Ornamental Graces

Ornamental Graces Blog Tour

/ CAstfalk / Leave a comment

The blog tour for my inspirational Christmas romance Ornamental Graces begins this week! I’m thankful for the bloggers below who so graciously agreed to participate. I hope you will visit their blogs not only for reviews, author and character interviews, giveaways, and more, but also to enjoy their writing as well!

Check back throughout the week as I update links and add snippets of reviews!

Ornamental Graces Tour Graphic

Blog Tour

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13
CATHOLIC FIRE (Jean Heimann)

“Ornamental Graces is remarkable because it is an extraordinary story of faith, redemption, healing, forgiveness, and the true meaning of love. It is a beautiful, inspirational pro-life account of the miracles that can occur when we honestly face the consequences of our actions and when authentic love exists in our relationships.”

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14
VIRGINIA LIETO *Giveaway*

“This is truly a page-turner! While reading this book, I couldn’t wait to get to the end of my work day, so that I could get back to the story . . . Carolyn Astfalk does an excellent job at relating what it really means to be Catholic (with a capital C) in today’s world; given the many pressures to succumb to in the 21st century.”

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15
THINGS VISIBLE & INVISIBLE (Theresa Linden)

“With flawed but loveable characters, this story delves into the real-life consequences of the choices we make in relationships. It brings out the importance of offering and accepting forgiveness, and gives hope to those who find it hard to let go of past mistakes and to forgive one’s self. ”

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16
SARAH DAMM *Giveaway*

“Well, I just read a book that surpasses any romantic Christmas movie I have ever watched. And it wasn’t predictable at all! It was quite a page turner that left me guessing what was going to happen next and certainly got me into the holiday spirit. Ornamental Graces by Carolyn Astfalk is a new Christmas classic.”

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17
CATHOLICMOM.COM (BARB SZYSZKIEWICZ)

“Ornamental Graces, like Carolyn Astfalk’s previous novel, Stay with Me, is a Catholic romance with Theology of the Body underpinning the story. This is no Harlequin/gothic/bodice-ripper/shades-of-grey novel. That’s not Carolyn’s style.”

THERESE HECKENKAMP

“There’s never a dull page! I was highly absorbed and invested in the story and characters the entire time. The dialogue rings true. There are serious conversations, but also delightfully fun banter.”

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18
PLOT LINE AND SINKER (ELLEN GABLE)

“It’s a beautiful and touching story with well-developed, believable characters.  I highly recommend this inspirational romance that is a great read any time of year.”

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19
THE WRITINGS OF A.K. FRAILEY  (ANN FRAILEY)

“Buy this new book by Carolyn Astfalk and enjoy a great read. But be sure to settle onto a comfortable chair – once you start – it’s hard to put down.”

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20
ERIN MCCOLE CUPP

Check out Erin McCole Cupp’s Sunday, December 4, Sabbath Rest Book Talk for her take on Ornamental Graces.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21
TERRY’S THOUGHTS (TERRY HOUCHIN)

“In this day and time it is difficult to find a good love story without all of the sex. It is even more difficult to find a well written love story that shows Christians who struggle with the moral issues in addition to trying to figure out if this is the person they want to spend the rest of their life with.”

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22
RECONCILED TO YOU (ALLISON GINGRAS)

“Since my entire life’s work focuses on forgiveness and reconciliation, story lines that deftly illustrate the difficulty, blessing and healing surrounding that important aspect of being whole, always win my heart!  Ornamental Graces shines exceptionally well in this area!”

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23
FRANCISCAN MOM (BARB SZYSZKIEWICZ)

“There are some terrific peripheral characters as well; you’ll want to adopt Grandma.” Read Barb’s interview with Ornamental Graces characters Grandma, Robert, Elizabeth, and Kristen!

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! STAY A WHILE AND LOOK AROUND. LEAVE A COMMENT. SHARE WITH A FRIEND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE SIGN UP FROM MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS!

Ornamental Graces: Questions for Use by Book Clubs

/ CAstfalk / Leave a comment

Have you considered reading Ornamental Graces with your book club?

Bookshelf

Click the link below for a printable PDF file of eleven reflective questions about the book to jump-start your conversation.

Questions for Use by Book Clubs for Ornamental Graces

**To purchase books at bulk reduced-rate for book clubs, please contact the author directly at castfalk (at) verizon (dot) net.**

If you’ve never been part of a book club, here are some tips to get you started: How to Start a Book Club and 10 Tips for Starting Your Own Book Club.

