Celebrate Lit Presents: The Secret Sauce: A Story of Apples, Robots, and a Grateful Heart (Rena Whittaker Book 2) Author: Fay A. Klingler

 

About the Book

Book: The Secret Sauce: A Story of Apples, Robots, and a Grateful Heart (Rena Whittaker Book 2)

Author: Fay A. Klingler

Genre: Children Ages 6-11

Release Date: June 26, 2026

The recipe for joy? A grateful heart and helping hands!

When Rena Whittaker’s neighbor, Eithan, falls from a ladder and injures his ankle, Rena and her best friend Harper jump into action to help save his apple harvest. What begins as hard work soon turns into a day filled with laughter, teamwork, and an unexpected surprise that changes everything. In this engaging adventure, Rena discovers a powerful truth—happiness has a secret ingredient.

This tender, faith-filled story gently weaves together gratitude, service, and friendship. A beautiful choice for Christian families, thoughtful gifting, and parents and grandparents who want to share stories that nurture both faith and character.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Fay A. Klingler is an accomplished author and illustrator known for her award-winning work in both creative and technical writing. Her literary contributions span a wide range of subjects, with a particular focus on empowering women, promoting effective grandparenting, and guiding individuals through betrayal recovery. In addition to her inspirational works for adults, Fay is also recognized for her captivating children’s books, weaving together heartwarming stories that spark imagination and impart valuable life lessons. Her insights and expertise have made her a sought-after motivational speaker.

 

More from Fay

Ever made apple juice by pressing apples through an old wooden apple press? One of my favorite scenes in The Secret Sauce came about because it happened to me in real life—swallowing a fly! I was just a young teenager helping a neighbor press apples for juice. I opened my mouth and in flew a fly. Just like Harper in the story, I coughed and coughed to expel the insect, but instead I swallowed it! I’m the one taking this picture at my neighbor’s home.

 

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 16

Simple Harvest Reads, October 17 (Author Interview)

The Vine and The Branch, October 17

Texas Book-aholic, October 18

Artistic Nobody, October 19 (Author Interview)

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, October 20

Guild Master, October 21 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, October 22

Fiction Book Lover, October 23 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, October 23

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, October 24

The Bookish Ledger, October 25 (Author Interview)

Labor Not in Vain, October 26

Vicky Sluiter, October 27 (Author Interview)

Lots of Helpers, October 28

For the Love of Literature, October 29 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Fay is giving away the grand prize of an eBook copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://gleam.io/ugVlG/the-secret-sauce-celebration-tour-giveaway

Celerate Lit Presents: My Grief Shared: A Tiny Book of Essays on Death, Loss . . . and Life Author: Ladonna Shanks

 

About the Book

Book: My Grief Shared: A Tiny Book of Essays on Death, Loss    . . . and Life

Author: Ladonna Shanks

Genre: Memoir

Release Date: June 23, 2026

Do you find yourself overcome while living in the darkness of loss? Do you wonder if it will ever end . . . or if you will even survive?

In My Grief Shared: A Tiny Book of Essays on Death, Loss . . . and Life, Ladonna Shanks shares a message of hope while chronicling her persornal experience with grief. The essays, written in the midst of her grief journey, are bare, raw, open, and honest. Woven throughout these insightful anecdotes, however, is the fact that death is not the sole source of loss and ensuing grief, making this a relatable read for all. The book can minister to anyone who deals with grief and loss.

A light at the end of the tunnel exists. There is hope.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Octogenarian Ladonna Shanks has published two other books of personal essays: Tidbits and Pearls: A Book of Essays on Living Everyday Life with God, A Cascade Award finalist, and Sermons from a Soapbox. My Grief Shared was also a finalist in the Cascade Awards Contest. She strives in all she does to honor God and encourage others.

 

 

 

 

More from Ladonna

I did not plan on writing another book after publishing Sermons From a Soapbox. However, when my partner passed away three years ago, I began writing as a means of comfort and solace. I tossed my essays into a drawer and, after two and a half years, realized I had made it through the dark tunnel of grief back into the “land of the living.”

