Wednesday, August 08, 2018

BISCUITS, BUTTER AND BLESSINGS - Linda Kozar - One Free Book


This 90-day devotional is the third continuation to DaySpring’s bestselling, farmhouse-inspired, Grits to Grace and Sweet Tea for the Soul titles. Sweet servings of inspiration, these down-home devotions are chock-full of Scripture, Godly wisdom, and common-sense country wit. Each devotion begins with a thoughtful or witty title, a Scripture, an inspirational story or thought, a faith-check take-away, and ends with a humorous or thought-provoking tag. Like a hand-stitched and heartfelt gift, these faith-crafted pages will bring a smile to your face and a tear to your eye.

Publisher: DaySpring, RELEASES August 6, 2018
ISBN-13: 978-1684085590
DaySpring has set up the code 5BISCUITS good for $5 off any purchase on DaySpring.com. Good thru 8/31/18.

Dear Readers, Linda Kozar is a dear friend of mine. She actually started the Along Came A Writer BlogTalk radio network. The Lena Nelson Dooley Show is on that network. Linda and I have spent time together a number of times, even though she lives in the Houston are and I’m in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. She writes both fiction and nonfiction. She is one of my most fun friends.

Welcome back, Linda. What would you like for our readers to know about you personally?

Ten Things You Never Wanted to Know About Linda Kozar

1. I like to put black olives on my fingers and eat them.
2. In July of 2013, I lost the diamond from my wedding band and prayed without ceasing. The odd thing is--I was incredibly chill about it--calm and confidant that God was taking care of the situation. Within a week, God answered! I found the stone on my kitchen floor of all places. Thought it was a crumb!
3. Waiter, waiter--there's a shoe in my soup! That's right. One Sunday after church, our family went out to eat, and a shoe landed in my soup! A little girl standing next to her family was kicking her leg back and forth and I guess her shoe was a bit loose . . .
4. My personal fingernails-on-the-chalkboard moment? I can't stand the sound of styrofoam rubbing against cardboard--unfortunate for me because almost every electronic item I purchase is packaged that way. 
5. On a canoe trip through the Honey Island Swamp, butterflies, attracted to my botanical shampoo thought my head was a designated landing strip. The top of my head was soon a-flutter with a gorgeous array of the colorful insects. If only I had a picture of my butterfly chapeau!
6. The day I gave my heart to Jesus, I was instantly delivered from nicotine! I never ever craved or smoked another cigarette or had withdrawals. God delivered my soul and took away my addiction to nicotine, and I will be forever grateful to Him.
7. My father was in Oschner Hospital in 1989, dying from a massive heart attack. As if the damage to the heart muscle wasn't enough, he had a leaking heart valve and an aneurism that could instantly end his life. Our family joined hands and prayed the night before his surgery. My brother felt moved by God to pray the prayer of Hezekiah and ask God for another fifteen years. So we did. And after Daddy's surgery, the surgeon pronounced the surgery a success. However, he couldn't figure out why the heart valve was no longer leaking and the aneurism had disappeared! And our father lived fifteen years to the day. The surgery was performed on Valentine's Day, 1989 and he died on Valentine's Day, 2004. God kept His promise and granted us more time with our beloved father.
8. I will tear you up in a game of Rummikubs! But I'm pitiful at Yahtzee, terrible at cards, and okay at Scrabble.
9. My mom has dementia and she's adorable! Wherever we go, whether to the grocery store or mall or on a walk, she spots things on the ground—coins, keychain charms, nails, gemstones, thimbles—you name it! So I keep a memory jar of all her finds. A collection of all the wonderful and quirky items she's amassed over the years. I labeled it "Mom's Little Treasures." Like I said, she's ADORABLE!
10. If I tell you I'm going to pray for you—I mean it. I WILL be praying for you and you WILL see the results of that prayer. My Father in heaven always hears my cries for you and He never fails to answer. If you don't expect a miracle, you'll never ever have one. 

I love the list. Readers, see I told you she was fun. Now, Linda, tell us about your family.
My husband Michael and I have been married for 29 years and we have two daughters. Our oldest, Katie is a psycho-therapist and is married to Dan, the youth pastor at First Baptist Church of Lufkin. Lauren is a social strategist at The Richards Group, an advertising agency in Dallas.

Have you written other nonfiction books?
Yes, Sweet Tea For The Soul (also Dayspring), Babes With A Beatitude (Simon & Schuster), Moving Tales, Doomsday Devotions.

Do you have any other books in the works right now?
Forget-Me-Not just published Calliope’s Kiss, a historical gothic romance set in New Orleans and it has everything a gothic romance should have. A creepy old mansion. A cemetery. Characters with lots of secrets. Suspense. Murder. More secrets. Romance. And a touch of insanity, of course.

I am presently working on another cozy mystery.

