Carolyn Astfalk's Blog, page 24
January 1, 2019
Starting Fresh in 2019: 20 Years Is Too Long to Hold Onto Bad Advice
Photo by Tero Vesalainen, pixabay
As new homeowners twenty years ago, my husband and I relied on the opinions of “experts.” We listened to the realtor, the home inspector (who was oddly more concerned with ancient damage by powderpost beetles than existing basement puddles), and the plumber/electrician.
Let me tell you about the plumber/electrician. He came with a recommendation and a good price. I think his night job was tending bar at a private club. The details are fuzzy now. But I have a couple of stories, and this is one.
Our house, built in 1920, has a three-way switch that controls the upstairs hall light, which illuminates the stairs. This means that you can turn the switch on or off from either upstairs or downstairs.
Sometime in the late 1990s, the switch stopped functioning. We called our plumber/electrician. Let’s call him “Joe.”
“Joe” took a look.
“Joe” said that he could fix that three-way switch, but it would require opening up our plaster walls upstairs and down. Which we’d then have to replace with drywall.
Sounded like a big job. Expensive. Messy. And, darn it, we love our plaster walls.
So, we went without.
Between then and now, we lived with a hall light that had to be turned on wherever it was turned off, and vice versa. This meant, to save trips up and down, we’d often go up or down in the dark.
And so we did. Up and down. Up and down. With babies in tow. Toddlers by the hand. And accompanying preschoolers afraid of the dark. (Keep in mind, our only bathroom is on the second floor. Think potty training.) A minor inconvenience, yes, but an inconvenience all the same.
Flash forward. We’d since realized “Joe” was interested in doing the least amount of work possible. “Joe” hasn’t been our plumber/electrician in a LONG time.
This summer, when we needed an electrician for another project, I asked the men who did the repair to take a look at that three-way switch. You know, now that all of “Joe’s” advice had been shadowed by doubt.
Wouldn’t you know, those men fixed our three-way switch in less than a half hour! No destruction of plaster required.
My point here is not that my husband and I are idiots. (Though I wouldn’t blame you for thinking such.) The point is that we wasted about twenty years listening to bad advice.
What bad advice have you taken to heart and listened to, well beyond its expiration date?
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Care for another example that surely doesn’t point to the fact that we are, in fact, idiots?
For the past year, the water pressure from our kitchen faucet has been diminishing. Especially when using the hot water. Not to mention, the water was spraying from the spigot in all directions.
I just chalked it up to another inconvenience that would have to wait until the long-overdue kitchen remodel came to pass. My husband griped about the faucet regularly, and I let it go in one ear out the other. What to do?
Lo and behold, my husband recently discovered that he’d placed three O-rings on that faucet, adding one each time he switched the nozzle while attaching a hose for home brewing cleanup. In other words, he’d caused the problem.
We’d lived with it a year without ever discovering the cause.
The new year is a good time to stop being lazy.
It’s a good time to stop listening to bad advice.
It’s a good time to just do it.
Because we never really know what time is left.
You’d think I’d have worked this advice out on paper. After all, in Stay With Me, hadn’t Rebecca listened to the toxic opinions of her dad for way too long? In , wasn’t Dan paralyzed by a past he couldn’t shake?
Nope. That message did not compute.
What bad advice have you taken to heart and listened to, well beyond its expiration date?
Is there a “Joe” whose bad advice you’ve been listening to for way too long?
Are you that “Joe?”
As we flip the calendar, I’m going to look carefully at the way things have always been done around here. At the advice that has gone stale. At the thinking that has festered in its stagnancy.
“Joe,” you’ve been forewarned. Your time is up.
Let the new light shine.
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December 31, 2018
My Favorite Books Read in 2018 and A Look Ahead
Time to look back and then ahead! Looking back, I came up with a quick list of my favorite books from 2018. These are not necessarily books published in 2018, but books I read in 2018.
You can see in which category I read heavily: contemporary romance, which is also what I write.
My favorite books of 2018 - and a look ahead!
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In a similar look back last year, I laid out all the books I wanted to read but didn’t get to. Let me tell you, looking at that list is humbling. I’ve read only one – ONE – book on that list. But, I’ve already started another, and those books are rocketing to the top of the 2019 list so I need not embarrass myself again next year.
Finally, I’ve listed some authors whose books I’m looking forward to reading in 2019!
