per year) of our family regarding some special event or activity. I currently have my parents on their 50th Anniversay, mo mother in law on at our sons wedding, the last Christmas as a family with my mom, our daughter opening a special gift brim her brother, our 25th anniversary, graduations, the grandchildren when born, playing in the snow, pumpkin patch trips, etc. they are so special to look at each year as I put them on the tree.

  58. I enjoy just trying to relax and soak in as much of the season as possible, listening to Christmas music, seeing the lights and yard decorations people have put out, reading Christmas-themed books, and spending time with the people I love.

  60. My favorite way to prepare for Christmas is baking! When I am done, I love to curl up with a festive book.

  61. This series has been amazing; so hard to put each book down. <3 So excited for the finale! I love baking and decorating sugar cookies with the family…while dancing and singing to Christmas music!!

  64. My husband and I celebrate together on Christmas Eve. We end up having a steak dinner by candlelight and then unwrap our gifts to each other. It allows us special time, just the two of us, before the chaos of kids and Christmas morning 🙂

  65. I like preparing for Christmas by baking cookies, making candy, listening to my favorite Christmas cd’s, and definitely by reading books!

  67. My favorite thing to do to prepare for Christmas is putting all the ornaments on my Christmas Tree. I even have an ornament I made in Kindergarten!

  68. From the time the kids were born until they left home, we went to Christmas eve service, came home and had pizza and chocolate milk, read the Christmas story, talked about it and prayed. I had made a lamb cake, we would sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and while eating the cake talk about what we are grateful for and why. At the end of our cake we would pray and thank Jesus for Him being our gift. We would open one gift. Now that it is just my husband and I, we do everything but the food part. Now we go out to dinner after Christmas eve service. When the kids were home we always made a ton of Christmas cookies. Some we kept for ourselves. Some we kept for Christmas parties but the rest the kids and I would give away to friends and neighbors. Lots of great memories for all.

  70. I become a baking fool around Christmas (and a dieting fool after New Year’s 😉). I am thrilled to see the arrival of this book. You write with such heart!

  72. I love to read Christmas books, listen to Christmas music and play carols on the piano. On Christmas Day we watch a Christmas movie and play games as a family.

  75. All of the above! The tree is up, the cards have been mailed. Homemade ravioli has been made, hope to bake sometime. Reading Gaze Upon Jesus as a beautiful preparation for Christmas with my book club. Thank you for the chance to win. I love this series and can’t wait to read this one!

  76. We give the kids something fun for St Nicholas Day and enjoy counting down the days with the Advent calender. Reading Luke each day this year . Thanx for the giveaway!

  79. A favorite tradition from when I was a child was an advent devotional series my mom found. There was a felt Christmas tree that we got to decorate with themed felt ornaments for each of the devotional days! Great memories!

  80. I do a lot of baking, decorating, listening to Christmas music, reading, and having people over. Also hosting our church’s Women’s Christmas tea.

  81. I love decorating the tree with the kids. We always put up their special ornaments. It is so wonderful getting to spend time with family that we don’t see that often. By the way, I am on Chapter 7 and just loving your new book. Can’t wait to finish. Each one has been so touching!

  82. I can’t wait to get this one. I’ve been impatiently waiting for it. It’s a tradition in our family to make buckeye candy. Four generations strong!

  83. Every year it seems to be a little different, as far as what we focus on, depending on the situation.Sometimes more baking or trying new dessert recipes, usually decorating, but this year we aren’t as we’re in an apartment temporarily, plus we will be away Christmas Day.
    I love Hallmark movies and sometimes we put a Christmas puzzle together. Always go to Christmas Eve service. This year we went to “A walk to Bethlehem”in our town. It was great and love that it was about the real meaning of Christmas!

  84. I used to get all stressed out at Christmas, but now I try to just enjoy it. We don’t do too much decorating, and we really keep the gift-giving to a minimum. Instead, my favorite way to celebrate is quiet nights at home with my family.

  85. I love decorating the whole house I put up several trees and 7 years ago when my passed away I started a memory tree with pictures old and new and little bits of family history that the kids and grands all love to look at and remember people that have gone and past history they are all learning about as I add something new each year.

  86. I like to watch the Hallmark movies and bake. Evety year is a little different. Thanks for the chance.

  87. I prepare by spending time in worship and the Word. I pinned to Pinterest and shared on Facebook.

  88. I enjoy decorating and baking for Christmas. I have an angel collection and Santa collection I display. I enjoy decorating the Christmas 🎄. My grandmother’s birthday was Christmas Day.
    I also enjoy baking desserts for Christmas.

  89. We do lots of baking and share the treats with neighbors, friends and our faithful UPS man! 🙂
    We enjoy decorating the house in and out with lights and just started a tradition of meeting with dear friends in Christ to worship with music and Bible verses.

  90. Now that are kids are a bit older, we try to attend functions that involve all of us as we approach the holidays. Just a couple more years and they will be away for the better part of December and we need to take advantage of this time. In fact, we just came home from a volunteer night at church where we had dessert and played games.

  91. I love decorating and baking. I have read so many Christmas books this time of year too.

  93. For 11 years I have been away from my family at Christmas as I’m a Florida snowbird. I’m excited to be flying home this year to spend 10 days with my family, including my 4 great Grandchildren, ages 15 months, 2 1/2, 8 and 9 years old. The baby has started to walk since I left October 1st. I’m anxious to see him in action and get all those little people hugs.
    Merry Christmas to you and your family, Jody!

  95. I love to take things slowly instead of trying to get everything done all at once, listening to Christmas music, spending time with family and friends, and of course, lots of reading!

  96. I like the family get togethers and I love to give gifts. Of course the cookies are a plus too!

  97. My favorite ways are first decorating and listening to Christmas music so that we start to feel the mood. Then I like reminding my kids of the true meaning, as they write their lists (3 gifts: toy, clothes, and a book), and we attend Church and read scriptures at home. We have a container full of Christmas books we get out every December, and I also love our Jesus stocking (where we record kind deeds we see others doing that month). I love traditions!

  99. For me, the Christmas season begins when my Dad and I decorate our house the weekend after Thanksgiving. After that, I love listening to Christmas songs and watching the Christmas specials on TV.

  101. I love reading stories set at Christmas time, but I love just watching the Christmas tree lights twinkle and soaking in the special quiet that only comes this time of year!

  102. It looks as if the only thing I will be doing this Christmas will be to catch up on my reading.
    I’ve been sick for 2 weeks and the end is not in sight.
    Back to my book.

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