In this month of the Rosary

Just wanted to mention that Amazon has my Rosary book on its 4-for-3 promotion -- buy four copies of the book (or combine it with any of their other three 4-for-3 books) and get four for the price of three.

And, here's a lovely quote about the Rosary from Through the Year With Mary: 

 

"The Rosary taught Bernadette everything …
The Rosary was her dictionary, her spelling book,
naming and explaining the mysteries of God’s kingdom;
it was a map guiding her to the heart of  God’s love for humanity."

 

~~ Fr. John Lochran, The Miracle of Lourdes

An Advent Giveaway: Leave a Comment, Win a Book

I have a copy of Through the Year With Mary here, and I want one of you to have it.

Just leave a comment on this post and one of the girls will pick a name at random next Tuesday, December 15th. (Please include an email address in your comment if you don't have a blog or other easy-to-reach link. Thank you!)

~~~~~

I also have a handful of copies of The Rosary: Keeping Company With Jesus and Mary for sale here. They are $8.99 with free media mail shipping (faster shipping if you're interested in paying a little more for that.) Send an email to  karen (dot) edmisten (at) gmail (dot) com if you want to order one or have any questions.

Winners of the Rosary Books

Ramona just drew the winning names and they are:

wendysuzyq

and

Lindsay (comment left May 23, 7:53 p.m.)

Please get back to me with your contact information!

Final Two Drawings for The Rosary: Keeping Company with Jesus and Mary

Since next weekend is Memorial Day, I'm combining this weekend's giveaway with next weekend.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post.

I'll leave the comments open through May 31. On June 1st, two winners will be drawn from the Van Gogh coffee cup:

and I'll post the winners' names that day.

Thanks! 

Another Free Book!

Today's giveaway is all about the power of prayer.

Last week, in order to win a book, you just had to leave a comment.

This week's giveaway of The Rosary: Keeping Company with Jesus and Mary will be another random drawing from the coffee cup:

 But first I'm asking for a little bit of inspiration-sharing.

For this weekend's giveaway, leave a comment on this post telling me: 

1. Your favorite prayer (and it doesn't have to be the Rosary in order to win a Rosary book) 

or, 

2. The name of the saint you regularly turn to for intercession.

And, you don't have to, but if you have a story to share about either of those things, feel free to share it with us.

If you are not Catholic, don't have a favorite formal prayer, or wonder why anyone would ask a saint for intercession,  just leave a comment saying so.

Comments will be open until Monday at noon (central time.)

Let nothing trouble you

Let nothing frighten you

Everything passes

God never changes

Patience obtains all

Whoever has God wants for nothing

God alone is enough

~~ St. Teresa of Avila

It's Mary's Month! It's May! I'm Giving Some Books Away!

Last year in May, my book on the Rosary was published.

In celebration of a year of great response and terrific readers, and in looking forward to my second book (which is in the works with Servant) I'd like to say "thank you" to everyone with a few giveaways.

Each Saturday in May, I'll give away a copy of The Rosary: Keeping Company with Jesus and Mary.

Atticus would like the method of today's giveaway to have something to do with sports trivia. He thinks you should have to answer the question, "Who was the last pitcher to no-hit the Yankees?"  I'm not going to make you answer that. The answer is Hoyt Wilhelm.  (Atticus, you don't win the book.)

Instead, I'll make it easy today:

Just leave a comment on this post. You can say anything. You might say, "Karen, I'd love to win it!" or, "Free! That's great! Now I don't have to buy it!"  Maybe you're thinking, "I really couldn't care less, but I need something to give my mother next Sunday so count me in."  Or, you might say, "Karen, this is dull. Tell us a Ramona story."  Or, perhaps you'd like to say, "I have no idea who you are -- I got here by Googling plot summary of Escape from Warsaw."

My daughters will throw all your names in coffee cup and pick a winner at random.  (Comments will be open today and all of Sunday, until midnight.) We'll pick and announce the winner on Monday.

Good luck!

Another Likable Person, AND She's Giving Away a Copy of My Book

If you'd like a chance to win a copy of The Rosary: Keeping Company with Jesus and Mary, please go visit Mary Ellen Barrett at Tales from the Bonny Blue House.

Just leave a comment on the post -- Mary Ellen will leave comments open on all of her giveaways (she's offered something every day this week) until Saturday at noon, and she will draw winners sometime over the weekend. (See the above-linked post for more details.)