Best Overall
Romance – Contemporary
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Romance – Historical
Mystery
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Short Fiction
Classics
Non-Fiction
Young Adult
Middle Grade
Picture Books
Looking to 2019
Tammy L. Gray, the third book in the Bentwood Series
Becky Wade, the third book in A Bradford Sisters Romance Series
Ellen Gable, the third book in the Great War Great Love Series
Amanda Lauer, the third of her Civil War novels
Theresa Linden, Tortured Soul
Corinna Turner, Three Last Things
Dani Pettrey, Deadly Isle
Robin Patchen, Beauty in Flight
Also to look for: I’m in the last stages of editing before sending off two novels of my own for publication and contemplating a short story contribution to a Catholic Teen Books Christmas anthology!
What are your favorite reads from 2018?
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December 29, 2018
This Year’s 4- and 5-Star Christmas Reads for Adults
I know some people have already packed up their Christmas decorations, but ours have been up for less than a week, and we’re enjoying the Christmas season! I’ve been devouring Christmas books for a bit longer, and will likely continue into the new year.
Aside from those of us who celebrate Christmas during Christmas more than before, there are those who enjoying reading Christmas stories year round! These recommendations are for you! (Or, bookmark this page for next year.)
Here then are my 5-star and 4-star Christmas reads so far this season. For more books, including children’s books and reviews from previous years, check out my Goodreads Christmas shelf.
The best Christmas books I've read this year!
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The 5-Star Reads
Catching Christmas by Terri Blackstock
Cab driver Finn’s personality really shines in this story as he comes to care for a sick, elderly lady he totes to and from her medical appointments. Both his character and the lady’s granddaughter, Sydney, are well-developed and entertaining.
Catching Christmas hits all the right notes with the perfect amount of Christmas levity, genuine emotion borne of love and loss, and the gentle spirit of Christmas inviting us to approach the babe in the manger.
One of my favorite Christmas reads!
A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews
I was smitten with Sophie and Ned from the beginning! Something about these unpretentious, straight-forward characters drew me in. The setting was just perfect for a Christmas romance with gaslight manors, evergreen, mistletoe, and a sleigh ride. And three holiday kisses to make a girl swoon. This is one of my favorite Christmas reads! I love the cover equally as much.
Merried Off by Christina Coryell
For so short a story, the main characters were well developed! Such a sweet and tender romance. I thoroughly enjoyed it – the setting, the characters, the Christmas details, and the new beginning for Celeste and Doug. It may have made me reconsider my aversion to beards. 
December 25, 2018
The Perfection of Your Imperfect Christmas
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Christmas. The lights. The sparkle. Pittsburgh actually dubbed the run-up to Christmas as Sparkle Season at one point. And that it is.
I scroll through Instagram and see cozy homes lit by fire glow. Magnificent trees and Christmasy home décor. Gifts, gifts, and gifts galore.
Families with twice as many children as I do have carefully observed every Advent practice and feast culminating in a languid and joy-filled celebration of the 12 Days of Christmas straight through Epiphany and on to Candlemas Day. I know because they document it in posts and stories.
In my weaker moments, I’m tempted to envy. In my too-small house with growing children and shrinking income, my celebration doesn’t compare. Theirs teems with Christmas revelry, ours brims with clutter.
A grateful heart is the best antidote. But a discerning eye also reminds me that all is not what it may seem.
We need a God who humbled Himself to enter the human family with all its weaknesses. #Christmas
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I can show you our Nativity, where baby Jesus lies beneath the loving glow of Mary and Joseph.
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And you wouldn’t see that next to it sits a pile of school papers waiting for Daddy’s examination. You wouldn’t know that this is the first time these decorations have seen the light of day in a decade. They’ve sat in the attic untouched for years while we were overwhelmed by babies and toddlers.
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I can show you our beautifully decorated tree.
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And you wouldn’t see the heap of displaced stuff moved to make way for our artificial friend. You wouldn’t hear the short-tempered parent yelling at the kids for mishandling ornaments. You wouldn’t hear the cries of the child who was punched in the stomach by his sister for an unknown offense nor hear the wails of the offender sentenced to sit on the stairs.
You wouldn’t know how many times the vomit bucket has been moved around the living room over the past week between two kids with stomach bugs and one who seems to have a psychosomatic response to being instructed to brush his teeth. Or the kid that guzzles so much water it has been known not to stay down.
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I can show you a mouth-watering collection of the cookies we baked.
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You wouldn’t see that they were baked in a kitchen that was likely last remodeled in the mid-twentieth century. The homebrewing equipment and supplies strewn over half of the kitchen? You’d have no way of knowing.
I can show you the pecan squares we made for the first time.
You wouldn’t know how the ones on the edge of the pan were dried and burnt. Or how I threw those pieces on the perimeter into the trash. Or how the whole container tumbled into a giant bucket filled with sanitizer for brewing equipment.
