1. I live in the great State of Texas.
2. I was born in Wyoming.
3. I own four pairs of cowboy boots.

Which are true, and which is the lie? I was not born in Wyoming — rather, northwest Texas. (And, oh yeah, I own four sweet pairs of cowboy boots!)

But let’s play Two Truths and a Lie about my new book, Hot, Holy, and Humorous: Sex in Marriage by God’s Design. See if you can spot the lie.

1. My book hit the New York Times Bestseller list.
2. The flame, halo, and smile on the front cover are based on drawings my elementary son made.
3. I’m hosting a giveaway in September focused around my book availability.

So what’s your guess? Ready for the answers?

#1 – I wish my book had hit the NYT Bestseller list! Someday… But that one is the lie.

#2 – Yes, the flame, halo, and smile you see on my website were created on a computer drawing program by my then-10-year-old son. He noticed me struggling with the images, and since he got an art gene that seems to have skipped a generation with me, he offered to help. At that time, I didn’t say what it was for — just, “Can you draw me a flame, a halo, and a smile?” And he came up with the graphics I incorporated into my logo. That formed the basis of what you see on my book cover.

#3 – Aha! Did you see that word giveaway? That’s what I want to talk to you about today!

I’ve spotted my book in a few Barnes & Nobles here and there, and certainly online. However, I’d love to know where else Hot, Holy, and Humorous: Sex in Marriage by God’s Design is making an appearance. So I’m enlisting y’all!

But I’m not just expecting you to go hunt down my book on bookshelves to assuage my curiosity. Rather, how about making it like a scavenger hunt with prizes? Or, because I’m a simple gal, one GRAND PRIZE.

How to Participate: The “Rules”

The giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian residents only. (Sorry, international followers, I just can’t ship that far!)

Find copies of my book in your local bookstore. It’s usually shelved somewhere in Christian Life: Marriage.

To Enter Once: Snap a picture of yourself holding the book in the bookstore and email it to j [at] hotholyhumorous [dot] com, identifying where the photo was taken (bookstore, city, state).

To Enter Twice: Snap that picture, email it to me, and include express permission for me to post it on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest). I will not include a name unless you want me to do so, but I would like to include location.

To Enter Three Times: Snap a picture of yourself buying the book at the cashier and holding the book and your purchase receipt, send it to me, and you’ll be entered three times.

That’s it. Send me the photo anytime in September, and I’ll randomly draw a winner the first week of October. I’m excited to see where my book has shown up and to give away a great prize to one lucky reader.

Now what does this GRAND PRIZE include? A few of my favorite books and some other goodies (total value, approximately $200!).

• Hot, Holy, and Humorous: Sex in Marriage by God’s Design, three copies signed by me
• Lovemaking: 10 Secrets to Extravagant Intimacy in Marriage (two copies) and Seven Secrets of a Supernatural Marriage: The Joy of Spirit-Led Intimacy, donated by Dr. Dan and Linda Wilson
• Sheet Music: Uncovering the Secrets of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage by Kevin Leman
• The Cookie Sutra: An Ancient Treatise that Love Shall Never Grow Stale. Nor Crumble. by Edward Jaye
• Foreplay in a Row adult game, donated by MarriedDance.com
• Sliquid Dude Lube Ride sample pack of lubricant
• Sliquid Lip Lickers sample pack of flavored lubricant
• Gift certificate for $40.00 to Heavenly Secrets, an online Christian lingerie boutique (sizes XS through 4XLarge)
• Flame-less, flickering LED pillar candles
• All in a beautiful storage box

What will you do with three copies of my book? That’s up to you. But I figured you could pass them out to friends, family members, or perplexed strangers you sit next to on the subway or bus who brought nothing to read (being a book lover, I never understand that). You could stick copies in your church library, or hand one to your pastor or marriage minister. You could give them as wedding shower gifts. You could, bold wife that you are, put one out on the coffee table for when you have your church small group over and just watch what happens. See the myriad of possibilities?!

One quick note about helping authors: If your bookstore doesn’t have a book you’re looking for (like mine), it’s awesome for you to request that they carry it. It is not awesome to harass bookstore employees to carry it, like calling over and over or taking a frustrated tone. Those buying decisions are almost never made by the person you deal with in the store, but they do pass on requests. Thanks for being the completely classy people I know you are!

And by the way, I’ll be here more in September. I was kind of spotty on my blog over the summer, but a few things have freed up this month, so I’m planning to make up for some of my absences. Looking forward to it!

The post Two Truths and a Lie: A Treat for September appeared first on Hot, Holy & Humorous.

But I’ve been evaluating my recent week-long trip to New York City and the last few days of it that I spent with my hubby. What could have made things even more smooth? How could we improve the limited time we get together, alone, out of town, without daily interruptions? What do I want to remember for the next time we take a couple vacation?

Let me share a few.

Schedule rest into the itinerary. Travel is exhausting, and so is out-of-town business. I didn’t plan well for this and allow myself time to recharge between events. Next time, I want to leave more time between arriving from the airport and starting in on my itinerary. I also shifted quickly from work events to vacation days with hubby, and consequently I felt physically bad that whole first day of sightseeing. I only realized how much I needed downtime when I slipped into bed that night at 7:30 p.m. for a “quick nap” . . . and woke up the next morning at 7:30 a.m.

To get the most from your couple vacation time, allow a little breather between travel and vacation activities. Be willing to hang out in the hotel a little longer or linger over a relaxed breakfast. Let yourself sleep in. Yes, you might lose an hour or two in your day, but you’ll feel better and enjoy each other more. You don’t want your vacation to involve two overtired, grumpy spouses, so schedule rest into the itinerary.

Discuss expectations. If your husband thinks this is a “sexcation” and you think it’s a see-everything-you-can sightseeing tour, one of you — or really, both of you — will be disappointed.

Hubby and I do a pretty good job of this, but we can always improve. My one tweak would be to write down the must-do’s, the hope-we-do’s, and the if-we-have-time-do’s. Then we can make sure we knock out the activities we most want to engage in and not waste time on stuff we sorta, kinda, maybe want to do but that isn’t really a big deal.

And yes, I think it’s perfectly fine to write “have sex” on your must-do list. I’m in favor of spontaneous sex, but I’m also in favor of scheduling sex just like you schedule date night.

Pack lube. Calm.Healthy.Sexy. recently penned a great post on why hotel sex is particularly nice. I agree, but I was sort of kicking myself for not packing personal lubricant. Even if you don’t need it, it’s better to have it available, just in case.

My own favorite are the Sliquid travel-size packs so you can get single-use pouches and easily slip them into your luggage. (And no, Sliquid’s not paying me to say that…but they should. *wink wink*) Regardless of what you prefer, remember to pack personal lubricant so that you’ll have it if you need it.

By the way, that photo up there is me and the hubster at Central Park in New York City.

Now what are your tips for vacationing with your spouse?

The post Vacationing with Hubby: How to Make It Better appeared first on Hot, Holy & Humorous.