Death is not the sole source of grief and loss. My heart’s desire is to share with others that “You are not alone,” and “If God did it for me, He can do it for you.”

It’s a “tiny” book, only 10,000 words, but it is “mighty.”

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, October 15

Simple Harvest Reads, October 16 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, October 17 (Author Interview)

Guild Master, October 18 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 19

Fiction Book Lover, October 20 (Author Interview)

The Bookish Ledger, October 21 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, October 21

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, October 22 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, October 23

Books, Books, & More Books, October 24 (Author Interview)

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, October 25 (Author Interview)

Books Less Travelled, October 26 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 27

History, Hope & Happily Ever After, October 28 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, October 28

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Ladonna is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card, a copy of my book, and a variety set of 6 handmade floral photo note cards, (including birthday, sympathy, and thank you)!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://gleam.io/98wTW/my-grief-shared-celebration-tour-giveaway

JustRead Publicity Tours, LLC Presents: Secrets in Amish Country by Mary Alford

 

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Secrets in Amish Country by Mary Alford, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Secrets in Amish Country 
Author: Mary Alford 
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense 
Release Date: October 27, 2026 
Genre: Amish Romantic Suspense

The truth could cost her everything… 
even her life. 

Eve Lantz’s life takes a deadly shift when her return home after her brother’s sudden death is met with gunfire from an unknown assailant. Still haunted by her father’s unsolved murder, Eve is determined to uncover the truth behind the tragedies surrounding her family. Joining forces with her childhood friend, Assistant Police Chief Casey Masterson, she plunges into a dangerous investigation. Casey vows to protect Eve and expose the secrets linking these crimes, but the deeper they go, the more perilous their search becomes. The shadowy perpetrator will stop at nothing to keep his dark secrets hidden—and Eve may be the next victim.  

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Harlequin.com | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook | Bookshop | BookBub

My Review

If you enjoy a read that really keeps you on your toes and ducking as bullets fly, this book sure has it all. I have read many books by this author and she never disappoints.
When Eve Lantz's brother dies, she finally comes back home. She left after her father had been murdered, and now has come home to help her mom and her little niece, now an orphan.
Someone does not want her here in Rachel’s Crossing, Kentucky, but whom, what does she know that could have her murdered.
Another childhood friend is now by her side, he is Assistant Police Chief Casey Masterson, and he sure is there to help her and her family. There does seem to be some sparks flying between these two, along with all the danger that seems to be around every corner.
As the story evolved, and the danger increased, you keep wondering whom to trust.
Did I ever guess right, not really, with all the twists here, you are in for a great read, it will keep you page turning!
I received this book from the author via JustRead Publicity Tours, LLCs, and was not required to give a positive review.
 

Also Available

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About the Author

Mary Alford is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author who loves giving her readers the unexpected, combining unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots that result in stories the reader can’t put down. Her books have garnered several awards and nominations. Mary lives deep in the heart of Texas with her husband, two cats, and a dog. Mary is very active online and would love to connect with readers on Facebook, Instagram, and X.

Connect with Mary by visiting maryalford.net to follow her on social media and subscribe to email newsletter updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a print copy of Secrets in Amish Country and a $50 Amazon gift card!

(2) winners will each receive a print copy of Secrets in Amish Country!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight October 26, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on November 2, 2026. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

Celebrate Lit Presents: Wounds and Rescues Author: Kathleen Rouser

 

About the Book

Book: Wounds and Rescues

Author: Kathleen Rouser

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: October 6, 2026

A nurse with a wounded heart. A former lawman haunted by loss. An attraction neither can afford.

Rose Sinclair has built a careful new life in Stone Creek, hiding her painful past beneath a high lace collar. When private investigator Caleb Ellis arrives claiming he’s found a grandfather for two orphans she’s grown to love, she’s determined not to trust him—or let him take the children she’s come to cherish.

Caleb needs Rose’s cooperation to reunite the children with their family. But as questions begin to surface and shadows from Rose’s past reappear, it becomes clear someone is willing to do whatever it takes to keep the truth buried.
Forced to travel west posing as husband and wife, Rose and Caleb must protect the children while outrunning a past determined to destroy them. As danger closes in, Caleb must confront the faith he abandoned, and Rose must decide if she can risk her heart again.

