Friday, August 12, 2022

New Romantic Suspense from Penelope Marzec

 


Angel of the L Train, by Penelope Marzec

Inspirational Romantic Suspense
Ebook $5.99
Prism Lux, August 12, 2022, 320 pp.

Buy Angel of the L Train:


About Angel of the L Train:

Thea Ahern desperately needs a job, so when she lands a job at LetSlip, a New York City gossip magazine, she takes it even though it will mean hiding her heritage. When she helps a man who is attacked on the subway, she’s hailed as the Angel of the L Train, and people notice her striking resemblance to a once famous actress. This sparks a renewed interest in Paris Hulette and her whereabouts. What happened to the award-winning actress after her husband shot her? And is Thea Ahern really the actress's daughter?

Thea’s coworker, John, understands what it means to hide from your past, and so he shields Thea from the ensuing media frenzy. She falls for him, and he falls for her, but LetSlip’s CEO orders John to investigate Thea. Now he has to choose between protecting Thea or losing his job.

When LetSlip’s CEO is murdered while John is in the building, John is thrust into the public spotlight along with Thea, and his past is revealed. Can Thea ever trust him again? And can he ever be forgiven for what he’s done?

 

A Brief Interview with Penelope

 What do you love about your new book? I love the message of forgiveness in this book. The heroine in Angel of the L Train assumes the hero cannot be absolved for what he has done. Even the hero does not feel he is worthy of mercy. But none of us are truly worthy and yet the Lord does grant forgiveness. He gave his life for us. We are not supposed to judge others. That is up to the Lord, who loves us all. There is hope and there is forgiveness.

 Tell us about the most interesting thing you learned while researching. I went off on a tangent and researched what it takes to be an entertainer in the New York City subway. This was not important information for the story, but I wanted to know because there are entertainers everywhere in the subway system. Some have auditioned and applied for permits. Some have not. I learned you do not need a permit to entertain in the subway system. However, you must abide by all the Transit Authority’s many rules, which include not using an amplifier, not impeding the movement of passengers, and most of all not entertaining inside the subway car.

 I have seen all sorts of entertainment in the subway—including groups who entertained inside the subway car. Evidently, they get away with it most of the time.

 What's the background story no one knows about your heroine? The heroine’s mother was a well-known, award-winning actress who vanished from the public eye after the heroine was born. The heroine grew up in a small town in the New Jersey Pine Barrens where no one ever suspected her mother’s former fame. The heroine never knew her father and her mother forbid her to even say his name. Still, the heroine had a happy childhood until her mother became gravely ill.

 What are you reading now? I’m trying to read as many books published by Pelican Book Group as I can, but I am very far behind in my goal because there are so many books! At the moment, I am reading A Second Chance for Grace, by Karen Malley. I just finished How to Charm a Beekeeper’s Heart, by Candice Patterson. All the books are wonderful. I’m having so much fun.

 What’s next for you? I’ve been writing a historical romance set in 1903. I’ve been working on this one for a long time due to the ups and downs of life. However, I am drawing close to the end and I’m itching to put in the big climax.
 
About the Author:
Penelope Marzec grew up along the Jersey shore. She started reading romances at a young age and fell

hopelessly in love with happy endings. Two of her inspirational romances won EPIC’s eBook Award and another was a finalist in that contest. Her paranormal, Irons in the Fire, was a nominee for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice award. Her Christian historical, Patriot’s Courage, placed First in the Inspirational category of the 2021 National Excellence in Story Telling (NEST) Contest. Visit her website at penelopemarzec.com for more information.

Monday, July 4, 2022

Review of This I Promise You


This I Promise You by Mary Felkins
The Heart of Moreland Manor prequel
Contemporary Christian Romance
Gardenia Press, May 2022, 186 pp
Ebook $2.99
Paperback $12.99
Buy on Amazon 

Read an interview with Author here.

About the Book:

What if finding your heart’s desire means entrusting it …just once more … to the one who broke it?
It should not have come as a surprise to school Teacher Adelyn Ormond when she was jilted at the altar,

Promises are meant to be broken.

When her supervisor tasks her with galvanizing support for a local food bank, she directs her energy toward the underprivileged in her community—some of whom are her own students. Problem is, the responsibility requires her to involve celebrity chef, Bryan J. Carlyle, her almost-husband whose participation assures great results.

For all his success, Bryan hasn’t come up with a recipe for how to be restored to his family. Doesn’t help that abandoning Adelyn threatens to spoil his reputation and ruin his career. But when he encounters hungry children scrounging for food behind his restaurant, he agrees to get behind Adelyn’s worthy cause. The collaboration with Adelyn might shed light on the incriminating image he’d discovered minutes before the ceremony—her lip-locked with another man after the rehearsal dinner.

Can Adelyn trust Bryan to make good on his promise—without risking her heart? Will the love that led them to the altar be the key ingredient for reconciliation? Maybe. But his absence on the big day to which he’d committed might be beyond forgiveness.

My Review:

Loved this sweet and poignant romance of second chances. Two adults with secrets in contemporary New Orleans--he a renowned chef, she a former dancer turned elementary school teacher with a tiger mom heart--have a bitter past of disillusionment based on falsehoods. Thrown together to work a miracle for Second Harvest, they reluctantly explore the issues that caused their devastating left-at-the-altar moment six months earlier.

