Are you ready to strip fear’s power over you and become the confident woman you were meant to be? Have you found that tolerating your personal fear monsters only makes them growl louder?
Okay, sister – take my hand and let’s boldly step up and yank the masks off those shadow-lurking, anxiety-churning, worry-generating beasts.
With her own brand of off-beat wit and wisdom, inspirational humorist Debora Coty addresses heart needs of women worn down by everyday fears – financial, health, relationships, loss, pain, the unknown, the what ifs …
With fresh spiritual insight, Debora shares hope, true life stories, scriptural lifelines, and a few LOL’s along with simple, practical tips for sidestepping fear with faith. And a fistful of chocolate!
Debora Coty is an occupational therapist, a piano teacher, and a freelance writer. She’s also involved in the children’s ministry at her church and is an avid tennis player. Debora began writing to fill the void when her last child left for college, and it has since become a passion. Debora has a real knack for getting across sound biblical concepts with a refreshing lightheartedness as attested in her monthly newspaper column entitled Grace Notes: God’s Grace for Everyday Living.
My Impressions:
Fear, Faith And A Fistful of Chocolate is a small book filled with big truths. Coty has taken the scary corners of our lives and exposed them with the light of God’s truth adding personal experiences, real life stories, and a bit of humor. Within its pages you will find everything from internal fears (guilt, loneliness), external fears (risk taking, obsessions), faceless fears (money and death) and the way to beat them through God’s provision and promises. Each of its chapters includes scripture to explore and questions to ponder. This book would be great as a small group study, individual study, or a great resource for girlfriends. So if you are looking for a God honoring, affirming way to conquer your fears, check out Fear, Faith, And A Fistful of Chocolate.
(I received this book from LitFuse in return for an honest review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.)
Reluctantly returning home for the holidays, Meg Campbell receives a frosty reception from her family and decides to leave for Edinburgh. Delayed by a snowstorm, she pours out her heart to a secretly hurting traveler named Gordon, who asks all the right questions. Can they find healing in each other—and perhaps something more?
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Liz Curtis Higgs has been telling tales since she attempted her first novel – handwritten in a marble notebook – at the tender age of ten. Successful careers in broadcasting, public speaking, nonfiction writing, and children’s books honed Liz’s storytelling talents, bringing her back to her first love – writing fiction – at the turn of the 21st century.
A gifted speaker, Liz Curtis Higgs has presented more than 1,500 inspirational programs for audiences in all 50 United States as well as Germany, England, Canada, Ecuador, France, and Scotland. In 1995, Liz received the highest award in professional speaking, the “Council of Peers Award for Excellence,” becoming one of only forty women in the world named to the CPAE-Speaker Hall of Fame by the National Speakers Association.
On the personal side, Liz is married to Bill Higgs, Ph.D., who serves as Director of Operations for her speaking and writing office. Liz and Bill share their 19th-century farmhouse in Kentucky with their two teenagers, Matt and Lilly, and too many cats. For more about Liz, visit her Web site: www.LizCurtisHiggs.com.
My Impressions:
Liz Curtis Higgs has spent a good amount of time in Scotland in her fiction. Now she brings us a Christmas novella set in the Victorian era in A Wreath of Snow. Meg Campbell has been home just for a few days and already she has had to flee her family home. The feelings of guilt and anger toward her brother Alan, who was injured as a child, have Meg escaping to the peace and security of her Edinburg home. But first she must make a train trip on a very snowy Christmas Eve. Gordon Shaw is on that train and recognizes Meg. In his reckless youth, he was the cause of her brother’s accident. Determined to make things right after years of shame, Gordon must first gain Meg’s forgiveness.
Liz Curtis Higgs has again captured the time and place of 1894 Scotland. Her meticulous research and her very talented pen transport the reader back in time. The scenes and scents, even the snow, come to life. Higgs has long been a favorite of mine, and this novella just reinforces her status at the top of the list of must read authors. The themes of guilt and God’s and man’s forgiveness are beautifully depicted. And there is an ending twist that will catch the reader by surprise.
So settle in with a mug of tea or cocoa and be prepared to spend a few evenings in snowy Scotland. A Wreath of Snow is a delightful addition for the Christmas reading season.
Highly Recommended.
I had the very great pleasure to meet with Liz Curtis Higgs back in July at the International Christian Retail Show in Orlando. As always, Liz was a gracious interviewee. Here are a few highlights from our conversation:
Liz told me that A Wreath of Snow grew out of a book on 19th century railways she found. She chose the year 1894 specifically because it was one of the snowiest in history. Of course she has spent a lot of time in Scotland researching her other books and has fallen in love with the people and places. (She is currently hosting a tour of Scotland! Click HERE to see details of the trip.) Another project very dear to her heart was released in July 2012 — The Girl’s Still Got It — a Bible study of the book of Ruth.
Liz spent 5 years from start to finish on this Bible study. She began the research in 2007 and then in 2008 started teaching the material in a Bible study. In 2009 she took it with her on the platform as a 3-4 part message in speaking engagements in New Zealand, South Africa and Scotland. Her deep focus on Ruth included 14 Bible translations. Her reliance on God’s leading is the most important thing. She prayed at every verse asking Lord? and then listened. In her pre-writing phase she goes through the verses many times. She thinks of stories to share, and then and only then, she turns to the commentaries, the most respected first. She takes copious notes and documents her work for thorough footnotes. After all her research and note taking, Liz goes back to the beginning and begins writing.
Liz is a wonderfully warm and welcoming woman. She has always made me feel so comfortable. And her stories and insights make you laugh and make you think! Thanks so much to Liz for meeting with me. I look forward to leading my own group in January into the time of Ruth and Boaz in The Girl’s Still Got It.
(I received copies of A Wreath of Snow and The Girl’s Still Got It from the publisher. The opinions expressed are mine alone.)
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Are you ready to strip fear’s power over you and become the confident woman you were meant to be? Have you found that tolerating your personal fear monsters only makes them growl louder?
Debora Coty is an occupational therapist, a piano teacher, and a freelance writer. She’s also involved in the children’s ministry at her church and is an avid tennis player. Debora began writing to fill the void when her last child left for college, and it has since become a passion. Debora has a real knack for getting across sound biblical concepts with a refreshing lightheartedness as attested in her monthly newspaper column entitled Grace Notes: God’s Grace for Everyday Living.
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