​Welcome to the inaugural Back to School Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt. We hope that throughout this hunt, you discover some new books and get to know a little more about us.
A few things before you begin:
This hunt is a blog hop. Collect the “clues” (pieces to the longer phrase) at each stop. Enter the individual giveaways along the way, then click on the link to the next stop and repeat until you reach #28, where you will input the full phrase as your entry to the grand prize drawing.
The hunt begins August 30, 2023, at noon EST and ends September 4, 2023, so you have plenty of time to visit each stop. If you need to step away and come back later, make a note of the last stop you visited, and go to this post with the list of all stops on the hunt.
If you are having trouble viewing the posts, you may need to switch browsers. Chrome and Firefox sometimes work better than Microsoft Explorer or Edge.

Welcome back to my annual birthday story. Ready to find out what happens next with David and Macy? Read on. Or, if you missed Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, or Day 4, follow those links to catch up!

Macy hadn’t been able to get a good read on David this afternoon. Had he been pleased with his party? Was he upset? Was that why he wanted to talk to her?

He had mentioned to his mom that he didn’t want a party. And that’s exactly what she’d thrown. Maybe she’d ruined her chances for an office friendship before it could even start. Her own mom often chided her for eavesdropping. This exact situation was the reason.

“Macy?” David’s voice in her doorway startled her from her brooding.

“David. Hi.” She set her pens straight on her blotter for the next day.

“I have a question for you.” David leaned against her desk.

“Oh?”

“Why did you think today was my birthday?”
​
Her hands stilled and she slowly lifted her gaze to him. “What?”

Welcome back to my annual birthday story. Ready to find out what happens next with David and Macy? Read on. Or, if you missed Day 1, Day 2, or Day 3, follow those links to catch up!

Something strange was going on. David frowned as another coworker walked past his cubicle. An awful lot of traffic for a Tuesday afternoon. Had he missed a meeting memo?

A quick scan of his emails showed nothing. But three more walked by, whispering as they passed his desk. Maybe someday he’d have a close bond to some of his coworkers too. In the last month, he hadn’t really had time to get to know anyone. But surely that would change now that the Tyler project was wrapped up.

“Hey. Meeting in the conference room.” Macy poked her head through his doorway.

“I didn’t get a message about it.” David motioned toward his screen.

She shook her head. “It was last-minute.”

He frowned. “What’s it about?”

“Standard stuff. You know how it goes.” Macy moved her head in a ‘follow-me’ sort of way. “You coming?”
​
“If only to appease my curiosity.” He grabbed a memo pad and a pen. “Lead on.”

Welcome back to my annual birthday story. Ready to find out what happens next with David and Macy? Read on. Or, if you missed Day 1, or Day 2, follow those links to catch up!

“I don’t know, Macy. I’m sort of on a diet right now. Gotta stay thin enough to fit into my wedding dress next month, ya know.” Hilary ran her hands down her perfectly skinny waist and Macy barely kept herself from rolling her eyes.

“Even if you don’t eat the cake, you could still come sing.” Macy cocked an eyebrow. “I didn’t get a huge cake anyway. Our birthday budget was pretty much blown for the month already.”

“We have had a lot of birthdays lately.”

“Right?”

“If I remember, I’ll try to swing by. You said three?” Hilary jiggled her mouse to wake her computer back up.

“In the big conference room.” Macy backed out of the payroll office. “And tell the others when they get back from lunch.”

Hilary waved at Macy, but no telling if she actually heard her words or not. Something had already caught her eye on the monitor in front of her.
​
Macy huffed. Things were not going as well as she’d figured. Maybe people were birthday’d out or something, but barely anyone seemed excited about celebrating David this afternoon. They’d sure be put out if no one showed up to celebrate them on their day, but apparently it was too much trouble to give the same courtesy to their newest co-worker.

Welcome back to my annual birthday story. Ready to find out what happens next with David and Macy? Read on. Or, if you missed Day 1, it's here.

David stepped into the small kitchenette and the three women congregated around the microwave practically gasped as they straightened. Strange. Not that David had ever confessed to understanding the female half of the species. Still … he didn’t think he was that startling.

He eased around them to grab his leftovers from the fridge. A few titters of laughter burst from a couple of the girls before they smirked and headed out of the kitchen. That left only Macy.

She occupied the cubicle on the other side of his wall. Often he heard her soft voice chatting on the phone or with other co-workers. But he rarely had time to actually experience a conversation with her for himself. Since he’d started a month before, their schedules hadn’t cooperated for much more than a smile in passing.
​
Maybe that could change soon. He leaned back against the counter on the other side of the microwave while she waited for her meal to finish heating. Glancing her way, he discovered her watching him, but she quickly turned her attention to the beeping machine.

She hissed as she grabbed the hot container and let it slip a bit, some red sauce splattering over the countertop. “Shoot!”

“No, Mom.”

Macy tried to tune out the voice filtering over from the next cubicle, but it was hard. David was worked up about something. Not that it took much for him to catch her attention. Between his mellow voice and his thick dark hair, he made it hard to focus on work several times a day.

“That’s very sweet, and you know I love you for it. But no. I don’t need a celebration.”

Celebration? One of Macy’s favorite words. Something told her this spreadsheet would not be finished today.

“Mom, seriously. No.” He paused. “Yes, I know it’s been three-hundred and sixty-five days. But that doesn’t mean we need to celebrate. Seriously.”

A tapping followed, as if he were letting out frustration through his pen. Macy lifted a brow.

“Yes. We can have dinner. But nothing more. I don’t want a big deal made.”

Was it his birthday? What else could he be talking about? A celebration for something that happened once a year.
​
Macy stifled a squeal. Any excuse to eat cake was a good one in her book.

Do you work out?
I wish I had more time to. I always feel better about myself when I've had a workout session. And yoga is a great stress-reliever. But my life is super busy right now, and my jobs have my sitting a lot. I'm going to have to make time soon.
I have several friends who work out at a local spot, including one friend who teaches a 5 am barre class. I definitely don't make it to that one. Too early and the timing doesn't work for me to get kids to school, either. But she was a bit of the inspiration behind my newest heroine, Lennox.

Today, I'm thrilled to introduce you to another of my editing "babies." And the author behind this beautiful book, The Decision. Christina Rost is such a fun person to get to know, and I'm already looking forward to her next book because I enjoyed the first so much. I think you're going to enjoy getting to know her today too.

Christina, congratulations on your first book release!
  What made you choose to start and end it in a place like Uganda?
 
I grew up learning about missionaries in my church and anytime there were stories about missionaries in Africa I was totally enthralled with their story. As I wrote The Decision, I hoped my readers would have their interest piqued about the area and their hearts would be moved to pray for the mission work that goes on not only there but around the globe.
 
I know your husband used to be in the Air Force. Are there locations you guys lived that might show up in a future novel? Any locations you'd hate to write about?
 
Yes! We lived in Hampton Roads, Virginia, and England, and they are both included in my upcoming novel Best Seller.
 
I cannot think of an area I’d hate to write about.  Even the places where we were stationed that I didn’t particularly enjoy are a part of who I am, so I’d be open to considering them at some point in a setting.
 

What would a story be without secondary characters? Not as much fun, that's for sure. Especially when those secondary characters are like Sara Beth. She's Lennox's best friend. Has been since ninth grade. And now she's getting married to her sweetheart Brian (Ty's cousin). 
Aren't they cute? They took that picture for their "Save the date" cards. ;)
Best friends don't come much better than Sara Beth, except right now, she's got her mind on one thing and one thing only--being married in a few months. And she's dragging Lennox along into the fray as maid of honor.