Mara The Unseen Battle (Victory Series Book One) by Blossom Turner

 

 

About the Book

 

Book: Mara The Unseen Battle (The Victory Series Book One)

Author: Blossom Turner

Genre: Christian Suspense

Release date: January 21, 2024

A mother’s love should be a given…

Growing up in1970s small-town Canada, Mara Howland strives to meet her mother’s impossible demands—yet the sting of failure always follows. Each punishment leaves another wound to hide, another cruelty to hush, until that dark summer evening. Now, she holds a secret she must bury…if she wants to survive.

But more is happening than meets the eye.

The mystery of the supernatural unfolds as Mara’s guardian angel and the sinister forces of evil battle for her well-being—and her soul. A place where rulers of the darkness prey on the innocent and unwary. Will Mara’s spirit be crushed by the malevolent powers that fuel her mother’s cruelty, or is there a loving God who has a plan for her life?

In this gripping first book of a three-part series, Mara’s life journey brings startling awareness of our daily spiritual battles. Step with Mara behind the veil of the visible world, into a realm where prayer is a weapon, faith is tested, and all must choose between hatred and revenge, or love and forgiveness.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

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

Author Interview

• What was the most enjoyable part of writing your book? 

I love sitting down at the keyboard and writing that first draft. Before I get started each day I pray to God for creativity, and He is the best writing partner going. Imagination flows, and I have yet to have writer’s block. To God be the glory.

• How do you weave Biblical truths into your writing? 

Mara, The Unseen Battle is a story based on Ephesians 6, and Spiritual Warfare. It brings alive the truth that we have an enemy, and we are in a battle. Weaving this Bible truth into the story is done by a peek into the other realm where guardian angels and Satan’s minions are at work and at war. Through story and showing these scenes this truth comes alive.

• Are any of your characters based off of yourself or those close to you?

In Mara, The Unseen Battle, her story and abuse is close to what I suffered as a child.  It is why my beta readers have said that the writing comes across as authentic and heart-wrenching. Of course, I have used enough fiction to protect the not-so-innocent.

• Do you have a  favorite time of day you are most productive in your writing? 

Mornings are for sure my most productive time, but there are days when the creative lbug bites and I’m up late into the wee hours of the morning allowing the creative blast wings to fly.

• Why did you pick this genre for your book? 

I was happy writing historical romance, but this genre of Christian Suspense/Spiritual Warfare picked me rather than the other way around.  I would have to say that God kept dropping this into my mind over and over. When I finished my award-winning Shenandoah Brides Series, it was like the Holy Spirit said that now was the time. I felt it would be a disobedience if I did not follow where I was led. So, I am very excited about what God has planned for this series, for it is all His, not mine.

 

 

Thank you, Katie, for taking the time to interview me. May you be blessed for blessing me.

 

 

About the Author

Blossom Turner is an award-winning novelist who loves to jump out of planes, garden, and sing… all for fun. She is published in Chicken Soup and Kernels of Hope anthologies, a former newspaper columnist on health and fitness and personal trainer. With a passion for words this gifted author brings to life thought-provoking stories of love and relationship sprinkled with God’s hope. Check out the award-winning Shenandoah Bride Series about five sisters and their love stories. She and her husband, David, have two grown children and live in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, with their Shepherd/Bernese dog named Lacey.

 

More from Blossom

Have you ever felt like something, or someone is watching you? Have you ever experienced darkness in a fully lit room? Or wondered if a malevolent force was working against you?

We all love stories on angels and God’s love and protection, but we also have an enemy…a living, breathing adversary, who comes to steal, kill and destroy. Ephesians 6:12 says…For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (NKJV)

This story, Mara, The Unseen Battle… found me. My genre is historical romance. I was building a following, won some awards, and loved what I was doing. But as I finished up my last series the Holy Spirit made it very clear that Mara would be my next project. From my own experiences of childhood abuse, I added enough fiction to protect the not-so-innocent and created a story that reveals the unseen spirit world that preys on the innocent and vulnerable.

