Monthly Archives: January 2012

Sunday Snippets – January 29

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Join me and other Catholic bloggers at RAnn’s Place for Sunday Snippets where we share posts from the previous week.

If The Morning I shared the lyrics of a pro-life song my husband wrote when he was a teenager. The words are incredibly beautiful and it’s hard to believe he had this sort of wisdom at such a young age. The lyrics are included in my book Emily’s Hope.

God Messaging: Will You Accept the Friend Request Book Review My friend, Dana, who blogs at Catholic Working Mom, has written a beautiful series of essays in this newly-published book. You can buy her book at Amazon.com in paperback and on Kindle.

Wordless Wednesday – Venice For Wordless Wednesday, I posted a few photos from our trip to Europe in 2007. One of my favorite places in Europe was Venice. I especially enjoyed the beautiful outdoor art treasures.

7 Quick Takes Friday For 7 Quick Takes Friday, I shared a post about my son turning 16, my late grandmother’s birthday, a moment that God allowed me to stop and watch the sky, a cartoon, a Skype book club appearance and the CWG Blog sharing my recent bestseller news.

More NFP Humor Another NFP-themed cartoon.

For more Sunday Snippets, please visit RAnn’s Blog.

Copyright 2012 Ellen Gable Hrkach

7 Quick Takes Friday

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Join me and other Catholic bloggers at Conversion Diary for 7 Quick Takes Friday.

1. My fourth son turned 16 this week. To me, it is always a joy to watch my sons grow older. But my two youngest sons (photo above) have a special place in my heart. When my third son was 10 months old, I nearly died from complications of an ectopic pregnancy. We were told not to have any more children. Through prayer and discernment (Responsible Parenthood blog post), we chose to be open to more children and I’m so thankful we were.2. Yesterday was my maternal grandmother’s birthday. Bessie May passed away in July of 1967, but every year on her birthday, I remember her in a special way. If you look at both the photo of my fourth son as a toddler and my grandmother’s photo above, you’ll probably see some resemblance.3. In honor of the March for Life earlier this week, I posted the lyrics of the pro-life song that my husband wrote when he was a teenager.4. One of our most popular cartoons (above). 5. A few mornings ago, I woke up to find the internet not working. I was annoyed, to say the least. We’ve been having a lot of difficulties recently with our internet. In fact, I couldn’t even check my email on my Kindle because the 3G wasn’t working. I sighed, frustrated, then turned around and noticed the sky exploding in beautiful color as the sun was about to rise. This isn’t the exact picture, but similar to the photo above. As I stood, mesmerized by the colors, I realized that if my internet had just worked properly, I probably wouldn’t have noticed (and enjoyed) the beautiful sky. 6. Wednesday evening of this week, I appeared by Skype to members of a Catholic book club in Missouri. Their selection this month was In Name Only. When they first approached me about talking to their book club, I answered with a resounding “Absolutely!” It was a fun hour, answering questions and talking about In Name Only, as well as my other novels. This is just one more reason why I enjoy the 21st century!
7. Last, but certainly not least, the Catholic Writers Guild Blog featured news of my Kindle success on their blog this week, Gable Triples the Top Ten List! Thanks, Larissa, and everyone at the Catholic Writers Guild! My books are available on Kindle and in paperback by clicking on the links at the side bar.

For more quick takes, visit Conversion Diary.

Photographs of books and people copyright 2012 Ellen Gable Hrkach
Text copyright 2012 Ellen Gable Hrkach
Sky photographs copyright 2012 Josh Hrkach

God Messaging: Will You Accept the Friend Request Book Review

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“God Messaging: Will You Accept the Friend Request” by Dana Doyle is a beautifully written and inspiring collection of essays in which the author shares reflections and personal experiences. Each chapter begins with a Scriptural quote and a personal experience and reflection.

The author is a Catholic school teacher and she blogs at “Catholic Working Mom.”

In Chapter One, she talks about how angels appear sometimes as a disabled child or a burly man with tattoos or a long-haired teen. In successive chapters, we hear about the author’s aunt, how the power of prayer is underestimated and why it shouldn’t be, how having a child-like faith is an asset. We also hear about sexual abuse, pregnancy complications, the importance of the Eucharist (and all sacraments) and she shares how she and her husband came to embrace NFP and the teachings of the Church on marriage.

I highly recommend this wonderful book!

