Guess Who Is In God’s Family by Karen Ferguson

 

 

About the Book

 

Book: Guess Who Is in God’s Family

Author: Karen Ferguson

Genre: Children’s Picture Book

Release date: June 24, 2024

When Lucy comes across some old family pictures, she has a lot of questions for Papa Joe.

• Who are these people?
• Why doesn’t she look like them?

As Papa Joe tells Lucy about her family, he shares with her the uniqueness that God created in each of us from the very beginning, all the way back to our first ancestors, Adam and Eve.

What follows is a wild adventure through the Bible, where Lucy and her papa discover God’s love and faithfulness for all people throughout all of history.

In this second book in the Questions for Kids series, discover how much God loves diversity and how God created your family in the most beautiful and perfect way.

 

Click here to get you copy!

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions given are my own and not an endorsement of all author’s opinions. 

Author Interview

1. How do you weave Biblical truths into your writing? 

a. This book series is all about biblical truth. The main character, Lucy, takes her big questions to her trusted advisor Papa Joe, and this leads them on an adventure into the Bible where they explore things like Creation, the First Family (Adam and Eve), and what will be other major Bible accounts important to building a solid faith in God. The biblical truth is easy to weave into this series because the main characters literally jump into these Bible accounts. What I add to it is a creative, relatable storyline for children to engage with. In the first book it was the concept of bullying and feeling unloved. This book deals with family and diversity. 

2. Why did you pick this genre for your book? 

a. I’m a mom and grandmom with a background in K-8 education and have worked with children most of my adult life. My heart has always been for young people. To share the truth that they are fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image and loved more than they could imagine. I think some of it stems from my own experiences as a young child, trying to find my identity in all the wrong places. I realize the importance of honoring the inherent value of each child, and planting seeds of God’s truth in young hearts. I’m grateful to play a part in that through this book series.  

3. What was the most challenging part of writing your book?

a. Covering such a complex and foundational topic in the Christian faith in a way that is relatable to children, and keeping it to the limited word count required for a picture book. I’ve heard some say that it must be easy to write a picture book because it’s short, but I find it to be a challenge. It’s not easy to take an in-depth Bible account and write a creative storyline that aligns with solid theology, but with very few words. But that was my mission with this book, and thankfully God’s grace is sufficient! This book is a bit longer than some picture books, though, as I felt it was necessary in order to lay a firm foundation for young readers. 

4. How many books do you personally own? 

a. Oh boy, that’s hard to say! I will say I have enough books to fill three big bookshelves and several large boxes of books in the garage, plus multiple books on my dining room table, night stand, and work desk. What can I say, I love books! My TBR list is a long one, and I keep adding more to my collection. 

5. What is your next big goal as an author? 

a. I’m working on the third book in the seven part series. While I don’t want to spoil the surprise, I will say it has to do with a boat and a rainbow :) My goal is to submit it to my publisher within the next month. 

 

About the Author

Karen Ferguson is a freelance writer and children’s book author with a background in K-8 education. A grateful wife, mom, and grandmom she is passionate about writing stories that grab and hold young readers’ attentions, while teaching them all about God’s unchangeable truths, and His unchanging love for them. She wants every child to know their life matters. Her first children’s book, Guess How Much God Loves You, was published through Ambassador International in 2022. Now a seven book series, her newest book, Guess Who Is in God’s Family is scheduled to release June 2024.

 

 

 

More from Karen

Did you know the cherubim that guard the Garden of Eden have four faces – that of an ox, human, lion, and eagle? You’ll find their description in Ezekiel 10:14, and it’s quite different from most angels you’ll see in traditional children’s books. But you will see them beautifully illustrated in this second installment in the Questions for Kids picture book series, all about the First Family in the Garden of Eden.

You see, my mission from the very beginning has been to present accurate biblical accounts to young readers that are foundational to increasing their understanding of the Bible and growing a solid faith in God.  Kids are bombarded with so many counterfeit messages these days that contradict the Bible, and it’s leaving them confused and hopeless. Is truth relative? Absolutely not! The real Truth lies in God’s Word, and I am grateful to play a part in counteracting the lies of our culture by presenting Truths straight from the Bible, in a fun and dynamic way.