Because this time, trusting the wrong person won’t just break them—it could cost them everything.

Perfect for fans of Karen Witemeyer and Mary Connealy, this faith-filled historical romance features a forced-proximity journey, blending danger, redemption, and a road that leads two wounded hearts toward love.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Kathleen Rouser is a multi-published, award-winning author of historical and contemporary Christian romance. She is a longtime member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Faith, Hope and Love Christian Writers. She resides in southeast Michigan, a location which she often uses in her novels, with her hero and husband of forty-some years and two sweet cats who found a home in their empty nest.

 

 

 

More from Kathleen

Joining an Orphan Home with Foster Care

Rose Sinclair makes a quick appearance in the third Stone Creek Brides novel, Scandals and Mercies as the head nurse at the local unwed mother’s home. With a tender heart and hurts of her own, she desires to help in a different way and moves to a nursing position at the town’s small orphanage. It is a loving sanctuary to around a dozen children and youth waiting for forever families.

During the era of orphan trains, the Child and Family Services of Michigan was established in 1891. They started “receiving homes” which cared for children with the goal of adoption. By 1906, the organization advocated for children to be placed in foster care when they couldn’t remain with their natural families. Thus began the trend toward foster care rather than orphanages.

The care received in the Anna and Jared Barrington Home for Children falls in between the two. In Rumors and Promises, the first Stone Creek Brides novel, readers see a glimpse into Gloria Myles’s life and how she became the guardian for her granddaughter, Elise. From this situation came her passion to care for orphans, as well as her desire to memorialize her daughter and son-in-law.

While most orphanages were often harmful institutions, I’d like to think that there were places like the Anna and Jared Barrington Home for Children, though I may have taken a bit of literary license.

I thought about what might happen if some of the children had the opportunity to be reunited with a faraway relative. How may that have taken place? Enter private investigator Caleb Ellis, who has lost several people he loved. He’s on a mission to bring together the scattered family.

In Wounds and Rescues, Rose becomes deeply attached to orphans Sam and Nellie Tubbs. The childhood trauma she experienced prompts her to become fiercely protective of them. From small-town Michigan of 1903 to the hills of Montana, she embarks on a journey of forgiveness, healing, and facing the past.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 10

Books Less Travelled, October 11

Texas Book-aholic, October 12

lakesidelivingsite, October 13

Simple Harvest Reads, October 13 (Guest Review from Marilyn)

For Him and My Family, October 14

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 15

Betti Mace, October 16

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, October 17

Locks, Hooks and Books, October 17

Devoted To Hope, October 18

Jeanette’s Thoughts, October 19

Books You Can Feel Good About, October 20

Artistic Nobody, October 21 (Guest Review from Donna)

Holly’s Book Corner, October 22

Pause for Tales, October 22

Cover Lover Book Review, October 23

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kathleen is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://gleam.io/WuCup/wounds-and-rescues-celebration-tour-giveaway

JustRead Publicity Tours Presents: Crestwood Ranger Cover Reveal Blog Blitz

Welcome to the Cover Reveal Blitz for Crestwood Ranger by Jessica Ashley, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Crestwood Ranger Series: Ridge Defenders #1 Author: Jessica Ashley Publisher: B.A.D. Publishing, LLC (self) Release Date: February 22, 2027 Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

A wounded Ranger. A mother on the run. One cabin, and nowhere left to hide. Norah has run as far as she can. With an abusive ex-husband hunting her, and a blizzard swallowing the mountain, she carries her five-year-old son toward the only light for miles. But the man who opens the door just wants to be left alone. Former Army Ranger Theo Dancer lost his unit to betrayal and has spent every day since refusing to forgive himself for surviving. Determined to die alone in the mountains like he should have in that desert, he lives completely secluded from everyone. And then she shows up. Battered, broken, and carrying a little boy with bright eyes and a heart full of hope. The last thing Theo wants is a complication. But when it becomes clear that Norah isn’t just running from a storm, he jumps back into the fight. Keeping her alive means trusting her. But trusting anyone means opening a door he nailed shut the day he lost his brothers.

