DM Webb talks Mississippi Nights

Meet D.M. Webb, Recovering Wanna-be Astronaut

 

D.M Webb is the pen name for Daphne M. Self. She and her husband live in Mississippi with their two sons and various pets: from a no-legger to the four-legged variety. Every since she was young, she wrote stories and poems with only one goal in mind: to be an astronaut. Sadly the fear of heights kept Daphne from reaching her dream, but the love of books and science fiction movies more than made up for that failing. Eventually life stole into the mixture and added a new outlook on her journey. She took all those experiences, all those emotions, and all those dreams and created bigger stories, until one day: she became a published author.

Usually during the time she should be writing on her stories, a reader can find her on social media or painting on her canvases or chasing fuzzy critters that create havoc in her house. To Daphne life is like a cupcake: it can be perfectly baked and frosted or it can be lopsided and frosting oozing off in clumps, but the cake still taste just as sweet. It's only a matter of perspective.

D.M. Webb is also an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a proud supporter of American Family Association.

Mississippi Nights

Can the love between two brothers eventually win against pain and guilt?
When Firefigther David Boyett's fiancee perishes in a car fire, he blames his brother, Sgt. Jeremy Boyette, for her death.

Three years later, David returns home with a dark and devastating secret. With the help of family, a woman's love, and a small child's devotion, can David overcome insurmountable odds as he and Jeremy face the bitterness that enslaves him?
Together the brothers must decide if the bond of brotherhood is stronger than resentment and hate.

ISBN: 978-1-935507-91-8

Buy the Book:

www.dmwebb.com
http://barnesandnoble.com/

www.amazon.com

www.deepershopping.com

www.lifeway.com

www.christianbooks.com

www.vryso.com

 

Daphne, what do you love about your characters? About your latest book?

 

When I wrote Mississippi Nights, I loved how the character David took me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions: anger, love, guilt, and longing. He was such a paradox of emotions as he searched for his way back to faith. His brother, Jeremy, the cool-headed one, but just as stubborn as his brother, spoke to my more analytical side.

My next novel will be based in Alabama. My characters are just as vibrant as the Boyette brothers; although, Scott is more OCD. He is a fun character to get to know. Honest, fiercely loyal, and with such integrity. Of course, it's his sense of right/wrong that gets him into deeper trouble. Just as with David in Mississippi Nights, Scott is fighting his way through faith. He's more stubborn about it, though. His friend Angela on the other hand is vocal about her faith, and spunky in all other facets. She's a firecracker and fun to learn more about.

My latest book is a devotional of sorts. Three years of a spiritual journey condensed into thirty days. It's in design production at this time, but I'm looking forward to it. It will be my first nonfiction and I'm learning that some things that fly in fiction are not the way it is done in nonfiction. In other words, "lots of edits."

Here's the blurb for it (still in editing stage):

Do you desire to no longer be alone?
Do you yearn for understanding and hope?
Do you wish for a closer walk with Jesus?
When a relationship ends, whether through divorce or death, it leaves us with heartache
and sadness. Fear of loneliness overwhelms our soul. Anger at God consumes us. We are
suddenly thrust into unknown territory, lost and bewildered.

Psalm 147:3
He healeth the broken in heart,
and bindeth up their wounds.

30 Days: A Devotional Memoir brings you deeply moving stories to strengthen your walk
and bring you closer to Christ. Author D.M. Webb shares her three year spiritual journey
with a collection of thirty devotions designed to reach out and uplift those who have
endured the turbulent emotions that come with divorce, widowhood, and single parenting.
Reach out, place your hand in His, and begin your journey today.

Sounds like something I need too. Please share something unique about yourself that readers won’t learn from your web presence.

 

If anyone is on my Facebook page, then they will learn a lot about me. My faith--I am vocal about it. I mince no words when it comes to standing for Christ. Part of my personality, the quirky and geeky side, flows over to my author page, but I try my best to be professional on that part of Facebook. Pinterest is another useful website that allows people a peek inside the real me: quirky, colorful, full-spectrum of emotions, "yadda, yadda, yadda." I've never really thought about myself as unique to the point that I have a need to describe it. I'm just me: nerdy and geeky, a Star Trek/Star Wars/Dr. Who fan, sci-fi nut, Seinfeld sitcom watcher, CSI follower, avid reader (everything under the sun, but not 50 Shades), animal collector, artist, writer, baseball lover, star gazer, etc. I love water, but fear the ocean. I love mountains, but fear the heights. I can't sing unless it's to torture someone. I'm bold, but cautious. I'm spunky, but respectful. I'm a paradox courtesy of being a right-brain/left-brain thinker.

