Cathy Bryant's Blog: CatBryant.com ~ Journey Blog, page 20

More Awesome Survey Results? Favorite Authors and Books

First things first.

If you missed Monday’s post on part 1 of the results for the 2015 Christian Book Survey, you can find it HERE.

Favorite Authors and Books

Part 2 of the survey results is all about readers’ favorite authors and books. I left these questions open-ended for obvious reasons. There are way too many great Christian authors and books out there, and I felt sure readers would have plenty to say.

I wasn’t wrong.

Favorite Christian Fiction Authors

Answers were varied and widespread. Since there are too many authors to list here, I’ll list just the ones that received three votes or more. These are in no particular order: Karen Kingsbury, Terri Blackstock, Janette Oke, Kristen Heitzmann, Dee Henderson, Francine Rivers, Dani Pettrey, and Irene Hannon. Since this was targeted to my audience, my name came up most often, though I realize this result is a bit skewed in my favor. (A big “Thank you!” to the readers of the  Miller’s Creek novels. Did I mention that I have the best reader friends in the whole world?)

Honestly, it stands to reason that this whole question is a bit skewed since the authors mentioned write basically the same genres as me.

Can you guess who readers chose as their favorite Christian fiction authors? Find out here:
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What Readers Like About Their Fave Fiction Authors

Again, this was an open-ended question to allow readers to share more fully what they specifically like about the books of their favorite authors. Since there were so many answers, I only show the ones with more than one reference on the chart below. Other terminology mentioned that are not on the chart below are: page-turners, descriptive, how the books make me feel, left me wanting more, relatable characters, story line, intensity, holds my interest, character’s struggles and overcoming, refreshing, unpredictable, clean, believable, and enjoyable.

Why #readers like the books of their favorite #Christian authors:
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Favorite Non-Fiction Christian Authors & What Readers Like About Their Books

For the purpose of garnering the most results, I left this question open-ended as well. And once more, there were too many to list. The non-fiction authors with two or more votes were: Max Lucado, Charles Stanley, Chuck Swindoll, and Beth Moore.

The two top reasons readers enjoy the works of these non-fiction authors is their love for the Lord and their ability to help the reader grow in their relationship to God.

Check out the top four Christian non-fiction authors here:
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Favorite All-Time Christian Books (Both Fiction & Non-Fiction)

Though there were far too many Christian fiction books listed to include them all here, I will share a few (listed in no particular order).

The Chronicles of Narnia  by C. S. Lewis
Shattered by Dani Pettrey
When the Smoke Clears by Lynette Eason
Jungle Fire by
Buried by Elizabeth Goddard
The O’Malley Series by Dee Henderson
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (the book with the most votes and the book that made me want to become a Christian fiction author!)
The River of Time series by Lisa T. Bergren
The Psalm 23 Mysteries by Debbie Viguie
The Miller’s Creek novels by Cathy Bryant (thanks again, sweet friends!)
All Janette Oke books
Heroines Behind the Lines series by Jocelyn Green
Books by Sarah Sundin
This Present Darkness series by Frank Peretti
Israel, My Beloved by Kay Arthur
The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers
The Cape Refuge series by Terri Blackstock
Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin
Winner Take All by Davis Bunn
Heaven by Randy Alcorn
Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard
The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron
Saving Amelie by Cathy Gohlke
Thief of Glory by Sigmund Brouwer
When Mockingbirds Sing by Billy Coffey
Paper Angels by Billy Coffey
The Power of Praying books by Stormie Omartian
Books by Karen Kingsbury
And the Shofar Blew by Francine Rivers.

To download and/or print out a PDF copy of this list, please click HERE.

Love, love, love the #Christian #books readers listed as their faves!
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Favorite Authors and Books – In Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed the results of the 2015 Christian Books surveyed as much as I did. Though it was a lot of work to tabulate the results, it was well worth the effort to delve into the fascinating findings. Thanks again to everyone who participated! Hope to see you again next year!

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See Awesome Results From 2015 Christian Book Survey

Wow!

