Living Our Faith Out Loud

New addition to the Uncharted Series

2026-06-01T08:05:42.352-05:00

Uncharted Blessing
Keely Brooke Keith

#16 in the Uncharted Series

Edenbrooke Press, June 1, 2026
Ebook $7.99
Print, 239 pp
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About the Book

Charlotte Cotter finds purpose in caring for others while burying her broken dream of a family of her own. When she leaves home to tend to a village matriarch, Charlotte never imagines the household she enters will change her life forever. But when a dying friend needs her help, Charlotte faces a daunting promise and a fragile hope she scarcely dares to claim.

Josiah Roberts never expected trouble at the family mill, nor to share a home with the village baker’s quiet, selfless daughter. Still haunted by past rejection, Josiah is determined to keep control of his life—in business and in love. But as Charlotte nurtures his mother, his home, and now an orphaned baby, Josiah sees true strength lies not in control but in compassion.

Meanwhile, as Caleb’s missionary journey continues, he discovers the dangers of life outside the Land.

My review

Keith’s latest addition to the Uncharted series takes us outside of the Land once again, this time for a more in-depth look at dystopian life after a decimating war. Sheltered over generations, the Land has been isolated from news of the outside world, two hundred years after their accidental arrival in the mid-nineteenth century. Uncharted Blessings opens with a charming visit between friends, a contentious episode at a local business, and a shift to an island in the South being restored to habitability after the war.

Uncharted Blessing pairs another unlikely couple in a potential romance. Josiah Roberts, thwarted in his desire for his father to see him as a responsible adult ready to assume control of the family business, has shielded his heart after a broken engagement. His frustration with his parents occasionally gets the better of him, and the absence of his younger brother Silas on a dangerous mission to the outside world has his parents neither willing nor ready to hand over the reins and retire. Charlotte Cotter has a secret known outside the family only to the community’s physician: she won’t be able to bear children and thus sees herself as unfit to marry. She’s always pretended invisibility, but this time she can’t hide when her friend, Josiah’s mother, has a stroke and Charlotte is asked to stay and help care for her.

The in-between adventures of Silas and Caleb’s missionary journey to an island in the South Atlantic add a little tonic to this tale and I’m curious what they’ll report if and when they return to the Land.

Although I understand the reasons for this society to act as it does—so conservative that it hurts my heart—I am so sad for Charlotte that she sees her worth of a man’s love only as a breeding animal. She feels she is worthy only to be a servant to others, which of course is honorable, but she is so reserved that she purposefully watches the ground as she walks so she doesn’t accidentally meets anyone’s eye. Charlotte does find herself a bit by standing up for others who have been damaged, and her family and friends love and support her, so there is growth. As a Christian I do understand the society stuck in 1860-American conservatism Protestantism, but with the current abuse and mockery of our precious faith in the regime of today, even this fiction is a bit painful. As always, Keith’s writing is beautiful and characterization lush. Readers of faith-based fantasy fiction will enjoy this next addition to the series.

Author

Keely Brooke Keith is the author of the beloved Uncharted series—inspirational frontier-style fiction with a slight sci-fi twist. Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, Keely was a tree-climbing, baseball-loving 80s kid. After a 15-year career as a homeschool teacher, she now enjoys exploring the hidden gems of small-town America on road trips with her husband. Wherever the journeys take her, Keely always returns to her hilltop home south of Nashville, Tennessee, where she dreams up stories about a hidden land.

Great Line up of series starter books and giveaway!

2026-01-12T08:13:00.000-06:00

I’m so excited to be a part of N. N. Light’s Book Heaven Book Series Starter Bookish Event. Check out all the featured books and enter the giveaway to win a $50 Amazon gift card

#mustread #bookseries #giveaway

Enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card

Direct to raffle

Open Internationally.
Runs January 12 – January 20, 2026.
Winner will be drawn on January 21, 2026.

I will be featured on Friday, January 16, 7 a.m.

Join all of the authors all week long at the Bookish Series Starter event!

new concept Bible Study guide from Barbara Britton

2026-01-06T09:00:00.000-06:00

Across the Lake: Traveling with Jesus
Fiction-based Bible Study
January 6, 2026 by ScrivInspire,167 pp
ISBN 9781649175588 (ISBN10: 1649175582)

$15.99 paperback, $24.99 hardcover

Across the Lake: Traveling with Jesus Around the Sea of Galilee by Barbara M. Britton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm a fan of Barbara Britton's fiction. I was curious about this new-to-me form of Bible study, so agreed to check it out. Britton's cross-genre Bible study guide based on fictionalized stories of scriptural events is interesting. She chose six familiar stories from the book of Mark, with support of other scriptures, to briefly expand in compelling and realistic fiction on those stories. They are the story of the demon-possessed man among the tombs; the woman with bleeding who touched Jesus's cloak; Jairus and his daughter; Peter's experience when sent out to evangelize; the feeding of the thousands; and Peter's experience when Jesus interacts with the Gentile woman believer who wanted healing for her daughter. Britton chooses names and adds contextual details to "flesh out" the stories of the passages in several brief chapters in each section, some from different points of view of the observing or involved characters.

Each segment includes an author reflection mostly based on a trip to the area. Following is a several-question study guide that includes questions and comments from other similar and related scriptural references in other books. I personally am glad to see supporting scriptures especially for this study.

I am honestly not sure that creating a Bible study with fictionalized accounts of Biblical stories is for everyone. Britton's creation leaves little room for too much conjecture and is thoughtful. It's an interesting concept and will make for good discussion among people who are already familiar with the Bible.

The book is due out for sale January 6. I received an advanced copy for review.

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Nice holiday read

2025-12-29T12:54:00.001-06:00

While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I liked the story quite a bit, a sort of tale from an old woman to her great-granddaughter, looking back on life. The only mentions of this, though, are in the front, and at the epilogue. Otherwise, it's historical fiction, set in an anonymous small kingdom during an anonymous time frame, but one that included outbreaks of smallpox and little to no healers/medical people. Although the story is supposed to be a trope of Sleeping Beauty, it didn't feel that way to me. The fairies who cursed and relaxed the curse of the princess were her great-aunts. In fact, we didn't even get to meet a princess until quite far into the book. The other elements of sleep and wake-up kiss are less fairytale. So...I liked it, but it was a nice slice of early medieval castle life from the viewpoint of a serving girl with questionable parenthood who rose to prominence in the local castle. For that, it was a picture of a period of time I enjoy reading about. Not too gory or gritty or traumatizing; just a nice holiday read. Recommended for those who enjoy fairytales and medieval life lite.

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Uncharted Joy by Keely Brooke Keith

2025-07-01T18:41:00.001-05:00

Uncharted Joy
Keely Brooke Keith
Edenbrooke Press, July 1, 2025
Book 15 in the series
169 pp
Paper 17.99
Ebook 7.99

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While Anna opens a restaurant in Good Springs, curious schoolteacher Caleb’s quest for truth stirs rebellion, romance, and a spiritual awakening in the village.