As sweet Mara suffers under an abusive mother, we discover evil forces are plotting her death. The odds are against her, yet she does not fight alone. In this first book of a three-book series Mara comes face-to-face with the evil behind her mother’s attacks and must choose whether to enter that darkness or turn toward the light. Her birth to death story unfolds in a unique, riveting, and page-turning experience that will alert you to events taking place in the unseen spirit world.

You will be entertained, (nothing wrong with that) but you will also come away with a greater appreciation for prayer, for Christ, and His work on the cross. You may even view the trials of life in a new encouraging way. The battle is real but the One by our side is victorious.

Blog Stops

The Lofty Pages, January 24

Artistic Nobody, January 25 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, January 25

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 26

Stories By Gina, January 27 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, January 28

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, January 29 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, January 30

Guild Master, January 31 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 1

A Reader’s Brain, February 2 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 3

Back Porch Reads, February 4 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, February 5

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, February 6 (Author Interview)

Leslie’s Library Escape, February 6

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Blossom is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Certificate and an eBook copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54140

Kisses from Heaven, Book Three by C.B. Caleb Woodworth

 

About the Book

Book: Kisses from Heaven, Book Three: Unique, Inexplicable, Extraordinary, and Supernatural Tales from the Heart of a Miraculous God

Author: C.B. Caleb Woodworth

Genre: RELIGION / Christian Living / Personal Memoirs/ Prayer/ Inspirational

Release date: December 10, 2024

Jesus proved who He was by signs and wonders. Here, pastors and restoration ministers C.B. Caleb Woodworth and intercessor wife, Emily Anne, are ready to serve you a banquet of real-life God Stories, personal testimonies of Jesus’ unique, inexplicable, extraordinary, and supernatural ways to illustrate, once again, He is still the same yesterday, today, and forever.

If you’ve ever wondered whether God was still performing miracles in our day, this series will be a welcome reminder of his power and goodness.

 

Click here to get your copy!

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

 

Author Interview

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

Whether on the traditional or charismatic side of the Church, American Christians are lacking the

knowledge that Holy Spirit is the only God on earth, that He lives within each of us as a real person and

was sent as our Helper because we desperately need help negotiating our Christian walk. Would any

of us live as we do ignoring the most gracious, others-centered person alive, one who is above all

things longing for a close, loving, personal relationship with us? What if we could simply see Him

constantly at work trying to build a relationship of trust and dependence to become our number one

priority in life? Perhaps, if we could see through the distractions that He is always trying to help us

grow into the image of Christ by intervening in our daily lives to provide and protect us, often

incognito, inexplicably, and at the eleventh hour. So often, we claim serendipity, coincidence,

ourselves lucky, to have beaten the odds, or have good karma and are giving credit where credit is not

due. But for Holy Spirit, blessed Holy Spirit, who slips in to clean up our messes without a sound. “For

God alone I wait in silence” (Psalm 62:1). When was the last time you waited in silence, busy Christian? This book results from a lifetime waiting in the Spirit for Him to move and then being privileged to be apart of the whole miracle without raising a finger and getting a “Kiss from Heaven” for it. Grace.

*What was the most enjoyable part of writing this book?

I periodically read over my work to see if He will make it more readable or fill in blanks He wishes filled. This process is such a blessing to see Him work carefully but powerfully in situations that seem unfixable or irredeemable. These stories never fail to remind me how much He loves us. And why not? “Kisses from Heaven” do that.

*Did you learn anything new during your writing process?

Patience. Willingness to let Him shape the story that I already had in mind to bring glory to Heaven and

away from Earth, i.e. to Father and away from me. The “postscripts,” the insights at the end of each chapter, were for the most part a teaching lesson for me, commonly an epiphany, and in the end a reason for the story in the first place.

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

organized?

Both. It was already a story when I began to write it, but spontaneous in the postscripts when I felt Holy

Spirit had His say (sometimes I think I butted in).

*What is your next big goal as an author?

