{"id":24556,"date":"2019-08-16T00:31:35","date_gmt":"2019-08-16T05:31:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=24556"},"modified":"2019-08-14T17:35:51","modified_gmt":"2019-08-14T22:35:51","slug":"daughters-of-northern-shores-by-joanne-bischof","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=24556","title":{"rendered":"Daughters of Northern Shores by Joanne Bischof"},"content":{"rendered":"

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MY REVIEW:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Follow-up to Bischof’s Sons of Blackbird Mountain<\/strong>, Daughters of Northern Shores<\/strong> continues the story of the Norgaard family through sickness and health, tragedy and joy, and forgiveness and reconciliation. The author has a special touch that makes her characters come to life on the pages of her books. While I might not like everything that happens within those pages, those very things are what makes her books both realistic and believable because life just seems to happen that way.<\/p>\n

Once again Aven and Thor hold primary roles and experience more than their share of hardship yet are somehow able to hold on to their hope and joy. Haakon too plays a prominent role as he returns home after four years, hoping to make amends with the family he wronged. The feud with the evil Sorrels family once again raises its ugly head with vengeance and forces the Norgaards to fight for their very existence.<\/p>\n

Vivid imagery brings the reader into the center of the action where they witness first hand an epic battle between good and evil. Readers will want to keep a box of tissues handy for at least two events – one in which a character lays down his life in a valiant attempt to do what is right and the other in which another character lays down his own agenda and turns his life over to the Lord.<\/p>\n

Daughters of Northern Shores<\/strong> is another wonderful novel by the talented Joanne Bischof. I look forward to reading her next novel!\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by Celebrate Lit. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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ABOUT THE BOOK:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Book:\u00a0<\/strong>Daughters of Northern Shores<\/p>\n

Author:<\/strong>\u00a0Joanne Bischof<\/p>\n

Genre:\u00a0<\/strong>Historical Romance<\/p>\n

Release Date:<\/strong> March 12, 2019<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to grab your copy!<\/td>\n

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Aven Norgaard understands courage. Orphaned within an Irish workhouse, then widowed at just nineteen, she voyaged to America where she was wooed and wed by Thor Norgaard, a Deaf man in rural Appalachia. That the Lord saw her along the winding journey and that Aven now carries Thor\u2019s child are blessings beyond measure. Yet while Thor holds her heart, it is his younger brother and rival who haunts her memories. Haakon\u2014whose selfish choices shattered her trust in him.<\/p>\n

Having fled the Norgaard orchard after trying to take Aven as his own, Haakon sails on the North Atlantic ice trade, where his soul is plagued with regrets that distance cannot heal. Not even the beautiful Norwegian woman he\u2019s pursued can ease the torment. When the winds bear him home after four years away, Haakon finds the family on the brink of tragedy. A decades-old feud with the neighboring farm has wrenched them into the fiercest confrontation on Blackbird Mountain since the Civil War. Haakon\u2019s cunning and strength hold the power to seal many fates, including Thor\u2019s\u2014which is already imperiled due to a grave illness brought to him at the first prick of warfare.<\/p>\n

Now Haakon faces the hardest choice of his life. One that shapes a battlefield where pride must be broken enough to be restored, and where a prodigal son may finally know the healing peace of surrender and the boundless gift of forgiveness. And when it comes to the woman he left behind in Norway, he just might discover that while his heart belongs to a daughter of the north, she\u2019s been awaiting him on shores more distant than the land he\u2019s fighting for.<\/p>\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Joanne Bischof<\/strong> is an ACFW Carol Award and ECPA Christy Award-winning author. She writes deeply layered fiction that tugs at the heartstrings. She was honored to receive the San Diego Christian Writers Guild Novel of the Year Award in 2014 and in 2015 was named Author of the Year by the Mount Hermon conference. Joanne\u2019s 2016 novel,\u00a0The Lady and the Lionheart<\/i><\/em>, received an extraordinary 5 Star TOP PICK! from\u00a0RT Book Reviews<\/i><\/em>, among other critical acclaim. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her three children. Visit her online at JoanneBischof.com<\/a>; Facebook: Author, JoanneBischof; Instagram: @JoanneBischof.<\/p>\n

