Vanessa Hall's Blog, page 23

Spotlight + Giveaway: A Shadow on the Snow: A Rae Riley Mystery by J.P.C. Allen

Nineteen-year-old Rae Riley can barely believe her gamble paid off. After spending seven months investigating the identity of her father and whether he tried to murder her mother, Rae has been accepted by her dad, Sheriff Walter “Mal” Malinowski IV, and his immediate family with open hearts. And for the first time in her life, Rae is making friends, jamming with three cute cops who play outlaw country music.

But someone is leaving Rae threatening notes, reminding her of her late mother’s notorious past when Bella Rydell wrecked homes and lives during the few years she lived in rural Marlin County, Ohio. Fearing the threats will make Mal and his family reject her, Rae investigates the mystery on her own. But her amateur sleuthing may cost her the father she’s always wanted when the stalker changes targets and takes dead aim at Mal.

GoodreadsAmazonAbout the Author

JPC Allen started her writing career in second grade with an homage to Scooby Doo. She’s been tracking down mysteries ever since and has written mystery short stories for Mt. Zion Ridge Press. Her Christmas mystery short story, “A Rose from the Ashes”, was a Selah-finalist at the Blue Ridge Mountains Writers Conference in 2020. Online, she offers tips and prompts to ignite the creative spark in every kind of writer. She also leads workshops for tweens, teens, and adults, encouraging them to discover the adventure of writing. With deep roots in the Mountain State, she is a life-long Buckeye.

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A Shadow on the Snow is one of the many books in the Basketful of Books giveaway! The giveaway runs from 5/16 through 5/21, and the prize consists of twelve Christian books. The 1st place winner will receive all twelve books (authors’ choice of format) and the 2nd place winner will receive three books (authors’ choice of format) of their choosing. A variety of genres, from fantasy to historical romance to suspense and more, are featured.

Enter here!

Spotlight + Giveaway: Anchored Hearts by Julie Arduini

Can two go-getters surrender their need to control and find a happily-ever-after?

Jordyn Bell Hart succeeds in everything she does. Her promotion to morning show co-anchor blossoms her career in the same way her mother’s work had. Jordyn keeps tabs on her family and enjoys helping them grow. When life around her starts to change, can she surrender her desire to control?

Spencer Collins knows how to balance a busy life. He has his work as a reporter, his time caregiving for his grieving father, and looking out for his little brother. When he learns he’s the new co-anchor of a morning show with Jordyn Hart, can he handle working with a celebrity who brings a lot of challenges to life on and off the set?

AmazonGoodreadsAbout the Author

Julie Arduini loves to encourage readers to find freedom in Christ by surrendering the good, the bad, and —maybe one day—the chocolate. She’s the author of the new contemporary romance series SURRENDERING HEARTS. Book #1, ANCHORED HEARTS, releases May 2022. Her other romance series is SURRENDERING TIME (Entrusted, Entangled, Engaged.) She also co-wrote a YA series with her daughter, SURRENDERING STINKIN’ THINKIN’ (You’re Beautiful, You’re Amazing, You’re Brilliant.) Her stand-alone romances include MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN and RESTORING CHRISTMAS. Julie maintains a blog at juliearduini.com and participates in the team blog Christians Read. She resides in Ohio with her husband and two children. Learn more by visiting her at http://linktr.ee/JulieArduini.

Anchored Hearts is one of the many books in the Basketful of Books giveaway! The giveaway runs from 5/16 through 5/21, and the prize consists of twelve Christian books. The 1st place winner will receive all twelve books (authors’ choice of format) and the 2nd place winner will receive three books (authors’ choice of format) of their choosing. A variety of genres, from fantasy to historical romance to suspense and more, are featured.

Enter here!

Giveaway!

This week, I’m so excited to announce that Unworthy (Grace Sufficient #2) is part of the Basketful of Books Giveaway. This giveaway runs 5/16 through 5/21, and the prize consists of twelve Christian books. The 1st place winner will receive all twelve books (authors’ choice of format) and the 2nd place winner will receive three books (authors’ choice of format) of their choosing. A variety of genres, from fantasy to historical romance to suspense and more, are featured.

Enter to win!

Free books are the best!

Spotlight + Review + Blog Tour: World of Silence by Kaytlin Phillips

Silence. Complete silence. That was all I heard.