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You’d never know that half the time I looked at the baking pans this year, I teared up. The pans, which I think may have been a wedding present given to my parents in 1954, would look to you like plain-old pans.
But when I see them, I can’t help but miss my mother, more now than I did when she died five months ago, and wonder how I could have been a better daughter. So many happy memories are tied to baking with my mother, using those old, dark pans.
(Sadly, those memories didn’t include the fact that with dark pans, the oven temperature should be adjusted twenty-five degrees lower. See burnt pecan squares, above.)
Maybe your Christmas this year has been picture perfect! Occasionally that happens, and when it does, yippee!
But, I’m guessing that regardless of what you’ve shared with others in person or on social media, your Christmas looks a little like mine. Imperfect.
If this Christmas hasn’t measured up to some invisible standard – self-imposed or otherwise – you’re not alone.
If you have babies or toddlers underfoot . . . you get a pass.
If you or a loved one has been ill . . . you get a pass.
If you’re grieving . . . you get a pass.
If you plain don’t feel like dealing with the hoopla . . . you get a pass too.
Because while family memories are built around some of those must-do traditions, in the end, they’re not needed. Christmas comes and goes with or without them.
Likewise, spotless souls, Instagram-perfect families (if they existed), and an untarnished world don’t need a savior.
But we do.
Jesus comes to sinful hearts.
Jesus comes to fragile families.
Jesus comes to a broken world.
You may carve out the burnt edges and toss them quietly in the garbage, but He’s already accounted for every crumb.
We need a God who humbled Himself to enter the human family with all its weaknesses.
“Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
– 2Corinthians 12:10
From my imperfect home to yours, may you be blessed by God’s abundant love for you this season.
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December 17, 2018
Interview with Author Corinna Turner: Creativity, Culture, and What’s Next
I’m impressed with your imagination more than that of any author I follow. What do you do to feed that imagination, to create such original characters and stories?
[image error]This is a bit of a hard one, because I don’t particularly feel like I do anything special. I read (though less than I used to due to time, and I’m getting much pickier), I also like films, though again, I’m getting much pickier. I don’t really watch TV at all. I probably get maybe a third to half my book ideas in dreams, so those I cannot take even the illusion of credit for! The other ideas are split between the ones that come very rapidly to the ones that grow more slowly, but they all develop without any interference from me, at least until I reach the stage of serious plotting, so I think all the credit lies with the Holy Spirit for these as well!
With the growing number of stories tied to your I Am Margaret series, you’ve fully immersed yourself in Margo’s world. How much of that world was developed in the beginning, and how much has grown as the characters have taken on lives of their own?
[image error]The core idea for I Am Margaret came in a dream, and in the dream the place where she was imprisoned was like a mine or cave, at least in that the walls were rock not breeze blocks. There weren’t really any other distinguishing features of a cave or mine, that I recall, and as the rest of the story quickly coalesced it soon, and very naturally, morphed into a breeze block prison instead. The shape and feel of her world was fixed when I started writing the books—they were living in a country where religious persecution was in force, inspired largely by the recusant Catholics in Elizabethan England, and where due to a combination of ecological problems and misguided population control, jobs, wages, and even to some extent scientific progress had stayed stagnant for decades. Other settings, such as the Citadel and Vatican State, developed fully once my characters were inbound for them, and once they were there. Life in a normal, non-Believing family home got a little more development when Brothers came along, and life in a quiet African country parish also developed with The Siege of Reginald Hill.
The dystopian world in I Am Margaret clearly has its roots in contemporary culture. What specific present-day threats do you see that, left unchecked, could result in a future as bleak as the one in which Margo and Bane come of age?
[image error]The number one thing the I Am Margaret series presents is the logical (or a logical) endpoint of the culture of death. I’ve actually had the odd reviewer say they’re not sure how we got from where we are now to where they are in the series, which always flabbergasts me. Not in one big step, of course. But by tiny incremental steps, gradual erosion of attitudes, we could all too easily end up where they are. I hope we won’t, but we could. Our society already refuses to acknowledge the humanity of the unborn human being. Unsurprisingly, there is now open discussion of infanticide in medical circles, the next logical step. Some now call for the euthanasia of disabled babies, children, or even adults. If euthanasia is brought in, this will most likely follow. Organ donation in the UK is in danger of switching from opt in to opt out (and has done in Wales). Practically speaking, this means the state now owns your organs unless you say otherwise. It’s not far from opt out to compulsory. And once organ donation is compulsory, you’ve just got yet another incentive to get rid of the ‘imperfect’. And so on, and so nauseatingly on.
