Cliff Ball's Blog, page 3
January 12, 2015
Next Work in Progress
By Cliff Ball
I wanted to let everyone know what I’m working on next. At first, I was going to write another end times novel, maybe a series, but after a month, I only managed to get four thousand words written (about 10-12 pages on 6×9 page setting on Word). I was struggling to come up with a new way of telling the story that didn’t keep seeming to bump up against actual current events. So I prayed about it. I came up with the idea of putting my Christian western short story, Dust Storm, exclusively on Amazon, and then having it go free for just two days this last Friday and Saturday. I was surprised when it received well over three hundred downloads with really no advertising/promotion from me other than maybe Facebook and Twitter, although one or two sites picked it up. I even managed to get downloads from countries, like France, where I had no sales at all for any of my novels up until that point. I would say that encouraged me to try writing a historical fiction novel (maybe even a long term series) that starts off in the 1830’s. I minored in history in college, and I’m more of an American history buff, so I’m pretty sure I can keep my history straight and not have Oklahoma City appear before the late 1880’s (like say, The Rifleman TV series does). I finished chapter one on Saturday and thought I should post it to get some feedback from those of you who write similar titles. It’s untitled right now, but I’m sure I’ll come up with one later on before I’m finished with it.
Chapter 1
It was the shouting that woke George up.
“George! George! Wake up! Get out of bed!”
Realizing that he was the one being shouted at, George kept his eyes closed and asked, “Huh? What?”
“You’ve got to get up. The Army’s here, or it’s the Georgia militia, I can’t tell. They want everyone outside,”
“Why?”
“Don’t you remember? That Major General, Winfield Scott, was sent here to finally remove us to that so-called Indian Territory out west. Looks as if that’s happening now,”
Not good news, George thought to himself while getting groggily out of bed. He glanced at John, his only brother, who looked like he had just gotten out bed himself, and asked, “What time is it?”
“It’s close to sunrise. The sun hasn’t come over the horizon yet, but they’re insisting everyone get up now and gather outside. So hurry up, brother!”
“All right, all right, I’m coming.”
While getting dressed by the light of his oil lamp, George prayed, “Heavenly Father, please help my people and I deal with those who wish to remove us from our lands, the lands of my ancestors. I ask for the strength to do what is right in your sight. Thank you for all that you do for us, including dying for my sins. In your name, I pray, amen.”
Christian missionaries came to the village in 1828 to establish a church for his little clan of Cherokees in what was now northern Georgia. George accepted Christ into his heart at ten years old and his family did the same. His parents and the clan changed their names to anglicized versions and took the last name of the missionaries, Massey, for their own. George took his first and middle name after the first President of the United States and John took the name of the second President. The missionary family left the now established church to his parents, and his father had led their clan’s church services up until he and his mother died from cholera five years earlier. George was now in charge of the church and was also the leader of the clan at the age of twenty.
The fact that his clan were Christians didn’t matter to the last two American administrations, Andrew Jackson previously and now Martin Van Buren, who viewed all Indians as savages or potential enemies of the United States. Settlers in increasing numbers wanted the lands of the five tribes and religious affiliation hardly mattered at all. While his people were Christians, George’s father had insisted that they remain true to their culture. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was enacted to remove tribes who didn’t want to assimilate into American society. In George’s clan, almost all of the young people under the age of thirty left voluntarily to Indian Territory, which left him and John with thirty older people, all of whom were over fifty. Now the day had arrived when leaving was not voluntary.
Grabbing day old bread off the table so he’d have something to eat, George went outside to meet with Major General Scott. Scott and his men were on horseback, and his men had their rifles pointed at the people gathered. George hoped to keep the tensions down so no one would get killed. He approached Scott, and asked, “Are we being forced to leave now? The sun has barely come up,”
“Are you in charge here?”
