About the Book

Book: Not by Sight

Author: Elizabeth Jacobson

Genre: Biblical Fiction

Release date: May 16, 2022

Seventeen-year-old Joseph’s life is far from perfect. He does have his father’s favor and trust, and the love of his younger brother Benjamin and sister Dinah. What he does not have is the love of his ten older brothers. Embittered by their father’s favor towards Joseph, his brothers take every opportunity to spite him. Spurred to anger by their actions and horrified by a threat made towards Benjamin, Joseph, overcome with fury, tells them of his dreams – for his dreams show a future where they will bow down to him.

Outraged, his brothers take their revenge, and Joseph is sold into Egypt as a slave. Bitterness and hate threaten to overcome him, and, in desperation, Joseph turns to the stories of his father’s God, a distant and omnipotent being whom Joseph has never dared to speak to. Slowly, Joseph begins to pick up the pieces of a shattered life. But only when those carefully gathered pieces re-break, over and over again, does Joseph truly begin to understand what it means to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Elizabeth Jacobson is a middle-school math teacher in sunny California who loves the Bible, fantasy, and science fiction. She got bit by the writing bug at age thirteen and has been frantically putting words on pages ever since. Her goal in writing is to share with the world the most important message anyone can express: the Love of God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

Not by Sight: A novel of the patriarchs is her first novel. You can connect with her at headdeskliz.com or on Facebook or Instagram.

 

More from Elizabeth

Imagine you’re back in Sunday School, sitting down with all your friends and watching the volunteer parent who teaches the class smile over the flannelgraph. (Or, if you never went to Sunday School, just imagine yourself in a smallish room with too many little friends around you, and an adult who doesn’t want to mess this up running the class.) “Now, friends,” (s)he says, holding up a flannel image of a teenager in what looks like a rainbow bathrobe: “This is Joseph.”

Joseph is plastered to the flannelgraph, and the parent puts up a flannel group of angry men next to him. “His brothers hated him because his father gave him a beautiful coat. They threw him in a pit and sold him as a slave!”

Appreciative gasps echo from the crowd of five-year-olds – even kids know that good drama comes from torturing your characters.

“His master threw him in prison – ” (we necessarily skip why) “– but one day Pharaoh had a dream!”

Flannel Pharaoh appears, slapped on the flannelgraph, wearing a white skirt and lots of bling.

“Joseph interpreted the dream, and Pharaoh made him his second-in-command. When Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt looking for food in a famine, Joseph helped them. And you know what, friends?” The parent looks around with a grin. “Joseph never lost his faith in God! Isn’t that amazing?”

You and your friends nod solemnly. What a guy.

You probably hear this story at least once a year in Sunday School, with more detail added each time, but by the time you’re a worldly-wise sixth grader, you start to nod a little less and frown a little more.

You know the story like the back of your hand.

But it doesn’t make any sense anymore.

The truth is that this version of Joseph, whose flannel avatar has been waved in your face for years, this icon of the Sunday-School world, isn’t a person to emulate. He can’t be emulated.

Because the story of a man who faced every unthinkable hardship thrown his way with a smile on his face and praise on his lips and forgiveness in his heart is. Not. A. Story. Of. Real. Faith.

You want real faith? Look at the guy who talked to Jesus in Mark Chapter 9. “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Translation: “I know I’m supposed to trust You, but in this moment, I don’t. Please help me out!”

Humans aren’t perfect. Why then are we shown a perfect Joseph?

Various adaptations of the Joseph story have tried their hand at mitigating the perfect Joseph problem. For the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the whole thing is played so humorously that character exploration ranks at exactly nil, and no one questions anything Joseph does. For the perennial Sunday-School favorite Joseph: King of Dreams cartoon movie, God and faith are taken mostly out of the story, so Joseph is free to be an “ordinary person” who reacts accordingly. (Do you see the problem with this last idea? I hope you do. faith ≠ superhuman).

Other adaptations have tried as well, but this fantasy and science fiction writer was one day struck with the need to try it for herself. I loved the story (remember, torturing characters = good drama, and boy does Joseph get the – extremely – short end of the stick for a good chunk of his life) and secondly, because I knew it would be a challenge.

Part of the reason for this “perfect” Joseph we so often see in Sunday School is that the Bible is not written as a novel. Most narratives in the Bible go over the events needed to comprehend the message or information in bare-bones, rapid-fire succession. No fluff involved, no discussion of motives, internal conflict, or thought processes. The Joseph account in Genesis is unique in that it is one of the longest continuous narratives in the Bible, but even it gives very little in the way of discussing these storytelling necessities.

