Saturday, March 18, 2023

Do Your Best Tess! by Janet Morris Grimes

About the Book

Book: Do Your Best, Tess!

Author: Janet Morris Grimes

Genre: Children’s picture book – ages 4 – 8

Release date: June 28, 2022

Tess is as scattered as the toys and clothes all over her floor. She flits from one activity to another and forms the habit of never finishing anything.

But when her dream is on the line, she discovers the importance of not getting distracted so she can finish what she starts.

Do Your Best, Tess! is a read-aloud participation book. The reader will encourage and cheer for Tess as she learns to truly do her best.

The first in the Character is a Choice! series.

Click here to get your copy!

My Review

Do Your Best Tess! is certainly a colorful and relevant pre-k to young school age book. Learning to do your best even in chores or with school work is a lesson we have all had to learn at some time, and this book conveys that message with a fun rhyme and repetition that children this age really enjoy. The illustrations were very colorful and fun. The cheering for Tess every few pages will certainly help with engagement while reading to your child or a group of children. I feel that any child age 4-8 will find enjoyment and learn valuable character lessons from this book.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own and are not an endorsement of agreement with authors and all their opinions presented.

About the Author

Janet Morris Grimes may not have realized she was a writer at the time, but her earliest childhood memories were spent creating fairy-tale stories of the father she never knew. That desire to connect with the mysterious man in a treasured photograph gave her a deep love for the endless possibilities of a healing and everlasting story.

A wife of one, mother of three, and Tootsie to four, Janet currently writes from her quiet two-acre corner of the world near Elizabethtown, KY.

Her debut novel, Solomon’s Porch, was a 2022 American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Awards Finalist.

More from Janet

The idea for this series started over twenty-five years ago, when it was my turn to write a skit for our children’s worship service at church. I came up with a rhyming, read-aloud, interactive story where the kids could help the main character make better choices. They loved it, and they remembered the fun catch phrase long after that night. We created some great memories through the story, and that’s what I hope to offer to children of today.

Do Your Best, Tess! is about a little girl who’s learning to finish what she starts, and why that’s so important. Tess gets distracted easily, and I think we can all relate, especially with today’s culture.

I so enjoy reading this story to my own grandchildren. They love helping Tess remember to put forth her best effort, even when she doesn’t feel like doing so.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 15

Remembrancy, March 16

Vicky Sluiter, March 16

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, March 17

deb’s Book Review, March 18

A Reader’s Brain, March 19

Lily’s Book Reviews, March 20

Mary Hake, March 20

Texas Book-aholic, March 21

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 22

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, March 23

Cover Lover Book Review, March 24

For Him and My Family, March 25

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 25

Splashes of Joy, March 26

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, March 27

Pause for Tales, March 28

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Janet is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a signed hard-cover copy of Do Your Best, Tess!!

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/24dbc/do-your-best-tess-celebration-tour-giveaway

Thursday, March 16, 2023

The Kingdom of God by John Avery

About the Book

Book: The Kingdom of God: Our life with Jesus the King

Author: John Avery

Genre: Christian Devotional, non-fiction

Release date: March 1, 2023

What is the kingdom of God? Many people only vaguely understand (or misunderstand) it. Is it a future heavenly existence where the nicest dreams come true and nightmares are miraculously purged? After all, it is sometimes called the kingdom of heaven. Perhaps we dismiss it as an irrelevant ideal. Pastors typically prioritize topics like salvation, grace, eternal life, faith, and prayer. Yet, the kingdom was central to the messages of John the Baptist, Jesus, Paul, and other New Testament writers. Their words and behavior show that the kingdom theme is the framework uniting those topics and the entire mission of Jesus and His followers.

God’s kingdom centers on the King. It’s a life journey shared with other kingdom subjects.

This collection of 38 short pieces (2-3 pages each) explores vital questions like:

How well do we understand Jesus’ view of the kingdom of God?
What did Jesus mean when He spoke of being in (or outside of) the kingdom?
Does the kingdom make any difference to our lives right now? Should it?
Will the kingdom grow automatically, or do we have a part to play?

These pieces can be read quickly; they’re relaxed too—but think carefully and deeply.

Click here to get your copy!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own and are not an endorsement of agreement with authors and their opinions presented.

Author Interview

What was the most challenging part of the writing process for you and why?

I enjoy the writing a lot and find it sad that so much time now has to be spent marketing and trying to make social media work for me. I hope to learn enough with the first book or two to develop a system and a team of interested people (like bloggers and reviewers) who I can quickly fall back on.

What did your research process look like for this book?

