Stay With Me Virtual Book Tour Wrap-Up

10/12/2015 / CAstfalk / 3 Comments

It’s been a whirlwind eleven days since Stay With Me’s release!

For me, one of the most satisfying things is that characters that have lived for years in my imagination now live on in the imaginations of other people as well.

Stay With Me - Fissure

The 10-DayVirtual Book Tour wrapped up a couple of days ago. I’m gratified and humbled at all the lovely things people had to say about the book.

I hope you’ll take a few minutes to peruse the stops. It’s a lineup filled with talented and hard-working writers: bloggers, nonfiction authors, fiction authors, and even a radio show host! Please take a moment to explore their sites and writing as well. Continue reading →

Stay With Me Available Today!

10/01/2015 / CAstfalk / 4 Comments

Today is the long-awaited day! Stay With Me is now available!

Buy it on Kindle at Amazon!

Buy it in paperback from createspace (and “like” the page) using the $2 off coupon code at checkout: B3E4E622

Buy it in paperback from Amazon!

A statement that is as true for the writer as it is for the reader.

If my memory serves me well, which it often does not, Stay With Me was written largely in 2012, when my youngest daughter was still a tiny baby who enjoyed long naps in her swing. Stay With Me : brought to you by the Graco infant swing. Continue reading →

Guest Post: One-Bowl Chocolate Cake

10/01/201506/02/2016 / CAstfalk / Leave a comment

CatholicMom.com

Progressive Dinner: One-Bowl Chocolate Cake (September 30, 2015)

“That chocolate cake makes for a delicious end to any meal or as the perfect homemade birthday cake for the chocolate lover in your life.”

T Minus 63 Hours to Launch: Speak Now

09/28/2015 / CAstfalk / 7 Comments

As the final hours click by, marking the hours until book launch, I’m reminded of that classic cinematic tension-builder, the one that catapults the story into action – the wedding scene.

“Speak now or forever hold your peace.”

In other words, this is it. My name will hereafter be linked to Stay With Me, for better or for worse, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health.

That prospect fills me with a range of emotions: excitement, pride, nervousness, embarrassment.

Blast off!

Continue reading →

Stay With Me: Questions for Use by Book Clubs

09/24/201502/17/2020 / CAstfalk / 1 Comment

Have you considered reading Stay With Me with your book club?

Stay With Me is a recommended selection of the Totally Feminine Genius Generations Book Club. Download the TFG Book Club Guide to help facilitate your discussion of the virtues present (or lacking) in Chris and Rebecca’s story.

Click the link below for a printable PDF file of ten reflective questions about the book to jump-start your conversation. (Contains spoilers.)

Questions for Use by Book Clubs for Stay With Me

**To purchase books at bulk reduced-rate for book clubs, please contact Full Quiver Publishing at fullquiverpublishing (at) gmail (dot) com.**

If you’ve never been part of a book club, here are some tips to get you started.

Direct link: http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/life/how-to-start-a-book-club/

Direct link: http://oneshetwoshe.com/2010/01/10-tips-for-starting-your-own-book-club-she-rebecca.html

Small Success Thursday

09/17/2015 / CAstfalk / 6 Comments

Why small success? Because that’s the only kind I know! Even the big ones come in small steps. Here’s my paltry offering for the week:

Back-to-School Paperwork Conquered – I survived the beginning-of-the-school-year-paperwork flurry. After filling out umpteen forms replete with multiple emergency contacts with multiple contact phone numbers for multiple children and a range of other forms requiring my signature, I thought my work was done. Then a second round of papers hit at back-to-school night. I think I’ve completed every necessary form and attached every necessary payment without letting things fall through the cracks. I think. Continue reading →

Stay With Me: The Recipes, Part III

08/03/201501/24/2021 / CAstfalk / 2 Comments

Stay With Me will be available in only two months (Kindle pre-orders in one)! In May, I wrote about the music that inspired the book, and in April, I blogged about the settings. In June, I shared several of the recipes for the delicious treats mentioned in the book. The second round of recipes posted in July, and this is the final recipe installment!

Homemade Peach Pie

This seasonal treat serves as dessert for the first dinner Chris prepares for Rebecca. It is perfect for this time of year in Pennsylvania. Here’s a tip: Ripe peaches peel easily after being dipped in boiling water for 10-20 seconds.

I have not yet mastered the art of making pie crust from scratch. I admit I find it simpler to pick up a refrigerated, store-bought crust. That’s what I used for this recipe.