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.

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 there—on 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.

Western romance and 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 Barnes and Noble

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

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

YA Urban Fantasy Thriller from KN Smith

Write Now Literary is pleased to be organizing a two-month book tour and visa gift card for Discovery of the Five Senses: The Urban Boys Series by K.N. Smith. The book tour will run March 1 -April 29, 2022.

 

 

Genre: Young Adult Action-Adventure, Young Adult Thriller, Urban Fantasy, Mystery/ Thriller

ISBN-13‏: ‎978-0989474757

K.N. Smith, winner of the "Best of" in the category of "Outstanding Young Adult Novel" at the Jessie Redmon Fauset Book Awards, is an author and passionate advocate of literacy and arts programs throughout the world. Her lyrical flair sweeps across pages that twist and grind through action-adventure and urban fantasy in edge-of-your-seat narratives. K.N. has over twenty-five years' experience in communications and creative design as an award-winning consultant. She inspires people of all ages to reach their highest potential in their creative, educational, and life pursuits. 

 

A suspenseful incident in a forbidden preserve heightens the senses of five friends. Sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell become super-gifts that forever change the world. But furious battles confront the boys as they try to understand their sensory superpowers in a race to save mankind. With light beings and mysterious strangers complicating their plight, will the boys be able to defeat the evil Druth before it’s too late? Get prepared for the twisting and grinding of this award-winning, action-adventure story — an edge-of-your-seat narrative for young and mature readers alike.

Prologue

And in the absence of even a hint of an exchange, Joaquin spun around and lunged at Ross. He grabbed him by the throat, knocking him down.  

With brittle leaves and debris thrust upward, the two were enveloped in a dark, hazy hell as they engaged in a violent struggle for what seemed like an eternity.  

Ross flared up. “Get the hell off of me!”  

Joaquin persisted. “What are you going to do, Ross? Where are you going to go?” 
Ross scrambled to his feet, fighting back with a blow to Joaquin’s head, followed by several body punches. Joaquin stumbled and fell, giving Ross those precious few seconds required for his escape.  

Fueled by a rush of pulsating adrenaline, Ross ran frantically, stretching his quivering legs. His rich brown skin tightened as he pounded through the forest. He tried to ignore his thunderous heartbeat while scanning the pathways, searching for possible escape routes.  

With his baseball cap lost to the wind, his short, curly hair had exposed to the open air. Ross grasped the moment, one littered with deep panic and a singular appreciation for survival.  

This turn of events stemmed from countless episodes in which Joaquin, only nineteen yet extremely demanding, had tried to control those around him.

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My Sister Helped Me Heal book tour and giveaway

 

    

  Write Now Literary is pleased to be organizing a two-week book tour and free book giveaway for My Sister Helped Me Heal: The Power of Kingdom Sisterhood by Chavon Anette. The book tour will run April 4 - 15, 2022. ISBN: 978-0578380049 Genre: Religion / Christian Living / Personal Growth

ABOUT THE VISIONARY

Chavon is an Amazon #1 International Bestselling Author, Transformational Speaker, Leadership and Life Coach, and Talk Show Host. She is the CEO of Purpose Unwrapped, LLC and non-profit Power and Grace Leaders, Inc. Also, a board member- COO- of an Accreditation organization- Governing Council. Chavon is affectionally known as the Fire Leadership Coach. She marries practical and spiritual tools to empower and equip kingdom people to lead in the world. Formerly a high school educator, her mission is now to help Kingdom people Break Fear, Build Faith, and Lead Confidently online and beyond. She believes it takes commitment, confidence, and courage to impact culture. She is also a transformational speaker who speaks with great passion in a way that empowers and challenges her listeners. She has been featured as a speaker on ABC news, TCT Today, Virginia Wesleyan University, and at conferences and other events such as globally recognized Comeback Champion Summit and Sister Leads Conference. Chavon has published 4 books that are available on Amazon, and she has been a part of 7 anthologies. Three anthologies became Amazon #1 Bestsellers- Undeterred, (International Bestselling) Unveiled Transparency, Called to Intercede and Sister Leaders. Now, She is in the process of birthing out My Sister Helped Me Heal Anthology where she is the visionary. Chavon Anette was the 2021 Servant Leader of the Year Award Recipient from ACHI Magazine. Also In 2021, she was nominated for ACHI as Entrepreneur of the year, mentor of the year, author of the year, and TV personality of the year. In 2018, Chavon was nominated for ACHI as Author of the year and Educator of the year, and in 2019 she was nominated for ACHI as Educator of the Year and Orator of the Year!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Chavon Anette and an amazing group of women join in an Anthology to share their story about the Powerful gift of Kingdom Sisterhood. The book is about real stories of Sisterhood That helped people move - from broken to whole - from hidden to walking in purpose - from rejected to accepted - from insecure to confident - from afraid to bold as a lioness.

 

EXCERPT

“Look at her”- my eyes meet my friend- “I support and love you.” “Look at her”- my eyes shift to my next friend- “I support and love you.” “Look at her”- my eyes turn to my other friend- “I support and love you.” “Look at me”- my eyes are at my friend creating this moment- “I support and love you.” It was moments before I would speak for my first in-person event. God led my friend Kiyanni Bryan to instruct me to turn and look at all my sisters in the back room with me - Lakia Perez, Ciara Mason, Melissa Daughtry, and herself, and allow them to say those words to me. With tears rolling down my eyes, the reality of their words sinking in brought me to a new level of freedom and deliverance. It can weigh on you when you have had to manage the fights of ministry and fights in your personal life. It never means quitting or giving up, but with the right people around you, it still means making sure you position yourself to heal in the areas where you have been wounded.

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