Ellen Gable's Blog, page 14

Power in the Name of Jesus Conference

My husband and I participated in this international conference on the Power of Jesus’ name. Our talk begins around six minutes. (And a screenshot of us speaking is below the You Tube link/box. There are several other speakers from various parts of the world including Scotland, Wales and Poland. Enjoy!

Virtual Attendance #cartoon

copyright James and Ellen Hrkach, please do not use without permission

Back in 2013 when we created this cartoon, we had no idea how close this would be to the truth eight years in the future.

I never thought we’d be attending both weddings and funerals virtually. After all, the idea for this cartoon was supposed to be a joke, not real life.

However, our new normal seems to be here to stay.

We now teach marriage preparation virtually via Zoom. Sometimes the only way to attend Mass is via Zoom. We visit with family and friends via Zoom and FaceTime. Just about everything we used to do in person, we do via Zoom. Yes, it’s more convenient. Yes, it’s safer. But I do miss the face-to-face interaction and the hugs.

However, if we can’t find some humor in social distancing, virtual weddings and funerals, mask-wearing and sanitizer, then it’s going to be challenging finding it elsewhere these days.

Stay safe. Take time to smile, laugh and be happy about your blessings, even in these challenging circumstances.

Copyright 2021 Ellen Gable Hrkach

Close to the Soul #1 in New Releases on #Kindle

Close to the Soul by Mary Jo Thayer (to be released on May 1st by FQP!) is #1 in New Releases on Kindle!

Synopsis: Through grit and grace, Carolyn Fandel survives being raped by someone she knows and trusts. She will not accept defeat—even when confronted by her rapist a second time. Instead, she uses her tragedy to help hundreds of others, some of whom she will never meet. Set in the era of the Vietnam War and the new feminism, this book will have you crying and cheering for Carolyn as she navigates the challenges of life after sexual assault.

Reviews:

Close to the Soul is a beautifully written novel that weaves the story of redemption through every character on every page.  Edith Schafer once wrote that our lives are a tapestry, we are looking at the backside which is often messy and confusing, but God sees the beautiful work of art, each thread precisely woven together.  I have spent my life grappling with the questions this novel boldly addresses. Pam Stenzel, M.A. Enlighten Communications

With equal measures of heartbreak and joy, Close to the Soul is a gripping novel that strikes every emotional chord.  Fans of Francine Rivers will flock to this one!  Lori Nelson Spielman, best-selling author

When I started reading Close to the Soul, I wasn’t sure how Mary Jo would approach this difficult topic, especially from a young woman’s point of view. What I found was a beautiful and inspiring story written in such a refreshing way that celebrates life, faith, love, redemption, strength of spirit, and family amid a devastating challenge. I felt honored to read Close to the Soul’ and pray that many readers will share this story.   Jim Sano, author of the Fr. Tom Series

What an uplifting and hopeful story! I have to admit that it brought tears to my eyes more than once while I was reading it.  I loved the solid and unwavering faith displayed by the Fandel family. The story definitely brings out the truth of God’s wonderful and mysterious ways and his constant care of us even when we are going through rough times that we cannot understand. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.    Linda Etchison, author, Sr. Aloysius Comes to Mercyville

Mary Jo Thayer has written an uplifting tale, dealing sensitively at each step with the challenges and trials faced by women raising their children alone. Mary Jo’s deep faith is obvious, shining through her main character, Carolyn Fandel. Carolyn’s resignation to the situation she finds herself in, along with the decisions she makes in the wake of her trauma, would certainly provide encouragement to any Catholic woman in any state of life, and indeed to anyone who picks up the book to read it.  Veronica Smallhorn, author, A Channel of Your Peace

Wow! What a powerful and moving story set in the 1950’s. The story is of great value for readers today. This is an amazing read. And an incredible debut novel. Christian fiction at its best. Excellent Catholic literature. Steven McEvoy, Book Reviews and More

To preorder the book on Kindle, click here.

