Character Spotlight ~ Rachel Hauck's Charlotte, Emily, Daniel and Tim

Rachel Hauck's acclaimed novel, The Wedding Dress, is now available from Thomas Nelson.

Synopsis

Charlotte owns a chic Birmingham bridal boutique. Dressing brides for their big day is her gift . . . and her passion. But with her own wedding day approaching, why can't she find the perfect dress…or feel certain she should marry Tim? 

Then Charlotte discovers a vintage dress in a battered trunk at an estate sale. It looks brand-new-shimmering with pearls and satin, hand-stitched and  timeless in its design. But where did it come from? Who wore it? Who welded the lock shut and tucked the dog tags in that little sachet? Who left it in the basement for a ten-year-old girl? And what about the mysterious man in the purple vest who insists the dress had been "redeemed." 

Charlotte's search for the gown's history-and its new bride-begins as a distraction from her sputtering love life. But it takes on a life of its own as she comes to know the women who have worn the dress. Emily from 1912. Mary Grace from 1939. Hillary from 1968. Each with her own story of promise, pain, and destiny. And each with something unique to share. For woven within the threads of the beautiful hundred-year-old gown is the truth about Charlotte's heritage, the power of courage and faith, and the timeless beauty of finding true love.

Enjoy meeting Charlotte, Tim, Emily & Daniel!

Photo: Alexx Henry/2009 Crown Media

Brief physical description

Charlotte – Dark. Olive skin, hazel eyes, dark hair.. Famous actress might be Jennifer Esposito from Blue Bloods.

Emily – fair,, brown hair. Has a pompador. Young Greer Garson

Daniel – dark hair.. Can’t remember his eyes. Think Robert Wagner when he was young!

Tim – Taylor Kitsch. Nuff said. ;)

abc.com

Strengths and weaknesses

Emily is strong enough to stand up for what she believes in and confront social norms and racism. But not quite strong enough to defy her father and marry the man she loves. At first…

Charlotte can dress any bride but herself.

Daniel loves Emily but gives up too easily. Yet, he’s a man of honor.

Wikipedia

Tim can’t quite grow up until he realizes he might lose the love of his life.

Your inspiration for the character

Inspiration came from all over the place. The dress had to be a central point of the book so I worked at creating characters that would understand and define the gown.

Background to the story

I’d gone to Nashville for a girl’s weekend and we got to talking about weddings and wedding dresses. Something in the conversation triggered my creative juices and I was off in story land dreaming of a hundred year old wedding gown and all of the possible “what ifs.”

This book just seemed to write itself. It’s a rare for idea hit fast and stick but I knew The Wedding Dress would be a book. I pitched it to my editor a few days later and she was sold on the idea as much as I. I’m glad. I love this story!

Relz Reviewz Extras
Reviews of Dining with Joy, The Sweet By and By, Love Starts With Elle, Sweet Caroline and Diva NashVegas
Interview with Rachel
Visit Rachel's website
Buy Rachel's books at Amazon or Koorong

Coming in January 2012 from Thomas Nelson

I'm looking forward to these books from two of my favourite authors

and Thomas Nelson :) 

Hope you are, too!

The Accidental Bride by Denise Hunter

Two high-school sweethearts, a wedding reenactment, and one absent-minded preacher. Is it a recipe for disaster or a chance for a new beginning?

Shay Brandenberger is a survivor. She’s lived through a crazy childhood, a failed marriage, and single parenthood—with her confidence intact.

But not for long. Because when Shay participates in her town’s Founder’s Day wedding reenactment, she finds herself face-to-face with the one man who takes her breath away and leaves her weak in the knees: Travis McCoy.

Travis is back in town after years way on the rodeo circuit. His one regret in life is breaking Shay’s heart when they were high-school sweethearts. He’s determined to get it right this time.

So when their Founder's Day “marriage” is accidentally made official, Travis seizes the day. Can Shay put aside her pride to let Travis help her, or will their accidental marriage be dissolved before it can begin?

January, 2012

Love Lifted Me by Sara Evans & Rachel Hauck

Jade never knew happily-ever-after would be this messy, loud . . . delicious.

Jade Benson embraces unexpected motherhood when her husband Max gains custody of his young son. As she and Max work out their newly formed family, an invitation to coach Texas high school football sends them on a journey.