They both learn that the past can never stay buried, and excavating the childhood pain and trauma of their upbringing is the best way they can heal. But healing their relationship is another question.

I appreciated the author's tale of learning how our past shapes us and leads us to respond to present circumstances in both positive and challenging manners. Those who enjoy light allegory, inspirational pure romance will love This I Promise You.

Friday, July 1, 2022

Great new summer read from Mary Felkins


This I Promise You by Mary Felkins
The Heart of Moreland Manor prequel
Contemporary Christian Romance
Gardenia Press, May 2022, 186 pp
Ebook $2.99
Paperback $12.99

Buy on Amazon

About the Book:

What if finding your heart’s desire means entrusting it ... just once more 
... to the one who broke it?

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER ADELYN ORMOND should not have been surprised when she was jilted at the altar.

Promises are meant to be broken.

When her supervisor tasks her with galvanizing support for a local food bank, she directs her energy toward the underprivileged in her community—some of whom are her own students. Problem is, the responsibility requires her to involve CELEBRITY CHEF BRYAN J. CARLYLE, her almost-husband whose participation assures great results.

For all his success, Bryan hasn’t come up with a recipe for how to be restored to his family. Doesn’t help that abandoning Adelyn threatens to spoil his reputation and ruin his career. But when he encounters hungry children scrounging for food behind his restaurant, Bryan agrees to get behind Adelyn’s worthy cause. The collaboration might shed light on the incriminating image he’d discovered minutes before the ceremony—her lip-locked with another man after the rehearsal dinner.

With much on the line, can Adelyn trust Bryan to make good on his promise—without risking her heart? Will the love that led them to the altar be the key ingredient for reconciliation? Maybe. But his absence on the big day to which he’d committed might be beyond forgiveness.

About the Author
Mary A. Felkins is an inspirational romance author, blogger, and contributor to writer’s blogs and online publications. Her debut novel, Call to Love, is set in Hickory, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband. They have four young adult children. She is a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) and My Book Therapy. 

Her purpose in writing is to reclaim God’s intention when he created the world–to enable readers to know his heart and experience his love.

The unmerited gift of a large, unopened bag of Peanut M&Ms® will lure her from her writer’s desk. A surprise appearance by her teen idol, Donny Osmond, would also do the trick—although she’d likely pass out.

Upon introduction, if she likes your first or last name, expect to see it show up in one of her novels.

To receive Mary’s story-style devotions, quarterly author newsletter with giveaways, and/or launch team opportunities, subscribe via email on her website, www.maryfelkins.com

Mary A. Felkins’ books on Amazon https://amzn.to/3cxll0d

A Brief Interview with the Author:

In This I Promise You, I enjoyed writing a modern-day twist on Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, and his willingness to forgive his offenders. The redemption of family is a theme I often include in my stories. It was a joy to bring the hero’s tragic backstory to life and give him the closure he’d been longing for.

This book features a theme of love in action, seen primarily in fund-raising efforts for a food bank that supports New Orleans parishes and practical assistance to the least of these.

The offer of a pineapple was inspired by a real situation between two brothers in Christ in our church who were in conflict. Motivated by the Spirit, one humbly offered a pineapple to the other as a peace offering. It was a joy to include a fictional representation of this real-life event and weave Biblical narrative into it.

Currently I’m collaborating with the editor for book #2, Sweeter With You, in The Heart of Moreland Manor series contracted with Elk Lake Publishing Inc. Estimated release this December.

I’m currently reading Runaway Saint by Lisa Samson and A Far Way to Run by Lori Altebaumer. Intriguing reads!

My hope is that readers will tell others how This I Promise You inspired them to love in action over words and that forgiveness covers a multitude of sins!

Monday, June 27, 2022

Write Now Literary Tour Breaking Point Anthology

                                      

Write Now Literary is pleased to be organizing a two-week book tour and $25.00 Amazon Gift Card for The Breaking Point with co-author Carolyn Coleman. The book tour will run June 20-July 1, 2022.

ISBN: 978-1737093145
Published by: Thy Word Publishing (April 14, 2022)
Genre: Nonfiction, Inspirational, Book Collaboration, Anthology

ABOUT THE CO-AUTHOR




Carolyn Pickens Coleman is a daughter, wife, mother, sister, cousin, friend, and co-worker from Bessemer, Alabama. She has a B.S. in Nursing from Samford University and an M.A. in Health Service Administration from Strayer University. Carolyn is a member of the Birmingham Black Nurses Association, Inc., serving as the Chairperson of the Outreach committee, and is the current President of the Bessemer Public Library Trustee Board. She has a big heart and volunteers in her community.

Carolyn has more than 36 years of experience as a critical care nurse and spent five years as a nurse case manager. She worked with hospital administrators to establish plans regarding complex patient cases, concentrating on outcome management, utilizing best practices, advocating for patients. She is also an adjunct instructor.

Carolyn is the author of four books a series about Gentry who faces her life choices, as we all do, Happiness Hurt Healing, The Re-Entry of Gentry, Gentry’s Journey, and Gentry’s Circle of Friends. For Carolyn, writing is cathartic. She enjoys reading and staying active by line dancing, walking, and spending time with her family and friends.