Fledge Owenby is a deaf archer struggling to be seen for his potential instead of his disability. When forgotten and left behind during a dragon attack, he thinks it is the chance to prove himself that he has been waiting for. But who knew one trip out of the bunker would change everything?

Saved from evil dragons by a dragoness, Fledge wonders why she would help him and soon discovers how similar they are. He is deaf and she is without fire. Drawn together by a bond, not even he can understand, Fledge and Galexia are unwittingly pulled into adventure.

Betrayal of the highest level, deception, and a war that never should have been. Fledge must find a way to end it all while trying to be seen as the boy he is, instead of the disability he has. 

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World of Silence by Kaytlin Phillips

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

What a lovely debut novel! I’m not typically a huge fantasy reader, but these last few fantasy books I’ve been reading are going to convince me to read more fantasy.

Characters: There was one POV throughout this entire story, and while some books really need at least two POVs, World of Silence worked so well with just Fledge’s perspective! Fledge was a pretty relatable characters (except for his amazing archery skills – dude was spectacular with a bow and arrow!), and I loved the way the author presented his disability. For one, most characters don’t have to deal with disabilities, or even more annoyingly, they’re somehow healed of whatever they’re struggling with and everything’s suddenly perfect. Although people can definitely be healed, many times in life we have to work through our difficulties and discover ways to deal with them. That’s exactly what Fledge went through, and it was quite well done on the author’s part. As for other characters, I can’t keep from mentioning one of my most favorite dragons ever – Galexia! She was so sweet to Fledge, and I loved how they bonded over difficulties they both had. The other side characters were also interesting and rounded out the cast!

Setting/Writing Style/Plot: The setting reminded me very much of the Middle Ages, but of course with dragons and some other fantastical elements. I will say, however, that this didn’t include any magic – definitely a plus in the fantasy genre! The writing style felt very appropriate to this book (more of a middle grade novel, I think.) And the plot – wow, that was action-packed! Poor Fledge went through a lot, but that made the ending just even sweeter. There was definitely no dragging in this plot, so hold on tight!

Moral/Theme: As mentioned above, this book dealt a lot with Fledge’s deafness. He felt as if he had to prove to himself and others that he could live just like anyone else, but by the end of the book, he realized that was it okay to ask for help and to allow others to help him. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t also extremely capable – he was more people than most people would give him credit for! (Like the part where he ended up being able to read the dragon’s lips? So cool how his deafness made him able to do such good!) So it was lovely to watch Fledge as he learned something about himself (and had to be a little humbled), and the people around him also had to learn about him. As for mentions of God, this book didn’t really include any, which is something I would’ve like to have seen. However, I really appreciated the thoughtful theme that was obviously based on Biblical principles.

Overall, this was a wonderful debut from Kaytlin Phillips, and I’m looking forward to reading more by her in the future. Be on the lookout for this author!

About the Author

Kaytlin Phillips is a homeschool grad who spends her days praising her Savior, reading, writing, blogging, and annoying her sisters with random thoughts. She is the fifth child out of seven and resides in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

Her favorite hobbies include writing, reading, hiking, theology, history, blogging, ASL(Of which she 0nly knows the basics but has good intentions of learning more), crocheting, doodling, wild orchid hunting, and anything she does with her sisters or family.

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Monday, May 16th

Sisters Three – Blog Tour Launch Announcement 

The Sword of the Penmaiden – Guest Post and character interview

Vanessa Hall – Spotlight and Review

Tuesday, May 17th

Kristina Hall – Review and Sneak Peek

Wednesday, May 18th

Saraina Whitney – Review

Tasha Van Kesteren – Interview

Thursday, May 19th

The Introspective Introvert – Interview

Friday, May 20th

Abbigail Befus – Facebook Review

Teen Writers’ Nook – Review

Bookish Productions – Review

Saraina Whitney – Behind the book Interview and Sneak Peek

Saturday, May 21st

Sisters Three – Character Interview

Sunday, May 22nd

Sisters Three – Fan Art

Monday, May 23rd

Saraina Whitney – Character Interview

Vanessa Hall – Interview

Tuesday, May 24th

Bookish Productions – Behind the book interview

Into my Writing Journey – Spotlight

Release day!Wednesday, May 25th

Sisters Three – Launch announcement and Winner of the Short Story contest annoucement!

