New Memoir from Nancy Bolton

Adventures in Poverty

Nancy Shew Bolton

               

Memoir, 171 pp.

c. July 2019

Celebrate Lit publishing

$4.99 ebook

$12.99 print

Buy on Amazon

About the Book

Faced with eviction, living on union strike pay, our time for making a decision was running out. Where could we go to live with our five small sons? We had few options. The scariest possibility was also the one that fit best with our tiny income. But could we really make such a difficult move? To transport our family, and our mobile home onto a five-acre parcel of rural, undeveloped land? No electricity, no running water, with winter fast approaching. It sounded a little crazy.......

My Review

An eye opening look at living simply with purpose and joy.

Bolton’s story of raising her family during a difficult period of time in the 1980s unencumbered by modern conveniences is uplifting and truthful. Told with a spirit of making do and a deliberate choice not to complain (much), Bolton shares what it was like for a few years living on public and private assistance while her husband reoriented his career. It honestly sounded like a terrific leap of faith that worked out better in the end, though I think Bolton ended her tale without letting us know that for certain.

The best parts of her adventure included her willingness to do whatever it took, raising chickens, milking goats, using a kerosene heater, planting a garden, and cooking on a camp stove, besides hauling water, and the worst parts were being treated as poor by the public. Poverty means barely or not having enough, but Bolton proved that they truly did have enough, although maybe not by modern standards. I would have had a much more difficult time accepting the image of being poverty-stricken, and realize that my attitude on both sides of the equation need to adjust.

I’m glad she shared this bit of her life in a fascinating read. She didn’t mince problems but told simply how she dealt with issues from neighbors to tilted tables to the loss of the chickens to hunting to freezing cold to charity with grace. Good read. Recommended.

About the Author

Nancy Shew Bolton loves to write character-driven stories about relationships of love and faith, since she is fascinated by the complexities within this emotional terrain. She thanks God and His Son for her life, her loved ones and the spark of creativity inside every person. She believes each person is a unique creation, with their own special voice and place in this amazing universe. God’s handiwork amazes her every day!

Westward Hope historical fiction review

Westward Hope: an Oregon Trail Historical Romance

Kathleen D Bailey

Buy on Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Publisher

Historical Shorter Romance – 181 pp.

Christian Fiction

Ebook $5.99

Print $15.99

About the Book

Why him? Why here? Why now?
Caroline Pierce O'Leary expects to work hard to earn her passage to the Oregon Country. She doesn't expect to find that the wagon train scout is a man with whom she shares a troubled past. Though Caroline is a Christian now, thanks to her late husband, she finds forgiving Michael to be the hardest part of her journey, harder even than the Trail.

Michael Moriarty thought he'd left his past behind in "green and hurting Ireland." Seeing Caroline on his wagon train brings his past to the forefront. With a price on his head, he doesn't want her to get hurt, but he can't deny what they were...and could still be.

Michael once betrayed Caroline in the worst possible way. Can she trust him to get her across the Oregon Trail? Can he trust himself to accept her forgiveness and God's?

My Review

Authentic picture of life on the trail. Bailey offers readers of inspirational romantic historical fiction a bittersweet picture gleaned from stories, journals, biographies, and photos of cross country travelers venturing west from Missouri in the mid nineteenth century.

There’s a lot going on in this mite of a story—longer than a novella but shorter than typical. A widow on her last half-bag of flour sells her farm and joins a wagon train to Oregon Country, only to find one of the leaders is a former lover with a price on his head. Complicating the picture is a hardened young woman running from the sex slave industry. All these issues come to a head after a several-months’ journey fraught with ill-will, ill-preparedness, illness, accidents and death. It was a perilous adventure that sometimes worked out and often didn’t.

Having recently visited several of the sites from Bailey’s story, I was fascinated and pleased at the depth and quality of her research and story. The tragedies and dissent tend to outweigh the hope of the title, but that’s reality. At its heart, the story is one of forgiveness and trust; of how we deal with what happens to us and choose to make the best of what we’re given and live out what we believe.