The second warning in the series is of course militant atheism. We already often hear people say that people’s religion should be kept completely private, i.e. they shouldn’t act on it at all in public. What sort of religion can one have and not act on? Nonsense. But the UK government and media by and large operates as though atheism had in some way been ‘proven’. It’s not far from ‘keep it private’ to ‘don’t believe it at all’.
The third, more minor, warning is that we need to do what we can now to look after the planet, regardless of the cause of the shifting climate. Maybe it’s solely our activity, maybe it’s caused partly by something else—we still need to do what we can to fix it or we’re going to live in a very unstable world in a few decades time—socially as well as ecologically.
Fantasy is, I think, an under-represented but growing subgenre of Christian fiction. How do you explore fantastical elements without violating Christian tenets, and is there an author you think does (or did) this remarkably well?
[image error]I think the fundamental issue when writing anything, but especially fantasy, is what the message is. You can use any ‘created creature’ to send any message—and yes, elves, vampires, were-wolves, dragons etc. are all theologically speaking ‘created creatures’ even though imaginary ones (they’re not God, so what else could they be?). None of them can be fundamentally evil, because God didn’t create anything evil (that’s the heresy of Gnosticism, folks!). They’re just imaginary creatures just as bunnies and horses are real creatures, and you can have good ones that portray positive messages and values, and bad ones that portray negative messages and values.
One thing I am cautious with personally is the portrayal of ‘real’ magic. By which I mean traditional witchcraft and sorcery. Because, as a Christian, I know that such things draw their power from the devil, regardless of what many very well-meaning but tragically misled Wiccans and New Age practitioners believe. When I include elements of this nature, I do no research (to ensure they are not accurately presented) and they are always, no surprise, practised by the bad guys, and NOT glamorised in any way. But I don’t have an issue with magic per se. ‘Magic’, in the sense of something supernatural, beyond nature, happens at every Mass, at every Anointing, at every Confession, at every Exorcism, every miraculous healing, every saint who sees a Vision, every conception of new life. Hence I prefer to present good ‘magic’ as something with its roots in the soul and spirit, and the natural order of the world (I hesitate to use the word ‘nature’ which in this context is wide open pagan connotations).
Tolkien and C.S. Lewis are of course the classic masters of Christian fantasy! But I recently read the debut novel of Elizabeth Amy Hajek, The Mermaid and the Unicorn, where the existence of the magical beings is smoothly reconciled with Christianity in a credible and inoffensive way, and I particularly liked the role played by the rich Christian symbolism of the Middle Ages.
I recently read Mandy Lamb and the Full Moon, which is a fun, creative, yet thoughtful book for young readers. The main character Mandy, the result of genetic engineering, is half-girl, half-sheep. Her sheep nature creates some challenges for her – hoofy fingers, an inconvenient tail, wooly hair. I had to wonder how much experience you have in tending or observing sheep.
[image error]I have quite a lot of experience tending sheep, and they are one of my favourite animals. I was raised in a town, but after doing my GAP year on an ecological farm in Sweden (and liking the Gotlands sheep particularly), I missed the farm life whilst at university and decided to look for a lambing job over the Easter holidays. By good fortune, I found a job at a lovely farm on the Welsh borders where I was on the lambing team or running the lambing sheds each year for something like the next ten years. I only gave it up when work conflicts prevented me from getting the time off, and would be happy to do it again in future. Hard work, long days, but lambs are just lovely.
You earned a Master of Arts degree from Oxford University, an impressive author credential! How did your education enrich you as an author and as a reader?
[image error]Oh dear, how to answer this one honestly! I actually didn’t like most of the literature I studied at Oxford all that much! But I did enjoy the deeply Catholic atmosphere of my small college, a Catholic private hall run by the Franciscans—even though I was an Anglican at the time! I loved discussing Theology over tea with the friars and theology students, and quickly got used to the sheer ‘Catholicness’ of the place (which was such a shock when I first went to visit I was within an inch of bolting before even allowing myself to be shown around! What a mistake that would have been!) I also very much enjoyed being part of the University Officer Training Corps, that part of the Territorial Army that aims to turn out future employers who are sympathetic to their employees joining up (and which plays a big role in Someday and the rest of the Yesterday & Tomorrow series). So I think I gained a lot of experiences at university that have fed into my writing, even if they weren’t so much the ones you might expect.
What projects are you currently working on?
Too many, as usual! I’m trying to finish off the last short story for my I Am Margaret short story collection (for publication some time in 2019), I’m getting a novella called Three Last Things ready for publication either Lent or Easter 2019 (release date TBD), I absolutely must finish writing the rest of the Yesterday & Tomorrow series (next book to be published in 2019, please Lord!), and this week I’m very much hoping to write the next unSPARKed short story/novella. I’m also collaborating on a graphic novel (The Vampire’s Saint) with talented Catholic artist Mary MacArthur, I have a Spanish translation of I Am Margaret on the way (thankfully requiring next to no input from yours truly) and I should be getting the audiobook version under way in January. This is not to mention projects waiting to become ‘active’ projects but not yet making the cut!
