Obedient Unto Death by Liisa Eyerly debut historical fiction

 

Obedient Unto Death

Liisa Eyerly

Christian historical fiction

March 22, 2022

CrossRiver Media

355 pp

 

$15.99 Print

$4.99 Ebook

 

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About the Book

Christians under the rule of Emperor Domitian walk a lethal tight-rope between evangelism and martyrdom.  Sabina, a young Christian widow, knows this better than most, her Roman magistrate father is sworn to uphold the decrees of Rome and arrest any Christian who refuses to worship the Emperor.

     Her separate worlds collide when a young scribe is murdered at a house church, and her pastor confesses to the crime. With his execution imminent, Sabina sets out to prove his innocence, but to do so she must defy the laws banning her faith, and step beyond the privileged and sheltered world she has grown-up in.

     When a pagan idol is found hidden in the dead man’s robe, she soon discovers the life of this faithful scribe is anything but simple. Dogged by the scribe’s brother demanding justice for the death, they begrudgingly agree to join forces. They uncover fragments of a burnt scroll leading to the underworld of a mysterious Gnostic sect. The closer she gets to solving the murder, the more she endangers her family, the security of her Christian community, and her life. Can this collision between faith and Roman law bring anything but disaster? 

 

My Revew

Eyerly’s debut is a deeply moving mystery set in an exotic location during treacherous times. In ancient Ephesus, a death at a forbidden Christian worship service rocks the early church. One of the worshippers happens to be the daughter of the Roman magistrate of the cosmopolitan Greek city. Sabina is not willing to call her friend Benjamin’s death an accident or the will of God, and uses her unusual upbringing as the lonely daughter of a single father who raised her to challenge myth and tales through the lens of practical stoicism and facts.

 

Obedient Unto Death is a fascinating mix of faith and life in ancient times, told in a way that brings Ephesus to life. Readers walk with Sabina as she defies the Romans, the Ephesians who want to ban the Christian sect, other secret sects, and even her family and friends to get to the truth behind the death of a rising leader in her church.

 

Told through Sabina’s eyes, this inspirational story set during the era of the early church will keep you turning pages as she uses the four days her father gives her to unmask the real murderer or watch their congregation’s pastor die for the crime. Sabina finds Benjamin’s brother dodging her steps as he, too, is on a quest to find his brother’s killer, as well as learn more about his life. Colorful characters from Sabina’s cool, classic Roman father to her nurse to church members who all seem to have some sort of secret people this un-putdownable book. Standalone, but with future stories to come, readers who enjoy mysteries in any era will find much to love about Obedient Unto Death.

 

About the Author

Liisa Eyerly is the author of two Christian mystery novels set in ancient Ephesus. She is a retired elementary teacher and school librarian but will never retire from inciting the thrill of reading in all ages.

She has lived in some of the most beautiful areas of the U.S. The passion for exploring new places and connecting with people began there and inspired her writing. Her publishing career started after getting married, teaching, raising three children, opening a small business, closing her small business, and finally getting serious about writing. Check out her blog at www.liisaeyerly.com

Defending David new historical fiction from Barbara Britton

 

Defending David: Ittai’s Story
Barbara M. Britton
 
Harbour Light Books, Pelican Book Group
Biblical fiction, 300 pp
February 25, 2022
16.99
5.99
Amazon 
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Apple, Kobo, and from the publisher
 
About the Book
When a quiet journey to Jerusalem turns tragic, newly orphaned Rimona must flee a kinsman set on selling her as a slave. Racing into the rocky hills outside of Hebron, Rimona is rescued by a Philistine commander journeying to Jerusalem with six-hundred warriors. Exiled commander, Ittai the Gittite, is seeking refuge in the City of David. Protecting a frantic Hebrew woman is not in his leadership plan. Although, having a nobleman’s niece in his caravan might prove useful for finding shelter in a foreign land. Rimona and Ittai arrive in Jerusalem on the eve of a rebellion. In the chaos of an heir’s betrayal, will they be separated forever, or can they defend King David and help the aging monarch control his rebellious son?
 
My Review
Britton’s deft research and reimagining little-known stories from scripture flesh out another deeply ingrained figure in the background of King David’s life and reign. As a child, the Philistine Ittai met David and his entourage when they lived for a time under the protection of Achish. Ittai loved his single mother, but adored the youthful David who was kind and strong. Ittai also found a new purpose in life when David’s God became Ittai’s God.
 
