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Catherine Castle

~ Romance for the Ages

Catherine Castle

Tag Archives: Joi Copeland

Wednesday Writers Christmas Reads–Christmas Lights and Love by Joi Copeland

23 Wednesday Dec 2020

Posted by Catherine Castle in Book excerpts, books, Christmas Reads, clean romance, Holiday Reads, Romance, Wednesday Writers

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Christmas Lights and Love, Christmas romance, Clean fiction, Joi Copeland, romance, Wednesday Writers

Welcome to Wednesday Writers. Our guest today is author Joi Copeland talking about her Christmas book Christmas Lights and Love, anxiety, and how she has dealt with her own anxiety. Welcome, Joi!

Thanks, Catherine.

Have you ever experienced guilt for something you couldn’t control? I know I certainly have. You see, I have anxiety. I have battled with anxiety for years. I’ve been to counseling, given up caffeine and diet coke (aspartame messes with the serotonin in our brains and triggers anxiety). I am on medication that I take daily to help. But before all of those steps, I would have anxiety attacks with my three young kids watching.

I’m talking about the debilitating attacks that leave me crumpled on the floor in a ball, thinking I am going to die. My three boys would gather around me, wrap me in their arms, and tell me I was going to be okay. I didn’t have the tools to deal with anxiety at the time. I didn’t know how to combat these attacks like I do now.

And oh, the guilt that follows! If I were strong enough, I wouldn’t have anxiety. If I had deeper faith, I wouldn’t be anxious. My kids shouldn’t have to see me at my weakest. They should see me be strong. I wondered if my anxiety affected my boys in negative ways. I wondered if my son’s stuttering was due to my attacks. I felt guilty for my lack of strength.

It took a few days to recover from my anxiety attacks. I wouldn’t play outside with the boys or take them to the park. I was a horrible mom and wife! My husband had to stay home from work a few times. What good wife asked her husband to do that? I should have been stronger. I felt guilty for my lack of strength.

Then, through counseling and learning the tools of how to combat anxiety, truth began to speak into my life. God showed me I wasn’t weak because I had anxiety. I wasn’t a horrible mom or wife because I struggled. If I had cancer, would I feel guilty for not feeling well enough to do certain things? No, not at all. Mental health is just as important as physical health. I had to learn to take care of my mental health and not take on guilt for something I could not control.

In Christmas Lights and Love, Denmark Carrington feels guilty for a situation she had no control over. She wears her guilt like a cloak, much like I did. She keeps people at arm’s length because she can’t forgive herself for her role in what happened.

We aren’t meant to carry guilt, deserved or undeserved. That’s what Jesus did on the cross for us. He took our guilt upon His shoulders and nailed it to the cross. If we have played a part in the reason for our guilt, confess, ask for forgiveness, and forgive yourself. Leave it at the foot of the cross. Because by carrying around our guilt, we take away what Jesus did for us. We tell Him the cross wasn’t enough to cover our shame. And it was.

So, whether you are guilty or suffering from perceived guilt, let it go. Live a life guilt free, full of grace and mercy that Jesus gives.

Have I conquered anxiety? No, I haven’t. It’s still something I struggle with. But I no longer live in guilt. Because His strength is made perfect in my weakness.

Christmas Lights and Love

By Joi Copeland

Will the Christmas Lights Festival bring them together or tear them apart?

Denmark Carrigan moved to Snow Globe, Montana, to start over with her two sons. Every year, she participates in the Christmas Lights Festival in hopes of finally winning. But her nemesis, Quinn Burkett, wins again and again. Hardening her heart to his charm and handsome face is easy, until he connects with her kids. 

Quinn Burkett longs to get to know the saucy woman who moved to Snow Globe three years ago. Yet she knocks him down at every turn. When he spies her with a man new to town, he wonders how the man cracked her hard shell. Will he be able to win her over, or will he have to let her go?

Book Excerpt:

Deni’s heart squeezed, pain slicing through her chest. No matter what her sister said, the truth screamed at Deni just as loudly as the empty space in her bed. If she hadn’t badgered Cliff about forgetting the French bread for dinner, he wouldn’t have gone to the store, wouldn’t have gotten into the car accident that took him from her.

