Blog Posts

Couldn't put it down!

2/1/2017

The words in a recent review caption is listed in the name of today's post because that is definitely what every author wants to read in a reader's review. :)

Here is the review from an Amazon customer:
5.0 stars Couldn't put it down
What a wonderful story! It's so nice to read a story about a warm christian family. I just loved how the surprise baby, turned out to be a huge blessing to this family.

BLURB:
Justin Reeves is a man who has it all: a good job, a loving wife and children who are the center of his universe. Justin also has a secret he's hidden from everyone his entire life. Quite innocently his small daughter, Debby, stumbles upon his secret and is shocked by what she finds. She confronts her father with the awful truth. Justin is touched by her concern and offer of help. His own mother never cared about him. Father and daughter together embark upon a journey which takes Justin from the darkness of shame into the light of victory.

When he finally accomplishes what he wanted his whole life, Justin reaches out to his family in a special way on Christmas Day. His gift to his wife, three daughters and son impacts them all for a lifetime.

Drawing from true events in her own childhood, author Diane Craver captivates the reader from page one to a stunning climax which will touch your heart and effect your life forever in this must-read story of love's triumph over adversity.
PURCHASE AT AMAZON
PURCHASE AT BARNES & NOBLE
PURCHASE AT APPLE

FREE - A JOYFUL BREAK - BOOK 1 in Amish Series!

1/29/2017

I'm excited that I have a BookBub Ad for A JOYFUL BREAK, Book 1 in my Dreams of Plain Daughters Series. It is even free in Canada on Amazon! I'm sharing snippets from the Canadian readers' reviews. I appreciate readers taking the time to post reviews after they read my books. This means a lot and really helps boost my sales. Thank you!

5 stars Enjoyable story of love and loss
This is a well written book that moves along at a good pace. Would recommend this author to friends. The characters draw you into their lives. It makes you want to read the next book to find out what happens next in their lives.

5 stars
I enjoyed this book because it is so down to earth and exactly as one might expect in everyday life. It is a love story written with decency and purity in mind. Thank you Diane for a great book. It's a book I would gladly encourage any single daughter of mine to read. Thumbs up for a job well done.
By Althea Hillier

LINKS for FREE ebook of A JOYFUL BREAK - FREE only UNTIL FEBRUARY 3RD!

AMAZON - US
BARNES & NOBLE
APPLE
KOBO
AMAZON - CA

Christmas & New Year!

1/5/2017

I can't believe how long it is has been since I wrote a blog post! I have to admit it seemed crazy busy with getting Christmas shopping, gift wrapping and cards done. I did some babysitting too. Also I have had laptop problems. My present one is 6 years old. I purchased a new one in November, but after two weeks I cancelled the order. Best Buy couldn't seem to figure out what happened to the laptop. I hope to get one this month. We had a wonderful Christmas and hope my readers did too! I realized at the end of Christmas Day, I didn't get a picture of our four grandkids together. It seemed like some chaos and we had too much to eat. We still have boxed candy and other items left yet. I took cookies out of the freezer that we had baked for our Cookie Swap and they were left too. It's a miracle I have not gained weight, but I haven't lost any either.

New Year Eve was spent watching Ohio State University play Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl. What a shock to see OSU lose and they never even scored any points. I gave up on them and started watching a movie during the fourth quarter.

I am on Chapter Ten now of Book 2, THE PLAIN WIDOW. I am hoping to get more writing in.

A GIFT FOREVER - 99 cents!

11/23/2016

It was 2001 when I first wrote the story about my dad, Horace Wilson, I always planned on writing about him, but with being busy with raising six children, I never made the time. My mother-in-law became ill and died during this year. I realized I was not getting any younger and needed to write this book. The original title was The Christmas of 1957. When I changed the title to A Christmas Gift, I added 8,000 words to it. Then I submitted it to Whimsical Publications in 2010. Even though I loved the cover when it was published with Booklocker, I loved the cover even more when it was with Whimsical. Then in 2013, I decided to ask for my rights back from Whimsical and to self-publish it as A GIFT FOREVER!