The goal then became to come up with consistent personality traits and motivations, and logical, human reactions to events, that would lead each player in the Joseph narrative to take the actions recorded in Genesis. I felt like an archaeologist, piecing together ancient clues that could lead me to a bigger, more complete picture of the story.

It was a wild ride, but I had an absolute blast writing it. I can’t wait to share Not by Sight: a novel of the patriarchs with you!

MY REVIEW

It can be a challenge at times to turn a Biblical story into a fictional account. The author really surprised me with how accurate the details were. I have read the  story about  Joseph enough  to know it  pretty well. While reading this author’s take on it, she captured the realism in great detail. 

Joseph’s story is not all pleasant and  while some of the topics are hard to read, they are accurate and done with grace and less graphic than perhaps other author’s have written. I’m glad nothing was left  out  because each part that Joseph goes through makes him stronger  and has him  rely on his faith more. His journey takes him through many trials which I think helped him to become more reliable and determined to follow God’s plan for his life. 

I do enjoy getting a fresh perspective on people from the Bible. Remembering that it is a fiction book, I understand that some things may differ a bit. As long as an author follows the Bible closely a few minor changes that does not affect the actual story is not bothersome to me. I saw the way Joseph walked through forgiveness and showed me how it may be hard but it is what God wants us to do. Overall the book is well written and I’m pleased with the author’s writing, 

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

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 5

Texas Book-aholic, May 6

Vicky Sluiter, May 7 (Author Interview)

Miriam Jacob, May 7

Inklings and notions, May 8

For Him and My Family, May 9

deb’s Book Review, May 10

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, May 11 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 12

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 13

For the Love of Literature, May 14 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, May 14

Connie’s History Classroom, May 15

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 16

Tell Tale Book Reviews, May 17 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, May 18

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Elizabeth is giving away the grand prize package of a hardcover copy of Not by Sight: a novel of the patriarchs, combined with 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/1d72a/not-by-sight-celebration-tour-giveaway

 

Persuade Me Kick-Off Package

About the Book

Book: Persuade Me

Author: Joanne Markey

Genre: Women’s Christian Fiction/Romance

Release date: April 5, 2022

One horrible misunderstanding. Two heartbroken people.

For seven long years, Anne Elliot of Kellynch Station quietly mourned the loss of her first love. Now that she’s finally over Fred for good, her sister offers the perfect escape: Uppercross.

This move, from one cattle station to another, offers new friends, new responsibilities, and now that she’s out from under her father’s domineering thumb, a whole new world of possibilities.

The sky is the limit.

Or maybe the sky is the perfect place for helicopter mustering pilot Fred Wentworth to spend his days. It took a while for him to regroup after their breakup, but now he’s back, he’s successful, and he’s put the past so far behind him he doesn’t even think about Anne more than a couple dozen times a day.

Life is good.

Or it was until he quite literally runs into the one person he hoped to never see again. After that, what’s a bloke to do other than rethink every lie he’d convinced himself was the truth?

Although they both seem willing to admit they were wrong all those years ago, when things take a bad turn, Anne is left to wonder… Is it too late for a reconciliation?

Persuade Me: Austen’s Persuasion meets the rugged Australian bush—plus dingoes.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Originally from Australia, Joanne Markey now lives in Ohio with her husband and seven children. When she’s not reading or writing, you might find her wandering the property with her kids in search of whatever seasonal treasure they’re trying to find.

 

More from Joanne

Can a book be partially autobiographical without actually being an autobiography?

Probably not. Persuade Me comes close though. Not in it’s entirety, but I did draw heavily on my own life when I wrote this book. Many of the situations that occur in the book were things that happened to me back in the late ‘90s when I worked on a cattle station as station cook. I also set the book in places where we lived—stations we lived or worked on. The autobiographical part ends there though.

As a retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, the family situation in Persuade Me is patterned on the Elliot family, not my own. I was easily able to imagine a family like this living in Australia though. The family pride, boasting of being descended from free settlers, knowing how long the family has been in the country to the exact generation—were all things I ran into as a kid.

Not every Australian knows how many generations of the family have lived over there (or cares to know), but in high school there was this one girl… She knew exactly how long her family had been there, and anyone who couldn’t count as many generations of Australians as she could wasn’t as Australian as her. Other people have quite plainly offered the information that their family descended from free settlers, without a single convict in the lineage. Still others can tell the exact year their first ancestor moved to Australia. All I needed was to package all of those things into one prideful being—Mr. Elliot. He doesn’t play a huge role in the story, but his influence can be felt throughout the pages.