Then a stranger reveals a painful secret, and Jade faces her hardest challenge yet. When she surrenders her heart to God and to her husband, Jade discovers the joy of love lifting her above her fears.

January, 2012

Character Spotlight ~ Rachel Hauck's Belle Jamison & Burke Benning

Belle & Burke

Rachel Hauck's ebook, This Time, was one of her first novels and is a sweet romance readers will love. Hope you enjoy this insight into her characters.

Over to you, Rachel:~


Brief physical description

Belle: All America, wholesome, one who carries the wind of the plains in her soul.

Burke: The male Belle! Athletic with kind eyes and tender soul.

Actor/famous person

Amy Adams for Belle and Tom Brady for Burke

Strengths and weaknesses

Belle: Her strength is loyalty. She’s loyal to her father, her friends and her ranch. But it’s also her weakness. She’s loyal to a love that abandoned her twelve years ago.

Burke: His strength is his ability to change. His weakness is being so good at everything!

Your inspiration for the character

Belle and Burke were two people who live somewhere in my soul. This Time was one of my first books and I think when an author starts out, she’s really writing the larger pieces of herself.

Background to the story

My husband was helping to coach high school football and one Friday after work, I went to one of the games. It was just turning fall and even though I live in Florida where seasons don’t vary much, I became nostalgic about my childhood in Oklahoma.

The genesis of this story began!

Thanks Rach for sharing about two of your earliest characters :)

Relz Reviewz Extras

Reviews of Dining with Joy, The Sweet By and By, Love Starts With Elle, Sweet Caroline and Diva NashVegas

Interview with Rachel

Visit Rachel's website

Buy Rachel's books at Amazon or Koorong

Character Spotlight ~ Rachel Hauck's Joy Ballard & Luke Redmond

Joy & Luke

Rachel books are always terrific reading so get your hands on any that you can! Enjoy this look behind the scenes of her latest, Dining with Joy.

Over to you, Rachel:~

Brief physical description

Joy is athletic, on the tall side, long auburn hair. Hazel eyes.

Actor/famous person

Mia Hamm, the American soccer player

Strengths and weaknesses

Joy ~ Ability to win people over. She confident so she gives others confidence.

She is too giving. Too trusting. And she can't cook.

Luke’s strength is his ability to over come. He dropped out of high school but made something of himself in the NY kitchens.

His weakness is his reading difficulties. His lack of education which cripple his confidence.

Joy is his weakness. :)

Your inspiration for the character

Joy is a little bit of every women. The one who does the job because it needs to be done. The one who wants a little bit of something for herself, her fifteen minutes of fame. The woman who feels trapped in a job she’s not qualified for but is in the flow of it and can’t find a way out. Money, time and other commitments hold her feet to the fire.

But her courage and winning spirit was inspired by University of Alabama softball player, Kelsi Dunn.

Luke, the hero, is like the man we all want to know and love. He’s a good guy. The strong, silent type but discerning and intuitive.

He’s a rancher turned chef. I mean, really, how cool.

Background to the story

Joy Ballard is a cooking show host who can’t cook. She took the show over for her dying father and desperate producer.

She’s good in front of the camera but deep seated resentment toward her father keeps her from learning to love food.

Luke Redman learned to cook after his mother died. He made her lasagne recipe and watched his dad smile and laugh for the first time since his mom’s funeral. He learned the power of food and fellowship.

When his Manhattan restaurant fails, he finds himself in the lowcountry of South Carolina to regroup.

Joy’s show is sold and the new producer loves the chemistry between Joy and Luke, She pairs them to create an exciting format for the new network.

They have no plans to fall in love. But God has other things in mind.

Lovely to have you visit, Rach, as always :)

Relz Reviewz Extras

Reviews of Dining with Joy, The Sweet By and By, Love Starts With Elle, Sweet Caroline and Diva NashVegas

Interview with Rachel

Visit Rachel's website

Buy Rachel's books at Amazon or Koorong

News & Notes

Some things worth sharing!

Enjoy!

Lisa Wingate~Beth Webb Hart~Marybeth Whalen~Rachel Hauck~Jenny B Jones

The lovely Southern Belle View writers have introduced Whirlaway Island Fiction, a little serial that each writer adds a chapter to from time to time.


Here's what Lisa Wingate has to say about it, "Every so often here at BelleView, we'll be taking these little vacations to our own private Island, and we'd like to invite you along for our Whirlaway Weeks. This is just the kind of thing that happens when you get a bunch of storytellers all together in on one porch -- a story, begets a story, begets a story."