A Channel of Your Peace #bookblast #sale

A Channel of Your Peace by Veronica Smallhorn is currently on sale on Kindle for .99 (until Tuesday, April 20) and is this month’s Catholic Writers Guild Bookblast!

Synopsis:

Would a God who truly loves you allow things to get this bad?

Lapsed Catholic Erin Rafferty has the life she always wanted. Or at least she did, till the moment her fiancé of five years announces he’s leaving her for another woman. Heartbroken and humiliated, a further devastating development leaves her wondering if she can ever live a normal life again.

Mark Ashcroft is a devout Catholic looking for an equally devout Catholic wife. A chance encounter with Erin leaves Mark completely captivated, yet deeply unsettled, knowing Erin is not in a place to accept him, nor is she the model Christian woman he’d hoped to start a life with.

A tentative friendship begins, and Erin finds herself questioning her long-held rejection of her faith, while Mark finds himself healing from memories of his own wounded past.

But as love grows, further tragedy in Erin’s life threatens her burgeoning faith and her hope for a future with Mark.

What follows is a difficult journey of love, surrender, trust, and faith in the ultimate knowledge that Christ is always in the midst of our sufferings.

“Excellent debut novel. I was very impressed with the writing. The story is masterfully written and was very hard to put down.”

Steven McEvoy, Book Reviews and More

Download A Channel of Your Peace for only .99 on Kindle!

An Open Book – April #openbook

I’m joining with Carolyn Astfalk and Catholic Mom for An Open Book.

Here’s what I’ve been reading:

The Way of the Cross by St. Alphonsus Liguori

My review: Probably the most popular book for following the Stations of the Cross. I bought it on Kindle so I could have it with me whenever I attended the Stations of the Cross or said them privately. It’s excellent!

Shirley Jones: A Memoir

Amazon Synopsis: From golden-voiced ingénue to bus-driving mother of a pop band, Shirley Jones sets aside her wholesome, squeaky clean image in a memoir as shockingly candid, deliciously juicy, and delightfully frank as the star herself.

“You are going to meet the real flesh-and-blood Shirley Jones, not just the movie star or Mrs. Partridge,” says the beloved film, television, and stage actress and singer of her long-awaited memoir, an account as shockingly direct, deliciously juicy, and delightfully frank as the performer herself.

Sharing the “candid” (Los Angeles Times) and “revealing” (Associated Press) details of her life in Hollywood’s inner circle and beyond, Shirley Jones blows past the wholesome, squeaky-clean image that first brought fame, and gives us a woman who only gets hotter with time.

My review: As a huge fan of The Partridge Family, this was one of those books that I had wanted to read back in 2013 when it was first published. Then I read the reviews and decided to wait until it was on sale. Well, I finally downloaded it. In some respects, I was interested in reading her inside story. And in other respects, there are things I can’t “unread,” like the time she was coaxed into having an abortion several months after she married Jack Cassidy in 1957. The way she tells it, she was dead set against it. After all, they were married. But to her husband and her agent pressuring her, her career was more important. She talks about the abortion like this: “…as I watched him (the doctor) while he worked, finally removing a mass of blood but no fetus as it was too early for one to have formed inside me.” That sounds very much like she was downplaying it. Even so, I give her credit for her resolution that no matter what happened in the future, she would never have another abortion.

There are other things that I can’t unread that I won’t share, but it saddens me that she felt she had to write a “tell-all” book that sometimes focused on the licentious and at times, it was over the top. The writing is okay, but she jumps from time period to time period too much, and she could’ve used an extra developmental editor. 3/5.

Treasures: Visible and Invisible by Catholic Teen Authors

Amazon Synopsis: Treasures: Visible and Invisible is a collection of short stories by eight CatholicTeenBooks.com authors.

A teen boy sets out to save a friend from pagan druids, but maybe he’s the one who needs saving.Between an unearthed treasure and a visit from Heaven, a young monk is in for the surprise of his life!A young girl seeks a mysterious treasure that holds the key to granting a nun’s dying wish.Honora is desperate—then a peculiar clover and a mysterious young man change everything.William’s weekend job is a little gift from heaven, but now his family needs a real miracle.When threatened by mobsters, Grace receives help from a surprising source.Alone and afraid, a young girl finds friendship in a stranger. But could this boy be trouble?Kyle was determined to save the precious relic–but now his whole family is in danger.

