Author: Katie Ganshert

I write Christian romance and my debut novel, Wildflowers from Winter, releases in May, 2012 through Waterbrook Press (a division of Random House).

The Grace Filled Christmas Blog Tour

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

I’m participating in this year’s Grace Filled Christmas Blog Tour, which is hosting a whole slew of awesome Christian fiction and runs through December 22nd.

If this is your first time here, thank you so much for stopping by!

My debut novel, Wildflowers from Winter, released this past May:

A young architect at a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn has built a life far removed from her trailer park teen years. Until an interruption from her estranged mother reveals that tragedy has struck in her hometown and a reluctant Bethany is called back to rural Iowa. Determined to pay her respects while avoiding any emotional entanglements, she vows not to stay long. But the unexpected inheritance of farmland and a startling turn of events in Chicago forces Bethany to come up with a new plan.

Handsome farmhand Evan Price has taken care of the Quinn farm for years. So when Bethany is left the land, he must fight her decisions to realize his dreams. But even as he disagrees with Bethany’s vision, Evan feels drawn to her and the pain she keeps so carefully locked away.

For Bethany, making peace with her past and the God of her childhood doesn’t seem like the path to freedom. Is letting go the only way to new life, love and a peace she’s not even sure exists?

What makes this a good book for Christmas?

At it’s core, this is a story about God’s ability to bring new life and hope from those dead, winter seasons so many of us experience in life. I’m not sure there’s a greater example of this truth than celebrating Jesus’ birth in wintertime, the darkest days of the year.

Plus the novel, while not a Christmas story, does include its fair share of the holiday season.

If this sounds like a story you’d want to read or give as a gift this Christmas season, please visit my Wildflowers from Winter page, where you will find a list of retail links. If you’d like to try a sample first, feel free to check out the first three chapters.

Let’s Talk: Do you give books as Christmas gifts? If so, how do you go about choosing the perfect one?

If you haven’t already, I’d absolutely love to send you a welcome packet! To sign up, just scroll all the way down or up (your choice) and click on the Welcome Packet sign up button!

photos from stock.xchng

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

Thanks for sharing your favorite Christmas songs on Wednesday and Thursday. There were a couple I’d never heard of before. It’s always fun to discover new Christmas music!

This week’s prize package included:

And the winner is…..

MELISSA FINNEGAN

Merry Christmas Melissa! I hope you enjoy the early Christmas gifts!

Don’t miss next Wednesday for our final fabulous gift package AND the Merry Christmas Grand Prize Give Away!

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend!

If I haven’t already, I’d love to send you a welcome packet! Sign-up button is at the top and bottom of the page!

Christmas Music

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

Today’s Giveaway Includes:

Without further ado, let’s hightail it to Peaks and talk to my two leading ladies about Christmas music.

First, I asked Bethany, the main character of Wildflowers from Winter, to tell me about her favorite Christmas song:

Without a doubt, Little Drummer Boy. It’s beautiful. All of it–the melody, the instruments, the lyrics. If I close my eyes, I can hear Grandpa Dan singing it down the hall in the shower. As a little girl, I always felt so sorry for that little boy, with nothing to give the King but some taps on his drum. Something about those words pinched my heart. As an adult, they still do.

I asked Robin, the main character of Wishing on Willows, the same thing:

Oooo, that’s a hard one. There are so many great ones! As a kid, Mom and I always used to dance and sing to Up on the Rooftop. It was one of the first songs she taught me on the piano. And then in high school, we used to dance and sing to All I Want for Christmas is You. But now, as an adult…

I guess if I had to choose, it would probably be O Holy Night. “A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices…” And then when that chorus rises and we belt out, “Fall on your knees! Hear the angel voices!” I can’t sing it without getting choked up. To think of this Jesus we celebrate–the Light of the World, coming to earth as a helpless infant, all for love. It truly is incomprehensible.

To be entered in today’s giveaway, all you have to do is tell us about your favorite Christmas song!

You will have until nine p.m. central time on Thursday to leave a comment. At which time, all names will be written on a scrap of paper and my husband will draw the winner. The winner will be announced on Friday.

To be entered to win the grand prize giveaway, you have to answer all four of the “What Does Christmas Mean to You?” questions (here’s the first, and the second). To see the complete list of items included in the grand prize, please click on the link.

Let’s Talk: What’s your favorite Christmas song and why?

If you’d like to sample Wildflowers from Winter, you can read the first three chapters.

If I haven’t already sent you a welcome packet, I sure would love to! The sign-up button is at the top and bottom of this page!