 

 

Hail, fellow Trekkie. How do you hope readers will perceive your work, and what do you hope they’ll say when they encourage someone else to read your book?

 

I really hope that when people read my books, they not only read the words, but also between the lines. I like to use symbolism and motifs when I write. I have a cyclic logic to my writing. I start at one point and come back to a parallel point--in essence, full circle. That's just the analytical side of the book. I hope that readers are encouraged, uplifted; maybe even at times, realize that hope is always there. Everyone sins, everyone falls. In my books, the readers see that and just as the characters are able to regain or strengthen their faith and able to stand back up, I hope the reader can, too.  It took a while to figure out that "brand name" or "tag line" that authors like to use, but during a TV interview a year ago, it came to me: I use real words and real life to show real faith. Everyone struggles. Everyone falters. And everyone can have faith and hope. Hence: Real Life, Real Words, Real Faith.

I like to use things that actually happen to people: alcoholism, smoking, drug addiction, atheism, loss of faith, contemplation of suicide, running from the past, etc...

I want readers to see someone in the book and go "hey, that's me." I want the books to speak to them on some level, whether through sheer enjoyment of a good story or an insatiable need to learn more about God's word. Most of all, I want the book to bring glory to God's name.

Thank you for coming and sharing today, Daphne.

Nike Chilemmi Talks about the most Difficult Characters

Lisa: Nike, welcome to Living Our Faith Out Loud. Tell us what you love about the last two books you wrote, and introduce us to the hardest character to portray.

Nike: The last novel I wrote was DARKEST HOUR and the one before that was PERILOUS

SHADOWS. What I love about them is that I took a risk with both of them. They are a departure from the first two novels in the series which were classic historical whodunits with feisty heroines and stalwart heroes. DARKEST HOUR's heroine is a much more demure lady, a widow and mother of a small boy. Lucinda Byrne is the sole support of her son and her aging grandparents. Unlike my previous heroines, she doesn't jump headlong into situations, but rather faces them with grace and composure. She's highly competent and relies on that to get through. In my previous novels the heroes have been true-blue. However in DARKEST HOUR, medical examiner, Hank Jansen, initially presents himself as a bit of a masher which is quite different from the first two stories. While PERILOUS SHADOWS does indeed have a heroine who charges directly into the fray, it's a psychological mystery rather than a straight whodunit. Many of the characters, even secondary ones, carefully guard their deep, dark secrets. Discovering who the killer is depends upon understanding the psyches of the various characters as much as following the clues. 

 

The hardest character to portray was Kiera Devane, the heroine in PERILOUS SHADOWS, who carries a great deal of inner pain. She won't let anyone in, and still I have to show who she is. She's tough as nails on the outside and yet I have to make her likeable.

Lisa: Nike, what two things have you learned about the publishing world now after these novels that you would like to pass on to other newbie writers?

Nike: Be true to yourself. Don't let anyone convince you to change your voice. That said, the newbie writer still has to learn the craft of writing fiction. I suggest taking a few of the many free writing classes that are offered. American Christian Fiction Writers offers a wide variety of courses. I just took one on Motivation, Conflict, and Goals that was wonderful. I don’t think writers should stop learning from others and honing their craft just because they've published. The other thing that's crucial is to read the top authors in your genre. Writers at all stages in this game can learn so much from reading the work of excellent fiction writers. 

Lisa: Share something about writing the last novel with us that readers won’t find any other place.

Nike: Who would've guessed it, but I love writing grandparent characters. In DARKEST HOUR I wrote about the heroine's arthritic grandmother and fell in love with the dear lady. I had to do a bit of research on arthritis and was admitted to a closed Facebook group specifically for that disease. That was so enlightening, but the group talked about new drugs which were not available in the mid-1940s. So, I had to do some medical research from that time period.