Carolyn joins a group of esteemed authors in The Breaking Point and hopes that her chapter will give you the insight to find your passion and purpose for a meaningful life.


ABOUT THE BOOK



The Breaking Point is Endorsed by Les Brown

Have you ever arrived at a place in life where you knew you were created for more, and you were hungry for more? You knew you possessed greatness, but the life you’d been living didn’t mirror the life you desired or even deserved? These authors, who share their stories in The Breaking Point, wanted more in life. Yes, they were broken, afraid and flawed, but decided to believe in themselves. They wanted to live in their full purpose and potential, and did what was required to obtain it. With strong conviction and passion, they made the necessary turns and adjustments because they wanted more from life. This book will inspire you to bet on yourself and push forward, despite what you face, knowing that you have what it takes to steer the course of your life in the direction you deserve. 
-- Les Brown Speaker, Author, Trainer

BOOK BLURB

The Breaking Point is stories by men and women on how they came to that turning point and were able to over- come adversity and reach their own personal break- through in life. Each story will encompass their unique struggle of how they overcame the challenges to find that you had the courage, the power, and the resolve to build your life again. This book will serve as a potent reminder that everyone has the power to choose which direction they want for their own lives.

These twenty women and men, some first-time authors, said yes to the transformation; yes to the stretching; yes to going back to those dark places that brought them pain. Because they knew what they experienced wasn’t just for them, but it was for others who will come behind them needing those words to pull them up and help them move to a place of wholeness. These authors are writing from a place of victory, a place where they are no longer the victim.

 CO-AUTHOR CHAPTER: EXCERPT

DISCOVERING MY STRENGTH  

My mind was all over the place; life as I knew it was about to change. Not wanting to move. Not knowing what to do next. Getting up meant moving. I did not want to talk to anyone. Talking meant explaining, answering questions. 

That is not who I am. Sometimes you have to reconcile some things within yourself before you can communicate with others. Just because you are comfortable with a situation does not mean that is where you belong. It can sometimes mean you are settling. 

Why should I settle? Newness brings anxiety. I wondered why I had these feelings, because I had detached long before he spoke those words. One thing for sure, I knew moving forward I had to find my strength and my worth.


ENTER THE CONTEST

Amazon $25.00 gift card



a Rafflecopter giveaway

CONNECT WITH CAROLYN


TWITTER         FACEBOOK

 

PURCHASE A COPY


Authors Website

 

TOUR ORGANIZED BY


WRITE NOW LITERARY BOOK TOURS

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Write Now Literary presents Removing the Fear


Write Now Literary is pleased to be organizing a two-week book tour and $25.00 Amazon Gift Card & She Unveils Swag Bag for Removing The Fear: A Truth Journey from Fear to Freedom by Ifedayo Greenway. The book tour will run May 30-June 10, 2022.

ISBN: 978-0578365152

Genre: Non-Fiction

 

 

Removing the Fear: A Truth Journey from Fear to Freedom is a collision of journeys written to chronicle the authentic reality of unveiling the fear, feeling it, and moving forward anyway.

Answering the question, "What are you afraid of?" Ifedayo Greenway and eleven women come face to face with the embedded lies of their respective uncertainties. Accepting the invitation to heal, each writer is liberated as she bravely exposes the truth of the matter. These courageous women reveal their personal struggles and how they managed to turn their fear into a pathway to purpose and freedom.

 

   

Ifedayo Greenway is a mother, transformational speaker, and master life coach who is passionate about her covenant with God to impact & the world and change lives.

She works as a Corporate Investigator in the financial industry, utilizing her degree in Criminal Justice. She is also the CEO of IG & MORE (Ife Greenway & Ministry of Real Empowerment) LLC. A personal development coach, Ifedayo is dedicated to helping women leverage their place of pain as momentum for forward movement; she has been featured in Huffington Post, CBS, FOX, NBC, and Shoutout Atlanta.

As a fear strategist, Ifedayo teaches others the art of living a life less impacted by fear. She is the host of Changing Faces, an annual empowering makeover moment that encourages women to embrace their personal change journey by seeing themselves through the eyes of purpose and not circumstances.

She is the founder of the She Unveils movement. In addition, she serves as a writing coach helping women accomplish their literary goals by unveiling, writing, and publishing their personal stories.

Ifedayo is a five-time author and two-time best-selling author. Other published works include inspirational writings and articles which have reached thousands of readers in various mediums, including Thrive Global & Faith Heart Magazine.

Ifedayo uses her journey to strengthen others and is committed to helping women find their authentic voice in their pursuit of transformation.

 

Pulling back the layers of my struggles presented me with a multi-pronged issue that I needed to explore. There were times when what I toiled with was not fear itself. Instead, it was the life I knew that I could have if I would just let the fear go.