I’d love to visit your book club, in person if possible, but via Skype if you’re not within driving distance of my Hershey, Pennsylvania home.

Ornamental Graces Recipes

/ CAstfalk / 3 Comments

Unlike Rebecca in Stay With Me, none of the characters in Ornamental Graces are avid bakers or cooks. But they do bake and cook, and I couldn’t help collecting some of their recipes.

Emily’s sister-in-law Elizabeth is known to be a good cook. Dan and Emily get better acquainted over some of her lemon meringue pie, which happens to be my favorite kind of pie.

Mile-High Meringue Pie

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/111886371969068621/

Emily’s no slouch in the kitchen either. She cobbles together dinner for her and Dan after raiding Robert and Elizabeth’s refrigerator, pantry, and garden. I know people joke about having too many zucchini, but I think I could eat it daily and never grow tired of it.

Balsamic Grilled Zucchini

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/111886371969158218/

These pumpkin Snickerdoodles are delicious and perfect for fall weather, though Emily brings them to a summer picnic. These are my oldest daughter’s favorite cookies, and she recently made a batch herself to take to her brother’s boy scout meeting.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/111886371979332115/

We never get a glimpse of this strawberry pretzel Jell-O salad that Dan’s sister makes the day after Thanksgiving because Dan and Emily are, uh, otherwise occupied when it’s served. I was introduced to this recipe in the early 1980s by my sister-in-law. I love the sweet and salty combination!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/111886371968608296/

Finally, Emily and her family are Polish, so I wanted to incorporate something true to their heritage. I have yet to make these on pierogies, but with these step-by-step instructions, I intend to give it a try.

Polish Pierogies

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/111886371968383868/

My mother is German, not Polish, but for decades, she made nut rolls (along with prune-poppyseed rolls) very similar to these every Easter. She’d even ship them from Pennsylvania to Florida to her sister-in-law. As I wrote the brief scene in which the rolls are mentioned, I recalled grinding nuts by hand for my mother when I was a little girl.

Polish Nut Rolls

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/111886371968432179/

Ornamental Graces Pinterest Board

/ CAstfalk / Leave a comment

Want to see Dan’s three-legged dog, Gomer? How about that creepy Gollum puppet Emily mentions? Would you like to see Willam Adolphe Bouguereau’s L’Innocence? Maybe you’d like to try Emily’s recipe for pumpkin Snickerdoodles. Take a peek at all that and more!

https://www.pinterest.com/castfalk/ornamental-graces/

Ornamental Graces Playlist

/ CAstfalk / Leave a comment

Unlike Stay With Me and Rightfully Ours, music isn’t a part of the story in Ornamental Graces. No song or music is integral to the plot, but I can’t help write mention of music into books. Some of these tracks you’ll see referenced in the book either by artist name or mention of a lyric. The others (“Dreaming With a Broken Heart,” “Faster,” “Mud,” et al) just fit the scene.

It’s a mixture of pop, rock, and new country until you hit the end and then, well, Christmas hymns. Because that’s where it all ends up. I know as a playlist it shifts the mood, but there you go.

Enjoy!

Ornamental Graces Audio Playlist

Christmas Novel Ornamental Graces To Be Published October 2016

/ CAstfalk / 4 Comments

I’m excited to share that my contemporary inspirational Christmas romance, Ornamental Graces, will be self-published on October 11, 2016! Just in time for the Christmas season and at the tail end of the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

This is the first of my published novels set in my hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I had such fun writing scenes in my favorite city, including a couple of critical ones that take place at Pittsburgh Penguins hockey games. With its history of diverse ethnicities and significant Catholic population, I can think of no better place to introduce Irish Daniel Malone to Polish Emily Kowalski and let the fireworks – or in this case, mud – fly.

After his duplicitous girlfriend left, Dan Malone spent six months in a tailspin of despair and destruction: emotional, physical, and spiritual. Just when his life seems to be back on track, he meets Emily Kowalski, younger sister of his new best friend.

Emily’s the kind of girl he’d always dreamed of—sweet, smart, and sincere. But he’s made a mess of his life and ruined his chances for earning the love and trust of a woman like her.

Could Dan be the man Emily’s been waiting for? How could he be when every time they get close he pulls away? And will he ever be free from his shady past and the ex-girlfriend who refuses to stay there?

Can’t wait? You can get a sneak peek at Dan and Emily’s story by checking out my Pinterest Board for the novel.

https://www.pinterest.com/castfalk/ornamental-graces/