Be sure to check out the adventures of Nina, Libby, Dan, Max and more!


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My friend and fellow INSPY Advisory Board member, Amy of My Friend Amy is running a series of interviews with Christian publishing houses on their purpose and mission for the fiction they publish. You will find these interviews fascinating.

Click here to read interviews with B&H Publishing, Bethany House and Tyndale House, with more to come.


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One of my all time favourite authors, Dale Cramer, has a new home created by the amazing Kelli Standish and her team at PulsePoint Design.

Be sure to visit the site and get your hands on Dale's books ~ I can recommend each one. In addition, Dale writes a fabulous blog with wit, insight, depth and occasional silliness and it is well worth subscribing to.


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Lastly, I'm making an exception to my "fiction only" rule to share with you Lynn Donovan & Dineen Miller's new release, Winning Him Without Words.

Lynn and Dineen's website (also created by Kelli and her team) and blog are fantastic resources for women in spiritually mismatched marriages as they share wisdom, humour and pain on this topic.

Dining with Joy by Rachel Hauck

Synopsis:~

Host of a regionally syndicated cooking show, Joy Ballard has a little secret: she can’t cook. But when her show is picked up by a major network and given a prime time slot, her world heats up faster than a lowcountry boil.

Enter Luke Redmond: handsome, creative, and jobless after having to declare bankruptcy of his Manhatten restaurant. When her producers ask him to co-host the show, Joy sees Luke as her way out. But Luke sees much more than just a co-host in Joy.

Their relationship begins to simmer on and off set. Until Joy’s secret is revealed and her reputation is ruined on national television by her rival, Wenda Devine.

But could Devine’s cruelty be a divine gift? Losing Luke--and her sister--forces Joy to consider where her worth really comes from. Could God be cooking up an even bigger adventure from the mess? And will Joy hang on long enough to find out?

My take:~

Rachel Hauck always serves up a treat and Dining with Joy is a great addition to her literary menu! Joy finds herself trapped by the legacy of her late father, hosting his cooking show without any of the required skills. Her secret discovered by chef and failed restaurateur, Luke Redmond, the two combine skills to keep the show going until a rival host destroys their recipe for success. With unique characters, sparkling dialogue, complex relationships and a spiritual message to be savoured, Dining with Joy is an engaging romance that is sure to please.

With thanks to Wynn~Wynn Media for my review copy

Relz Reviewz Extras

Reviews of The Sweet By and By, Love Starts With Elle, Sweet Caroline and Diva NashVegas

Interview with Rachel

Visit Rachel's website

Buy Rachel's books at Amazon or Koorong

12 Pearls of Christmas ~ Rachel Hauck

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as Melody Carlson, Lauraine Snelling, Rachel Hauck, Tricia Goyer, Maureen Lang, and more share their heartfelt stories of how God has touched their life during this most wonderful time of the year.

AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!! Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS! You may enter once a day. The winner will be announced on New Year's Day at the Pearl Girls Blog! Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all.

~~~

Wear Joy

by Rachel Hauck

Thanksgiving day in central Florida broke warm and sunny under a blue sky. The thin fall breeze beckoned me. Taking my bike out, I rode the neighborhood feeling so grateful for all my blessings.

Joy bubbled up in my spirit. I’d been feeling it for a day, these waves of joy, but as I rode my bike and talked to God, the waves strengthened and splashed my heart the entire ride.

I’d laugh. Then tear up. And laugh again. As one who’s battled and won the war on anxiety and fear attacks, the onslaught of joy was welcomed, and actually sparked a new prayer in my heart. I’ve endured attacks of panic, time for attacks of joy.

The journey of joy began earlier in the year while writing a book coincidentally named, “Dining with Joy.”

Sitting at my table one day, revelation hit me. “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” Nehemiah 8:10. The more I meditated on it, the more I wanted His joy. I don’t want my strength. I want His.

Not long after, I went to Nashville for a girl’s weekend. One of my friends handed me a coffee cup inscribed with “The joy of the Lord is my strength.”

Ever just know? God is calling.

During the holiday season, I turn 50. Yep, the big 5-0. Can’t stop it, I might as well embrace it.

Fifty is often associated with jubilee, a time of restoration, and healing, even release from debt and slavery. It’s a time of returning to property, and inheritance.

A time of rest.

A time of JOY!

This past week, a friend gifted me with a beautiful Christmas ornament. Inscribed on it? You guessed it.

JOY!

To me, the world doesn’t look very joyful. There are social and economic woas. But God is speaking and offering joy.

As you go into this holiday season, ask God for a pearl of joy. Like pearls, crafted through abrasion, God’s true joy is often formed in us during difficult seasons.

Here’s the thing, His strength isn’t doled out based on our goodness, our success or failure, or the fact the holiday season is hard or sad for you. He is ready, willing and able to overcome all your weaknesses, fears and anxiety, sadness with the power of His very own joy.

His joy. Your strength.

I’ve been walking into rooms, houses, outdoors, raising my arms and shouting, “Joy!” People look at me funny, but I want to spread the joy of the Lord. To spread the very essence of His strength.

How about you? Can you find the pearl of joy in your life, in the essence of God’s heart toward you?

Wear joy this season.