“Yes, I suppose you could say that,”
“Good. You and your people have been ordered by the United States government to leave and make your way to Indian Territory. We have other Cherokee waiting for your little group, so it would be best if we get on our way immediately,”
“We need to gather up food and other supplies before we make the journey. Surely you’d allow us to do that, sir,”
“I can’t allow that. I have my orders to remove you and that’s what we’re going to do. By force, if we have to,”
“But what about the fact that the Supreme Court ruled that the United States couldn’t force us to leave?”
“As President Jackson once said, ‘I’d like to see them try to enforce that ruling.’ Besides, your own Cherokee government signed a treaty that gives up their lands, so you have no legal leg to stand on, young man. If you keep resisting, we will remove you by force. These men with me are Georgia militia and would have no problem showing you they mean business. Am I correct, men?”
The men responded positively, with some tossing of racial slurs at the Cherokee assembled. Scott seemed greatly amused by what was happening, and said, “Maybe we ought to show them we mean business. Torch a house.”
Three militiamen on horseback headed for the nearest house with a torch that was already lit. Before George could do or say anything, John ran in front of the horses to try to block the men from getting any closer to the house to burn it down. John wasn’t a warrior, but he stood proudly as he attempted to stop them.
“You can’t do this. It’s not the Christian thing to do. We’re all God’s children, why defy Him by harming us? What did we ever do to you? Please stop.”
“Stupid savage,” said one of the men as he fired his rifle at John. The bullet hit John squarely in the chest and he was dead before he hit the ground.
“No!” shouted George, but before he could run over to his brother’s side to check on him, two militiamen grabbed him and held onto him. Tears began flowing down his cheek as he mourned for his brother and the fact that he was now all alone. But, he was comforted in the thought that he would see his brother in Heaven someday.
“Do you see what happens when you defy us? Men, torch the house. Now, will you leave by your own power or do we need to kill you too?”
Wiping away tears, George replied, “We’ll go, you’ll get no more trouble from us.”
“Excellent. Follow us as we lead you to the other members of your tribe, and then you’ll get to travel to Indian Territory together.”
The thirty clan members followed George out of their village with only the clothes on their backs and with very little food. Winter was near and there was a chill in the air. He heard Scott’s men laughing as they plundered each house and then torched them too. The heavy smoke from the village being burned down drifted over the travelers. Looking back, George could see the smug look on Scott’s face, which both angered and saddened him. His fleshly nature wanted to attack the much older man and kill him, while his spiritual side felt sorry for Scott, and he hoped that the General knew Christ as his Lord and Savior.
I hope he prays for forgiveness for this sin he’s committing if he is a Christian, Lord, and if he’s not, I hope he is led to you soon. George thought while praying, Dear Lord God in Heaven, please guide me on this journey and lead my people to safety. I pray that we find success in the new lands and you bless us in everything we do in your name. Thy will be done. In your name, I pray, amen.
Hours later, with the sun at their backs, the thirty-one members of the Massey clan arrived where the other Cherokee were being held before they were to travel west. George hadn’t been looking forward to meeting other tribe members. Many of those who remained in the lands viewed his clan as more white than Indian, since they had become Christians and appeared to be assimilated, so the few felt that the Massey clan had betrayed the overall Cherokee nation. The whites, on the other hand, saw him as a savage Indian and nothing more. If George had been honest with himself, he would admit that he really didn’t feel like he fit in with either culture, but since he couldn’t do anything about it, he tried to never give it much thought.
The Massey clan stood a few feet away from the main group, mostly because of the looks of hatred and mistrust coming from their fellow Cherokee. The main group were obviously the members of the nation who wanted nothing to do with the white man’s ways. George knew some even wanted war. However, without guns, tomahawks, or other weapons of war, they could do nothing about it.
“All right, we’ve got all the savages together, General Scott, sir. Should we begin escorting them to Indian Territory?” asked a lieutenant from the regular U.S. Army.