This truth would come to uncover a deeper layer to this phenomenon. What was I really afraid of? Well, the answer was twofold. It was the idea of being stuck with mediocracy because I was either (a) too afraid to let average go or (b) fearful of what it would feel like to embrace first-class. I was scared to lose and even more terrified to win. I wasn’t always frightened by the worst-case scenario. In some instances, the best possible outcome made me uneasy. It caused me to refuse to live a life beyond the proverbial wall of apprehensive excuses. It was the question on the opposite end of, what if I don’t get a better return spectrum. The double-edged sword that said, but what if I do. I remember years ago, talking to a friend after I completed a book project and saying, “What if I don’t do well with book interviews and selling this book?” Her response was, “What if you do?”

I normalized things not working out for me. So, could I respond appropriately if it did? Was I capable of walking in the win? Would true happiness cost more work and effort than I was willing to put in?

 


 

Barnes & Noble        Amazon

 

Enter to win one of two prizes

$25.00 Amazon Gift Card or

She Unveils Swag Bag

 

Tour organized by Write Now Literary Book Tours


Monday, May 16, 2022

New Adele Gossling mystery from Tam May

 

The Carnation Murder
Tam May
May 2022
Dreambook Press
360 pages
Ebook $2.99
Print $12.99
 
Buy on Amazon 
Barnes and Noble 
 
About the Book
Can a forward-thinking woman help the police solve a murder in a backward-thinking town?
Smart inquisitive, and a firm believer in the new progressive reforms, Adele Gossling seeks a new life after the devastating death of her father. So she flees the big city of San Francisco for the small town of Arrojo. She plans a life of peace and small pleasures running her own stationery shop and living in her own house.
But peace is exactly what she doesn’t get when she discovers her neighbor dead in her gazebo. The police think they have a firm suspect: the young man who was secretly engaged to the victim. But Adele and her clairvoyant new friend Nin Branch suspect the young man is innocent. In spite of the raised eyebrows from Arrojo’s Victorian-minded citizens, she and Nin set out to prove Richard Tanning didn’t do it. But if he didn’t, who did?
Can Adele and Nin solve this puzzling case involving a striped carnation, a diamond ring, a note, a muddy pair of boots, and a broken promise? Or will Richard hang for a crime he didn’t commit and the real killer go free?
 
My Review
From the moment Adele roars up to Arrojo, California’s downtown in her newfangled automobile and confronts the hobsnobs, I rooted and cheered for this firmly kind progressive young woman. It’s not easy trying to live the life you want; definitely not when you’re a single young woman in 1904. Adele sets up housekeeping in a classic abandoned home and sets up a stationery business with her inheritance from her late father, a San Francisco attorney. Adele’s handsome single brother, Jackson, a former detective now at loose ends, occasionally comes to check on her, and the two of them become embroiled in a murder investigation after an unfortunate neighbor girl’s body is discovered in Adele’s gazebo.
May did a great job of establishing several suspects and unique plot twists. I love mysteries and truly wasn’t completely certain about the identity of the murderer until the end. Adele gradually turns the hoity toity neighbors into allies and friends, and Jackson learns to find peace with his own special set of policing skills. Fully fleshed characters and well-researched for era and setting, readers who like mysteries with strong female sleuths and unique characters will enjoy this first book in a new series.
 
About the Author
As soon as Tam May started writing when she was fourteen, writing became her voice. She writes engaging, fun-to-solve historical cozy mysteries. Her mysteries empower readers with detailed plots and a sense of “justice is done” at the end. Her fiction is set in and around the San Francisco Bay Area because she adores sourdough bread, Ghirardelli chocolate, and the area’s rich history. Find more at http://www.tammayauthor.com

Saturday, May 14, 2022

New Adventure Novel for YA


Stranded on Castaway Island
Amy Laundrie
Young Adult Adventure
April 2022
Henschelhaus Publishers
262 ppg
Print $9.95
Ebook $8.95
Buy on Barnes and Noble or Amazon

About the Book:
Ex-best friends Annie and Mirra are shipwrecked and must try to survive on a remote island near Nova Scotia inhabited only by wild horses—or that’s what the fourteen-year-old girls think at first. Then they discover warm embers and strange footprints.

My Review:
With so much mean-girl activity going on, it's wonderful to read a story about the importance of listening to others, and acknowledging our fears and tears. Friends don't have to be copies of each other, as Annie and Mirra, once best friends but estranged, learn when they find themselves in dire straits. Mirra's desperate attempt to show off by boating away with a storm coming in strands them on an island in the Atlantic. Their survival now depends on working together. Each girl has a unique personality-driven idea about food, shelter, exploration and escape, but it's when they combine forces to confront danger that they learn how to listen to each other and understand the preciousness of what they’ve lost and gained.

Told primarily through Annie, this middle grade adventure will sure to please the younger reader in your family. Great summer read!

About the Author:
Amy Laundrie taught elementary school for over thirty years. She loved sharing her love of nature, animals, and stories with her students. She writes survival adventures, picture books and young reader stories. She's also a weekly columnist and has collected her favorite pieces and included them in an adult memoir called LAUGH, CRY, REFLECT: STORIES FROM A JOYFUL HEART. Visit her at www.laundrie.com.

Friday, May 13, 2022

Write Now Literary presents Tansformational book tour

 

 

Write Now Literary is pleased to be organizing a one-month book tour and book giveaway for Naked & Not Ashamed: The Transformational Devotional Experience by Chanelle Coleman. The book tour will run May 2- 27, 2022. 

