Guest Author: Elle E. Kay

Today is a Beautiful Day

Today is a beautiful day. The sun is coming up through the woods behind my house. When I look out front, I can see that the daffodils are beginning to open. The grass is turning green again. I can hear the birds singing their lovely songs. I can choose to focus on all these wonderful things. I can choose to trust God and enjoy the gifts He’s provided.

My stomach issues are bothering me this morning. A migraine is destroying my concentration. My son came home upset that he and his girlfriend had another fight. I can choose to focus on all these negative things. I can choose to be miserable and wallow in the difficulties of life in this world.

Which would you focus on?

Stella chooses God. She chooses life. And she focuses on her blessings. I want to be like her. To focus on God when everything around me falls apart. I want to be like the birds and sing songs to the Lord.  Life isn’t easy for me. I don’t think it’s easy for anybody. We all suffer different things. Yet, we can choose joy anyway. We can remind ourselves to spread the joy of the Lord instead of the pain of the world.

I recently finished my major edits for Claudia, the second book in the Edinsville Series. It is now in the hands of my capable editor and several beta readers. I struggled with the edits for that book. I wrote most of it in a month, but put it aside for a year and half before I finally sat back down to finish it. I don’t know why I procrastinated on editing Claudia, but what I do know is that I can celebrate the accomplishment of finally sending it off to the editor, or I can focus on my failure to do it sooner.

We have that choice with almost everything in life. Often I choose wrong, but today with the sun shining, the birds singing, and the flowers blooming, I’m choosing joy. I’m going to enjoy the blessings of the day and focus on them. I’m going to lift my voice in song unto the Lord. I will praise the Lord, focusing on the blessings.

I hope you will join me.

Psalms 146:2 (KJV)—While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.

About STELLA (Edinsville Series, Book 1):

Heart-pounding suspense meet heart-warming faith and romance as Stella faces an evil beyond her control. Holding on to a thread of faith, she follows it home to Pennsylvania’s Endless Mountain region, where she meets Jason. A complication she’d rather not get entangled with. Stella must decide if she will let her circumstances destroy her, or if she will find the good and praise the Lord through the downpour.

This novel tackles the difficult subjects of rape, pregnancy, and kidnapping through a lens of faith and hope.

About Elle E Kay

Elle E. Kay lives on a farmette in the Back Mountain region of Pennsylvania. She lives with her husband, dog, and farm animals. She enjoys playing with goats and sheep.

Elle is a born-again Bible believing Christian. Stella is her debut novel. The next book in the Edinsville Series, Claudia is expected to be released this year. Elle writes children’s books under the pen name, Ellie Mae Kay. 

Finding Hope in Barely Above Water

An illness comes of out nowhere and strikes Suzie Morris. Her boyfriend dumps her. She has no living family, and her physician can’t diagnose the malady. Suzie relies on her Christian faith as she faces the uncertainty of the disease, and turns to a renowned alternative doctor in Destin, Florida. She takes a job coaching a county-sponsored summer swim team. She’s determined to turn the fun, sometimes comical, rag-tag bunch into winners. Her handsome boss renews her belief in love, but learns of her mysterious affliction and abruptly cuts romantic ties. Later he has regrets, but can he overcome his fear of losing a loved one and regain Suzie’s trust?

PURCHASE

Amazon 

Barnes and Noble

ENDORSEMENTS

"Gail Pallotta’s contemporary romance novel, Barely Above Water, is a touching story of loss, hope and healing." ~Nancy Mehl—award-winning author of the Finding Sanctuary series.

"The main theme in Gail Pallotta’s Barely Above Water is “overcoming incredible odds.” Readers will find themselves rooting for characters who face illness, unemployment and heartbreak. I think you’ll thoroughly enjoy this story about trust and faith!"

~Loree Lough—bestselling author of more than 100-award-winning books, including RT 4.5 star Top Pick, Saving Alyssa {Harlequin Heartwarming}.

The Story Behind the Story:

Ten years ago I grew very ill. After a month of tests the doctor told me he couldn’t diagnose my malady, so he couldn’t treat me. I had no idea where to turn for help, but the last name of a chiropractor a friend of mine had seen ten years earlier kept popping in my head. I ignored it because I needed medical assistance, not an adjustment, but the name persisted. Finally I called my friend and asked about him. He turned out to be David Lee, D.C., Ph.D., C.Ad., now an alternative doctor as well as a chiropractor. He started treating me immediately for a toxic substance. Later, a scan showed the bacteria for Chronic Lyme Disease. Since then, I’ve met or heard of many people suffering from the ailment, or a malady that can’t be diagnosed. Their stories touched my heart and inspired me to write Barely Above Water, which details symptoms and treatments for the disease. The technical material is woven around a romance and a cute group of youngsters on a summer league swim team, so it’s fun as well as informative. 



Bio:

Gail Pallotta’s a wife, mom, swimmer and bargain shopper who loves God, beach sunsets and getting together with friends and family. A regional Writer of the Year for American Christian Writers Association in 2004, she was a 2013 Grace Awards finalist. Gail’s published four books, poems, short stories and several hundred articles. Some of her articles appear in anthologies while two are in museums. Connect with Gail on her Website Blog Facebook Twitter