Daydreaming of running a restaurant sparks joy in Anna Cotter’s solemn heart while she works in her mother’s bakery with her two sisters. Her dream seems impossible until she inherits a charming cottage in the heart of Good Springs. Determined to make her restaurant a blessing to the village, Anna faces challenges from the elder council and a group of rebels who gather at her tables.

New-in-town schoolteacher Caleb McIntosh spends his evenings researching the outsiders who have come to the Land in recent years. He uses the village’s new restaurant to work on his manuscript and is struck to the core by the proprietor’s confidence, beauty, and uncrackable demeanor.

Anna can handle demanding customers and the council’s edicts, but when the village’s new know-it-all schoolteacher spreads his papers across her corner table every day, her resolve is tested. Yet, as Caleb introduces her to new ideas about the world, faith, and love, her carefully constructed walls begin to crumble.

As a spiritual revival sweeps through Good Springs, tensions rise with whispers of rebellion. When a mysterious ship appears off the Land’s coast, the stakes escalate, and Anna’s dream teeters on the brink of disaster. With Caleb’s research revealing life-altering truths, both their futures hang in the balance.

Uncharted Joy weaves past and future in a faith-filled story of life in a hidden land. Prepare to be captivated by this timeless romance, brimming with mystery and suspense. If you enjoy the simplicity of frontier romance and the wholesomeness of Amish fiction, you’ll adore Uncharted Joy.

My review:

Too much information or secrecy is the new conflict to hit the Land. While this story takes place in the community of Good Springs, they’re not the only ones to suffer unrest of the young. Over a hundred years, several generations, have passed since the Founders landed on the Land Uncharted. Since reports of a world outside of their island have come to be known through visitors and newcomers who have come and integrated into society, the demand to know more, to be allowed to leave and see for themselves, has grown among the younger folks. A few have even turned to theft and rebellion in order to force the hand of the Elders.

Anna Cotter, however, simply wants to live out her dream of cooking for others and making them happy. She’s been enthralled with the idea since visiting the rooming house and restaurant at Falls Creek, and when she learns of a special gift from her great-grandmother, she’s determined to take advantage. Great-grandmother left her small home to Ann to run as a dining establishment. The Elders agree, with limited hours as they fear a social gathering spot may encourage men to leave their families in the evenings. Meanwhile, the new teacher in Good Springs, Caleb is on a special mission to make known the truth of the newcomer’s stories and world in turmoil. He hopes to quell the growing unrest until he hears a unique and undeniable call from the Lord. Anna had not planned on marrying for the sake of taking care of her family, while Caleb is bent on overcoming his slow start in the field of academics. While their meeting and developing relationship is inevitable, they both put the needs of the Land and of the greater world first.

This latest installment of the Land Uncharted is a lovely, thoughtful addition. Are things changing too fast for this unspoiled experiment in a peaceful, self-contained society? I look forward to more stories. Keith continues to grow as a story-teller and these characters will entwine your heart. Those who enjoy faith-filled fiction with the dichotomy of history and dystopia will love each book, which stands alone but features characters from previous books.

Keely Brooke Keith is the author of the beloved Uncharted series—inspirational frontier-style fiction with a slight sci-fi twist.

Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, Keely was a tree-climbing, baseball-loving 80s kid. After a 15-year career as a homeschool teacher, she now enjoys exploring the hidden gems of small-town America on road trips with her husband. Wherever the journeys take her, Keely always returns to her hilltop home south of Nashville, Tennessee, where she dreams up stories about a hidden land.

Keely Brooke Keith New Uncharted story

2024-12-09T08:38:00.000-06:00

Uncharted Mercy

Keely Brooke Keith
Edenbrooke Press, January 1, 2025
Print, 224 pp $17.99
Ebook $6.99
Hardcover $23.99

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About the Book:
Lonely bachelor Noah Vestal longs for a family of his own. His inherited farmhouse feels empty, and working the expansive orchard doesn’t keep his mind off his life in America before being shipwrecked on the Land. When he learns the lovely widow next door is being pressured to marry a man she’s never met and to leave her son behind, he offers to marry her. She could have a home and keep both of her children, and he could fill the orchard house with the family he longs for. But when Noah’s inheritance is contested by someone claiming to be the orchard’s rightful heir, he stands to lose everything—including his new family.

Bette Owens has made the best of things since losing her husband three years ago, but now her forceful in-laws want rid of her. When they persuade her parents to help separate her from her son, she has nowhere to turn but to the generous bachelor next door. She has always admired Noah and misses the protection and companionship of having a husband, so when Noah proposes a quick marriage, it seems like a wise remedy. Just when her children are settling into their new home—and love between Bette and Noah seems possible—she discovers Noah isn’t who he says he is.
While the Good Springs elder council becomes judge and jury over the orchard’s ownership, Noah’s dreams of supporting a family and being part of a community slip away. And as Bette’s friends side against her, she finds herself in an unimaginable fight for her family—and for love.
Can their marriage of convenience withstand the battle for inheritance, family, and love?

My review:
Keith settles deeper into her role of great story-teller with her fourteenth book in the Uncharted series. I have often longed for steeper conflict to propel her stories, and she fulfills my wishes in Uncharted Mercy. There isn’t much I can add to the cover copy. The story in a nutshell is that characters we’ve met earlier, Noah clinging to his values with all his might, and his sister Caroline’s pet project and friend next door, Bette and her kids who are getting a total bum rap from her inlaws, finally get story. They both know they can make a relationship work, given time, which they don’t have. It’s not really a marriage of convenience story so much as a “two are better than one” story when facing a brutal series of bullies, no less the established societal expectations of legalism over practicality in the Land. The interesting twist playing out is that in this male-dominated culture, a particularly cruel woman is dealing the hand.

Hidden love, great secrets, deeply held promises, misinterpretation of laws meant to guide society—all of which Keith uses to great value in her circle of tales about a Brigadoon civilization hidden from the evils of the world by a mist that clears for a brief window each year. Well done. Fans of the series will certainly enjoy this latest addition. Readers of inspirational fiction, not exactly historical but set amid a greater dystopian and unseen world, should check out the series.

About the Author:
Keely Brooke Keith is the author of the beloved Uncharted series. Her books are best described as inspirational frontier-style fiction with a slight sci-fi twist.

Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, Keely was a tree-climbing, baseball-loving 80s kid. When she isn't writing, Keely enjoys teaching home school lessons and playing bass guitar. Keely, her husband, and their daughter live on a hilltop south of Nashville, Tennessee, where she dreams up stories about a hidden land.

New from Kimberley Payne Grand Faith

2024-10-23T19:59:00.003-05:00

Grand Faith: Words of Wisdom to Leave a Spiritual Legacy

Kimberley Payne

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Do you want to raise a godly generation and help your grandchildren grow in faith? Discover the wisdom and testimonies of Christian grandmothers who are passing on the love of God to the next generation.

Grand Faith brings together 25 inspiring interviews with grandmothers who are actively nurturing their grandchildren’s spiritual lives. Whether through prayer, teaching, or leading by example, these grandmothers demonstrate how intentional faith can transform not just their lives but also the lives of their grandchildren.

Compiled by Kimberley Payne, this heartfelt collection showcases the powerful role of grandmothers in shaping the faith of future generations.

