{"id":1112,"date":"2009-02-19T19:35:22","date_gmt":"2009-02-20T00:35:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/\/?p=1112"},"modified":"2009-02-19T19:35:22","modified_gmt":"2009-02-20T00:35:22","slug":"spring-of-candy-apples-by-debbie-viguie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=1112","title":{"rendered":"Spring of Candy Apples by Debbie Vigui\u00e9"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/a>It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour<\/a><\/span><\/strong> book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Today’s Wild Card author is: <\/strong><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Debbie Vigui\u00e9 <\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

and the book:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Spring of Candy Apples (A Sweet Seasons Novel)<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Zondervan (February 1, 2009) <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

\"\"id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259081642821465634\"<\/a>Debbie Vigui\u00e9 has been writing for most of her life. She has experimented with poetry and nonfiction, but her true passion lies in writing novels.<\/p>\n

She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Writing from UC Davis. While at Davis she met her husband, Scott, at auditions for a play. It was love at first sight.<\/p>\n

Debbie and Scott now live on the island of Kauai. When Debbie is not writing and Scott has time off they love to indulge their passion for theme parks.<\/p>\n

The Sweet Seasons Novels<\/a>:<\/p>\n

The Summer of Cotton Candy<\/a>
The Fall of Candy Corn <\/a>
The Winter of Candy Canes<\/a>
The Spring of Candy Apples<\/a> <\/p>\n

Visit the author’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Product Details:<\/p>\n

List Price: $9.99
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (February 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310717531
ISBN-13: 978-0310717539
AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:<\/span> <\/strong>
<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303249064444062306\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Once again Candace found herself seated across from a Zone executive. Only this time it wasn\u2019t Lloyd Peterson, the hiring manager; it was John Hanson, owner of the theme park. She tried hard not to squirm in her seat. He was smiling and friendly, but there was so much more at stake this time than a part-time job.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, Candace, as one of the five finalists for The Zone Game Master Scholarship, you must be pretty excited,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Excited. Bewildered. Nervous. So many to choose from. Excited because the winner got a full scholarship to a college in Florida. Bewildered because she still couldn\u2019t believe her Balloon Races doodle could be taken seriously by anyone. Nervous because she didn\u2019t want to blow it.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d finally forgiven her friend Josh for secretly entering her in the competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I\u2019m very excited and pretty nervous,\u201d she admitted.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust try to relax,\u201d he urged.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll try.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, as you know, there are many stages in the competition and you\u2019ve passed them all to get this far. During the first stage contestants who don\u2019t meet the qualifications are weeded out. Every year I\u2019m surprised to hear how many of those there are. Next the Game Masters take a look at the attraction concepts for viability. Then they announce the top twenty candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Candace vaguely remembered that and how shocked she had been. She had just doodled her Balloon Races idea for a new them park ride on a napkin. She had been about to throw it away but gave it to Josh instead and he had secretly entered it in the scholarship competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt that point we announce the candidates and give everyone who works for The Zone a chance to submit a recommendation for a candidate. Now, this isn\u2019t just some sort of popularity vote. Recommendations are serious things. The person filling it out has to take the time to submit a ten-page form evaluating your strengths and telling the search committee exactly why they believe you should have the position. Based on the strength and numbers of those recommendations, the group of twenty is narrowed to five.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWow! I can\u2019t believe enough people recommended me,\u201d Candace said, humbled at the amount of work it sounded like that would take. <\/p>\n

\u201cSeveral people here think quite highly of you. You had enough recommendations to just beat out a another young man for the fifth spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I\u2019m here because I had one more recommendation?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBasically, yes. It\u2019s policy that we don\u2019t allow contestants to see their recommendations. However, since you are in the top five, I can tell you the people who recommended you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suddenly, Candace realized her heart was in her throat. This somehow made her more nervous than the interview itself. It was a reflection of what people thought of her and how they had chosen to support her. She found herself holding her breath as she waited for the names.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou had eight recommendations. The first seven came from your supervisor, Martha, Kowabunga referee Josh, Muffin Mansion\u2019s Becca and Gib, Sue from janitorial, Roger from The Dug Out, and Pete the train operator.<\/p>\n

None of those came as a great surprise, but Candace was touched and flattered that they would all spend the time and effort on her. She made a mental note to thank them later. That had to mean that the final recommendation that had put her over the top had to come from her boyfriend Kurt. She felt a warm glow as she thought about him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the last one to come in was from Lisa in food carts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Candace was stunned. It wasn\u2019t Kurt, who had written a recommendation for her, but rather Lisa, the girl who hated her? \u201cAre you sure about that?\u201d she burst out.<\/p>\n