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Ready to see the cover?

PREORDER LINKS: Goodreads | Author's Website | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub

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About the Author

GRITTY READS FULL OF GRACE.

Jessica Ashley is a three-time award winning author of faith-filled stories where swoony romance meets edge-of-your-seat suspense. Her stories serve as a reminder that even in the darkest moments, God's love shines through with hope, healing, and redemption. When she's not writing, she's homeschooling her three kids, baking homemade bread, or sneaking in quiet moments with her husband in their New Hampshire home. You can find out more about her on her website.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a $20 gift card to the author's website shop and a signed copy of SEAL of Courage!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight October 23, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on October 30, 2026. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

Celebrate Lit Presents: A Threat at the Feast (A Rae Riley Mysteries Book) Author: JPC Allen

 

About the Book

Book: A Threat at the Feast (A Rae Riley Mysteries Book)

Author: JPC Allen

Genre: YA cozy mystery

Release Date: November 15

How can you trust when you don’t understand?

In November, amateur sleuth Rae Riley can be thankful for many things but not the media attention brought by a couple of recent cases she and her dad, Sheriff Walter “Mal” Malinowski solved in rural Marlin County, Ohio. When the publicity also brings the estranged grandfather and mother of her sort-of boyfriend, Deputy Chris Kincaid, he wants nothing to do with his family. Chris says his actress mother and movie director grandfather have only come to bask in the publicity from the high-profile cases.

But Rae notices that his grandfather carries a gun and seems afraid when a producer and his son, superhero movie star Talon Moore arrive in the county.

When Chris’s grandfather is found murdered outside the library where Rae works, and someone attacks Rae’s friend Devon and searches the library, Chris becomes the main suspect for Chief of Police Simcox. Rae and Mal race to bring Chris home for Thanksgiving before he’s prosecuted for first-degree murder.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

JPC Allen started her writing career in second grade with an homage to Scooby Doo, and she’s been tracking down mysteries ever since. She’s a Selah-finalist at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in both short story and YA categories for her YA series, Rae Riley Mysteries. Her first Rae Riley novel, A Shadow on the Snow, won first place in the ACFW KidLit contest for YA fiction. A Storm of Doubts, her second novel, came in second in both the KidLit and Selah contests.

She writes novels for teens who are looking for a different kind of Christian fiction, stories that combine the mysteries of faith with real-world mysteries and dangers, stories that ask tough questions that a tougher God can always handle.

JPC Allen loves to teach about writing and has led writing workshops online and at in-person events. In her workshops, she encourages writers to discover the adventure of writing on their own terms. Coming from a long line of Mountaineers, she’s a life-long Buckeye and sets all her mysteries in fictional Marlin County Ohio.

More from JPC

The Hardest Book I’ve Ever Written

I knew it was coming, and I dreaded it. Since I write my novels in order, I knew I was slowly closing in on the scenes that twisted my stomach when I thought about them.

Why was I dreading them? Because I was confronting some of my deepest fears.

I’ve always hated being accused of something I didn’t do. In elementary school, if the teacher decided I’d misbehaved, and I hadn’t, there wasn’t a thing I could do. A seven-year-old can’t argue with an adult. Knowing I couldn’t defend myself was a helplessness that has stayed with me my whole life.

I didn’t want to write about the trapped feeling Chris would experience when he was unjustly accused of his grandfather’s murder. I didn’t want to write how helpless Rae felt as she watched someone she loved face prosecution for something he didn’t do.

But I also knew if A Threat at the Feast was going to be a novel worth reading, I had to include those scenes. So as I wrote about Chris’s arrest and arraignment, I let all my feelings pour into Rae. Because my emotions were genuine, ideas and reactions would pop up in my mind as if I was living the ordeal with Rae. Such as when my research uncovered the fact that few jails in Ohio have visitor rooms with plexiglass booths anymore. All visits are either conducted through a video kiosk at the jail or through a video call from the visitor’s home. I had a deep aversion to that fact, and I gave that aversion to Rae.

