Victoria Simcox's Blog, page 38

Girl Revived (Inspirational Life Experiences Book 1)

 “One single decision can send you careening down a path where you don’t want to go.”
Meet Brianca Euley, a girl who goes through life searching for love. She searches in all the wrong places--in the clubs, with various men, everywhere except where true unconditional love waits for her. Will she ever learn that what is missing from her life is God? How far down this path of destruction will she go before she reaches out to God? About Pam Funke I am the proud grand-daughter of a pastor and have had the pleasure of learning about God at an early age. I am a Christian author who enjoys writing various genres in the Christian genre. My love of reading and writing led me to begin writing for the enjoyment of others. I am thankful for the many creative writing classes I had back in elementary school.

Recommendations for "Operation Dark Angel"

This is such an important story at such a relevant time. I am so glad to see this is already published, and I do hope it it getting into the hands of many people. You tell the story very well, and Mariel and Nicolaitanes are well-drawn. I particularly like the way you incorporate "historic" events such as 9/11 to make it feel current and relatable. Excellent work! I wish you every success with it!-Faith Rose

This isn't my usual kind of read. I have to say you have a very interesting premise here and you very cleverly weave fact fictions and Bible passages into the work. You are clearly knowledgeable about the subject matter and have put a lot of work into the writing. -Lenny

You have picked a great subject and has done marvelous things with it. I read the story and it is accurate to the bone. This subject is needed to be heard by everyone. All you describe here is sad but true. You have chosen the Antichrist to be born in Italy and I could not agree with you more. It is not the first book on the subject yet I believe that the more this subject is explored, the better it is for the reading community. I will be eagerly awaiting the completion of the series. -Alexandria

A very exciting start to your book as Mariel hears a voice telling her she is to have a child. She's every right to deny the suggestion...she knows better than anyone that she can't be--she's pure. Mariel meets up with Rosalind who explains that she is to give birth to a son, Nicolaitanes and that she would be her protector until the day of the birth. What Mariel doesn't know, is that she will be discarded following the birth and first feeding of the child.
You've given the reader plenty to hang on to, good description and the question of why and what will happen next. The arrangements for the birth and the killing of Mariel signify that there's a powerful reason for Nicolaitanes to arrive on the scene. The book is written well, good dialogue, scenes that are easily taken in from well balanced description. It creates deep thinking on subjects such as the United World Religions trying to be invoked upon the common people and the reason for the appearance of Nicolaitanes in the first place. There's so much more to come in this book--to provide the answers to many questions. I can see this thriller becoming a top seller and worthy of a purchase. -NevilleLinksAmazon: https://tinyurl.com/y7n2p9ywTwitter: @AuthorPamFunke

Plain Haven (Plainly Maryland Book 1)

 Lilly Brandt was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now she is running for her life—straight into a small, obscure Amish community in Southern Maryland. Now as Hannah Kurtz, she knows she won’t be staying in Cherry Hill long enough to form any attachments, but she hadn’t counted on meeting and being attracted to the kind, young man with the amazing blue eyes. Jacob Beiler, a skilled young furniture maker, has made a vow of his own. After being jilted by the girl he trusted right before he was about to propose, he decides to focus strictly on honing his craft and guarding his heart from any future injury. When Hannah Kurtz enters his world, she drops into his mending heart as well. Against his better judgement, he allows himself to care again and to trust another woman. When the Amish community discovers Hannah is not really Amish and that she is not even Hannah Kurtz, Jacob feels betrayed yet again. Will he be able to forgive Hannah’s necessary deception, or will he walk away from love forever? Susan Lantz Simson has been writing stories and poetry ever since she penned her first poem at the age of six. She has always loved the magic of words and how they can entertain and enlighten others. Her love of words and books led her to earn a degree in English/Education. She has taught students from Prekindergarten to high school and has also worked as an editor for the federal government. She also holds a degree in nursing and has worked in hospitals and in community health. She writes inspirational stories of love and faith and has published a middle-grade novel (Ginger and the Bully). She lives in Maryland and is the mother of two wonderful daughters. She is a member of ACFW and Maryland Christian Writers Group. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, walking, and doing needleworkLinksAmazon:https://tinyurl.com/y6u6vtwtTwitter:  @SLantzSimpson

Forecast: Sunny with a Chance of Hope:

 There’s a new Forecast waiting for you in this sweet, contemporary novel with a strong Christian theme!
Frank and Maggie Porter are still enjoying their honeymoon phase as they settle into married life. Maggie is enthusiastic about Frank’s dream to build a homeless shelter and they both celebrate as work begins at the site donated by their church. The shelter is progressing at record speed until an arrogant workman starts trouble that could halt the project.
Maggie’s fashionista sister, Christina, has formed a friendship with Harry and they often meet for dinner and coffee. Christina finds herself falling for Harry, and is shocked when she thinks he only wants to be friends. Determined to find out for sure, she has to rely solely on her faith, courage, and maybe a trip to the mall.
Maggie and Frank agree to host six teens for a church conference unaware that one of the girls will touch their hearts in ways they never expected -- especially when the girl and her mom show up on their doorstep long after the conference is over.

Don’t miss a moment of the fun!

