This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing
Calico Canyon by Mary Connealy

Barbour Publishing, Inc (July 1, 2008)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

MARY CONNEALY is an award-winning author and playwright, married to Ivan a farmer, and the mother of four beautiful daughters, Joslyn, Wendy, Shelly and Katy. They live in Decatur, Nebraska. Mary is a GED Instructor by day and an author by night. And there is always a cape involved in her transformation.

Mary has also written Petticoat Ranch, Golden Days, and her latest, Alaska Brides that will debut in August.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Let yourself be swept away by this fast-paced romance, featuring Grace Calhoun, an instructor of reading, writing, and arithmetic, who, in an attempt to escape the clutchs of a relentless pursuer, runs smack dab into even more trouble with the 6R’s - widower Daniel Reeves, along with his five rowdy sons. When a marriage is forced upon this hapless pair - two people who couldn’t dislike each other more - an avalanche isn’t the only potential danger lurking amid the shadows of Calico Canyon. Will they make it out alive? Or end up killing each other in the process?

Running from her Abusive foster-father, a man intent on revenge, the prim and perfectly proper Grace Calhoun takes on the job of schoolmarm in Mosqueros, Texas.

As if being a wanted woman isn’t bad enough, Grace has her hands full with the five rowdy and rambunctious Reeves boys?tough Texan tormenters who seem intent on making her life miserable. When, in an attempt to escape from the clutches of her pursuer, Grace is forced to marry widower Daniel Reeves, father of the miniature monsters, she thinks things couldn’t get any worse. Or could they?

Daniel Reeves, happy in his all-male world, is doing the best he can, raising his five boys?rascals, each and every one. Since his wife’s death in childbirth, Daniel has been determined never to risk marriage again.

When God throws Grace and Danielt together?two people who couldn’t detest each other more?the trouble is only beginning.

Will this hapless pair find the courage to face life together in the isolated Calico Canyon? Or are their differences too broad a chasm to bridge?

If you would like to read the first chapter go HERE

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One of our favorite family activities is going to the zoo.  When we lived in Maryland we went to the National Zoo quite often, especially since it was free.  Now we are in Oklahoma and while there is a zoo nearby, it is just too hot to go spend a day at the zoo during the summer months.  I think I have finally found an alternative that my kiddos will enjoy - Zoo County.

Zoo County is a virtual zoo were you can see and learn things about different zoo animals.  They have the animals divided into 6 different categories, Cutest, Uglist, Biggest, Smallest, Weird and Funny, and Endangered, with a paragraph describing the animal.    Under the Weird and Funny category you can find the Star-nosed Mole, The Emperor Tamarin, and The Loris.  I haven’t even heard of these animals before.  They also have a photo gallery of animals from different zoos.

Zoo County’s mission is to make learning about wild animals fun and they do this by offering animal activities and crafts for all ages and has a store where you can purchase animal books and toys.

On those hot summer days when the kids are itching to go outside, visit the online virtual zoo instead at Zoo County.

I could so see my family doing this:

Picture from Geek Humor.

Visit Jacki at Moving at the Speed of Life for more Tickle Me Tuesday.

I used Random.org to get determine the two winners.  They are:

#15 -Brooke

and

#21 - Emily N.

Congrats and be on the look out for an email from me.  Thanks to all we entered.