Those who appreciate American historical fiction with the harshness of reality in their romance along with the inspirational side of coming to true faith will find much to enjoy in this well-written book.

About the Author

Kathleen D Bailey is a freelance and staff writer with a lifetime devotion to the printed, and now the digital page. Born in 1951, she was a child in the 50s, a teen in the 60s and 70s and a young mom in the 80s. It was a turbulent, colorful time to come of age. She’s enjoyed every minute of it, and written about most of it.

Glenn Seerup exciting new fiction!

The Illuminating Occurrence of Maxine Porter

Glenn Seerup

Print and eBook

October 11, 2019

Glenn Seerup, publisher

Literary Fantasy

eBook $4.99

Print

Buy the Book

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Smashwords

Read my review here.

About the Book

Hayden Carlisle, a socially awkward twenty-three year old designer, begins his first professional job at The Plush Porcupine, a boutique toy design studio in Chicago. Hard times have fallen on the Porcupine and a dark cloud hangs over its future.

Maxine Porter arrives with a mysterious background and an uncanny knack for knowing things. Spellbound by the amazing Max, the eclectic crew at the Porcupine begin to prosper, while continually ruminating over who Max is and where she came from.

Through Hayden’s Journal writing, we learn of the unlikely friendship developing between him and Max.

A Brief Interview with the Author

Glenn, tell us what you love about this book.

I love the people in the book. I love how as I write a story, the personalities of each character develop and grow as their voices come alive. This is really a story about personalities and relationships. It demonstrates how diverse individuals can bring unique strengths and frailties together, feeding off each other. They don’t always have to get along but each individual contributes to complete the dynamic of the collective group. I know when my characters begin to feel real to me when I see somebody walking down the street and I think, “Hey, is that Max?” Then I remember that she isn’t real.

Introduce us to the character who was most challenging to capture.

I would have to say that Marty would be the character that was most challenging to capture. Marty is a dedicated employee and friend. She has a lot of baggage in her personal life and she tries to compartmentalize it from her outward persona, shielding her troubles from her colleagues. I think that the challenge in writing Marty came from never personally living through the situations where Marty finds herself. I had to imagine myself dealing with these issues in my personal life and what I would do, and then re-imagine it from the point of view of Marty. Each character has their challenges. That’s what makes writing fun.

Share a couple of things you learned in researching this story.

For most of the book’s themes and locations, I was able to draw from my experiences living in the design world of great city of Chicago. I did learn a lot about different toy manufacturers and their processes as well as the cutthroat world of product placement and wholesaling. I also found the study of kinesiology and ergonomics interesting as I looked into design and comfort. Probably the most surprisingly interesting topic that I briefly delved into was my look into metallurgy and the different properties that metals can take on with slight molecular modifications to their structure.

What do you hope readers will tell others?

I hope readers will tell others that reading this book made them feel good about people and the world that we live in. I feel like this story is about real people in real situations and the reader is rooting for them to succeed. I also hope they feel like they are a little on edge throughout the book, feeling that little bit of mystery that grows on you in a nagging way. This is the suspense that keeps you reading, knowing that there is more to the story but you’re not quite sure what it is. I hope they tell people that when they finished, they sat for a while pondering the story with a smile on their face.

What are you reading now?

I usually have a couple of books going—I listen to audio books in my car while commuting and I always have a book at my bedside. Currently, I am about halfway through The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz. The audio books I check out of the library are generally hit or miss. The most recent one that I really enjoyed was Nine Perfect Strangers, by Liane Moriarty, an interesting character study that takes place in an unusual setting.

What’s next for you?

I am currently knee-deep in a new novel, which I intend to be the first of a trilogy. While a similar type of character study that I love, I am framing this in a more adventurous, fast-paced style. Hunter Cahill’s escapades will take the reader on a frantic romp through the streets of Chicago. He’ll meet all kinds of interesting characters as he works to unravel the mysterious drama that falls unwelcome at his feet.

