Ellen Gable's Blog, page 33
May 11, 2018
Stealing Jenny Now Available as an AudioBook
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Stealing Jenny is now available as an audio-book. Special thanks to narrator Lisa Reichert, who was incredibly easy to work with!
May 9, 2018
A Living Reflection
copyright Ellen Hrkach
In this year of the 50th anniversary of Humanae Vitae, here is another reprint of mine from three years ago.
Thus the couple, while giving themselves to one another, give not just themselves but also the reality of children, who are a living reflection of their love, a permanent sign of conjugal unity and a living and inseparable synthesis of their being a father and a mother.” St. John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio (On the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World)
Children are indeed a “living reflection…a living and inseparable synthesis” of a married couple’s love. This can be evident physically (as children often look like a combination of both parents), but is evident spiritually and emotionally as well.
It is also been said that the greatest gift you can give to your children is to love your spouse.
James and I have been blessed with five sons (now ages 19-30) but we have also faced the heartbreak of losing seven babies through miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy. Born or unborn, each of our 12 children is an unrepeatable and eternal sign, an outward expression, that we love one another.
This truth that children are a “living reflection” of a couple’s love was not something I fully appreciated until a trip to the beach many years ago.
It was a beautiful July evening and our sons (then ages 4-16) were running and playing in the sand, their laughter like sweet music to our ears. The sun was setting and the sky a brilliant pink and orange, reflecting off their bodies as they ran in the sand. Watching them, I had a ‘light bulb’ moment. “Those children exist because we love each other,” I whispered to my husband. James, ever wise, said, “And because God loves us. Pretty awesome, eh?”
Precisely because of the truth that “children are a living reflection of their love…a living and inseparable synthesis…” divorce can have a negative impact on the children (even adult children). While separation is sometimes a necessity if there is abuse, divorce is too often used because a couple “stops loving one another.” We all have a choice to love.
As a “permanent sign of conjugal unity,” a divorce can sometimes make a child feel like he is being torn in two directions. My husband, whose parents separated when he was 16, said that is exactly how it feels. So when we became engaged, James (only 18 at the time) said, “Ellie, are you sure you want to be married for the rest of your life? Because we will be together for life. We will never get a divorce. I do not want to put my kids through that.” Although we have experienced ups and downs, challenges and loss, we both know that divorce would never be an option.
A Catholic couple we know was facing divorce court. They had lived together before marriage and had used birth control for many years, eventually drifting apart. They had tried secular counseling, but it didn’t seem to work. Even before physical separation, some of their children had begun to show signs of depression and irritability. They agreed to sit down and speak with a priest. This priest urged them to try one more time, and he gave them books on Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. While this is a simplification of their story, they eventually rediscovered their love for one another and are now happily married. They still face challenges, but their love for one another is evident in their relationship with each other and their children.
It is awesome to experience the gift and wonder of new life, as children are indeed the illustration and reflection of a married couple’s love. This love for one another is the greatest gift you can give to your children.
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Hrkach Family 2012
My story of love, loss and conversion is the basis of my novel, Emily’s Hope, which is available on Kindle and in print.
Copyright 2015 Ellen Gable Hrkach
May 3, 2018
My Favorite Birthday Gift
[image error]Today is my youngest son’s 19th birthday. Years ago, when he was about 11, he was playing a numbers game out loud. “So when I’m 20, you’ll be how old?” I said, “Just add 40 to whatever age you are.” “Oh, right,” he replied. “So when I’m 40, you’ll be 80?” I nodded.
On May 3, 1999, I gave birth to Paul. It had been a difficult and challenging pregnancy but on that day, I was finally able to hold this beautiful baby boy in my arms. Two days later, May 5th, was my 40th birthday, but I remained in the hospital recuperating from a Cesarean section. My husband and older children visited me and brought me some small presents to open. James leaned down and whispered, “I feel badly that you have to be in the hospital on your birthday.” I shook my head and smiled. “No need to feel badly.” Then I kissed the beautiful, sleeping baby in my arms. “Because this is the best birthday present I could have ever received.”
My husband and I knew what we were getting into when we attempted pregnancy. Besides my history of miscarriages, we understood that I would be 40 years older than our youngest child. In many respects, I have been able to enjoy my youngest son more. Since he was my fifth child, I was comfortable with attachment parenting and didn’t feel the need to defend nursing my baby on demand and carrying him wherever I went.