I want to feature the gothic romance on the blog. What kinds of hobbies and leisure activities do you enjoy?
When I’m not writing I like to paint. Either in oil or acrylic usually. But I sometimes dabble in watercolor, though I’m not very good at it.

Why did you write the featured book?
Dayspring asked me to do a follow-up book to Sweet Tea For The Soul, which is quite popular.

What do you want the reader to take away from the book?
Hopefully, they will read a daily devotion and go through their day feeling blessed. And maybe they will bake some delicious biscuits from the recipes included in the book, with a generous pat of butter!

Is there anything else you’d like to tell my readers about you or your book?
I write my devotions from notes I take during my daily time with the Lord. I open my Bible randomly every morning and read the passages on the open pages. And I am never disappointed. God always gives me something wonderful to work with and ideas to combine with scripture. I take a lot of time writing every devotion and making sure I choose the right scripture to go with what I’ve written. There’s a lot of love put into what I do.

Please give us the first page or two from the book.


  
Where on the Internet can the readers find you?

Thank you, Linda, for sharing this new devotional with me and my blog readers. I know what I’m going to be using for a devotional when it comes.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.
Biscuits, Butter, and Blessings: Farm Fresh Devotions for Hope and Comfort

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:

20 comments:

Linda Kozar said...

GREAT NEWS! DaySpring has set up a code 5BISCUITS for Lena's blog visitors that is good for $5 off any purchase on DaySpring.com. Good thru 8/31/18. So, instead of paying $12.99 for Biscuits, Butter and Blessings, you'll pay just $7.99!!!

Emma said...

"BISCUITS, BUTTER AND BLESSINGS by Linda Kozar sounds wonderful.Have a good week. Thank you for the opportunity to win.PA.

Linda Kozar said...

Thank you Emma! Hope you have a good week too!

Robin in NC said...

I really liked how the 2 displayed paged looked, very friendly & usable. Your interview was delightful, made me smile. Thanks for sharing with us!

Robin from Raleigh, NC

Melanie Backus said...

I loved the interview and I love the title of this book. Linda is new to me and I am thrilled to meet her. She sounds like a great gal! Melanie Backus, TX

Vera Godley said...

This book of devotions (and Linda's wonderful attitude and faith) is just what I need right now. I would really love to win a copy. Won't go into details, but life has been in the bumps and dumps lately with husband's health and my caregiving responsibilities.

Thank you, Lena, for a delightful interview (and introduction to me) of this lovely author.

Vera
I'm in central North Carolina (about 40 miles from Robin (above comment) in Raleigh - but we don't know each other.

Linda Kozar said...

Hi Melanie! Thanks for the kind words!

Linda Kozar said...

Vera, I'm sorry you're going through a rough patch right now. If any of us could see what was ahead, I'll bet most of us would run the other way, but I'm sure thankful that God is with us when we go through those storms in life. Prayers up for you!

SARAH TAYLOR said...

Thank you so much for the awesome giveaway sounds like an awesome book! from Ohio

Kay Garrett said...

Really enjoyed reading and learning about Linda Kozar who is a new to me author. I can so relate to her father's health issues in #7 of her little known facts. My Mom suffered a ruptured aneurysm in the brain in 1996. It was through the use of experimental drugs that I know God was instrumental in seeing that she got and the God given talents of surgeons in Zale-Lispy Hospital and many uplifted prayers that Mom not only survived, but had little side affected that they had warned us about. She lived 18 more years until God was ready for her to go to her heavenly home.

Thank you for the wonderful chance to win a copy of her wonderful devotional.
Kay Garrett from Mountain View, AR
2clowns at arkansas dot net

Linda Kozar said...

Thank you Sarah!

Linda Kozar said...

Thanks for sharing your story Kay! God is amazing! Loved hearing your testimony.

Dianna said...

This is a new author for me. Loved the author interview. Pinning the book cover so I can find it later when I'm ready for a new book!
Dianna (TN)

Connie Porter Saunders said...

Linda, I enjoyed this post and I'm so glad that you found your ring setting. Several years ago I did my nightly walk and then when to Bible study at church. As I sat there, I happened to look down and my diamond was gone! I was panicked but I did maintain an outward appearance if calm. And then, there in the crease of my jeans, was my diamond! My minister offered a prayer of thanks because it is very unlikely that I could have found it in that cemetery!
Blessings!
Connie from Kentucky
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com

Lourdes said...

What a wonderful devotional thank you for a great interview.

Sharon Bryant said...

Enter me!!
Conway SC.

Linda Kozar said...

Thank you Lourdes!

Linda Kozar said...

Dianna, nice to meet you!

Connie-what a story? Your diamond was in the crease of your jeans? Wow!

Linda Kozar said...

Dianna, nice to meet you!

Connie-what a story? Your diamond was in the crease of your jeans? Wow!

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