If you’re just joining us, the hunt begins at www.LisaBergren.com, with Stop #1. If you complete the loop of 26 stops and write down the clue on each author’s site, you can enter to win all 25 books as well as Amazon gift cards, an iPad and more!

Without further ado, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to my guest for the Scavenger Hunt, Jody Hedlund! I’ve only known Jody by name and by her books (which are fantastical, by the way!), but recently I was able to meet her in person. She was kind to a shy author like me and made me feel welcome. So when I discovered I would be hosting her on my blog, I was excited!

Jody Hedlund is the best-selling author of over twenty historicals for both adults and teens and is the winner of numerous awards including the Christy, Carol, and Christian Book Award. When she’s not penning another of her page-turning stories, she loves to spend her time reading, especially when it also involves consuming coffee and chocolate.

Here’s the summary of her latest book:

Sophie Neumann and her two young charges join a group of orphans heading west by train, hoping to find safety and a happy life. When the train stops in Illinois for the first placement of orphans, Sophie faces the most difficult choice of her life. Reinhold Weiss has finally purchased his own small farm. With mounting debts, a harvest to bring in, and past scars that haunt him, he’s in no position to give his heart away . . . but can he say no when his long-lost friend shows up on a nearby train pleading for his help?

You can purchase her book at your local bookstore or online:

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

CBD

And here’s her EXCLUSIVE content that you’ll only find in this hunt!

By Jody Hedlund

I’ve recently entered a new stage of life where my home is beginning to empty. Three of my five kids are away at college. And the two left are very independent.

Not only does my new stage entail more uninterrupted writing time, but I’ve also found myself having more free time too.

Free time?! *Gasp* What is that?!

To be honest, I haven’t had free time in so long that I don’t know how to relax very well anymore. Rather than enjoy the down time, sometimes I drum up more work for myself.

Even though I listen to audio books and wind down with a book in bed, I’ve always dreamed about having more reading time. And yet, those few evenings when I’ve allowed myself the pleasure of sitting down with a book, I admit, I always feel slightly guilty. Often, instead of losing myself in a book, I make myself do other “more productive” things like bake or take a walk or finally clear out the dying flowers in the pots on the front porch.

The truth is, it’s all too easy to let reading take a back burner, isn’t it?

But the other truth I’ve learned over the years is that there will ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS be something demanding our attention. Our modern culture is a harsh task master with never-ending to-do lists. Our society subtly sends us the message that the busier we are the better off we’ll be.

So we get ourselves and our kids involved in everything until we’re running ourselves ragged. We’re on the go most of the time, and our down-time turns into staring at the TV screen because we’re too tired to do anything else.

We need to add white space back in to our lives that have become over-crowded. Can we even say that if we don’t add in white space—quiet, meditative, sedentary time to our daily schedules—we run the risk of increasing physical and mental health breakdown?

My challenge to myself and to you, is to buy one of the books on this scavenger hunt or check one out from the library. Then make time in the day (or evening) to read it—without feeling guilty.

And if you’re already an avid reader, then make a point of sending a friend or relative to this scavenger hunt. Tell them about your favorite authors. And encourage them to read more.

What about you? Do YOU ever feel guilty for reading? Why or why not? Do you agree that many of us need to clear more white space into our lives, including time for pleasure reading?

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Thanks for stopping by on the hunt! Before you go, make sure you WRITE DOWN THIS CLUE:

Secret Word: scavenger

Do you have it written down? Great! Your next stop is #15, Jody Hedlund’s site: https://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/

If you get lost, a complete list of the loop with links can be found on Lisa Bergren’s website.

And don’t forget to enter for a chance to win a signed copy of Mark of the Raven! (US only)

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Thanks for stopping by!