My mother was 47 years old when she gave birth to my youngest sister. I remember the excitement in my mom’s voice when she showed me the “at home” pregnancy test. At the time, I was a rather cynical cafeteria Catholic, so I was a little taken aback with her positive reaction.
My youngest sister kept my mother “young” for years. As for me, I have never regretted the decision to be open to life at age 40. In fact, I have always thanked God for my “baby.”
Paul has remained my best birthday gift…ever!
copyright 2018 Ellen Gable Hrkach
May 2, 2018
An Open Book – May 2018
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I’m joining with Carolyn Astfalk and Catholic Mom for An Open Book.
Here’s what I’ve been reading during the past month!
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St. Faustina Prayer Book for Adoration
Susan Tassone
Amazon Synopsis: For centuries adoration has been a devotion saints, popes, and countless men, women, and children not only loved but came to rely on. In St. Faustina Prayer Book for Adoration, best-selling and award-winning author Susan Tassone shows you how to deeply encounter God during your own times of adoration. Here you’ll find prayers for adoring the Lord before the Blessed Sacrament and for spiritual adoration at home. With St. Faustina as your guide, you’ll learn more about the graces God offers you, ways to pray with and without words, and the unique and amazing relationship God shares with you alone.
My review: Susan Tassone has done it again! The “Purgatory Lady” has written and compiled a beautiful book we can take to Adoration. All the reflections are based on St. Faustina’s Diary. If you can only bring one book (other than the Bible, of course) to Adoration, I highly recommend this one. Your Adoration time will be fuller, deeper and more fruitful. Five out of five stars.
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Joseph Sciambra
Amazon Synopsis: At the height of the AIDS crises, I remember constantly hearing that the disease was killing the best and the brightest. While this was somewhat of an over-inflated slogan perpetuated by the homosexual leaning media, there were so many guys that I knew with extraordinary aptitudes for art, literature, music, dance, and design. They were truly gifted by God. I believe that this is why the devil often singles-out gay men for an enormously severe form of temptation and torture. For as gay men, we have often endured a suffering not unlike the Saints. From our earliest memories, we frequently harbor secretive pains of self-doubt and rejection. Later, we continually direct ourselves towards the highest possible focal point of all – encompassing beauty and love. Early on, the Blessed Saints recognize this as the image of God. Those who are corrupted and lose their way, find themselves in front of a very different deity. Their gifts are unwittingly squandered in his service, their life-force extracted in payment for a decaying feast of traitorous emptiness, then they are left to die alone and scared.
My review: Compelling, but very disturbing, book. For adults only. I had to put it down many times when the author is describing his years in the gay community. He also describes the defining incident which started him on the road to conversion. I very much admire this author because it took tremendous courage to write and share his story. Although there are a lot of editorial mistakes (commas and typos), it’s a book I can recommend (but only to those with a strong stomach). Four out of five stars.
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Fr. Donald Calloway
Amazon Synopsis: Read this book and learn all about the greatest heroes of the rosary in Church history, prepare yourself to join their ranks, and respond to the challenges of the present age by taking up the spiritual sword of Heaven: the rosary!
Internationally known speaker and author Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, loves Our Lady and her favorite devotion: the rosary. But he’s not the only one! Throughout the life of the Church, many men and women have become great saints and helped change the course of human history by the power of the rosary. In 26 Champions of the Rosary, Fr. Calloway presents the outstanding heroes whose trusting dependence on Our Lady and her rosary have brought peace and divine help to the world.
My review: I absolutely loved this book! I received a signed copy at the Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show last year, but I only read it recently. It is excellent and easy to read one or two stories at a time. This should be on all Catholics’ bookshelves. Highly recommend. Five out of five stars.
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John R. Monteith
Amazon Synopsis: Master your powers or become the next sacrifice. Dianne suspects she’s an empath, but when telepathic shocks, ghostly warnings, and secret books suggest an immortal is hunting her, she needs to embrace her full abilities–fast. A human wraith is seeking Dianne as a sacrifice, forcing her to partner with strange men who use modern technology and ancient magic to stop her potential murderer. Racing against time to learn her powers and defend herself, she must battle a relentless enemy, guide the efforts of her protectors, and prove her inner strength and empathic competency to survive. Clive Cussler Society Adventure Writer’s Competition Finalist and bestselling author of the Rogue Avenger series, John Monteith, brings you this supernatural thriller that blends metaphysical, occult, and paranormal elements in one page-turning adventure.
My review: This is on my “to read” bookshelf.
