Monday, March 23, 2020

About the Book

Book: Walking with Jesus

Author: Troy A. Waugh

Genre: Non-Fiction

Release Date: Feb, 2020

When God spoke to Troy Waugh saying, “I want you to walk the Natchez Trace,” he obeyed.

Never mind that he wasn’t young anymore—he would be seventy at the completion of the 444 mile walk. Never mind that the thirty-five-day walk would be far above his physical capabilities and experience. Never mind that this was Mississippi—in the summer.

Taking the challenge, Waugh uses the time to slow down and reflect on his life—his upbringing, his relationships, his struggles with workaholism—and to raise awareness for a homeless ministry. More than a travelogue, this is a journey into the soul of a man learning to walk with the Lord daily. His reflections will inspire others to reach for and accomplish their own difficult goals.

I believe my walk on the Natchez Trace was God’s method of shaking me loose from the regrets of my past and firming up my spiritual belief system so I could walk into the future closer to Jesus.

Click here to get your copy!

MY REVIEW

I long to spend time alone with Jesus and sit in His presence. I want deep conversations with Him and have Him show me what I need to change in my life. When I saw this book I was intrigued because I wanted to see what this person experienced as he walked along with the One who loves us unconditionally. Troy begins a journey that will change his way of thinking and set him free from past hurts and regrets. When He heard clearly what Jesus had called him to do, I decided to walk with him . Well not physically, but nevertheless I walked with him as his journey unfolded.

I liked how open the author is as he examines his life. He does something I have a bad habit of doing. Like Troy, I speak over people without letting them finish their thoughts. “Not hearing someone out is the height of disrespect.” Yes I’m guilty of that and I know God has been dealing with me on this subject for years. I’m afraid if I don’t speak up I will forget what I want to say. Really it is that I am afraid people won’t listen to me. But all the times I interrupted others, what was God saying to me through them?

I liked how the author shared his relationships with his wife and family in a way that lets us look at a man with flaws that is always striving to be better. I especially liked the subject about churches. I have learned they can be judgmental, cliquish and even rude. Wouldn’t it be nice to go back to the days where everyone was there to worship God, receive a word from Him and leave with a renewed heart? As I walked with Troy on his journey I started to see what Jesus was showing him.

God loves us unconditionally. He never falters and He never leaves us. Do we share that kind of love for others? Do we love our neighbors as ourselves? Would we lend a hand to someone in need, or walk away thinking I don’t have time? The deeper the book became, the more I realized I needed to make changes in my own life. The author lists ten Christian Disciplines that I found encouraging. Do I do each one of them each day? No, but I have a desire to be closer to Him. I want to feel that love that only He can give and I want to only obey His guidance.

There is so much to glean from this book and I appreciate the author sharing his journey. I want to take a journey and be with Jesus. I need Him to whisper I am loved. His correction is welcomed and my past needs to be in the past. I want to take a new step in the direction where my hurt, abandonment and anxiety is gone. I believe I have started that journey by reading this book and allowing God to begin to show me where my walk will begin.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

About the Author

Troy Waugh is a CPA with an MBA from the University of Southern California. A mentor with Mission Development International, he helps leaders of Christian nonprofits achieve God’s vision in their lives and their organizations. The retired founder, former president, and CEO of The Rainmaker Academy, a training program for CPAs, is also the author of several books, and he lives with his wife, Sheryl, in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee.

More from Troy

Please join me on a spiritual journey along the Natchez Trace Parkway from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee. This book relates a journey of spiritual renewal and rediscovery. While it does describe what I encountered on this historic parkway, this is not a hiking or nature book. It is about my walk with Jesus and how He has loved me even during the times I may have strayed from Him.

In 2014 I experienced a deepening of my relationship with Jesus like no other. This book is about that cleansing and invigorating experience. My prayer is that you, too, will feel God’s love for you and you will recommit yourself to loving Jesus.

These thirty-one chapters are based upon notes from the daily journal I kept throughout the hike. Each of the days is unique, and each day God revealed Himself to me in a different way.

I trust your spirit will be renewed as I share some of my experiences of angels’ visits, hearing the audible voice of God, the move of the Holy Spirit, a shocking suicide, the miracle of a change in the climate, and the renewed life that comes from turning your life over to God.