Want to read more? You can find Christmas Lights and Love at Amazon

About the Author:

 Joi Copeland is married to a wonderful man, Chris, and has three amazing boys, Garrison, Gage, and Gavin. She lives in Galway, Ireland as a missionary.

Joi’s love of writing began at a young age. She wrote short stories for several years, and in 2009, she began writing her first novel, Hope for Tomorrow. Joi enjoys baking and hopes to one day make a recipe that will have consistent results, though she doubts that will ever happen!

Social Media Links: Amazon Author Page: Instagram: Website

Wednesday Writers Christmas Books–Silent Knight by Joi Copeland

06 Wednesday Nov 2019

Posted by Catherine Castle in Christmas Reads, Giveaways, Romance, Wednesday Writers

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Catherine Castle's Wednesday Writers, Christmas romances, clean romance, Joi Copeland, Silent Knight

Welcome to Wednesday Writers. Christmas is coming and there’s nothing I like better during the holiday season than a good Christmas romance (or movie). So, on Wednesdays and Thursdays I’m filling out the year with a variety of Christmas romance book posts. On Fridays look for some free Christmas romance book promotions. Today’s offering is Silent Knight, a Christian fiction story for women with a touch of romance, by Joi Copeland. She’s also offering a giveaway. Welcome, Joi!

Thanks, Catherine.

Do you have a bucket list? Things you want to do, places you want to go, and destinations you long to see? When I was in high school, a friend of mine was going to Germany. I was surprised because he hadn’t seen much of the United States. He had asked me where I would go in all the world, if I could. My response? MONTANA! Since that day, I’ve longed to see and experience Montana.

Fast forward 25 years. My family and I went on a two-month trip to raise support (we’re missionaries headed overseas to plant churches, build disciples of Christ, etc.) As the good Lord would have it, He opened the door for us to travel for three weeks to Montana! As we drove through Wyoming, my heart pounded with excitement, knowing in just a few hours, we would cross the border into Montana. I could hardly wait!

Visiting pastors and churches in Montana, meeting people, seeing the beauty of Montana did not disappoint. I loved Bozeman! I enjoyed driving through the mountains and hills, seeing God’s beauty of the Big Sky Country melted my heart and caused a deep love for one of my favorite states.

And so, Silent Knight was born. How could I not write about Montana, the place my heart longed to see for decades? How could I not write about a small-town community stmasembracing one of its own, even in the midst of trying to figure out how to do just that? Quite simply, I had to write about it. And I had to share a piece of my heart: the deaf community.

No, I’m not deaf, no one in my family was born deaf (though my brother in law was born partially deaf). My sister works with deaf students and some of the comments she’d heard from people broke my heart. Because the deaf are intelligent people. They have so much to share, if only they have a way to communicate with the outside world.

If you haven’t read Silent Knight, leave a comment on your favorite place to visit, and you’ll be entered in for the giveaway!

 

Silent Knight

By Joi Copeland

Struggling to take care of his deaf son in a town with no resources, Ethan Knight’s at the end of his rope. When his son is kicked out of preschool, he feels he’s out of options and prays for a miracle. A newcomer to Snow Globe, Montana may be his answer to prayer, or is it the possibility of an old love?

London Meriwether leaves her home after the passing of her grandmother, the woman who raised her. She falls in love with Snow Globe, Montana. Right after arriving to the small town, she comes face to face with her learning what it means to truly forgive someone.

Can Ethan help London in her quest of forgiveness? Will London be the help Ethan needs for his deaf son?

Excerpt:

Landon’s eyelids pulled open in a sleepy manner. His tear streaked face lit with a smile. Ethan’s heart lifted a notch. His son’s sweet smile and trusting eyes bore into his heart. No way would he send the joy of his life away to school. There had to be another way. He’d search high and low for an answer. God would just have to provide a miracle. He’d done it before. He could do it again.

Buy link for Silent Knight

About the Author:

Joi Copeland is married to a wonderful man, Chris, and has three amazing boys. She is living the dream in beautiful Denver, Colorado. Joi loves being a wife and mom and also enjoys spending time with friends over a good cup of coffee or tea. She’s been a Christian for over twenty years. God has called her and her family overseas, and she hopes to make her home in Ireland by 2019.

 

Joi’s Social media: http://www.joicopeland.com/ : Instagram: Facebook:

 

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