The results from the 2015 Christian Book Survey I ran last week have been tallied. Like me, I think you’ll be amazed at some of the results, and not-so-amazed at others. (Since the results produced much more info than I can include in one post, I’ll do a separate post on favorite authors and favorite books. Watch for it!)

The 2015 Christian Book Survey results are in. Check them out here:
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Results – Overview

These results help me out a great deal as a Christian fiction author looking to create more valuable content for my reader friends. So to everyone who took the survey, let me express my gratitude!

I created an infographic to visually show most of the results to the survey, but I’ll also provide more info below the graphic. Since we have a lot to cover, let’s dig in.

COPY AND PASTE THE FOLLOWING CODE TO DISPLAY THIS INFOGRAPHIC ON YOUR BLOG OR WEBSITE:

Check out this cool infographic on Christian book survey results:
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Results: My Take

It bears mentioning that I shared the survey post with my Facebook group, Christian Books ~ Giveaways, Freebies, Bargains, & New Releases, which is made up mainly of women looking for bargain and free Christian books. So the results may be somewhat skewed by that factor.

What influences #Christian #book buyers? Check it out here:
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Important Story Aspect Results

I was so pleased to see that Christian theme was the number one influence, and a book that challenges personal faith in the number two spot. Why? Because I see more and more books in the Christian section of places like Amazon and Barnes&Noble that don’t have anything to do with Christianity. (You can see my rant post on this topic HERE.)

Another “Hurray!” from this Christian fiction author on characters being important to readers. This totally supports my personal belief that characterization is the most important part of any story. This goes hand-in-hand with one of my favorite how-to-write books, [easyazon_link identifier=”0471058947″ locale=”US” nw=”y” tag=”cathbrya-20″]Getting into Character[/easyazon_link] by Christian suspense author, Brandilyn Collins.

What do #Christian #readers consider must-haves in the stories they read? Answer here:
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Results: What Readers Would Like to See

One question not included on the infographic is what readers would like to see. I confess the question was a selfish one on my part.

I intentionally left the question open-ended. While there’s not room to list all the answers, I found the following comments very telling. I’ve included them as tweet-ables, because they bear re-tweeting.

How to Actually Know Truth and Be Joyfully Free

Let me play with your brain a bit.

In spite of the verse above, Truth isn’t free or cheap. In fact, just the opposite is true: Truth is costly and expensive. But just like anything of great value, it’s worth pursuing.

And something interesting happens in our search for Truth. It leads to freedom.

“A sincere search for Truth leads to freedom.” #SearchForTruth
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A Cautionary Tale – Create Your Own Truth?

We could probably each tell our tales of times in our lives when we chose to define truth by our own terms and standards. In other words, we can reject real Truth in favor of our own pitiful attempt at truth, which smacks of self-absorption and utmost arrogance. Honestly, when we attempt to create our own truth, we end up following the lies and deception of the enemy and the world.

You see, Satan–the enemy of our souls who is out for our ultimate destruction–wants us to believe there are many ways to arrive at truth–that truth is relative. And he’s done a good job of propagating that lie and deceiving many.

My heart aches for those who buy into this worldly dogma at the cost of their very lives.

Does it not stand to reason that by the act of making our own truth, we shun absolute Truth? And what is even more heart-breaking–that absolute is the only Truth which can actually set us free.

In sharp contrast, the shimmery siren of false truth leads only to imprisonment.

“The shimmery siren of false truth leads only to imprisonment.” #Truth = #Freedom
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Good News – You Can Know TRUTH

Deep down, all of us long to find truth. We want to know our life has meaning and purpose and that something better lies ahead.

Even though our limited human perception often blinds us, if we sincerely seek Truth we will find it.

But…

…we must be:

willing to lay aside preconceived ideas
honest enough with ourselves to recognize we’ve attempted to establish our own definition of truth
reject worldly standards of relative truth, and
open our hearts, minds, and eyes to a Truth so vividly real it shines with radiant light.

Be still. Close your eyes. Do you sense Truth near you as a living Presence? As a gentle breeze which breathes across the troubled waters of your heart and calms the storm?

That Truth loves you more than you can ever fathom. Wants your eternal welfare.

