I'm over at the Girls, God, and the Good Life blog today with some random thoughts on healthy living while on vacation: I’m going on vacation and I’ll turn into a blimp! Camy here! And that’s exactly what I was fearing the weeks before my vacation. I’m sure at least some of you can relate, yes? Click here to read how God has been helping me!

Now's the time to do it! My agent and many of my friends have Kindles and love them. I have a Nook from Barnes and Noble and am partial to it, because I can buy ebooks from both BarnesandNoble.com and Fictionwise.com (which is a little cheaper) and read my ebooks on my Nook. With the Kindle, you can only buy books from Amazon.com. The Nook now has a Wi-Fi only version ($149) that's even cheaper than the Kindle, and their 3G version (similar to the Kindle and the Nook that I have) is only $199, which is only $10 more than the new Kindle price. I don't know if the Kindle can do this, but I just discovered that with my last software update to my Nook, I can actually surf websites on my Nook, too, as long as I have Wi-Fi! That's way cool! (However, like the iPhone and iPad, the Nook doesn't have Flash, so it can't load any sites using Flash.) The Kindle and Nook are great ereaders because they use the e-Ink technology for the screens, which enables you ...

Sabotage by Kit Wilkinson Olympic hopeful Emilie Gill is beautiful, rich, successful—and in danger. Someone's targeting her stable, her friends, her life…and there's nowhere for her to turn. The police? They've charged her with murder. Her father? Out of town—again. Her best friend? He's the man she's accused of killing. There's no one to count on—until Derrick Randall rides into her life. The stable manager's support encourages Emilie to open her carefully guarded heart. But just as she's learning to trust, it all comes apart. Her faith—and newfound love—are all she'll have when the sabotage turns deadly once more…. Excerpt of chapter one: Emilie Gill struggled to concentrate, but keeping her mind on riding and off of Camillo had proven impossible. Even with a renowned trainer evaluating her performance, she couldn't focus. And his disapproval might cost her a spot on the Olympic team. Still, it couldn't be helped. Something had ...

Captain's Log, Stardate 06.23.2010 In case any of you were wondering why I haven't posted regularly for the past month or two, I'm on deadline. My email Inbox has 800 messages, I haven't checked most of my email loops in forever, and my house has accumulated tumbleweeds of dog hair and cat-sized dust bunnies. (It was a choice between exercise and cleaning house, so I was selfish and chose me. :) I've even reduced the number of days per week that I cook for Captain Caffeine, who has taken it all like a trooper. Although I think he's on deadline at work, too, so we've been accommodating to each other. Right now I'm going to a couple writing conferences, which is making writing for deadline a little hard, but not impossible since most conferences give you a bit of downtime every day. It's also probably been a God-thing that my internet has been splotchy, forcing me to write as opposed to OCD-cleaning out my email Inbox. (Don't snicker at me, I...

Captain’s Log, Stardate 06.22.2010 The Weight of Shadows by Alison Strobel In The Weight of Shadows, after a difficult childhood, Kim has built a successful life for herself ... but she'd leave it all if it meant being rid of the guilt she harbors over a tragic mistake she made years ago. When she meets Rick, she finds everything she needs---including a way to pay for her sins every time he hits her. Kim and Rick's new neighbor, Joshua, knows more than Kim realizes about Rick, but Joshua has battles of his own to fight. Soon to intersect Kim's and Rick's lives is Debbie, who has saved countless women from abuse through the shelter she runs, but Debbie might be as desperate for love as the women she serves. Meanwhile, as Rick's wrath extends to their baby, Kim must decide if her penance is more important than protecting that innocent life---and if she should dare leave Rick when he has the power to bring her hidden crime to light. “Alison Strobel skillfully i...

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Maid to Match Bethany House (June 1, 2010) by Deeanne Gist ABOUT THE AUTHOR: After a short career in elementary education, Deeanne Gist retired to raise her four children. Over the course of the next fifteen years, she ran a home accessory and antique business, became a member of the press, wrote freelance journalism for national publications such as People, Parents, Parenting, Family Fun, Houston Chronicle and Orlando Sentinel , and acted as CFO for her husband’s small engineering firm--all from the comforts of home. Squeezed betwixt-and-between all this, she read romance novels by the truckload and even wrote a couple of her own. While those unpublished manuscripts rested on the shelf, she founded a publishing corporation for the purpose of developing, producing and marketing products that would reinforce family values, teach children responsibility and provide character building act...

Captain's Log, Stardate 06.21.2010 Some of you may not be on Facebook or Twitter and may not yet have heard me gushing (ad nauseum) about my new hobby! I have never been able to say that before I started the Jeff Galloway running program, but now I can really say I love running! Before you call the Gotham Sanitarium, read this to let me explain why this is cool and doesn't make me feel like I'm going to have a heart attack. I'm not expecting to convert (many) people, but I have been just so excited about this new method that I can't shut up about it! I chatted with my dad yesterday for Father's Day, and usually we don't have a whole lot to talk about but I spent 30 minutes talking about this running program. Dad was interested because he has been running since 1981 (which I didn't actually know until he told me, I thought he'd started running when I was in high school, but apparently I was 9 when he started running. The doctor told him his c...

Camy here: If you haven't read anything by Robin Lee Hatcher yet, you need to go out right now and buy this book! I have to admit that I enjoy her historical novels more than her contemporaries. (I hope that doesn't make her upset. :) You can read excerpts of all her books on her website in case you don't believe me when I tell you she's a fabulous writer! A Matter Of Character Zondervan (May 25, 2010) by Robin Lee Hatcher ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Robin Lee Hatcher discovered her vocation as a novelist after many years of reading everything she could put her hands on, including the backs of cereal boxes and ketchup bottles. The winner of the Christy Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction (Whispers from Yesterday), the RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance (Patterns of Love and The Shepherd's Voice), two RT Career Achievement Awards (Americana Romance and Inspirational Fiction), and the RWA Lifetime Achievement Award , Ro...

Camy here: So most of you know I love Regency romances. Well this is a Christian Regency romance! Yes, NO GRAPHIC SEX! And a spiritual thread! You have to check out Kaye's Regencies from Harvest House! Today's Wild Card author is: Kaye Dacus and the book: Ransome’s Crossing (The Ransome Trilogy) Harvest House Publishers (June 1, 2010) ***Special thanks to Karri James of Harvest House Publishers for sending me a review copy.*** This romantic follow up to Ransome's Honor unfolds as Charlotte, determined to see her fiancé, dresses as a man and joins a convoy led by her brother, Captain William Ransome. Meanwhile, William and Julia face the rough swells of their new marriage. Can love and faith endure life's storms? ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kaye Dacus, author of Ransome’s Honor has a Bachelor of Arts in English, with a minor in history, and a Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction. Her love of the Regency era started with Jane Austen. Her passion for literat...