“The order is given, Lieutenant O’Brian, you may go ahead and carry it out.”
“Yes, sir! All right, you savages, get a move on. We ain’t got all day! Move!” O’Brian emphasized he was serious by having his men point their Hall breech-loading flintlock rifles at the Cherokee, which were also equipped with bayonets.
George couldn’t see how many Cherokee would be force marched to Indian Territory, but he could tell it was in the hundreds. His clan stayed at the back, so he decided to be at the end of the march. This was mostly to watch for people who might collapse from exhaustion so he could help them try to march. The Army followed alongside on their horses and it looked to George that they were amply supplied for this trip, since a supply wagon followed far enough behind that most of the Cherokee wouldn’t know it was there. The young Cherokee man begin to feel hatred enter his heart towards these men who were doing this to his people. He knew it was wrong, so he tried praying for peace, but it was a struggle for him not to let the hatred fester in his heart.
As he walked, the air temperature was getting almost cold enough to wear heavier clothes, but he no longer had heavy clothes. George’s prayer was that he and everyone else would make it to Indian Territory before the first freeze or first snow fall, whichever came first.
This is a post from Cliff Ball. Read the original post: Next Work in Progress
Related posts:
Works in Progress….
Character Timeline for my End Times novels
Eugenics and how it relates to Times of Trouble
December 1, 2014
Enter to win a Kindle or $100.00 Amazon Gift Card
By Cliff Ball
Enter to win a Kindle or $100.00 Amazon Gift Card
Sponsored by these great books and authors:
Support one the authors and the giveaway by checking out their books!
Enter to Win:
This is a post from Cliff Ball. Read the original post: Enter to win a Kindle or $100.00 Amazon Gift Card
Related posts:
Book Blast: Wacky Wishes by Susette Williams, Illustrated by Jack Foster – Enter to Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!
Book Blast: Winter’s End by Rebekah Lyn – Enter to Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!
Book Blast: Winter’s Past by Mary E Hanks 6/11/13 – $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!
September 30, 2014
New Release – Times of Tribulation – Book 7
By Cliff Ball
Times of Tribulation, the seventh and final novel of The End Times Saga is now available to on Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, and Smashwords. The paperback will be available in a week or so. I want to thank readers for sticking with me through the last two and a half years as I wrote this series. The next thing I have planned is a box set for all seven novels, which will include a timeline and the list of characters, and that will probably come out before the end of November.
Times of Tribulation follows the entire seven year period as various characters survive the seven trumpet and seven bowl judgments.
In the North American region, which is one of ten administrative regions set up by the Patriarch, the former mayor of Dallas becomes the second to rule over the region after the first one disappoints the world leader. The Administrator hunts down new believers in Christ, makes the people in his region fear him, and deals with each disaster that affects his rule.
In Big Bend, some Doomsday Preppers try to avoid the forces of the Patriarch and the administrator of North America. As they survive the various judgments, they come across new Christians who help them to come to understand how Jesus died for their sins.
Find out more in the final novel of The End Times Saga.
Thanks again for reading The End Times Saga. Next year, I plan on beginning another end times series, so stay tuned for that.
This is a post from Cliff Ball. Read the original post: New Release – Times of Tribulation – Book 7
Related posts:
New Release: Times of Destruction, book 5 of The End Times Saga
New Book Release: Times of Turmoil
New Book Review of Times of Trial
New Release Pre-Order Times of Tribulation – Book 7
By Cliff Ball
Times of Tribulation, the seventh and final novel of The End Times Saga is now available to pre-order on Kindle, Apple iBooks, and Kobo, and it’ll be available to download on October 20th. If you want to read it now, head on over to Smashwords, since it’s live there. The paperback will be available in a week or so. I want to thank readers for sticking with me through the last two and a half years as I wrote this series. The next thing I have planned is a box set for all seven novels, which will include a timeline and the list of characters, and that will probably come out before the end of November.
