Meet SE GREGG on the John 316 Marketing Network summer tour

Book: The Christian Olympics: Going for the Gold Crowns, the unveiling of the Bible's comparison of the Christian race to the Olympic Games, is the spin-off from the newspaper article titled "The Christian Olympics are still going on!" written by the author. Today more than ever Christians are discouraged in their walk with God because of the multitudes of personal problems, suffering, and worldly events that have occurred. Some have given up, lost hope in their faith, and/or don't feel that living holy lives matters anymore. The Christian Olympics will stir up Christians, igniting their spiritual fires to look forward to what is ahead. When Christians see themselves as players in an Olympic game, it gives them a new understanding and exhilaration for the Christian life, as spiritual athletes. Readers will actually visualize themselves in a spiritual athletic competition which has never been done before in a Christian book.
http://www.amazon.com/Christian-Olympics-Going-Gold-Crowns/dp/1597815306

Bio: A marathon runner in the Christian Olympics for several decades, S. E. Gregg is a Bible school graduate and the founder of Sound Doctrine Christian Ministries. An award winning author, gifted Bible teacher and Bible curriculum writer, Gregg has authored the best-selling books,"Evangelism Counseling- How to Counsel People About Salvation," "The Christian Olympics-Going for the Gold Crowns," and the salvation tract,"God Became A Man." The salvation tract has been translated into the Burmese language and over 100,000 have been printed.

Gregg lives in the Philadelphia, PA area.
www.Christianolympics.org

Blog: The Christian Olympic blog is a list of articles about worldly events that are happening along with sports and how they relate to the Christian marathon.
http://christianolympics.blogspot.com

Book Review: The Blessed by Ann Gabhart

The Blessed

By Ann Gabhart

Revell, a division of Baker

c. 2011

ISBN 9780800734541

Historical Romance

From the publisher:

“Let the child go, Lacey. Right now! We’ve come into this community to leave things of the world behind and do as they say” said Preacher Palmer. “But she needs me.” She spoke barely above a whisper. “She needs discipline. And so do you...” he said.

It is a time of spiritual revival in the mid-1840s when the Shakers worship services received many spiritual messages from Mother Ann and other Shaker leaders. Harmony Hill was a place offering a different way of life from the world. This village was a place where the people were dedicated to community, hard work, practicing their worship, and engaging in long hours of worship each week.

My review:

The Blessed adds to the author’s collection of novels dealing heavily with a Shaker theme. This is the first novel I’ve read by Gabhart, and the first that features Shaker characters.

I appreciated the author’s brief history of the society before reading the book. The Blessed takes place in the mid nineteenth century in a small rural community at the home of the local Baptist preacher and his ailing wife. As a teenager, Lacey Bishop was sent to be the hired girl for Miss Mona. During this time, a newborn baby is left on the preacher’s doorstep, taken in and raised by Miss Mona and Lacey. When Miss Mona passes on, Lacey is forced into a marriage of convenience on her part, but not the pastor’s, in order to maintain propriety and stay in the preacher’s house and continue to care for the growing child. After a visit from two gentlemen from the nearby Shaker community who come proselytizing, the pastor leaves his church and moves his household to join with the Shakers. Once there, Lacey is oddly attracted to a young man, Brother Isaac. But Isaac is another refugee from the outside world, who has been in mourning and rejected after the death of his wife, a prominent judge’s daughter. Isaac was befriended by a Shaker brother who’d come to town on business, and decided to accompany the brother to his home, where he eventually meets Lacey.

The style of writing is introspective, mournful, dour, yet ribboned with snatches of joy and hope as Lacey attempts to keep memories of her happy childhood alive for her young charge. Brother Amos, the man who befriends Isaac, is a delight. But in all honesty, Isaac’s story of guilt and widowhood was a tough start to the book, and I was confused about the preacher’s household setup. The marriage of convenience took place so early in the book that I wondered what would happen to free Lacey even while she met her true love interest. Life in the Shaker community reminded me a lot of other nonfiction books I’ve read about closed societies. People are people no matter how they worship or how they live, and this early Shaker society held little attraction for me.

