2013 Fall Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt - Stop 17

Welcome to the 2013 Fall Scavenger Hunt! This hunt (which begins at noon Mountain Daylight Time) has 25 stops and runs October 18 through October 20, 2013. You can make the loop, reading unique content from 25 different authors, and after you complete the loop and fill out the Rafflecopter form at the final stop, you’ll be in the running for the prizes. And what prizes! Two runners-up will receive all 25 books in their mailboxes, and the grand prize winner will get an iPad Mini 16GB! Besides those great prizes, many of the authors taking part are offering additional prizes. Check below to see my added prize. Collective prizes total well over $1000! What do you have to do to qualify for those prizes? Just have fun going around to all the stops, read some great never before published posts from the authors taking part and gather the clues. Great news for our international readers. The contest is open to you too!

If you’ve JUST discovered the hunt, you might want to start at the beginning, Stop # 1, Lisa Bergren.com. This is Stop #17. But you can also begin here, and then backtrack to the first stops to gather all the clues so you have the complete secret phrase. You'll need that to enter for the big prizes at Stop #26.

Ready? Let's go!  Here at Stop 17 I'm hosting the award-winning and multi-published Lyn Cote. Lyn has visited here on One Writer's Journal in the past and I've been a guest over on her wonderful blog, Strong Women. Lyn writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, historical romance and family sagas and has nearly 40 titles to her credit. She lives in a lake cottage in the northwoods of Wisconsin with her real life hero and four cats. Find her at her website; on Twitter or  Facebook. Lyn's newest release and the book you'll have a chance to win in the Scavenger Hunt is The Baby Bequest.  

Let's see what Lyn has to say about her research for this book. Welcome, Lyn. So good to have you here. Tell us about your research for The Baby Bequest.

Historical Research is Fun

It is always so interesting to research the language of a time period. For example, I had wanted to use the phrase “the real thing,” in my latest book, The Baby Bequest, but after some research, I discovered that phrase came into use much later than when this story takes place. I don’t like to use phrases that aren’t historically grounded.

The Real McCoy

So I substituted “the real McCoy,” and discovered that this phrase came into use because of Elijah McCoy, an African-American born in Ontario, Canada, in 1844, the son of runaway slaves. Educated in Scotland as a mechanical engineer, Elijah McCoy settled in Detroit. Unable to get a job as a mechanical engineer because of racial prejudice, he worked for the railroad as an “oiler.”

You Can’t Keep a Good Man Down

While working there, he invented a cup that would regulate the flow of oil onto moving parts of industrial machines, first the train engine. This invention distributed oil evenly over the engine's moving parts. He obtained a patent for this invention, which allowed trains to run continuously for long periods of time without pausing for maintenance.

The term “real McCoy” refers to Elijah’s oiling device. It became so popular that people inspecting new equipment would ask if the device contained “the real McCoy.”

How about that?

For more information, go to http://www.biography.com/people/elijah-mccoy-9391300

Lyn's newest release, The Baby Bequest, is available in bookstores or online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com, or wherever great books are sold. 

On to the Next Step in the Scavenger Hunt:

Write down this clue: you are

Now you're ready to head over to Lyn Cote's blog, Stop #18 for the next great author post from Judith Miller and to find your next clue.

My Bonus Giveaway

As a bonus, I'll draw 3 winners who can then have their choice of one of my Shaker titles, The Outsider, The Believer, The Seeker, The Blessed, or The Gifted. Just leave a comment here on this post telling me what you like best about taking part in a Scavenger Hunt. Get an extra entry by "liking" my Facebook page. If you already "like" the page, thank you. Just tell me you have, and you'll get that extra entry in my bonus drawing.

A New Mystery Picture for Book Giveway Fun

"Vision - It reaches beyond the thing that is, into the conception of what can be. Imagination gives you the picture. Vision gives you the impulse to make the picture your own." ~ Robert Collier


I love taking pictures. I got my first camera when I was twelve. It was a Christmas gift and I took as many pictures as I could afford. Back then you had to buy film and flashbulbs and then pay to have the pictures developed. I didn't have the means to keep the camera loaded all the time, but I did enjoy using up the film when I had that extra cash. Now kids can grab a camera, or more likely a phone, and take photo after photo.

Several years ago when I still had a regular film camera and was taking pictures of my Sunday school kids, they kept wanting to "see" the picture right away the way you can with the digital cameras. I did finally come into the modern age and I do enjoy the freedom of shooting all sorts of pictures without having to think about the developing costs. 

"Photograph: a picture painted by the sun without instruction in art." ~Ambrose Pierce

I like sharing things I spot on my walks with you on my Facebook author page. I enjoy capturing fun times with my grandkids. And I like playing around with the photos to make mystery photos to have fun here on One Writer's Journal. 

This is the mystery photo from my last blog post. You made some great and poetic guesses. Loved them all. And most of you figured out what the photo was or at least were very close. Here's the "rest of the picture." The drops are dew drops. Thanks for your guesses. You're entered in the drawing for the newly packaged Orchard of Hope. Thanks also to those of you who said you liked the cover.

Now you can guess on the new photo at the top. If you made a guess on the Knockout rose picture and decide to give the new mystery picture a guess (or say you have no idea), you will get another entry into the giveaway. Remember, it's more fun to guess first and read the comments with the other guesses after that. But you can leave any comment here between now and November 1 to enter the giveaway. I'll pick two winners on November 3.


"Everyday we should hear at least one little song, read one good poem, see one exquisite picture, and if possible, speak a few sensible words." ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Remember to check back here on Friday, October 18 for the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt. My guest is going to be Lyn Cote. It is going to be fun chasing around through the blogs, reading about all the books and authors, and collecting clues. Great prizes too. Who knows? You might get a chance to read a good poem or see a great picture or hear a few sensible words. :)

And if you're in the area, you're invited to my Christmas at Harmony Hill Hometown Book Launch on Sunday, October 20th at 2:30 p.m. at the Anderson County Public Library. We'll talk books and laugh about me actually looking at Christmas stuff here way before Halloween. That has NEVER happened before! But I bought a couple of Christmas door prizes.

Photograph: a picture painted by the sun without instruction in art.
Ambrose Bierce
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/picture.html#vEporMBMokDOF3qj.99