From there it was easy to imagine him as a grazier—a station owner—who’d run into hard times. His daughter, Anne, is the heroine who has a hidden past, a broken relationship she’d rather not remember. The hero of the story can’t exactly be a ship’s captain, but there is one occupation in the bush that does bring in a lot of money—helicopter mustering—and having gotten into that line of work his personal finances have taken a drastic change for the better. I won’t spoil the story, but the rest followed in like manner.

And then came the writing… To craft a uniquely Australian book one has to use Australian terms, phrases, and spellings. And when the author has been living outside the country for 21 years, sometimes it’s hard to remember what words go with what country! We worked it all out in the end though, and if you come across a word that looks like it’s been spelled wrong—it’s the Aussie spelling, which is correct for the setting.

I hope you enjoy this contemporary retelling of Persuasion set in the Australian bush. Happy reading!

MY REVIEW 

This story is a look at two people who have a past where feelings were hurt and believing a lie that destroys a relationship. It may seem like a clear cut story but beneath the surface is an emotional journey that felt like I was reading someone’s personal diary. It isn’t written like journal entries but what is captured in words can be felt deep in your soul. 

I was very intrigued by the setting of Australia and all its culture.  The author does an excellent job of making readers feel like they are in the beautiful landscape and  ranch where the  story takes place. I do know of my family history but nothing like is described here. It is very important  to Anne’s father about their family tree and borders on pride when he talks about it. What a shame he has placed so much pressure on Anne to be this kind of snobby person. It was so hard to read that her father thought that salvation  was for the weak.  The unraveling of her family is just beginning as we meet Anne. 

I liked Anne right away and became engaged with learning more about her. I won’t go into much detail about why she is living  where she is. Let’s just say that sometimes our past has a way of catching up with us. It’s funny how unresolved issues raise up to the surface when not dealt with?  Anne has been so focused on being accepted by her father all her life that she may have lost herself in the process. Her father is rather rigid  in his ways and has influenced Anne in areas that she should have spoken up about. This leads  me to our other main character Fred. 

Oh yes there is definitely a connection between Anne and Fred but it isn’t a pleasant memory for either of them. Fred is a hardworking man who flies his own chopper which helps him make a decent living. What a shame Anne’s father never thought him good enough for his daughter. To be back where sad memories are has put Fred in a mood. Being engaged and dreaming of a future is shattered when they broke up seven years ago. The  emotions that start to come  up for Fred is taking a toll on him. Now if he can avoid seeing Anne he may just be able to endure his stay.  

Have you ever bumped into someone you have been avoiding? Well guess who that happens to and you only get one guess? Talk about running full speed into the last person you want to see. It was bound to happen for Anne and Fred but wow what a way to reacquaint yourself with your past. It was a shock and maybe a little unsettling for these two but now we are going to see if they will finally talk about their past.

With a story rich in re-examining a relationship we can see why Anne is such a people pleaser. She has always been expected to do things without complaining. All her life she has sought her father’s approval. When her heart gets broken by Fred it tears her apart. How can she ever trust again? Will she ever feel loved by anyone? I can hear her cries deep in her soul as all this pent up anguish starts to spill out. Oh how I loved the part in the story where she finally speaks up for herself. 

As our journey ends I cried over so many parts of the story. How many times have you been desperate to have someone love you? I remember being  told that “crying was a sign of weakness,” so I bottled up my emotions for years. As Fred and Anne talk do they find trust between each other again? The author gives us a lot to think about with a father and sister who are very opinionated who try to destroy someone’s self esteem. We see how forgiveness can be hard but needed to repair a relationship.   But more importantly we witness a second chance at finding love, letting go of the past and trusting God. 

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

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 4

Texas Book-aholic, May 5

Inklings and notions, May 6

Artistic Nobody, May 7 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, May 7

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 8

Daysong Reflections, May 9

Tell Tale Book Reviews, May 10 (Author Interview)

Miriam Jacob, May 10

deb’s Book Review, May 11

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 12

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, May 13 (Author Interview)

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 14

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 15

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 16

Britt Reads Fiction, May 17

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Joanne is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

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/1d729/persuade-me-celebration-tour-giveaway

 

About the Book

Book: A Giant Murder

Author: Marji Laine

Narrator: Christa DelSorbo

Genre: Christian Women’s Fiction

Release date: January, 2022

Would you like a shot of… death with that, sir?