Fast forward thirty years and we encounter a grown-up Ittai whose zeal for the Lord and gifts of command have influenced a small army loyal first to the Hebrew God, then to their leader Ittai, and finally to David. To that end, they set out to pledge their swords to the now aging king.
 
In the meantime, we’re introduced to a recently orphaned young woman who is seeking the capital city reluctantly to claim shelter from her last remaining relative, the brother of her recently deceased, dear mother. Rimona must trust a kinsman to take her to Jerusalem. But her trust is misplaced and she must run for her life, it’s out of the pan and into the fire when a giant Philistine catches her. Now what can a lone woman do? Who can she trust? Along the way they have a strange encounter with King David’s son Absalom.
Rimona agrees to join Ittai’s company and is sheltered by Ittai’s commander’s family whom she befriends. Once in Jerusalem nothing is easy. Sure, they both are welcomed after a fashion—David recognizes and gratefully accepts his one-time protegee, and Rimona’s grouchy uncle gracelessly accepts his new responsibility. That is unfortunately the highlight of their first impression of Jerusalem as they’ve unwittingly walked into a dreadful time in their sovereign’s life. The encounter with Absalom was a portend of a coup, and Rimona and Ittai are thrust into each side of the battle for the throne, their dignity, their freedom, and their lives.

Britton’s story of great faith and loyalty, of choosing the Lord’s side even if it looks hopeless is a gem of an addition to her growing library of Biblical historical fiction. Nuanced with romance and faithful to the story found in II Samuel, readers of faith-based fiction will surely enjoy Defending David—Ittai’s Story.
 
About the Author
Barbara M. Britton lives in Wisconsin and loves the snow—when it accumulates under three inches. Barb writes romantic adventures from Ancient Israel to Modern Day USA and especially enjoys bringing little-known Bible characters to light. She has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate. Barb is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Romance Writers of America and American Christian Fiction Writers. You can visit Barb online at www. barbarambritton.com or follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Write Now Literary Tour and Givaway for Boss Women

 

Write Now Literary is pleased to be organizing a two-month book tour and $25.00 Amazon gift card for Boss Women: Seven African American Women Who Built Their Business From The Ground Up by Gwen Richardson. The book tour will run Jan- Feb 25, 2022. 

 

Genre: Youth

ISBN- 978-1737449607

Gwen Richardson has been an author, entrepreneur, and "boss woman" for decades. She is the author of 13 books, including Boss Women, and is a graduate of Georgetown University. She has been twice nominated for NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Literary Work, wants to inspire children to seek entrepreneurship as a career path. Richardson resides in Houston with her husband, Willie, and adult daughter, Sylvia.

 

Boss Women features seven African American women who started their businesses by themselves or as co-founders with family members. Some of the enterprises are relatively new, while others have been established for decades.

 

The businesswomen profiled in this book are Janice M. Adams (JMA Solutions), Valerie Daniels-Carter (V&J Holding Companies), Bea Dixon (Honey Pot), Janice Bryant Howroyd (The ACT One Group), Garnetta Sanders (Neta Scientific), Janell Stephens (Camille Rose Naturals), and J.C. Sykes (90 Degree Construction).

 

Boss Women uses poetic phrasing to make it easier for children to read and understand. While reading each poetic profile, children will be able to see themselves in these women’s successes and dream big dreams for the future. The book is also a motivational tool for adults who are seeking encouragement on their entrepreneurial journeys.

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$25 Amazon Gift Card

The First Wolf Pack by J Daniel Reed for epic lovers

 

The First Wolf Pack: A Dog’s Fable, by J. Daniel Reed

Terra 3 Communications LLC

November 15, 2021

Paper, ebook, 220 pp.

Fiction

$5.95 ebook, $11.95 paper

Buy on Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/First-Wolf-Pack-Dogs-Fable-ebook/dp/B09LZ9KY6T

About the Book

An exciting and emotional journey into the ancient history of man and the wolf to discover the genesis of tolerance, cooperation, and loyalty.

Immerse yourself in the intelligence, wisdom, and majesty of the wolf as you journey through wolf-history heretofore unknown by humanity. Discover what every dog knows about the true beginnings of human civilization. You will find yourself wondering if it really did happen this way.

It was the age of the lone wolf, an ancient time of isolation and hostility. When Arn and Versa, two of the most powerful wolves to ever roam the earth, clash in a mighty battle lasting two days and two nights they collapse on the battlefield, virtually drained of life. Only by helping each other can they survive certain death. Forced to trust each other, they overcome the poisoned blood of the lone wolf and forge a super-partnership never before enjoyed by any other carnivore.

