Scavenger Hunt Winners!!!!

What a crazy fun weekend we had last week! Huge thanks to Lisa Bergren and Deb Raney for all they did behind the scenes to make the Scavenger Hunt a rousing success... again!

The overall winners for the hunt are:

Grand Prize:  Deb Beach

2nd Prize:      Erin Larimore

3rd Prize:       Beth Gibson Rumbaugh

Congratulations, ladies!!! I'm so happy for you!

And with such a great response here, we added another copy of "Back in the Saddle" to the mix, so there are THREE winners of "Back in the Saddle" from my comments section... and huge thanks to all of you who stopped by to chat, who read Melanie's wonderful post and who signed up for my e-mail list/newsletter.

It's great to connect with all of you and may God bless you throughout this beautiful, upcoming holiday season! 

Judy 

Bethany Marks

"Unknown"  (Carin Seinc)   

Congratulations, ladies!!!! I think I've got your e-mails... if not, be sure to e-mail me at loganherne@gmail.com or message me on facebook (Ruth Logan Herne). We'll connect, one way or another!!!

And here's a little bit of upstate autumn for you!

Meet Lena Jamison, one of our top Pumpkin Salespeople! Oh... You'd like one of those? Well let's head over there!

How about this one? Good size, great shape, low mileage!!! :)

 WAIT! They're all nice! We love pumpkins... and books... and God and romance and faith-filled fiction at Grammy's (Ruthy's!) place!

Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop #27!!!!

Welcome to stop #27 of the 2016 Fall Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! I'm Ruth Logan Herne and I'm thrilled to be hosting my friend and fellow bestselling author Melanie Dickerson! I love Mel and her books! Now here's the thing... there are lots of stops on this hunt. If you get lost... if you take a wrong turn through and enchanted fairytale-type wood... Go back to the start right here: Lisa Bergren's Site, Stop #1!

Don't rush... The hunt goes on all weekend, and we're delighted you came by! Enjoy yourself, check out the extra embedded contests and above all... have fun!

From the amazing Melanie Dickerson, author of "The Silent Songbird"... and so many other wonderful books!

Research: How I Included a Real Medieval Castle, a King and Church Graffiti in My Book

The Silent Songbird is set in England in the late 1300s. Part of the plot is that the heroine, Evangeline, is the ward of King Richard II, who was only about 18 or 19 during the time of my story. My plot dictates that the story begins at one of the king’s residences. So I had to do some research on King Richard II’s castles and palaces, and I ended up choosing Berkhamsted Castle as the setting for the story.

The only problem—or is it a good thing?—is that the real Berkhamsted Castle is just a ruin, and little is known about what it actually looked like in the late 1300s.

About all that’s left of Berkhamsted Castle today.

One of two moats that once surrounded Berkhamsted Castle.

I found a wonderful site on the internet by The Berkhamsted Local History and Museum Society, https://berkhamsted-castle.org.uk which answered many of my questions, but since I did not want to violate any known facts about the castle, I ended up emailing the Society Chairman, Mrs. Jenny Sherwood. She was a delightful correspondent and kindly answered all my questions. I was so grateful for her help, and it lent an element of excitement for me to use an actual English castle.

And since I was using King Richard II as a character in my novel, I wanted to get everything right about him, from his hair color to his personality. I hope I managed to come close to the real person.

Richard II, a very young king whose life ended tragically.

It was exciting to put a real face to an English king who has not been treated very kindly by historians, though the opinion of him has swung back toward favorability in the last few decades. I found him both likeable and his history fascinating.

These were people and places I already knew I wanted to use, but I also found something I wasn’t looking for: Medieval church graffiti.

While sitting in the library waiting for my daughter, I picked up an Archeology magazine and read an article about how Medieval people used to carve their prayers into the walls of the church or on the baptismal font. If your loved one was setting sail on a ship, you might carve a picture of that ship on the wall along with the date they left, asking God to keep them safe.

Or if your family was sick with the plague, you might carve their initials into the wall along with the date, a way of getting God to “see” your prayer.

I was so touched by this that I incorporated it into a couple of scenes in my book when my heroine is sad and desperate and searching for answers.

Thanks for reading this post about the research for The Silent Songbird, and thanks to Ruthy for hosting me! Enjoy the Scavenger Hunt!