ISBN: 979-8985407600
Genre: Spiritual

 

   

Chanelle Coleman Wesley is a native of Milwaukee Wisconsin. She is the creative powerhouse of CeCi’s Ink, an innovative storytelling company that conveys stories through poetry, books, playwrights, blogs, fashion, and motivational speaking. Chanelle is significantly inspired by her late mother’s, Brenda J. Coleman, penchant for prolific storytelling and developing a strong sense of faith. As a survivor of abuse, Wesley believes in passing on the communication skills she developed to cope in those environments. She is also an accomplished playwright with her latest project, a gospel stage play entitled The Beautiful Truth About an Ugly Lie to be released soon. She strives to empower individuals who have lost their ability to advocate for themselves by challenging them to recognize the power of their voice. Her greatest accomplishment, however, forever remains becoming a mother to her six beautiful children and “GiGi” to her two adorable grandchildren.


Naked & Not Ashamed is a transparent conversation between Sisters. One that allows both the writer and reader to expose themselves without fear or sense of condemnation. It’s a journey towards healing that allows us to dialogue without masks, charades, or pretense. We explore familiar stories of women in the Bible. These powerful narratives of trial, triumph, failures, and flaws show the resiliency, redemptive and transformative power of encountering Christ. I also reveal personal experiences of my own Christian walk with all its ups, downs, twists, and turns. But the most amazing part of these chronicles is you! Right now, you are writing your story. Are you living with pain, grief, and regret that needs to be released? This book is designed to help you see your own undeniably powerful narrative. I want to challenge you to see the hand of God in your life and urge you to find the ability to tell your story. We accomplish this through journal prompts, activities, prayer, etc.


Tony instantly began screaming and yelling. I continued to bite down harder. I continued biting and grinding my teeth until I couldn’t bite anymore. I let go. He fell back onto the bed. I jumped up out of the bed, my heart was pounding, terrified I opened the door, and I was met with darkness. Hurriedly I ran out past the dining room, through the hallway to the kitchen. Panicked, I reached the back door. I began pulling on the door, but it was locked. Fear seized me as I began fumbling with the knob trying to unlock the door. The latch finally twisted up and I raced up the back-hallway stairs. At last, there was light. I ran as fast as I could through the open kitchen door. The light continued to welcome me as I forged ahead running through the hallway past the bathroom and my aunt’s and grandparent’s bedrooms, the dining-room and into the living room to the couch where my grandmother was sitting. I distinctly remember her shocked expression as I pounded towards her as she sat there speechless, on the couch holding my baby brother. I felt relieved and a sense of security momentarily came over me until my grandmother spoke. She stared at me, with her mouth opened in shock. She screamed, “Chanelle, you’re naked! Where are your clothes?” Momentarily, I had forgotten that I was naked, but the awful realization of my nakedness began to cover me like a garment. It was the evidence of my pain, humiliation, and fear. I stood there breathlessly as I gasped, painting for air, naked and ashamed, I told her my story. 

 

  Amazon
 

Enter the giveaway

10 E-books and One paperback


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Tour organized by Write Now Literary Book Tours

 

Friday, May 6, 2022

New inspirational thriller from Anita Klumpers


A Murder of Crows 
Anita Klumpers 
Romantic Suspense 
c. April 2022, Prism Book, Pelican Book Group 
347  pp
$5.99 ebook

Buy on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Publisher book store

About the book

On a video call, Paulina Deacon watches her friend follow a frenzied murder of crows through the woods. Moments later, Pauli is horrified when John stumbles upon three men and is murdered. In fear for her own life, she drives until she finds herself in the small town of Brier, Wisconsin. She reinvents herself as Polly Madison and is quickly hired to work doing odd jobs at a rehabilitation clinic.

Hal Karlsen has poured his life in to the Sweetbrier clinic helping people with addictions. When Polly arrives with her secrets, he is equal parts irritated and intrigued.
Terror follows Pauli to this small town and grows stronger each day as she finds her place in the tiny, welcoming community. Slowly, she begins to open up to Hal. As they work together to uncover exactly who is after her and why, their friendship deepens.

He pledges to keep her safe. She swears to protect the clinic. But can either live up to those promises while the danger increases daily? And will those murderous crows drive her mad before they figure it all out?

My Review

Crows gather at the oddest times for the most intriguing reasons. When they flock at the apparent murder of her current crush in a back wood in North Dakota where Pauli had been substitute teaching and coaching, she naturally relates the behavior to peril. After trying to place calls to the sheriff and not knowing what else to do, Pauli drives across two states until she comes to a tiny town in Wisconsin that seems a safe harbor until she can sort out the oddness of her life.

Restrictions on contact with the outside world limit Pauli’s ability to learn about the events surrounding the murder. When she’s forced to rely on strangers, however kind and eager to help they are, things begin to unravel in her new little world of honesty, faith, and odd jobs, exercise and knitting classes at a local institution helping everyone from the rich and famous to every-day folk with their addictions. Crows continue to flock at times of danger, and when the stakes deepen, Pauli must decide who and how much to trust. Trust isn’t just a conditions between humans, she realizes. Matters of faith and putting her trust for her soul in the right place is her best therapy. The rest is frosting.