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Dan Walsh
Amazon Synopsis: Jack and Rachel leave Culpepper for their long-awaited honeymoon trip, a driving tour through New England. On day three, they stop at a little bay-side town in Cape Cod to visit Jack’s grandmother. After he gets called away to handle an emergency, Rachel stays and listens as Jack’s grandmother shares a remarkable story about how she and Jack’s grandfather met in the early days of World War 2. It’s a story filled with danger, decades-old family secrets, daring rescues and romance. Jack is named after his grandfather, and this story set the course and direction for Jack’s life to the present day. After hearing it, Rachel is amazed that anyone survived.
My review: Also on my “to read” bookshelf.
April 30, 2018
The Wonderful Benefits of NFP
In this year of the 50th anniversary of the encyclical Humanae Vitae (On Human Life) by Blessed Pope Paul VI, this is another reprint of an article I wrote seven years ago on the benefits of NFP.
Natural Family Planning (NFP) provides many benefits that not only promote healthy living, this remarkable method of birth regulation is also environmentally friendly and fosters authentic marital love.
NFP is safe
There are no harmful side effects for either the husband or wife. It is completely safe, 100 percent natural, and involves no potentially harmful devices or drugs.
NFP is healthy
There are no pills, invasive procedures or long-term drugs. Women who use NFP know more about their bodies and can discover health problems sooner.
NFP is effective
Used and taught properly, NFP can be 99 percent effective in avoiding pregnancy. In our experience as an NFP user couple, we have never had an unplanned pregnancy in over 30 years. NFP can also assist some couples in achieving much-wanted pregnancies without chemicals and operations.
NFP costs very little to use
In this economy, NFP is very cost effective. Other than the cost of the course, materials and the replacement of thermometers, NFP costs very little to use over a couple’s 20 or 30 years of fertility, compared to purchasing condoms, diaphragms, pills and other chemicals or operations.
NFP is environmentally friendly
NFP does no harm to the environment. Charts can be recycled and there are no chemicals or other devices used.
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Image copyright James and Ellen Hrkach
NFP is marriage insurance
In a study done by the Couple to Couple League, couples who used NFP had a less than two percent risk of divorce compared to the national secular average of 50 percent.
NFP is morally acceptable
Married couples who use NFP are spiritually healthy because NFP fosters authentic marital love and allows a couple to love as Christ loves: freely, totally, faithfully and fruitfully.
NFP works with irregular cycles
NFP is not like the old rhythm method, which depended on regular cycles. NFP’s charting system works with a woman’s present signs of fertility.
For more information on NFP:
ccli.org
www.serena.ca
www.woomb.org
http://www.creightonmodel.com/
Text copyright 2011 Ellen Gable Hrkach
Cartoon copyright Full Quiver Publishing/James and Ellen Hrkach
April 27, 2018
Holy Sexuality Through the Theology of the Body
Photo courtesy KJ
Re-posting an article I wrote a few years ago:
Marriage is a holy vocation that leads to the creation of life and family, an essential way of spreading the Catholic faith and of attaining holiness.
Taking the four components of God’s love for us (free, total, faithful, fruitful) and comparing them to marital love, we can discover how we can live the sacrament of matrimony as a vocation in the most free, total, faithful and fruitful way, the ultimate expression of not only God’s love for us, but in our love for our spouses. We can discover how we can best express and preserve our Marital Unity.
Free: We need to be able to give our love freely to our spouse. If we ask for conditions, like… I’ll love you IF, then that’s not love. If we force our spouse to do something, that’s not love. If we cannot control our passions, if we cannot say no to our sexual urges, then we are not free. If we cannot say no, our yes means nothing.
Total: The love for our spouse must be total. We can’t say, “Well, I’ll give you everything, honey, except for my arm or except for my leg.” Everything means everything. Total means total.
In the CCCC, 1643, says: “Conjugal love involves a totality, in which all of the elements of the person enter – appeal of the body and instinct, power of feeling and affectivity, aspiration of the spirit and of will. It aims at a deeply personal unity, a unity that, beyond union in one flesh, leads to forming one heart and soul; it demands indissolubility and faithfulness in definitive mutual giving; and it is open to fertility. In a word it is a question of the normal characteristics of all natural conjugal love, but with a new significance, which not only purifies and strengthens them, but raises them to the extent of making them the expression of specifically Christian values.” Sex is holy, but the world doesn’t see it that way.