Almost every piece begins in my own times with Him and reading the Bible. I might check what I sense against commentaries or reference works sometimes so that I am not going astray in my thinking and so I understand the meaning of the Hebrew or Greek words, but the main message comes from those times with Him.

What audience did you have in mind when writing this book?

I think the pieces that I write bless people who enjoy more in-depth devotionals and perhaps Bible studies. They could be as young as 16 and any age above that. Women do a lot more reading than men, so I am very aware of that as I write and market.

How did you balance keeping your book informative yet engaging as a non-fiction?

Four things:
I try not to write things that have been written many times before or are too obvious; I believe God gives me fresh insights that are, nonetheless sound.
I try to include a brief life situation or personal experience that people can relate to.
I keep “heady” academic things to a bare minimum when they are essential.
I try to write in a casual, conversational way and to not use “Christianese” but everyday language.

What message do you hope readers take away from your book?

I pray that people will do more than read my words, that my words would be fuel for their times with the Lord and that He would speak and work in their lives as a result.

About the Author

John Avery is the author of The Name Quest: Explore the Names of God to Grow in Faith and Get to Know Him Better (Morgan James Publishing, 2015). The Name Quest won the 2016 Oregon Christian Writers’ Cascade Award for nonfiction. A compilation of short pieces, The Questions of Jesus, was published in 2022.

John is a trained teacher with over thirty years’ experience as a Bible teaching pastor, small group leader, missionary, and disciple maker. He has lived in England, Israel, Africa, and the Caribbean, ministering with Youth With A Mission (YWAM), international student ministry, and local churches. He and his wife, Janet, now make their home in Oregon. John likes to hike, snowshoe, and cross-country ski. John writes short, thought-provoking Bible devotionals at www.BibleMaturity.com many of which will be compiled into books like this one. He maintains a comprehensive resource for all the names of God at www.NamesForGod.net.

More from John

This book is a collection of short devotional pieces. They’re relaxed, but they challenge the reader to think carefully too. What is the kingdom of God? What does it mean for our lives?

Many people only vaguely understand (or misunderstand) the kingdom of God. Is it a future heavenly existence where the nicest dreams come true and nightmares are miraculously purged? After all, it is sometimes called the kingdom of heaven. Perhaps we dismiss it as an irrelevant ideal. Pastors typically prioritize topics like salvation, grace, eternal life, faith, and prayer. Yet, the kingdom was a priority for Jesus.

God’s kingdom centers on the King. It’s a life journey shared with other kingdom subjects.

The pieces explore vital questions like:

How well do we understand Jesus’ view of the kingdom of God?
What did Jesus mean when He spoke of being in (or outside of) the kingdom?
Does the kingdom make any difference to our lives right now? Should it?
Will the kingdom grow automatically, or do we have a part to play?

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, March 10

Blossoms and Blessings, March 11 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 12

Splashes of Joy, March 13 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, March 14

Guild Master, March 15 (Author Interview)

Vibrant Wings by Valerie, March 15

deb’s Book Review, March 16

A Reader’s Brain, March 17 (Author Interview)

Cover Lover Book Review, March 18

For the Love of Literature, March 19 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 20

Spoken from the Heart, March 21 (Author Interview)

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 21

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, March 22

Artistic Nobody, March 23

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, John 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/24b78/the-kingdom-of-god-celebration-tour-giveaway

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

The Revelation of Israel by Rachel Rebecca Baxter

About the Book

Book: The Revelation of Israel

Author: Rachel Rebecca Baxter

Genre: Christian Non-Fiction

Release date: January, 2022

In the Revelation of Israel, God’s plan to regather His people from all 12 Tribes of Israel is unveiled. He promises to, again, raise up the Josephs, so that His lost children from the 10 Tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel may know who they are, be provided for, and protected through the Tribulation, which is nearly upon us.

Click here to get your copy!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own and are not an endorsement of agreement with authors and their opinions presented.

Author Interview

What was the most challenging part of the writing process for you and why?

I enjoy writing… the first time. It is fun and easy to type out thoughts on a page. What is not fun, for me, is to then go back and rewrite. I don’t like doing anything twice, and certainly not over and over again.

I learned the tough lesson in high school and college that it may be nearly impossible to write well the very first time. Now, I believe with the help of the Lord that this book practically wrote itself by the time I went to do it. The first draft only took two weeks. Revising, editing and publishing took another month or so. This was an improvement over the first book that I wrote, Lifted Up, My Whole Hearted Testimony. That work took several months to revise. It was hard for me to cut pieces out, but it was necessary to create a story that flowed and stayed focused on the main topic instead of going off on bunny trails.

