For every child who needs to know they are loved by God, and every parent who wants to affirm their unique child.
In this rhyming adventure book, children discover that no matter where they go or what they do, they are loved. From morning to night, through chaos and challenges, God’s unconditional loving care is with them every step of the way. In the end, readers are encouraged to embrace who God made them to be.
Review: What a delightful, informative, and inspiring book by J. J. Levan. I have to admit that I didn’t know too much about autism before reading, “He Meant You to be You,” but after reading this colorful children’s book, I feel more comfortable with the subject and have a little more understanding of the author’s story. So in my opinion, this book is for adults as well as children. The book is available from Amazon. https://amzn.to/3ZSsGi3
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. This is an independent and honest review.
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul alike.”—John Muir, The Yosemite,1912
Whether you’re a hiker, a history buff, or a reader who travels vicariously, Life Lessons from the National Parks takes you on a four-season tour through over forty of America’s most glorious places in the National Park Service reflecting God, who superintends each one.
The book chronicles remarkable lands, events, and people, which Penny Musco brings to life with first-hand experiences, inspirational anecdotes, and Scripture, as well as providing tips for your own visits.
Life Lessons from the National Parks is endorsed by Michael J. Oard, co-author of the True North National Park series, and by Cecil Murphey, author or co-author of more than 130 books, including Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story and 90 Minutes in Heaven with Don Piper.
If you like books that are educational, inspiring, and take you to places you haven’t been, then “Life Lessons from the National Parks: Meeting God in America’s Most Glorious Places” is the book for you. This book takes you to our National Parks, gives you history and information you might not know about the parks, and inspires you to take a closer look at God’s nature and what he created for you and me to enjoy. The author, Penny Musco, connects all this information together to give the reader an armchair adventure as well as a spiritual takeaway for themselves. I give this book 5 stars. I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publishers. My comments are an independent and honest review.
Get to know the author: Penny Musco
Penny Musco is a freelance writer with clips in both the Christian and secular markets, and author of the award-winning Life Lessons from the National Parks: Meeting God in America’s Most Glorious Places.
In 2009, she was an Artist-in-Residence for the National Park Service, and presented programs about the parks in libraries and senior communities.
Before you know it, it will be December, so we’re getting a head start on the season with a new holiday story. This week I’m featuring Jo Huddleston’s new book, Her Christmas Dream. Jo is giving away an ebook copy to one lucky person, so be sure and leave a comment about the blog before you leave. The winner will be chosen from the comments.
Jo, welcome to my blog. Your new book is a Christmas story. Are you a Christmas fanatic or do you keep your celebration simple?
We’ve always had the tall Christmas tree and nativity scene in our living room. Of course, the Christmas tablecloth and candles appeared in the dining room. As we moved several times from state-to-state, I carried with us an irreplaceable, colorful front door covering that portrays Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. Eventually, it was covered with small tears repaired with packing tape. But it remained among our Christmas traditions. So, our Christmases usually have been simple, with visits and Christmas Day dinner with family.
Give us a brief description of your story.
Her Christmas Dream is a mid-20th-century Christmas romance sprinkled with suspense! In this sweet romance, all Marilyn dreams of for Christmas is a relationship with someone who cares for her. Someone who really knows her. A stranger volunteers at the rescue shelter where Marilyn and her best friend George volunteer. George has concerns about Marilyn’s safety if she dates the stranger. When George becomes overprotective of her, will Marilyn choose the bad-boy-stranger or her best friend to spend Christmas with this year?
Has the current pandemic affected your writing? If so, how?
Yes, the current pandemic has affected my writing! First, a little history: two years ago, my husband broke a hip. Consequently, we moved from our home into an assisted living facility apartment where he could receive the care he needs. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, our facility has been locked down since early March. Meals are brought to our apartment. We’re encouraged to stay inside our rooms as much as possible. I need absolute quiet and privacy when I write. Because of the pandemic restrictions and daily interruptions by staff who bring medicines and meals, any quiet and privacy are scarce. Sometimes I write during the night as others sleep, which I’d never done before. This pandemic has required adjustments by everyone!