About the Author

Glenn Seerup is a future New York Times bestselling author of Literary Fiction. It’s good to have goals. With over twenty-five years as an accomplished architect under his belt, Glenn has returned to his first passion, the written word. Successfully publishing his first novel in 2017 to rave reviews, a second novel, The Illuminating Occurrence of Maxine Porter, is due for release in the Fall of 2019. A third project in the works will be the first of a three (or more) part series.

While Glenn has traveled extensively through the United States, Europe, and Africa, and lived in various cities, he loves to write about life in the big city of Chicago – well, and Boston. Settled now in a sleepy beach town in northwest Indiana, Glenn devotes as much time as he can to his wife and two wonderful kids. Most of that time is spent driving to soccer practices, games, and tournaments. Somewhere in there, he still finds time for home remodeling, playing in adult soccer leagues, and watching the English Premiere League. Glenn likes soccer.

As a young adult, The Catcher in the Rye solidified the love of Literature and the joy of a simple, beautifully written story. Glenn likes to include subtle references to the Salinger masterpiece into his own writing. See if you can spot them.

Books:

-The Illuminating Occurrence of Maxine Porter
-After and Before: The Story of Hatley Chambers
www.glennseerup.com

Facebook: Facebook profile
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenn-seerup-67b4378
Blog: https://glennseerup.com/blog

Book Review The Illuminating Occurrence Coming Friday!

The Illuminating Occurrence of Maxine Porter

Glenn Seerup

Print and eBook

October 11, 2019

Literary fantasy

$4.99 Ebook

262 pp

available in hardcover

Preorder, or buy on Friday at:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Goodreads

Bookbub

About the Book

Hayden Carlisle, a socially awkward twenty-three year old designer, begins his first professional job at The Plush Porcupine, a boutique toy design studio in Chicago. Hard times have fallen on the Porcupine and a dark cloud hangs over its future.

Maxine Porter arrives with a mysterious background and an uncanny knack for knowing things. Spellbound by the amazing Max, the eclectic crew at the Porcupine begin to prosper, while continually ruminating over who Max is and where she came from.

Through Hayden’s Journal writing, we learn of the unlikely friendship developing between him and Max.

Lisa's Review

Time is the essence of this new work from former architect Glenn Seerup. A self-proclaimed aficionado of Holden Caulfield, readers are challenged and amused to discover bits of Catcher allusions in Seerup’s stories.

One March day in Chicago, present, life begins to unfold for recent industrial design graduate Hayden Carlisle. Realizing his talents are more suited to a smaller operation, as is his prickly personality, Hayden has been hired by a toy design firm. The Plush Porcupine is past its heyday of once-popular unique toys and entering a downward spiral of ennui. Hayden is more interested in using the staff for a personal pet project—writing a best-seller documentary on his first, and probably only, year at the firm that will jumpstart his literary career—and has initially little other appreciation for corporate or personal intrigue.

Characters rarely get what they wish. Hayden is not the only hire at the Porcupine this special week. A promising indeterminately-aged but highly motivated and challenging woman named Maxine Porter comes on board as well. The reader follows Hayden and the members and friends of the Plush Porcupine during the rest of the tumultuous year.

The book is divided into months with epigraphs that hint at the events to come. Chapters within the months are divided by Hayden’s journal writing in first person and other chapters in a wandering omniscient voice that focus on the personnel: company founder and owner Walter whom Hayden admires; the troubled Marty, Walter’s friend and confidant who’s a talented designer in her own right; Scott, another focused toy designer; Matthew, the religious advertising guy; the ever-perky Caryn who’s a designer but prefers to run the office and make sure everyone is greeted with a smile; and Adam, Hayden’s roommate. The story progresses as the force that is Maxine with all her mystery and energy firmly shakes up the world of the Porcupine. The staff wonders alternately if she’s an angel, an alien, or Mary Poppins. Maxine plows on, taking Hayden under her wing as her special assistant on an equally mysterious project dealing with virtual reality. Or does it?

