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!

  *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.

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

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: