Welcome to Pamela S. Thibodeaux today. Pamela is sharing Love is a Rose.
Here’s she is…
Since Lent and Easter are very special to me, I’d like to focus on my devotional Love is A Rose for this egg-cerpt exchange so here again are the details….
Music is the magical entry into the spirit world; the golden gate into the Kingdom of God. But we mustn’t be of the mindset that God only uses Christian music to reach out and touch our mind, heart and spirit. God uses any and every means available to speak to His children.
Our job is to be open and receptive.
In this devotional, Pamela S. Thibodeaux shares how God opened her spirit to a deeper understanding of the abundance of His grace and mercy through the words of the song, The Rose sung by Country & Western artist Conway Twitty.
Pamela offers Seeds to Ponder and a prayer as she parallels the love of God and the Christian life to each verse of the song.
EGG-CERPT:Introduction
The Bible talks of harps playing and choirs of angelic hosts singing. It also tells us to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” The Israelites were ordered to send
the praise and worship team—playing musical instruments, dancing and singing—aheadof the soldiers into battle. So there must be something
special and powerful about music.
Music is an intricate element of worship, an aspect of praise that brings you into intimate proximity with the Lord. Music lifts you physically (fatigue
disappears, pain is forgotten), mentally (your mind is filled with it, erasing everything else), emotionally (you are saturated with joy and peace) and
spiritually (your spirit soars on the wings of His); opening your heart and mind to receive more of God’s presence, more of His truth.
Music is the magical entry into the spirit world; the golden gate into the Kingdom of God. But we mustn’t be of the mindset that God only uses Christian music to
reach out and touch our mind, heart and spirit. God uses any and every means available to speak to His children.
Our job is to be open and receptive.
Nearly every Christian song I hear touches my heart in some way, urging me into a closer walk with God and bringing me a truer knowledge of Jesus. Amazingly
though, the one song that really opened my spirit to a deeper understanding of the abundance of His grace and mercy wasn’t a Christian song but a Country one.
I’ll never forget the morning in 1995 when The Rose as performed by Conway Twitty came to me in its entirety with Bible references or Scriptures
correlating to every verse…
I immediately sat down and wrote the ensuing compilation paralleling the love of God and the life of a Christian to the words of this song.
Why do you suppose God used a country song to teach me about Himself?
I believe God was using a means familiar to me to show the depth and power of His love for me.
It is my prayer the words contained herein will do the same for you.
Before I begin, let me answer a few questions about myself. I am not a minister or even a candidate for the ministry. I have no degree or doctorate in psychology
or anything resembling either. I am simply a Christian housewife and mother who’s been blessed with a talent for writing and who desires to glorify the
Lord of my life with that talent.
As I said in my opening statement, the Lord led me to write this analogy so the words in it (and I’m sure He also led the songwriter to write such a beautiful
song) are His, guided through me by the power of the Holy Spirit to speak to you. So, let’s begin.
I’m excited to reveal the cover of my upcoming release, Dark Velvet. This is a new adult / paranormal erotic romance, part 1 of a series called Chateau Seductions.
Very excited to share my release date for Gargoyle’s Embrace, a quickie (short story) in my Underground Encounters series with Ellora’s Cave. It will be released on November 27th, just in time for your Thanksgiving break!
Gargoyle’s Embrace
Fifth in the Underground Encounters series.
Tracy isn’t sure why she’s drawn to a particular gargoyle statue in the Goth club where she works. After the stone takes human form to protect her from her abusive ex, she brings the handsome, naked male to her apartment. It’s impossible to ignore the seductive appeal of a man sculpted like a Viking warrior.
Danton has only hours in human form to spend with the woman he has hungered for. He’s convinced what’s between them is more than hot sex, but he needs to convince Tracy of that before he turns back to stone.
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Tomorrow I head back to Ohio for my second Romanticon, the phenomenal conference put on by my publisher Ellora’s Cave. I’ve been looking forward to this pretty much since I returned last year. Why? Well, last year was my first time attending. I was a new author and didn’t know anyone. So going in was intimidating. But I was very excited to write for Ellora’s Cave and wanted to be part of this event.
My reservations vanished when I discovered how welcoming everyone was. Within the first hour, I was dancing with everyone at the welcome party. The conference got better and better. Nights out dancing when you’re a mom are rare, but I danced all weekend. The panels were fun and taught me all kinds of things I didn’t know. Zumba with the caveman was a blast. My final day was at the book signing. I met some lovely authors and readers and even sold some books!