Times of Tribulation follows the entire seven year period as various characters survive the seven trumpet and seven bowl judgments.
In the North American region, which is one of ten administrative regions set up by the Patriarch, the former mayor of Dallas becomes the second to rule over the region after the first one disappoints the world leader. The Administrator hunts down new believers in Christ, makes the people in his region fear him, and deals with each disaster that affects his rule.
In Big Bend, some Doomsday Preppers try to avoid the forces of the Patriarch and the administrator of North America. As they survive the various judgments, they come across new Christians who help them to come to understand how Jesus died for their sins.
Find out more in the final novel of The End Times Saga.
Thanks again for reading The End Times Saga. Next year, I plan on beginning another end times series, so stay tuned for that.
This is a post from Cliff Ball. Read the original post: New Release Pre-Order Times of Tribulation – Book 7
Related posts:
New Release: Times of Destruction, book 5 of The End Times Saga
New Book Release: Times of Turmoil
Times of Turmoil released to Nook, Kobo, Apple, and Smashwords
New Release Times of Tribulation – Book 7
By Cliff Ball
Times of Tribulation, the seventh and final novel of The End Times Saga is now available to on Kindle, Nook, Apple iBooks, Kobo,, and Smashwords, since it’s live there. The paperback will be available in a week or so. I want to thank readers for sticking with me through the last two and a half years as I wrote this series. The next thing I have planned is a box set for all seven novels, which will include a timeline and the list of characters, and that will probably come out before the end of November.
Times of Tribulation follows the entire seven year period as various characters survive the seven trumpet and seven bowl judgments.
In the North American region, which is one of ten administrative regions set up by the Patriarch, the former mayor of Dallas becomes the second to rule over the region after the first one disappoints the world leader. The Administrator hunts down new believers in Christ, makes the people in his region fear him, and deals with each disaster that affects his rule.
In Big Bend, some Doomsday Preppers try to avoid the forces of the Patriarch and the administrator of North America. As they survive the various judgments, they come across new Christians who help them to come to understand how Jesus died for their sins.
Find out more in the final novel of The End Times Saga.
Thanks again for reading The End Times Saga. Next year, I plan on beginning another end times series, so stay tuned for that.
This is a post from Cliff Ball. Read the original post: New Release Pre-Order Times of Tribulation – Book 7
July 1, 2014
Crossreads Book Blast – Hope Deferred by Elizabeth Maddrey
By Cliff Ball
Hope Deferred
By Elizabeth Maddrey
About the Book:
Christian fiction for women.
It’s been a tough year. Twin sisters June and July and their husbands spent the last year trying to start a family. Now, as the sisters work with fertility specialists to see how medicine can help them conceive, each must determine what treatment is right for them in the midst of overwhelming options, none of which promise immediate results.
Will their deferred hope leave them heart sick, or start them on the path to the fulfillment of their dreams?
Elizabeth Maddrey began writing stories as soon as she could form the letters properly and has never looked back. Though her practical nature and love of math and organization steered her into computer science for college and graduate school, she has always had one or more stories in progress to occupy her free time.
When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books and has mastered the art of reading while undertaking just about any other activity. Elizabeth is a member of ACFW and lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. with her husband and their two incredibly active little boys.
Follow Elizabeth Maddrey
Enter to Win a $50 Amazon Gift Card!
Enter below to enter a $50 amazon gift card, sponsored by author Elizabeth Maddrey!
This book blast is hosted by Crossreads.
We would like to send out a special THANK YOU to all of the CrossReads book blast bloggers!
This is a post from Cliff Ball. Read the original post: Crossreads Book Blast – Hope Deferred by Elizabeth Maddrey
Related posts:
CrossReads Book Blast: Carlene Havel’s “Here Today Gone Tomorrow”
Crossreads Book Blast – Timothy Phillips
CrossReads Book Blast: One Night With a Rock Star by Chana Keefer
June 5, 2014
Now Available: Times of Judgment
By Cliff Ball
Times of Judgment – Christian End Times Thriller book 6, is now available in paperback and ebook. I published it to Kobo a couple of days ago, but it still hasn’t showed up yet. This is the end of the main part of the storyline, but I will have one last novel that encompasses the whole seven years with other characters who have to survive the Tribulation Period.