~~~

About Rachel: RITA-finalist Rachel Hauck lives in Florida with her husband, Tony. She is the author of Dining with Joy; Sweet Caroline; Love Starts with Elle; and The Sweet By and By, co-authored with Sara Evans. For more information please visit www.rachelhauck.com.

Oh, and be sure to enter Rachel's Dining With Joy NOOK eReader giveaway!

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A three strand pearl necklace will be given away on New Year's Day. All you need to do to have a chance of winning is {FILL OUT THIS QUICK ENTRY FORM}. The winner will be announced on the Pearl Girls Blog (http://margaretmcsweeney.blogspot.com) on New Years Day!

12 Pearls of Christmas Series and contest sponsored by Pearl Girls®.

For more information, please visit www.pearlgirls.info

Rachel Hauck introduces Dining for Joy

Rachel Hauck writes books I love and no doubt Dining for Joy will join her other books in my TBRA (to be read again!) pile. In this trailer Rachel shares about her book and cooks a mean recipe, too :)

Enjoy!

Coming in 2011 from Thomas Nelson

Can you see me jumping up and down? Loving the look of these books from Thomas Nelson and some of my favourite authors :)

Denise Hunter's A Convenient Groom and Surrender Bay are being reissued with new covers ~ what do you think?

Can't wait to read the mischief cooked up by Jenny and Kristin in Save the Date and A Billion Reasons Why!

Rachel's a fave and I know so many of you love Neta and Sara :)

Sigh ~ don't you just love books?! Stay tuned because I will back tomorrow with more 2011 releases in a different genre for you ;-)



Softly & Tenderly by Sara Evans & Rachel Hauck

Jade has moved from her past toward a bright future. But then the man she loves most destroys her trust.

Jade Fitzgerald's hope for a perfect marriage shatters when her husband confesses he has an illegitimate son. What’s more, he wants to raise the boy in their home.

Hurting and confused, Jade embarks on a road trip to Iowa to take her sick mother to her childhood home. In the comfort of the old homeplace, Jade struggles with her fears and the tug of her first love. With the help of her family and her faith, she comes to understand her future doesn't rest on the power of her past, but in the goodness of God's mercy.

January, 2011







Surrender Bay by Denise Hunter

Once childhood friends, Samantha and Landon are now separated by distance and secrets. Will Samantha’s return to Nantucket bring her the peace she longs for?

Samantha Owen's estranged stepfather has died, leaving her his cottage in Nantucket--a place she left years ago, never planning to return. As a single mom, Samantha can't afford to pass up on a financial windfall like ocean-front property. So she travels home to fix up the house and sell it . . . never suspecting that Landon Reed still lives two doors down.

As their long-dormant romance begins to bud again, Samantha must face a past that left her with a fear of abandonment and the fact that Landon still doesn't know why she left the island.

Will Sam finally find the God who never abandoned her? The secrets she's hidden all these years could tear her and Landon apart . . . unless his love is really as unconditional as he claims.

A heart-tugging tale of shattered trust and enduring love . . . all in a romantic, seaside setting.

January, 2011

The Convenient Groom by Denise Hunter

She wrote the book--literally--on finding the right mate. But does she really understand what love's about?

Five hours before her Nantucket beach wedding--and on the eve of her big book launch--celebrity marriage counselor Kate Lawrence has everything in place.

Everything, that is, but the groom. She might not have a career, either, when her nationwide audience finds out their marriage guru has been left at the altar.