“God Messaging” is available on Kindle or in print.

Copyright 2012 Ellen Gable Hrkach

If The Morning

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Since the March for Life is being held today, I wanted to share the words of the pro-life song my husband wrote as a teenager. It’s called “If the Morning,” and these lyrics are also included in my novel, Emily’s Hope:

If in the morning the Savior didn’t rise
Would there be sunshine in your eyes
And in the springtime if the world wasn’t new
Would love still see its way through
And do we stand only to lose it all
By standing just a little too tall

Save the baby, save the baby
Because I know he’s got the right
I know he’s got that right
Save the baby, save the baby
Because I know He’s got it right
And I know that we have got it wrong

And if the dreamer never woke to tell his tale
Would hope be born still by our hands
And if the baby never sees the light of day
Will nightmares conquer all man
And do we stand only to lose it all
By standing just a little too tall.

Save the baby, save the baby
Because I know he’s got the right
I know he’s got that right
Save the baby, save the baby
Because I know He’s got it right
And I know that we have got it wrong.

And if the baby never saw the light of day, of day, of day…

Lyrics copyright 1978 James Hrkach
Photo copyright 2011 Josh Hrkach

Emily’s Hope Kindle Edition On Sale

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If you’re heading out to the March for Life and looking for something to read on your Kindle, the Kindle edition of my first novel, Emily’s Hope, is currently on sale at only .99! Great bargain! That’s a 15.00 savings over the print book! But you’ll need to act fast because the sale will be over tomorrow evening at 9:00 p.m.

You can read an excerpt and reviews, watch a Catholic TV interview and listen to a Sacred Heart Radio interview at www.emilyshope.com

Sunday Snippets – January 22

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Join me and other Catholic bloggers at RAnn’s Place for Sunday Snippets where we share posts from the previous week.

I had a quiet week trying to recuperate from a cracked rib…although I did get 3000 words written on my new novel, tentatively entitled “A Subtle Grace.”

Virtual Humor: Our latest cartoon from Family Foundations Magazine.

7 Quick Takes Friday – Pro-Life Edition In this 7 Quick Takes, I share two stories that will be published in an upcoming pro-life book this year.

Text and images copyright 2012 Ellen Gable Hrkach

7 Quick Takes Friday – Pro-Life Edition

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Join me and other Catholic bloggers at Conversion Diary for 7 Quick Takes Friday. With the March for Life coming up next week, this is a 7 Quick Takes Pro-Life Edition. Leave a comment below to win a free Kindle or e-copy of each of my books (four books…four winners!) 1. God’s Surprise Gift: an article I wrote that will be published in God Moments III: True Love Leads to Life. The story of my mom’s “surprise pregnancy” with my sister (above) when she was 47.

2. God Doesn’t Give Us Anything We Can’t Handle: another article to be published in God Moments III. In this story, I tell about the time a pregnant woman shared with me that she was going to have an abortion.3. Five Signs the Pro-Life Cause is Winning: Interesting article at LifeSiteNews.

4. Passport by Christopher Blunt: This is an outstanding Catholic novel with pro-life themes. It’s available on Amazon in print or on Kindle.

5. My three novels all have pro-life themes. Emily’s Hope, my first novel, (top 10 in R & L Drama on Amazon Kindle): tells the fictionalized true stories of myself and my great-grandmother. My spiritual journey was not an easy one and includes the loss of seven babies through miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy.6. My second novel, In Name Only (#1 in R & L Drama on Amazon Kindle): tells the story of Caroline Martin, whose life has finally taken a turn for the better. After years of hard work, she has met a virtuous and wealthy man whose love seems to promise the kind of life realized only within the comforting novels she keeps on her night table. Tragedy teaches her the complexity with which God Himself authors the lives of those who turn towards Him. Winner of the 2010 IPPY Gold Medal in Religious Fiction.

7. Stealing Jenny is my third novel (top 10 of R & L Drama on Amazon Kindle): after three heartbreaking miscarriages, Jenny and Tom Callahan are finally expecting their sixth child. A neighbor, however, is secretly hatching a sinister plot that will find Jenny and her unborn baby fighting for their lives.

All of my books are available for 2.99 on Kindle!

For more 7 Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary.

Leave a comment below before Monday, January 23rd to enter to win one free Kindle or e-copy of each of my books (four winners!)

copyright 2012 Ellen Gable Hrkach