My review: This is an enjoyable clean Christian fiction anthology with an Irish theme. Highly recommend!

Stolen Blessing by Jim Sano

Amazon Synopsis: Erick and Addie Comghan have a good life in Boston. When the baby they have longed for is born, the unimaginable happens—Elizabeth goes missing the day after her baptism at St. Francis Parish. Father Tom and Angelo are pulled in to help solve the mystery of her disappearance in a race against time and the complicated dynamics of the relationships involved. Stolen Blessing is the third book in the Father Tom Series and is a story that offers suspense, intrigue, and a journey of love, redemption, and forgiveness.

Newest book from FQP!

A Scarlet Cord by Deborah Raney

Amazon Synopsis: In the four years since her husband’s death, Melanie LaSalle’s life has been consumed with managing the family design firm and caring for her five-year-old daughter, Jerica. The possibility of a new relationship is the last thing on her mind. But when Melanie meets Joel Ellington, a new staff member at her church, she is instantly attracted to his warm spirit.
As their friendship deepens, however, Melanie is troubled by something she can’t quite understand or explain. Joel past seems to be off-limits, even to Melanie. Because of her growing feelings for him, Melanie pushes her doubts away. But when Joel disappears, along with the contents of a church bank account, she can no longer ignore her suspicions.
Now, torn between her feelings for Joel and the evidence mounting against him, Melanie faces a heart-wrenching decision: to forget the man who gave her reason to love again or to trust Joel enough to give him her heart.
Exploring themes of the importance of truth, loyalty, and trust, A Scarlet Cord illustrates that who we truly are depends little on outward appearances and solely on our relationship with God, and on the fact that through faith in Him, we can find places of comfort, healing, and selfless love.
This novel was originally published in 2003 under the same title, and was a Golden Quill Award finalist.

My review: I downloaded this for free many months ago and finally got around to reading it. It’s a great story with well-developed characters and a few twists and turns. A page-turner! Recommend: 4/5.

Now Available: Stolen Blessing by Jim Sano

Synopsis: Erick and Addie Comghan have a good life in Boston. When the baby they have longed for is born, the unimaginable happens—Elizabeth goes missing the day after her baptism at St. Francis Parish. Father Tom and Angelo are pulled in to help solve the mystery of her disappearance in a race against time and the complicated dynamics of the relationships involved. Stolen Blessing is the third book in the Father Tom Series and is a story that offers suspense, intrigue, and a journey of love, redemption, and forgiveness.

Reviews:

What a great read!  I loved the plot, I loved the ending. This story speaks to all of us about the depth of the human spirit and our capacity to love and forgive.  Like every human family, our imperfections make us who we are and will help to shape who we ultimately become in the future.  This is a moving story of faith, hope, love, and forgiveness that will resonate with every reader!  Andrea D. Hoisl, Director of Office of Faith Events, Diocese of Norwich

Stolen Blessings kept me guessing – who did it? why? how? But beyond the mystery, it offers a prescription for the familial wounds that threaten to steal the peace we all crave.    Carolyn Astfalk, Award-winning Contemporary Catholic fiction author of All in Good Time

Jim Sano’s Stolen Blessing provides more than just an entertaining whodunnit with endearing characters. His story gives us rich layers of humanness, moral failings, grace, and a few subtle messages that are there for us —if we are paying attention.   Margot Hill, Deputy Superintendent, Ret. Boston Police Department

Stolen Blessing is a wonderfully written mystery and the third story of the excellent Father Tom series. The characters will draw you in and keep you hooked throughout this deeply moving story and make you stop to think about life. Father Tom is an amazing character, and I hope we get books featuring him for years to come.      Steven R. McEvoy, Book Reviews and More

Stolen Blessing is available via Kindle and in paperback!

Great War-Great Love Series Now On Catholic Teen Books

My series Great War Great Love is now part of Catholic Teen Books. Check out the other great teen books included on their website!