Times of Judgment, book 6, goes through the last three and a half years of the seven year Tribulation Period. The world leader gets “assassinated” and Lucifer teams up with him shortly before he’s “resurrected” to become the Anti-Christ. They begin persecuting Israel and the one hundred and forty four thousand witnesses for Christ as the Bowls of Wrath are poured out and more of God’s judgments are unleashed on the unredeemed of Earth. Everything leads up to the final battle between Lucifer’s forces and God at Armageddon.
Where to buy:
Amazon Kindle
Barnes and Noble
Createspace paperback (ISBN-13: 978-1499750751)
Apple iBooks
Smashwords
Google Play
This is a post from Cliff Ball. Read the original post: Now Available: Times of Judgment
Related posts:
Times of Judgment – Coming Soon
New Release: Times of Destruction, book 5 of The End Times Saga
Upcoming fifth novel in The End Times Saga
May 23, 2014
Times of Judgment – Coming Soon
By Cliff Ball
Currently, I’m writing Times of Judgment, the sixth novel in The End Times Saga. It’ll be available (hopefully) by June 9th, or a couple of days earlier. It’ll cover the last half of the Tribulation Period, where the Bowl Judgments from Revelation 16 will affect the whole world, unlike the trumpet judgments that affected 1/3 of the part of the world they were affecting.
Judgment Cover
Lucifer joins forces with the Patriarch, after his second attempt at trying to usurp God’s authority, and they try to rule the rest of the population with an iron fist. Believers, especially the one hundred and forty four thousand witnesses, start getting rounded up and executed. Some even get to have show trials and their executions aired on live television. One of the executions take place in an Israeli stadium, with rock bands and a general party atmosphere.
Many believers escape to Petra to hold up in the gorge, which leads to the ancient city. From there, they end up with people who have access to short wave radio (the world gov’t is so tied to modern tech, their security forces don’t pay attention to old school communications) and can contact groups around the world who are either believers themselves or are thoroughly anti-government that they refuse to even take the marks of the beast. One group, are Doomsday Preppers in the Big Bend of Texas (which will be explored in the last novel of the series that covers the whole Tribulation) who survived the destruction of most of North America.
The Bowls of Wrath
1. Ulcers/sores/blisters affect those that have the mark of the beast and worship the beast’s image. I start that off with people worshipping the image and getting infected when one person touches it. The image is a holographic 3D representation of the Patriarch, sort of like the recent performance of a holographic Michael Jackson.
2. All life in the seas die.
3. Rivers, streams, and other waters used for drinking become blood filled.
4. The sun scorches men with fire. In the last novel, Moses and Elijah make it where 1/3 of the sun’s light doesn’t get through to Earth. That’s taken away and the power of the sun now also fries all electronics, throwing mankind back to around Industrial Revolution tech. Since I had a mention of the Mars mission in the last novel, they make their one and only appearance here.
5. The Kingdom of the beast becomes darkness, and mankind bites tongues in pain. Essentially, I’m going to keep the sunlight hours at around 6-8 hours, and the night hours will be up to 18. No light at all (flashlights, candles) will shine during this time and the darkness will feel physical and claustrophobic.
6. The Euphrates dries up to prepare for Armageddon.
7. Christ returns to Earth. Shortly before this, a world-wide earthquake flattens mountains, drowns islands, and flattens many cities.
Right before Armageddon begins, asteroids pummel the Earth like hail, destroying whatever is left of civilization. The Patriarch and High Priest, once their defeat is complete, are judged and thrown into the Lake of Fire. Satan is finally defeated, he is locked up and thrown in the abyss for the next thousand years.