Faithful: We must be faithful to our spouse. Obviously, we must only have sexual intercourse with our spouse and no other. However, adultery is not the only way we can be unfaithful to our spouse. Indulging in fantasies, pornography of any kind and flirting all offend the sixth commandment. If we want to be truly faithful to our spouse, we must be faithful in word, action, and thought.
Fruitful: We must allow relations with our spouse to be fruitful – to be open to children – each and every time we have sex, whether or not we are planning a child. That doesn’t mean we will conceive a child with every marital embrace. It also doesn’t mean that we must try to get pregnant each and every time we have relations. It just means that we need to be open. Natural Family Planning allows a couple to avoid pregnancy and still be open to the possibility of pregnancy.
Artificial contraception, in fact, destroys all four of the essential components (Free, total, faithful, fruitful). Birth control violates not only God’s plan (because it does not image God’s fruitfulness) but it also destroys a couple’s marital unity, encourages an “I can’t say no” mentality to sex. When a device, medication is used or an operation has taken place to purposefully remove fertility permanently, a couple cannot give themselves totally, no matter how much they love each other. (This does not include couples who have regretted and repented, nor does this include couples who have lost their fertility through no fault of their own).
Contraception also does not allow a couple to totally give of themselves to each other. You can’t say, “I give all of myself to my spouse – except my fertility.” That means you’re not giving your total self. Contraception destroys marital unity by separating the couple physically. Natural Family Planning preserves it.
Living a holy sexuality through the Theology of the Body is not always easy. But I can say from experience, it is most definitely worth it.
For more information on Natural Family Planning:
Copyright 2016 Ellen Gable Hrkach
April 25, 2018
Stealing Jenny Now Available in Portuguese!
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Stealing Jenny is now available in Portuguese in print and e-book. The paperback is available on Amazon and the e-book is available on Nook through Barnes and Noble and Apple iTunes.
O Sequestro de Jenny by Ellen Gable
Mulher infértil e mentalmente instável sequestra mãe grávida
Depois de três abortos espontâneos e dolorosos, Tom e Jenny Callahan estão felizes em antecipar o nascimento de seu sexto filho. Uma vizinha, no entanto, está escondendo secretamente uma trama sinistra que deixará Jenny e seu feto lutando por suas vidas.
“O Sequestro de Jenny é uma obra apaixonante cheia de personagens completos, que traz um mistério atraente e uma mensagem que ressalta a preciosa dignidade da vida. Eu realmente não pude deixar de ler, por isso devo minha alta recomendação a O Sequestro de Jenny.” Lisa M. Hendey, fundadora do site CatholicMom.com e autora do livro “O manual da mãe católica”
April 18, 2018
Theresa Linden, author of Anyone But Him, Interview #VBT
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Theresa Linden is the author of the New Christian Mystery, Anyone But Him. Check out my previous blog post for my review and more information about this wonderful book!
Anyone but Him is told entirely from Caitlyn Summer’s perspective. What is Caitlyn like?
Caitlyn is one of the characters in my West Brothers young adult series, but she is all grown up in this new adult story. She is a faithful Christian who loves her life and her family, and she’s always been full of bubbly hope. She doesn’t swear, never did drugs, and she had always intended to save herself for marriage.
In this story, she wakes up in a nightmare situation, and she just can’t come to terms with it. She is miles from home and she is married to a boy she never even liked in high school. He’s vain and egocentric. And he’s always had drastically lower standards than her. And because she’s always romanticized her future, knowing what kind of man she would one day marry, she can’t believe this is her life.
Action scenes takes place in woods that seem unfamiliar to Caitlyn. And another scene takes place on the beach. What made you choose North Carolina for the location in this story?
For the story to work, I needed a location that was far away from where Caitlyn grew up, in South Dakota. As a young woman, I spent one summer in North Carolina with friends. I loved the beauty and diversity of the landscape, with forests and beaches and orange dirt. And I enjoyed the relaxed pace and listening to the southern accents. So North Carolina seemed like a perfect fit for this story!
What makes this mystery romance different?
Well, at first it doesn’t seem like this story will have a detective, but it does. And while all mysteries have elements which remain unknown or unexplained until the end, this story has more than a few elements. For one, Caitlyn wakes with amnesia. She has no idea what caused the amnesia and no one else seems to know either. The even bigger problem for her is this man she wakes up next to. He claims to be her husband, but she can’t imagine how she would’ve married a man like him. The stakes are raised when her husband’s younger brother arrives on the scene. She remembers being in love with him. Why hadn’t she married him? Throughout this story, while trying to solve these mysteries, Caitlyn finds herself evaluating her faith and her understanding of what marriage truly is.
