Ada Brownell-Writer of the Day!

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AND  A BOOK GIVEAWAY!

My writer of the day is Ada Brownell, also writing as A.B. Brownell. She’s  been writing for Christian publications since age 15 and spent much of her life as a daily newspaper reporter  at The Pueblo Chieftain in Colorado. In her retirement, she continues to freelance for Christian publications writing both non-fiction and fiction books. Ada has been gracious enough to give away an e-copy of Joe The Dreamer: The Castle and the Catapult.  Here’s a few ways to connect with her.

Blog: http://inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com Stick to Your Soul Encouragement

Amazon Ada Brownell author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KJ2C06

Here’s a short  blurb about her book, Joe the Dreamer: The Castle and the Catapult

Enter an area where people are missing and radicals want to obliterate Christianity from the earth. After Joe Baker’s parents mysteriously disappear, he finds himself with a vicious man after him. Joe and an unusual gang team up to find his mom and dad. The gang is dedicated to preventing and solving crimes with ordinary harmless things such as noise, water, and a pet skunk instead of blades and bullets. Joe reads the Bible hoping to discover whether God will answer prayer and bring his parents home. In his dreams, Joe slips into the skin of Bible characters and what happened to them, happens to him—the peril and the victories. Yet, crying out in his sleep causes him to end up in a mental hospital’s juvenile unit. Will he escape or will he be harmed? Will he find his parents? Does God answer prayer?

Sounds interesting! Here’s an excerpt from Chapter One of Joe the Dreamer: The Castle and the Catapult

“Mom and Dad didn’t just go off and leave us.” Joe felt that truth clear to his bones. He glanced at the police officer, who dug into his

pocket and then pulled out key. When the police drove away, Joe’s breath came in gasps. What had happened to his parents?

* * *

About fifty miles away, two big hairy men shoved Darin and Rose Baker across the drawbridge into Sir Henry’s castle. They stumbled up a wide marble-tiled stairway, hands tied behind their backs.

“We got ‘im,” said the beast who pushed Darin into the room. “But his wife was with ‘im. Couldn’t leave a witness.”

Darin’s eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room. Rose seemed to be in shock. Then he turned his gaze so he could see what his wife stared at.

It couldn’t be true!

“Untie these folks,” Kermesis told the goons.

“Kermesis! You’re involved in this? I thought when you turned the business over to Caleb—.” Darin’s voice echoed in the chamber-like

room.

“That I forgot you have a computer software design I want?”

“It’s mine.” Darin watched as the big thug released the bonds.

“Now listen here, Darin. I was paying you good money when you created that design.”

“I created the program at home on my own time. It’s not yours.”

“Where is it?”

Over in a corner, Darin recognized several leaders of local churches and a priest. Apparently they had been abducted, too.

“I want that software design, Darin. If you don’t tell us where it is, we’ll get your children.”

“No!” Rose screamed. Her high-pitched shrieks continued until the monster who had nabbed her in the parking lot put his pillow-sized

hand over her nose and mouth. She pulled at the massive fingers as she struggled for air, her face turning red, then bluish.

Wow! I wonder what will happen next?

Thanks for sharing your book with us, Ada! If you want to be considered for the e-book giveaway, leave a comment. Winner will be picked next Monday, July 15.

Until next time…

God Bless & Good Reading!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!

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The United States may not be perfect, but it’s the only country I want to live in!

It is still the best country in the world! We still have more freedom and more opportunities than most of the world’s population. To celebrate July 4th, here’s a video of GOD BLESS THE USA by Lee Greenwood. I hope you enjoy it!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!

Until next time…

God Bless & Good Reading!

Lil’s Life Lessons

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DON’T TAKE THE EASY WAY OUT!

Sometimes, life just doesn’t make sense.

That may be true in life, but not in books–at least not the ones I write!

My editor is a stickler for my characters doing what makes sense. She’ll send my manuscript  back with a note telling me that nobody would ever do that, such as going to the basement to investigate a mysterious sound, even though they are alone and the electricity’s off. We’ve all seen movie scenes where that exact thing happens. We all know it doesn’t make sense, but that’s where the character needs to go in order to let the movie continue.

The same is not true for books–at least not if you have my editor.

She won’t let me take the easy way out.  She makes me go back and add in enough information so that the readers understand why the character is not only motivated to do what we know isn’t such a good idea, but that it makes sense for her to do it. Such as she’s an electrician and she thinks the mysterious sound is her missing dog.

And in the end, my editor is right. It makes for a better book when I don’t take the easy way out.

I think the same can be said for life. We can take the easy way out, but what’s the point?  Life is filled with opportunities that take the form of problems. When we take the easy way out, we often miss opportunities to grow as a person. We miss opportunities to  learn. We miss opportunities to  develop a stronger character. We miss opportunities to  learn how to handle adversity.