Anything But Groovy VBT

Today, I’m participating in Amanda Lauer’s Anything But Groovy Virtual Book Tour.

What was the inspiration for Anything But Groovy?

I was inspired to write Anything But Groovy because I have vivid memories of my growing up years in the 1970s and wanted to craft a story about how someone back then was able to overcome adversity during her junior high school years. This evolved from a memoire to a time-travel story because I wanted this to be a book that would be enjoyed equally by teens in this day and age and those people who were children of the ‘60s and ‘70s.

This book is very different from your previous books (Heaven Intended Series: historical romance) because it’s a time travel book set in current times and in the 1970s.  Are the characters based on real people and is this story based on actual events that happened?  Or are the characters and events mostly fictional?

Like any book I write, characters are based loosely on people that I’ve known throughout my lifetime. The events are based in part on things that I experienced in my growing up years. That being said, I’ll stick with the disclaimer from the front of the book: This book is a work of fiction. Although the setting for this novel takes place in the 1970s, some of the names, characters and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Real events and characters are used fictitiously. 

I really enjoyed the TV, music, toy and food references that really transport the reader back to those days.  Do you have a great memory or did you use a diary/journal to write about all those 70s references?

Thank you, I enjoyed reliving the pop-culture references myself! (Man, we watched a lot of TV, considering we only had three channels to choose from!) I do have my diaries from my growing up years, but, to be honest, I did not reference even one of them when writing the book. For some reason, my experiences from my junior high years are seared into my brain. Maybe I tucked them away because I knew in my heart that some day I’d write a book about that critical time in my life.

What do you hope the reader will take away from reading Anything But Groovy?

I hope this book will be an enjoyable blast-from-the-past for people who lived through those years, an eye-opening read for teens in this day and age to see what life was like for their parents and grandparents growing up in the “Wonder Years,” and that this will be a book that different generations will read together to create some conversations about the joys and challenges of growing up, no matter in which era. 

You are a contributor to another book just released titled Treasures: Visible and Invisible. What is the name of your story and can you give us a brief synopsis?

My story is Lucky and Blessed which tells the tale of two teens, Ambrose and Honora, living in 1540 during the  Reformation, and how they help each other make it through a difficult time. There’s a good chance that this will be a full-length novel somewhere down the road. 

Who are some of your favorite authors and what do you like about their books?

As a huge fan of history, historic fiction is my preferred genre, and I was first introduced to it by some very talented authors who specialized in “bodice-rippers.” I’ve always preferred clean romance, so I was so happy to be introduced to the Catholic Writers Guild. There are some outstanding authors in that group. It would be hard to name every author that I admire from that group, but here’s a shout out to one of my favorites, Ellen Gable, who writes the style of books that I truly enjoy reading.  

Are you working on any other writing projects?  If so, what are they? 

There’s always something on the drawing board! I just finished writing the fourth book in my Heaven Intended series called A Freedom Such as Heaven Intended. A Faith Such as Heaven Intended will be next up. Right now I’m in the beginning stages of a time travel book where a teenage girl working at a golf course is hit by lightning and travels back in time to the oldest golf course in the world, St. Andrews, and has to learn to navigate life and love during the late 1600s. Lucky and Blessed will be expanded when time permits. In addition, I’m working on a screenplay for a movie and pursuing turning the Heaven Intended series into a set of movies or a limited-run television show on a streaming service. 

Virtual Book Tour Stops/Links

March 15  Barb S @ Franciscan Mom

March 16  Ellen Gable @ Plot Line and Sinker (Interview)

March 17  Jim Sano @ jimsano.com

March 18  Amanda @ A World Such as Heaven Intended

March 19  Sarah Reinhard @ Snoring Scholar

March 20  Carolyn Astfalk @ My Scribbler’s Heart Blog

The book is available in print or on Kindle.

To purchase Anything But Groovy, click here

Check out Amanda Lauer’s other books

Check out Amanda’s FQP Author Page

Interview With RL Martin

Today, I interview RL Martin, author of Refreshing Jutta, published recently by Full Quiver Publishing.