In this book (and book series), you won’t find a regurgitation of Bible facts (that never worked for me as a child). Rather, you’ll find a young girl with many questions about God and life, much like our own children and grandchildren. And you’ll find her loving grandpa who is happy to answer those questions by pointing her to the Word of God. Their adventures into unique periods in Bible history, driven by some serious 7-year old questions, will help pull young readers into the narrative and connect the Bible to their world. It’ll also open doors to faith-building conversations with parents, grandparents, caregivers, and teachers.

The hardest part of writing these books? Keeping it short enough to fit into the picture book category ;).

I pray you and your young reader will be blessed as you journey with Lucy and her Papa Joe into the Bible to discover God’s power, His faithfulness, and His never-ending love.

Blog Stops

Blossoms and Blessings, August 24 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, August 25

Beauty in the Binding, August 26 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 27

Guild Master, August 28 (Author Interview)

Lots of Helpers, August 28

Locks, Hooks and Books, August 29

A Reader’s Brain, August 30 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 31

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, September 1 (Author Interview)

Labor Not in Vain, September 2

Fiction Book Lover, September 3 (Author Interview)

Cover Lover Book Review, September 4

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, September 5 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, September 5

Artistic Nobody, September 6

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Karen is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a signed hardcover 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! 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf5423

Kidventure: Through the Maize by Steve Searfoss

 

 

About the Book

 

Book: KidVenture: Through The Maize (KidVenture Book 3)

Author: Steve Searfoss

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction

Release Date: March 30, 2023

Chance, Addie and Sophie launch a new venture when they get lost in the country and stumble on the idea of starting a corn maze business. They quickly discover that while it’s easy to rush into a maze, finding your way out is hard. They will need to convince an investor to fund the venture, persuade a reluctant farmer to let them build their maze on his corn field, and figure out a way to work with his headstrong nephew. Along the way they will realize just how little they know about planting corn, designing mazes and writing business plans. Through many twists and turns —and dead ends— they will learn how to keep a partnership together and what the true job of a leader is. There’s only one thing harder than finding your way out of a maze: creating a maze people want to get lost in.

KidVenture stories are business adventures where kids figure out how to market their company, understand risk, and negotiate. Each chapter ends with a challenge, including business decisions, ethical dilemmas and interpersonal conflict for young readers to wrestle with. As the story progresses, the characters track revenue, costs, profit margin, and other key metrics which are explained in simple, fun ways that tie into the story.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions given are my own and not an endorsement of all author’s opinions. 

Author Interview

How do you weave Biblical truths into your writing?

KidVenture books are not overtly Christian stories, but they are definitely ones that Christian parents would enjoy reading and discussing with their kids. Every chapter ends with questions for young readers to grapple with, including what they would do in the given situation. Some of these questions are business related, but many of them are moral dilemmas.

 

In the first KidVenture book, Twelve Weeks To Midnight Blue, there is a key moment where our young entrepreneur, Chance, has made a big mistake that lost their struggling venture a customer. He is sorely tempted to lie about it to his sister and business partner, Addie, in order to evade responsibility. There is a sweet scene where he sheepishly approaches his mother while she is weeding in the garden, and she guides him through a conversation where is able t see he needs to uproot this desire to evade the truth.

 

In the second KidVenture book, There’s No Plan Like No Plan, there is a similar critical moment when one of Chance’s employees accidentally breaks the window of a house and runs away. At first, Chance pretends he is not involved, since it was him who directly did the damage. And this would be an expensive mistake to fix. But soon he gets tired of carrying the guilt around and decides he needs to confess and make things right.

 

In my latest KidVenture book, Through The Maize, there is another key moment when Chance is severely tempted. He has taken on a difficult business partner and had to learn humility and compromise to make this new venture work. After learning, the hard way, the importance of swallowing his pride to avoid getting offended every time his new partner does something he doesn’t like, he’s pretty exhausted. And then someone approaches him with a proposal for a side-business that would make him a fairly large amount of money. Chance immediately starts entertaining the idea of keeping these newfound profits to himself, and his justification entirely revolves around feeding his ego. It’s an intense scene, where he really indulges his love of self before sober minds prevail and he realizes he needs to include his partners.

 

There are other episodes in the books that I think Christian readers would enjoy. For example, there is another scene in Through The Maize where there is a genuine crisis. Chance and Addie’s younger brother, Simon, is lost and they worry something has happened to him. Chance springs into action, organizing a search party and telling everyone what to do. Addie is standing still. Chance, somewhat frantic, asks her what she’s doing, and she says, “praying.” He thinks about it, and quickly says, “good, keep doing that.”