In Grand Faith, you'll discover:

Practical ways to intentionally pass on your faith to the next generation
Different approaches to being a spiritual guide for your grandchildren
Insights on how to make your walk with Christ a lasting legacy
Encouragement for grandmothers to be spiritual mentors in their families

My Review:

Kimberley Payne’s latest addition to her lengthy repertoire of bite-size live-by-faith books, Grand Faith: Words of Wisdom to Leave a Spiritual Legacy, come from her experience of becoming a grandmother. She wanted to model her faith for her grandchildren, and reached out to other grandparents for inspiration.

With twenty-five interviewees responded to several questions about how they raised their own children, advice, caution, activities, favorite Bible verse and prayer.

Payne’s book is both a spiritual how-to and a call to action. She asks her readers to respond to her book and share your own grandparenting stories; to “create a community of wisdom and support.” What a wonderful rallying call.

My favorite pearls of wisdom include read God’s word with your biological or “adopted” grands especially age-appropriate Bible versions, pray with and for them constantly; always encourage them. don’t pretend you know everything, and realize you can’t be perfect.

One thing I missed was how the author chose these participants. Nevertheless, it’s a great group of special, inspiring women from Canada and the US who offer guidance and enthusiastic support for grandparents everywhere to lead a life worthy of our calling. The author includes a chart of favorite Bible verses and pages of resources to follow up. Grand Faith is a grand addition to your arsenal of faith. I believe parents and future parents would also find much to learn from in the pages.

New poetry collection from Megan Muthupandiyan

2024-10-01T21:24:00.001-05:00

Review of Of the Earth and Other Desires by Megan Muthupandiyan
League of Minnesota Poets ,February 2024, 58 pp.
$4.99 ebook
$11.95 paper

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About the book: With poems that arise at the intersection among phenological study, place, and memory, Of the Earth and Other Desires celebrates the locus poetica of our land communities and explores what they have to teach those who move through them about desire. This volume was awarded the John Rezmerski Manuscript Prize in 2023 by the League of Minnesota Poets.

My Review

Deeply Emotive Cycle of Life Collection

The first time I read through this amazing collection of poetry, I read with an electronic dictionary. The use of Latin names of the poem’s subjects and geographical map points made each poem even more mysterious. I wanted to unravel those mysteries and read them over, taking delight when some point hit home for me in a different way with a fresh read. From Muthupandiyan’s subtitle of A Poet’s Phenology to the last line of the last poem, “I am here,” I was drawn into her cycle of natural phenomena. I enjoy poetry but admit that I am not experienced enough to know form, so I cannot speak to style, but I can speak to lyricism, and reaction—especially reaction.

The act of blinking away the feeling that I’ve been somewhere else came across strongly when I got to “Visiting the Chicago Board of Trade.” I felt as though I was standing there, looking up at the ceiling, where the art deco windows “exploded like sun rays.” The reward, truly, was coming back to the floor and closing my mouth. Beginning in January, the author takes the reader through the seasonal meanderings of the changes that take place in the northern hemisphere, the Midwest, mostly around 42-45 degrees north; mostly 88 degrees west with occasional slides to 112 (Utah/Arizona) and to 9 (Spain). “The world is everything, and nothing more,” we read and then move into maple buds that “season the blush bower of winter.” Using lovely imagery, we see that braiding of compost and soil the farmers create in spring, to the background blend of sandhill cranes.

Leading the reader along the furrows of humanity—family—friendship—echoing the creation, we watch a child grow and leave home, and of visiting another landscape with its own traditions, to a land where slot canyons were carved by force and brightly burnished. By high summer Muthupandiyan slices into varieties of knowledge: do we teach relationships as well as identify the differences of malus domestica in “The Same Fruit”? I enjoyed connecting our simple cinquefoil to “a clockwork of forks winding up the lichened basalt” in “A Dance of Darwinian Proportions.” You’ll want to watch the deer slide into shadow, “touch the wild carrots steeped in winter,” and contemplate our world, our home.

Over half of these poems have appeared in other recent poetry journals. The author has won numerous awards, and self-defines as a “pilgrim, poet, and public humanities scholar who is most at home…walking the world.” Her astute observations segue naturally into engaging interpretive rhythms of language. The thinking poetry lover, those unafraid to explore a different encounter with the natural world in its primal iteration, those who soak up poetry and revel in lush combinations of descriptors, will fall in love with Of the Earth and Other Desires.

About the Author: Meg Muthupandiyan is a pilgrim poet, most at home when she is walking the world. The founding director of Poetry in the Parks public humanities project, much of her creative enterprise as an illustrator, essayist, and poet celebrates how individuals' participation in their land communities fosters their ecological consciousness.

New Inspy Romance from Barbara Britton

2024-09-27T00:30:00.002-05:00

Escape to Whispering Creek

Barbara Britton

White Rose Publishing
September, 2024, 256 pages
$5.99 ebook
$16.99 print

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About the Book

Can a gregarious office manager and rehabilitating business owner find love while fighting accusations of white-collar crime?

Emma Uranova enjoys her office job until her boss disappears with the investors' money. To avoid the media storm and false accusations, Emma flees to Whispering Creek, Tennessee to live on her best friend' s secluded property. When a temporary position opens up in Nashville, Emma leaves small-town anonymity to pad her depleted bank account. With a handsome new boss and a steady income, Emma believes life is looking up... until she discovers she has transported the scandal in her backpack. Where is God when her life is falling apart?

Wade Donoven is recuperating from a crash that sidelined him from the family electrical business. Worse yet, his prodigal younger brother is getting the glory for Wade' s accomplishments. Desperation, and physical setbacks, have him agreeing to let Emma help him manage the business office. But when trouble follows her to his doorstep, Wade must make some difficult choices. Sending Emma back to Whispering Creek may unknowingly place the woman he's come to love in danger.

My Review

This delightful second story following characters from Christmas at Whispering Creek is a nice and easy inspy read. Britton adds an elements of danger and suspense to her romance when her innocent and eager Emma learns her perfect career choice isn’t so perfect after all, and she flees notoriety in Wisconsin for her friend Sam’s refuge in Whispering Creek, Tennessee. It turns out that notoriety isn’t all she’s running from.

Emma had invested all of her funds in her new boss’s senior living development project. She’s left with nothing when the project was merely a front for criminal activity. When Sam and her boyfriend Cole offer Emma a temporary respite in Nashville to visit Cole’s family, Sam finds new purpose in helping Cole’s family with fill-in office work for the family business. Trouble is, the job comes with a surly older brother recovering from injuries that have sidelined him, and he has a huge chip on his injured shoulder, among a host of other resentments stemming from prodigal son syndrome. Is it worth it for Emma to deal with him just to hide out while her name and bank account recover from a bad situation? As Wade thaws enough to accept some help in his physical recovery, his emotional recovery also allow room to let Emma’s bubbly personality and utter faith coax him into a happier and more positive state of mind. When Emma’s past catches up to her a week later, they must decide to stand together or divide and conquer.

Britton’s characters are sweet and loving, dealing with challenges realistically. I enjoyed the setting and the unwavering faith elements as the romance grew. Those who enjoy sweet romances with a touch of danger will certainly like this story from Whispering Creek.