Despite the emotional grinder I went through to write those scenes, I also knew that such turmoil would make the resolution that much sweeter and deeper, imitating our journey through life. And when a story accurately imitates life, a writer can’t ask for more than that.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, November 11

Simple Harvest Reads, November 12 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, November 13 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 14

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, November 14

Guild Master, November 15 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, November 16

Fiction Book Lover, November 17 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, November 18

The Bookish Ledger, November 19 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 20

Mary Hake, November 20

Tell Tale Book Reviews, November 21 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 22

Blossoms and Blessings, November 23 (Author Interview)

Lily’s Corner, November 24

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, JCP is giving away the grand prize of an Autumn mug, Seasonal loose leaf tea, Loose leaf tea steeper, Handmade bookmarks, Magnets, one signed copy each of A Riddle in the Lonesome October and A Threat at the Feast, and a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://gleam.io/tKADs/a-threat-at-the-feast-celebration-tour-giveaway

Secrets of the Artis Zoo: An Unforgettable Story Of Love, Grief, And Found Family In The Shadow Of War by Paulette Mahurin

 

During the dark days of World War II, amid Nazi domination and the deportation of Jews, the light of hope shines, often from the most ordinary of people. Such is the case in occupied Holland, where neighbors support one another and where unlikely friendships blossom.

After the death of his wife leaves Karl alone and bereft, the elephant Vrij at Amsterdam's Artis Zoo, where Karl is employed, becomes his closest companion. Soon, he strikes up a friendship with a Jewish family named Wolff, who have a little boy named Daniel. Karl is touched by the plight of the family, and he fears for the future of the little boy. But dark clouds loom on the horizon, and the family is threatened. Because of his close bond with the Wolffs, Karl too is in danger. There seems no way of escape, until fate takes over.

Based on the remarkable true story of the role the Artis Zoo played in helping refugees during World War II, Secrets of the Artis Zoo is a testament to the power of ordinary people to perform extraordinary acts of courage. In the worst of times, love and loyalty transcend all boundaries-even between species.

Amazon 

 

About The Author

 Paulette Mahurin is a best selling literary fiction and historical fiction novelist. She lives with her husband Terry and two dogs, Max and Bella, in Ventura County, California. She grew up in West Los Angeles and attended UCLA, where she received a Master’s Degree in Science.

Her first novel, The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap, made it to Amazon bestseller lists and won awards, including best historical fiction 2012 in Turning the Pages Magazine. Her second novel, His Name Was Ben, originally written as an award winning short story while she was in college and later expanded into a novel, rose to bestseller lists its second week out. Her third novel, To Live Out Loud, won international critical acclaim and made it to multiple sites as favorite read book of 2015. Her fourth book, The Seven Year Dress, made it to the top ten bestseller lists on Amazon U.S., Amazon U.K. and Amazon Australia. Her fifth book, The Day I Saw The Hummingbird, was released in 2017 to rave reviews. Her sixth book, A Different Kind of Angel, was released in August, 2018.

Semi-retired, she continues to work part-time as a Nurse Practitioner in Ventura County. When she’s not writing, she does pro-bono consultation work with women with cancer, works in the Westminster Free Clinic as a volunteer provider, volunteers as a mediator in the Ventura County Courthouse for small claims cases, and involves herself, along with her husband, in dog rescue. Profits from her books go to help rescue dogs from kill shelters.

 

My Review

 This is a fictional read with so much truth in it. The author brought the read alive with her rendition of what could of happened.
A story that begins with a lot of heartache, even before the evil that took over Europe in the 1930's began. At first the focus was on Karl, and his loss and the elephant that consoles him, and then others.
I cannot imagine the terror that went on in Holland at this time, so much hate, and why?
Be sure to read the notes at the end of this book, so much true happenings!
While a lot of Europe was going mad with hate, I loved how we meet people who had so much compassion, and were willing to give the ultimate!
We need to not forget!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Black Rose Writing, and was not required to give a positive review.