Lisa: I love those older folks, too. Thanks so much for sharing with us today, Nike. Best wishes with all of your work.

 

About Nike Chilemmi:

Like so many writers, Nike Chillemi started writing at a very young age. She still has the Crayola, fully illustrated book she penned (penciled might be more accurate) as a little girl about her then off-the-chart love of horses. Today, you might call her a crime fictionista. Her passion is crime fiction. She likes her bad guys really bad and her good guys smarter and better.

 

She is the founding board member of the Grace Awards and is its Chairman, a reader's choice awards for excellence in Christian fiction. She writes book reviews for The Christian Pulse online magazine. She was an Inspy Awards 2010 judge in the Suspense/Thriller/Mystery category and a judge in the 2011 and 2012 Carol Awards in the suspense, mystery, and romantic suspense categories. BURNING HEARTS, the first book in the crime wave that is sweeping the south shore of Long Island in The Sanctuary Point series, finaled in the Grace Awards 2011 in the Romance/Historical Romance category. GOODBYE NOEL, the second book in the series released in December, 2011 won the Grace Award 2011 in the Mystery/Romantic Suspense/Thriller category. PERILOUS SHADOWS, third in the series released July, 2012, and DARKEST HOUR, the fourth in the series released in February, 2013.  She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the Edgy Christian Fiction Lovers (Ning).

 

Visit Nike's website.

Visit Nike's Amazon Author page for links to buy the books.

 

  

About the new book: Darkest Hour

 

A petite widow, medical secretary and sole support of her young son and grandparents, is framed for the murder of her boss. Wealthy village residents conspire with the DA to indict her and stop further investigation. The medical examiner thinks the shooter was a tall individual. When his report is shoved aside, he starts his own side-investigation trying to clear her and in the process he falls in love with her.

 

Lucinda Byrne lost her husband and parents at sea. When she discovers the body of her boss, his A-List society fiancée, backed up by her powerful family and a corrupt DA, accuses Lucinda of murder.  She struggles on shielding her five-year-old son, her feisty grandfather and arthritic grandmother from the ugliness of her situation. She mistrusts the dapper ME, thinking he's a ladies' man, but soon realizes he may be the only one in her corner.

 

Hank Jansen, the county ME who's had his share of pain and loss, doesn't know if this little widow was in on the murder, but he knows by the trajectory of the bullet she's too short to have pulled the trigger. His professional opinion ignored, he begins his own investigation and at least one cop accuses him of an ethics violation. He certainly can't deny he's fallen head over heals for the accused, and also is crazy about her son. A huge problem is there's a leak inside the investigation and the murderer is always one step ahead of them.

Book Review: Fairies and Fantasy, by Felicia Mires

About the book:
E-book, Amazon link
$3.99

Publication Date: March 8, 2013

How many worlds are there? As a child, Emira Fairling is fascinated by her parents’ stories of elves, fairies, and all things magical. Though she is forbidden from entering the forest alone, she longs to find a fairy ring. When she makes her way through the woods, she discovers a strange boy from another realm. According to Prince Riordan, all is not right in the land of Rin. He gives her his most prized possession, the king’s ring, and asks her to keep it for him.

How is Emira to know she and Riordan just arranged their marriage or that they will be separated for ten years?

Once Emira is grown, the portal beckons. What she finds on the other side is a lot more than she imagined. Riordan’s been entranced by a siren, a sphinx demands an answer to a riddle, and monsters from the pit of Orcus have been unleashed by the dark lord.

The dragons once again take up riders from the elves, Aldrian, in particular, who sets her heart aflutter, but all the lands of Elohan seem destined for war. So much for romance.

Emira would do something about it, but she’s been placed under a curse. Surely, one of her suitors will come to her aid.

To set things right will require a whole new level of faith, love, and a little bit of magic…

Book 1 in the Lands of Elohan series. This Christian fantasy is an adventure of approximately 291 print pages.

My review:
I probably will read this again, and will find Mires' other books for sure...

The story and characters were so much fun. A lovely twist with secrets revealed at the perfect moment, lots of action, humor and angst. Well-done portrayal of the fantasy world.