Sometimes, it may seem like such a little thing that we think it doesn’t matter if we take the easy way out. My advice is DON’T DO IT. Practicing on the small things, will give us the skills for the big things!

And let’s face it, most of us don’t get through this life without facing a few of the big storms of life. So my advice is to not stay in the house out of the storm, but get your umbrella out and walk through the storm!

Writer Of The Day–Amber Schamel

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My writer of the day is Amber Schamel who was born in Littleton, CO. She has traveled extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and the Holy Land.  She
volunteers ministering to young girls  Amber currently lives with her family outside of Colorado Springs, CO.

She’s written The Healer’s Touch – Volume 1 Days of Messiah Series.
Book Blurb:
Aaliyah’s last chance at winning her husband’s love is destroyed when she is banished from her home as an ‘unclean’ sinner.  Struggling to survive amidst the fear, grief and bitterness of living in a leper colony, she would give anything just to see her son again. When rumors of a Healer from Nazareth reach the colony, Aaliyah wonders if this man could really heal her, or if He would despise her like the rest of her people. It is now that Aaliyah must make the most difficult decision of her life: risk
her life to appear in public, or die a leper.

 

Sounds interesting! I couldn’t even imagine trying to write a story set in Bible times. The amount of research needed must have been monumental. Great job, Amber.

Writer Of The Day–Jamie Adams

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The spotlight is on Historical Fiction author, Jamie Adams, today. She writes inspirational stories that both entertain and stir the reader’s imagination. Love’s Golden Quest has been on Amazon’s Historical Christian Historical Fiction Best Sellers list for over 6 weeks.  You can connect with Jamie at: https://www.facebook.com/JamieLAdamsauthorpage

 

LOVE’S GOLDEN  QUEST Blurb:

Can the perilous unknowns of the Wild West and an arranged marriage heal a grieving young woman and a man determined to find a world to claim as his own?

ROSE HILL never thought she would marry someone she didn’t love, but after the death of her parents, she believes she has no other choice. And if she follows the advice of her pastor and mentors, it will have to be soon.

During the height of the gold rush, LUKE TOWNSEND dreams of starting a ranch out west. When his fiancée learns of his plan she leaves him for a doctor back east. Brokenhearted, he’s determined to make a new start.

 

Excerpt:

“Sit down.” Reverend Smyth took a seat behind the desk and wasted no time getting to the point. “You’ll be happy to know I have a solution to your problems.” Kindness and compassion echoed within his deep voice. “I’ve found you a husband.”  The elderly man’s graying mustache twitched when he smiled.

“A…?” She cringed at the sound of her voice squeaking. There were few options for a single girl in St. Joseph, but what right did this man have? “You’ve found me a … husband?”

“Now, I know this may come as a surprise.” Warmth flooded her cheeks. Rose expected to be told her time of mourning had ended. That she could return to normal social activity, wear bright-colored clothing and get back to living. She hadn’t expected to be told he’d planned her whole future out for her. Reverend Smyth leaned back.

“Trust me.” His voice filled with confidence. “This is for the best.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, Sir.” She did trust him. He knew her financial situation. The money her parents left nearly gone, she needed a job. “How can I marry someone I don’t love?”

“He’s a fine Christian man from a good family,” The reverend’s brows knit together. “You will learn to love and respect each other in time, I’m sure of it.”

“Do I know him?”

“I’m sure you are aware of the Townsend family. They’re members of our church.” Reverend Smyth tilted forward, bringing his forearms to rest on top of the desk. “Mr. Townsend owns one of the largest ferries used to transport pioneers and their wagons across the river.”

“Why… he’s married and has five sons!”

“Yes, Mr. Townsend, the father, is married.” The reverend appeared amused by her misunderstanding. “Young Mr. Townsend is set to start a new life out west. He’s a godly man who needs a wife.”

Resigned to her fate, Rose looked into his charcoal grey eyes. Once again she was expected to follow a path not of her own choosing. At least this one would get her away from St. Joseph and its painful memories. “Which of Mr. Townsend’s sons do you have in mind?”

 

Sounds like a great book, Jamie. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Until next time…..

God Bless & Good Reading!

 

 

A Devotion About Scat? Really!

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So, a friend of mine asked me to write a series of 5 devotions for her this week. She volunteers at Wilderness Camp each year.  She’s in charge of the girls who attend. It’s up to her to create activities each day as well as devotions and a slew of other responsibilities. I am not a Wilderness Camp type of woman–just ask my husband. But I do like to write devotions so I volunteered to do that for her.

And  it’s quite an exercise in creativity to do so.