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Corinna Turner has been writing since she was fourteen and likes strong protagonists with plenty of integrity. She has an MA in English from Oxford University, but has foolishly gone on to work with both children and animals! Juggling work with the disabled and being a midwife to sheep, she spends as much time as she can in a little hut at the bottom of the garden, writing.
She is a Catholic Christian with roots in the Methodist and Anglican churches. A keen cinema-goer, she lives in the UK with her classic campervan ‘Toby’ (short for Tobias!), her larger and more expensive substitute for her lovely Giant African Land Snail, Peter, who sadly passed away in October 2016.
Links:
Website: www.iammargaret.co.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CorinnaTurnerAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CorinnaTAuthor
THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! STAY A WHILE AND LOOK AROUND. LEAVE A COMMENT. SHARE WITH A FRIEND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE SIGN UP FOR MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS![image error]
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December 10, 2018
The Siege of Reginald Hill Blog Tour
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About the Book:
An odd surge filled my heart as I looked at him, sitting there in that chair: so old; so evil; so broken; so . . . alone. A warmth. A caring. A . . . love. I loved him. Just another poor sinner who needed my care. . .
SAFETY IS NOT THE ABSENCE OF DANGER, BUT THE PRESENCE OF GOD.
Fr Kyle Verrall is living a quiet life as a parish priest in Africa when he’s snatched from his church one night by armed assailants. He’s in big trouble—his sister’s worst enemy is hell-bent on taking revenge on the famous Margaret Verrall by killing her brother, just as slowly and horribly as he can.
What could possibly save him? The humble young priest is defenseless—or so Reginald Hill believes.
But Kyle has a powerful weapon Hill knows nothing about. And he’s not afraid to use it.
Is Reginald Hill really the hunter?
Or is he the hunted?
How far would you go to love your enemy? The Siege of Reginald Hill by @CorinnaTAuthor #CatholicTeenBooks
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My Review:
The Siege of Reginald Hill is different from any book I’ve read. (Of course, Corinna Turner is probably the most original writer whose work I regularly read.) Most of the book takes place in 1-2 rooms with little outward action. And yet, it held my attention and interest throughout.
The book is an examination of what it means to “love one another as I have loved you” in the most dire of circumstances. Why and how does one love one’s mortal enemies?
The heart of the book is the conversations between former Eurobloc bad guy/all around evil villain Reginald Hill and young priest Kyle Verrall. Reginald Hill’s soul is in jeopardy, and Fr. Kyle is bound and determined to be God’s instrument in bringing him to salvation by any means available to him.
There are some twists and turns and appearances by Kyle’s brother-in-law Bane, who remains my favorite character in the series.
If you’re interested in only the theology and spirituality, you can dive into the I Am Margaret series here. However, without knowledge of the many, varied characters and their histories, I think you’d be somewhat confused by their roles. To get the most out of the book, I recommend reading from the beginning of the series.
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The Blog Tour:
Saturday, December 1– Corinna Turner, author of the I Am Margaret series, including new release The Siege of Reginald Hill
Monday, December 3 – Blogger and Amazon Top 1000 Reviewer Steven R. McEvoy on “Book Reviews & More”
Tuesday, December 4 – Blogger, contributor to Catholic Mom, and author, Erin McCole Cupp (Jane E., Friendless Orphan series, etc.)
Wednesday, December 5 – Award-winning Catholic teen fiction author Regina Doman (The Fairy Tale novels, The Angel in the Waters, etc.)
Thursday, December 6 – Award-winning Catholic teen fiction author Theresa Linden (Liberty series, West Brothers series, etc.)
Friday, December 7 – Sarah de Nordwall, The Catholic Bard!
Saturday, December 8 – Writer, blogger, and author of Catholic fiction T.M. Gaouette (Faith & Kung Fu series)
Monday, December 10 – Carolyn Astfalk, author of coming-of-age romance Rightfully Ours, etc.
Tuesday, December 11 – Leslea Wahl – Award-winning Catholic teen fiction author Leslea Wahl (The Perfect Blindside, An Unexpected Role, etc.)