Fully healed, they become The First Wolf Pack, a hunting machine dominating all lands they choose. Lone wolves, pressed to survive, form alliances in an attempt to destroy The First Wolf Pack. While their adversaries assemble, Arn and Versa must teach their extraordinary offspring the secrets of pack life.

For The First Wolf Pack to survive, the most gifted of their young offspring, Tria, must grow up quickly, battling countless foes and her own deep flaws. Soon she becomes the invincible wolf others fear; destroying all enemies in her path, but her spirit remains empty and broken. Suffering great internal struggles to overcome her unparalleled power, brutality, and suspicious nature, Tria must learn to forgive and trust those who misunderstood her.

She embarks on an epic sojourn across continents and time in an attempt to change the course of wolf, dog, and human history. But the question remains—can she fulfill the improbable destiny that awaits her?

The legend is shared by the narrator, a British dog named Bingley, who has been granted the right to speak “human” by the great wolf spirit. Discover how The First Wolf Pack created The Wolf Ways and, in the process, how wolves and humans came together to create the ancestors of modern dogs.

My Review:

J Daniel Reed’s tale of The First Wolf Pack draws the reader into an imaginary world of two mighty predators who must decide to survive together or fight to the death.

When an accidental hunting convergence brings two of the ancient great wolfs into mortal combat, they realize they are so equally matched they must use their great intelligence to seek a common goal: survival. Versa and Arn begin to care for each other and together derive the Wolf Ways.

 

Told in the manner of the great sagas, the narrator, a contemporary dog named Bingley, reveals the secret of contemporary dog heritage to his audience. Bingley’s tale is filled with lofty wisdom and bits of advice on how to be a family, not just any family but the best at parenting, the best at sharing the role of alpha couple in a pack, the best at finding nutritious food and cooperation—the first Wolf Way. Versa and Arn are notably the first at many things, including digging an inground den in which to raise their first litter.

 

As the family grows into the First Pack, Versa and Arn form the first wolf council, the Magnificent Ones, and establish the first Wolf Utterance. Soon the offspring grow toward maturity and ponder their parents’ ways. Why do they prosper and live in a pack and work together and not fight like the lone wolves? When an intruder is assimilated into the alpha family, they teach him their ways. The story occasionally lapses into buzzable page-turning moments such as when Versa turns to Arn and asks, “Are you as amazed at this crazy, unique life we created? There are no lone wolves who live like we or that know what we know.”

 

Maturity has its leaps and drawbacks, and as the pups reach adulthood, the alpha offspring male and female must be driven off to begin their own pack. Jett soon finds his mate and begins a family even while he and his sister Tria maintain a close relationship and develop wolf speak, which humans foolishly call howling.

 

Eventually other lone wolves outside the First Pack hatch a plot to attack, and the scattered family packs reunite hoping initially to make peace and teach the others the Wolf Ways. However, the alpha daughter, Tria, suffers from hatred, or poisoned blood, and her turmoil and anger threaten her brother’s young family and the First Pack with her vigilante ways. It takes her father to remind her of her greatness and uniqueness and why she’s driven. “Only you, daughter, share our genes, strength, and cleverness,” he tells her, “and only you can teach the wolf ways.” The advice changes his daughter’s heart, much like taking a Dale Carnegie class, the narrator explains.

 

The battle ensues between the First Pack and their friends, and the lone wolves who align with malicious creatures to attack the First Pack. Find out if the First Pack can maintain its integrity and survive against these as well as strange new odds.

 

The author has created a legend, an epic saga the likes of Gilgamesh, Beowulf, or other Norse legends of old, even faintly reminiscent of Eden and the first humans. We learn how humans and wolves intertwine. Those who love poring over those tales will thoroughly enjoy The First Wolf Pack: A Dog’s Fable.

About J. Daniel Reed

J. Daniel Reed (Joe) is an independent real estate investor and author. His new novel is The First Wolf Pack: A Dog’s Fable, the legendary journey of wolf, dog, and mankind.

After a successful career in commercial real estate, Joe has spent the last year exploring his love of creative writing. In The First Wolf Pack: A Dog’s Fable, Joe combines his writing talents with his deep knowledge and respect for dogs, wolves, other animals, and nature.

Born on the Northwest side of Chicago, into a three-generation household, he was raised by a committee—grandparent, parents, and three older siblings.