Here were here five topics relating to the activities she created for the camp:

Surviving

Animal Skins

Animal Tracks

Scat

Butterflies

Butterflies and survival were fairly easy to find Bible verses and write a devotion, but the other three? Really? How am I to write a devotion for SCAT. Well, I managed and when my friend picked them up she seemed happy with them. But sometimes, I have to wonder how my brain works!

God Bless & Good Reading!

PS. If you’d like to read the SCAT devotion, check it out at www.PowerUpWithGod.com  and let me know what you think of it.

Are Mystery Novels An Endangered Species?

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I love to read mystery and suspense novels as well as to write them. Lately, I’m sensing a problem with the genre.  TECHNOLOGY! Will technology be the end of the good old-fashioned mystery novel? I hope not, but it certainly means changes are  coming.

I’ve been working on updating one of my older books (SERENITY SPRINGS, OHIO)  so that it can be released as an e-book. I was shocked to see how current technology made for some sticky rewrites from the original story manuscript.

Cell phones alone can change the whole dynamic of the story. I had one scene where one of the characters was needed to help in a hostage situation. In the original story, it took up almost complete chapter as police were alerted and hunted for the man. The tension built–will they or won’t they find him in time to save the hostages?

But as I read the scene, I realized the man would have a cell phone.  So that tense scene morphed into a few sentences of picking up a phone and waiting for the man to answer it. Sigh–not nearly as tense or exciting!

So, instant communication definitely changes the way mystery/suspense novels are written, but that’s just the beginning. What about all the technology available to the forensic labs? And the computer geeks? If you watch CSI, NCIS, Bones, or a variety of TV shows, it looks as if crimes are solved by scientists–not by the police or an amateur sleuth?

I admit it!  I’m intimidated by all the crime-solving technology available. I almost feel as if I need to go back to college and take a class on forensics or several classes not to mention some computer hacking classes before I write my next novel.

So, are mystery novels an endangered species or not? My gut says NOT.  Crimes are committed by people (real or characters) and no matter how much science can help there will always be the human element. That human element is where we writers will find our stories.

On the other hand, maybe I’ll start writing stories set in the sixties or seventies.

Life was a lot simpler back then–and so was writing!

 

SerenitySpringsCOVER_72M

 

NOTE:  To celebrate the release of SERENITY SPRINGS, OHIO as an e-book, I’m giving away a copy. Be sure to leave a comment if you want to win the e-book! Winner will be picked on June 17! Here’s a bit about the story:

Murder shatters the peace and tranquility of the idyllic village of Serenity Springs.

It appears to be an open and shut case to Chief of Police, Matthew Travis. A troubled teenager at the scene covered in blood with the murder weapon in his hand is arrested.

Unfortunately, as Matthew ties up loose ends, his once open and shut case begins to unravel as he discovers more suspects with better motives.

What is Christian Fiction?

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I’m a writer of Christian Fiction so it’s in my best interest to promote Christian Fiction as a genre and not just my books. But like so many, you may not completely understand what the genre includes. There are a lot of misconceptions about Christian Fiction.

Many people think Christian Fiction means sweet romances or Amish stories. But that’s only the beginning of what’s available. Do you prefer science fiction; fantasy; suspense; romantic suspense; horror; or literary fiction? As far as I know any genre other than erotica can be found under the umbrella term of Christian Fiction.

Another myth about Christian Fiction is that they are all evangelistic in nature, meaning that the writer’s goal is to convert the reader to Christianity.  There are some that are and they are wonderful books but that’s not the only style out there. Most Christian Fiction books today are written from a Christian worldview.

What’s that mean? It means the spiritual message is more subtle but still there. It’s not an in your face sermon but a sermon shown by the characters thoughts, choices, and actions. Much like real life!

When I started becoming more serious in my Christian faith, I knew my writing needed to change, but the truth was I didn’t have much of an understanding of Christian Fiction. But as a reader and writer of mysteries and suspense novels, I had tired of all the bad language and unnecessary sex scenes that can be found in mainstream books.  For me, my books have clean language, no explicit sex scenes, and characters who are at different points on their spiritual journey. Again, like real life. But my real focus when I write is to write an exciting story that my readers will enjoy.

I am almost positive some of my Jewish and/or nonreligious friends haven’t read my books because they are “Christian” fiction. But I don’t believe my books would offend them. My goal in writing is to entertain my readers, not preach to them. And that’s true for the great majority of writers in the Christian fiction genre.

If you’re looking for more Christian fiction novels, a great resource is http://www.fictionfinder.com/. It’s a free service but you do have to register. You can search a specific genre and find books that match what you like to read.

What’s your thoughts about the genre of Christian Fiction? Should they stick to the more traditional stories or is it a good thing that Christian writers are stretching their wings?