Anita’s story of rescue and finding home in a place of strangers all trying to heal together is a delight. Readers who enjoy tales of adventure and peril wrapped up in love and faith will love A Murder of Crows.

About the author

Anita Klumpers is Midwest born and bred, except for a brief and exhilarating few years in Denver when she was small. She received a teaching degree sometime in the previous millennium and used it mostly to homeschool her three sons. These days Anita chases her grandchildren around, waving books at them and suggesting everyone cuddle up for a good story.

Good stories are her passion, especially if they are well-written, have a dose of humor, just a tickle of romance, and a decidedly non-gory mystery. On the other hand, she lists Frankenstein and Fahrenheit 451 as two of her favorite books. Go figure.

Creating skits was Anita’s first foray into writing. Always up for a challenge and a reason to postpone defrosting the freezer, she tried her hand at a full-length novel. It only took five years, but she did it!

Daily (honestly) she marvels at how much she loves coffee and her husband; her family, friends and church. Even more, she is astonished at how much she is loved by her Lord and Savior.

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Regionalisms in Writing


My husband came home from fishing the other evening to find me all hot and bothered, 
pacing in circles and waving my arms.
 He chuckled, but kept a healthy distance. What was going on?

“Needs fixed,” I sputtered. I paced some more. “I hate, hate, hate it when writers don’t use the proper ‘to be’ before a transitive verb.”

We agreed the first person from whom we’d heard that peculiar construct was a Hoosier. Not like Wisconsin doesn’t have weirdeties, but, as my brother who's lived in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and is a world traveler says, the national evening newscasts are the final word: Midwestern accents and sentence structure are correct, if boring and homogenized.

My hissy fit had actually started a couple of hours earlier when I ran across the first such usage in a novel I was proofreading. I sighed and passed over it, then…came the second one. I perused the publisher’s particular style guide and, finding nothing, pounded out a message to get permission to correct.

“Hmm,” the publisher, who I respect highly, wrote back. From Pennsylvania. “I never realized that I do that too. Ignore it.”

The third usage had me flying around the internet on my editorial broomstick looking for examples I could call them all out on, proving this speechifyin’ was just plumb wrong. As wrong as the actual published book I happened to be reading for quasi-pleasure where ever’one said “plum crazy” and the like ’bout three times a chapter. Needless to say I was already cross-eyed with fury at authors. Who. Don’t. Bother. To learn the rules before breaking them. I learned from one article on the 'net that dialect is different from regionalisms which generally refer to geography.

I found an internet site that explained the usage which drops “to be” first started in Pennsylvania where the chocolate needs stirred and made a narrow swath across the middle states to Montana where the fence wants repaired. The usage supposedly puts an immediacy in the action and removes future tense.

It’s still WRONG. It will always be wrong. And it MIXES TENSES. I would recommend joining the American Dialect Society, but their word of the year in 2015 was the singular “they.” The world is just going to heck in a hand basket. Isn't lazy writing one of the seven deadly sins? I can feel the monumental lean of language drift dragging us all down with it.

Two adult beverages and a piece of pie later, I was calm enough to sort through my feelings on the matter. Of course in dialog fiction writers can and should use a gentle indication of character uniqueness which will often include local dialect after a fashion—at least to establish scene and time frame. Particularly if he's a pirate or a Quaker or she's a non-native speaker of whatever language. But there’s that trust factor with your editor. In my first published book my editor, a preacher’s wife from Ohio, absolutely refused to believe we have three-day funerals in Wisconsin. Another rep from Michigan didn't think a three-point turn—which I thought was on every state’s driving test, but I’m totally not going thereon a fire road would not pass the universal reader comprehension test.

But how much is too much, and when do we standardize our stories so our international audience will be able to feel comfortable reading our work no matter when and where it’s set? Regarding dialect, authors who read widely in many genres and types of media will capture a natural rhythm and pattern of language. Y’all authors who listen to television shows will hear how local shows, perhaps local cable or local news, compare to nationally syndicated shows, or even nationally syndicated shows with multiple hosts from different parts of the country. It’s okay to show how some folks may drop word endin’s or a consonant when looking for a pahking spot. Gently. Within reason. Not constantly to distraction. If one character from Ohio has a lawn needs mowed, by golly, let him mention it—maybe once. If a Hoosier has some warshing ta do…let him get on wid it. In conversation. Not in text. If it’s repeated in narration from more than one perspective, then we have an AUTHOR INTRUSION ALERT. Are you awake now? AUTHOR INTRUSION ALERTS are never a good thing in fiction unless it’s a running gag—like Death narrating The Book Thief.

If the regionalism or local custom is not critical to the story, don’t use it, even if it means obeying your cussed editor. On the other hand, if your story takes place in the Great North Woods, in which fire roads or lanes are cut between great timber stands in rural areas where roads are few and far between and your character is fleeing criminals while driving these back roads, lost as all git-out, and you have to stop and 'splain a fire road to non-native Wisconsin readers, it would slow the action, doncha know? THE CURE: You the Author can establish a way to make sure the reader understands this concept before your chase scene, you betcha, without demeaning native folks who can’t imagine anyone else not knowing about the need to get firefighters to the middle of a dense forest to fight fires.