A young woman grows up feeling like she's out of place, and when she learns that she truly was raised "out of place" the pieces of her life start to fall into place. Except she's accidentally engaged to a boy she only met once when she was a little girl, and her escort to the wedding is a hunk of a hunk of a hunk...what's a princess to do?

We can't get away from typecasting and type-theme, but the way the stories unfold with surprises about the characters is what keeps Fairies and Fantasies from becoming a cliché.

Those who enjoy romantic fantasy with ties to our world will have a hard time putting this book down.

***The author asked for a review, and gave me the link to a date when I could download the book free from Amazon.

Dennis Snyder talks Texas...2017

The Yellow Rose of Texas: The Secession of the Lone Star State

 

 

 

About the Book

Concerning Life Publishing 

ISBN-13: 978-0988922501 

ISBN-10: 0988922509

 

 

See what happens as regular people are stripped of their freedoms.

A novel of extreme relevance. . .
     A political thriller set in the near future. . .2017
         A novel that hits close to home. . .Today
             A "what if" thriller in the struggle for sovereignty.
                  Civil War looms on the horizon. . .

Follow the ensuing struggle for sovereignty through the exploits of a small band of refuges, led by a retired Marine, as they travel from South Carolina to Texas in their attempt to join Colonel James Bowie. Bowie leads the Texas Militia as they prepare for an invasion of their borders.

The Yellow Rose of Texas: The Secession of the Lone Star State, takes a fictional look at the secession of Texas from the United States of America. President Nicholas Watson takes office January 2017, with a 22 trillion national debt and the promise to eliminate any mention of religion from the government including disallowing religious holidays. Taxes have increased, entitlement programs have flourished and gun control has attempted to disarmed the U.S. Citizenship. The military force has been cut by forty-five percent leaving the U.S. vulnerable. In the eyes of the conservatives the new President is finishing the plunge of the United States to the bottom of World dominance.

Texas, on the other hand, is debt free and the economy is booming. They now have complete control of the Mexico/Texas border and have all but eliminated the drug cartel operations in the border towns. Governor Halford Bent, has helped Texas to become self-sufficient and has now decided it is time to break away from the control of a Federal Government destined to failure. The Texas Militia, led by Colonel James Bowie, has secured the border.

Martial Law is instituted by President Watson and he launches an all out effort to stop the secession. The Scaled down United States Marines are called upon to ready themselves for a military take over of Texas. Detention camps are set up to hold Texans and sympathizers caught outside the Texas borders. The fear of another Civil War looms on the horizon as we find father against son and brother against brother in the struggle for Sovereignty.

Civil War looms on the horizon with father against son and brother against brother in the struggle for Sovereignty. President Nicholas Watson takes office January 2017, with a 22 trillion dollar national debt and the promise to eliminate any mention of religion from the government. The U.S.A. continues it's plunge to the bottom of world dominance. The right to secede petitions continue to gain popularity with thousands in every State. Texas takes things to the next level and begins the process of secession from the Union.

Martial Law is instituted by President Watson and he launches an all out effort to stop the secession. The Scaled down United States Marines are called upon to ready themselves for a military take over of Texas. Detention camps are set up to hold Texans and sympathizers caught outside the Texas borders.

Follow the ensuing struggle for sovereignty through the exploits of a small band of refuges, led by a retired Marine, as they travel from South Carolina to Texas. Read as Colonel James Bowie, leads the Texas Militia as they prepare for an invasion of their borders.

 

 

About the Author

 

Dennis Snyder, Author of the Lake Haven Murders series and the Looking at Life Through the Bible Series, has been writing non-fiction for over twenty years. His move into the fiction genre has been well received. He and his wife are the proud parents of two adult children and the grandparents of a beautiful grand daughter.

Dennis is a pastor of a local church in Michigan. 

When Dennis is not preaching he enjoys riding his Harley, golfing and spending time with his wife.

Dennis, introduce us to the story concept. Where did it come from and share one thing that surprised you in your research

             I was enjoying a breakfast meal with six or so men from our church and we were discussing my newly released book “Personal Vengeance” when one of the men made a comment, “Your next book should be about Texas seceding from the Union.” My response was, “What do I know about that?”

