Israeli Anthology Selects American’s Poem

Los Angeles, CA--Carolyn Howard-Johnson's poem “Sympathizing with Tantalus” was published in Voices Israel 2012 poetry anthology.

Editor Johnmichael Simon says, “This promises to be one of our most diverse and exciting anthologies and contains more than 220 poems from Israel and overseas.” It also includes the winning entries of the 2011 Reuben Rose Competition and details for entering the 2012 competition. See our website www.voicesisrael.com . Voices will be released in June of 2012.
Voices is affiliated with Cross-Cultural Communications in New York; World Poetry, Vancouver; and University English in Israel.

Howard-Johnson has studied at UCLA with Suzanne Lummis, editor of Speechless the Magazine (http://www.speechlessthemagazine.org ) which featured her chapbook Tracings (Finishing Line Press). Her poem “Endangered Species” won the Franklin Christoph prize and her chapbooks have been honored by MyShelf.com, The Compulsive Reader, and Military Writers Society of America.

She also coauthored the Celebration Series of chapbooks with Magdalena Ball. Find them at http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com/poetry_books.htm. Here is an excerpt from the poem that combines the unfathomable beauty and complexity of the universe with the time-honored myth.

Science challenged, I manage
            with Achenbach's translations,
                        KC Cole's poetic file-folders
                                    for the cosmic-impaired.

Like Tantalus, I grapple
            exhausted,
                        forever
                                    thirsty,
            fruit I desire beyond my reach.
 

Learn more about Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s creative work at http://carolynhoward-johnson.com.

Triumph Through Trial, Theresa Franklin's new novel

Triumph Through TrialBy Theresa Franklin

About the Story:

The stress of living a dream public persona and a nightmare private reality threatens to destroy a family unit, taking each member in its wake. Through a variety of physical and emotional weapons, one by one they will crumble.

Cynthia is beautiful, educated, secretary of the church, and happily married with wonderful children. She is an accomplished hostess and the picture of Christian love. She has the perfect marriage and life—well, not exactly perfect. Her husband, children, church members, and life in general seem to get in the way of her perfect life. Feeling robbed of the life she so richly deserves, Cynthia lashes out and her family pays the price.

Michael is successful, educated, and deacon of the church with wonderful children. Michael and his children have a close relationship. They count on him for advice, guidance, and unconditional love. Serving God is one of Michael’s greatest joys. He and his children delight in helping others. Michael loves every part of his life except for his marriage, which is stressful and unfulfilling to say the least.
Karen is the eldest child and bears the brunt of emotional destruction welded by her mother. Kevin is the only male offspring and uses humor and sarcasm as shields to protect himself. Kathy, the youngest, is sweet and seldom is a victim in the war, but lately watching the slow erosion of her family is taking a physical toll on her.

Michael longs for the marriage that Cynthia believes they have and dreams of providing a safe haven for their children. After twenty-five years of marriage, Michael is losing hope of his dream becoming reality. Can he match the public persona and the private reality? What will it cost to get that kind of marriage and home-life? Is it worth the cost? Who will pay the cost?

About Theresa:

Theresa Franklin grew up in Houston, Texas. After graduation she attended East Texas Baptist College. There she met her husband on a blind date. They married a short time later and moved outside of Beaumont, Texas where they raised their three children. 

Theresa taught school for 12 years. Students with disabilities won her heart and she became Director of Special Education in an effort to better serve them. She retired in 2010 and began writing children’s books. She has now broadened her skills and written for adults.

Theresa is the author of children’s books, Don’t Forget Daddy and A Sunny Tomorrow. Her adult books include non-fiction Journey to Fulfillment and fiction Triumph Through Trial.  She has written one curriculum guide for the novel Night of the Cossack, a historical fiction for young adults by Tom Blubaugh, titled Night of the Cossack, Lesson Plan. Soon to be released is another adult fiction titled Reflections of Rosalyn.

Theresa is now making plans to build a new house that will serve her and her husband for many years to come. She is looking forward to moving to her chosen community and becoming active in the local church. That won’t be possible until after her daughter’s wedding in June.

Theresa Franklin
http://theresa-lifesjourney.blogspot.com
http://storiesforchrist.com
http://twitter.com/#!/theres2franklin
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000359278111

Other Books
Journey to Fulfillment
Don't Forget Daddy
A Sunny Tomorrow

Random Inspiration with FunMistress Shellie Neumeier

Random Inspiration with Shellie Neumeier

Mark Twain once told a reporter he loved taking notes during dinner parties. Notes not of business ventures, directions, or financial advice, but of stories, gossip, and banter. From real life came Twain's inspiration. I think we'd have gotten along famously.