EG: Where did you get the idea for Refreshing Jutta?

RLM: I was listening to Al Cresta one day on Catholic Radio talking about the possibility of medicine reaching a point where people will not have to die. I wondered what would prevent the really wealthy from keeping the treatments to themselves. What life would be like living under these transhuman people who are 150 years old or so. How far would they go to live indefinitely? Would they kill others to keep themselves alive? This kind of thing is happening in China right now. Organ harvesting is a big business. So, I created a world where the common people like you and I are given a near perfect environment. We don’t have to work much or suffer. We can spend all our time playing and doing pleasurable activities. Nothing sexual is taboo. The only catch is that when we start to wonder if there’s more to life, we get in trouble. Our transhuman leaders don’t need us asking pesky religious or philosophical questions. Those questions just make us unmanageable. Better we spend our time playing games and otherwise being distracted from anything at all that matters. Kind of like the world we’re in today. We have these smartphones that are with us now 24 hours a day. So, I imagined the evolution of the smartphones as being PASbots that monitor our moods and make sure we’re not thinking anything too deep or questioning why we’re here. I think our technology has pretty much done that. It’s distracted us from our true purpose, which is to be in relationship with our Creator.

EG: Have you always been interested in science fiction?

RLM: I’ve never been a huge science fiction buff. I’m not into science fiction just for the sake of science fiction. I prefer stories that are kind of thought experiments about what might happen if humans do eventually get certain technologies. In other words, the best science fiction, in my mind, provides cautionary tales about what might happen if we keep going down whatever path we’re on. That’s what Bradbury was doing with “There will come soft rains,” you know, thinking about what will happen as a result of our nuclear weapons obsession in the 50s. Or Huxley’s Brave New World and of course Orwell’s 1984. Very prescient, I might add, looking at what’s going on these days with censorship and our media. It’s Newspeak and Big Brother, for sure. I wouldn’t consider myself a real science fiction buff. I never really got into Asimov or the like. But I do like it if it’s a good cautionary tale. I believe the original Star Wars was really good. George Lucas used the “Hero’s Journey” that Joseph Campbell came up with. And I tried to follow that pattern with Refreshing Jutta as well.  

EG: What do you hope the reader will take away from Refreshing Jutta?

RLM: The literary criticism class I took in college would say that we shouldn’t be concerned with what the author intended but with what meaning we make of the text. I do believe that the reader works with the text to create their own meaning. And great writers, like Faulkner if I remember correctly (or was it Hemmingway?), refused to say what they meant by their writings. They were interested in hearing what others made of their work. Well, I won’t pretend to be a Faulkner or a Hemmingway, so I’ll just tell you what I want readers to get out of the book. What I meant to say with Jutta is that I believe the world is a sort of saint factory. It’s not meant to be comfortable and we were not meant to live here forever in this current body. We’re meant to be on this Earth to learn to love God. It reminds me of the poem “The little black boy” by William Blake.

And we are put on earth a little space / That we may learn to bear the beams of love, / For when our souls have learn’d the heat to bear / The cloud will vanish we shall hear his voice. / Saying: come out from the grove my love & care, / And round my golden tent like lambs rejoice.

Any attempt to change the true purpose of creation, which is to make saints who will commune with God eternally, always ends up being destructive, no matter how good our intentions are.

EG: Who are some of your favorite authors and why?

RLM: Flannery O’Connor. I don’t know why. I always loved her stuff. She was weird and quirky. I read her Violent Bear it Away in college and thought she was cooky, but in a good way. At that time, I had no idea what Catholicism was all about. It wasn’t until I became a Catholic almost 20 years later and was teaching Literature at the community college that her work had a full impact on me. When I taught her short stories, like “Revelation” I just couldn’t help but get excited and even laugh at the ending. The students thought I was weird. They were probably right.

Others: TS Elliot, JRR Tolkien (see why I use my initials?) Ursula K Le Guin, John Steinbeck, Dostoevsky…I guess the writers I like most are the ones who give me something to think about. Le Guin’s story, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” inspired the opening scene of Jutta.   