            When I returned home I got to thinking about the comment and started to do a little bit of research and the next thing you know I was hooked. Six months later the book was finished. Of course my imagination plays a big part in the story line, it is fiction after all.

            As I did the research o secession I was impressed with the fact that Texas could actually secede and make a real go of it. The have the energy grid, the sea port and the infrastructure to pull it off. I hope they never have to secede but we are seeing more and more people fed up with out current administration and where it is taken our country. Of course, the Scriptures are clear we are to respect and pray for our president and others in authority over us. We had better be doing that first and foremost.

 

What do you love about this book?

            I enjoyed writing the book and I feel its greatest point deals with the freedoms we have as US Citizens and the dangers that lurk in our political administrations to squash those freedoms. So, If some eyes are opened to this fact then I have done my job.

 

What do you hope readers will tell others about this book after they’ve finished reading it?

            I think these two reviewers sum it up:

“If you are concerned about the direction this administration is taking our country I would strongly encourage you to read this book. We found The Yellow Rose of Texas a novel of extreme relevance in today's political charged environment. “

             “Though a work of fiction, the reality of the story is very true to life. It is fast paced and full of action and adventure. I found it easy to follow the storyline as it twist and turned throughout the book. It was very hard to put down and when it ended I was left wanting the next book to see where the story goes.”

 

 

Buy the book

on amazon

on barnes and noble

 

Updated and revised with a new cover design, and a new editor.A Reader Says:
"I was wrapped up in the story line and almost expected to see updates on the news channels regarding the situation in Texas. I especially enjoyed experiencing the realistic lives and struggles of the characters."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CrossReads Book Blast: Keeper of Reign by Emma Right

 

Keeper of Reign By Emma Right

About the Book

Books written in blood. Most are lost, their Keepers with them. A curse that befell a people. A Kingdom with no King. Life couldn’t get more harrowing for the Elfies, a blend of Elves and Fairies. Or for sixteen-year-old Jules Blaze. Or could it? For Jules, the heir of a Keeper, no less, suspects his family hides a forgotten secret. It was bad enough that his people, the Elfies of Reign, triggered a curse which reduced the entire inhabitants to a mere inch centuries ago. All because of one Keeper who failed his purpose. Even the King’s Ancient Books, did not help ward off that anathema. Now, Gehzurolle, the evil lord, and his armies of Scorpents, seem bent on destroying Jules and his family. Why? Gehzurolle’s agents hunt for Jules as he journeys into enemy land to find the truth. Truth that could save him and his family, and possibly even reverse the age-long curse. Provided Jules doesn't get himself killed first.

Keeper of Reign (Reign Fantasy) On Kindle Keeper of Reign in Paperback

*~*

 

Emma Right is a happy wife and homeschool mother of five living in the Pacific West Coast of the USA. Besides running a busy home, and looking after their five pets, which includes two cats, two bunnies and a Long-haired dachshund, she also writes stories for her children. She loves the Lord and His Word deeply, and when she doesn't have her nose in a book, she is telling her kids to get theirs in one. Right worked as a copywriter for two major advertising agencies and won several awards, including the prestigious Clio Award for her ads, before she settled down to have children.

Follow Emma Right Website | Facebook | Twitter

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Karla Akins - this Pastor's Wife really does Wear Biker Boots!

About the Author:

I’ve always been a little weird. While most kids were out dating and partying in high school, I was sitting at my mother’s typewriter (you know, those things we used to write with when dinosaurs roamed the earth) writing plays, poems and stories. My senior year in high school my drama teacher rounded up enough students to perform one of my plays—a three-act musical—at a theater convention in New York City.

In grade school I’d read the entire fiction, biography, and history sections of the school library. I read some of the science section but I was mostly interested in how people’s stories played out. I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love books. My parents kept shelves full of them, and I think I’d read a great deal of the classics by the time I was in eighth grade.

Circumstances of my childhood created opportunities for developing a vivid imagination. Even when I found out at the age of nine that my mother was my step-mother, I imagined my birth mother a Russian princess. I was more fascinated with the drama of being an abandoned child than I was with the sad reality of it. I think I still am.