What kind of audience will enjoy your book?
I write sweet Southern romance stories, which holds true for Her Christmas Dream. As with my other books, the audience for this book is young adults and adults who enjoy wholesome, Christian fiction.
Enjoy this short excerpt of Her Christmas Dream that Jo has shared with us.
“Thanks for the pizza pie and your help with the tree. You’re the best, George Ramsey.”
She followed him out onto the front porch. “Oh, look, George! It’s snowing! A white Christmas would be wonderful. Maybe it’ll happen this year.” In her excitement, she jumped toward George and wrapped her arms around his neck. “What a nice surprise to add to our Christmas feeling tonight.”
George had planned to tell Marilyn tonight he loved her and anticipated the evening would end with her in his arms. Marilyn was now in his arms not because he loved her, but because a few snow flurries had excited her. He wanted her to be happy, and if a few flakes of snow accomplished that, he was pleased for her. So, he didn’t tell her.
Her Christmas Dream is available at Amazon in either a paperback or Kindle ebook. https://amzn.to/2YGpKXs
Jo Huddleston is a multi-published author who writes novels inspired by her fascination with the 1950s and her love of her native American South. Novels in her endearing Caney Creek series, her West Virginia Mountains series, as well as her stand-alone release, Tidewater Summer,are sweet Southern historical romance novels. Visit Jo’s website (www.johuddleston.com), where you can sign up for her mailing list and read for free the first chapters of her novels and novellas.
Back in 2019, I felt inspired to write a magazine article titled, “10 Things to Remember When Times Are Bad.” I don’t propose to know the answer to every problem, but I know where those answers can be found and I have had a few experiences that helped me deal with my own situations in life.
During the process of putting the article together, I decided the idea might work as a book also. So I begin making a list of chapters I wanted to include and passed the idea before my critique group. They agreed that it could work as a book. I began work on the manuscript, but as life would have it, situations came along that hindered my getting the book written. When January 2020 arrived, I felt I should get busy on the book again. Within days, the Coronavirus arrived. I begin to think the book more relevant than ever. And again, let me say that I don’t propose to have all the answers.
Now here we are in August 2020 and the book has been released. It’s not a big book, but remember that it started out as a list for a magazine. I still like to think of it as a list, it has just been extended a bit. If you decide to read the book, I hope it encourages you and in some way gives you some answers or at least something to remember when bad times come your way.
For the past year and a half, I’ve been putting together a little gift book on the subject of gratitude. It’s a compilation of devotions, prayers, scripture, quotes, and lists of things to be thankful for. Before you think that I did this to teach you something, or because I think people aren’t thankful for what they have, let me assure you that I did this for myself as much or more than I did it for anyone else. I wanted to think about all the things I have to be thankful for. I wanted to remind myself of what I have. I wanted to jot down verses and quotes that I could whisper to myself in the middle of the night or when bad times come. I wanted to list those things that I sometimes take for granted and open this little book once in awhile to refresh my memory.
For many years, we have lived in a country that has been prosperous and blessed. But I think we forget just how much we do have. It’s only when we experience some kind of loss or someone close to us does that we tend to think about our blessings. Often we think of blessings as “big things,” but sometimes it’s the little things that make us stop and think. Like the time a tornado swept through our town and left a lot of people without electricity. Suddenly, we couldn’t brew a cup of coffee, use our hair dryer, or turn on a light. If you’re a coffee drinker, like I am, you were fretting the next morning after the storm because you didn’t have that cup of coffee to start the day. You either had to do without it, drive to a restaurant or fast food place that still had power, or maybe hook up a generator for a limited power supply. And then Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc on the Texas coast,and we watched those people suffer great loss. And it wasn’t just our state or country, but all over the world, people were losing their homes and sometimes family members as a result of storms or some other tragedy.