Snippets, snacks, shards, and leftovers sometime when He gives the word!

About the Author

A Marine aviator and family physician, C.B. Caleb Woodworth and Proverbs 31 wife, Emily, left the world to follow Holy Spirit as restoration (inner healing) missionary pastors over the last twenty-six years. Today, the Woodworths continue ministry among those in need from America’s heartland, making the most of their time, for the days are short.

 

 

 More from C.B. Caleb

In a world that is growing darker and where hope seems far away, we need to hear about the goodness and faithfulness of God all the more.

This little book of true God Stories will introduce you to the wondrous ways Holy Spirit works to accomplish His will and purposes. Sometimes referred to as miracles, these “Kisses from Heaven” have most often come as a complete surprise or at the eleventh hour to turn ordinary events into inexplicable, extraordinary, or even supernatural ones.

Whether you are doubtful and need a reason to believe or you are a faithful believer grown weary in your walk, you will find story after story of God’s gracious intervention in the lives of mortal men and a hopeful reminder of the goodness and faithfulness of our heavenly Father.

So, Christian, come join us for a walk through our encouraging, if not eye-opening, personal little book of God Stories. We pray it becomes the harbinger of Jesus sharing tender mercies to and through your own lives, leading to an awesome Kiss from Heaven or two for you to pass on to the kids, grandkids, and generations to come.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 22

Artistic Nobody, January 23 (Author Interview)

Stories By Gina, January 24 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, January 24

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, January 25 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, January 26

Guild Master, January 27 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, January 28

A Reader’s Brain, January 29 (Author Interview)

Godly Book Reviews, January 30

Back Porch Reads, January 31 (Author Interview)

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

Mary Hake, February 1

Fiction Book Lover, February 2 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 3

Simple Harvest Reads, February 4 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, C.B. Caleb is giving away the grand prize of a $100 Amazon Gift Card and a copy of all three books in the series!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54138

Change Rushes West: A Ginnie West Adventure by Monique Bucheger & G.L. Rasmussen

 

 

About the Book

 

Book: Change Rushes West: A Ginnie West Adventure

Authors: Monique Bucheger & G.L. Rasmussen

Genre: Upper MG

Release date: January 8, 2025

Twelve-year-old Ginnie West has always been haunted by her mom’s tragic accident—and by the fact that her mom’s prized trick-riding horse, Eternal Love, was sold shortly afterward.

When Ginnie and her twin brother, Toran, uncover new clues about where Eternal Love might be, they embark on an exciting journey to find the horse that holds so many memories of their mother. With her horse, Calliope—who, as it turns out, is Eternal Love’s daughter—Ginnie faces a mystery filled with unexpected twists, family secrets, and plenty of challenges along the way.

As she races toward answers, Ginnie learns that sometimes the past isn’t as far away as it seems, and love can be found in the most surprising places. Change Rushes West is a heartwarming adventure about family, friendship, and finding hope in the most unexpected moments.

 

Click here to get your copy!

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

Author Interview

1) What was the most enjoyable part of writing your book? Finally getting to add the last 8 chapters to this finished novel. I wrote them 2 books ago, but the last 2 books are not where they belonged. It was very satisfying to add in the other story arcs and allow the final chapters to bring everything to an exciting finish–for this book. We’ve already started writing Book 8. ;) 

 

2) Are any of your characters based off of yourself or those close to you? Ginnie’s mom was inspired by a woman who championed me as a teen–and who has since passed away. But her kindness and love still live in my memories and gratitude for influence lives in my heart.

 

3) Was your writing process spontaneous as it came to you or very planned and organized? I am a discovery writer (or pantser) by nature. However, I know my stories benefit from some plotting. Why? I write with some vague notion of what I want to happen, but I don’t plot it all out because I l;ike my characters to have a say. They keep the stories interesting to me. 

 

4) Do you have a  favorite time of day you are most productive in your writing? I usually write best first thing in the morning or late at night when the house is quiet. I wrote my first 4 books mostly between 10 pm and 2 am–because that’s when my kids were asleep and I could write without being interrupted. 