The moral of the story is Go Gently with Colloquial Language, use regionalisms to establish quirk, setting, time frame, but don’t impale it into your story-telling technique.

This article first appeared on Author Culture in 2016.

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Western romance and giveaway

Join me and several others in this Western romance special promotion. Sign up for the giveaway.


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How to move from partisan bickering

 

 

Seeking Truth: How to move from partisan bickering to building consensus
Elgin L. Hushbeck, Jr.

Inspirational, Epistemology, 292 pp
April 26, 2022, Energion Publications, Gonzalez, FL
ebook $8.99
Print paper $24.99
Buy on Amazon

About the Book:

We live in a world that is not governed by Truth. Disagreements surround us. Recent Presidential elections are hotly contested and won by the narrowest of margins. Charges of misinformation, fake news, and bias abound. Everyone claims they are correct; they have the Truth.

Seeking Truth looks at both the philosophical and practical issues of Truth to understand how we come to know what we know and why we disagree so much. More importantly, it lays out how we can disagree in ways that avoid division and polarization and instead move to build a consensus on the Truth.

Seeking Truth addresses things like how to think about what you believe, how to handle disagreement and errors positively, how do you know if you are open-minded, and how to make better decisions.

Seeking Truth uses a lot of examples to make this case. To avoid current disputes, most are drawn from history, as people in various times and settings sought to understand how nature works, what happened in a particular event, or what is the best way to proceed or govern ourselves. Science, history, politics, business, all of these areas involve Truth in one way or another.

Get Seeking Truth to become a better thinker, a more critical thinker, and one who moves closer to the Truth.

My Review:

Using examples from our past in science and philosophy, politics, and communication, Hushbeck sets out to show us a more perfect way to disagree while not having to be of the same mind in his compelling book, Seeking Truth. It’s a big topic and timely as the world has become more polarized in action and reaction. Hushbeck’s approach to guiding readers on this journey out of the pit of partisanship is a thoughtful, pedagogical study of applying critical thinking to distill “absolute, objective truth.”

The book is not terribly long but well detailed and covers considerable ground from the antiquities to recent US polls of opinion. The book is divided into three main parts with digestible chunks: one – a study of history to set the table for establishing truth; two – how disagreement and error shape society and understanding; and three – a reasonable guideline for purposeful discussion. It’s not an easy read, but honest and forthright and best of all, sensible and objective.

I appreciate the examples from science and history about how theories of elements, disease, and energy have evolved as the methods of testing improved; how the Lincoln-Douglass debates of the mid-nineteenth century US show that complexities of context shape public opinion, echoing down through the generations.

Moving beyond bickering can only happen when people are willing. “Reason does not work on those who embrace irrationality,” Hushbeck points out. “For some, truth is just a power structure, a tool for oppressors to use on the oppressed.”

Offering plenty of advice for defining and refining disagreements and errors and avoiding repression and censorship, Seeking Truth is not an answer, but a process. Reaching a common goal is a commitment, a constant testing of theory and practice, and keeping communication open. “Hopefully, if a side consistently loses because of bad arguments, they will seek to develop better ones. As a result, the level of discussion will improve.”

We are fallible, Hushbeck concludes, but learning better arguments “can only improve the process of seeking and bringing us all closer to the truth.”

 Recommended for readers interested in learning more about applying and practicing critical thinking.

 

About the Author:
Elgin L. Hushbeck Jr. has been many things over his life, author, hardware engineer, software developer, manager, small business owner, educator, lecturer, and family man. He wears many hats, but there is a common thread throughout. Mr. Hushbeck has been an Evangelical Christian for over 40 years.

Mr. Hushbeck's background includes academic studies in religion, history, and engineering, culminating with a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, and Master's degrees in both Christian Apologetics and an MBA/Technology Management. As an engineer, he worked for several engineering and technology firms, including five years at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. There he was part of a team developing a high accuracy GPS receiver. He was also part of the Voyager Flight Team for the encounter with the planet Neptune. His wife Hanna also has dual Master's degrees, one in Nursing with an emphasis in Informatics, and the other in Applied Computer Science. From 1999-2007 they owned their own company, which designed and developed databases and custom software applications for small businesses.

Mr. Hushbeck has taught at the University of Phoenix, and most recently for Rassmussen College. He has taught, among other things, classes in Information Technology, Computers Science, and Business. He also taught critical thinking both to students and to other faculty. http://www.hushbeck.com


v

Thursday, April 14, 2022

conclusion of The Barabbas Trilogy fiction MD House

 


The Barabbas Legacy by M.D. House

Christian Historical Fiction Trilogy
Imagining Life of Barabbas Concludes in New Book

April 2022
Buy on Amazon
$4.99 ebook
$12.49 print
362 pp

Christians around the globe are preparing for the upcoming Lenten season and the celebration of Easter in a time that is frightening and uncertain for many. In many places Christianity itself is under attack, as is the right of people to freely worship. In this season of reflection and spiritual preparation, what better story to contemplate than the lives of the early church leaders, who spread Christ’s message at a time of great peril and persecution?