What did your research process look like for this book?

When the Lord began speaking to me about Israel and Manasseh, I did not have a paradigm for it. He opened up the topic to me over a period of many years. At first, I had no idea that I would someday write a book about it. Several years ago, when I had an understanding of the partial picture, I created a YouTube series of 7 videos about the subject. Eventually, when I would begin to write the book, I used those notes to help to create the outline.

The Lord seemed to give me pieces of the puzzle a little at a time. I really did not have a sense for the picture that was emerging until about a year before I wrote the book, and then it took another year before He gave me the last piece. With each piece of the puzzle that I was given, I would leverage the internet to look for what others were saying about the particular topic and what other articles and books had been written about it. I was intrigued to find so many early writings (pre-1900’s) about this topic but then it was like there was a void. Honestly, it seemed like there had been a concerted effort to discredit the conclusions that the Lord had helped me to come to aligned with Scripture. God’s story that emerged does not line up with much of present-day typical Christianity. This is why I thought it so important to include so much scripture in the finished work. I believe that it will be God’s Word itself, not mine, that will convince readers of the truth that The Revelation of Israelcommunicates.

What was something new you learned while writing this book?

I learned that there is an almost unending amount of evidence for America as the fulfillment of the promises God made to Jacob’s offspring, Joseph and his son, Manasseh. It blew me away and there was not enough room in the book to include more than a sampling of it. God is so good!

Did you have to step out of your comfort zone to write this book? If so, how?

The Lord has been taking me on a journey for some time to come out of performance and fear of men so that I could be fully who He made me to be. I used to have the work-Rachel and the Jesus-Rachel. In my professional life, I was careful not to talk about God too much or give Him too much glory around the water cooler. It took some time, but I can now say that I am just me – His. So to answer your question, this book would have been on another planet for me a few years ago, but not today. I feel like I was able to be vulnerable in sharing some of my own story through the personal prophetic words the Lord has given me without worry of the repercussions that may come. I trust the Lord to be my protector and provider.

What message do you hope readers take away from your book?

I would hope that readers would grasp the way that our God leaves nothing to chance. He has a plan for their lives and chose for them to live at this time, just before Jesus’ return. If we will seek Him and His ways in these last days, He promises to make a way for us through the difficult years ahead. We even have an invitation to be a part of the 1000 year reign of our Savior. The choice is ours to make!

About the Author

Rachel Baxter has a professional background in engineering, with a Bachelor’s of Science in Industrial Engineering, and an MBA. Rachel currently works in the field of business process consulting with over 20 years of experience.

Rachel grew up in the Lutheran Church where she was baptized, confirmed, and married. She was born again and spirit-filled in 2014 when she received inner healing through a ministry called One Whole Heart in Omaha, Nebraska. She now serves as an elder and volunteer for this ministry. Rachel also serves her local church in various capacities.

Rachel is married to Garrick, and they have 4 children from elementary to high school age. Rachel led a Christian school and homeschool coop called Valor for 5 years. This was a missional spirit-led school where every day began with worship, and the children were taught to hear and follow the voice of the Lord, as Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice and follow me!” Rachel continues to have a heart for Kingdom youth education.

When she was baptized in the Holy Spirit, Rachel began to have dreams and visions from the Lord. He began to speak with her about the days that are ahead, the time before Jesus returns, so that she could write them down and release the prophetic words for those who were willing to hear. Rachel has received several angelic visitations. (A primary purpose of an angel is to be a messenger.) An angel of the Lord came to Rachel to tell her that she was, “Called to see that which was coming upon the Earth and to tell others what is coming.” This book is an act of obedience to that call.

More from Rachel

It’s been a year since I co-labored with the Lord to write this work. I have used it myself on a weekly basis as a reference. There is so much insight here that is beyond me. The Lord, in His glorious wisdom, is able to make the complicated and mysterious – clear and beautiful when He takes His truth and allows us to absorb it into our bones. This is the essence of a revelation! The Revelation of Israel is God’s story of His plans written before time began. It starts with a people under Father Abraham who were meant to know their God. Those people fell short in every way and were scattered across the earth. We know that Jesus came to redeem God’s people to Himself through His atoning sacrifice – but the story of God does not end there. God’s story has continued the last 2,000 years and is about to be fulfilled in the last seven years of tribulation on the earth that culminates with the return of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah at the last trump!