 

5) Why did you pick this genre for your book? Ginnie is 12–so she sort of picked the main genre by her age: middle grade. This series is more upper middle grade since I deal with some hard subjects–but all in an age appropriate way. The series also touches on family drama since the extended West family is involved with most of Ginnie’s adventures, and this book is also a mystery as Ginnie tries to discover what happened to her late mother’s prized nationally ranked horse after her dad sold her over 8 years ago.

 

Katie,

Thanks for hosting: CHANGE RUSHES WEST on your blog today. As a FREE thank you gift for having us, you and your readers are welcome to
download a short story that we wrote to introduce you to Ginnie and her family, which happens before Book 1 in our series.

Ginnie & Toran’s Great Escape:
https://BookHip.com/DNFVDVW
My website is:https://authormoniquebucheger.com/

 

About the Author

Monique is a bestselling author, a certified Farland Fiction Coach, and an empowerment speaker, dedicated to championing the underdog, in both her writing and real-life adventures.

Having a heart for families in crisis, Monique creates stories that capture the essence of real-life challenges and triumphs, with a touch of humor.

Monique’s upper middle-grade series, ‘The Ginnie West Adventures,’ delves into sensitive and weighty themes such as parental loss, abandonment, and overcoming abuse. She delivers stories not only for tween readers, but for those young at heart.

Drawing from her experiences nurturing a dozen of her own children and fostering over a hundred more, Monique’s experiences shape her books, creating novels in a number of genres, including a historical family saga, contemporary family dramas, a fun picture book, and a middle grade series weaving whimsy and heart into her tales.

A country boy by birth and by choice, Gary spent his youth working on the family farm, for local farmers and ranchers, on horseback or playing sports. Offered scholarships in Agriculture and Advertising Design, he opted for the bright lights and big city. Eight years in the advertising field convinced him that wasn’t where he wanted to be.

Gary freelanced in design and illustration, converted his love of writing for advertising to a newspaper column about the country lifestyle. He has also worked as a ranch manager, cowboy, rancher, and horse trainer. An avid painter and author, Gary shares  his talents through mentoring others, is a past president of the Western Art Guild and Idaho Writers League and is an active member of Western Writers of America.

Gary and his wife, Margie are the parents of four children and ten grandchildren and have traveled extensively throughout Europe, Great Britain and the United States.

More from Monique

Hello Everyone,

Change Rushes West has been a long-time coming for me. It explores Ginnie’s relationship with her mom’s horse, Eternal Love. Ginnie’s mom’s tragic accident really shaped the entire series. From the beginning, I knew that losing the horse was a sore spot for Ginnie. I always wondered what happened to Eternal Love after she was sold—it felt like an unresolved part of Ginnie’s story.

The idea of bringing them back together has been in the back of my mind for years, but I didn’t seriously explore it until one night G.L. and I brainstormed ways to tie up some loose ends in the series as well as figure out what story arcs to add to this book.

That brainstorming session was pivotal. We started imagining what Ginnie’s journey to find Eternal Love would look like and realized it could be so much more than just a search for a lost horse. It could be a way for Ginnie to reconnect with her mother, heal from that loss, and explore how life moves forward—even when it feels like it’s standing still.

I also loved the idea of Calliope, Ginnie’s horse, being Eternal Love’s daughter. It felt like a beautiful connection between Ginnie’s past and present, between the mother she lost and the person she’s becoming. It added another layer of emotional depth to the story. I wanted Ginnie’s journey to feel like a true adventure, but also an internal one, where she learns that not all endings are sad—sometimes they’re just the beginning of something new.

Writing Change Rushes West was a way to bring Ginnie full circle, and I think readers will enjoy the mystery and the twists along the way. There’s family drama, of course, and the West family is as dynamic as ever.