I write young adult and tween fiction because those are the people I spend most of my time with. I listen to their conversations as I chauffeur them from practice to games to friends' houses. Their lives become animated in the stories they tell of their school days and overnights. If that isn't enough to inspire the most fantastical fiction, their imaginations are. Simply asking a ten year old what type of adventure they'd like to take or what world would they make, brings setting and plot inspiration in heaps.

Of course there's nothing like people watching to add creativity to one's characters. Last summer I spent four hours with a girl, no older than twenty, maybe twenty-two, as she tattooed my ankle. (That's a tale for another telling.) She talked about her gruff grandfather, a former naval officer, who thought colored tattoos where not of the same caliber as the old greenish ones. Her voice softened as she spoke of her mother and quickened when she mentioned her boyfriend. And the lack of any fatherly stories spoke volumes. She became the inspiration for a dystopian heroine in my current work in progress.

If all else fails, there's always the grocery store. So many characters, so many products with their miracle cures and what-if invoking promises that it would be hard not to find inspiration for someone, something, some adventure within. So where do I find the inspiration for my fiction? By watching and listening and asking questions. Or as my husband would say, "No one and nothing is safe from [my] writing."

1. What’s been a favorite work experience you’ve had so far in life?

Hands down, meeting other authors is the best experience writing has provided. Not only have I been able to rub elbows with folks I viewed as “writing rock stars,” but I’ve learned that authors are some of the quirkiest, sweetest, funniest, strangest people you’d ever love to meet. There’s never a dull conversation when talking to authors!

2. If you could do anything you want, what would it be?

Ooooh, anything?? Can I live at the spa and have other people clean my house while I read great works of literature (or chick lit, depends on the day)? No, wait. On second thought I’d rather spend a week on an island with my family and friends. How cool would that be, to bask in the sun, explore island cities, and play in the turquoise waters. Yup, that’s what I’d want to do.

3. What’s the most exotic place you’ve traveled?

Exotic might be an interesting adjective to describe Poland, but it is the most foreign community I ever visited. Especially considering the timing of my visit. The Iron Curtain held firm and stretched its shadow across the Polish borders. Everything from the people to the weather seemed grey and saddened.

4. What do you see outside the closest window right now?

The trees in my front yard are swaying in the breeze while two brown birds (type unknown) skitter through the overgrown grass. If I watch long enough, my neighbor’s dog will bounce about their front lawn. She’s a boxer and never seems to run or walk. She bounces.

5. What do you tell people when they ask “and what do you do?”

I tell them I’m a cashier at Walgreens. I am. I used to tell them I write, but that statement seemed to complicate things. They’d tell me about their latest writing projects or how their Aunt Bertha wrote a memoir and wants to get it published, did I know anyone who could help her **winks.** Sometimes they’d get super impressed and ask me what I’d written and where they could find copies. That was cool, until they got to know me better and discovered I’m like everyone else. No need to be super impressed. Now I save the “I’m an author” for some time deeper in our conversation or relationship. Seems to fit better that way.

6. Where’s your favorite place to grocery shop?

Hmm, favorite place would have to be the farmer’s markets. Doesn’t matter where, as long as it’s fresh. Veggies never tasted so good, you know. Oh and the fresh cheese and baked goods, yum. Wow, thanks Lisa, now I’m hungry and it’s March! J.

7. What, to you, is worship?

I’d love to have an amazing answer here, but worship to me is pretty simple. To me, worship is giving myself completely to God. Whether that’s singing, ministry, cashiering, motherhood, wifedom, it’s all in there as long as I’m doing it for God.


The Wishing Ring (book one in the Adventures of Cory and Ally),
published by MuseItYoung, ASIN: B0073UHRM4
Buy it on Amazon

The King’s Seal (book two), published by MuseItYoung
To be released 12/2012
Other books by Shellie:
Driven,a YA supernatural book from Risen Books
available from Amazon
and A Summer in Oakville, a romance, from BlackLyon Publishing
available from Amazon

Blog Hop NEWS! Win a Kindle!

Only one month to go until the John 3:16 Giveaway Blog Hop –

May 7^th – 14^th!

Join over fifty authors and bloggers who will be offering great books and other prizes on their blogs during that week. As a reader, you just “hop” from blog to blog and sign up to win some great prizes at each blog.

But wait…you also have a chance of winning one of two Kindles!

How’s that for fun?

Tell all your friends and join us May 7^th – 14^th for the

John 3:16 Marketing Network Giveaway Blog Hop!