John looked surprised. \u201cYes. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing,\u201d Candace mumbled, dropping her eyes.<\/p>\n

The owner of the park chuckled. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s a surprise when we discover who has actually noticed and thought we\u2019ve done a good job.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so, here you are\u2014one of the final five contestants.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happens now,\u201d Candace asked, still a little unsure about the entire process.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is it. I stay out of the selection process until the very end. Now I interview the five candidates and choose the winner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Candace had suspected that might be the case but actually knowing it made her even more nervous<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve been doing seasonal work for us, is that right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, I think it\u2019s time to upgrade you. How would you like to work part-time at The Candy Counter?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the Home Stretch?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would be the one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would be great,\u201d she said, not sure what else to say at the moment. She hadn\u2019t really had a chance to think about working during the spring. There was a part of her that was instantly excited, though. Working at The Candy Counter meant she wouldn\u2019t be working at a cart.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, shall we begin the interview?\u201d he asked, the smile leaving his face.<\/p>\n

She nodded mutely.<\/p>\n

After the interview, Candace headed straight for the Muffin Mansion. There were no customers inside and Candace made a beeline for Becca, who was manning the cash register. Candace walked around the counter and gave Becca a big hug.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was that for?\u201d Becca asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor recommending me! I\u2019ve got a hug for Gib too. Is he here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe should be back from break in a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll wait.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, how did the interview go?\u201d Becca asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure. I feel like I totally blew it,\u201d Candace confessed.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone probably felt that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. I\u2019m still not even sure how I\u2019ve gotten this far in the competition.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you kidding? Balloon Races looks awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

Becca smiled. \u201cJosh has been showing a copy of your drawing to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Candace rolled her eyes. \u201cGreat, one more thing I\u2019ve gotta kill him for.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, go easy on the guy. If you get that scholarship you\u2019ll owe him big time for entering you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I guess,\u201d Candace admitted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s with the frown face,\u201d Becca said.<\/p>\n

\u201cKurt didn\u2019t recommend me for the competition,\u201d Candace admitted.<\/p>\n

\u201cOuch,\u201d Becca said, wincing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Lisa did. Isn\u2019t that weird?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDefinitely freaky.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did your interview go?\u201d a deep voice asked.<\/p>\n

Candace jumped off the counter and hugged a surprised Gib. He patted her back awkwardly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for nominating me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo problem. Glad to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKurt didn\u2019t nominate her,\u201d Becca said.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnave!\u201d Gib said, his face darkening.<\/p>\n

Before Candace could respond, customers streamed through the door. She gave Becca and Gib a little wave and headed out. Once in the clear she headed for the Splash Zone, hoping to catch Josh who had started again a couple of days earlier in anticipation of summer. She saw him in his tank top and shorts in front of the Kowabunga ride.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve gotta be cold,\u201d she said as she walked up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s worth it for not sweating through the summer,\u201d he said with his customary grin. \u201cSo, how\u2019d it go?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d she confessed as she gave him a hug. \u201cBut thank you for nominating me. Thank you for entering me,\u201d she said, laughing a little.<\/p>\n

\u201cTold you the Balloon Races was cool,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

She stepped back with a laugh. \u201cRemind me to listen to you more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s an easy one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, do you think I have a shot?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

He grew serious for a moment. \u201cI hope so, but I don\u2019t know. I entered you and I nominated you. That was really all I could do. It\u2019s out of my hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know. I\u2019m just nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was about to tell him who had nominated her when she remembered she had other news. \u201cI did get a part-time job out of it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

His eyes widened. \u201cSeriously? Part-time, not seasonal?\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded. \u201cI\u2019m going to be working at The Candy Counter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s great! Congratulations. I\u2019m going to miss seeing you on the carts, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

She shrugged. \u201cWe can still hang on breaks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely! Well, that is, after the Talent Show. My team and I are practicing a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Candace blinked at him. \u201cTalent Show? What Talent Show?\u201d<\/p>\n

Josh laughed. \u201cSame old Candace.\u201d<\/div>\n

\n
\nMY REVIEW:<\/strong><\/br><\/br>
\nSpring of Candy Apples is a satisfying conclusion to a fun seasonal series featuring Candace (Candy) and her adventures revolving around her job at The Zone theme park.<\/br><\/br>
\nI heartily recommend this series for teen girls. It is filled with the usual girly stuff such as fashion, romance, slumber parties, and just plain fun. But beyond that, the reader can clearly see Candace grow spiritually in each installment without feeling preached at. <\/br><\/br>
\nI hope we will see more from Debbie Vigui\u00e9 in the near future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1112"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1115,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1112\/revisions\/1115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}