Proved it by taking the death sentence you deserved.

That Truth is Jesus, and He wants you to know Him. Everywhere you turn, you see evidence of His existence. History itself hinges on His redemptive work for all mankind.

He stands with open arms, and longs for you to accept Him as Truth and be forever free.

Join Us in The Search for Truth: BELIEVE & KNOW

Searching for Truth? Or at least a modicum of certainty that this Christ in whom you have tentative faith is really who He claims to be?

Perhaps you once believed in absolute Truth, but have been blinded by evil, suffering, and world events you just can’t wrap your brain around.

Or maybe, like me, you yearn to better share your faith with those who have arguments against belief in God and often ask really tough questions.

If any of these describe you, I invite you to join us on Tuesday nights from 7:30-8:30 p.m. (Central time) in an all-out search for Truth. We’ll study my latest non-fiction book BELIEVE & KNOW (the companion Bible study to the sixth Miller’s Creek novel CROSSROADS). To receive a $2 coupon off the print copy price of BELIEVE & KNOW, click HERE to go to the book’s page on this website. The digital version of the book is currently priced at just $0.99 (more details on the book’s page).

LifeSword – Ladies’ Online Bible study FB group. #SearchForTruth Details here:
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Our online study is a ladies’ Facebook group called LifeSword ~ “God’s Word for Life’s Battles.” We will meet every Tuesday night for the next several weeks to truly dig for answers and affirmation.

To sincerely search for Truth.

“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” ~Jeremiah 29:13

“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”
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5 Free Facebook Covers for Wonderful Moms on Mother’s Day

The PicMonkey bug has struck again! And just in time to make five free Facebook covers for Mother’s Day!

I Made Free Facebook Covers For Mother’s Day Using PicMonkey

For those of you who don’t know about PicMonkey, you really need to give it a try. It’s an online tool for photo editing and graphic design that also has a really cool collage maker.

It is truly one of those places I find addicting, and there is rarely a day that goes by that I don’t have PicMonkey open in a browser window. Most of the graphics on my website were done with PicMonkey, including my website header.

Even if you do nothing more than experiment, it’s a fun way to spend your time. If you’re into scrap-booking, I would highly encourage you to see all the cool things you can do.

Once things slow down for us a bit, I hope to do a few articles/slide shows/videos that show you some of my favorite features inside PicMonkey. Until then, just enjoy what I’ve created for you this time around: five free Facebook covers for Mother’s Day.

HEART-STIRRING READ FOR MOMS. $2 coupon for print ~ $1 for digital. Click pic for more info.

Please feel free to use any of the following Facebook covers for your profile pages. To save them to your computer, simply right-click on the photos and on the screen that pops up, select “Save Image As…”. The photos are already formatted to the correct size, so there’s no need to crop them or make any adjustments.

I would ask one teeny-weeny favor in return. Please share this post via e-mail or social media channels to let others know about these free Facebook covers available to them to honor Moms on Mother’s Day.

All the images are easily shared on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter by hovering over the pics with your cursor and selecting the social media channels of your choice. You can also share the post via the share buttons on the left of and beneath this post. And you can also share the following tweet (which you are free to edit when the tweet screen pops up). Enjoy!

5 Free Facebook Covers to honor our wonderful moms on Mother’s Day. Download them here:
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Free Facebook Covers For Mother’s Day

All the images in these free Facebook covers for Mother’s Day were found at freeimages. com.

OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST:

From My Front Porch To Yours     Bible DVDs For Kids Reviews     Christian Fiction Author

Free Facebook Covers (for Easter)     Cathy Bryant Miller’s Creek     Cathy Bryant Facebook

Crossroad Characters     DVD Giveaway     Love Letter From God     Romantic Suspense Novels

You Won’t Believe Who I’m Interviewing Today     All That Glitters Isn’t Gold

Bible Verses & Questions for the New Year     Blog – Christian Fiction Author Cathy Bryant

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How to Join the Exciting New #MillersCreek Book Club

Giddy with excitement!

The Miller’s Creek Readers Online Book Club begins this coming Thursday night (May 7th, 2015)!