 

What was your process to align your book with your target audience?

KidVenture started as stories I would make-up for my kids. They always read and comment on drafts. In fact, sitting down with he family and reading through the first, and very rough, first draft is probably my favorite part of the whole process. I think each of them can point to a detail or piece of dialogue or plot twist that came out of their suggestion.

 

What is your next big goal as an author?

I’m working on the next KidVenture book. I have promised my four kids I would dedicate one book to each of them, so I still owe them one book.

About the Author

I wrote my first KidVenture book after years of making up stories to teach my kids about business and economics. Whenever they’d ask how something works or why things were a certain way, I would say, “Let’s pretend you have a business that sells…” and off we’d go. What would start as a simple hypothetical to explain a concept would become an adventure spanning several days as my kids would come back with new questions which would spawn more plot twists. Rather than give them quick answers, I tried to create cliffhangers to get them to really think through an idea and make the experience as interactive as possible.

I try to bring that same spirit of fun, curiosity and challenge to each KidVenture book. That’s why every chapter ends with a dilemma and a set of questions. KidVenture books are fun for kids to read alone, and even more fun to read together and discuss. There are plenty of books where kids learn about being doctors and astronauts and firefighters. There are hardly any where they learn what it’s like to run small business. KidVenture is different. The companies the kids start are modest and simple, but the themes are serious and important.

I’m an entrepreneur who has started a half dozen or so businesses and have had my share of failures. My dad was an entrepreneur and as a kid I used to love asking him about his business and learning the ins and outs of what to do and not do. Mistakes make the best stories — and the best lessons. I wanted to write a business book that was realistic, where you get to see the characters stumble and wander and reset, the way entrepreneurs do in real life. Unlike most books and movies where business is portrayed as easy, where all you need is one good idea and the desire to be successful, the characters in KidVenture find that every day brings new problems to solve.

More from Steve

KidVenture books are interactive business adventure stories for middle grade readers. In every KidVenture book, a group of young entrepreneurs start a business and have to overcome a series of challenges to make their business profitable. Every chapter ends with a series of questions where readers face the same choices as the protagonists and can reflect on what they would do and how they would respond to the obstacle. These can be great starting points for rich discussions if read with a parent or as a group.

Beyond teaching business lessons, KidVenture books are also full of characters encountering ethical dilemmas and all sorts of temptations: the desire to lie when the business is not doing well, the enticement to break a partnership when it’s no longer convenient, the inducement to keep extra profits to yourself and not share them, and so on. Young readers are asked to wrestle with these questions too as the story progresses.

Years ago when my son was about 4 or 5 we went to a corn maze on a school field trip. After a while it occurred to me to hand him the map and have him lead us. I got to show him how to interpret the map, decide which way to turn, and how to look for landmarks. And —this was the best part— I let him get lost, and helped him figure out how to know when you’re lost and how to get  find your way back to a spot you recognize. It was such a sweet memory, an almost perfect vision of what fatherhood is like. And then later I realized, as wonderful as that day was, being a father is much more challenging. The maze has a right way and a wrong way. Life is messier, way more complicated. That thought always stuck with me, the contrast between that day inside the maze and every day outside it. I didn’t know what to do with that idea, until I got a burst of inspiration and decided to write a new KidVenture book based on a corn maze business.

In Through The Maize, there are a group of three siblings who decide to start a corn maze business. Chance, Addie and Sophie remember going to a corn maze when they were younger and lament that it has no closed, so they are inspired to stat one of their own. They go visit a farm just outside of town and present the farmer with a proposal to build a corn maze on one of his fields and fields. The farmer is skeptical and asks for an upfront payment to use his land. This threatens to sink the kids’ new venture before it ever gets going, but after some debate they decide to put together a business plan and find an investor. That’s when the action really starts.

After some negotiation, the farmer agrees to partner with the kids but they must work with his nephew, Cody who is older and has a lot of experience working on a farm. Right away Cody and Chance butt heads, as Cody seems to disagree with everything Chance proposes. Even worse, Cody demands his own share of the profits, separate from what was promised to the farmer. As the kids proceed with their plan, begin planting corn and drawing the maze map, the situation between Chance and Cody only gets worse. Finally tempers explode and the whole venture is in jeopardy. Not only is the business falling apart, there is an investor who will lose his money if Chance and Cody can’t figure out a way to work together.One of my goals with KidVenture books is for kids to feel empowered to take on the world and tackle complex problems. I don’t just mean business problems like figuring out what the price of a product or service should be, or how to market a company. That’s certainly part of it. But more broadly, I want kids to learn how to handle difficult people problems. Business comes down to working with people and to be good at business you have to be good at working with people, whether It’s motivating people on your side to work towards a common goal or negotiating with people on the other side to reach an agreement both can benefit from.