Buy The Silent Songbird on:

AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
CHRISTIAN BOOK dot COM

Information you need to complete the hunt, darlings!

Here's your clue:  "in the"....  And your next stop is Melanie Dickerson's site RIGHT HERE!!!!  But first, jump in on the extra contest below!

 I'm so glad you've come by for the hunt, and I'm loving meeting all these folks! I'm running a separate contest for TWO copies of "Back in the Saddle" my first Double S Ranch western romance... 

Leave me a comment below, and if you sign up for my newsletter, I'll double your chances for the book.... And huge thanks for coming by today, for taking part in our scavenger hunt! Wishing you lots of luck, my friends... 

To be added to my newsletter list, you can either leave your e-mail below or send it to me at loganherne@gmail.com and I'll add you in... with the extra chance for Back in the Saddle!

Thanks so much for coming by.... for being part of the hunt and mostly for your appreciation and love for great Christian fiction! Have fun and best of luck to you!

Ruthy

Home on the Range Release Day!!!

I want you guys to love this book as much as Carrie Townsend (Romantic Times Review) did...

4 1/2 Stars....... TOP PICK for October...

And here's what Carrie had to say: 

Whenever children are on the page, Ruth Logan Herne’s writing simply shines. Add to that a trio of hunky cowboy brothers, the strong courageous women who capture their hearts, some adorable animals and a heart-stirring message of faith? In short, it’s the recipe for a perfect Western romance. Readers will find plenty to swoon over in Nick Stafford, both as a single dad and as a cowboy intent on pursuing a woman. The author exudes warmth and grace and love on each page of this novel, and the set-up for the next book leaves readers hungry for more.

Rancher and single dad Nick Stafford needs help. Specifically, he needs Dr. Elsa Andreas’ help or his daughter Cheyenne will be held back for another year in school. Elsa agrees to help, despite her hesitation about coming out of her self-imposed seclusion and risking her heart again. When Nick’s troubled ex-wife appears out of the blue, both of his precious daughters need him — and Elsa — more than ever. Will all of their hearts heal enough to see what God has planned?

I AM SO EXCITED!!!! HERE ARE THE LINKS:

AMAZON!!!

CHRISTIANBOOK DOT COM

BARNES&NOBLE

AND.... I'd love to add you to my e-mail list (if you're not already there) so let me know in a comment below if that's okay...

AND....

Leave a comment below to be entered for one autographed copy of this beautiful story... And while you're doing that, I'll gladly serve you coffee, tea, soda... whatever your little heart desires and we'll eat COOKIES to celebrate the release day... My very own Double Chocolate Chip cookies!!!

Sit back, relax, and we can just kind of stare at that gorgeous cover....

And celebrate together!!!!

And if you have time to go over and "like" my facebook page, that would make the people that pay me VERY HAPPY!!!! :)

Home on the Range Release Day Coming!

Release day is five days away!!!

I've got a fun scavenger hunt scheduled...

And there are contests going on all over to win copies of "Home on the Range".... and I'm listing the links here:

RUTHY'S POST AT SEEKERVILLE

Yankee Belle Cafe "Isabo's Yellow Rice" 

And then the scavenger hunt will be RIGHT HERE!!!!

I am so excited about this story, this series. I love writing westerns, I love cowboy lore and cowboy code and I'm totally in admiration of the women who run these ranches, businesses, etc. side by side with their men...

So catching calves or pulling calves, slogging through mud to unstick equipment, running the background home, house, kids, food and finances... A ranch is a multi-layered deal, and I love it!

It's fall here on the farm, and we're loaded with fun times, cute kids, fall produce and all the bounty of a good harvest... and enough to share, too.

And that's a blessing right there, isn't it?

I'm so excited to share these bits of our life here on the farm... and the Stafford men and their lives on the Double S Ranch in Central Washington.

And yes... I am truly having the time of my life!

Ruthy

New books, new seasons, new times!

Fall.

It finally feels like fall! Now for you folks who don't like winter, this can be a two-edged sword, but I love fall.... I love the cool nights, the relief from the heat, sweatshirts and sweaters...

I love freezing veggies, making jam and canning pickles...