It’s times like these that I feel more blessed than ever to write Christian fiction. I pray our time together will not only be a time of discussing the book, but also a chance to grow spiritually as we discuss the profound privilege and responsibility of sharing our faith–even with those who have tough questions and arguments. 

Online book club for #CROSSROADS begins this Thursday night! Details here:
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Details About the Online Book Club

We’d love to have as many as possible join us for the upcoming Online Book Club discussion for CROSSROADS, the sixth stand-alone book in the Miller’s Creek novels. So please invite your friends!

Though our online book club hangout is the Miller’s Creek Readers group page on Facebook, our actual discussion (Thursday nights from 7:30-8:30 p.m. Central Time) will be at my Facebook author page. (I’ve learned through experience that Facebook pages are easier to maneuver than Facebook groups for events like these.)

While the digital copies of the book are no longer on sale, I do have coupons available ($2 off a print copy and $1 off a digital copy). Here’s a link that will provide you access to the coupons: http://www.catbryant.com/claim-your-2-coupon-for-crossroads/ (I actually decided to do this in celebration of mothers and Mother’s Day, but it works out well for the online book club, too!)

Our first discussion will cover the first four chapters of CROSSROADS. It will be helpful for you to read through those chapters (about 57 pages in the print copy) before our time together.

$2 coupon available for limited time: print copy of #CROSSROADS – Facebook #BookChat
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Helpful Tips For Navigating an Online Event

Technology can be so frustrating, especially in a group event with several posting at once. Hopefully these tips will be helpful to you.

Use the refresh button often so that new comments and posts show up on your screen. If you’re unsure of how to do that, look up at where you type in a URL. To the left of that (at least on my computer), you’ll see a circle-shaped arrow. Clicking on that will refresh your screen. The photo to the right shows you what it looks like.
While you are more than welcome to just “lurk” to absorb the discussion, I hope you’ll all feel comfortable sharing your heart. Someone may need to hear the words the Lord lays on your heart.
I will start off the evening with a brief video and will post a new discussion question every ten minutes or so. With each new post, I will “pin” it to the top of the page to make it easy to locate each time you refresh your computer screen.
If you can’t make this first book chat, please feel free to join us on other weeks. I will leave the posts up so that you can read through the discussion at your convenience. The schedule for the online book club discussion is posted below.

4 Helpful Tips for Navigating an Online Event #CROSSROADS #BookChat
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Online Book Club Schedule

Here’s our schedule for the CROSSROADS Online Book Club Chat:

May 7, 2015: Chapters 1-4
May 14, 2015: Chapters 5-8
May 21, 2015: Chapters 9-12
May 28, 2015: Chapters 13-17
June 4, 2015: Chapters 18-21
June 11, 2015: Chapters 22-26

You may want to bookmark this page for easy reference, or if you prefer, here’s a PDF of the online book club details and schedule if you want to download it or print it out: Crossroads Online Book Club (Website Printable).

#Free printable schedule for the #CROSSROADS online #BookChat
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Companion Bible Study: BELIEVE & KNOW

Also excited to let you know that Crossroads’ companion Bible study BELIEVE & KNOW is now available in both print and digital format. (I’ll have a separate blog post about it later this week with all the details.)

In addition to the Online Book Club, beginning Tuesday, May 12, the LifeSword Ladies’ Bible Study group on Facebook will meet from 7:30-8:30 p.m. Central time on the group page (for privacy purposes). I’m looking just as forward to this as I am the book club!

I hope you’ll join us!

Now Available: Companion Bible study for Crossroads – BELIEVE + KNOW. More details soon!
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OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST:

From My Front Porch To Yours     Bible DVDs For Kids Reviews     Christian Fiction Author

Free Facebook Covers     Cathy Bryant Miller’s Creek     Cathy Bryant Facebook

Crossroad Characters     DVD Giveaway     Love Letter From God     Romantic Suspense Novels

You Won’t Believe Who I’m Interviewing Today     All That Glitters Isn’t Gold

Bible Verses & Questions for the New Year     Blog – Christian Fiction Author Cathy Bryant

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Announcing the Winner of the Kindle Fire Here

What a party!!!