Mary Ellen is offering three different items today, so if you specifically want to be entered for the Rosary book, please let her know. (And, be sure to leave her an email address so that she will have a way to contact you if you win.)  I will sign and send out a copy to the winner.

Win a copy of the Rosary book -- on the radio Monday morning

I'll be chatting with Roxane Salonen at 9:30 a.m. (central time) Monday morning.

Roxane is a writer and a mom of five who blogs at Peace Garden Mama. She also hosts a show on Real Presence Radio, and you can click over there to listen to the interview live over the internet.

Roxane is planning to give away a copy of my Rosary book during the show. I'm looking forward to our chat!

In Which I Thank Al Kresta and Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle (or, "Atticus Remembers That His Wife Wrote a Book")

Atticus was driving home from work the other day, and turned on the radio to catch a little Kresta in the Afternoon.  Just as he clicked on, he heard, "So that's E-D-M ..." and Atticus thought, "That's funny, it sounds like they're spelling my name."

Al Kresta continued, "... I-S-T-E-N?" and Atticus thought, "Huh. Are they talking about a relative of mine or something?" Upon hearing, "The Rosary: Keeping Company with Jesus and Mary," he realized that, yes, they were indeed talking about his closest relative, his wife, and the book she wrote.

The show was Al Kresta's annual book recommendation special, and the lovely Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle recommended my Rosary book as a pick of the year.  Thank you, Donna-Marie! I'm surprised and humbled to be in such terrific company. And thanks to Al Kresta for including the book on his site.

The complete list of book recommendations is here. It includes picks from Dave Forsmark, Mike Aquilina, Teresa Tomeo, Carl Olsen, Rori Hoipkemier, Doug Keck, Steve Ray, Steven Greydanus, Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle, and Al Kresta. Great Christmas ideas there, either for giving or for last-minute hinting.

And, speaking of Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle, she is an amazingly busy woman (or should I say missionary?)  It looks like she's on the radio today, in a couple of different places, her new book is out, and she'll soon have a show for Catholic moms on EWTN.

My first review of the Rosary book in Spanish

It's here, at Luz Para Ver.

Thank you, David!

I'm at CatholicMom.com today!

Visit the wonderful Lisa Hendey and her Catholic Book Spotlight today for an interview about The Rosary: Keeping Company with Jesus and Mary.

We talk about the book, my conversion, and about prayer and busy lives.

Thank you, Lisa, for a great discussion and for your kind words about the book!

Margaret is Giving Away Five Copies of my Rosary Book

Thanks to someone who is quite kind and very generous, Minnesota Margaret is now giving away five copies of my Rosary book.

You can leave a comment at Margaret's original post to enter the contest.

Thanks to Margaret, to the anonymous donor of books, and to everyone who has shown interest in and support for this book! May the Rosary, and all the prayers of our Blessed Mother, enrich your lives in every way.

*****

Updated to add:

Even if you don't care to enter the contest, you should go read all the comments on this post.  Beautiful, inspiring stories from so many different people, sharing their experiences or struggles with the Rosary.  Worth your reading time, I promise.

Win a copy of The Rosary book

The ever lovely Margaret at Minnesota Mom was far too kind to me today in her post about my Rosary book.

Now, she is kindly giving away a copy of the book. Go to Margaret's place and leave a comment before Saturday, the 10th to be entered in the drawing. 

And thank you, Margaret, for such a lovely and touching post! 

Maureen Wittmann reviews "The Rosary: Keeping Company with Jesus and Mary"

Maureen Wittmann has a review of my Rosary book up at her blog (a blog which, I might add, has the shockingly clever title, "Maureen Wittmann") and I love the way it begins:

When I received this little book in the mail I thought to myself, "Sigh. Yet another book on the rosary." I know that sounds terrible, but in my defense I do have a whole shelf full of rosary books.

I love that honesty!

I know that many people have the same thought: "Why another book on the Rosary?" I'll reveal a spoiler now ... Maureen answered the question by saying, "It was fresh and I loved it."

And I love the picture of Maureen reading the book to her daughter in the car .... 

Thank you, Maureen!

You can read the whole review here.

Interview on Catholic Spotlight

The other day I talked with Chris Cash from Catholic Spotlight and The Catholic Company, You can hear the podcast here. We talked about my Rosary book and the power of prayer. And, I promised Chris that I'd send an article over for the resource page of Rosary.com, so I'd better get to work!