Remember, the Tribulation Period is a dark time in history, it won’t be a walk in the park, or sunshine and lollipops, which is what I’m trying to portray in these novels. I hoped you’ve enjoyed reading my series, which will finish up with Times of Tribulation, which covers the entire seven years from a few other characters’ point of view.
This is a post from Cliff Ball. Read the original post: Times of Judgment – Coming Soon
Related posts:
New Release: Times of Destruction, book 5 of The End Times Saga
Upcoming fifth novel in The End Times Saga
#SampleSunday – Times of Trial: an End Times novel
May 7, 2014
$.99 sale for Times of Turmoil
By Cliff Ball
Until Saturday, Times of Turmoil will be $.99 on Kindle and Nook. Next week, starting on Sunday, Times of Trial will be $.99 on both sites too. The links to Amazon are universal.
In this first novel in The End Times Saga (prequel to Times of Trouble and Times of Trial), we follow how the Evans family gained their riches and eventually their power to influence events in the United States. We see important events that the Evans family gets themselves involved in: such as the return of the Israelites to Israel, the assassination of President Kennedy, the terrorism of 9/11, and eventually events that lead to government tyranny in the United States with the sole purpose of destroying Christianity and its influence in the United States.
A preacher and his family, the Tyler’s, have a church that is dying in Arizona. Even though the church is dying, they take care of the remaining senior saints, including the ones in nursing homes and in hospice. The other family in the church, the White’s, head to Wyoming to live in a community that was originally started by Doomsday Preppers back in the early 2000′s so they can attempt to escape the increasing persecution of Christians.
Meanwhile, President Collins orders the activation of Camps across the country that will house believers who he thinks are a threat to his rule. His patron, Michael Collins, manipulates events in the Middle East. The Tyler’s end up with others in a camp in Arizona, while the White’s and the community they live in gets attacked by government troops. Evans continues to manipulate events as the Rapture takes the Christians, and he gains ultimate power.
This is a post from Cliff Ball. Read the original post: $.99 sale for Times of Turmoil
Related posts:
#Newrelease: Times of Trial the 2nd novel in End Times series
Next novel, Times of Trial, possible book cover
New Book Release: Times of Turmoil
April 17, 2014
Two Sci-Fi Audiobooks Giveaway
In the 2150s, a scientist discovers time is actually fluid; past, present, and future all exist at the same time. What he doesn't know, is if the current timeline can change when something is changed in the past. The U.S. government wants him to find out. The theme being to make right what once went wrong.
Narrated by actor Michael C. Gwynne, who had voiceovers in films such as Jaws.....
On Audible: http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Out-of-Time-Audiobook/B00F57TNFG
In this combination of the novels New Frontier and Final Frontier, this is the story of alternate timelines, partial political thriller, and time travel, in which a United States President is kept from being assassinated, but there are other unintended consequences as a result.
In 1976, Ronald Reagan becomes President of the United States, declares the U.S. will plant a base on the moon by 1980 and a base on Mars by 1989. The Iranian Hostage Crisis occurs, but Reagan issues a stronger response, but as a result, Osama bin Laden rises to power earlier than he normally would have in the prime timeline.
Meanwhile, The Soviet Union decides to build a starship that will travel to the stars because they want to one-up the United States, but as is usually the case, nothing seems to go right.
In the early 1990s the U.S. and the Russians join forces, which leads the joint venture to the other side of the galaxy by means of a wormhole. When they attempt to return to Earth, they find themselves in the past, where they try to fix certain events in the past while they wait for history in general to catch up to where they launched the joint mission to begin with. Things go wrong as events do not play out as planned and numerous cases of unintended consequences result from the multiple attempts at fixing the timeline.
On Audible: http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Beyond-the-New-Frontier-Audiobook/B00GSX96KS/
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