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| Images Used by Permission via Celebrate Lit. |
Not many people love a good love story as much as I do. The one thing I
love better than a good love story is a good Christian love story.
Raining Fools by
Jackie Castle intertwines two Christian love stories in
one sweet tale.
Raining Fools: The Story
Stephen Gaines and Bekka Winters reunite after years of separation.
They had been high school sweethearts until Bekka’s protective brother,
Ethan, put a halt to their relationship. Ethan and Stephen had been
music partners until a twist in their relationship sent them down
separate paths. Now Ethan and his love, Haley, are working hard to
build a future together around a warm and cozy small town bed and
breakfast business. In addition to helping Haley build her bed and
breakfast business, Ethan is working on opening a recording studio, but
he needs Bekka’s and Stephen’s help to get started.
Bekka and Stephen must work together to create the video needed to help
Ethan open his studio. Bekka swears she will never let Stephen back
into her life. Is she capable of keeeping Stephen locked out of her
heart?
Stephen comes into town with problems of his own. His life is
complicated by a few real world realities to which many readers are
bound to relate. Can he become the man Bekka deserves? Can he break
the barriers she has set in place to protect her heart?
While Stephen and Bekka work together on the video, they notice Ethan’s
peculiar habits that reveal a big secret. What are Ethan and Haley
hiding?
What I Like About the Book
I like that most of the characters in
Raining Fools seek God’s plan and
direction for their lives. Young readers will surely be impressed by
the example of the young people in this book.
I like that Mrs. Castle weaves real world problems and spiritual battles in her story.
I like that the reader will witness a steadfast faith in some characters and changed lives in others.
I love that the reader will realize that a person’s past holds no
stronghold over his or her future when he or she allows the Lord to rule
the heart.
About the Author
Jackie Castle looks for the extraordinary in every ordinary day that she
experiences. She is the author of
The White Road Chronicles a fantasy
series,
The Sentinel Archives for school-age readers, and newly released
Madison Creek Bed & Breakfast romance series. She has also
published articles and short stories in numerous magazines. She’s
enjoyed many crazy adventures from working as a hairstylist, to her
bravest quest: teaching children in daycare and elementary schools.
Eventually, she settled down to a somewhat safer pursuit of being a
Story-weaver.
Now she lives in her comfortable Texas home where she spins entertaining
tales and enjoys relaxing in the evenings with her husband Bob, their
children and grandchild.
Her favorite pastime, besides reading, is traipsing through her imaginary worlds in search of another story.
Find out more about her shenanigans over at Jackie Castle’s Story World:
www.jackiecastle.com. There you can also sign up for her monthly newsletter.
Guest Post from Jackie Castle
I’m best known for my fantasy series, The White Road Chronicles,
and I love the make-believe world of Alburnium. But as these stories
have traveled towards the ending, I’ve decided to venture into a more
modern world. I enjoy a good, clean romance as much as anyone else, and I
love writing stories about communities where people band together for
the greater good.
So,
I came up with Madison Creek, a small town on the verge of dying out.
But the people there aren’t ready to give up. They decide that if they
band together, maybe they can revive their little lakeside town and make
it thrive.
My
husband is from Michigan. I’m from California. We met in the middle:
Texas. He’s adapted quite well to the south, loving the hot summers, hot
food, and well, he simply likes being warm. Though I miss my moderate
California, I’ve also grown to love Texas. Whenever we travel up north
to visit his family, we lament over to lack of flavorful food and the
ability to stay warm. (Even in the summer we’ve had to wear winter
coats!!)
We
are often teased by his family for how we put two syllables into words
such as fire, dead and y’all. (Yes, he’s been in Texas long enough now
to have developed a bit of a twang). I don’t know how many times we’ve
talked about moving up north to open a BBQ joint so there’d be somewhere
good to eat. Except, we both hate the cold and I’m sure I’d never
survive a Michigan winter. I spent two weeks up there once in December,
and swore I’d never do that again. I mean, 4 feet of snow in one night? Good Lord have mercy!
Basically,
that’s how I came up with Haley Madison, the blond Texas gal who
inherited her grandpop’s farmland in Madison Creek, Michigan. Her life
has been one big mess after another and she’s determined to take this
opportunity to set things right. She’s lived on ranches for over half
her life and loves to cook a lot of food for folks. (My family was
always big on cooking lots of food at holiday gatherings, so it just
seems natural.)
Haley ends up meeting Ethan Winters, who she calls the handsome Yankee that plays a violin. The first book, Snow Belle is about how they meet. The second book, Raining Fools, continues Ethan and Haley’s story in the background. But in Raining Fools,
you’ll meet Ethan’s sister Bekka and his best friend, Stephen Gaines
who have a history with each other that neither cares to remember,
except those old feelings they had for each other refuse to go away.
Bekka, though strong in her faith, is uncertain about what God wants her
to do with her life. Stephen, a playboy with a troubled past,
appreciates his friend’s strong faith, but believes God doesn’t care
about the ‘little people.’ At least, not until a series of mishaps has
him taking a second look at the Winters’ beliefs.
What
I hope people take away from my story beside an entertaining tale, is
that God loves them. That they belong to a kingdom that’s bigger than
themselves. That we are stronger together than apart. These are themes
that readers can find in my stories.
I have several more
ideas for novels and novellas that will continue Haley and Ethan’s
story while we meet various people who visit the B&B when they come
to Madison Creek hoping to start a new life. My hope is that readers
will come to enjoy visiting this quirky little town as much as I do when
I write the stories. Texas might have its spicy food and natural
ruggedness, but I do love Michigan’s wild beauty and kindhearted folks. I
just love it more in the summertime.
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| Images Used with Permission via Celebrate Lit. |