The Introspective Introvert -Sneak Peak – Lillian Keith

Kristina Hall

Saraina Whitney

Vanessa Hall

Tasha Van Kesteren

Abbigail Befus – Facebook

Into my Writing Journey – Issabelle Perry

“What’s Your WIP?” Tag!

It’s been a bit since I’ve completed a tag, and this one has to take the cake for one of the most interesting! Thanks so much to my good friend Alyssa over at Seeking the Timeless Anchor for tagging me!

For this tag, I’m going to chat about the project I’m currently editing (the third book in my Grace Sufficient series. I may also complete this tag on my current writing project – book #6 of the series – in my newsletter. So if you want a lot of inside info, subscribe here. )

And without any more jabber, let’s look at the rules (I’m already getting a little bit scared.)

Thank the person who tagged you & link to their blog. (Thank you, Alyssa! Be sure to check out her post – she’s writing a WWII novel that sounds absolutely amazing.)Link back to the creator, Katja @ Little Blossoms for Jesus, & add the tag graphic. (Thank you, Katja!)List the rules. Answer the questions. Feel free to add snippets!Tag as many or as few people as you wish & let them know they’re tagged. Add a clean copy of the questions at the end of your post for the “tagged.Le Questions and Answers

Has your WIP a working title? If so, tell us! If not, have you any idea of what it might be?

Grand drumroll … the title is Untold. (Keeping with the theme here, guys.)

Have you a synopsis for your WIP? If so, give it to us! If not, can you give us a blurb on what your WIP is about?

Give me a few weeks on this one – the upcoming cover reveal will also disclose the horrific thing called a synopsis. (Why are those things so difficult to write?)

Have you a working/mock cover for your WIP? If so, show us! If not, have you an idea in mind?

Yep, once again, give me a few weeks on this one. (But there’s one in the works, and it’s so fitting for the story!)

How did you get the idea for this story?

Ooh, good question. A big part of this story actually came from the second book in the series, Unworthy. I’ve always fooled around with having a spy in this series, but it just never fit with the characters in the first book. So sometime when I was writing or thinking about the first draft of Unworthy, I decided to have a third book. Surprisingly easily, I came up with the idea of Nikolai and his past. Muahahaha, so very fun.

How long do you think it will be? Is it longer or shorter than you thought it would be?

Well, it’s about 25,000 words down from the original draft, so that’s good news, but it’s still a little on the long side. My next round of edits is chopping words out, so I’m hoping for around 90,000. Hopefully.

Who’s your favourite character so far?

That’s a hard one. I have to say I really enjoy writing Nikolai – his past is so intriguing, and I’ve loved digging into that. He also just has such a dry sense of humor that’s come through. But then there’s Gregor Malkov (some of you may remember him from Unknown), and the scenes he’s in are hilarious, even when they’re really not. He’s just so fun to write, and he loves goading all the poor other characters.

What’s your favourite memory related to this WIP?

Favorite memory … hmm … Yikes, does anyone else feel like editing is this giant void of time that just sucks all the memories from you? I feel like whenever I have long periods of editing, I hardly remember anything that happened then.

So I’m not sure … I had a fun time rewriting it recently? That was a pathetic answer, I know.

Any special person(s) who helped create it?

Aww, yes! My amazing sister, Kristina, actually named Nikolai. (One of his names, at least. )

What’s your favourite scene so far (if you can tell about it without spoilers!)?

I have a lot of scenes that I really like (most of them that are emotionally charged, because that’s the weird person I am). However, I will mention one scene that I think is really cute, and it involves Gabe and Sofia from Unknown. Contrary to popular opinion, I actually love seeing my characters be happy. So yes to a happy scene for Gabe and Sophie.

Can you give us a snippet? 

Um … I think that’s confidential information.

Is the story still what you thought it would be or has it thrown you a couple curveballs?

Great question. I think in general it’s the same basic idea I imagined many years ago, but things have definitely changed with Nikolai (personality, background, etc.) The plot has just become meatier, I guess, and there have been smaller changes. For example, Molly (my female MC), used to not be related at all to Gabe and Sofia, but now she’s Gabe’s cousin to make things work right.