Meanwhile, each character’s personal and professional life plays out with Maxine’s golden prophetic aid, firm hand, and subtle dare to rise above. As the year flows onward, it’s obvious Maxine has a personal goal, and I had fun turning pages and wondering about it right along with the well-fleshed and interwoven characters. Participating in the story as the pieces come together is a delight for readers who enjoy character-driven set pieces with a subtle twist of fantasy.

Chicago comes alive as the designers and their friends and family invest themselves in their work and lifestyle choices. The Illuminating Occurrence of Maxine Porter is a fresh, thoughtful, feel-good tale of imperfect people learning to grow, work, and communicate in a joint effort to make a better future.

New novella from Robin Densmore Fuson

Restoration

Robin Densmore Fuson

Inspirational holiday novella

$2.99 ebook

Paperback available

Buy on Amazon

About the Book

Restoration is a Christmas novella which tells a twenty-five-year love story. Nurse Rebecca Porter and bush pilot Kyle Warren’s relationship started terrific, tight, memorable and romantic. Kyle swept Rebecca off her feet in a remarkable marriage proposal. Their fantastic wedding day surrounded by beauty, family, words of wisdom and promises made went without a hitch. An unexpected marvelous honeymoon trip took them up in the air to enjoy the rugged landscape of Alaska. Can their storybook relationship go on without a flaw? Do they have what it takes to dig deep into their souls to heal, grow, and change? Through the years, Christmas remained Rebecca’s favorite time of year when peace reigned for a day. Love traveled with Rebecca and Kyle from the snow covered Mountains near Anchorage, Alaska to the vast ocean off Miami, Florida’s coast. Helicopters, small aircraft, speed boats, and vintage cars marked their mode of transportation in this tale of hearts won through love language, prayer, and perseverance.

Lisa’s Review

This latest tale from prolific author Robin Fuson encompasses a fairytale marriage through ups and downs.

As with most marriages, secrets, disillusionment, and shame color the relationship. Some secrets are good but some are simple acts of controlling behavior. Rebecca and Kyle can’t see past their rose-colored glasses as they set up housekeeping and become a family. Kyle’s need to keep up the appearance of perfection and Rebecca’s growing disenchantment with his financial behavior may become a deal breaker unless they get help and remember the source of the faith they both profess.

Set in lush Alaska and moving to Florida, Restoration is a romantic story for readers who are intrigued by the long haul; the reality after the initial passion, and the need to be honest and mindful of the foundation on which we build our lives.

About the Author

Robin recently moved to Tennessee with her husband Jimmy. Together, they celebrate with seventeen grandchildren. An award winner for romance and flash fiction. Robin is multi-published and writes stories on her blog for children. Robin is a member of ACFW, Vice President of ACFW Colorado Western Slope, and member of John316 Marketing Network. She enjoys leading a Bible study group and singing in two community choirs. Robin loves company and challenging her young guests to discover the many giraffes in the obvious and hidden nooks and crannies of their home.

New from Barbara M Britton Lioness Mahlahs Journey

About the Book

While the Israelites struggle to occupy the Promised Land of God, Mahlah bat Zelophehad is orphaned and left to care for her four sisters. But daughters of the dead are unable to inherit land, and it will take a miracle for Mahlah to obtain the means to care for her sisters and uphold the vow she made to her dying mother.

Mahlah must seek Moses, the leader of her people, and request something extraordinary—the right for a daughter to inherit her deceased father’s land. A right that will upset the ox-cart of male inheritance and cast her in the role of a rebel.

But, God is the protector of the orphan and the widow, and five orphaned daughters need His help. With God, anything is possible. Even changing man’s tradition.

~the print edition will release on December 6th.

Ebook $5.99

Buy on  Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Pelican Book Group.

My Review

The Israelites had more to fight than Canaanites on their way to take the Promised Land. Britton brings to light another little known aspect of Bible times as she creates a story based on one family of orphaned young women who request their rightful inheritance of property among the ancestral clans. Although Jewish tradition is strongly patriarchal, stories like these remind us that God is our loving Parent who hears our petitions and acts in our best interest.