Josephine Jacobs was just doing her job, serving at an exclusive party, so why is she now being accused of shooting TG Taggert?

At a party full of suspects in the murder of Taggert, Josie served the food giant everything but an eternally “parting shot.” Who really killed TG Taggert? His wife? His son, Jack? What about Harper Davis? Rumor has it, she was having an affair with him—motive for her or Taggert’s wife! The list of those who seemed to hate him keeps growing, including a chemist and a chef!

With her long-time friend, Office Porter O’Brien, Josie sets out to clear her name and find out who really killed “the giant”.

Find out in this next book in the Ever After Mysteries, combining beloved fairy tales and mysteries. A Giant Murder offers a retelling of “Jack and the Beanstalk” with enough clues and suspects to keep you looking over your shoulder. We’d recommend Kevlar… but it hasn’t been invented yet!

MY REVIEW

I’m excited to listen to another audio by the gifted Christa DelSorbo. Her father voice is nice and gives a fresh perspective of the  story. I have listened to several other narrations by her and always get a nice sense of the  different characters by her easily transition  to each character. There is something special about listening to a story where you hear the characters and visualize what they look like. I enjoy being able to hear Christa’s interpretation and having the story entertain me by her voice. 

 This has been a fun book to read and I really did  not want it to end. The setting is exciting and I love stories that take us back to the 1920s. You can tell that  the author has done extensive research to make the story authentic. I wonder what it would be like to live in a boarding house? There couldn’t be too much privacy except when you were in your own room. I was very intrigued by how the place was run and all the people who lived there.

Josie is a sweet character who works very hard to help her mother pay bills. What starts out as an extra job one night turns her world upside down. Who knew that taking a drink to someone would cause you to become a suspect in their murder? Has Josie been set up by someone or was the death an accident? The author gives readers twists and unexpected suspects in the story that I had to take out my journal to keep notes. Oh yes I always use a journal when reading a book for review.  I don’t want to forget any details. There is one very humbling moment in the story that I hope is not overlooked. In the midst of chaos , Josie shares God with someone. It is a very special moment and made me think how important  it is to share God with others. We don’t want to miss our opportunity and Josie confidently witnessed to this person with compassion. 

The mystery in the  book is quite unique since it has to do with a formula for a recipe. I applaud the author for being so creative and implementing a plot that is fresh and appetizing. Someone wants that recipe desperately and are willing to kill for it. There is a little romance in the story but it is done tastefully and does not over shadow the main theme in the book. I have to say I was shocked by who turned out to be the guilty person. How sad that people are greedy and jealous that they resort to violence. I loved the story and thought that there was just enough action to keep me interested in the case of the missing formula.

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

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Marji Laine is a graduated home-schooling mom of four with two college students staying in the nest for a little longer. She and her hubby of 34 years also share their North Texas home with a rescue pup named Rosie. When Marji isn’t editing or publishing the books for her authors at Write Integrity Press, she indulges in penning her own mystery, suspense, and romance novels. She loves acting in musical comedy, has directed many stage productions, leads a high school Bible study and sings in her church choir. She prefers mountains to beaches, dogs to cats, NASCAR to football, Magnolia pie, white roses, green, and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. You can find her at her website: MarjiLaine.com

 

About the Narrator

Speaking Life into Story

Queen of the one-eyebrow quirk, Christa DelSorbo auditioned for the role of Tarzan’s mom and has the photos to prove she ended up as the only cast member in a literal cast. These days, they keep her stuck in a box with a ball on a stick and only feed her when she reads another chapter of another fabulous book. She loves every minute. Or so they tell her. *eyebrow slowly raises *

 

More from Christa

Blog Stops

For Him and My Family, May 3

Texas Book-aholic, May 4

SodbusterLiving, May 5

By the Book, May 6

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 7

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 8

deb’s Book Review, May 9 (Spotlight)

Inklings and notions, May 10

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 11

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 12

Connie’s History Classroom, May 13

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 14

Lights in a Dark World, May 15

Books I’ve Read, May 16

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Christa is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a free code for the audiobook!!