While trying to understand how she ended up married to him, Caitlyn’s most important question becomes “Who changed?” Has she discarded the values she cherished or has her husband become the kind of man she dreamed of? What lesson is there for all of us in how we see each other, particularly those we’ve known a long time?
Sometimes it is easier to overlook faults in a stranger than in one who is close to us. It can be easier to offer kindness and mercy to a stranger as well. We see our loved ones’ strengths and weaknesses day after day. We expect them to act a certain way in various situations. So it can be difficult to recognize when someone we think we know so well has changed for the better. We too often jump to conclusions based on a person’s past behavior. I suppose this is because we have a vested interest in our family members. We feel responsible for them and want to help them become better people. But it’s important that we recognize the work of God in their lives as well.
What do you most want readers to take away from Anyone But Him?
We’ve all made mistakes and sometimes very big ones, but God is bigger than our mistakes and He can lift us up and set us on a new and beautiful path. I hope this story offers readers hope and encouragement that stays with them for a while.
You’ve written discussion guides for your other books. What extras do you have planned for this one?
This book will also have a book club discussion guide and discounts for bulk purchases. Visit my website for details. I also plan to share the recipes of the food that characters prepare throughout the story, including Chicken Florentine, apple crepes, and authentic Mexican tamales. I’ll share these recipes on my blog and website. Oh, and readers will finally get to find out what Jarret put in the eggs, as mentioned in chapter 3.
What is coming up next for you?
I am currently writing the next two books in the West Brothers series. The first one, Roland West, Outcast, is about a shy teen who fears speaking up, but when his best friend begs him to look into the vandalism of an outcast’s house, his detective skills may be the only way to find answers. The second one is a Confirmation story. I don’t have a working title or story blurb for that one yet, but I want it to really bring the grace of the Sacrament of Confirmation to life through the West brothers.
April 14, 2018
Rightfully Ours by Carolyn Astfalk
[image error]Do you have a young teen who devours fiction? Rightfully Ours by Carolyn Astfalk is the ideal book for them!
Title: Rightfully Ours
Author: Carolyn Astfalk
Publisher: Full Quiver Publishing
Tagline: A coming-of-age story of first love, buried treasure, and discovering some things are worth the wait.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/3hapfaRNItA
Blurb: Sixteen-year-old Paul Porter’s relocation to Pennsylvania is a temporary move during his dad’s deployment. Or so he and his brother think, until devastating news lands on their doorstep. Paul’s new home with the Muellers provides solace, especially in the form of Rachel, his friend and confidante. Their abiding friendship deepens as they work side by side to uncover what could be lost treasure. Will they acquire the strength of character and virtue to take only what rightfully belongs to them or are they in way over their heads, with more than a few lost artifacts at stake?
Excerpt:
An unexpected detour left them lost in the dark. Paul had been certain they were heading the right way, but the two-lane country roads they had traveled the last half hour had few markers, and his older brother questioned whether they had missed a junction sign. Paul’s grip tightened on the clumsily-folded map as he peered out window. Maybe Sean should drag his knuckles out of the Stone Age and get a GPS.
Paul had been anxious about this move more than the others, even though it would only be temporary. The claw-like limbs of the barren trees whizzing by his window made the whole ordeal seem even more foreboding. He’d never been through North Central Pennsylvania, but in the daylight, the mountains would probably be beautiful, if a little desolate.
It’s only for a few months. By spring, Dad would be home, and things would go back to normal. Normal for them anyway. Besides, maybe he’d like it here.
“We just passed it,” Sean said over the acid rock music blaring from the speakers. “I thought you were watching for signs. Some navigator you are.” Sean scowled and jerked the wheel to the right, causing the truck to careen onto the berm and Paul to slam into the door.
Paul rubbed his shoulder where it had smacked the door and sat upright. “I’m sorry, okay? I guess my mind wandered.” He’d swear “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” had been playing for the last half hour. He hoped to God at least one other radio station had a signal strong enough to carry over the mountain they’d crossed.
“Yeah, you’ll be sorry when we run out of gas and have to sleep in this truck.” Sean sat hunched over the wheel, his strong arms gripping the ten and two-o’clock positions. His left leg, forever encased in worn denim, bounced erratically in a rhythm out of sync with the booming bass rattling the speakers.