Oh, I almost forgot the most perfect way to top this off. At an awards party, I was given a Rising Star award. I’m holding it in the picture with the Cavemen. Can you see why I’m excited about returning this year?
This year promises to be even better. I’ve met many more authors and readers online and am looking forward to meeting them in person. I met my fabulous editor at the Book Expo American in NY earlier this year and will see her again. Also, I’m on a panel with three other authors who have written books for the On the Hunt theme, which came out earlier this year. So we’ll be leading readers on a fun scavenger hunt for some great prizes.
I’m very excited to see the Vampire Book Realm has chosen to feature the book trailer of Smoldering Nights among those they are featuring on their home page. How exciting!
If you like shapeshifters, you will be happy to find this site as I was – Shapeshifter Seductions. I am very pleased to have been interviewed at their site. Come visit!
Hello, I’m very excited to be in the spotlight at one of my favorite sites, the Vampire Book Realm. Check out my post on Rock and Romance, Vamps and Shifters — some of my favorite things to write about.
Lily Everett wants a lover, but won’t consider a permanent relationship, because she harbors a secret she’s certain no one will understand. When she meets the singer of a rock band at an underground nightclub, she’s disarmed by his sensual voice and mischievous good looks. After an icy introduction, Lily warms up to Nico’s charms.
A computer geek by day, Nico dons a rock singer persona by night. He’s tired of women pursuing him just because he’s in a band—the sex may be handy, but he wants something more. He’s intrigued by Lily’s reticence.
Keeping her emotional distance proves difficult the more Lily uncovers the intelligent, considerate man hiding behind Nico’s bad-boy persona. Their encounters are hot-hot-hot, but Nico wants more from Lily than sex. When Lily lets down her guard and reveals her other side, Nico’s shock destroys their closeness and they both doubt they can overcome their differences.
A Romantica® paranormal/shapeshifter erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave
Excerpt
By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age. If you are under the age of 18, please exit this site.
All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.
Chapter One
Lily
“The band is the shit!” Ally said.
We hadn’t checked the club’s calendar before we went out. I was looking forward to a night of dancing. I didn’t go out often, but tonight was a special occasion. So I put on a hot little red-and-black plaid dress, spiky-heeled boots and chunky gold bracelets to go all out. But when we arrived, a loud rock band was playing.
My senses were assaulted by not only the sound, but also the scent of alcohol all around us and sweat coming off people dancing up near the stage. I wasn’t used to the nightclub scene and it took a few moments for my unusually sensitive senses to adjust.
“Yeah, I guess. They’re all right,” I agreed. I tried not to sulk, but it was a challenge.
“Give them a chance, Lily. I didn’t know you’re not into rock, but look at the crowd—they’re going nuts. We should join them.” She motioned to the people dancing in front of the stage. “Besides, the DJ will come out later and you can shake your fine little booty to some funky-ass music soon.”
“Little? Ha! You definitely need glasses,” I said. “I’m going to grab a drink first. Want one?”
Ally shook her head. “I’m going to get closer to the stage. See ya in a bit.” I watched her as she slunk into the crowd. She was hard not to miss with her dirty-blonde hair in shiny, thick curls hanging down the back of her slinky electric-blue-and-black dress, which definitely stood out among all the people wearing black. Within moments, the crowd filled in the spot into which her tiny body disappeared and I couldn’t see her anymore.
Might as well get a drink. When I scanned the menu for something tasty, the Fruits of Temptation caught my eye. Plenty of fruit and plenty more alcohol. Perfect to hit the spot. I found an empty stool under one of the many gargoyle statues mounted at the end of the bar and focused on my drink. Mmm, yummy. I took little sips through a tiny straw. It went down so smooth, but I had better watch it or I’d be on my ass before I knew what happened.
When the crowd starting singing along with the next song, I was distracted from my cocktail. Who wouldn’t be—they were chanting the chorus to Let’s Fuck All Over Paris. What kind of crazy-ass song was this? My ears perked up as I tried to catch lyrics over the crowd.
No money, no hope
But in Paris, I cope
Sad ghosts fill the air
Joy and despair
Then the crowd revved up again to sing the chorus, “Let’s fuck all over Paris, Under the moon, under Polaris.” I looked for Ally but didn’t see her. She was probably one of the jumping figures wearing black up near the front of the stage. Was she singing along too? From this vantage point, I only caught glimpses of the band through the pulsating crowd waving their arms.
