Sunday, September 20, 2020

About the Book

Book: About Face, Rest, and Intents & Purposes

Author: Tonia Colleen Martin

Genre: Illustrated Poetry

Release Date: 2019 and 2020

The terrible accident happened too long ago to remember the specifics. Having lost what she doesn’t remember owning, it takes the miracle of crossing paths with Hush, Shush and Silence, to reveal the truth. The shock of realizing she struggled to maintain an identity never meant to be hers, floors her. From a position of surrender, the surface of her tears mirrors who she has always been but hasn’t seen and does not know. Unimaginable possibilities, surprising choices and thrilling freedom ensues.

At the core of all anxiety is mistaken identity. About Face invites readers to consider who they might be apart from other people’s expectations and who they might become.

MY REVIEW

Each book has a specific topic that is illustrated but I found the three books to be confusing at times. They didn’t really flow and I was disappointed in some of the pictures. I did read the three books several times and finally figured out what the author was trying to convey to readers. I was able to find some good points in the books but overall I didn’t like how the books were presented with illustrations that were abstract in a way that made me wonder if I was understanding the relation to picture and topic.

About Face

This is a look at how you perceive yourself. When we look in the mirror we become critical of ourselves. I absolutely loved the part in the book when the girl was reminded that “God called and breathed you into being.” Oh if only we could get to a place where we see ourselves like Jesus does. The enemy will try anything to make you feel rejected. Allow yourself to feel freedom like the girl in the book. She felt at peace and knew that God would always be there for her.

Rest: An Invitation to Freedom

I am always reminding myself that I was told I would never amount to anything, I was ugly and no one loved me. In this book the girl goes around and around with words in her head similar to mine. How can you find rest when all you hear is hurtful words? The girl didn’t want to rest, for she felt she had no time. She must continue her journey so she wouldn’t fail. When she finally becomes still she then begins to hear, “Draw near to me. I will give you rest.” When we surrender with our thoughts , we can find rest in God.

Intents and Purposes

This book was a bit more serious as we find a couple just married. They are excited about the future but seem to wander without purpose. They look for direction in the wrong places and start to pull apart. A great loss finds them lost and alone. It was a hard book to read only because I think we all have been through a time where we question why we are here. What is our purpose and are we seeking God for answers?

I received copy of these books from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Click here to get your copy of About Face!

A perennial gift book for the stressed and beleaguered. Falling into the growing category of children’s books for adults, Rest: An Invitation to Freedom, lures readers out of frenzied productivity into a state of peaceful contemplation. Written for exhausted high achievers, this story is suitable for office lobbies, coffee and bedside tables.

“The heart of Christianity is a myth which is also a fact. At its best, the fairy story or fantasy is far from being a flight from reality; it is, rather, a flight to reality.”- JRR Tolkein

“The trumpet of imagination, like the trumpet of the Resurrection, calls the dead out of their

graves.” – GK Chesterton

“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” — C.S. Lewis

Click here to get your copy of Rest: An Invitation to Freedom!

This story took longer to live than to transcribe. For daydreamers, truth-seekers, joy-feeders, and those longing to let your heart instruct your mind, this little book is for you. Falling into my own stylized category of children’s book for adults, Intents and Purposes, chronicles the path of a life abandoned by disconnection and loneliness as it moves to the threshold of hope and contentment.

Both text and illustrations are mine. Although countless versions reside in my constantly reconfiguring memory, this compilation seems to be its truest version.

Click here to get your copy of Intents and Purposes!

About the Author

I earned my MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts, received the Hallberg Award for Art; Best of Show, Blue Line Gallery, Membership Medley; published in The Arts in Religious and Theological Studies; Ruminate Magazine; Metonym; Sierra College Journal.

More from Tonia

They are ready! Finally! These three illustrated books are condensed chronicles of various phases of my spiritual development. Over the years, I’ve learned that the deepest matters of the heart seem to be resistant to the confines of words. Images aid in the capture of emotions, but even still, the heart is shy. It runs from impatience and requires a concentration of listening and a suspension of judgment.

Each one of these books hovers over distinct territories and touch down in depths most avoid. I struggle to put my experiences into a kind and beautiful package, hoping to lure readers into places of feeling many might avoid. Not realizing they would be officially released during this unnerving pandemic, I am now so grateful for the message of hope that invites readers into possibilities and faith in our merciful Father of Lights who brought all things into being and is, even now, administering Peace to those who simply ask and expect. For those who suffer in the unknown, as I have and often do, I invite to include the reading of these missives of encouragement and their distribution of the message of Hope hidden in their pages. They were written to uplift you on the days when you can find no words for your longing, no relief for your uncertainty and a deep desire for encouragement. I am eager to get them out in the world.