However, at its heart, this story is not only about Eternal Love, the horse her mother was seldom apart from, but about the emotional love—both the kind you lose… and the kind you find, when you least expect it.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, January 14

Vicky Sluiter, January 15 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, January 15

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 16

Simple Harvest Reads, January 17 (Author Interview)

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, January 18

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

Texas Book-aholic, January 20

Tell Tale Book Reviews, January 21 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, January 22

Blossoms and Blessings, January 23 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 24

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, January 25 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, January 26

A Reader’s Brain, January 27 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Monique is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54136

Charlotte McMaster and the Messenger Angel by Terry Overton

 

About the Book

 

Book: Charlotte McMaster and the Messenger Angel

Author: Terry Overton

Genre: Middle Grade Reader Fiction

Release date: November 26, 2024

Charlotte McMaster is in trouble. Some innocent memes shared to the whole school have resulted in community service at a rehabilitation center for the elderly. But her time with Mrs. Abigail Hooper will at least get her out of the tension at home, where her father stays out late working and her mother spends a lot of time worrying.

But when Mrs. Hooper invites Charlotte to spend time in her garden, she tells Charlotte about an angel that appeared to her when her husband died. Charlotte is drawn to the elderly woman and soon finds herself bringing her best friend, Ellie, on her visits as well. Seeking for answers about her adoption and her biological parents, Charlotte continues to be drawn to the garden to see if she can see the angel for herself.

Will Charlotte ever be able to find the answers she is searching for? Or will her search tear her family apart?

 

Click here to get your copy!

I received a complimentary copy of this book, and 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 was written when my youngest granddaughter was in middle school. Hanging around her and her friends helped me to see the world of middle school through the eyes of a middle schooler. 

●​What was the most challenging part of writing your book? This book covers topics such as foster care, adoption, family arguments and irregular parenting. It is hard to write about these topics in a manner that conveys what is happening in the family without making it sound too raw or too rough. It was my desire to convey how difficult these situations can yet hopefully not to trigger any readers who face similar issues. For this reason, humor and sympathy were used in an effort to keep a light tone.

●​What was the most enjoyable part of writing your book? I always love using cross-generational characters to tell the story and inform the reader about scripture. In this book, an elderly neighbor is the one strengthening the faith of the younger characters.

●​How do you weave Biblical truths into your writing? By using plot, subtext, and dialogue, young readers can learn about Scripture and Christian values.

●​Are any of your characters based off of yourself or those close to you? Not based upon those close to me but the topics of adoption and fostering were inspired by my daughter who has fostered eleven children and adopted one to be raised alongside her own children.

●​Was your writing process spontaneous as it came to you or very planned and organized? Why? Always a pantser writing spontaneously.

●​Do you have a  favorite time of day you are most productive in your writing? These days anytime it is quiet in my house-usually from 3:30 AM until midmorning. 

●​Why did you pick this genre for your book? I have been focusing on middle-grade Christian fiction for a while. It's not just fun to write, but it's a genre that allows me to reach young middle grade readers through entertaining characters and exciting plots, which I find incredibly rewarding.

●​How many books do you personally own? I have no idea! We are still unpacking boxes from a recent move and the entire upstairs has boxes of books wall-to-wall in one large room.

●​What is your next big goal as an author? Right now I am mulling over a new series…more to come on that in the future. I'm excited to share more about this new series and I hope it will be something that my readers will enjoy.

About the Author

Terry Overton is a retired university professor of educational and school psychology. She has an Ed.D. in Special Education and a Ph.D. in Psychology. Her professional experience includes teaching public school, teaching at the university level, and being a college dean. She has two children, seven grandchildren, one great granddaughter. Her writing and publication experiences include textbook and journal articles in the fields of special education and school psychology. She seeks to answer God’s call to share the good news and grow the church by writing Christian books and devotionals. Her books have won Firebird Book Awards, American Writing Winner Awards, Bookfest Winner Awards, Reader Views Silver Reviewers Award, and International Book Award Finalist. Her books examine real world events with a Christian worldview. She enjoys writing for young children, middle grade readers, YA fiction, and adult level novels. She and her husband live in the southern tip of Texas where they enjoy semi-tropical weather and spending time with their friends and family.