Releasing Today: the next Triple Threat Club murder mystery

This time, it's one of their own.

Eyes of Justice, a Triple Threat Novel

By Lis Wiehl, with April Henry

Inspirational Suspense

Thomas Nelson

c. 2012

ISBN: 9781404163537

ISBN: 9781595547088 - hardcover

$14.84

Stepping into the fourth title of this series is like meeting old friends and being utterly shocked by the turn of events. I am torn about reading the first books.

An FBI agent, a federal prosecutor, and a local Portland Oregon television news crime reporter have a special relationship, and together they call themselves the “Triple Threat Club.” There are lines not to cross, sources and resources to share, family problems and faith, and deep commitment to justice amongst them—and now, someone is out to seek revenge on all of them.

Cassidy Shaw is a bundle of energy, seesawing through an exciting life of revolving boyfriends, recognition as a local celebrity, the high stakes of investigating and reporting on criminal activity. To her friends Nicole Hedges, a single mother, and Allison Pierce, she’s the former cheerleader who loves an audience as much as putting a sleazebag behind bars. When Cassidy is super-late to dinner, the girls are shocked to their core at the reason.

The balance of this novel is a challenging investigation involving Nicole pushing the limits of her new boss in the local FBI field office and her career as she forces and fast-talks her way into the middle of an investigation which is clearly not hers. The fact that the local cops may have reason not to be as cautious as Nicole might be only fuels her determination to find justice. Allison is in similar hot water in her office when her boss, who is considering seeking higher elected office, receives a complaint from the police for meddling in police business. But how can they ignore evidence, especially when it appears they’re next? Tragic murder, a framed cop, a stalker, a stripper, and an emotionally detached skip tracer all provide pieces of the puzzle that make up the Eyes of Justice.

Fully developed characters that feel familiar, excellent without being overwhelming detail and breath-taking action will keep the reader turning pages. Told in the viewpoints of Nicole and Allison, the authors occasionally introduce other point of view characters beginning half-way into the story which aren’t entirely necessary to advance the story, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the story. Those who enjoy Lynette Eason and Vickie Hinz and other female crime investigator novels will love the Triple Threat novels.

An electronic copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review.

New From Delia Latham - Gypsy's Game

Book 3 in The Solomon's Gate series

Gypsy Lovell stands to inherit an enormous amount of money from a father who never gave her anything but a ridiculous name. Even now, he doesn’t make it easy. A stipulation in the man’s will demands that Gypsy be married in order to claim what is hers.

Desperate for the monetary windfall that could save her ailing mother’s life, Gypsy visits a Christian dating agency, hoping to find a temporary husband. Someone easy to handle for the required six months, and easy to get rid of when she no longer needs him.

Jal Garridan is neither of those things, but he's willing to take on the challenge presented by the beautiful stranger—on his own terms.

What Gypsy doesn’t know is that Solomon’s Gate is a dating agency with a Divine connection. What she finds there may save more than her mother’s life. It may save Gypsy’s soul.

I'm so excited about this finale to the Solomon's Gate books, and look forward to hearing what you think of it. :)

Amazon 

Barnes & Noble

Book Review: Give Us This Day with June Foster

Give Us This Day

By June Foster

Bellewood Series, Book One

Desert Breeze Publishing

c. February 1, 2012

eBook $4.99

ISBN 9781612521343

From the moment Holly gets stuck in an elevator with neighbor Jess and his heartfelt prayers to God, neither of them let her go.

Dental hygienist Holly Harrison is running from more than her past. Even handsome Jess Colton, a systems analyst, who makes her keep her promise to attend church if she survived the elevator, can’t force her into forgiving herself, let alone trust him – or God.

Overweight Jess uses food as a crutch, never dreaming Holly’s secret is close to his own. Compensating for stress, girlfriend and family issues, Jess had let himself overcompensate with an unhealthy lifestyle that only allows him to beat himself up. Will anything help he get out of this terribly self-destructive cycle?

When Jess’s preoccupation with food and its consolation threaten his livelihood, and Holly’s fears of revelation keep her prisoner from enjoying life to its fullest, these two souls turn to each other. But is love and faith enough to overcome their deepest doubts in themselves and each other?

Give Us This Day is a wonderful story that lets readers explore our insecurities without the fears of getting burned or judged – exactly what’s needed in a fantasy world of twenty-something cuties, wounded widows, endless Amish, and prairie dust. Thank you, June!

With wonderful sensory images, the surprises keep unfolding in this delightful and refreshing romance of unlikely souls learning to love themselves as well as each other.