Gabhart’s fans will surely enjoy this story as an addition to the collection. I'm not sure the story exactly fits in the “romance” category, category, however, so if you expect any sparks to fly or relationship ups and downs between the protagonists throughout the book, you won’t find that with The Blessed.

“Available July 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

Amanda Stephan, romance writer, on the John 316 Marketing summer tour

Meet Amanda Stephan

Amanda Stephan is a Christian romance author and homeschooling mother. Her first novel, The Price of Trust, was released in May of 2010, and her second novel, Lonely Hearts, will be released in October, 2011. She loves to write in different genres, all with a Christian world view. After Lonely Hearts is released and she's able to breathe again, she'll be polishing up her next novel which is so large, she decided to turn it into a series.

The Price of Trust - Christian Romance/Suspense
Beaten and betrayed by the one who was supposed to love her, Carly Richards is on the run. Forced to live as a fugitive as he stalks her across country, she finds refuge in a small town in Montana. Her emotional scars are reluctant to heal, and Carly resists the friendliness of those around her ~ especially handsome farmer and eligible bachelor Joe Baird.

Caught in the circumstances, the kind people around her begin to creep into her softening heart. God is at work, and she has to trust Him not only to take care of her, but care for the people she is learning to love.


Lonely Hearts - Sweet Christian Romance
One lonely mother. Two matchmaking kids. Three eligible bachelors. What could possibly go wrong?

Becky Callis is the widowed mother of two. When they move to a new town, she only intended it to be a safe haven where she didn't have to be reminded of her late husband. Her children had other plans.
~*~ releases October 2011 ~*~

You can read the first three chapters of The Price of Trust as well as the first chapter of Lonely Hearts HERE!

**follow Amanda's blog, Facebook, or Twitter for exciting release news as well as many opportunities to win great prizes**

you can find The Price of Trust at Amazon.com, Amanda's website The Price of Trust , or Christianbook.com


Amanda says:

I've always loved to write. Many times in my childhood, if I couldn't find a book to read, I would write my own and hide it away for future perusal. Yes, I still have quite a few of my stories hidden away in our attic! But The Price of Trust I wrote for a specific reason. It's a love letter to my children so they could know that they're worth so much more than abuse and they should never settle for it in their futures. I love The Price of Trust, because it's my first venture out of my comfort zone, and I've learned a lot during this journey.

You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, my Facebook Fan Page, my Website, and The Christian Indie Authors site, as well as a slew of other places I like to frequent.

Rose McCauley, the Christmas Belles of Georgia, on the John 316 Summer tour

Bio: Rose Allen McCauleyis happy to live in the beautiful bluegrass region of Kentucky on a farm surrounded by God’s creation. She has been writing for over ten years and has been published in several non-fiction anthologies and devotionals. She is thrilled for this to be her first published fiction because Christmas books are her favorites. She has a growing collection of Christmas books, and this one will takes its rightful place among them.

A retired schoolteacher who has been happily married to her college sweetheart for over 43 years, she is also mother to three grown children and their spouses and Mimi to three lovely, lively grandkids! You can reach her through her website www.rosemccauley.com or blogsite at www.rosemccauley.blogspot.com

Rose says:  

I wrote this book because I liked the intriquing idea, and I love it because it is a Christmas book and also one that includes a tradition we did with our family when our kids were younger.

The book is published by Barbour Publishing, so can be bought through them or anywhere that carries their books--WalMart, most Christian bookstores and www.cbd.com or www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com It's release date is September 1, 2011. You can also pre-order by clicking on the links on the home page of my website.

CEnjoy the Back cover copy – Christmas Belles of Georgia

Surprised by Life—and Love—at Christmas

Four letters are mailed from Monticello, a small antebellum town in Georgia. Sisters once, now heirs to a historic plantation, each young woman must come to terms with the circumstances of her birth. . . .

When she learns in a letter she’s adopted, Holly feels betrayed by her parents—and she books a flight out of Missouri immediately. Will she ever be able to love again?

Raised in a wealthy, loveless home, Carol rushes to Monticello from college in Atlanta when she receives her letter. She’s searching for family, but finds instead a boy she once mistreated. Will he remember her? . . .forgive her?