Blog Stops

Texas Book-aholic, March 23

Inklings and notions, March 24

For Him and My Family, March 25

Book of Ruth Ann, March 26

deb’s Book Review, March 27

Through the Fire Blogs, March 28 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, March 29

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 30

She Lives To Read, March 31

Older & Smarter?, April 1

Simple Harvest Reads, April 2 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 3

Where Crisis & Christ Collide, April 4

Artistic Nobody, April 5 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Troy is giving away the grand prize of a signed copy of Walking with Jesus!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/f72b/walking-with-jesus-on-the-natchez-trace-celebration-tour-giveaway

Sunday, March 22, 2020

About the Book

Book: Balaam’s Curse

Author: C.L. Smith

Genre: Biblical fiction

Release Date: 2016

Unfathomable evil grips the ancient homeland of the Children of Israel. When Yahweh, Most High God, led his people out of slavery in Egypt to confront it, they failed miserably and spent the next forty years wandering homeless in the desert. Now they are ready to try again. But before they can cross the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land, the prophet Balaam is summoned from Babylon to stop them. Joining forces with supernatural powers, he unleashes a plot so twisted that the name of Balaam is used as a synonym for seductive evil a thousand years later in the Book of Revelation.

Aided by the ruthlessly ambitious Princess Cozbi, the prophet gathers a coalition of five Midianite kings who will stop at nothing to defeat Israel and prevent a crossing that will change the world. Balaam’s Curse, Book One of The Stones of Gilgal, is an epic telling of the resulting deception, revolt, plague, and war. Familiar biblical characters—Moses, Caleb and Joshua—stride through this tale of mayhem and miracles. But this is the coming-of-age story of the next generation, young people nurtured in a simple wilderness life who suddenly find themselves caught in a vortex of violence and upheaval beyond anything they could have imagined.

Click here to get your copy.

MY REVIEW

I am surprised at how much this book kept my attention. Sometimes with Biblical fiction I find myself drifting because I begin to compare it to the story found in the Bible. With this book, the author depicts the characters perfectly and allows readers to see with detail what exactly was going on. The journey was hindered by those who didn’t want the people to succeed.

The introduction of Balaam was one of evil power who would do anything to stop those who dare cross to enter The Promised Land. What I liked about the book was the strength and endurance people showed. I really like reading this story because it introduces me to people I am not familiar with. Yes I will admit I know about Adam and Eve, David, Moses and others. But now I know about someone who wanted to take on a task others would fail at. The details are good and not to wordy. I was able to follow the story without getting lost. I found myself captured by the author’s gift of making a story come to life. After reading the story I took away a new rebirth in my spirit to read the books of the Bible I am not familiar with.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

About the Author

C.L. Smith, retired junior high school English and history teacher, former missionary, and lifetime student of the Bible, has been captivating audiences around the world for years with the timeless thrill of biblical tales. More than twenty years ago while reading the books of Joshua and Judges, Othniel caught her attention and then his future wife, Acsah. They are only mentioned in a few short verses, but there were a lot of possibilities embedded there. They lived through an exciting era peppered with some other fascinating minor characters of the Bible. The more she thought about them, the more it seemed they were begging her to tell their story. Well, Acsah was. Othniel didn’t say much. He’s pretty quiet. But they convinced her that their impressive and important story had been buried too long among the spectacular events of the time of Joshua. It was about time someone told it. The idea for a biblical novel quickly grew into The Stones of Gilgal series. Balaam’s Curse was published in 2016, A River to Cross in 2017, and Trouble in the Ruins in September, 2019.

More from C.L. Smith

The light of God’s love dispels the darkness obscuring the era of Joshua and the violent conquest of Canaan. Be inspired by this epic series of biblical novels illuminating the murky mists of ancient time with truth applicable to modern life.

Balaam’s Curse

The first book of the series plunges the reader into a nightmarish tale of terror instigated by an evil prophet from Babylonia. If you think you remember the story of Balaam and his talking donkey from Sunday School, think again. When God puts words of blessing in the prophet’s mouth, thwarting his attempt to curse Israel, Balaam joins forces with supernatural powers in a scheme so twisted that his name is used as a synonym for seductive evil a thousand years later in the Book of Revelation.

Forming a coalition with five Midianite kings and the ruthlessly ambitious Princess Cozbi, the evil prophet unleashes a deadly plot against the twelve tribes of Israel. He will stop at nothing to prevent them from crossing into the Promised land to claim their inheritance. This is a gripping tale of the seduction, revolt, plague, and war that traps the Children of Israel in the Valley of Acacias east of the Jordan for months. Well-known Biblical heroes—Moses, Caleb and Joshua—stride through its pages, but the story unfolds primarily through the eyes of the next generation, young people born and nurtured in the simple wilderness life of the forty-year Wanderings. Suddenly, on the brink of their new life in the Promised Land, they find themselves in a life or death struggle that tests their strength and batters their faith before they’ve even crossed the river.