EG: Are you working on any other writing projects?  If so, what are they?

RLM: I started a new book before Covid hit, but I never could get back to it. It was going to be a love story between a white woman and a Chinese man in 1883 Tacoma, leading up to the expulsion of the Chinese from Tacoma. But when Covid hit, it just didn’t seem like such an important topic, and I’ve been more concerned with blogging about current events. Oh, and I teach full-time now at a middle school, so there’s not a lot of time to write creatively. I did finish a book after Jutta about a kid who gets thrown overboard in the Pacific ocean and ends up surviving on all the trash out there. I think it turned out pretty good but probably needs edits.

To purchase Refreshing Jutta, click here. It is available as an ebook and paperback.

Interview with Allison Wajert Venini, author of Authenticity

Allison Wajert Venini is the author of Authenticity, which was published by FQP last Fall.

EG: Where did you get the idea for Authenticity?

AWV: I had an idea of a well-known and working actor asking an ingenue why she was compelled to be involved in the craft of acting.  Sometimes, stories come to me, although there is a point of entry before I find it in whole.  There had been much attention brought to certain celebrities, particularly young actors who were prominent in the eighties.  Several turned to substances and subsequently became addicts.  I am speculating, but I think some of them were exploited.  They were surrounded by people who used them. 

EG: Your book focuses on a close friendship between a famous actor and a background actress.  Do you have any experience in the acting field?

AWV: I have experience in acting in several mediums.  I have a degree in theatre acting, as well.  The body of work, if you could even phrase it as such, has been broad, but on a small scale.  I do not think you would recognize me from anything.  I would hate getting typecast, but if I was typecast as anything, it was the victim.  I consider myself as being a quiet person, but I know how to scream. 

EG: Have you always been interested in literature?  What drew you to writing a story with Theology of the Body themes?

AWV: I am a bibliophile.  Growing up, I read novels instead of interacting with my peers at recess.  The books were more inviting and inclusive than my classmates, I found. I wanted to write a story of faith, primarily.  Theology of the Body has far-reaching applications; one experiences life through the body.  Our decisions, often realized physically upon ourselves or upon others, impact our souls.  Chastity is a virtue prevalent in the story.  The protagonist’s virtue is challenged, tested, and even attacked. I believe in platonic love, and did not find it depicted between opposite sexes in literature very often. 

EG: What do you hope the reader will take away from Authenticity?

AWV: What a lovely question!  I am grateful when someone invests the time to read Authenticity.  Hopefully, he or she will have learned a little bit about the arts, and that the people behind the art are not automatically pedantic and aloof. 

EG: Who are some of your favorite authors and why?

AWV: Growing up, I read quite a bit of Torey Hayden, who is a non-fiction writer.  She taught children who were deemed unfit for a regular classroom setting, often because of disability or psychological disorders.  She was remarkable, and so were the children who had to, with guidance, make better lives for themselves.  With children, their circumstances are out of their control, so you hope that they are in a place where they can thrive. My tastes are broad, but I have read a lot of apocalypse fiction, so Michael O’Brien’s Children of the Last Days, especially Father Elijah, captivated me.  I read Steven King’s The Stand.  I did read Left Behind at the peak of its popularity, but I was disappointed that Catholics were among those “left.”  I found it to be unnecessarily divisive.  The last book I read that I truly loved is The Buried Giant by Sir Kazuo Ishiguro.  It is a love story between an elderly married couple.  There are many books devoted to young love, but not nearly as many touching upon sustained love.  Sir Ishiguro writes in a range of genres, so he has the ability to reach many. 

EG: Are you working on any other writing projects?  If so, what are they?

AWV: It all depends upon having time to write!  If I do not complete it, then I hope someone puts out a novel regarding souls in Purgatory.  They are too often ignored, and that is reflected in the novels being published.

Click here to read an excerpt, reviews and a synopsis of Authenticity.

Authenticity is available via Amazon as an ebook or paperback.