If you missed last night’s CROSSROADS Book Launch Party, you missed a rocking good time (and a last-minute chance to enter the drawing for a Kindle Fire).

I especially loved interacting with folks. It’s always fun to connect with reader friends! We had some really great discussions about the story, characters, and spiritual theme of CROSSROADS.

I’m pretty sure those in attendance enjoyed it as much as I did. And we had bunches of winners, which always spells fun!

How To Actually Share Faith With Prodigals

 

EXCERPT FROM “CROSSROADS” –

“And why doesn’t Chloe live with her mother?”

Carter shrugged, reliving painful memories, doing all he could to get the words out and hopefully protect his heart from further collateral damage. “When I got back from my second tour in Afghanistan, Chloe’s mom told me she wanted out of the marriage. Said she was tired of being a military widow. Two months later, she and Chloe showed up on my doorstep with all of Chloe’s belongings.” He hesitated and slid suddenly sweaty palms down his thighs. “Guess after all the years she took care of Chloe on her own, it was my turn.” His brain whizzed through possible ways to lead into his belief that Mara needed to focus more on Ashton than her career, but the jumbled words in his head wouldn’t cooperate and settle into cohesive thoughts.

A grim look settled on Mara’s face, her lips flat and pinched. And surprisingly, her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “That’s hard.” The words barely came out, and when they did were charged with thick emotion. “But that’s life, isn’t it?” This time heavy cynicism coated her statement.

His intuition went on full alert. “So that’s why you’re opposed to church.”

A snort-like laugh sounded. “You mean religion.”

“No, I mean a faith-based relationship with God. There’s a huge difference.”

“Well, since you brought it up, we might as well get this little conversation out of the way.” Mara didn’t look at him, and her voice had taken on a hardened edge. “Just so you know, I was raised in the church. My father was a preacher who uprooted us every few months before the people of the church ran him out of town on a rail. I’ve had to fight tooth and nail to get where I am today. Life for me has been far from a fairy-tale. Now I’m on my own with a five-year-old, and the last thing I need is someone trying to shove his beliefs down my throat.” She finished the monologue with her left elbow on the car door and leaned her head against her fist, her lips turned down at the corners.

The air inside the car went from balmy to icicle-sharp in a heartbeat. How was he supposed to answer? Obviously she’d grown up in the faith, but the enemy had dealt her faith a fatal blow. Or maybe even several. “Sounds like a pretty pessimistic outlook on life to me.”

“Yeah, well, what you call pessimism I call realism.” She steered the Caddy into the weedy front yard of their next house, threw the gearshift into park, and killed the engine.

Carter kept his gaze and attention focused on Mara’s hardened features, all the while praying for wisdom. “You may think you’re being realistic, Mara. But I think you’re an idealist who’s had her dreams crushed one too many times.”

“There you go with those opinions again.” Now she glared at him, open hostility oozing from every pore of her face.

“Ease up. I’m not trying to start some kind of theological debate.”

She lowered her head. “Sure could’ve fooled me.”

“Trust me. I hate an intellectual-type debate of any kind because I stink at it.” Embarrassing memories from high school debate class flooded his mind, but Carter pushed them away and scrounged for words to distill the charged air. “I think we just need to change the subject.”

“I thought you’d never ask.” Mara yanked on her door handle and scooted from the car. The door slammed behind her.

Suddenly world-weary and sure of very little, Carter climbed from his side of the SUV and focused for the first time on the dilapidated house in front of them.

“I guess I should’ve come to see this one before I brought you out here.”

Mara’s quietly-spoken words were an understatement if he’d ever heard one. Though the surrounding countryside was nothing short of spectacular, the house she’d chosen to show him looked more like a shipwreck.

The perfect analogy for Mara’s shipwrecked faith.

It’s intimidating, isn’t it?

As I considered writing this post on how to share faith with prodigals (the spiritual theme of CROSSROADS), fear clawed its way into my throat, and uneasy discomfort lodged in my brain.