MORE FROM JOANNE:<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the questions I receive most often is \u201cHow do you get it all done?\u201d As a single, homeschooling mom, I\u2019ve long-since learned that there would be easier ways to have a day job<\/em> than being an author, but God has been gracious in providing abundantly in so many areas. Here are four that I am most thankful for as I look back over the last few years, including this season of writing Sons of Blackbird Mountain<\/em><\/a> and Daughters of Northern Shores<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Togetherness<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now, most authors would agree that \u201ctogetherness\u201d isn\u2019t exactly conducive to quality writing time \u2013 especially when kids are involved! And while I do need quiet focus to be able to work through a scene or chapter, what I\u2019ve been thankful for is the chance to share story and research discoveries with my children. It\u2019s created more unity around the stories. Instead of needing to usher the kids away, isolating them from the novels I\u2019m writing, I\u2019m able to invite them into them. For the Blackbird Mountain series, I walked them through the Pinterest boards<\/a>, showing them the different characters. Then we did a history unit on Vikings since that\u2019s the Norgaard Family\u2019s background. We had a blast and it helped make \u201cthe story that Mom was working on\u201d, something that they were more aware of and interested in. For my current work-in-progress, we just recently finished an all new history unit including visits to a few local museums and stories that the kids wrote on their own!<\/p>\n

Patience<\/strong><\/p>\n

I used to want to write, write, write all the time. And often, that\u2019s what I did! Well, I still would love to write as often as I can, but God has been teaching me something oh-so-important: patience<\/em>. As part of this, I set aside certain parts of the week for writing office hours<\/em>. These slots of writing time typically occur on Tuesday evenings, and include a few additional 1 \u00bd hours slots during the week, once homeschooling is done. In this manner, I am able to carve out some quiet writing time while still making sure the kids are having a great and productive day. But for any writer or working mom, we can agree . . . that\u2019s not a lot of time when added up! In God\u2019s wonderful provision, though, He seems to extend much richness to those little snatches of time. They might not be many, but they are mighty! It\u2019s been a prayer of mine for several years now, that by keeping my writing below these other priorities, that God would help me fill in the cracks of time and energy\u2014and He has been so faithful to supply. I still have my moments when I feel frazzled, \u00a0especially when deadlines are near, and that\u2019s why I am thankful for this next lesson that God has been teaching me . . .<\/p>\n

Communication<\/strong><\/p>\n

The thing about living with a writer, is that you often find them staring at a computer screen. That doesn\u2019t look all that productive, does it? But what we\u2019re doing on the other side of that screen is weaving a story-world of plot, characters, purpose, and heart. Typing words onto the page that we hope will touch lives, digging through old articles for research, or jotting down messy plotting notes that we pray will somehow amount to a story one day. By communicating with my kids (like sharing with them about the story and characters) I\u2019m able to help them see what<\/em> I\u2019m doing and why<\/em>. And since kids can be rambunctious and full of life (and questions, and needs for snacking, and ideas, and messes . . . *wink*) and since this writer works well with quiet, I have a little chalkboard that I hang on my doorknob when it\u2019s one of my \u201coffice hour\u201d slots. I jot down my start time and end time for that 1 \u00bd hour block, add a heart or smiley face, and often make note of what our next task will be like preparing a meal or doing an activity together. Then I shut my door and the little sign dangling from the knob outside helps the kids remember what I\u2019m up to. It reminds them that I won\u2019t be tucked away for long, but that I do need to focus for a little while. They\u2019re always allowed to come knocking if a need arises, but for the most part, they\u2019re happy on these afternoons with their own projects. When the hour or so is up, we reconvene and go back about our day, usually slipping into something fun that we do together. By having these slots of time in the week, and by communicating carefully with them in a way they can understand, it helps to bring us all what we need.<\/p>\n