One thing that was consistent in my childhood was that I had a rich resource of supportive adults in my life: school teachers, Sunday school teachers, and parents who loved books and supported my writing. I entered all sorts of writing contests as a kid. One morning I heard my name mentioned and my poem read on the radio when I won a tie for my father with a poem I’d written.

In college (my first time around) I majored in Music Theater and before I could graduate met a handsome minister and married him. I then earned theology degrees and a doctorate in Christian Education. We have been in the ministry together now for more than 32 years and I still minister as the church pianist and Christian Education and Women’s Ministries leader and a host of other things.

I homeschooled or cottage schooled my five children during most of their schooling. All my children but my youngest (adopted twins with autism and developmental delays) are grown.  My youngest now attend an outstanding program at the local high school and vocational school in the afternoon. I am blessed with five gorgeous, perfect granddaughters. After rearing four boys and one girl, the granddaughters are a real delight to this grandma's heart!

I’m currently pursuing another degree in Special Education. I asked the Lord to show me whether or not to attend school or simply write, and He didn’t answer. He left it up to me. So for a season I’m doing both. My goal is to be an online teacher in a college or high school setting if this writing gig doesn’t pan out.

My first loves (as far as things I enjoy doing) have always been music, theater, teaching and special needs people. But my greatest passion for writing has never faded. It’s only grown stronger.

However, my very first love is Christ Jesus. I believe He has forgiven me of my sins (which are many) and has redeemed me from the mistakes of my past. I believe that if I ask Him, “Lord, do you remember when I did that horrible thing?” that He answers, “No. It’s under the blood of my son.” I like what Corrie Ten Boom says, “God throws our sins into the sea and puts a sign there that says, ‘No Fishing.’”

I pray that my writing will help someone in their journey toward knowing God and developing a relationship with Him. I hope it answers hard questions but also creates questions that people want answers for. I want to be salt so that seeking souls will thirst for the Water of His Word. I pray the legacy I leave will be, most of all, that I loved God with all my heart, soul and strength, and that I truly loved my neighbor as myself.

 

About the Book:

Pastor’s wife, Kirstie Donovan, lives life in a fishbowl, so when she hops on the back of a bright pink motorcycle, tongues start to wag at the conservative, century-old First Independent Christian Community Church of Eels Falls.

Kirstie loves roaring down a road less traveled by most women over forty, but she’s not just riding her bike for the fun of it. Kirstie has a ministry. However, certain church members have secrets to hide, and when God uses Kirstie’s ministry to fill the pews with leather-clad, tattooed bikers, those secrets could be exposed…and some will stop at nothing to hide the truth.

Join Kirstie and her motorcycle “gang”—two church matrons and a mouthy, gum-smacking non-church member—as they discover that road-toughened bikers are quite capable of ministering to others, and faith is fortified in the most unexpected ways.

Buy on Amazon 

 

Karla, what do you love about this book?

I think every author loves their first novel.. I cut my novel-teeth on this one and learned so much about the craft from my critique partners. I also love it for the story because it deals with a pastor’s wife, a child with autism, and church relationships. As a pastor’s wife I was able to share through fiction what it’s like living in a fishbowl. I like making people laugh, and that’s another reason I love this book.

What two things have you learned from being a pastor’s wife that you can share with anyone to encourage her?

 

1.      Please God not man or woman. You are accountable first and foremost to Him and if you’re pleasing Him, that’s all that matters. Be yourself, not someone you think everyone wants you to be. You will never please everybody so don’t try.

2.      Let the love of Christ flow through you. Picture people as the lost lambs they are and you’ll be able to love them well. There are some people you can only love through God’s grace and by seeing them as the very people Christ died for.

 

Karla, share one of your funniest moments on the motorcycle.

I stopped to take pictures of some cows. I like to tool around in the country on my motorcycle with my camera. I was fascinated with this one little calf because he had a heart shaped spot on his forehead. I thought it was unique and was snapping away at his face. When I looked up from my camera he was surrounded by the herd and they all stood staring at me with the same mark on their foreheads. It felt like I was in one of those Happy California Cows commercials in the twilight zone.

 

 

Lisa: Okay, I thought Eels Falls was funny - this is a hoot! Thanks, Karla, and my very best wishes with the book.