Jack reviews "The Rosary: Keeping Company with Jesus and Mary"

Jack has been my best friend since high school.

He doesn't have a blog.  He didn't write any of this down.  He didn't know he was reviewing my book.  The following was uttered as I rode along with him in his van to pick his son up from a Boy Scout "let's clean-up-the-creek" project.

But I'm still calling it a review:


Jack: Karen, I'm reading your book, and it's good!

Me: Well, you don't have to sound so surprised, y'know.

(Brief exchange about how much was read by Jack in draft form vs. how much was new to him ....) 

Jack: No, I mean, I'm not surprised that it's well written [this accompanied by an expression that probably meant, "You are still the same ridiculous person I became friends with in high school, Karen,"] ... it's just that, y'know, I'd like to think that there isn't much that a "beginner's" book on the Rosary could teach me. But so far I have been surprised and delighted by something in every, single section of your book!

[I can't guarantee that I've properly transcribed the exclamation point at the end. But I like to think it was there.]

 *****

I'm guessing Jack gives the book six full stars out of five, with the extra star added because we do, after all, go all the way back to high school. And he still thinks I deserved much more recognition than I got for that "Star Spangled Girl" humorous interp that I did for speech class.

Conversion Diary reviews "The Rosary: Keeping Company with Jesus and Mary"

Jennifer at Conversion Diary posted a lovely review of my Rosary book. Thank you, Jennifer!

Jen also reviewed a few other books in that post thereby forcing me to add several new things to my mammoth To Be Read Wish List.

I don't know whether I should thank her for that or not, but I will, and I'm sure Amazon will thank her, too, when I place my next order.

A chatty week

Tomorrow, Pat Gohn will publish an interview (which we recorded last month) at her Among Women podcast site. Pat and I spent quite awhile talking about prayer, relationships with our Blessed Mother, the Rosary, and my book. Join us as we look forward to an upcoming holy day, the Assumption; Pat offers lots of nuggets about that holy day.

The direct link to the podcast is here.

And, some ideas for celebrating the Assumption with the kids are here at Catholic Culture.

*****

Wednesday, the 12th, I'll be on KVSS talking with Bruce and Kris McGregor. Join us at 7 a.m. central time. You can listen online -- just click here.

Just an fyi: KVSS carries loads of great shows -- check out their program guide here.

And, you know how I mention in the book that if a radio station broadcasts the Rosary at times that work for you, that can be a great way to start praying it more regularly? Take a look at some of the times from which you can choose on KVSS:

6 a.m.
The Angelus, The Holy Rosary with Sr. Mary Lucy


9 a.m.
The Holy Rosary for Vocations with Msgr. Peter Dunne


10 p.m.
The Holy Rosary with Msgr. Peter Dunne

Talk, talk, talk

Friday I spent some delightful time talking with Pat Gohn of Behold Communications. We recorded a podcast for her Among Women series. It's planned to publish on August 11th.

*****

Today, I had another delightful talk, this time with Bruce and Kris McGregor at KVSS, Spirit Catholic Radio. Our chat about my Rosary book will air sometime next week.

I'll keep you posted.

Friend Time, Talk and Wine

First of all, thanks to all of you who chimed in on the Mommy/Daughter Date article over at Faith and Family Live. Such fun comments!

And second, I am just back from -- not special mommy time, but -- special friend time. My friend Andrea and I connected in Omaha (after not seeing one another for five years) and stayed two nights for a little mom getaway. You'll find Andrea's name in the front of my Rosary book -- I dedicated it to her, as she has told me for years that I would/should/could write a book, and she regularly checked up on me to ask if I was making time in my life to write. A couple of years ago, she said that as soon as I published a book, she would fly in (she lives in New York) and visit.

She did. We stayed at a fun, art deco hotel downtown (Andrea's very sweet, very generous gift to me) and we talked, we laughed, we drank red wine, we ate, we talked, we laughed, we talked, we drank wine, and we talked. I used to call Andrea "my other spiritual director" and she called me the same, because we can both share anything with the other and know that we will get brutally honest (and much appreciated) feedback. And nothing has changed in the last five years.

Last week, I was feeling a bit envious of one of our priests, who was heading off on retreat. I was imagining my own retreat -- quiet time and meditative prayer ... a complete and utter getaway from the world.

This wasn't exactly that kind of retreat, but it was incredible refreshment for my mind and spirit.

Thanks, Andrea.