He pulled into a narrow gravel drive and backed the car out onto the main road, completing his three-point turn. The high beams caught a pair of glowing eyes sinking into the underbrush on the opposite side of the road.
“We’ll get there, okay? Maybe if you’d get a GPS or something—”
“You want to pay for it, by all means, do like the commercial says and give a Garmin. Otherwise, maybe you should go back to grade school and learn to read a freakin’ map.”
Paul suddenly felt ten years younger than Sean instead of the four that separated them.
“There it is, on the right.” Paul pointed to a road sign obscured by an overgrown sumac tree.
Sean turned right, and in the space of a mile, the road went from desolate rural to brightly-lit business district.
He swung the truck into the hotel parking lot, rolling over a speed bump with a jolt that made Paul glance out the rear window to see if the pickup had lost any critical parts.
The parking lot islands were filled with mounds of clay and not a living thing grew around the building, which looked as if it had been assembled and dropped into place like a giant LEGO creation.
“Well, if it’s new, at least the mattresses should be good.” Sean killed the engine and shoved his keys in his pocket.
Apparently Sean had chosen to look for the silver lining, like he had when he first told Paul about this move.
“Hey, it’ll be cool.” Sean had waved a couple of employment and tourism brochures at him. “Just us. A new job for me, and when I’m off work, we can hang out. Maybe do some hiking, hunting, backpacking. Maybe meet some new people.”
What he meant, Paul thought, was that he might meet a girl—the girl—something that, despite his good looks, he hadn’t had any luck with at home in Maryland.
Paul recognized he didn’t have a choice in the matter and settled for making the best of the situation. Still, he felt uneasy about the whole thing. There was a finality about it. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he sensed that this move wasn’t going to be what either of them expected.
Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34597236-rightfully-ours
Amazon link:
https://www.amazon.com/Rightfully-Ours-Carolyn-Astfalk-ebook/dp/B06XTCC1X3/
[image error]About the author:
Carolyn Astfalk resides with her husband and four children in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where it smells like either chocolate or manure, depending on wind direction. She is the author of the inspirational romances Stay With Me and Ornamental Graces and the coming-of-age story Rightfully Ours. Carolyn is a member of the Catholic Writers Guild and Pennwriters and a CatholicMom.com contributor. Formerly, she served as the communications director of the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, the public affairs agency of Pennsylvania’s Catholic bishops. True to her Pittsburgh roots, she still says “pop” instead of “soda,” although her beverage of choice is tea. You can find her online at www.carolynastfalk.com.
April 12, 2018
Newearth: Justine Awakens
Found guilty of war crimes, Justine Santana, a Human-Android hybrid is shut down. Taug, an alien from Crestar, must eliminate his father’s mistake—a Human-Cresta crossbreed named Derik. When Taug awakens Justine and charges her with the assignment to kill Derik, he never suspects that she might discover the meaning of love and her intrinsic humanity.
Cerulean from Last of Her Kind (currently free on Kindle) aides Newearth in her first tottering steps toward freedom…
Now, after the last war crimes trial, Cerulean would finally be free to help humanity resettle on Newearth. But this trial must come first. After all, Justine is human too….
Taug, an alien from Crestar, becomes entangled in inter-alien politics and is amazed by human decency.
His tentacles released the delicate equipment; Mitholie looked Taug in the eye. “The High Tribunal simply wishes you to…purge your father’s unfortunate experiment. That done, I’m sure this messy business can be consigned to the dark waters.”
Meet Bala and his wife Kendra, a couple joined by heaven who must endure the pains of hell—but despite every adversity—intend to make Newearth a better world for everyone.
“Kendra, Max would like to know why we had so many.” With a sweep of his hand over the children, he clarified his point.
Kendra’s nearly frantic chewing slowed to glacial speed as one eyebrow rose. “Well, you see, it’s our pleasure. We enjoy bringing new life into the world and training them to become wonderful citizens of Newearth.”
Bala stared at Kendra, his eyes rounding into orbs. “The truth? You told him the truth!”
Newearth: Justine Awakens
Paperback http://amzn.to/2HOP5U2
Ebook http://amzn.to/2pq0vWN
For more information about other science fiction novels by A. K. Frailey, visit her website.
https://akfrailey.com/the-road-goes-ever-on/science-fiction-novels/
Or check out her full line of novels, short stories, scripts, children’s book, and inspirational works.
The Writings of A. K. Frailey
My review: I enjoyed this book very much. Frailey’s characters are well-defined and the continuing story in the Newearth world is compelling. Highly recommend the entire series!
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