For introverts like me, verbally sharing my faith is difficult all the time, but especially so when dealing with prodigals.

By definition, prodigals are those who have wandered from the faith. Sharing our relationship with Christ with these people is scary because prodigals often know more than we do. Their arguments challenge our belief systems and pinprick our courage. And their questions are difficult to answer because…well, because sometimes we struggle with the same unanswered questions.

But that doesn’t mean we have permission to give up on them.

Don’t give up on prodigals. Share your faith. More here>>>
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Below are three points about how to share faith with prodigals.

Share Faith With Prodigals – Love Unconditionally

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. ~1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (NIV)

Unconditional love for the prodigals in our lives will do far more good in winning them back to Christ, than argumentative words and haughty attitudes.

Yes, we are to be bold, and that often means not mincing words. But nowhere in God’s Word are we told to be disrespectful. In fact the opposite is true. We are to be gentle and respectful of those who question our faith (1 Peter 3:15).

Share Faith With Prodigals – Pray Persistently

“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” ~Luke 6:27-28 (NIV)

Many times–because of some past event for which they blame God–prodigals are antagonistic and persecutory toward believers, especially when believers take a stand for their faith.

But my life is proof that persistent prayer pays off. Prayer has the power to change situations and people in ways we can’t even begin to fathom.

Part of unconditional love is perseverance, and persevering in prayer for prodigals is part of our purpose on this planet.

Persevering in prayer for prodigals is part of our purpose on this planet.
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Share Faith With Prodigals – Persevere in All Ways

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ~Galatians 6:9 (NIV)

According to the parable of Jesus in Luke 15:11-32, prodigals have gone to a “far country,” separated and distant from our loving heavenly Father. They are pursuing their own desires rather than the perfect plan of God.

If we persevere in love, prayer, and doing good for these prodigals, we can and will reap a harvest of faith in their lives. Why? Because all earthly paths eventually reach a dead end. When we continue to love, pray, and do good, these prodigals will have a vivid picture of just how much God loves them.

While we might not be privy to the return of these prodigals, we can rest assured that God loves them even more than we do, that He will do whatever it takes in His Supreme Power to bring them back, and that He waits patiently with arms open wide.

Keep loving. Keep praying. Keep doing good. A prodigal’s eternal destiny depends on it.

Keep loving, praying, doing good. A prodigal’s eternal destiny depends on it.
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I can think of no more relevant topic for our time than sharing our faith with prodigals. Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

PERTINENT LINKS:

Crossroads Book Trailer

The Story Behind the Story of Crossroads (video)

PROOF: How Do You Know the Bible is True? (video)

PROOF: Does God Really Exist? (video)

PROOF: Why Does God Allow Evil? (video)

PROOF: Does God Really Care About Us? (blog post)

PROOF: Who Is This Jesus? (blog post)

PROOF: After This, Then What? (blog post)

PROOF: Not Just Good…Transformed (blog post)

PROOF: The Proof of Persecution (blog post)

PROOF: It All Comes Down to Faith (blog post)

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How to Help Me Create More Valuable Content

Words can’t fully express how important it is to me to create the best books I possibly can for reader friends.

I’m both grateful and amazed at how the Lord leads and guides me to the story He wants me to write. Many times He does this through other believers.

Yes, I want to know what sort of books readers enjoy reading, but I also want to provide value for readers in how I price my books and in the quality of content.

If you can spare a few minutes, there’s a way you can help me create more valuable content for readers in both my fiction and non-fiction books: by taking the 2015 Christian Book Survey.

Help Me Out By Taking the 2015 Christian Book Survey

Each year I create two different surveys–one to make sure my website/blog is up to snuff for readers and another to do the same for the Miller’s Creek novels and non-fiction books I write.

For the Christian book survey, I value the input and insights of those who read Christian books to help meet the needs and wishes of readers.

The following survey has just a few questions and is entirely anonymous. If you read and enjoy Christian fiction and non-fiction, please take just a few minutes to add your insights. I appreciate your help!