More from Terry

My daughter is an amazing person. After having three children, she and her husband felt God calling them to do more for children without parents. They fostered eleven children. But one year, they were asked to foster a newborn infant whose mother was no longer able to care for any of her children due to drug addiction. It was not that the child was rejected by his mother but that she could not care for him. My daughter brought him home from the hospital at the age of three days while he was having withdrawal symptoms from meth. After a few months, they decided to adopt the child. The process took a while because, for a short time, the child was allowed to return to his birth mother. He now lives with my daughter’s family, and he is an absolute delight and a great addition to the household. Charlotte McMaster and The Messenger Angel is dedicated to my daughter. It is a middle-grade reader about a middle school girl who, while wrestling with the question of being adopted and being rejected by her birth mother, meets a fascinating elderly lady. The vision of an angel provides help and guidance as this young girl comes to realize her adoptive parents were selected for her by God. This story conveys themes of healing, hope, and spiritual discovery. Through the character of Charlotte McMaster, the novel explores how a young girl, navigating the challenges of family tension and personal identity, seeks guidance from earthly and Heavenly sources. The elderly Mrs. Abigail Hooper tells Charlotte about her own experience with an angel. This introduces Charlotte to the idea of divine presence, sparking her curiosity about her past and adoption.

Blog Stops

Leslie’s Library Escape, January 18

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, January 19

A Reader’s Brain, January 20 (Author Interview)

Library Lady’s Kid lit, January 21

Back Porch Reads, January 22 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 23

Simple Harvest Reads, January 24 (Author Interview)

Bizwings Blog, January 25

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, January 26

Texas Book-aholic, January 26

Artistic Nobody, January 27 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, January 28

Guild Master, January 29 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, January 29

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 30

Fiction Book Lover, January 31 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Terry is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54134

Trekking Toward Tenacity by Chris Morris

 

 

About the Book

 

Book: Trekking Toward Tenacity: Your Family’s Roadmap to Stronger Mental Health

Author: Chris Morris

Genre: Parenting / Christian Living / Mental Health

Release date: September 24, 2024

Empower your children with the gift of tenacity through these practical, meaningful tools for their mental and spiritual health.

Trekking toward Tenacity walks through Psalm 139 verse by verse, discovering how we can help our children develop mentally healthy habits. The goal is to coach our kids to be more tenacious because we live in a tumultuous world. It can be hard to stay focused on God and on mentally healthy habits in that tumult, but this book gives concrete ways to help kids to do just that.

By teaching parents practical application steps to implement with kids of all ages, ranging from preschool to adolescent, this book will give them new tools to support their families in the quest for better mental health. It will provide rock-solid encouragement for parents who are stressed out and wondering if they’re making the right choices for their families. It provides counterintelligence against the onslaught of increased risks of mental health challenges for children and young adults today.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book and 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? 

My target audience is parents of children from preschool to high school. The biggest thing that I did to align my book with this audience was to identify different application points for each age range. As you might imagine, having a conversation with a five-year-old is drastically different than having a conversation on the same topic with a fifteen-year-old. So every chapter has distinct, age-appropriate activities to help the various age ranges grasp the topics at hand. This was a bit of a challenge to come up with, for the simple fact that I’m not a child development expert. Instead, I had to do a deep dive into all the facts around child development, then apply my learning to the topics at hand. These application activities were definitely theparts of every chapter that took me the longest to write. I don’t mean to say that they were hard necessarily, but it took me using my brain a bit differently than I normally do. Typically, I am a storyteller with a pastoral heart, so I integrate Scripture and stories together for my audience. In this book, there were really two audiences: the parents AND their kids. That required some additional thoughtfulness and time.

 

● Did you learn anything new during your writing process? 