I had to admit, Velvet Cocks rocked hard. Real hard. I knew very little about them except they were popular in Boston’s underground rock scene. Now hearing them play live at Vamps, I understood how word spread fast. Their energy spilled over into the crowd as they played short original songs and punk-style remakes of classics.
I’d never been to this club Vamps before, never even heard of it. When Ally suggested we go out to celebrate my new promotion, she said, “I know just the place.”
I only had time to check out the homepage of the website at work. It introduced itself as an underground club with live bands, Goth music, punk, new wave, techno and the best music from the vault, whatever that meant. There were no pictures of people on the homepage, only a few images of gargoyles and a spooky-looking sign reading “Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here.” I wasn’t sure what to expect.
With the number of gargoyle statues around, from the ones guarding the front door to the ones hanging inside the main dance area, I understood why they were the prominent theme on the website. What struck me was the crowd. They wore all kinds of sexy outfits designed to attract attention, mostly black. Leather pants, catsuits, tight black dresses, schoolgirl outfits and outfits consisting of tiny vinyl straps I assumed were purchased from a fetish shop.
“Wow,” was all I could say when we walked in.
“What is it?”
“I’ve never seen so many—freaks—in one place at a time.”
Ally said, “Keep an open mind. Don’t make judgments, dance without a care in the world, and you’ll have the time of your life. I promise you that.”
“I didn’t mean freaks in a bad way necessarily. They’re just—wow.”
“You’re just wow. And I bet you’re a closet freak.”
“Ha. Hardly. What you see is what you get, baby.”
She laughed. “Your outfit doesn’t leave much the imagination tonight.”
“You said dress slutty. This is the best I could come up with.”
“I know. I know. You look great.”
I tried to keep her words about having an open mind as I listened to the band. They finished the song about fucking in Paris on a heavy rift and the singer said, “This next song goes out to Maya, a very special lady, from her eternal admirer.”
When he spoke, I detected a slight accent, maybe English, which wasn’t very noticeable when he sang.
Damn, that dedication was sweet. It must be nice to have someone so into you they’d request a singer to send a shout out to you declaring their feelings. I quickly ran through the guys I’d dated the last few years. Not a chance any of them would ever take that initiative. They were all too emotionally cut off to ever reveal something as personal as feelings. Then again, I wasn’t exactly professing any kind of eternal love either. Definitely not in the way this admirer was professing for this Maya. In fact, with my exes, I’d insisted we keep things from getting too serious.
But that was my hang-up. I knew no guy would be able to handle my secret.
My thoughts were distracted as I strained to hear the opening of the song. He sang so softly at first I barely made out the lyrics. Then his croon turned into a seductive opening of a song I recognized. #1 Crush by Garbage, an admittance of obsessive love . How the hell did he make it sound so tormented and yet so damn sexy all at once?
I had to get a better look and see this guy who was exacting complete control over the crowd. He had them worked up in a frenzy during the last song and now they had settled into a hypnotic sway as they listened to him sing with such intense longing. He delivered it with such a painful croon, almost haunted. That’s when I finally caught a glimpse of him.
Holy hell.
My recent encounters with punk rockers led me to believe they were all a bunch of ugly bastards so I was not expecting someone so—so—like him.
He was wearing a plaid green-and-black cap, but I saw his dark brown hair was cut close to his scalp. He looked so young and innocent at the same time. I pegged him to be in his late twenties. Maybe my age or a couple of years younger than me since I was about to celebrate the first of many twenty-ninth birthdays later this year.
I stood up on the rung of a stool to get a better look and that’s when I saw he was also playing bass guitar. He wore torn camouflage pants tucked into tall, black Doc Marten-style boots and held up by a silver-studded black belt. His torn black shirt sported the Velvet Cocks logo—a rooster wearing a smoking jacket and an ornate V and C, which appeared very Victorian and proper. Misdirection perhaps as to the actual naughty words? Tattoos galore extended from beyond his shirtsleeves. The whole combination gave him a hardcore look of a total badass. Dangerous and sexy.
My mouth half dropped as I listened, entranced, to his voice.
A Top Pick by Night Owl Reviews
The chemistry between Lily and Nico is off the charts. The sex is hot and steamy. They are a great match together in and out of the bedroom. ~ Night Owl Reviews
The one area that never failed to excite in this story was the sex – anywhere and everywhere… Lisa Carlisle has penned a really good story here in this installment; I’m now going to search out the first two in the series. ~ The Jeep Diva