NOTE: I’ll be creating a follow-up post to reveal the overall outcome of the survey, so please complete the survey before Monday, May 4, 2015. Also feel free to share the link to this post across your social media channels and with friends who also read Christian fiction and non-fiction. (For those on Twitter, the tweet below is super-easy to share. Simply place your cursor in the box and click. A tweet screen will pop up, and you are welcome to edit the tweet to your liking.)

Enjoy#ChristianBooks? @Cathy_Bryant could use your help. Details here:
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Thanks in advance for spreading the word and taking the survey!

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How to Know You Have Fictional Character Withdrawal

My fictional character withdrawal symptoms started Saturday.

My fictional character withdrawal symptoms started Saturday.
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First, a reader friend posted a picture of her print copy prize of CROSSROADS which had just arrived.

Then another reader friend PM-ed me on Facebook to tell me she’d just finished the book and how much she loved it.

Strike three landed when yet another reader friend posted on my wall to let me know she’d just received her copy and looked forward to reading the latest addition to the Miller’s Creek novels.

Please don’t misunderstand! True glee and satisfaction bubbled inside at each interaction.

But…

…glee and satisfaction also brought along an unwelcome friend.

Gangrenous-green, with an odd resemblance to the Grinch, it slithered up my spine.

Gangrenous-green, with an odd resemblance to the Grinch, it slithered up my spine.
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Fictional Character Withdrawal – Symptom #1

I instantly recognized the symptom #1 of fictional character withdrawal.

Pure jealousy.

Fictional character withdrawal. Symptom #1. Pure jealousy…
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“Hold on a second,” you object. “You mean to tell me that after months of  grousing ad nauseum about how hard it is to write a book and how the characters never cooperate and how you were so ready to type ‘THE END’ and imprison the characters forever within the pages, you have the gall to now suggest that you miss those characters?”

With my head hung in semi-shame and embarrassment, I carve a circle in the carpet with the toe of my shoe. “Um…yeah…I do.” My heart takes over as sentences I never intended to voice tumble from my lips. “I miss the way Carter takes care of Mara, even when she pushes him away. I miss the way Mara always knows the right thing to say to Chloe. I miss the way Ashton speaks as if she’s twenty-four. I miss Chloe’s compassi–”

“For crying out loud! They’re fictional!”

Taken aback, I slide my hand across my mouth. “Well, yes and no.”

Your eyebrows swiftly arch upwards and then crumple into a uni-brow over a reproachful glare. “You’re delusional.”

Your eyebrows…crumple into a uni-brow over a reproachful glare. “You’re delusional.”
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Fictional Character Withdrawal – Symptom #2

Check. Delusional. Symptom #2.

I fidget with the collar of my shirt and give a half-cough to fill the awkward silence. “When you spend a year with those character’s voices in your head, they become…real.” My words tiptoe out in an unconvincing whisper.

The sad shake of your head reveals concern for my psychological welfare. “Have you considered–?”

I wave my hands wildly as a maniacal giggle erupts. “That’s not necessary. Really.”

Your frown deepens. “What’s not necessary?”

“You know, psychiatric help.”

Check. Delusional. Symptom #2 of fictional character withdrawal.
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Fictional Character Withdrawal – Symptom #3

Like some weird dream from which I can’t awaken, you burst into a raucous belly-laugh that reminds me of Mara, the heroine in CROSSROADS. “No, silly. I was trying to ask if you’d considered letting them go to find new characters for the next book.”

My shoulders square and my chin raises perceptibly. Symptom #3. Defensiveness. “Let them go?”

My shoulders square and my chin raises perceptibly. Symptom #3. Defensiveness. “Let them go?”
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You swallow. Hard. And the look in your eyes changes from mirth to fear. “Well, not completely.” A nervous laugh escapes, and you bring both hands to your chest in a protective pose. “More like–you know–moving on.”

A fire ignites in my belly and shoots a burning challenge from my eyes. I step closer, fists clenched.

You lurch backwards, and your fingers fumble with the door knob. “I–uh–just remembered that I–uh–left a pie in the oven.” In a split second, you yank the door open, jump outside, and slam the door behind you.