Blog Stops

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 5

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 6

Splashes of Joy, February 7 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, February 7

Texas Book-aholic, February 8

Spoken from the Heart, February 9 (Author Interview)

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, February 10

deb’s Book Review, February 11

Guild Master, February 12 (Author Interview)

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, February 13

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

A Reader’s Brain, February 15 (Author Interview)

Vibrant Wings by Valerie, February 15

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 16

Artistic Nobody, February 17

Blossoms and Blessings, February 18 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Rachel is giving away the grand prize package of a $100 Amazon gift card with copy of 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/23eef/the-revelation-of-israel-celebration-tour-giveaway

Sunday, February 5, 2023

Silver Bounty by Victoria McCombs

About the Book

Book: Silver Bounty

Author: Victoria McCombs

Genre: YA Pirate Fantasy

Release date: January 10, 2023

Never Trust a Pirate

Emme is tasked with getting rid of the king, but kings are not an easy target, and this one is bent on purging his lands of pirates. As Emme’s job becomes increasingly dangerous, she learns to survive the pirate way—cunning and merciless—while consoling herself with one fact: she’s just doing what it takes to get home.

But when Emme mistakenly takes out the wrong man, not even the protective pirate captain can save her from the consequences. In a string of betrayals, one thing is certain. You can never trust a pirate.

Click here to get your copy!

Author Interview

1. Why did you want to become an author?

My dad was a writer, and we spent our summers tucked into the corners of libraries, discovering new worlds. So the joy of storytelling was always there. As I grew older, those stories grew louder in my mind, and now they are asking to come out.

2. What step of writing this book was the most challenging and why?

The main character in this book is sick with a disease that I gave a fake name to. But it’s a real disease in my family, and it’s hit us hard. I can’t know until I’m older if I have it as well, but I poured out all my emotions into Emme as I faced my fears of going through it someday. The scene where she discovers her hands are too unstable to write was the hardest, and I think I cried three times while writing/editing that one.

3. What/Who inspired you to write on the main themes found in the book?

Can I say the whole world? I wanted to touch on the theme of ‘life is a sum of your decisions’ and show a character going through struggles but still choosing to be good. The concept of ‘good’ is grayed in our world as more and more readers long for morally gray characters who kill people but are still considered the heroes. I wanted a character that stuck clearly in the good category, while the world crumbled around her.

4. Which character in your book do you relate to the most?

Definitely Emme since I gave her my family’s disease. I also gave her my inner longing to belong, so she is a reflection of me.

5. If you could meet your characters in real life, what would you talk about?

They’d ask me why I put them through so much and I’d hide because they are tough enough to hurt me.

6. What did your research process look like for this book?

A lot of it was what a pirate ship looks like! I kept those tabs open for months. Then there was a lot of what jobs went into keeping a ship running, and the hierarchy of a pirate ship. Some gem research as well, and landscape research.

7. What made you choose the setting/time period for this book?

This is actually ironic, but I thought to myself that I wanted a solid pirate book, but didn’t know of any. So I wrote one. In the process of writing book one, four huge pirate books were released, and I started hearing about so many more, and I realized I wasn’t as original as I thought! Luckily there are some unique things, like the oathbinding tattoos to help it stand out.

8. Did you have to step out of your comfort zone to write this book? If so, how?

For sure! I never talk about my disease, and even now I’ve only mentioned it once on social media. So putting it in my book is really difficult, and I’m actually nervous as to how people will receive it. People who are more outspoken about their disabilities might not relate to my character like I do, and the people pleasing part of me is struggling with that!

9. How did you celebrate when you completed your book?

By outlining the next one! I don’t usually give myself a large break between books.

10. Do you have a favorite drink or snack for when you’re writing?

A basic answer, but I love drinking coffee as I write! My favorite right now is caramel latte.

11. What message do you hope readers take away from your book?

I hope they see how to keep fighting even when things around you appear bleak. Things will get better someday.

About the Author

Victoria McCombs is the author of The Storyteller’s Series, and The Royal Rose Chronicles, with hopefully many more to come. She survives on hazelnut coffee, 20-minute naps, and a healthy fear of her deadlines, all while raising three wildlings with her husband in Omaha, Nebraska.

More from Victoria

Pirates are more civilized than I gave them credit for. Did you know the captain didn’t have complete authority over the ship? While researching for the book, I discovered they used a voting system, and the captain followed what the crew wanted. Usually pirate stories depict a strong captain that makes all the decisions, so it was a fun twist to include more of the democracy style of the early pirates into my story. With that, came the fun power struggles as different crew members wanted different things, and they all try to sway the command of the ship. Smaller crew alliances form, friendships are tested, trust broken, and the future of the Royal Rose comes into question as, at times, the greatest threat to them lies within their own crew.