Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop #11

Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt!  If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all the stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes!

  • The hunt BEGINS on 3/18 at noon MST with Stop #1 at LisaBergren.com
  • Hunt through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not Explorer).
  • There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt–you have all weekend (until Sunday, 3/21 at midnight MST)!  So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way; our hope is that you discover new authors/new books and learn new things about them.
  • Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at the final stop, back on Lisa’s site.  Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!

Cathy Gohlke

Welcome! I’m Cathy Gohlke, and I write historical fiction–novels steeped with inspirational lessons, speaking of world and life events through the lens of history.  I love to champion the battle against oppression, celebrating the freedom found only in Christ.  You can learn more about me here on my site and on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Bookbub and Instagram

Night Bird Calling is my 2021 release.

 

Night Bird Calling is the story of Lilliana Swope, a young woman who flees an abusive marriage and seeks refuge with her grandaunt, Hyacinth Belvidere, at Garden’s Gate, their beautiful if weathered ancestral family home in the remote Appalachian foothill town of No Creek, North Carolina.

Hyacinth is delighted to take in her beloved niece, whom she’s not seen since Lilliana was five years old.  Together, they seek to restore Garden’s Gate to its former glory, including its extensive and well-stocked library.

Precocious eleven-year-old Celia Percy, lover of amazing new words and stories, convinces the ladies to open their lending library to everyone in No Creek, regardless of the color of their skin.  Many welcome this generous idea, but some locals, particularly those connected with the Klan, do not, and danger mounts for Lilliana and all those who stand with her.

Inspiration for Garden’s Gate’s lending library came from my own life experience—although my home in no way compared to Garden’s Gate!

Sometime after fleeing an abusive marriage as a young woman I bought an old trailer in a run down neighborhood—a far cry from Garden’s Gate—but the best I could afford at the time.

Children in that neighborhood ran as wild and untended as weeds in a garden run amuck.  Often, as I cleaned the exterior and trimmed hedges or planted flowers in the small yard, children would stop by, curious about the newcomer.  In talking with them I realized they received little attention at home, sometimes were in need of food, shoes and clothes, and had no access to the public library.

While I couldn’t supply all their needs, I could address some.  I bought a used bookcase from a thrift shop, books at yard sales, and opened a lending library right there in my trailer.

Children came for hours sometimes to color pictures, read or be read to, enjoy glasses of milk and homemade bread with jam and just talk, asking questions about life, God, prison (where one of their fathers served time)—everything imaginable.  They’d go home, books tucked under their arms, and invariably knock on my door for more within a day or two.

Parents often took advantage of their community’s new “free” babysitter, but those were precious and healing days for the children and for me.  I befriended them but was more than rewarded as they befriended me.

Later I remarried and bore my own beloved children. When they were old enough I worked as a children’s librarian in a school.  All those precious memories became the inspiration for Grand Aunt Hyacinth’s lending library in Night Bird Calling.

Here’s the Stop #11 Basics: 

If you’re interested, you can order Night Bird Calling on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CBD or at your local bookstore!

Clue to Write Down:  hope

Link to Stop #12, the Next Stop on the Loop: Carla Laureano’s site!

But wait! There’s more! Before you go, I’m offering my Christy Award-winning novel, The Medallion, to two entrants (USA), randomly drawn. All you have to do is subscribe to my newsletter (middle of my Home Page) or leave a comment on this blog saying you’re already a subscriber.  When you subscribe, you’ll receive a free copy of my short story, “Into the Starry Night,”  a prequel to Night Bird Calling.

Feel free to follow me as an author on Bookbub! The benefit of following authors on Bookbub is that BB will let you know every time that author has a new release, has a book on sale, and/or reviews a book, which you might like too. It’s a pretty nifty, free service!

I will contact the winners of The Medallion by email.

Take care, happy reading, and God bless!

                                                         Cathy Gohlke

 

Comments 245

  1. Pingback: Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop #10 | Roseanna M. White

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  3. Pingback: Welcome to Our Spring Hunt! - Lisa Tawn Bergren

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  17. Oh, my! What a story! Thank you for sharing some of your real life experiences and I am so glad that God brought you through that and to the other side! I have The Medallion on my wish list so thank you for the chance to get it!

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      Thank you, Phyllis! God has been so good and faithful through all of life. That He shows us the purpose of some of our experiences is such a gift to treasure. God bless you!