About the Author

Barbara M. Britton lives in Southeast Wisconsin and loves the snow—when it accumulates under three inches. Barbara writes romantic adventures for teens and adults in the Christian fiction and mainstream markets. She is published in Biblical fiction and enjoys bringing little-known Bible characters to light in her stories. She also writes historical and contemporary romance. Barbara is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and Romance Writers of America. She has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter and instagram. http://www.barbarambritton.com

New political thriller from Robb Grindstaff

2024-08-28T10:39:00.001-05:00

Bones of Dead Man’s Bluff
Robb Grindstaff
Evolved Publishing, August 2024
Fiction, 260 pp
$5.99 ebook, $16.99 print

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About the Book
Even the most powerful men can't prevent dark secrets of the past from washing ashore.

Worth Sullivan is the celebrity pastor of the globally renowned Harvest Fields megachurch. Kirk Madison is an esteemed former US Army general and popular US senator. Both men came from humble beginnings in the Ozarks, but today are highly successful beacons of hope and leadership in a nation torn apart by political and social divisions. Then Kirk announces he's running for president.

Decades earlier, Worth and Kirk witnessed the death of a young girl and agreed to never speak of it. While Kirk seems to have made his peace, Worth still dreams of the dead girl every night. The deep forensics of presidential campaigns makes it likely this indiscretion will soon come to light—taking down Kirk's campaign, destroying Worth's life, and possibly pushing the nation into full-blown civil war. Can Worth set things right, or will the dead girl seek justice on her own?

My Review
Two men locked in a death spiral of counterpoint ambition must face up to their past to find and accept forgiveness.

A reluctant “America’s Pastor,” Worth has never wanted to be in a position to endorse political candidates. He’s already got enough on his plate feeding the souls of thousands in his surprising international mega-ministry. The secret he’s kept for his entire adult life eats away at his soul, and he’s sure of facing hell. His “good friend,” the counterpart in a triad of tragedy, has carefully nurtured his public military and subsequent political career to the point he has a good chance at serving in the world’s highest governmental office. For Kirk, the cherry on top is getting more than the “support” of the most influential faith-based person in America. But Worth isn’t playing that game and in fact is desperate to keep Kirk and their terrible, haunting ghosts from destroying their families and themselves.

Kirk can’t outrun himself, however, and winning an election competes with staying alive. Worth’s spiritual battles within himself and with his cohorts often drive the story. Grindstaff delves deeply into matters of faith with intriguing intentionality, not preachiness.

Grindstaff has written a political thriller for the present audience, where a bombshell is always waiting to go off in our national reality. Bones of Dead Man’s Bluff is a dual message of examining the truths that divide us and forgiveness, the frailties of humanity, and our need to be honest and overcome our lesser nature. Readers of political thrillers with a side of faith-based food for thought will enjoy this story, told in a nonlinear timeframe from two perspectives and a twist from the past.

About the Author
In addition to a career as a journalist, newspaper editor, publisher and media executive, Robb Grindstaff has written fiction most of his life. The newspaper biz has taken him from Phoenix, Arizona, to small towns in North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin, from seven years in Washington, D.C., to five years in Asia. Born and raised a small-town kid, he’s as comfortable in Tokyo or Tuna, Texas. The variety of places he’s lived serve as settings for the characters who invade his head. His novels are best classified as contemporary southern lit. Evolved Publishing has also released June Bug Gothic: Tales from the South, a collection of eighteen of Robb's short stories, including the award-winning horror "Desert Rain."

Robb currently resides the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks region of Missouri, where he writes, edits, and coaches writers full-time.

Purposeful Poetry with Thomas McRae

2024-07-29T18:35:00.005-05:00

LYRICAL REVELATIONS
Thomas McRae
Poetry
March 9, 2024, Thomas McRae Publisher, 22 pp.
Buy paperback, $7.50

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About the Book

Join Thomas on a profound journey through the pages of his poetry book, where he eloquently explores themes of love, civil rights, religion, and more. Each poem is intentional, diving deep into the depths of the human heart and societal issues with poignant insight and heartfelt expression. From the tender verses about love to the powerful reflections on civil rights struggles, Thomas's words will captivate your soul and inspire reflection on the complexities of life. This poetry collection is a testament to the enduring power of words to illuminate the human experience and provoke thought on the world around us.

My Review

Lyrical Revelations by Thomas McRae is a tight read of 29 poems divided into 4 categories: Love, Religion, Politics, and Miscellaneous.

From two-line heartfelt poems, “you are my eternal forever,” to no longer than 13 lines in “America’s Truth,” “I'm calling out the Democrat and the Republican slime,” McRae’s mostly prose or rhythmic, sometimes wrenched rhyme odes are straight from the gut.

The love poems open with a deeply personal statement of faith in “Congratulations”: “Congratulations on love because everyone needs to believe,” and the beautiful pulsating beat of “I Believe”: I believe in love because love is so precious/ I believe people should love and stop being reckless./ When you open your heart, you connect with someone's soul/ Because love is a journey that will never grow old.”

It’s not much of a stretch to shift into Religious Poems. “Fear” advises McRae’s readers to “Thank God for His glory and ignore all the phonies.” He calls upon the believers to ride on the devil, tell the truth and unite in other poems. The final poem in Religious section, “Rest in Peace to Me” with its refrain of ready for death and flatlining segues into Political Poems where McRae calls out specific perpetrators of unrest, discord, along with a tribute to victims of senseless fear and hate. I am saddened to read “I pledge my allegiance to the African flag because America and Europe hate every black man” in the poem “Uganda” and want to reassure the author to the best of my ability that this American woman does not hate every Black man.

Miscellaneous poems include shout-outs to the author’s parents (“You taught me morals and self respect”); thankfulness for poetry and role models. McRae ends with a call to action, a challenge to respect ourselves and our partners and responsibility for the results of our choices in “Sperm Donor.”

Those who love poetry with purpose will find their own thought-provoking call to choose to rise above in Thomas McRae’s Lyrical Revelations.

About the Author

Hello my name is Thomas McRae I'm a poet author and writer I have several poetry books available online Amazon and other online book stores. Two short fiction movies. I've done numerous interviews and gotten several reviews. Newspaper interview with The Wave paper location Far Rockaway Queens NY. I'm working on another poetry book I'll keep you posted. I bought my co-op working hard talking care of funny looking forward to starting my own family. Contact me on Facebook or email quietthomas41@gmail.com McRae’s other work includes Poetry 4 the Soul, The Soul of a Poet, and Pimp in the Pulpit, and several others. He’s also developing merchandise to go along with the messages in his work.

Wayne Turmel and last Johnny Lycan book

2024-07-24T08:16:00.001-05:00

Johnny Lycan & the Last Witchfinder, book 3 of the Werewolf PI series

By Wayne Turmel

Black Rose Writing, May 2024, 228 pp/253pp print.

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Ebook $4.99

Paperback $21.95

About the Book

A mysterious figure stalks Chicago’s Paranormal community, and the only person who can stop it is Johnny Lupul, the Werewolf PI.

First, he must cope with a 400-year-old witchfinder, rampaging demons, and a journalist threatening to reveal Johnnys dark, hairy secret.