While Britton acknowledges the story of how the daughters of Zelophehad became orphaned, she uses recorded incidents such as plagues and snake attacks as God’s swift answer to swiftly quell grumbling, sin, and resultant uprisings. Readers may want to review the Bible journey of Exodus to remind themselves of the perils the Israelites underwent on their escape from Egypt and the forty-year journey to their home. Mahlah, as eldest sister of five girls, watches her father choose death, leaving his daughters in despair. But Mahlah will not allow despair to overwhelm her or her family. She will honor her promise to her mother to watch over her sisters, and she does, fighting sin and tradition alike to ensure their safety and inheritance. Mahlah is willing to sacrifice herself and even her future happiness to prove to this world of men that family matters more. With delight, Britton imagines a biblical beat-down on several fronts, from Baalam’s lesson to show-off boys and conquering respect from tribal elders.

The author makes it clear these Chosen Ones have their own issues of misogyny, death and widowhood, poor choices, sin, and war. Everyday life and peril for these nomads is pictured through Britton’s careful research. Britton’s fans will find a new series to delight in with Lioness: Mahlah’s Journey.

A Brief Interview with the author

What do you love about this book?

I was thrilled to discover a Bible story that was new to me. I’ve been a Christian a long time, but I had never heard the story of the daughters of Zelophehad. How had I missed these groundbreaking sisters? Five orphaned sisters changed history by seeking to inherit their father’s land. This was a bold “ask” in a male-dominated society. Their story is like a “David and Goliath” for girls.

Introduce us to the villain.

The nebulous villain would be the cultural confines of the day that did not allow women to inherit land and the jeopardy women faced if they remained unmarried. My sisters of faith do meet Balaam son of Beor. Balaam is a sorcerer who tried to lead the Israelites into idol worship and sexual immorality. Balaam battles a strong woman of faith in Mahlah.

Share a couple of things you learned while researching this book.

My biggest discovery was the girls themselves and how many Scriptures refer to them and their journey. They are mentioned several times in the book of Numbers and also in the book of Joshua. The sisters are from the tribe of Manasseh which splits—some Manassites stayed on the east side of the Jordan River and some ventured west. I had written a heart-tugging good-bye scene only to discover the girls crossed the Jordan. Joshua 17:2 references the clans that traveled west. I’m sure I would have heard about my mistake had I left the girls on the wrong side of the Jordan.

What do you hope readers will tell others about the story?

My desire is for more people to hear the story of these brave girls and see their strong faith in God. Did they doubt God’s provision of land? We will never know. I’m sure the assembly of men wanted a swift denial of their request. Moses heeds God’s commands to protect the widow and orphan (Deut. 24:17-18, 14:28-29). God is the God of these downtrodden, yet faithful daughters. Deuteronomy 10:18a says that “He (God) defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow.” God shows up in a big way for these orphaned girls.

What are you reading now?

I am reading “What They Meant For Evil” by Rebecca Deng. Rebecca came and spoke to my Sunday School class. She is one of the Lost Girls from Sudan. She talked about being a refugee and how God brought her through some scary and violent times in her life.

What’s next for you?

I planned to only write one book about the daughters of Zelophehad, but there will be two more. “Lioness” ends after the girls cross the Jordan River and before the battle of Jericho. Canaan hadn’t been conquered yet, so the girls couldn’t receive their land. “Heavenly Lights: Noah’s Journey” takes the girls through Joshua 5-8 and “Claiming Canaan: Milcah’s Journey” will see the girls get their land. I also have a WWI historical releasing this year called “Until June.” If you liked “Me Before You” but hated the ending, then this Historical is for you.