I move to the window, a Grinch-y grin on my lips. Between the slats of way-too-dusty blinds, I watch you half-run, half-stumble down the steps to your car. In far less than a minute, you crank the engine and back from the driveway.

And me?

Add CROSSROADS to Your Goodreads Shelf, Then Enter the Giveaway for 1 of 3 Autographed Print Copies

Goodreads Book Giveaway


Crossroads
by Cathy Bryant

Giveaway ends May 07, 2015.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter to Win

Fictional Character Withdrawal – The Cure

First, I retrieve a spoon from the silverware tray in the top drawer of the kitchen island. An idea hatches in my brain. Yes, this needs to happen.

Next I step to the freezer drawer and procure a gallon of Blue Bell Pecan Pralines ‘n Cream, the perfect side dish to my quickly-evolving plan.

Moving to the living room, I drop the spoon and gallon container to the coffee table, my mind on one thing and one thing only.

I hurry to the bookshelf, quickly scanning the rows of books until my eyes come to rest on the object of my desire. Yes, it’s time for this. I’ve worked hard for it. Sacrificed hours of sleep. Endured an aching derriere and numb feet. Stared at my computer screen until my eyeballs screamed for mercy.

I pull the tome from the shelf, turn it over in my hands, and then raise it my nose to inhale deeply. Does anything smell as yummy as a new book?

Yes, I have many things I should be doing. Good grief, the Facebook Launch Party is this coming Thursday, and I’m nowhere near ready!

Good grief, the Facebook Launch Party is this coming Thursday!
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I release a cleansing breath, my focus once more on the book. For now–if only for a short while–I will give way to my cravings. I will scoop into story world and taste again the flavors of fictional creation. I will savor each delectable morsel of Miller’s Creek. And I will settle onto the couch with the CROSSROADS characters I’ve missed so much.

So what if my lengthy to-do list of tasks goes undone for characters that only exist on the pages of a book?

Reading is the only cure I know for fictional character withdrawal.

Reading is the only cure I know for fictional character withdrawal.
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Have you ever suffered fictional character withdrawal? What were your symptoms? Tell us about it in the comments.

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Beach Reads at Ocean-Bottom Prices

Can’t you just smell the salty sea air and hear the crashing waves and seagull’s cry as you settle into your hammock with a few beach reads?

Yeah, me too… *contented sigh* (Click the > button below for soothing sound effects. Wishing for smell-evision to go with it…)

Sea-Waves-SoundBible.com-946156036     

Need salty sea air + the sound of ocean waves (along with great beach reads at great prices)?
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Beach Reads Bargains

As more and more authors jump into independent publishing, it’s getting more and more difficult for books to be seen. And with hubby and I currently taking a leap-of-faith journey, I decided to “go BIG or go home” with the book prices for the next few weeks.

I actually have several reasons for lowering the prices, which are as follows:

improve visibility for the books
increase book sales to help support our move to be closer to our family
offer reader friends great prices in hard economic times
cut down on my promotional work over the next few weeks with one big book promo
gain new reader friends
make the books available as bargain gifts for Mother’s Day
have the promo going during the CROSSROADS Book Launch party for more exposure
bump the book up in the Amazon charts for more visibility

Hopefully, all these goals will be accomplished through this massive sale. In fact, every book I’ve ever written will be on sale, not just the Miller’s Creek novels.

All books by @Cathy_Bryant are on #sale for $1.49 or less! #ChristianBooks
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Beach Reads Bonanza

Here are the books on sale, pertinent info, and the sale prices. Clicking the pics will take you to the book’s page on Amazon.

Beach Reads – Share-ables

If you have the time to help spread the word about the beach reads sale, I would really appreciate it. Hubby and I are in the process of getting ready to make a multi-state move to yet another fixer-upper, so your help is greatly appreciated!

All the pictures in this post can be shared by hovering over the picture and then clicking on the Facebook, Twitter, and/or Pinterest icons. In addition you can share the post via the social media icons on the left or at the bottom of this post.

I’m also including some tweet-ables throughout the post for your convenience, and feel free to also share these great deals by word of mouth or e-mail.

Thank you! Happy Beach Reading!

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