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  23. What a beautiful story! I love how you gave what you had, even though it probably wasn’t as much as you wanted, to bless kids and their families. I have no doubt you changed many lives because of it. Thanks for the reminder that God can use us all, no matter how much or how little we may have. Also, libraries are the best!

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      Thank you, Hannah. It was a privilege to give to those children and they certainly gave to me. I still have some of the pictures they colored for me and I treasure them. I hope those days blessed them. You are so right–we can always do something, no matter how little, to help our neighbors and share the love of God with them. And, yes, libraries are the best! : ) May God bless you!

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  24. Sounds like a good book. You are a new to me author and I look forward to future newsletters. Thank you for participating in the Scavenger Hunt.

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  44. Hi Cathy, I met you at your session at Renew in 2019 (sorry it will not be meeting this year). I have 3 book groups from my non profit called Seeds of Faith for Women. After meeting you I introduced your books and you have some huge fans. Thank you for sharing this story about the children. I am new to this author journey and find it amazing how generous authors are in helping and supporting newbies and sharing their backstories. You give so much of yourself and such inspiration. Thank you!

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      Thank you so much, Lisa. Your words are a special encouragement. Thank you for sharing my books with your groups. That’s very generous of you! ReNew was such a special experience in meeting with other writers and speakers offering their gifts to the Lord. Every voice is important always, and never more than in this time. I pray God’s blessings on your ministries and writing journey.

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  48. Thank you for your participation in the Spring Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Giveaway. It’s always a bonus to learn of more authors to add to my to-read list which is a delight of any multiple authors giveaway. Thank you!

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  49. Thank you for sharing your personal story, which caused me to have goosebumps. That new book sounds very interesting.
    Our book club will be reading Saving Amelie next month, and I’ve put The Medallion on our list for next year.

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      Thank you for your encouragement, Bonnie. That time with the children was a special and healing period of my life. God is so good and faithful–always. We never know where our blessings will appear or where we’ll be able to be a blessing. That’s part of what makes the Christian’s journey so exciting.
      I hope you all enjoy Saving Amelie and later The Medallion. God bless!

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  57. I subscribed. Your books sound like very, very good reads, thank you so much for sharing about them , and the book covers are Beautiful. Have a Great weekend and stay safe.

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  64. I subscribed. I’m also following on Bookbub, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, Instagram and Facebook. thanks for the giveaway!

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  69. I just stumbled onto this scavenger hunt. But, I can assure you I’ve received gifts already from the beautiful testimony on your website. What a powerful story! Your book is definitely one on my list. As a retiring kindergarten teacher who loves children and books and as a seeker of redemptive stories, I was touched. Thank you.

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      Thank you so much, Jennifer. You truly understand the gift of precious children–the gifts you can give them and those they give you by their very being. Each one is unique and precious and in need of care. I hope you enjoy my stories. God bless you in your retirement–a new step in your journey!

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  77. I’m a newsletter subscriber! Love your books! Would love to read The Medallion, haven’t read that one! Blessings!

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  82. I just subscribed. I love the library, all the different types of materials they provide, and their book sales too. I picked up one of your books at one of their sales. I can walk to a library branch in my neighborhood.

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  100. Thank you for a chance to win!! You are a new author to me and looking forward to reading your book.

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  107. Love Cathy so much and am thrilled to participate in this scavenger hunt! Fingers crossed for the giveaway…

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  108. Night Bird Calling sounds absolutely amazing! Thank you for tapping into your own struggles to share this with your readers.

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  111. Recently read my first book by you, and just subscribed to your newsletter. I enjoyed hearing about your personal background to “Night Bird Calling”.

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  113. I subscribed! Thank you for sharing the back story for your new novel; I admire that the story mirrors your own redemptive story. God never waste an experience in any of us. Your story touched my heart in deep places and reminded me of God’s extravagant love for me.

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      Thank you so much, Kim. You are absolutely right–our Heavenly Father never wastes a thing, certainly not our tears, and yes, His love is extravagant! May God bless you!

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  116. Thank you for the opportunity. God bless you. I subscribed to your newsletter. Thank you for sharing your time and your talent.

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  119. I subscribed and followed on BookBub. How amazing that you were able to use your own experiences in such an incredible way.

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      Thank you, Grace! As I look back I realize that all those experiences were part of a blessed journey that led me deeper into the heart of God and taught me so much. To Him be the glory! He works in each of our lives for a purpose. May God bless you in your own journey!

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