This is a weird one, but I learned that if I hole myself up in a room with almost nothing else to do, I can accomplish remarkable things as an author. Trekking Toward Tenacity was drafted over the course of eight days at an Air BnB in Portland, Oregon. I was feeling some stress about finding the time to pen this book for a lot of reasons that I won’t get into, and then my wife pitched the idea of doing a very serious writing retreat. Not the kind of retreat where you eat popcorn, reminisce with friends about the good old days, and get a little bit of writing done every day. No, she suggested that I plan to write a minimum of seven hours a day for about a week and see how much I can get accomplished during that type of compressed schedule. Well, Trekking Toward Tenacity is somewhere in the neighborhood of 50,000 words. That’s the amount of writing work I can get done in eight days of focused energy. I never would have imagined in a million years that such a thing would be possible for me. I know that I’m a quick writer, but this honestly astonished me. 

 

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

The nature of Trekking Toward Tenacity is such that it lends itself to a very planned approach to writing. It is a verse-by-verse walk through Psalm 139, drawing from the deep theological wells that are found in this beautiful passage and then applying those truths to raising children of all ages to be resilient in their faith and their mental health. Because of the way this book is laid out, staying organized was pretty easy, to be honest. I also had a short outline in place before I ever started writing the book, where I captured all the key concepts I wished to cover in each chapter. Armed with these two things, I was able to fairly quickly execute the plan that I had already established for the book’s content.

 

● How many books do you personally own?

Hahaha, more than I can count. Especially when you include e-books. I did downsize about a year ago when we moved into our new house because we lost two bookshelves. That was incredibly painful. If you can believe it, I have repurchased several of the books I got rid of last year. If I were to put a random guess together of the number of books I own between physical books and e-books, I’d say around 1,200.

 

● What is your next big goal as an author? 

I am focused for the next year or so on developing myself as a speaker. I believe that the content I have created and released in 2024 can make me a very appealing speaker for a variety of settings. Once I have established a decent track record there, it will be time to go back to the creative hub and find a new book idea. I have several rumbling around in my head right now, but trying to decide which to move forward with is really tricky. Right now, I have two book ideas related to mental health awareness and one devotional idea that I am toying with seriously. Only time will tell if these are publishable ideas, but I have a good feeling about all of them right now.

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

I literally wrote the book that I wish I had 20 years ago when I was raising my kids. Being a parent today is tumultuous. Especially in a post-COVID world, mental health is a strong contender for the biggest challenges facing our kids. There are plenty of books out there that give us theories on how to raise our kids, and plenty of books that are full of devotionals to walk through with our kids, but shockingly few books dedicated to coaching our kids to have tenacity.

In my experience, tenacity might be the biggest difference maker between seeing our kids move successfully through life and floundering. It’s a given that challenges will come, whether those struggles look like not making the varsity basketball team or something more serious. We simply have to help our kids know how to walk through the missed opportunities and hard times that will inevitably come into their lives.

Trekking Toward Tenacity does just that. We walk through Psalm 139 verse by verse and pull out practical, meaningful tips, tricks, and conversations to have with our kids to help them develop resilience. News flash: there’s no magic potion we can give our kids that gives them bounce-backability. Instead, this is found through conversation about life and God.

My favorite part of this book was writing the age-appropriate activities in the center of each chapter. Instead of only giving you theology or child psychology data without any practical application, Trekking Toward Tenacity includes specific activities you can try out with your kids. There’s obviously no guarantee that these ideas will work, but I can tell you that they worked for other kids. These are pie-in-the-sky concepts, but activities that have been tried in the real world.

If you’re looking for a book that will arm you with skills to coach your kids on how to develop tenacity in their lives, this is the book for you!

Blog Stops

Its Mama Safe, January 16

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, January 17

A Reader’s Brain, January 18 (Author Interview)

Guild Master, January 19 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 19

Artistic Nobody, January 20 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, January 21

Aryn the Libraryan, January 22

Back Porch Reads, January 23 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, January 24

Simple Harvest Reads, January 25 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, January 25

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 26

Fiction Book Lover, January 27 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, January 28

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, January 29 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

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

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54132