But in general, no massive curveballs – yet.

Is there a Bible verse, poem, hymn, picture, or quote that helped shape this story?

Oh yes! I love this question. One of the big overarching themes of the books is based around “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.”

When and where have you done most of the writing so far?

At my desk. I don’t move from my spot almost ever!

Where do you get inspiration for this story?

Is inspiration the same as a kick in the pants because a “deadline” is looming? (Deadline as in summer only lasts a few months, and I gotta get this done before school starts again.)

But I guess some of it comes from verses and songs. Also, the whole spy persona thing – I finally had to get that out of my system after a million failed spies in other books. Also, I just love these characters, and watching them go through these trials and lean on the Lord more is just so much fun.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Pantser, I think? I’m not good at these fancy writing terms.

Do you have a little ritual before you start writing?

Not really, no. I try to pray before I start, but I fail at that a lot.

(Time to do better!)

Are you thinking of publishing this story?

Yup, hopefully late summer 2022! Be on the lookout for more developments in the coming months …

What things have you learned while writing this story?

Ooh, there’s a lot, but a big one that comes through in the book is that our struggles and trials serve to push us to the Lord.

You’ll have to read the rest of the book to find out what else I’ve learned.

Thank you again, Alyssa, for tagging me! This was a lot of fun. Here is a clean copy of the questions for anyone who’d like to do this one! Specifically, I’d love to see Grace A. Johnson, Saraina, and Joelle do this.

Has your WIP a working title? If so, tell us! If not, have you any idea of what it might be?Have you a synopsis for your WIP? If so, give it to us! If not, can you give us a blurb on what your WIP is about?Have you a working/mock cover for your WIP? If so, show us! If not, have you an idea in mind?How did you get the idea for this story?How long do you think it will be? Is it longer or shorter than you thought it would be?Who’s your favourite character so far?What’s your favourite memory related to this WIP?Any special person(s) who helped create it?What’s your favourite scene so far (if you can tell about it without spoilers!)?Can you give us a snippet? Is the story still what you thought it would be or has it thrown you a couple curveballs?Is there a Bible verse, poem, hymn, picture, or quote that helped shape this story?When and where have you done most of the writing so far?Where do you get inspiration for this story?Are you a plotter or a pantser?Do you have a little ritual before you start writing?Are you thinking of publishing this story?What things have you learned while writing this story?

Interview: Abby Burrus, Author of Beneath the Willow Tree

A few months ago, I got the honor of reading Beneath the Willow Tree, a beautiful allegorical story about Jesus’ love for us. (Here’s my full review if you’d like to check it out!) And today, I get the privilege of interviewing the author of this lovely story, Abby Burrus! I really enjoyed her answers – she has a lot of wise advice, and I just love her mission in her writing. So without further adieu …

Interview with Abby

VH: Hi, Abby, and welcome to the blog! I’m so excited to have you join me today. Tell me a little bit about your writing journey. When did you first start writing?

AB: I can’t say for sure, because I don’t know what age I wrote my first story. I was young and didn’t even know how to type on a computer, so I wrote it out on paper.  I even drew my own illustrations in! It was the first and only mystery book I ever wrote. Mystery was all I read at the time, so that’s what I wrote.

The next stories that came after that were ones that I emailed to a very patient and tolerant relative. I would literally type up the paragraphs on the spot and send them to her.  It was an equestrian (horse) focused story. I still have those, and to read them now is agonizing.   However, at least I know that even if my writing is bad, at least it won’t be THAT bad again.    

I think it really took off when I started reading fantasy. I began to write another story, this time a fantasy novel of my own. I’m STILL working on that fantasy novel. I have so many plans for it. 

VH: What’s the hardest part about writing for you?

AB: Grammar. Seriously. Took me forever to figure out commas and I’m still not sure I’ve got it.   

VH: What authors have deeply influenced your writing?

AB: I haven’t read many books ON writing. Actually, I’ve read only one I can think of. But in terms of what books and authors have inspired me to go write my own, there’s too many to name. A few favorites are Chuck Black’s books, Wayne Thomas Batson’s books, C. S. Lewis, Bodie and Brock Thoene, Bethany Atazadeh, Pricilla Shirer’s Prince Warriors series (the first inspiration for my fantasy novel mentioned above), and more recently, Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan.   