You can also purchase this as a paperback. It would make an awesome Christmas gift for a loved one.

If you'd like to read an excerpt, go here: http://www.dianecraver.com/excerpt-for-a-gift-forever.html

Here are some reader comments about this story:

"The skill that Debby's father learns allows him to give a very special gift to each of the children that Christmas. It is something they can cherish all their lives and it brought tears to my eyes." -- by Amazon reader, MSEreads

"This book is one that is definitely believable and will bring tears of joy to your eyes. I rated A Gift Forever 5 stars. Diane Craver's writing will draw you into the Reeves family with their love and concern for each other along with their faith in God." --by Marilyn Ridgway

"I don't always like books written in the first person but this one was exceptional. The story is well written, heart warming, and full of a child's faith. Jesus says we need faith like a child and so this one is scriptural. You will love the characters." --by Glenda Parker

"What a wonderful story! I loved every page. So many short stories feel incomplete and lacking in the story line but not this one. A gift Forever is a story of Faith, Love and Hope. Debbie, her sisters, brother and parents all seemed very real. Will most definitly read this one again. Hats off to you Diane. Job well done!" --by Teri Poole

BUYING LINKS:
AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
APPLE
KOBO

COVER REVEAL FOR BOOK 2 in THE BISHOP'S DAUGHTERS SERIES!

10/28/2016

When I contacted the cover designer for this book last Saturday, she informed me that she was no longer in the cover business. I was surprised because I had a contract with her for three books in this series. She did the beautiful cover for Book 1, AMISH BABY SNATCHED! Fortunately, Melody Simmons did this cover for Book 2. I LOVE IT!

This book is focused on Molly, the oldest daughter in the King family. I was hoping to have it release in November on my birthday, but know this won't happen now. I've been busy babysitting grandchildren, and taking care of our two adult daughters with special needs. I'm hoping it will be available before the end of this year.

Hope everyone has a terrific weekend. We are babysitting this weekend! I'm sure it will be lots of fun!

My time of year!

10/8/2016

WINNER OF $5 GIFT CARD is Elaine Shorb! Ladies, thank you for the comments. I'll have another contest SOON! Have a wonderful week, everyone!

The reason this is my time of the year is due to my love of anything pumpkin! Stores and restaurants have more pumpkin items available during the fall. I love pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin pie, McDonald's pumpkin spice latte, iHop's pumpkin pancakes, and pumpkin bars. Actually there is one thing pumpkin I don't like and that is the pumpkin spice creamer for coffee.

I made pumpkin bars for my son's wedding rehearsal dinner in 2009. I'm sharing a recipe that you might want to make if you love pumpkin desserts!

PUMPKIN BARS With Yummy CREAM CHEESE FROSTING!

Ingredients

4 large eggs
1-2/3 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
ICING:
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Directions

In a bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until well blended. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Pour into an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until set. Cool completely.
For icing, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, butter and vanilla in a small bowl. Add enough milk to achieve spreading consistency. Spread over bars. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 2 dozen.

WRITING NEWS: I am hoping to have Book 2 in The Bishop's Daughters Amish Series available in November! I've been busy babysitting two days a week for my grandchildren. As many of you know, we were also blessed with two daughters who were born with Down syndrome so been busy with medical appointments for them.

I'm excited about Book 2 because the focus is on Molly, the oldest daughter in the King family. Book 3 will be about Priscilla!

As always I appreciate my readers and love your comments on FB and here on my blog. When you take the time to write book reviews for me, it means so much.

OCTOBER GIVEAWAY! Leave a comment on this post and your name will be entered to win a $5 Gift Card to AMAZON! And if you don't like anything pumpkin, that's fine. Tell me what you like to eat for dessert! I'll draw the winner on October 16, Sunday evening around 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.

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