Wednesday, December 12 – Elizabeth Amy Hajek, blogger and author of The Mermaid and the Unicorn
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About the Author:
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Corinna Turner has been writing since she was fourteen and likes strong protagonists with plenty of integrity. She has an MA in English from Oxford University, but has foolishly gone on to work with both children and animals! Juggling work with the disabled and being a midwife to sheep, she spends as much time as she can in a little hut at the bottom of the garden, writing.
She is a Catholic Christian with roots in the Methodist and Anglican churches. A keen cinema-goer, she lives in the UK with her classic campervan ‘Toby’ (short for Tobias!), her larger and more expensive substitute for her lovely Giant African Land Snail, Peter, who sadly passed away in October 2016.
Links:
Website: www.iammargaret.co.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CorinnaTurnerAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CorinnaTAuthor
THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! STAY A WHILE AND LOOK AROUND. LEAVE A COMMENT. SHARE WITH A FRIEND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE SIGN UP FOR MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS![image error]
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December 7, 2018
The Intersection of Faith & Kung Fu
Let’s get this out of the way, first, shall we? Here is where my knowledge of Kung Fu starts and ends:
I may have learned a little more about kung fu by reading Author T.M. Gaouette’s Faith & Kung Fu books. Throughout the three-book series, the reader follows Gabriel Livingstone, a devout, focused, and disciplined teen who excels at kung fu.
The discipline and virtues fostered through Gabriel’s pursuit of excellence in kung fu translate well to the spiritual life. And while many teens (or adults) aren’t experts in the rigors of attaining spiritual perfection, they do know sports. Kung fu gives the reader a solid entry to the series and the realistic depiction of contemporary culture that the author has created.
(Interestingly, Wikipedia says (I know, Wikipedia) this: “In its original meaning, kung fu can refer to any discipline or skill achieved through hard work and practice, not necessarily martial arts.)
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Just in time for Christmas, the third book in the series, Guarding Aaron, has been released. Here’s a peek at Guarding Aaron:
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About the book:
The world continues to press in on Gabriel Livingstone’s quiet life when fifteen-year-old Aaron Buckley enters Yeung’s Martial Arts Studio looking to learn kung-fu. Gabriel knows there’s a desperate secret behind the boy’s bruises, and secretly vows to be his guard, with the help of his friend Christian. But when Tanner Rose pressures him for strength and direction, and Faith’s continued rebellion send him and his friends to the hospital, jeopardizing Tanner’s career, Gabriel is forced to reexamine his decisions. Is he called to the priesthood or is life behind the monastery walls merely an escape?
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:10-11 RSVCE)
My review:
Guarding Aaron continues the saga of Gabriel, Tanner Rose, Faith, and friends as they learn to follow where God leads.
Gabriel is struggling to discern his vocation, always keeping Tanner Rose at a cold distance; Tanner Rose must make her own way in Hollywood and with her new friends following her conversion; and Faith, well, Faith is back to being a mean girl and creating a wide swath of destruction.
Expect the return of characters from previous books, Kung Fu, a visit to a Benedictine monastery, and a bully who needs put in his place.
Great for prompting discussions about how actions affect others, selfishness, discipline, bullying, detachment, and surrendering to God’s will.
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Get the latest installment in the Faith & Kung Fu series, Guarding Aaron, by @tmgaouette for Christmas!
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THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! STAY A WHILE AND LOOK AROUND. LEAVE A COMMENT. SHARE WITH A FRIEND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE SIGN UP FOR MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS![image error]
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December 5, 2018
An Open Book
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Welcome to the December 2018 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart AND CatholicMom.com!
I’ve moved full-on into Christmas reading mode. While we won’t decorate until Gaudete Sunday and I’m not interested in listening to carols yet, in this one area, I enjoy Christmas a little early. Two new Christmas novellas have set the reading bar high this season.
[image error]I loved A Holiday by Gaslight: A Victorian Christmas Novella by Mimi Matthews. The cover conveys the historical Christmasy feel of the book set in Victorian London. I connected immediately with the main characters, who were straightforward and unpretentious. (Unlike most everyone else in the story.) Scenes of dragging evergreen boughs through the snow and hauling yule logs to the hearth helped set the scene for a romance that crosses social class boundaries.
[image error]Catching Christmas by Terri Blackstock immediately became one of my contemporary Christmas favorites. Gourmet chef turned cab driver Finn ends up toting around an ill elderly woman while her frazzled granddaughter Sydney struggles to hold onto her job defending a defenseless, spoiled drunk. The story is the perfect blend of poignancy and humor (especially in regard to the cab service/Uber rivalry). In the season when God comes to us as an approachable babe in the manger, the religious message in Catching Christmas is on point.