VH: What’s one of your best pieces of advice for an aspiring author?

AB: Write. Just write and write and write. I know that’s what aspiring authors hear all the time but it’s very true. Before you can do anything else, you need to figure out the best way that you write. Are you a pantser or plotter? What genre and subgenre? And what do you want to write about, what message do you want to say? And for goodness sake, don’t you dare give up on a book unless you absolutely cannot continue because you hate the thing. You FINISH.

Also, research. Just do a lot of searching, there’s lots of free information out there. A lot of it is good, but a lot of it is also not so good. And some of it will work for you, and some of it will not. However, don’t use researching as an excuse to procrastinate on writing.  

And finally, don’t start too many projects at one time, otherwise none of them will ever get finished. If an idea is bugging you so much you can’t not write it, turn it into a flash fiction piece or short story and leave it there for now.  

VH: What’s your favorite genre in which to write?

AB: Christian fantasy, and my very close second is equestrian fiction. I’ve also dabbled in historical and contemporary.  

VH: At what point did you realize you wanted to publish? How did you decide to go indie?

Well, I knew I wanted to publish when I started writing my first fantasy. I had no idea how that worked, but I assumed we could figure it out once we got there. I was originally planning to go the traditional route because that was the only route I knew about.

But I was reading through Faye Fite’s blog one day, and I happened to see a post (or rather, several posts) she’d done on indie publishing. That was how I found out about it, and I knew that was how I wanted to publish right there. I didn’t debate or even think that much about it, I just knew that was what I wanted and what would work for me.    

VH: Tell me a little bit about Beneath the Willow Tree.

 Well, it’s a short story. Remember those blog posts I mentioned? The author recommended that first time indie publishers start out with a short story so they can learn how to self-publish without having to deal with a 300 page novel. By the way, that’s very good advice.

This gave me an excuse, if you will, to write on something that I’ve always wanted to write on. Trust, pain, fear, and love. 

The Willow tree is a safe place for Nova, a place where she escapes this world she lives in. But one day this Man comes and offers her a real, permanent escape in the removal of her Mark, which is embedded in a person’s skin and is the way they are controlled. 

But there’s one problem: She has to trust this Man. And Nova has a history of betrayal.  

VH: What was the inspiration behind this Beneath the Willow Tree ?

AB: Several things.  

I’ve always adored willow trees. In Pricilla Shirer’s second book of the Prince Warriors series, characters take shelter under a willow tree from ‘Ents’ (giant metal flying butterflies with stingers.) The book describes the willow’s draping branches as providing cover for the characters. It was this idea that I drew on for Beneath the Willow Tree.  

Secondly, the idea of needing to trust God even when you’re not sure.  

See, Nova doesn’t know this Man. She only knows that He is different, and because of that differentness, He can offer her a way out. She is not sure she can trust Him.

Those are two main inspirations, but honestly, so much went into this little short story. I hope readers can sense that, and are encouraged or helped by it.   

VH: What do you hope readers will take away from your writing?

AB: I hope they will be awakened from the dullness of life. I hope it’ll make them realize there is so much more available, not in this world but outside of it. I hope to make people, especially my fellow Christians, get their eyes off what is earthly and onto what is eternal. And finally, I hope to help give them a break from everyday life, and to let them know they are not alone in their struggles.   

VH: What do your upcoming projects look like?

AB: I’ve got so many of them. My hopeful next publishing project is A Challenge, which is an equestrian focused story about a grieving girl and a quirky gray horse. That should be coming out in the summer of 2022.  

I’m still working on that fantasy novel from all those years ago, and that probably won’t be available for a few years yet. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be publishing any other fantasy in the future.  

And finally, I might also publish other short stories, or a collection of short stories!   

VH: Thanks so much for chatting with me today!

AB: Of course, thank you for inviting me!

Review: Kiera by Kate Willis

Kiera’s life is pretty simple—garden, hang out with her best friend, babysit little Jade, and finish up homeschool highschool. But a global war and mandatory draft turn her eighteenth birthday into a nightmare.

Brennan, Jade’s adoptive dad, offers his last name and exemption status, leaving Kiera to question everything she’s ever thought about love. Even worse, she might actually be starting to have feelings for him.

Life settles into a routine before shattering again, and Kiera is left with only one question… If God truly loves her, why is this happening?