As if that's not enough, his boss has been kidnapped and the clock is ticking.

Packed with non-stop action, humor and twists, Johnny Lycan & the Last Witchfinder will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Don't miss the heart-stopping conclusion to the Werewolf PI series.

My Review

Opening with our hero Johhny Lupul dealing with a nasty Wendigo on the Oneida Reservation in Wisconsin, the third, and I’m told, sadly, final Werewolf PI book, shows us just what a Lycan, aka werewolf, can do. Tasked with taking care of this nasty cannibal zombie-like creature by his boss-client in exchange for a powerful spiritual relic, Johnny takes care of business and delivers another item to the mysterious Mr. Cromwell’s vast collection of unusual artifacts.

Mr. Cromwell’s got some trouble back home with hand-written threats to his collection, while a hotshot paranormal podcaster and monster magazine reporter gets up in Johnny’s fangs after putting vintage video werewolf-in-action footage together and questioning reality. It’s enough to make a werewolf go full-moon-maniac all the time. Johnny’s new assignment is to figure out who made sand out of Cromwell’s newest antique purchase. The clue is the author of the threatening note, which Johnny learns belongs to a 500-year-old legendary witch hunter, Matthew Hopkins, who, back in his day, went on idol smashing rampages. Besides a great name for a rock band, it’s way too much of a coincidence, right? But not since the Sons of Hopkins have become a modern-day movement with every intention of welcoming their true leader and his minions back to cleanse the planet of “evil” with such helpful declarations as, “Witches and idolaters be on notice. Good people won’t be silent anymore. We don’t need them in this city, and we’re leading the purge.”

With the support of his housemates Meaghan, a rescued girl who picks up tarot card reading, along with Bill and Gramma, who took him in as a troubled teen, Johnny is learning to control his alter-ego inner werewolf he’s named Shaggy. Shaggy tends to get riled pretty easily, and it’s Johnny’s business to use him judiciously when things come down to a dogfight, though a lot depends on the phases of the moon; e.g.: “This low in the lunar cycle I wouldn’t have Shaggy’s help, but I didn’t need it.” For those unaware, Johnny explains, “Not all Lycans go full werewolf. Some just have violent reactions to the top of the lunar cycle. That’s what she meant when she said some men couldn’t handle the full moon. … Even when they don’t completely turn, they’re unpredictable and dangerous. The average human’s bite can be toxic if it gets deep enough and these guys bite plenty hard.”

In this third adventure, Johnny researches the Sons of Hopkins. Cromwell, after admitting he owns a particularly nasty antique book on demonology of consummate interest to the creepy master of the Sons of Hopkins, goes missing. The bad guys are after the book in particular, and Johnny and anyone else with unnatural tendencies in general. Johnny must decide to stay a “lone wolf” or learn to depend on his friends, new and old, to reclaim his boss and save his world.

Even if this is the first book by Turmel you pick up, you’ll be able to settle in quickly. It’s an interesting not-so-clear good vs. evil story set in Chicago with the obligatory Cubs mention, where you meet all kinds of creatures, some of whom bite. One little bothersome point in the plot about Johnny’s ability to keep information from Hopkins had me scratching my head, but all in all, the story unfolded para-naturally with a lot of high action energy. Told in Johnny’s first person voice, with chapters noting the moon cycles, readers of urban fantasy will enjoy Turmel’s sense of humor in an issue-charged environment.

About the Author

Wayne Turmel is a former standup comedian, car salesman and corporate drone who writes to save what’s left of his sanity. Originally from Canada, he writes and lives in Las Vegas with his bride, The Duchess. www.wayneturmel.com

New devotional from Kimberley Payne

2024-04-27T00:00:00.025-05:00

Still Learning: Reflections from the Life of a Believer

Meeting Faith Devotional Series, book 5

Kimberley Payne
Self-improvement
Inspirational Living
April 27, 2024, 240 pp

$5.99 ebook

$12.99 Print
Buy on Amazon

About the Book

Do you want wisdom and encouragement in your spiritual journey? Discover these devotions that can bring you into a deeper understanding of living the Christian life.

Are you looking to deepen your understanding of the Bible? Do you have specific theological questions? Are you looking for encouragement and a boost in your faith? Kimberley Payne is a down-to-earth writer who is passionate and curious and offers a refreshing perspective to enhance your spiritual growth and devotion.

Still Learning is a collection of 100 devotions with questions about salvation, grace, suffering, and the very essence of God's nature, presented through the lens of everyday encounters and heartfelt contemplations. By reading these reflections you’ll be feeling encouraged and strengthened in your faith.

In Still Learning you’ll discover:

Theological questions in the Bible through the unique lens of a non-theologian

Personal insights, real-life experiences, and profound reflections with scriptural inquiry

Reminders of teachings from the Bible without being preachy

An accessible exploration of the Bible's theological questions

A diverse array of topics

Still Learning is an authentic and inspirational devotional that will resonate with both seasoned believers and those on the quest for spiritual understanding.

If you like stories that celebrate the beauty of faith and inquiry, then you’ll love this book as a supplement to theological studies.

My Review
In her new book, Payne sets out to expound with sincere simple kindness many of the questions and sometimes their answers regarding what makes the Bible so fascinating.

Often using examples of three, easy to remember, the author begins by sharing why and how to read the Bible, why it’s trustworthy, and why the Old and New Testaments work together.

Along the way the author uses examples from her own family about teaching and living the doubts we all have about faith, God, morality, and history. Why should we follow any of the Biblical “rules” if they no longer make sense? This is the topic of the segment “Should We Follow All the Laws in the Bible Today?”

Payne, a prolific author, shares in these lovely essays examples of how and life are deeply woven, no matter what you believe. The joy of finding lost ones; what about baptism, prayer—to whom, when, keeping a journal, what to do with your doubts, and even how to know if you’ve committed the unforgiveable sin of blasphemy. I appreciate the author’s candidness, the ways she shares how she came to understand what she believes, and even the learning curve. For example, learning about prophetic utterances had some unintended consequences. Payne took the time to learn more about her experience with a pastor she trusted, and realized there were better ways to share messages in faith.

Still Learning sets out to do what it promises: celebrate the beauty of faith and inquiry. Most topics include scriptural references, but are not set up in traditional devotional ways. Most of these 100 topics are a couple of pages long and easy to read and ponder. Recommended for inspirational readers teen and up who enjoy exploring matters of Christianity.

About the Author
Kimberley Payne is a Jesus follower, Oma, and an eclectic author. She combines her teaching experience and love of writing to create books for parents and children about family, fitness, science, and faith. Her books and teachings help you boost your belief, face difficult challenges, and draw closer to God. https://www.kimberleypayne.com

Jason Tanamor and Contemporary Filipino fiction

2024-04-01T00:00:00.053-05:00

Love, Dance, and Egg Rolls

Jason Tanamor

YA Contemporary

288 pages, Paperback

Published May 10, 2022, Ooligan Press

Paper: $18

Ebook: $6.49

Buy on Barnes and Noble

Amazon

About the Book:

Filipino folk dancing is a huge part of Jamie's life, but so is high school and his two best friends. When these two worlds collide, Jamie must decide who he truly wants to be.