My hope is that young readers will see how Chance handles the relationship with Cody and learn from it. At first, Chance does a terrible job. He’s jealous of the attention Cody gets and he begins to interpret everything Cody says and does as an attack, as a challenge to his authority, even when it isn’t. Things finally start to change when he begins to understand what his role as a leader should be, and that includes making the people who work for him (like Cody) feel like heroes in their own story. That requires humility and letting other people take credit for what they’re accomplishing. Chance has to decide what’s more important: feeling properly recognized, or getting the job done and having a successful business?

Once Chance begins to reframe his relationship with Cody in this way, he also starts to become more aware of how he has been filtering all of Cody’s actions through his own sense of wounded pride and interpreting them in the worst possible way. Chance realizes he has the power to change how he construes what Cody says and does, and this gives him the freedom to focus on what’s important to him (namely finishing the maze) and not be constantly reacting to Cody. This is an enormously empowering realization, one that I hope young readers can learn from which will help them get through their own mazes in life.

Blog Stops

Life on Chickadee Lane, August 7

Vicky Sluiter, August 8 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 9

Blossoms and Blessings, August 10 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, August 11

Artistic Nobody, August 12 (Author Interview)

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, August 13

A Reader’s Brain, August 14 (Author Interview)

Lots of Helpers, August 14

Locks, Hooks and Books, August 15

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, August 16 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 17

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 18

Guild Master, August 19 (Author Interview)

For Him and my Family, August 19

1Bookzone, August 20

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Steve is giving away the grand prize package of a paperback copy of all three books in the KidVenture series!!

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/2dbdf/kidventure-through-the-maize-celebration-tour-giveaway

Resilient and Redeemed: Lessons about Suicidality and Depression from the Psych Ward by Chris Morris

 

About the Book

 

Book: Resilient and Redeemed: Lessons about Suicidality and Depression from the Psych Ward

Author: Chris Morris

Genre: Christian Living / Mental Health

Release date: June 11, 2024

God cares deeply about you and your mental health. Author and mental health advocate Chris Morris has battled depression and suicidality his entire adult life. Even coming to Christ didn’t change this, which is something many fellow Christians don’t seem to understand. He still had to face the grief of unrelenting illness, the shame of struggling, and the pain of poor guidance.

In this compassionate and engaging book, Chris shares how he overcame these challenges and invites you to do the same–no matter your diagnosis. Weaving biblical truth and personal stories with thoughtful strategies and hard-earned wisdom, he helps you move past fear and shame to combat the specters of depression and suicidality.

God is still there, even in the darkest of places. May this book be a step in the process of healing and help you find hope in your battle.

Includes reflection questions, Scripture meditations, and a bonus video course.

 

Click here to get your copy!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions given are my own and not an

endorsement of all author's opinions. 

 

Author Interview

● What was your process to align your book with your target audience?

This book pretty naturally aligns with its target audience, to be honest. It is written for

people of faith who struggle with this mental health, their loved ones, and church leaders

who want to better understand the mental health struggles their people are going

through. And frankly, the nature of the stories in the book lend themselves quite naturally

to those three audiences.

I do worry that someone who isn’t in my target audience might pick up this book and

expect something very different than what the book actually gives them. For example, if

they are looking for a quick answer to solve a mental health dilemma, this book won’t

provide that. I will say that the reason that won’t be provided is because I don’t believe

there are quick answers to mental health challenges. But that’s one example of how

someone might be disappointed with Resilient and Redeemed.

● What was the most challenging part of writing your book?

One of the chapters details my suicide attempt. This was intense and challenging to

write on many levels. For starters, my suicide attempt is probably the biggest mistake

I’ve ever made in my life, so revisiting that was humbling and brought a lot of pain to the

surface. Beyond that, I had to rely on my wife’s memories of the suicide attempt, so we

had to walk back through the most painful thing we’ve experienced together in our

marriage. There were lots of tears shed, and we had to decide together whether it was

appropriate to even share pieces of this moment with the whole world.