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/1db48/a-giant-murder-audiobook-celebration-tour-giveaway

 

About the Book

Book: Arena

Author: Karen Hancock

Genre: Fantasy

Release Date: April 16, 2022

A Journey She Did Not Choose Will Change Her Life Forever 

Transported surreptitiously to a terrifying alien world, with limited resources and only a few cryptic words to guide her, Callie Hayes finds herself engulfed in a perilous battle for freedom – for her very life. After agreeing to participate in a routine psychology research experiment, she must unravel the mysteries shrouding her only route of escape or risk succumbing to the deadly deception of the Arena.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Karen Hancock has won Christy Awards for each of her first four novels—Arena and the first three books in the Legends of the Guardian-King series, The Light of Eidon, The Shadow Within, and Shadow over Kiriath. She graduated from the University of Arizona with bachelor’s degrees in biology and wildlife biology. Along with writing, she is a semi-professional watercolorist and has exhibited her work in a number of national juried shows. She and her family reside in Arizona.

 

More from Karen

Arena was not my first novel. The Light of Eidon was. In those days, however, Christian publishers were not interested in the fantasy genre because it had too much magic and wizards and such, despite the publication of the works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. They were softening to science fiction, however, and thanks to Kathy Tyers, Randy Ingermanson, John Olson and others the door was opened in 2001 for what is called “speculative fiction.” Arena fit right in, and was published by Bethany House in 2002. It went on to win a Christy Award, which started the ball rolling for the Guardian King series. Three out of the four Guardian King books in that series also won Christy Awards, at which point I was the first speculative fiction author inducted into the Christy Award Hall of Fame in 2013.

 

I am thrilled to have Arena appear again in this 20th anniversary edition with a new cover and in limited-edition hardcover. Oasis Audio will also be producing the audiobook, for the first time, so it can be available for every type of reader.

ARENA

The start of the book didn’t quite prepare me for  the journey ahead. Callie makes a decision to participate in a psychology research experiment which turns her world upside down. It made me wonder why she would even consider such an unusual project with little information. One thought kept going through my mind though. This project will definitely test her ability to trust and make right choices. That thought is something we each have struggled with at some point. Now I was ready to see where Callie’s journey would take her and what lessons she would learn. 

The story takes us to a place where survival is key to everything. I was shocked when Callie meets up with a group of people who have been in this weird place for years. Wasn’t she told that there was a way out and it was just an experiment? Why have some of these people been here for years? Who are the strange creatures that are there to destroy any human that gets in their way? The details are vivid and the author makes everything realistic. Danger lurks just outside of their guarded place and someone is always alert to anything strange coming their way. 

I did  find some interesting subtle  hints of Christianity in the story. One such example is when Callie and Rowena are at the sanctuary and the person they meet stops them. They explain that they want to get through the gate. His response is, “The manual says no one can pass through the Gate without Mander’s help.” That instantly made me think of the scripture found in John 14:6  “No one comes to the Father except through me.” Now I was intrigued by what would happen next. You can start to see that Callie is questioning her faith. I liked the inner turmoil she was faced with and thought it was a great example of having faith in what you believe in. 

There are a few places in the story where it talks about rape so be warned if this is a trigger for you. Pierce comes to Callie’s rescue but he is hard to figure out at times.  I think maybe he is struggling with who to believe. Trust is a big theme in the story and like us, the characters sometimes don’t know if they are making the right decision. 

Deep within the story lies a realm where Callie and the others seek to find their freedom. I liked how the armor of God was referenced by the characters talking about making sure they have their armor on in order to move forward. Among them you can smell fear and uncertainty as the time draws near to move to where freedom awaits them. The author really grabbed my attention as I kept following Callie with anticipation of what she would face next. A key factor is making the right choices and Callie starts to doubt that she will ever get back home. 

The story for me was like a journey you take to find where your faith is. Do you trust God with everything? Will you find your way back if you get lost or will you be tricked into following evil? The book was good and definitely one that made me understand how important it is to trust in God in all things. 

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

Blog Stops

Inside the Wong Mind, April 30

For the Love of Literature, May 1 (Spotlight)

Rachael’s Inkwell, May 1

Beauty in the Binding, May 2 (Spotlight)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 2

Texas Book-aholic, May 3

Inklings and notions, May 4

For Him and My Family, May 5

deb’s Book Review, May 6

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 7

Tell Tale Book Reviews, May 8

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 9

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 10

Blogging With Carol, May 11

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 12

Through the Fire Blogs, May 13

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Karen is giving away the grand prize of a $40 Amazon gift card and signed copy of Arena!!

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/1d3bd/arena-celebraiton-tour-giveaway