Enter Lucas Wright, who offers to stand in for the missing husband-to-be and marry her. Kate's desperate enough to agree--although she's sure this Mr. Wright is completely wrong for her. Can they pull it off? And why would Lucas marry her in the first place?

With her life spinning out of control, Kate wonders what good her carefully laid plans are if they only lead to chaos. Could it be that "Dr. Kate" doesn't know the first thing about love? When she seeks God's will instead of her won, Kate finally discovers true and lasting love.

January, 2011

A Cowboy's Touch by Denise Hunter

Wade's ranch home needs a woman's touch. Abigail's life needs a cowboy's touch.

Four years ago, rodeo celebrity Wade Ryan gave up his identity to protect his daughter. Now, settled on a ranch in Big Sky Country, he lives in obscurity, his heart guarded by a high, thick fence.

Abigail Jones isn’t sure how she went from big-city columnist to small-town nanny, but her new charge is growing on her, to say nothing of her ruggedly handsome boss. Love blossoms between Abigail and Wade--despite her better judgment. Will the secrets she brought with her to Moose Creek, Montana separate her from the cowboy who finally captured her heart?

March, 2011

Save the Date by Jenny B Jones

When Alex and Lucy pick out wedding invitations, they wonder if they can be printed in vanishing ink.

Former NFL star Alex Sinclair is a man who has it all--except the votes he needs to win his bid for Congress. Despite their mutual dislike, Alex makes Lucy a proposition: pose as his fiancée in return for the money she desperately needs. Bound to a man who isn't quite what he seems, Lucy will find her heart on the line--and maybe even her life.

When God asks Alex and Lucy to scrap their playbook and follow his rules, will they finally say, "I do"?


February, 2011










A Billion Reasons Why by Kristin Billerbeck

He’s a handsome billionaire. She’s not impressed.

Katie McKenna has never loved any man but one: billionaire Luc DeForges. He was her first love. But there are a billion reasons why she's engaged instead to Dexter Hastings, a solid and stable man who wants the same things she does: marriage and a family but all of the things that she wants without the deep-seeded pain and fear of being abandoned that Luc brings.

Dexter and she have worked an arrangement that's akin to faith without action, love without deeds -- a dead faith. Going home to New Orleans to sing for her childhood friend's wedding, Katie must search her heart to find out if any of her reasons for being with Dexter are stronger than love. Only when Katie steps fully into faith and jumps off the cliff of life into the arms of Luc does she understand the fullness of God's grace.

February, 2011

Who Is My Shelter by Neta Jackson

Every woman needs a safe shelter.

The tables have turned and Gabby's estranged husband--who threw her out when she didn't live up to his image of a "corporate wife"--needs her in a way neither ever expected. He's begging for reconciliation, but Gabby has moved on, finding purpose and a future in the House of Hope. Not only has she found shelter for herself and her sons there, but she's able to help provide shelter for homeless moms and their kids.

And yet . . . there's a hole in her life. Is God leading Gabby down a new path and giving her something--and someone--new? Or is He redeeming what she thought was gone forever?

March, 2011

Character Spotlight ~ Rachel Hauck & Sara Evans' Jade, Beryl & Max

Today the spotlight shines on..................Jade, Beryl & Max

Rachel Hauck's latest novel, The Sweet By and By is a collaboration with singer/songwriter Sara Evans. An intriguing and charming story of an estranged mother and daughter and the wedding that just might bring them together.

Enjoy and over to you, Rachel:~


Brief physical description

RH: Jade has dark hair with olive eyes. Medium build. I kind of leave the characters to the readers imagination unless a physical trait is key.

Rel: How about Jessica Alba for Jade?

Beryl is a '60s hippie who never really left the era. She has long braided gray hair. Same olive eyes as Jade.

Max is dark, Italian skin with hazel eyes.

Actor/famous person

RH: I had an actor picked out for Max, Jesse somebody, but I searched the internet for pictures of Jade and Beryl. Oh, I had a picture of Janis Joplin for Beryl but she was much prettier!

Strengths and weaknesses

RH: Jade doesn't know she's loveable. Everyone has left her. So she is tentative. She deals with panic and depersonalization. But she also endures, perseveres and makes life work for her.

Beryl lives the '60s even into her 60s. She wants to live free. But she really does love her daughter. She has an odd way of showing it.