In one year, Starr has lost her parents, boyfriend, and job, so she’s sure her letter is more bad news. When the attorney flies to California to offer proof, Starr takes a second look—at the message and the man.

Noelle always knew she was adopted—and she’s always loved the foreman on her father’s Texas ranch too. But he’s so distant. . .perhaps a trip to Georgia is the break in life she needs.

Will the sisters receive a traditional Christmas gift. . .of love?

Rose invites everyone to visit her blog, and she hopes they will become a follower. Since her first book releases on Sept. 1, 2011, she will do a drawing that day and choose one follower to receive a hot-off-the-press copy of Christmas Belles of Georgia. Please leave an email address so she can contact you for your mailing info.

Microbusiness for Teen Tips with Carol Topp

 

Celebrate Independence: Start a Micro Business!

By Carol Topp, CPA

The Fourth of July is a time to celebrate our country's independence and appreciate our freedoms as Americans to follow our dreams. This is a great time to encourage our children, especially teenagers, to cherish their freedoms. Not every country in the world allows a teenager to have as many freedoms and opportunities as the United States. One important area of freedom that our children probably take for granted is the freedom to become whatever they want to be, which includes starting a business.

My 16 year old daughter, Sarah, was introduced to a man who grew up in East Germany. He described his youth where he had no choice in what he would study in high school or what career he would have. He was assigned to a technical high school where he learned science and math. There was no consideration of his abilities or talents. Sarah began to appreciate her country in a new way. She has an artistic bent and would have hated being forced into a math and science-oriented high school. Instead, she has been allowed to purse her love of art and photography.

Sarah celebrated her independence by starting a micro business. She used her interest in photography to take senior pictures of a few friends. More friends saw her work and hired her for their senior pictures. She was kept quite busy for several weeks and grew in her skills and business knowledge. It is quite easy for a teenager to start a very small business—a micro business—and learn a lot while making some money.

A teenage micro business owner will learn business skills such as marketing, customer service and salesmanship, but they will learn also life skills such as time management, planning and careful use of money. As a parent you will see them develop confidence, responsibility and the ability to overcome fear as they face new challenges in running a business.

We should encourage any spark of entrepreneurial spirit we see in our children because it helps them grow in many ways, but it is also good for our country. Small business ownership is the backbone of our economy, paying 44% of the total US private payroll.[1] But not only are small businesses responsible for America's wealth, they encourage free enterprise, responsibility and leadership.

The GrasshopperGroup has produced a short video, “Entrepreneurs Can Change The World,” that inspires us to remember the entrepreneurial spirit on which our country was built. You can view the video at YouTube and it says, in part:

“In case you haven't noticed, we live in a place where one individual can make a difference. Want proof? Just look at the people who built our country: our parents, grandparents, our aunts, our uncles. They were immigrants, newcomers ready to make their mark. Maybe they came with very little; or perhaps they didn't own anything except a single brilliant idea. These people were thinkers, doers and innovators until they came up with the name entrepreneurs.”[2]

Remember the freedoms we have in America this Fourth of July, and especially the precious freedom to work for ourselves, start a business and follow a dream. Encourage your teenager to exercise their freedom by starting a micro business

This article content is provided free of charge by the author through Kathy Carlton Willis Communications. You are welcome to place this article on your site or in your publication as long as 1) it’s used in its entirety, 2) the full bio is also used, and 3) you previously request permission through KCWC at russ@kathycarltonwillis.com. All other standard copyrights apply.

---

[1]    Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education http://Entre-Ed.org

[2]   http://www.youtube.com/user/GetGrasshopper

Book Review: The Final Hour

 

The Final Hour

By Andrew Klavan

Thomas Nelson publishers

ISBN: 9781595547156

$14.99

General Juvenile Fiction, Action & Adventure

“You’re not alone. You’re never alone.”

The Final Hour completes the four-pack of Charlie West’s adventures with the Homelanders. Charlie is a high school student, perfectly normal in studies, a black belt in karate, a young man of great faith, with loving parents and a sister. His biggest problem is that he woke up one day with no memory. Accused and convicted of murdering one of his closest friends over a girl, he’s been on the run ever since.