I love stacking firewood....

I love seeing the glimmers of leaf change, and then the full-blown shift.

But I see the other side, too, the edge toward shorter days and longer nights. The influx of cold, not cool.... But there's a peace in winter, a sleeping, edging toward the spring awakening that I've always loved.

But for now? FALL!!!! We've got pumpkins and gourds at the farm. We've got fresh veggies, too! Squash by the bushel... and every chance I get, I'm sneaking inside to write sweet books or bake something delicious.

I love this season and I'm so delighted to share that with you!

And if you'd like to hear more about this fall's books, happenings and fun at the farm, let me know and I'll add you to my mailing list because it's fun to keep in touch, isn't it? Either let me know in comments below or e-mail me at loganherne@gmail.com.

Wishing you all of God's blessings....

Ruthy

Rhubarb, Strawberries and Inspirational Teachers

Who would have thought rhubarb and strawberries would reunite an amazingly gifted science teacher and a student she taught more than ????? decades ago?

:)

But it has, and in a couple of weeks I'll be working in the Sisters of St. Joseph kitchen with Sr. Maria Irwin, the science teacher who inspired the Geek Within me at the ripe old age of 14... a brilliant woman whose love of physics opened my mind to so many things!

And taught me to question facts....

And temper teaching by noting that one of science's greatest pros and cons is how it disproves itself on a regular basis!

I love scientific fact, but I'm readily amazed by how often our facts turn out to be misread pages of fiction....

And how often science fiction becomes reality!

Who would have thought we could beam up information at these speeds with no wires???? Not so long ago they would have been amazed about doing it with wires. Now????

Wifi. Shades of First Officer Scott on Star Trek: "Beam me up, Scotty."

Come on, that's a conundrum, isn't it????

It's a beautiful day in upstate, after a cold, windy, dark, thick-clouded June 8th, we're blessed with spring-to-summer weather again, and I love it.

My writing is done for the morning, and I'm going to slip out front and get dirty because there's a therapy in dirt and flowers and gardens unlike any other.

For an hour of quiet... with Lady Antebellum playing on the old boom box.... (Yes, for real!!! It's the only radio in the house that pulls in the weekend Yankee games outside!)

Me and the dirt. With some flower friends coming along.

Flower therapy.

How blessed I am to have this time... time to write, to laugh, to love, to share, to garden.

God is good. Most assuredly.

And we are blessed to be in a land where freedom is the rule, not the exception.

Now... it's garden time, time to rebuild an old pond!!!

Let's see how this comes out!

Springing into Love!

Spring, how I love thee! Let me count the ways!

My website blog is giving me "agita" which is what my sister-in-law says when her family is driving her crazy.

I get it.

And life has enough agitation that the World Wide Web should not be causing more!

Spring.

Romance.

Faith.

And chocolate and coffee.

I'm ready to get dirty. Move soil. Plant flowers. While the world around me is greening up, I'm so excited to play in the dirt, too!

It probably sounds silly, but this is a trait from my Grandma Myrtle Herne. She loved to garden and passed that love down to me, so I'm taking a break from edits, stretching my limbs and getting dirty!

And it will feel marvelous!

Trust me. It will look better when it's done.

I hope!!!! Every time I heard Chris and Martin Kratt tell kids to "Get out and get into nature..." I thought of this! Once the snow melted and the rain stopped, I'd be out in nature.... With dirty knees.

And when you're done, (shameless plug here!) run on over to Amazon and grab a copy of our newest historical collection! "Spring Into Love" is a wonderful set of 4 stories featuring Pam Hillman, Cara Lynn James, Mary Connealy and me!

We had so much fun putting it together, and mine is set about twenty-five years AFTER this old farmhouse of mine was built! Isn't that amazing?

(Which means my basement is kind of like a cross between a tomb and a cave.... enter at your own risk!)

There are hundreds of plants waiting to go into the farm.... The guys are bedding 500 new asparagus plants and 600 strawberry plants found homes over the weekend. That's not a lot of strawberries by farm standards, but since the deer ate all of last year's, we're testing our new deer controls...

We'll see how this all works!

It's spring on the farm, full of birds, frogs, toads, one humongous snapping turtle and no small number of garter snakes...

Welcome to upstate!