[image error]After reading so many glowing remarks about The House on Foster Hill by Jamie Jo Wright, I couldn’t wait to read it. I’ve been listening to it on audiobook, and the narration by Erin Bennett is very well done. The story moves between the early 20th century and present day, connecting Ivy Thorpe and the mysterious murder of a young woman to her descendant Kaine’s relentless pursuit by a stalker following her husband’s death/maybe murder. For both Ivy and Kaine, there is strong and handsome protector on hand to add a touch of romance. So far, I’m loving this book.
[image error]My son’s class has been reading the play Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw. In helping him study for a quiz, I learned a little about the play and the playwright. Unhappy with the way Saint Joan of Arc had been portrayed, Shaw sought to write a play that showed the saint in a more realistic light – proud, naïve, and foolhardy. With this play, Shaw is said to have reached the height of his fame as a dramatist.
[image error]In looking for some other books tucked away in the attic, my husband brought out a favorite of mine for our daughter to read. America’s Favorite Backyard Wildlife is all about the little critters that we see in the yard (and dead on the road): squirrels, raccoons, skunks, opossums, etc. It’s a fun and easy read of backyard tales and critter facts. Downside: My daughter now wants to keep a chipmunk as a pet.
[image error]If you read An Open Book regularly, you know that once my daughter finds a series or author she likes, she sticks with it. That is the case with Gary Paulsen. She’s currently reading Dogsong, a Newbery Honor book set in Alaska. This one involves an epic journey with dog sleds. The cover is striking, isn’t it?
[image error]On a recommendation from The Christian Fiction Girl, I borrowed Are You Scared, Darth Vader? by Adam Rex from the local library. My first grader has read it about six times in the past day. It’s a humorous picture book in which a child poses a series of questions to Darth Vader as to what might frighten him. Toward the end, it slips into a kind of metafiction, reminding me of The Monster at the End of This Book. A fun read!
[image error]This is the perfect time for us to bring out the most unusual Christmas picture book we own: The Other Side of Christmas: An Upside-down Book by Beth Gully. (I recommended it in Under the Catholic Child’s Christmas Tree last year.) Read the book for the Santa story of Christmas, then flip it upside down and read the Jesus story of Christmas. Clever and fun!
What are you reading? Share it at An Open Book and find new book recommendations too! #openbook
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November 27, 2018
Top 10 Go-To Authors/Books on Kindle Unlimited
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I’ll be frank – my to-read list is out of control, but despite that fact, I couldn’t pass up Amazon’s current deal on Kindle Unlimited. For 99 cents, get three months of access to Kindle Unlimited ebooks and thousands of audiobooks!
Top 10 Go-To Authors/Books on Kindle Unlimited #KU
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Here are my recommendations for great Kindle Unlimited authors/books:
(Be sure to click on the Kindle version for the Amazon links; they default to paperback.)
Cynthia T. Toney – Read the entire Birdface series on KU and the multi-award-winning The Other Side of Freedom .
Ellen Gable – Get the Great War Great Love series and all of the author’s historical and contemporary fiction.
Carolyn Astfalk – Yep, all my books are on KU: Stay With Me , Ornamental Graces , and Rightfully Ours .
Drive!: unSPARKed 1.0 – Corinna Turner’s dystopian dinosaur short for children and up.
Katy Huth Jones – The He Who Finds Mercy Series is all on KU.
Susan Peek – A Soldier Surrenders , Saint Magnus: The Last Viking , and The King’s Prey, all action-packed, moving saint stories for teens and adults.
A.K. Frailey – Historical books and sagas plus science fiction.
Full Quiver Publishing – In addition to Ellen Gable’s and my books above, find all FQP books on Kindle Unlimited, including Amanda Lauer’s Civil War romances and Dr. Barbara Golder’s Lady Doc Murders series.
Nicole Deese – All of her contemporary Christian romances.
Crystal Walton – All of her contemporary clean romances.
Do you have a favorite Kindle Unlimited author?
THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! STAY A WHILE AND LOOK AROUND. LEAVE A COMMENT. SHARE WITH A FRIEND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE SIGN UP FOR MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS![image error]
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November 22, 2018
Roland West, Outcast Blog Tour
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Learn more about the book, my review, follow the blog tour, connect with the author, view the book trailer, and enter to win a copy!
About the Book:
For shy Roland West, speech class is synonymous with humiliation. The last thing he wants is more attention from the gossips and troublemakers of River Run High School. But when an outcast’s house is viciously vandalized, Roland needs to find the perpetrators—before they strike again. Yet nothing is as straightforward as it seems. Suspected by the police and ridiculed for his beliefs, Roland draws closer to the sinister truth. When the perpetrators threaten a good friend, can Roland overcome his fear of speaking out and expose them?