About the Author

Barbara M. Britton lives in Southeast, Wisconsin and loves the snow—when it accumulates under three inches. She writes Christian Fiction for teens and adults. Barb brings little-known Bible stories to light in her Tribes of Israel series. In October she will shine a light on the daughters of Zelophehad with “Lioness: Mahlah’s Journey.” Five orphaned sisters changed history, and few know their names. Barb is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Romance Writers of America and Wisconsin Romance Writers of America. She is published by Harbourlight Books an imprint of Pelican Book Group. Barb has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate. Follow Barb on Facebook or twitter, or find out more about her books at www.barbarambritton.com.

“Providence: Hannah’s Journey”~ Harbourlight Books~ October 2016
“Building Benjamin: Naomi’s Journey”~ Harbourlight Books~ February 2017
“Jerusalem Rising: Adah’s Journey” ~ Harbourlight Books~ November 2017
“Lioness: Mahlah’s Journey” ~ Harbourlight Books~ October 2019
“Heavenly Lights: Noah’s Journey” ~ Harbourlight Books~ February 2020
“Claiming Canaan: Milcah’s Journey” ~ Harbourlight Books~ April 2020

Writing Tips for narrating your novel

Omniscient Voice or Head-Hopping?

What’s the difference between an all-knowing, omnipresent, prescient narrator, or what’s basically author intrusion?

The widest footprint in the sand is whether your omniscient narrator has a role in the story or whether it observes events. An omniscient narrator knows the thoughts and timeline, but does not influence them. It is unkind to show off this knowledge of multiple characters in the same scene or paragraph, let alone same sentence, but it’s not necessarily wrong. Omniscient Point Of View (POV)s are generally found in literary works instead of genre work. Omniscient POV generally works better in plot-driven story (when the story is mostly about what happens/reactions to events) vs. character-driven story (when the story is mostly about the people/what they do).

Head-hopping switches from a person’s thoughts about something to another person’s thoughts of their own individual tone/perspectives in the same setting or scene, in the same sentence or paragraph. It is the character’s voice vs. the narrator’s voice telling something about them or another character from outside of the purview, not the characters sharing their story from their own mindset.

Is head-hopping ever acceptable? Let’s just say, it’s done on occasion, especially in some romantic lit or in books by popular authors whose editors fear their reps. It can be done without disrupting the reading experience (eg, in the heat of the moment), but it’s more compelling to watch an expert author spin a tale limited to one perspective (at a time).

Omniscient voice should never change perspective but keep the same tone and ability throughout, an all-knowing prescient entity, unless the narrator is a character with a storyline and purpose. Omniscient voice often masquerades as author intrusiveness and lays a barrier between reader and story. An aspect of omniscient voice that I try to teach writers to avoid is that a prescient voice tends to waste the reader’s time explaining what’s not happening, not heard or seen, not done, or not known. Omniscient is what perspective, in general, cinematic films use to show story.

Omniscient voice can be:

Completely outside narrator with a voice/personality/perspective of his own (Our Town/Wilder, Book Thief/Zusack). This perspective may be unreliable because it has bias. (Oddly enough, The Lovely Bones/Sebold crosses the line between this description and the next and falls technically into paranormal because the character Susie influences others outside of herself.)

Omniscient close third – the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of everyone, those born and long gone, but does not direct the action; merely reports, not responds, not causes the characters to act or react; this narrator is trustworthy (and boring), and uses the same tone throughout the book. (Celeste Ng/Everything I Never Told You, Brave New World/Huxley)

Omniscient limited third – the narrator knows everything about only one or two characters or an event. The setting can become a character. It has bias but only from what it knows about the character. This voice understands and not always hears those around him/her. (Harry Potter/Rowling, Hogwarts; A Man Called Ove/Backman, the neighborhood; My Grandmother Told Me to Tell You She’s Sorry/Backman, the apartment house)

What should you choose for your story? Here are some pointers:

 Does your story have a literary scope or does your story fall into a specific genre?

• Whose story are you telling? (Which character has the most to lose?)
• Is the relationship among the characters or the event/scope of the story more important?
• How would your story be different if your characters weren’t directing their own actions?
• Can you carry such an all-knowing voice consistently throughout the entire book?