The Story Behind the Story

This series of biblical novels began with a new interest in Othniel, the first of the biblical hero-judges. His love story with Acsah and his heroic adventures are summarized in only a few words of scripture, but I saw a lot of possibilities embedded in those brief verses. Digging deeper, I realized that Othniel and Acsah came of age during the turbulent era of Joshua along with a handful of other fascinating minor biblical characters. The more I thought about Othniel, Acsah, and friends, the more I was convinced that their impressive and important story had been buried too long among the spectacular events of the time of Joshua and it was about time someone told it. The result is the six-part Stones of Gilgal saga showing how the obstacles overcome in their youth shape each character for their ultimate roles in the story of the settlement of Canaan. The series ends with Othniel rising to save Israel from an oppressive enemy as the first and most noble of the hero-judges.

The Dark Side

The Stones of Gilgal saga includes several “tales of terror,” dark episodes standing in juxtaposition to some of the Bible’s most dazzling miracles. I see these stories as dark and light puzzle pieces, making sense only when viewed within the framework of the Great Cosmic War. Whether read as ancient history or truth-teaching myth, these incidents are chapters in the epic story of the entire Bible, a good God working to save humanity from the forces of evil.

The Characters

Six of my characters are minor but real characters found in scripture who lived during the era of Joshua, experiencing the transition from the Wilderness Wanderings to the Promised Land. They all crossed the Jordan, witnessed the fall of Jericho and the sun standing still at a word from Joshua—life-changing events that prepared them for leadership roles in the book of Judges.

Othniel, who becomes the first hero-Judge of Israel
Acsah, only daughter of the heroic Caleb
Phinehas, grandson of Aaron, future high priest
Jonathan, grandson of Moses whose story appears in Judges 17-18
Salmon, prince of the tribe of Judah, who appears only in genealogies as the husband of Rahab
Rahab, the courageous Canaanite harlot not only saved by faith but honored with a place in the lineage of King David and Jesus Christ.
Plus Abihail, fictionalized daughter-in-law of the biblical Achan

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 20

For Him and My Family, March 21

Texas Book-aholic, March 22

My Devotional Thoughts, March 23

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 24

The Forgiven Former Feminist, March 24

Inklings and notions, March 25

Betti Mace, March 26

For the Love of Literature, March 27

Mary Hake, March 27

deb’s Book Review, March 28

Rebecca Tews, March 29

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, March 30

Bigreadersite, March 31

Emily Yager, April 1

Batya’s Bits, April 2

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, C.L. is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/f6eb/balaam-s-curse-celebration-tour-giveaway

Saturday, March 21, 2020

About the Book

Book: Escape to Vindor

Author: Emily Golus

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Release Date: December 1, 2017

For as long as she can remember, Megan Bradshaw has imagined herself as the heroine of Vindor, her own secret world populated with mermaids, centaurs, samurai, and more. When school pressures and an upcoming move make life unbearable, Megan wishes she could escape to Vindor for real.

And then she does. Megan finds herself trapped in Vindor, with flesh-and-blood versions of her imaginary characters. Dreaming about being a hero and actually fighting monsters are two very different things–especially when the Shadow, the frightening creature now tearing Vindor apart, is one Megan doesn’t remember putting there.

Megan, playing the part of her alter ego, Selena, embarks on a dangerous journey, accompanied by a know-it-all centaur and a goblin she’s not sure she can trust. Will the Shadow destroy her before she can find a way to save her world?

Click here for your copy.

MY REVIEW

Please allow me to gush over this story for a bit. I was so surprised at how incredible the author is at writing with perfect imagination that soars through the minds of many. I was that girl that was very unpopular at school. I was bullied and had few friends. Yes I imagined that I would be swept away and live in a place where I was loved. Megan represents each of us that has felt left out, forgotten, bullied, pushed aside and unloved. The author has given me hope in a story that will penetrate those broken hearts and abandonment and give them hope and inspiration.

Centaurs , goblins, mermaids and heroes oh my. The book offers a chance to journey to a land of mystical creatures and a chance to find your courage and worth. The story is filled with adventure and I loved following Megan as she seeks to accomplish her mission. There are times you could feel her doubting herself, but something kept her going. She began to believe in herself in this fantasy world where she made friends and found that she was somebody.

The story is an adventure that will have readers drifting off into Megan’s world will you feel like you are beside her as she takes up a difficult task to defeat The Shadow. I really enjoyed reading about The Shadow. I won’t spoil anything but the discoveries in the book are phenomenal. Megan will come face to face with the very thing that has tormented her for years. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

About the Author

Emily Golus has been dreaming up fantasy worlds since before she could write her name. A New England transplant now living in the Deep South, she is fascinated by culture and the way it shapes how individuals see the world. Golus aims to create stories that engage, inspire, and reassure readers that the small choices of everyday life matter.