This last novel begins with Charlie imprisoned in a federal petitionary with hardened criminals and guards who are only a little lower on the social scale. Sent to his knees on occasion with flashes of memory detailing the last several months, Charlie realizes that he’s been on an undercover mission for the US government to infiltrate a terrorist group who call themselves the Homelanders. But like an Impossible Mission gone wholly wrong, he’s been disavowed and his one living contact to the truth, Detective Rose, has no way to convince his superiors to clear Charlie now that the terrorist cell has been broken up.

When Rose reveals to Charlie that the leader of the cell has not been caught and Charlie must remain in prison where his treatment is less than fine, Charlie connects with his former karate master and friend, Sensei Mike.

In a desperate plan to thwart the terrorists final act of mass murder, the detective, the karate master, and the imprisoned high school student work together to get past not just the remaining zealous Homelanders, but the US government officials who refuse to believe in the danger.

Fast-paced, thrilling, and fingernail-biting action kept me reading the story until the last page. Klavan manages to make me hang on Charlie’s every decision, to root for him, groan in pain and despair with him, and pray with him when nothing else can possibly make a difference. If Charlie makes it in the Air Force, I bet he’ll be cooler than Jack Ryan. Recommended for junior high and up readers.

A copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher.

New from Splashdown Books

Ebook Lovers

Ah, yes....a *SPECIAL OFFER*

The weekend of July 2-4...

...all Kindle books from Splashdown Books...

...will be 99 cents at AMAZON!

Don't miss your chance to get all the books you've been holding on your wish-list.

This weekend only - at http://amzn.to/splashdownkindle

And if you prefer another ebook format, we won't leave you behind - all formats are available at Smashwords.

If you want one of those, EMAIL ME here (or leave a comment

on the blog with your email address)

saying which book/s you're after, and I will send you a coupon for 99c.

New books, new worlds, old favorites...and special offers on ebooks*.

Do the impossible…Change the future…Save the world…

All you need is one odd little miracle.

We’re doing the miraculous at Splashdown Books this month. Or rather, publishing the miraculous stories of our own Fred Warren. Twenty-two bizarre tales—where odd is commonplace, little things make all the difference, and miracles are everywhere, if you know where to look...

 

Available July 1, 2011 from Splashdown Darkwater.

At Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Ebook versions coming soon.

LAUNCH CHAT WITH FRED WARREN

Tuesday July 5th, 8pm Central

at http://tinychat.com/splashdown

No login required. See you there!

 

Avenir Eclectia at Digital Dragon

This month's issue of Digital Dragon magazine is devoted to stories set in the world of Avenir Eclectia. Many of the same characters you've met already can be found in the pages of DDM—in longer stories than you'll find at http://www.avenireclectia.com/.

Check out stories by Kat Heckenbach, Greg Mitchell, Frank Creed, Walt Staples, Grace Bridges, Ed Erdelac, and Holly Heisey. And don't miss the interview with Avenir's artist and song writer, Eleon.

 

Splashdown's First Group Anthology

Coming soon is Splashdown's first group anthology, Aquasynthesis. Stories from all the current Splashdown authors fill the pages, and are linked together by a special narration from top Avenir Eclectia writer, Walt Staples.

Gizile follows her mysterious teacher, Tok, to contemplate a series of strange and mystical visions that appear upon the ice of an ocean pool: Astonishing tales of technology and transcendence, aliens and elves, space and time, dragons and demons, prophecies and scriptures, humor and horror, the gifted and the enslaved, virtual and supernatural reality, insanity and inspiration. Dive into the creations of the Splashdown wordsmiths. Cross the borders into novel worlds you love already, and taste their delights if you are new to Splashdown's universe.

Look for it in print and ebook August 1, 2011.

 

Congrats to Keven Newsome

Our release of Winter by Keven Newsome couldn't have been better. An instant in-house best-seller, Winter has been met with enthusiastic readers and amazing reviews.

Great job, Keven!

Winter is available from Splashdown Darkwater in print and ebook formats.

 

Splashdown's Soundtracks: ELEON

CONTINUUM on Amazon - includes our theme song SPLASHDOWN!

~Continuum on iTunes~