Joe lives in suburban Chicago with his wife, Barbara and their Bouvier des Flandres, Keera. When not writing, he loves outdoor photography, taking walks with Keera, nature hikes, gardening, birdwatching, cooking, and grilling.

 

Boss Women: Seven Women Who Built Their Businesses

 

Write Now Literary is pleased to be organizing a two-month book tour and $25.00 Amazon gift card for Boss Women: Seven African American Women Who Built Their Business From The Ground Up by Gwen Richardson. The book tour will run Jan- Feb 25, 2022. 

 

Genre: Youth

ISBN- 978-1737449607

Gwen Richardson has been an author, entrepreneur, and "boss woman" for decades. She is the author of 13 books, including Boss Women, and is a graduate of Georgetown University. She has been twice nominated for NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Literary Work, wants to inspire children to seek entrepreneurship as a career path. Richardson resides in Houston with her husband, Willie, and adult daughter, Sylvia.

 

Boss Women features seven African American women who started their businesses by themselves or as co-founders with family members. Some of the enterprises are relatively new, while others have been established for decades.

 

The businesswomen profiled in this book are Janice M. Adams (JMA Solutions), Valerie Daniels-Carter (V&J Holding Companies), Bea Dixon (Honey Pot), Janice Bryant Howroyd (The ACT One Group), Garnetta Sanders (Neta Scientific), Janell Stephens (Camille Rose Naturals), and J.C. Sykes (90 Degree Construction).

 

Boss Women uses poetic phrasing to make it easier for children to read and understand. While reading each poetic profile, children will be able to see themselves in these women’s successes and dream big dreams for the future. The book is also a motivational tool for adults who are seeking encouragement on their entrepreneurial journeys.

Website   Facebook

Barnes & Noble  Amazon

$25 Amazon Gift Card

Mended Wings Nam history by Colin Cahoon

 

Valor Press (June 7, 2021)

249 pages
ISBN-13: ‎978-1733170727

Ebook $9.99

Print  $17.95

Buy on Amazon
 

Check out the author's trip to Vietnam.

Read about the inspiration behind the story.

You hear them first, the "whop, whop" sound of rotor blades chopping through the humid Vietnam air. Suddenly they appear, screaming toward the landing zone at treetop level. Gunships launch rockets into the nearby tree line. The resulting explosions announce the arrival of the lift helicopters, pointing their noses skyward like falcons coming out of a dive for landing. Unseen enemy respond with machinegun fire, spewing orange tracers toward the slowing birds. Bullets rip into the thin aluminum skin and plastic that surrounds the men who fly these machines. But on they come, determined to complete the mission no matter what the cost. When one pilot is hit, the other takes the controls and carries on. When one helicopter crashes in flames, the pilots in the others maintain formation and push ahead. Nothing deters these warriors, volunteers all, from flying on with the tenaciousness of zealots.

Who are these men? Where did they come from? Where have they gone?

Mended Wings is their story. Follow the lives of ten Purple Heart heroes as they relate the Vietnam War experience from the perspective of the helicopter cockpit. Get to know the generation of men who fought with pride, determination, skill, and courage only to be shunned when they brought their battered bodies and haunting memories home. Their fathers and uncles were heralded as the “greatest generation.” Meet the forgotten generation. Meet the men whose stories did not end as a name on a black wall in Washington D.C. Meet the survivors.

ColinP. Cahoon

Colin P. Cahoon is a writer of historical nonfiction and historically based fiction, a patent attorney, and former Army helicopter pilot. He grew up in the Mesilla Valley of New Mexico and earned his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering at New Mexico State University, which he attended on an Army ROTC scholarship. Colin received his Regular Army commission in 1983 and graduated with honors from the aero scout track of flight school at Fort Rucker, Alabama in 1984. He served with distinction as an Aero Scout Platoon Leader in the 307th Attack Helicopter Battalion of the 7th Infantry Division, where he accumulated over 1000 hours of flight time in UH-1 and OH-58 helicopters. Captain Cahoon resigned his commission in 1988 to pursue a legal career, whereupon he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army’s second highest peacetime award for service. He subsequently earned his J.D. degree, magna cum laude, from Southern Methodist University School of Law, where he met his wife, Susan. Colin has served the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Dallas as a Lay Eucharistic Minister, Stephen Minister, and Chancellor. Colin and Susan have three grown children and live in Dallas, Texas and Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where they both enjoy skiing, hiking, and fishing.