Jamie Santiago is just an ordinary high school teenager—he has a huge crush on a girl from school, he watches a ton of sitcoms, and he is constantly trying to keep his dad from feeding egg rolls to his white friends. Not to mention he also aspires to be the next Tinikling folk dance master. Okay, maybe he’s not so ordinary.
It's hard enough balancing the demands of high school, but when the last ever Asian Folk Festival falls on the same day as Homecoming, it feels like Jamie's world comes crashing down. He is forced to make an important decision between honoring his heritage and salvaging what's left of his social life. With a racist bully at school and rising protests in Portland, Jamie sometimes wonders if it would be easier to forget his Filipino side entirely instead of trying to embrace it.

[Play the catchy sitcom music]

[Cue the laugh track to numb the serious stuff]

If only life were so perfect.

Tensions will rise in Love, Dance & Egg Rolls as Jamie decides whether it's more important to remain hidden in plain sight or step directly into the spotlight. Jamie will not only come face-to-face with a bully, but also with this thing called cultural identity.

My Review:

This book is a gem on many levels.

America is an uneasy melting pot, stirred by influencers from the top up who chose divisive means to bully and harass. They don’t support a union, and the animosity has always trickled down to those who celebrate their heritage within the greater American society.

In Oregon, Filipinos are one segment of a varied group of Asian Americans who bond through celebrating their heritage in sharing food and traditions of dress and storytelling and dance. Our hero, Jamie, is a first-generation highschooler, caught between embracing and being embarrassed by his racial identity. He’s a typical young man, hanging out with friends, wondering who he is, enduring flagrant bullying while discovering the ups and downs of first love. He’s also very good at his cultural dances, practicing with his greater family for friendly competition at the community center. But just like so many organizations today, participation is dying out, and Jamie is facing the end of a very important part of his social life. Enter one special young woman facing ostracism in her own world. Jamie faces choices among friends and family, standing up for what he believes, and remaining true to himself.

The story features many elements that will resonate with readers, from comical asides and references to pop culture, in learning how to see between the lines and vibes and real dilemmas of teens in contemporary society. Highly recommended.

About the author

Jason Tanamor (tan-uh-more) is a Filipino-American writer and author.

Named as one of the "5 Best Modern Filipino Writers" by Pinas Global Newspaper, Tanamor enjoys writing in different genres. He is the critically acclaimed author of the supernatural/folklore novel Vampires of Portlandia and the YA #ownvoices novel called Love, Dance & Egg Rolls.

Tanamor also spent a decade as an entertainment writer and interviewer, interviewing the likes of author Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club); comedians Demetri Martin, Jim Breuer (SNL, Half Baked), Aisha Tyler (Talk Soup, The Ghost Whisperer), Dane Cook, and Gabriel Iglesias; musicians Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Ann Wilson (Heart), Taylor Momsen (The Pretty Reckless and Gossip Girl), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Dave Navarro (Jane's Addiction), and Henry Rollins (Black Flag); and baseball legend Pete Rose.

He has covered everyone from Steve Martin to Jerry Seinfeld and from Evanescence to President Obama.

Tanamor is married, has one son, and has a family of fur children. He currently lives and works in the Portland, Oregon area.

Finish March with a good Read and Gift card drawing

2024-03-28T00:30:00.001-05:00

While you’re waiting for spring to arrive,

head over to @N. N. Light’s Book Heaven’s latest book festival

to win a $35 Amazon gift card and books to read to beat the winter doldrums:

https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/shake-off-winter-doldrums

#bookish #entertowin #reading

I'm excited to be part of this Collection of Authors

My crime novel UNDERCUT

is featured TODAY MARCH 28!

Enter to win a $35 Amazon giftcard below:

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/92db7750256

Open internationally.

Runs March 1 – 31, 2024

Drawing will be held on April 1, 2024.

Battle the winter blues at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven Shake Off Winter Doldrums Book Festival. 35 books, 27 authors, a giveaway plus sure-fire ways to combat your winter melancholy! #NNLBH.

https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/shake-off-winter-doldrums

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shake off Winter with a Giveaway and a Good Book

2024-03-22T00:30:00.003-05:00

#GiveawayAlert: N. N. Light’s Book Heaven’s Shake Off Winter Doldrums

has 35 books, 27 authors, a giveaway plus fun ways to combat your winter melancholy! https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/shake-off-winter-doldrums #booklovers #winterdoldrums #giveaway

I'm excited to be part of this Collection of Authors

My thriller Requiem for the Innocents

is featured TODAY MARCH 22!

Enter to win a $35 Amazon giftcard below:

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/92db7750256

Open internationally.

Runs March 1 – 31, 2024

Drawing will be held on April 1, 2024.

Battle the winter blues at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven Shake Off Winter Doldrums Book Festival. 35 books, 27 authors, a giveaway plus sure-fire ways to combat your winter melancholy! #NNLBH.

https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/shake-off-winter-doldrums

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new novel in the Uncharted series

2024-03-19T09:32:00.043-05:00

Uncharted Peace
Keely Brooke Keith
#13 in the Uncharted Series
March 2024
Edenbrooke Press
Inspirational Fantasy Sci Fi

Paper
Ebook $6.99

Buy
Amazon

About the Book

Lena Vestal enjoys spending her days cooking for her siblings and her nights curled up with a good book… or a letter from Philip Roberts, the overseer of Falls Creek and only man ever to capture her heart. It’s safe to dream of a future with him while she is still sheltered by the older brother and sister who raised her. When Philip’s final letter announces his forthcoming arrival to take her to Falls Creek, Lena must leave all that is familiar to make her dream a reality.

Philip Roberts takes his duties as the overseer of Falls Creek seriously, not only to please God but also to prove his competence. Having been in the pastoral position for two years, Philip’s dissertation is anticipated by all the overseers of the Land, particularly his father. Producing a work of great merit would prove his worth, as would setting an excellent example of holy matrimony in his church

Lena’s yearning for the security of Philip’s love compels her to spend a month without her siblings at the isolated Inn at Falls Creek. To prepare for their nuptials, Philip informs her the Land’s tradition requires they compare family lineage. When she receives hers from her sister, a shocking secret about her true origins means she must choose between protecting her family and marrying the man of her dreams.

And when Philip’s published book is distributed before he can check it, both feel their hopes dissolve.But at the Inn at Falls Creek, no one is alone and everyone is worthy.

My Review

As with all of Keely’s books, readers may step into her world of the Land Uncharted with any story, though they’re best enjoyed in groups. We met the main characters, Lena Vestal and Philip Roberts, in previous books, but get to know them and their journey toward marriage in this latest, lovely offering.

Keely’s stories in the Land Uncharted are set in a uniquely dystopian future where war rages on earth, but not in this unique bubble of an island in the ocean, uncharted because it only exists for those who find it under very particular circumstances. The settlers who populate this land arrived in the 1860s, have spread across the island, sorting themselves into several communities. Naturally, as marriage and parenthood develops, it’s important that they keep their genealogy straight to avoid problems. It’s not an issue for Philip, who can trace his lineage back to one of the eight founding families over the past 150 years. But for Lena, it’s another story.