Grace<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are days when I blow it, and days when I need a lot of grace. Maybe I\u2019ve spilled iced tea on one of the research books (don\u2019t worry, this is a hypothetical example ? ) or maybe I didn\u2019t save a scene properly, or just feel stuck and exhausted with a plot thread. These days can certainly tamper with the harmony, which begins with my heart and the need to remember the reason for why I write these stories: for God\u2019s glory. When I begin to lose my calm, or grow frustrated or weary with the challenges afoot, I know it\u2019s time to circle back to what it\u2019s all for. It\u2019s for the readers, it\u2019s for my children, it\u2019s for my joy, and most of all, it\u2019s for God\u2019s glory<\/em>. By me being harried or stressed, very little of this is being accomplished! God has used the writing process to speak to my heart in ways that have reminded me of what I can surrender, and more and more of the ways that I can look to HIM for guidance. The lessons aren\u2019t always easy, but through each season<\/a>, and through each book, I have come to see more and more all the ways to be thankful.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

BLOG STOPS:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Retrospective Spines<\/a>, August 6<\/p>\n

Just the Write Escape<\/a>, August 6<\/p>\n

KarenSueHadley\u00a0<\/a>, August 7<\/p>\n

Batya\u2019s Bits<\/a>, August 7<\/p>\n

Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses<\/a>, August 8<\/p>\n

By The Book<\/a>, August 8<\/p>\n

Abba\u2019s Prayer Warrior Princess<\/a>, August 9<\/p>\n

Adventures of a travelers wife<\/a>, August 9<\/p>\n

Christian Chick\u2019s Thoughts<\/a>, August 10<\/p>\n

Betti Mace<\/a>, August 10<\/p>\n

Connie\u2019s History Classroom<\/a>, August 11<\/p>\n

Christian Author, J.E. Grace<\/a>, August 11<\/p>\n

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy<\/a>, August 12<\/p>\n

Happily Managing a Household of Boys<\/a>, August 12<\/p>\n

Moments<\/a>, August 12<\/p>\n

Simple Harvest Reads<\/a>, August 13<\/td>\n

Connect in Fiction\u00a0<\/a>, August 13<\/p>\n

For the Love of Literature<\/a>, August 13<\/p>\n

Aryn The Libraryan ?\u00a0<\/a>, August 14<\/p>\n

Through the Fire Blogs<\/a>, August 14<\/p>\n

Bigreadersite\u00a0<\/a>, August 15<\/p>\n

Stephanie\u2019s Life of Determination<\/a>, August 15<\/p>\n

Daysong Reflections<\/a>, August 16<\/p>\n

Living Life Free In christ<\/a>, August 16<\/p>\n

A Reader\u2019s Brain<\/a>, August 17<\/p>\n

Texas Book-aholic<\/a>, August 17<\/p>\n

Debbie\u2019s Dusty Deliberations<\/a>, August 17<\/p>\n

Inklings and notions\u00a0<\/a>, August 18<\/p>\n

janicesbookreviews<\/a>, August 18<\/p>\n

Library Lady\u2019s Kid Lit<\/a>, August 19<\/p>\n

LifeofLiterature<\/a>, August 19<\/p>\n

As He Leads is Joy<\/a>, August 19<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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MY REVIEW: Follow-up to Bischof’s Sons of Blackbird Mountain, Daughters of Northern Shores continues the story of the Norgaard family through sickness and health, tragedy and joy, and forgiveness and reconciliation. The author has a special touch that makes her characters come to life on the pages of her books. While I might not like […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[157,8,34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-appalachia","category-books","category-historical"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24556","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=24556"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24556\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24670,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24556\/revisions\/24670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}