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Kiera by Kate Willis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

What an interesting premise! Dystopian books are always intriguing (sometimes in the most terrifying of ways), but this was a different take on the genre.

CHARACTERS: Kiera seemed like a pretty normal eighteen-year-old, and I could understand her fear and apprehension about the future, especially with the draft. Like wow, what a way to ruin a birthday! Her love for Jade was really sweet, though I will say that it’s a big jump from babysitter to mom in the blink of an eye. I would’ve liked to see a bit more of that transition on both Kiera’s and Jade’s part. As for Brennan … I never really got a good read on him. He seemed like a nice guy, but there were a few times when he just didn’t make a ton of sense. I think it didn’t help that he didn’t have his own POV, and again the transition from the father of the kid Kiera babysitters to Kiera’s husband needed to be fleshed out a bit more. (More on this later.) And the rest of the characters … Thorne was cool, and Destiny was a fun friend. I always really enjoyed Kiera’s parents and how much they prayed for Kiera. Definitely a very nice thing there, and a wonderful example for family.

SETTING/WRITING STYLE/PLOT: For a dystopian book, this setting didn’t seem especially dystopian. I guess I’m just used to the really terrifying dystopians? I wish there had been more details on the draft, because it was never really clear why Kiera had to marry Brennan to avoid the draft, and that presented a few plot inconsistencies. I guess I’d just like more details on the dystopian world. The writing style was nice – very few, if any, typos, and it was super easy to read. This is definitely a book that flows well! And for the plot … it wasn’t suspenseful, really, more of Kiera’s day-to-day life for the most part. The final part about Thorne kind of came out of nowhere, though, and I felt like it wasn’t completely necessary. But overall, this book kept my attention and made me continue flipping the pages (kindle pages, that is)!

ROMANCE Okay, this is where I was a little confused. Let me say this first: I love clean books, and I love it when authors seek to write books without inappropriate detail. And marriage of convenience books can be entirely too detailed, in my opinion. (Why marriage of convenience tends to be a little scary for me.) But this book … it’s like it was almost too clean. I know, I sound ridiculous, don’t I? But Kiera and Brennan kinda treated each like strangers, and they were married. Like, vowed to each other for a lifetime, and they never really talked about it. It was a big deal for them to sit on the opposite sides of the couch and talk about a book series – and this was weeks into their marriage? I just found it a little frustrating because they were hardly even friends. I’m so thankful there were no inappropriate details – and no way do those need to be in here – but I would’ve loved to see at least a tiny bit of attraction to each other. Attraction to your spouse is not inappropriate. The whole deal just struck me as a little strange. Maybe it also had something to do with the age gap, too? But yeah, the romance was not for me.

MORAL/THEME: A big part of this book was a definition of love pulled from a C. S. Lewis quote, basically saying that love is wishing someone the best. (Not a direct quote.) That definitely seems like a part of love, but not in its entirety. Just wishing someone the best is not a full expression of love – especially not the type of love a husband is to have for his wife, etc. Love isn’t just wishing someone the best – it’s acting and laying down your life for them (like Jesus did). So while the quote talked about a facet of love, it definitely left a lot out. The other part of the moral was God’s care for Kiera – and the part about the sparrows and how that all came together was sweet. Definitely a good reminder that the Lord cares for His children! Also, I really enjoyed how much the characters prayed for each other.

Overall, this book was well-written, but the plot just wasn’t my favorite. However, if you enjoy clean, contemporary romance-style books, this one might be for you!

Giveaway!

Visit Kate’s blog here for info!

About the Author

Kate (Willis) Hoppman is a follower of Jesus and lover of words. She enjoys quiet afternoons reading or watching movies with her nerdy husband, baking tall cakes, and hanging out with her family.

In her author time, she writes contemporary and fantasy, and sneaks in Doctor Who references and deep themes whenever possible.

Check out her other books Sincerely, Jem, The Treasure Hunt, and The Twin Arrows series.

Connect with her at her blog, Instagram, and Goodreads!

Cover Reveal: Across All Borders by Anna Grace

(Cover reveal hosted by Jen’s Author Assistance – check Jen out on Instagram!)

Hoping. Planning. Waiting.