Lena has been coddled and protected her whole life. Raised as one of three adopted siblings, she, as a young adult, is ready to step out of her shell and accept the hand of the wonderful overseer of another community. Her brother and sister understand her extreme shyness and exact a condition on the marriage—Lena should spend a month in Philip’s community before agreeing to a wedding and moving away from her beloved sister and brother and the home where she feels safe.

Philip reluctantly agrees, and once in Falls Creek, Lena blossoms. When Philip mentions the lineage requirements, that the couple compare pedigree charts before marriage Lena writes home for hers and instead receives the surprise of her life.

Love and Loyalty come head to head in this new story of a hidden oasis of a culture hidden from the outside world…or so they think. Can the people of the Land adapt to changing times, even if they come from within?

Fans of the Land Uncharted will enjoy these sweet inspirational stories of contemporary issues framed in mores of a Biblically-based society with nineteenth-century values.

About the Author

Keely Brooke Keith is the author of the beloved Uncharted series. Her books are best described as inspirational frontier-style fiction with a futuristic twist.

Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, Keely was a tree-climbing, baseball-loving 80s kid. She grew up in a family who moved often, which fueled her dreams of faraway lands.

When she isn’t writing, Keely enjoys gardening and is slowly learning how to not kill plants. Keely, her husband, and their daughter live on a hilltop south of Nashville, Tennessee. She is a member of ACFW. Join Keely’s email list at keelykeith.com/sign-up so you will always know when the next Uncharted book is available.

Grab a Good Read and Enter to Win!

2024-03-18T00:30:00.002-05:00

Need a cure for the wintertime blues? Join us at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven’s 5^th annual Shake Off Winter Doldrums Book Festival: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/shake-off-winter-doldrums #booksworthreading #mustread #giveaway

My sci fi story PARHELION

is featured TODAY MARCH 18!

Enter to win a $35 Amazon giftcard below:

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/92db7750256

Open internationally.

Runs March 1 – 31, 2024

Drawing will be held on April 1, 2024.

Battle the winter blues at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven Shake Off Winter Doldrums Book Festival. 35 books, 27 authors, a giveaway plus sure-fire ways to combat your winter melancholy! #NNLBH.

https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/shake-off-winter-doldrums

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NN Light Big Book Promo with Meow Missing

2024-03-11T00:30:00.003-05:00

Are you suffering from the winter doldrums? I’ve discovered the cure at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven Shake Off Winter Doldrums Book Festival. 35 books featured plus a chance to win a $35 Amazon gift card.

My fun cozy mystery, MEOW MISSING

is featured TODAY MARCH 11!

Curl up with a good book, and

Enter to win a $35 Amazon giftcard below:

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/92db7750256

Open internationally.

Runs March 1 – 31, 2024

Drawing will be held on April 1, 2024.

Battle the winter blues at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven Shake Off Winter Doldrums Book Festival. 35 books, 27 authors, a giveaway plus sure-fire ways to combat your winter melancholy! #NNLBH.

https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/shake-off-winter-doldrums

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Great big Giveaway! Shake off Winter with Healing Grace

2024-03-04T01:00:00.002-06:00

I’m thrilled to be a part of this event. My book, Healing Grace

is featured TODAY MARCH 4!

Wait until you read my cure for winter doldrums. You won’t want to miss it.

Enter to win a $35 Amazon giftcard below:

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/92db7750256

Open internationally.

Runs March 1 – 31, 2024

Drawing will be held on April 1, 2024.

Battle the winter blues at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven Shake Off Winter Doldrums Book Festival. 35 books, 27 authors, a giveaway plus sure-fire ways to combat your winter melancholy! #NNLBH.

https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/shake-off-winter-doldrums

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Women With Unshakeable Faith

2023-08-22T00:30:00.018-05:00

Women With Unshakeable Faith

Dr. Paulette Harper
Thy Word Publishing, April 2023
Paperback, 131 pp
$20
$3.99

Buy on Barnes and Noble

Buy on Amazon

Dr. Harper once again provides another well-done anthology of women sharing their stories. In this book, fourteen brave women bare their souls to tell about their faith journey. Some of them come from a background of a dearth of faith, while others were raised in Christian faith and given plenty of opportunity to doubt the reality of Christ's love and protection. From public educator fighting the Pandemic and the stress that birthed a dread disease to bareness and single parenthood to homelessness to addiction, each of this women offers the precious gift of a reason to believe and act on that believe in the saving grace of Christ. I so appreciate one author allowing herself to be angry: "I said out loud, 'I am made at God. I have lost faith...'" Confession and nailing those hurts to the cross, literally, helped her heal.

Each story is short and pithy, providing encouragement.

Readers will find much to love and healing power in these stories.

First Chapter Contest Opens

2023-08-19T07:37:00.003-05:00

CWA's 8th Annual

First Chapter Contest is Open for Entries

This opportunity is open

ONLY TO DUES-PAYING MEMBERS

of Chicago Writers Association.

You may join CWA HERE.

Are you writing a novel? Submit the FIRST CHAPTER of your work, up to 10 pages, to CWA's 8th Annual First Chapter Contest.

First prize is a full scholarship to attend either the All-Genre Novel-In-Progress (NIP) Bookcamp & Writing Retreat or the Speculative Fiction NIP Bookcamp & Writing Retreat, both being held June 16-22, 2024 at the Siena Retreat Center in Racine Wisconsin (approximate value: $1500).

Second and third place winners will receive cash awards of $150 and $75, respectively.

The top three entries will also be published in CWA's Write City Magazine.

Please read and follow the guidelines before submitting.

The deadline is October 1, 2023. Winners will be announced by December 2023.

A non‐refundable fee of Fifteen Dollars ($15) must be made online on the same date as the author’s entry is submitted.

My Neglected Gods new book from Joanne Nelson

2023-07-25T00:30:00.014-05:00

My Neglected Gods

Joanne Nelson

Creative Nonfiction

Vine Leaves Press, 130 pp
July 25, 2023

$4.99 ebook
$14.99 paperback
buy on Amazon

About the Book

We all have our rituals and talismans to protect us from the unknown, but will we admit what they are? Tarot cards, speeding cars, several saints, and old dogs make appearances in Joanne Nelson’s new collection of prose and poetry. She unravels the secular deities giving shape to her days, not only on planes, but in summer crowds, at conferences, and in long post office queues. Whether it’s a bandaid in a pocket, the backup pen in a purse, or a hidden $20 in a wallet for just-in-case, Nelson explores what we carry for comfort. She delves into the Mercury retrograde conundrum and examines the significance of kitchens as holy places. Beer runs through it. There will be coffee. Join Nelson, author of the memoir, This Is How We Leave, in this humorous and heartfelt journey through life’s often-ignored quiet moments. Ignored until, plate of cookies in hand, they come begging for a chat. All the while, the kids move out, the house gets put up for sale, and loved ones age.