All of these situations made me take a second look at how blessed I am,and I wanted a record of it. I wanted to write down my thoughts about these blessings and what I had to be thankful for. And I wanted to share those thoughts with others. The result is a little 90-page book titled, “Gratitude: The Art of Being Thankful.” I hope it will bless you and maybe you will make your own list of what you have to be thankful for.
If you’re looking for your next book to curl up with in the hammock or need something to take to the beach this summer, then I recommend, “Political Dirty Trick” by my friend, James Callan.
After a successful career in mathematics and computer science, receiving grants from the National Science Foundation and NASA, and being listed in Who’s Who in Computer Science and Two Thousand Notable Americans, James R. Callan turned to his first love—writing. He has had four non-fiction books published. “Political Dirty Trick” is Jim’s twelfth release. He has agreed to share an excerpt with us so here’s a taste of what you’ll be getting with this new book.
Chapter 1
Saturday, March 24
Shecrept into the room, a mere shadow. No sound. No trace of her presence. The small flashlight she pulled from her pocket produced only a slight glow, hardly noticeable from across the room, invisible from outside. But it revealed the major objects in the room: a desk, two chairs. And the Mondrian. She studied the painting for a moment. Why would
anyone pay big bucks for this nonsense? With a canvas, a paint pallet and a bottle of vodka I could produce the same thing in an hour or two. Would anyone pay me three hundred thou for it? Not a chance.
No one was in the house, yet she moved with care to lift the painting off the wall. Lighter than she expected and only about three feet square. She turned and glided out of the room. Except for the missing painting, nothing had been disturbed, not even the dust. She made her way down the short hall and into the kitchen, headed out the way she came in.
She froze.
A noise, ever so slight, came from the back door. A key slipped into a lock.
The owner, at a campaign rally, shouldn’t be home for another hour. Light flooded the entry room and she heard footsteps coming toward the kitchen, toward her. The room was still dark, but her eyes had become accustomed to the low light. Her mind raced as fast as her heartbeat. She started forward, then stopped. Back toward the study would leave her exposed in the hall.
The only other exit was a door on her left. She opened it. A pantry. She slipped in, and eased it shut just as the kitchen lit up.
The person walked as if familiar with the house, confident of the surroundings. Leather soles. Heavy. Probably a man. He hesitated. She held her breath. What if he opened this door? Her flashlight was too small for a weapon. The muscles in her body tightened like a boa constrictor.
The person moved on, headed down the hall. She waited, mentally counting off the number of seconds she had taken to reach the office. Please let him go into the living room.
She waited ten seconds, eased open the door. Light spilled from the study. She stepped out of the pantry, painting in hand. Before she could close the pantry door, she heard leather shoes pivot on hardwood floors. Now the steps had more purpose, as the man started back. She looked at the lights and the distance to the back door and took the only safe route: back into the pantry. She had just closed the door when the man reentered the kitchen.
The bright lights had destroyed her night vision and now she could see nothing. But she could hear. The man stopped, and began punching numbers into a telephone.
*******
My writer friend, Linda Burklin, has written a great blog on writers’ conferences. I wanted to share it with you, especially if you’re a new or unpublished writer.
be thankful for. Before you think that I did this to teach you something, or because I think people aren’t thankful for what they have, let me assure you that I did this for myself as much or more than I did it for anyone else. I wanted to think about all the things I have to be thankful for. I wanted to remind myself of what I have. I wanted to jot down verses and quotes that I could whisper to myself in the middle of the night or when bad times come. I wanted to list those things that I sometimes take for granted and open this little book once in awhile to refresh my memory.
James Callan.
anyone pay big bucks for this nonsense? With a canvas, a paint pallet and a bottle of vodka I could produce the same thing in an hour or two. Would anyone pay me three hundred thou for it? Not a chance.
Vickie Phelps, Writer, Author, and Booklover 