In The Barabbas Trilogy,  M.D. House has imagined the life Barabbas went on to live after being spared his sentence of death in exchange for Jesus Christ. His journey has intertwined with those of many of the apostles, including Paul, Peter and Luke, as they sacrificed everything to spread the Gospel throughout the world.

Now, author House concludes the story of Barabbas’ life in the final chapter of the trilogy, TheBarabbas Legacy, which follows Barabbas and his wife Chanah as they continue their evangelistic mission across the known world as cauldrons of political and military chaos boil across the Roman Empire.

About the Book:
In this poignant capstone to the trilogy, the man called Barabbas—infamous former thief, murderer and prisoner turned Christian—and his wife Chanah continue their mission of spreading the gospel across the known world as cauldrons of political and military chaos boil across the Roman Empire. Nero is increasingly erratic, and it’s only a matter of time before the sharp knives of imperial politics finish him off. Various successors vie for position. Who will strike first, and who will come out on top?

Meanwhile, the rebellion in Judea has intensified, the Jewish zealots exerting great influence over the minds of the people. General Vespasian and his son Titus aim to put a permanent end to the insurrection. How many lives will ultimately be sacrificed on the great altar of Jerusalem? Can the Jewish nation survive the fulfillment of Jesus’s prophecy? What will become of the Jewish Christians and the apostles and sisters who lead them? And where will Barabbas and his family find lasting peace?

Read an excerpt from Chapter 1
Emperor Nero sat in the first chair to his right, furthest from the audience. Manius had reported on a recent visit that Nero was becoming more paranoid by the day—not just of the people, but of the senators, the Praetorian Guard, his generals, and most of the Roman nobility. Cornelius pitied him sometimes. Thrust into the role of emperor at sixteen by his mother’s murderous machinations, he had probably never coveted the position. What right-minded man would? The knives were always out. Always.

Many of those knives were aimed at Cornelius now. He sighed deeply, just as Nero left his chair and took a position a few feet in front of Cornelius, facing the audience. It was commonly known that a younger Nero had aspired to be a thespian and perform on stage, especially in such a grand theater as the Marcellus. That innocent youth had likely never envisioned this scenario.

“Fellow Romans,” he began in a rich, dramatic baritone. He was nearly thirty, no longer young. He had married at least twice, and one of his wives was dead. So was his mother, on his orders. The apostle Paul had connected with a piece of Nero’s soul, but Paul was not here. Nor was Peter, who had sacrificed himself for the Church. Nor was Barabbas, as far as Cornelius could tell. If he had arrived, he would have announced himself immediately at the home where Cornelius had been loosely confined.

“We have proven our mettle through fire and rebirth. Rome is strong, and will become greater still. But to do so, we must have order. We must have loyalty. We must all do our duty to the empire.”
 
It had the beginnings of a fine political speech. Nero’s oratory skills probably comprised a large part of the reason he still lived.
 
“This man”—he twisted to his left and gestured elaborately toward Cornelius—“was once a decorated, highly respected centurion, a man of resolve and action, a soldier true to the laws of Rome and her people.” As he squared himself again to the crowd, he spread both arms wide. “Now he favors strange gods above Rome, above her emperor, and above her true gods. He has helped Paul of Tarsus escape justice, and he has sought to weaken the influence of Rome across the world.”
 
Nero offered no facts to support his last claim, but because Cornelius had publicly admitted to helping Paul escape—and also because Nero was emperor—nobody would challenge the assertion.
 
“The question,” continued Nero, “isn’t whether Cornelius of the Italian band has betrayed Rome, but to what extent, and what his punishment should be. I will withhold that judgment until we have heard a few words in his defense.”
 
Cornelius watched in mild surprise as Senator Aviola rose from the front row and ascended the stage. Nero returned to his seat. Cornelius had expected someone else to be assigned to his defense—someone who couldn’t truly represent him, and wouldn’t care to. One of the occupants of the other nine chairs, none of which held him in any regard. Having Manius speak would be a boon … unless they had somehow gotten to him. A steely knot of dread formed in the pit of his stomach.
 
Senator Aviola didn’t look at Cornelius as he took his place and faced the people. The knot tightened and grew cold.
 
“Wise Roman citizens,” he began, “I am not here to spin fanciful tales, or to rob justice of her full due.” Cornelius nearly groaned aloud. “I will speak truth to you, in honor of all that is good and noble in your hearts and minds.”
 
He paused a moment, gripping the front of his rich, senatorial robes, trimmed in purple and red. He could be almost as dramatic as Nero, which had served him well, too.
 
 
About The Author
M.D. HOUSE is the author of The Barabbas Legacy, as well as the first two volumes in The Barabbas

Trilogy, I Was Called Barabbas and Pillars of Barabbas. He also authored the science-fiction novel, Patriot Star.  Before beginning his second career as a writer, he worked for twenty-five years in the world of corporate finance, strategic planning, and business development. Now, Michael lives in Utah with his wife, where he spends his time writing and enjoying his children and grandchildren. Learn more about Michael and his work at www.mdhouselive.com.
Learn more about M.D. House and The Barabbas Legacy at www.mdhouselive.com.
The Barabbas Legacy is available on Amazon.

Author’s Facebook: www.facebook.com/LiteraryThunder
Author’s Twitter: www.twitter.com/real_housemd