 

Charming Cat Adventure for a holiday read

 

My One Extraordinary Life: A Feline Memoir, TD Arkenberg
Outskirts Press, Denver, Colorado
c. December 2021, ebook, print, 268 pp
Fiction
 
Print paperback $18.95
Hardcover, $28.85

Ebook $8.99
Buy on Amazon
Buy on Barnes and Noble
 
About the Book:
“Few humans lead an extraordinary life. I’ve come to that conclusion from my years of scrutinizing the tribe of upright walkers. My credentials? I’m a cat.”
 

And with that bold assertion, Fluff invites readers into his exceptional feline world. We meet the outspoken tabby as a kitten. He lives with his mother and siblings in a cardboard box in the heart of Brussels. Charmed by exotic tales of a seasoned street cat called Grumps, Fluff dreams of adventure. But he can’t quite muster the courage to venture out on his own. His family’s disappearance forces his paw. He sets out with Siamese newcomers, Penelope and Odysseus. Once posh and pampered housecats, the brother and sister won’t survive the urban jungle without their new friend’s help. The trio encounters unexpected dangers: two- and four-legged villains; their own naiveté; and a city swarming with animal traffickers. Strays are disappearing from the streets, Fluff’s family among them. In their bid to save the catnapped felines, the three companions become targets themselves. Adventure turns into a harrowing game of intrigue where they’re both cat and mouse.

 

My Review:

Although titled a memoir, this marvelous tail, er tale, is really a fictional autobiographical adventure of one Dickens-quoting, Twain-reading homeless camp cat, Fluff, who learns the world is bigger than his slightly squashed cardboard container. He has a role to play, even if the first step is to venture outside of one’s…box, in the European city of Brussels, a place author TD Arkenberg knows well from living there once upon a time.

 

In the territory of temporaries, there exist tribal hierarchies, Fluff learns, where all manner of creatures exist side by side, and humans are known as “uprights.” When Fluff comes home from one of his romps, only brother Auguste welcomes him. It’s not long before Fluff is abandoned with the dismal advice that “it happens to us all. Time for you to stand on your own four paws.” Grumps, an older cat, has filled Fluff’s head with tales of adventure, and when Fluff believes he’s been orphaned, he decides, though hesitant and fearful, to dream big and explore the world and hopefully find his lost family. As he waits for the right moment to leave the camp, he reaches out to newcomers, domesticated castoffs Penelope and Odysseus, to help them adjust and survive the harsh reality of their new status. When bullying pushes Penelope and Odysseus into fleeing the camp, they ask to join Fluff on his quest. “Dogs travel in packs, cats don’t,” Fluff says, but when dangerous conditions arise, he relents, and comes to learn that loyalty comes in all forms from all sides. It’s not always easy to know who to trust, and sometimes one just has to get his paws dirty to achieve results.

 

Betrayal and misconceptions abound, clarify, twist, and shimmer as these friends get separated, run into old chums and make new ones, reunite only to be recaptured, find themselves embroiled in “turf issues,” uncover a dastardly international trafficking scheme, and an even greater horror of biological terrorism and research. There’s a lot going on in this page-turning story. Tempted to stay on in certain posh situations when they occasionally meet a human they think of adopting, the friends overhear rotten plans and resolve to rescue the victims.

 

Friends need friends. When Fluff and Penelope realize they’re in over their heads, they reach out to both known and new two and four-leggeds to assist them as they work to thwart the traffickers and restore not only their own families, but those of their formerly misunderstood friends.

 

The story is told in perspective through Fluff’s narration. Early on, he reminisces, “But most things in life, I’ve learned, shouldn’t be defined in absolute terms.” Filled with delicious cat-themed puns, Brussels street life, danger, adventure, and even romance, readers of Lillian Jackson Braun will love My One Extraordinary Life. As we’re encouraged in the author’s introduction to recognize and appreciate our lives, this story of using our wits, paying attention to the small things, networking, and taking a risk should spark introspection and conversation. Great holiday gift.

 
About the Author

T.D. Arkenberg left the world of global airline executive more than a decade ago to pursue his dream of becoming a writer. He is the author of novels, short stories, and memoir. T.D. has an MBA from The University of Chicago and a BA in Literature from Northwestern University. He also studied at the London Business School. He’s active in several professional groups including the Barrington Writers Workshop, Off Campus Writers Workshop, and the Brussels Writers Circle. In 2016, T.D. and his spouse repatriated from Belgium. They make their home in the Chicago area along with their favorite Belgian souvenir, Puhi, a precocious tiger cat.