Max has a bunch of issues. But he's really in love with Jade. He's self centered and weak in dealing with stress. But he seeks to do good.

Your inspiration for the character

RH: Because Sara Evans and I wrote the book together, she was a big part of the inspiration. She conceived the story idea and I worked to develop the characters with her thought and input. It was fun to have a partner and inspiration.

We talked about Sara's life and people she knew and inspired her. We talked about what kind of story she wanted to tell and I just thought of who would fit the design.

I did a lot of research for Beryl's character. It was interesting to look into the '60s lifestyle and the revolution that started the Summer of Love in San Francisco in '67.

Background to the story

RH: Since this is a celebrity collaboration, I'll give you the background to how the project came about.

Thomas Nelson approached multi-platinum country artist Sara Evans about doing a book project because so much of her music is about story.

Once she agreed to the idea, they brought me in to work with her. It's been really fun and amazing.

We recently brainstormed book three in the Songbird Novel series.

I always look forward to all your books, Rachel and am keen to read what happens to in the sequel!



On Thursday the spotlight shines on Priscilla Morton and Zachary Webster from Amanda Cabot's Scattered Petals so be sure to come back!

Relz Reviewz Extras

Reviews of The Sweet By and By, Love Starts With Elle, Sweet Caroline and Diva NashVegas

Interview with Rachel

Visit Rachel's website

Visit Sara's website

Buy Sara & Rachel's books at Amazon or Koorong

The Sweet By and By by Sara Evans & Rachel Hauck

Synopsis:~

Jade Fitzgerald left the pain of her past in the dust when she headed out for college a decade ago. Now she’s thriving in her career and glowing in the light of Max Benson’s love.

But then Jade’s hippie mother, Beryl Hill, arrives in Whisper Hollow, Tennessee, for Jade’s wedding along with Willow, her wild younger sister. Their arrival forces Jade to throw open the dark closets of her past--the insecurity of living with a restless, wandering mother, the silence of her absent father, and the heart-ripping pain of first-love’s rejection.

Turns out Beryl has a secret of her own. She needs reconciliation with her oldest daughter before illness takes her life. In the final days leading to the wedding, Jade meets the One who shows her that the past has no hold on her future. With a little grace, they’ll meet in the middle, maybe even before that sweet by and by.

My take:~

I see a lot of promise in the collaboration between singer and songwriter, Sara Evans and seasoned author, Rachel Hauck. I have adored all of Rachel's previous novels and wondered how this merger of songstress and writer would turn out. The Sweet By and By has all the hallmarks of a good Southern read, sassy characters, a tender yet tragic romance and a heart warming feeling as the last page ends! Jade's struggle to overcome her wounds as a neglected child, Beryl's bumbling attempts at reconciliation and the return of a lost love give Evans and Hauck plenty of scope to delve into the complexity of the human heart, our desperate desire to be loved and the pain of regrets that refuse to stay buried. While the story ended in an unexpected fashion for me, this pairing of two talented writers is sure to produce more uplifting stories of faith and family readers will long for.

With thanks to Thomas Nelson for my review copy

Relz Reviewz Extras

Reviews of Love Starts With Elle, Sweet Caroline and Diva NashVegas

Interview with Rachel

Visit Rachel's website

Visit Sara's website

Buy Sara & Rachel's books at Amazon or Koorong

Friendship Friday ~ What do you value in your close friendships with women?

This is my final Friendship Friday post for now :(

I hope you have enjoyed the insights of the women who have shared over the past months about their friendships ~ my thanks to each and every one.

A new series of posts are coming to Fridays from next week ~ they will be fun, informative and something you can use! I think you are going to love them!

For now, I can't think of a more lovely woman to end my Friendship Friday posts with than the talented Rachel Hauck!

Rachel Hauck

In my college days, I was in a sorority. I loved the camaraderie we shared. I loved meeting in the kitchen at one a.m. to raid the fridge of left overs. I loved how much we laughed. To this day, it's one of the things I love most about my friends. I value honesty and acceptance in friendships. I don't do well with women who want to change me. I love engaging conversation and insight on life.

On Tuesday nights, I participate in a ministry which takes place in a coffee shop. There are five of us, all women. We've had long conversations about life and love sitting around the table. What I value from these women in their insight about God and life, and ability to listen. And yes, we laugh.

Sweet Caroline ~ Love Starts With Elle ~ The Sweet By and By (Dec, 2009)