Everything in her life is wrapped up in the thought of this new sister, coming from so far away. Will the day ever arrive? And if it does, will it be everything they dreamed? In this short poetic narrative, follow along on a young girl’s journey as she discovers the true meaning of love, family, and sisterhood.

PreorderAdd on GoodreadsCover Reveal!About the Author

Anna Grace is a Christian teen with a passion for Christ and others. She enjoys worship music, reading, and writing. Adoption is very real to her as three of her siblings were adopted. For her, adoption is a meaningful role of the Church, and a beautiful picture of the Gospel.

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Review: Beneath the Willow Tree by Abby Burrus

Beneath the Willow Tree by Abby Burrus

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Wow, what a powerful short story! I’ve always thought writing a shorter work would be difficult, given there’s so much less time to develop plot, characters, settings, etc., but Abby did such a great job!

This story is an allegory of salvation, told from the POV of a girl named Nova. Her fear and pain were very relatable and realistic, and the cruelty of her masters and mistress was so sad! I was a little confused about who the masters and mistress were specifically, but I definitely got the overall idea. I would’ve like to hear a little bit more about Nova’s background, but I thought she was a great MC that was very representative of a person lost in sin. Her encounters with the Man were quite beautiful and true. How the author presented salvation as something that also comes with problems was really noteworthy. Our salvation is completely free and paid for with Christ’s Blood, but we’re still going to have problems after we’re saved, and fighting the battle for living the life God has called us to is not easy.

Overall, this was a well-done allegory, and I think it could’ve even been extended! I would’ve loved to see how Nova’s new life played out after she was saved. (After the scene with that awful ruler dude, I feel like it could be intense, but definitely realistic. But then again, this is a short story, and it ended on an amazing note.) This is a lovely story that tells the most wonderful Truth all over again. I’m looking forward to reading more from Abby in the future.

Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher/author. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Review: With Fear and Trembling by Grace A. Johnson

Thirty daily devotions to inspire you to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling!

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” – Philippians 2:12

As Paul commanded the church of Philippi to rely upon the Word of God rather than man’s teachings, to cultivate their own faith rather than sharing in another’s, Grace A. Johnson has written thirty simple but inspirational devotions that are geared to readers of all ages and stages in life. Meant to motivate readers to dig into the Word, prompt them to examine their relationship with God, and encourage them to walk in victory, the devotions include applicable Scripture passages, relatable true stories, and inspirational prayers.

“My prayer is that God will use these devotions to prick your heart, fuel your convictions, and ignite a desire to grow more in your faith and start living according to God’s purpose for your life!” – Grace A. Johnson

Available now!GoodreadsMy Review

With Fear and Trembling by Grace A. Johnson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

When I first heard Grace Johnson was writing a devotional, I was so excited! I love this author’s fervor for speaking the truth and proclaiming the Gospel through all her writings – fiction and nonfiction – so this book promised to be a great read. And I was happily correct!

First off, I really appreciated how challenging each of the devotions were. This wasn’t just some short, feel-good monologue; instead, it’s full of challenging ideas and calls to action. And most importantly, each of the devotions were based on Scripture – lots of Scripture. Definitely a good sign, because the more the Bible that we have, the better! The fact that the author just wrote on whatever verses she felt called to speak on is such a beautiful thing as well. Because of this, each of the topics were quite varied instead of just tending toward one idea.

This book could be read in a month (since there were 30 separate devotions), but I decided to read several of them a day. Well, long story short, I ended up reading almost all of the devotions in about an hour. Grace’s writing style is very engaging and down to earth, which made it super easy to read.

I will say there were a few theological things I didn’t completely agree with (or would need more clarification from the author), but overall, this was a very compelling, quick devotional read!

Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher/author. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

About the Author

Grace A. Johnson is a teenage Christian fiction authoress, book reviewer, and avid reader. She lives in beautiful (but humid) South Georgia, surrounded by farmland and forestry, with her parents and six younger siblings. She has written four novels, three of which are published, and a smattering of short stories and novellas, which you can find on Amazon. She’s also a homeschooler who loves learning about history, linguistics, art, and the world around her. You can find her on Goodreads, Pinterest, BookBub, or blogging on her website at www.graceajohnson.com. Join her for a virtual cup of tea and a free sneak peek when you sign up for her e-newsletter.