Her first novel, Escape to Vindor, debuted in 2017 and won the Selah Award for young adult fiction. Its sequel, Mists of Paracosmia, released in April 2019.

Golus lives in Upstate South Carolina with her woodworking husband, an awkward cat, and the world’s most talkative baby.

More from Emily

In Escape to Vindor, teen Megan Bradshaw spends nearly every quiet moment she has in a world of her own imagination. Writing this part of Megan’s story came naturally to me, because that was the way I spent my adolescence, too.

While other girls were thinking about—I don’t know what they were thinking about, actually. Boys, maybe?—I was creating epic melodramas about rival mermaid queens or magical rainforest civilizations. The world of my imagination filled my quiet life with vivid technicolor.

My stories also helped me survive. Worldbuilding was a welcome escape from my ever-growing list of fears.

See, I was the extra-good girl, the one who followed every rule to a T, always giving a hundred and ten percent. Few people suspected I did all of this not because I had a lot of drive and confidence, but because I thought I had to be extra-perfect in order to be loved—by people, and by God. I had a deep-seated terror of making one little mistake, losing my way, and being abandoned forever.

The world of Vindor started out as a private daydream, a way for me to work through my anxieties. But as I grew, I discovered something amazing—and the story took an unexpected turn.

I wrote Escape to Vindor for the dreamers, the bookworms, and anyone who enjoys dazzling new worlds. More importantly, I wrote it for the quiet ones who struggle without anyone knowing, who need to hear: You are seen, you are known, and you are loved.

Blog Stops

Inklings and notions, March 19

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 20

Texas Book-aholic, March 21

Wishful Endings, March 22 (Author Interview)

For the Love of Literature, March 23

For Him and My Family, March 24

deb’s Book Review, March 25

Through the Fire Blogs, March 26 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, March 27

Emily Yager, March 28

Vicky Sluiter, March 29 (Author Interview)

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, March 30

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 31

Pause for Tales, April 1

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Emily is giving away the grand prize package of signed copies of both Escape to Vindor and Mists of Paracosmia, an amethyst pendant, and a $25 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/f663/escape-to-vindor-celebration-tour-giveaway

Friday, March 20, 2020

About the Book

Book: Turning Tide

Author: Melody Carlson

Genre: Historical Fiction

Release Date: Feb 15, 2020

As the Great War rages on, Sunset Cove continues to feel its impact. Running the small town newspaper, Anna McDowell can’t escape the grim reports from the other side of the world, but home-front challenges abound as well. Dr. Daniel is serving the wounded on the front lines. And Katy, expecting her first child, with her husband in the trenches, tries to support the war effort with her Red Cross club. Even as the war winds down the costs are high—and Sunset Cove is not spared.

Click here for your copy!

MY REVIEW

I don’t like goodbyes at all. I try to avoid them if I can. But here we are at the end of a series that has captured the heart and soul of The Great War. We have come to know the characters over a period of time. I feel like I’m saying goodbye to a family member. The author has accomplished writing a series that will live long in my heart. Every detail the author has shared about the war has brought realism , heartache and hope.

It won’t be easy to say goodbye to Anna as she maneuvers the newspaper with updates for the community. Her charm and love has carried me through a wonderful journey of triumphs and tragedies in her life. I enjoyed being there as she matured, raised a daughter and overcame obstacles that others would find hopeless. Katy is such a joy to read about and I loved following her as she grew into a gracious young woman. The author takes us through the war with honesty and explores what happens when a soldier comes home to adjust to civilian life.

There is talk in the story about the spread of influenza and how devastating it was for the town. This story really shows the true horrors of war, sickness and overcoming tragedies. I am pleased with the ending and after putting this off for so long, I say goodbye to my friends in Sunset Cove. You have given me hope, laughs, and above all a place I found encouragement and unconditional love.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

About the Author

Melody Carlson has written more than 200 books (with sales around 6.5 million) for teens, women, and children. That’s a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a “storyteller.” Her young adult novels (Diary of a Teenage Girl, True Colors etc.) appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She’s won a number of awards (including RT’s Career Achievement Award, the Rita, and the Gold medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog.

More from Melody

Writing about the WW1 era has definitely been a good history lesson for me. Prohibition laws in Oregon (and rum-runners breaking them) combined with a massive war that changed the world and a global epidemic is worth paying attention to. Especially since history sometimes repeats itself. The early 20th century had a lot going on—much that seems nearly forgotten. I’m glad to see the movie 1917 is doing well—and we plan to see it this week. Although I’m not a fan of gruesome war movies, this era continues to intrigue me. Even as I wrapped up my Sunset Cove series with Turning Tide I was left wondering . . . what’s next? But isn’t that the beauty of story?