Theresa Linden is at her best in capturing Roland’s shy reluctance and Peter’s awkward infatuation. #CatholicTeenBooks
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My Review:
Roland West, Outcast is both entertaining and timely! Theresa Linden is at her best in capturing Roland’s shy reluctance and Peter’s awkward infatuation.
A well-written book for Catholic teens that addresses the social pressure to kowtow to shifting notions of right and wrong (particularly in regard to same-sex attraction) is long overdue.
If you’re ever been silent when you should’ve spoken up, if your beliefs have ever been mischaracterized or misunderstood, if you want to get along without compromising your conscience, then Roland West, Outcast is for you.
The Book Trailer:
The Blog Tour:
Saturday, November 17 – our first blog stop will be Tumblar House Catholic Bookstore’s blog “The Lounge.” Check out the author interview and look for the first GIVEAWAY! You’ll be able to enter all week long! A winner will be chosen on the last day of the Blog Tour. While you are there, check out the other great books and content on Tumblar House’s website!
Saturday, November 17 – visit Today’s Catholic Teacher Magazine for Theresa’s article “Why We Need Catholic Fiction.” Share the link to the article in Catholic Teacher anywhere to enter the second GIVEAWAY. Simply message Theresa or email her the link.
Sunday, November 18 – blogger Barb Szyszkiewicz shares her review of Roland West, Outcast on “Franciscan Mom.”
Monday, November 19 – stop by Unseen Books, home of the books by Corinna Turner, fantasy and dystopian author.
Monday, November 19 – stop by “Plot Line & Sinker” for a review of Roland West, Outcast by Ellen Gable, author, editor, speaker, and publisher.
Monday, November 19 – blogger Steven R. McEvoy on “Book Reviews & More” – Read his review and Theresa’s article “Embarrassing Moments.” Share your own embarrassing moment in the comments to enter the second GIVEAWAY!
Tuesday, November 20 – award-winning Catholic teen fiction author Leslea Wahl shares her review of Roland West, Outcast on her “Monthly Book Review” blog. Play the Saint Game for several chances to enter the second GIVEAWAY!
Wednesday, November 21 – visit blogger Christina Weigand on Faith, “Inspiration, and a Cup of Tea” to read her review and to see the entire Prologue to Roland West, Outcast! Copy any line of the prologue into the comments to enter the second GIVEAWAY!
Thursday, November 22 – Carolyn Astfalk, author of coming-of-age romance Rightfully Ours, has posted the book trailer and her review of Roland West, Outcast on her “My Scribbler’s Heart Blog.” In the comments, share which West Brother books you have read, if any, to enter the second GIVEAWAY! (It’s okay if you are new to the series. Just say so and you are still entered to win)
Friday, November 23 – T.M. Gaouette, writer, blogger, and author of Catholic fiction, shares her review and points you to a Mad Lib game! Play the game and answer this question in the comments to be entered into the second GIVEAWAY: Did you ever give a speech in high school? How did it go?
***BONUS STOP***
Saturday, November 24 – blogger Steven R. McEvoy on “Book Reviews & More”shares his interview of the characters: Roland, Keefe, and Jarret West, and Peter Brandt! Check out the character interviews today!
About the Author:
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Theresa Linden is the author of award-winning faith-filled fiction that weaves the natural with the supernatural. She has eight published novels, including a dystopian trilogy, contemporary young adult fiction, a short story in the anthology Secrets: Visible & Invisible and two short stories in Image and Likeness: Literary Reflections on the Theology of the Body. She holds a Catechetical Diploma from Catholic Distance University and is a member of the Catholic Writers Guild. Her books are featured on CatholicTeenBooks.com, Catholic Reads, and Virtue Works Media. A wife, homeschooling mom, and Secular Franciscan, she resides in Elyria with her husband and three teenage boys.
Links:
Blog: Things Visible & Invisible
Website: www.theresalinden.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/theresalindenauthor
Twitter: www.twitter.com/LindenTheresa
Enter to win:
In the comments below, share which West Brother books you have read, if any, to enter the second GIVEAWAY! (It’s okay if you are new to the series. Just say so and you are still entered for a chance to win!)
On the last day of the Blog Tour, the winner will be chosen using an online “winner picker.” Winner will receive a paperback of Roland West, Outcast if they live within the continental US and an ebook (mobi, EPUB, or PDF) for everywhere else (unless the author feels that the shipping cost is not too bad). You will find more ways to enter on every blog stop during the tour. Winner will be announced here.
THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! STAY A WHILE AND LOOK AROUND. LEAVE A COMMENT. SHARE WITH A FRIEND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE SIGN UP FOR MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS![image error]
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