My Review

Turning the last page on Nelson’s new work of art makes me feel like I have to read it again, so I start backward, meandering through the wake of time, bobbing in the waves of noticing the look in the dog’s eyes, the person I would have been if I could have stayed the whole week at the retreat house, and how my grandmother’s neck got transplanted on to mine. At times I wondered if I was reading my own mind, recalling the bop upside the head in miscreant childhood, sneaking off to smoke, closing the door after thirty years—exactly thirty years—raising my kids in the same house and wondering if the next occupant could possibly appreciate it as much as I. “Perception is everything.”

Peppered with gusto and sagacity like “Don’t get too excited, you’ll only be disappointed,” and “You’ll never know when you need a train ticket,” from Grandma’s change collection, each memory is undergirded by a strong sense of family. There’s jealousy over the humorous but poignant extra sibling—a cool bottle of beer that went everywhere with the folks, the perfect alignment of suddenly realizing all you’ll miss when you move but also the relief of knowing you won’t miss it that much. Neglected gods is a euphemism, Nelson writes, a perception wrapped in a glass of wine or humming.

My Neglected Gods is one of those lyric little books filled with bites of encouragement for any moment. It’s a book of stories to fit everyone; a book you’ll want to savor, then pull out again at an odd moment, maybe in the middle of cleaning or during a pop-up rain while you’re weeding the garden.

About the Author
Joanne Nelson is the author of the memoir, This Is How We Leave. Her writing appears in numerous journals and anthologies. She won the Hal Prize in nonfiction, as well as other literary awards, and has contributed to Lake Effect on Milwaukee’s NPR station. Nelson lives in Hartland, Wisconsin, where she teaches at the university level and leads community programs. She gives presentations on mindfulness and writing, creativity, and the second half of life. Nelson holds an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars, an MSSW from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is a certified meditation instructor. More information is available at wakeupthewriterwithin.com

Write Now Literary presents David Yuen

2023-07-20T00:30:00.015-05:00

Write Now Literary is pleased to organize a two-week book tour and Amazon gift card giveaway for This Too Shall Pass by David Yuen. The book tour will run from July 17-28th, 2023.

ISBN: 979-8218186210

Genre: Christian. Poems, Prose & Essays

Meet The Author

Born and raised in NJ as a second-generation Chinese American, David Yuen received a B.A. from Rutgers University and has been writing poetry along with other writing styles for over twenty years. His works have appeared in other publications including Poetry East and Romantics Quarterly.

About The Book

Life is a gift. A fleeting, complicated, painful gift. Life holds death, it holds struggle with God, and it holds precious relationships we easily take for granted. And with every event that threatens life as we know it, our perspective on it changes, whether it’s a pandemic, a shift in politics, the tragedy of war, or personal loss. This Too Shall Pass is an exploration of life—sorrowful, mysterious, funny, and beautiful—through a collection of poems, prose, memoir, and commentary written from a mostly Christian perspective. Life is no small thing. Life is no easy thing. Life is uncertain. But one thing is certain about life: it’s miraculous.

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New Novel for road cycling enthusiasts

2023-07-04T00:30:00.008-05:00

Tim Bishop’s love of real-life bicycle adventures shines true in this faith-based fictional tale of a man who’s hit bottom in more ways than one and needs a miracle to save not only his own life, but that of a man he’s just met. Persistence goes both ways for Douglas and the Lord of life who stands knocking at every turn in this heart-pounding ride.

Lisa Lickel, author of UnderStory and UnderCut

The Persistent Road

Tim Bishop
Contemporary Christian Fiction, Adventure

Open Road Press, June 20, 2023
368 pp print
$2.99 Kindle
$17.99
Buy on Amazon

Buy on Barnes and Noble

About the Book

The Persistent Road
There’s always an escape.
Sometimes you need to search long
and hard for the right one.
After losing all he once cherished, Doug Zimmer follows his wife’s parting bread crumbs and rides up the Pacific coast—on a bicycle. Armed with a revolver and only a vague plan to get through the months ahead, he aims to end his depression one way or the other.

As spiritual forces wrangle for his soul, he pedals eastward across America. He meets Lauren Baumgartner—a younger adventurer with a vibrant spirit—and a band of zealots who confront his aversion to religion. Accompanying Doug are not only sunny days and the beauty of nature but also the perils of the road, fellow travelers with their own stories, and the hollow silence of solitary campsites playing host to unseen creatures of the night.

A jarring episode on a climb through a treacherous pass brings Doug face-to-face with life and death. Will Doug’s adventure deliver him from loneliness and lament . . . or hurtle him to an abrupt end?

My Review

A double knock-out punch hits salesman Douglas Zimmerman right in the gut with the loss of his job to a slimy colleague and his wife to cancer. Doug’s wife, however, bequeathed a gift better than this brief moment of humanity on planet Earth. Completely down and out, after a few months drowning in sorrow, Doug decides to follow Ruth’s scavenger hunt, never dreaming the prize was his soul…and a secret only his sister knew.

Douglas set off on a bicycle ride north from his home in Los Angeles, directed by notes his late wife had written to him, leading him on a journey of rediscovery, initially of their deepest intimate moments, and later, one of self-discovery meant to challenge his beliefs…or lack thereof. He soon crosses paths with both religious nuts and exercise fanatics, and kooks, do-gooders, and reckless sorts as he rides across the mountains on his way east. He’s sure he wants nothing to do with the religious nuts, even when he’s bothered by deep questions that force him to contradict his loosely held morality, or especially when they make him ponder his fate while trying to hand out charity. Others on a similar path ride in and out of his life, dispensing advice both wanted and unwanted. Lauren, however, with her naïve outlook and innocent bicycling style, connects with him more often than not in ways that he both longs for and wants to avoid. When she introduces a new fellow rider, he’s not sure what to think of the man who boasts of riding 300 miles a day just to stay in shape.

On a particularly dangerous leg of mountain roads, tragedy forces Doug to look himself in the heart and not like what he sees and feels. He makes a risky move to save his new friends while finally admitting the hypocrisy he’s been living. How could anyone accept or love what he sees in the mirror?

Told through Douglas’s eyes, Bishop creates a nice parallel story of both running from and seeking wholeness and healing through the only way to salvation in the person of Jesus, the persistent lover of our souls. It’s a lengthy book, and Bishop has a hard time moving past his nonfiction habits of sharing a lot of minutiae and details of life on the road such as he shared in his previous works. The real adventure begins several chapters in with lovely imagery, and some harrowing adventures, and a vast amount of soul-searching. Recommended for those who love inspirational adventure tales with satisfying conclusions. Discussion guide included.

About the Author

After a thirty-year career in business, Tim Bishop left his corporate treasurer position, married his dream

girl, and embarked with her to parts unknown—on bicycles. Ten thousand miles later, the first-time newlyweds have written four books about their cycling adventures. Their devotional, Wheels of Wisdom, won four first-place book awards. Publishers Weekly dubbed it “a road map for life.” Tim volunteers as a coach for a ministry that reaches people who are dealing with challenging life issues. He has written numerous articles for various Christian content providers and has been a part of three church plants. These faith experiences have given him an evangelist’s heart to reach people in creative ways. A graduate of the University of Maine, a CPA, and a three-time Maine chess champion, Tim and his wife, Debbie, live in Middle Tennessee. Connect with him at TimBishopWrites.com.