On a related note, every part of this book was hard to write because I am exposing

myself and my struggles to every reader of the book. I worried, and still do worry, about

people thinking less of me or dismissing me because of the stories contained in Resilient

and Redeemed.

● Was your writing process spontaneous as it came to you or very planned and

organized? Why?

I have a combination of spontaneous and organized portions of my writing process. I do

start with an outline, so I’m not fully a “pantser” by any means. Especially with a book

like this, it’s too important to make sure that I’m covering all the important parts of my life

and detailing all the ways God proved himself faithful in the midst of my life. However,

my outline consists of about a paragraph for each chapter that I plan to write. Crafting

that outline is a very intentional and slow process, that takes a lot of time, planning, and

thought.

But, once I have that outline, I just roll with it and see what flows out of my brain. I free-

write based on the paragraph summaries. Surprisingly, most of the first drafts that I write

end up being part of the final project. I think that the outlining and the thought that goes

into the outlining frees my brain to focus in the background on the full chapters, so that

it’s almost like I’m just capturing the ideas that are already fully formed in my head on

paper.

● How many books do you personally own?

I own about 300 physical books. I have a wide floor-to-ceiling bookshelf in my office, and

it’s overflowing with books. That doesn’t even count the ebooks and audiobooks that I

have. I would say I have a problem, but then again, isn’t it a good thing to never run out

of books to read? Truthfully, I have about 50 books on my TBR list right now, and I just

bought a new one the other day. Whoops!

● What is your next big goal as an author?

My next big goal is to land a TEDx spot. I know it’s not technically an author goal, but it’s

where I am focusing right now. I have met so many people who want to support mental

illness communities, but feel like they have nothing to offer. My TED Talk would be

focused on the ways that anyone can impact those with mental illnesses. Too many folks

believe they need to be a social worker or a psychiatrist to make a difference, but often

times it’s as simple as being an excellent listener.

About the Author

Chris Morris is a certified mental health coach dedicated to promoting understanding of mental health issues within the church. Because of a lifelong struggle with depression and suicidality, Chris became committed to breaking down the stigma surrounding mental health and encouraging others to seek after holistic health.

As a writer and speaker, Chris has shared his personal story and insights with audiences across the country, inspiring many individuals to take control of their own health, break free from poor theological teaching placed upon them, and seek the support they need. He has published several books on mental health, the most recent being Resilient and Redeemed. His work has been featured in a number of media outlets, including CrossWalk, The Mighty, and Fathom Magazine.

Chris is deeply committed to creating a more compassionate and supportive world and church for individuals living with mental health issues. Through his writing and speaking, he is a powerful voice for change and a beacon of hope for those in need.

More from Chris

Resilient and Redeemed is a book that the Christian community needs. For too long, those with mental health conditions have been forced to be shamed or to hide their struggles. Especially in a post-COVID world, mental health has to come to the forefront of the conversation. This book details in an unapologetic way my struggles with depression and suicidal ideations. The core message of this book is that God doesn’t write people off because of their struggles with their mental health. No, God is with us and for us no matter what.

Resilient and Redeemed is full of hard-won, battle-tested tools that will help people fight the battle for their mental health. There are no easy answers given, because no two mental illnesses present the same. Ensconced in story, this book gives a full toolbox of practices to support better mental health, ranging from how to find a counselor that will work for you to daily rituals that will ground your days and affirm your agency in your life.

I also put together a video series talking about resilience to accompany this book. As a member of the blog tour, you’ll gain access to over 40 minutes of me talking about resilience. We cover things like where does resilience come from, what does resilience have to do with faith, and so much more. I’m especially proud of the work I did for this video series, and I think you’ll find it incredibly valuable.

Blog Stops

Vicky Sluiter, July 27 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 27

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, July 28 (Author Interview)

Simple Harvest Reads, July 29 (Author Interview)

For the Love of Literature, July 30 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, July 31

Tell Tale Book Reviews, August 1 (Author Interview)

Through the Fire Blogs, August 2 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 3

Blossoms and Blessings, August 4 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, August 5

Stories By Gina, August 6 (Author Interview)

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, August 7 (Author Interview)

A Reader’s Brain, August 8 (Author Interview)

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, August 9 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, August 9

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Chris is giving away the grand prize package of a $75 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book, and an Audible copy of Whispers in the Pews: Voices on Mental Illness in the Church!!

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/2dbd9/resilient-and-redeemed-celebration-tour-giveaway