Blog Blitz with JustRead - The Brave Art of Motherhood

Mother's Day is fast approaching, and we're joining up with JustRead Publicity Tours to tell you about a great gift for Mom this year! Keep reading for more info on a special ebook price to make your gift giving even easier AND a book club kit giveaway!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: The Brave Art of Motherhood: Fight Fear, Gain Confidence, & Find Yourself Again
Author: Rachel Marie Martin  
Publisher: WaterBrook  
Release Date: October 9, 2018
Genre: Christian Living/Women's Interest  

Full-time FindingJoy.net blogger, speaker, marketer, podcaster, and single mom of seven, Rachel Marie Martin presents a wake-up call to those of us who have found ourselves stuck in the 'I'm just a mom' phase of life.

Yes, this book is about motherhood . . . but really, this book is about finding yourself again and following your passion WHILE being a mom. Inspired by her incredible story, Rachel's words always come straight from the gut; they are visceral, real and soul searching. She challenges you to find the courage to break cycles, to take off masks and not let fear take control. This book is a balance of tough, "no excuses" ways of approaching life, while allowing breathing room and grace for yourself, for as we all know, life and mothering are not perfect.

After inspiring and conversing with thousands of women, Rachel has surmised there is always a reason to hope, to move forward and a reason to dare doing what you thought was impossible. (Yes, including what you are skeptical of accomplishing right now). She encourages you to say yes to your dreams and stop waiting for "someday" or "one day" or "when something happens".

Prepare to change the way you think about yourself and your life. This will be a book you read over and over armed with a highlighter in one hand and a journal for introspection in another.

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Christian Book | Book Depository
 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

RACHEL MARIE MARTIN, having pulled herself up from poverty to being named one of Inc. magazine's top 40 entrepreneurs, has been writing Finding Joy full time for several years and writing online for over a decade. Rachel is a single mom of 7, whose experiences range from homeschooling her two oldest daughters from kindergarten through graduation, now being a public school mom of 5. She's the daughter of church planters, a long time housewife and now a professional business woman.

She has always had a passion for a daring, adventure-filled life and is often requested to speak and motivate others with her vivacious energy and deep belief that life is a gift. Rachel is also a partner in Blogging Concentrated, the world's largest training and development company for bloggers, vloggers, and podcasters. She travels worldwide teaching marketing, voice, messaging, social media strategy and more.

CONNECT WITH RACHEL: blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

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TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will win a Book Club Kit (valued at $99)

• 9 autographed copies of The Brave Art of Motherhood
• audiobook of The Brave Art of Motherhood for those who would rather listen in the car
• The Brave Art of Motherhood Book Club Conversation Guide
• ebook of Rachel's first book, Dear Mom Letters

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight April 29, 2019 and last through 11:59 pm May 6, 2019. US only. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

*this post contains affiliate links

Guest Post: Why Make Reading a Priority? - Buffy Scott

Okay quick! Which fictional character said that first?  C’mon I know you weren’t planning on a pop quiz but "nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition" (reference?)...

If you said the beautiful and wonderful friend Charlotte from Charlotte’s Web you’re correct!

Well, now that we’ve broken the ice, we can sit back and chat like friends which is my favorite place to be, among friends.

By now I’m sure you’re wondering who I am and why I’m blogging for Rachel today.  I’m Buffy Scott, intrepid adventurer, damsel in distress, fearless warrior, mother to seven, and wife of 15 years.  I met Rachel a couple years ago at a Soup Exchange - which by the way if you’ve never participated in a soup exchange plan one for next fall you’re tummy & wallet will thank you. I’m pretty sure it was an instant friendship, but the roots really dug in deep when we both realized we shared an affinity to reading...most especially Christian Romance.  I think everyone needs at least one friend they can totally fangirl with and not feel the littlest bit of embarrassment, which is what Rachel is to me...or is that I for her?

Right now I’m a full-time student at Eastern Washington University.  I’m in the pre-nursing program and a lot of my texts are science ladened (which I adore).  I have seven children, ages 2 to 13, plus my husband, church ministry, and other friends & family that I enjoy spending time with. All these responsibilities would make you think that I’m off the hook on reading, but I’m not.  For starters, reading is my ESCAPE.

My oldest son has ADHD and is Autistic & I have a son with a VERY difficult temperament.  So my days are often more emotionally exhausting than physically. Reading is my escape. I know it sounds incredibly cliche to say that I actually become a part of the book I’m reading, but it’s true. I’ve been a mail-order bride, a Lady of England’s Aristocracy, a feminist warrior, and so much more as I read.  In fact, reading is the only time I have found that I can truly shut out all the distractions around me and just enjoy the solitude of a good book.

The next reason I make time for reading is COMMUNICATION.  Have you ever struggled to tell your husband something in a way he can understand?  Do you ever struggle in getting ideas across to your children? Have misunderstandings and miscommunication weighed down a close friendship?  Well reading could be the answer. I don’t mean self-help or devotionals, I mean fiction.  There’s a reason why many feel that romance novels are predictable and that the storylines don’t change much between books.  That’s because human behavior is quite predictable. What this means for communication is that you can bet that out there, tucked into some amazing read is a conversation similar to the problem you’re facing.  In a great book there will be miscommunication written in so you can learn from the mistakes of characters, but also there are gems about how to talk to different people.  I know that my entire view on communication changed after reading a book & the “Aha!” moment came that all the stress and strife the characters faced could have been avoided if they had just talked instead of assuming the other knew or worse expecting the other person to read their mind.  I have taken this thought to heart and realized that if I don’t express what’s on my mind then no one will know. So I talk - a lot.

The final reason I’ll leave you with for reading even when busy is CONVICTION.  I have found that the Holy Spirit leads me in between the pages of a good book - Christian and non-Christian alike. Many times the changes in my heart come because as I see myself in a character I also see the struggles of their sins and it convicts me.  

There are so many more reasons to read but for the sake brevity I’ll just mention those.  Now you’re thinking, "How do I make time for it?"  Well the easy answer is to always carry a book with you.  All those times you spend waiting in line, grab your book and start reading.  Audible.com is a favorite resource too, because yes, your ears can read!  Many time you can catch a deal on Kindle for a book & for a dollar or two more you can add narration to it.  I get lots of great tips & advice on reading aloud from the Read Aloud Revival Podcast & blog.  

MY READING LIST  
I just finished reading An Awakened Heart by Jody Hedlund (Free eBook), Montana Cowboy by Linda Ford, His Substitute Wife by Dorothy Clark, For the Sake of the Children by Danica Favorite, and reread Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers. On my reading agenda for this month: Just the Way You Are by Pepper Basham (NOTE from Rachel: BEST book you will read all year!), Rules of Murder by Julianna Deering, Rescuing the Runaway Bride by Bonnie Navarro, Behind the Scenes by Jen Turano, & Love Unexpected by Jody Hedlund. For Non-Fiction, in addition to my school textbooks I’m hoping to read Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent & Brainstorm by Dr. Daniel J. Siegel. Wow! Writing that all out makes me see how much reading I actually do and if I can do it so can you!

About Buffy Scott

Buffy is wife and mother to 7 kids whom she affectionately refers to as The Scottish Riot.  When she isn’t wrangling children or cleaning up after them, she can be found either knitting, sewing, crocheting, or reading. Though sometimes she’ll craft and read.  A junior at Eastern Washington University, she’s working on her nursing prereqs and dreams of the day she can catch babies as a midwife. Find Buffy on instagram as @made2give.