While "Forecast: Sunny with a Chance of Hope" can be read as a standalone novel, you may enjoy reading Maggie and Frank’s love story in the first book in the series, "Forecast: Stormy with a Chance of Love." Dyanne was born in San Francisco, raised in the Bay Area, and currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with her forever husband and best friend, Robert. They met online in the pioneer days of the Internet and have been together twenty years. She has four children and four grandchildren scattered from coast-to-coast. When she isn't writing, Dyanne can be found quilting, gaming, or reading.

Dyanne welcomes emails from readers at DyanneGordonGreen@gmail.comAmazon:https://tinyurl.com/yd7hjuycTwitter:  @thirdpewback

Messages: Poems and Short Stories to Live By

Find inspiration for our hectic times in these straight-forward poems for happy and sad days.
Find history, warmth and a touch of the paranormal in three stories.
Getting the Goat peeks into the early 1900's when mountain life was tough. Does Mama's advice hold true today?
In Stitches in Love Rose's deep love for her grandmother motivates others to share their gifts. Does Rose reap her reward?
Robert Horner is tempted in The Stranger, but does he succumb to the lure? Award-winning author Gail Pallotta's a wife, mom, swimmer and bargain shopper who loves God, beach sunsets and getting together with friends and family. A former regional writer of the year for American Christian Writers Association, she's a Grace Awards Finalist and a 2017 Reader's Favorite Book Awards recipient. She's published five books, poems, short stories and two-hundred articles. Some of her articles appear in anthologies while two are in museums. Visit Gail's website at gailpallotta.com
READER'S FAVORITE 5-STAR REVIEW FOR BARELY ABOVE WATER
reviewed by Deborah Stone (Sept. 19, 2016)
"Barely Above Water by Gail Pallotta has a powerful and heart wrenching message that we all need to hear. Suzie has something wrong with her, but no one seems to know what. Without a diagnosis, she is perceived, by some, to be lazy and complaining. No medical doctor has been able to help, so Suzie takes a giant leap of faith and trusts God to lead her. She moves to Florida to see an alternative medicine doctor that once helped her mother's friend. With no job, she relies on God and her savings while she looks for work. She ends up taking a summer-only job coaching a make-shift swim team with inexperienced swimmers. Although temporary, it will keep her going through the summer while she looks for other opportunities to support herself and pay for her treatments. Suzie meets Matt, the Park and Recreation Director and her new boss. When more than a work relationship begins to develop, Suzie feels she must tell Matt about her illness. Will he stand by her or walk away? Is telling him a risk that Suzie is willing to take?
Gail Pallotta introduces us to a world with options when it comes to taking care of our bodies. She speaks with authority on the subject because she understands it first hand. Gail Pallotta's characters are real and convincing because they come from a place of understanding. Gail's love story is fragile and tender, but with an inner strength that comes from trust and faith in God. Gail Pallotta's story is inspiring and resonates with hope when all hope seems to be gone. A lovely story with well defined and well developed characters, and a story line with factual information that will help, or at least educate, readers." LinksAmazon: https://tinyurl.com/y8wev2hr Twitter: @Hopefulwords

Rachel

 The vibrant world Rachel knew was gone and total darkness reined. Forced into a loveless marriage, Rachel leaves the only life she has ever known, to begin a new life with Lord Thomas Montgomery, a man she has never seen. Can blind Rachel compete with the alluring Matilda, who refuses to see Rachel’s marriage as a barrier to winning the heart of Thomas? Can cash strapped Geoffrey convince Thomas he still holds Rachel’s heart? As the newlyweds begin married life, sinister events unfold, threatening to destroy their developing relationship. Can Rachel find the love she so desperately seeks?

About Christina Matson Christina lives in Pukekawa, New Zealand, growing chillies, garlic and stevia. Her farm is now completely off the grid. (With batteries to store power for when the sun goes down at night).
She loves all things prepping and re-learning all the old skills lost to our children's generation.
She loves reading, historical romances and in her younger days read all the books written by Barbara Cartland and Katherine Woodiwiss (my favourite historical romance writers). She also loves reading science fiction and one of her favourite authors is Anne McCaffery and her Dragons of Pern books. Her favourite Christian books are the Left Behind series.
She used to be a choir director/conductor in her church for many years, until her passion for writing took over. She has been a writer for a farming/lifestyle magazine, where she wrote about her experiences with turning bare land into a food forest. She is still working on this. She also submits articles to a Eco magazine.
She has three published books since 2015:
The first book in a historical romance series - 'Rachel'. Book Two titled 'Rose" to be released 2017
Books 1 & 2 of a four part sci fi/survival/EMP series - 'The One' Book Two titled 'The Chosen Ones'. Book 3 'Journey to the Chosen Ones' is due 2017.
Future books are:
'Don't Throw That Out' - A book on the added uses for household items thrown into the rubbish bin.LinksWebsite: https://christinamatson.com/ Amazon:  https://tinyurl.com/y6wdvmdeTwitter: @matsongc

Somewhere Between

 1856 Texas
Phebe Whiteside, a thirty-seven-year-old governess, finds new employment at Queens Court Acres, a stately mansion in South Texas.
She also finds a ghost.
The three-story mansion harbors the spirit of Edmund McAdams, the former owner of the estate. His murder was never solved.
Old mysteries are revealed, and Phebe begins a quest to bring Edmund’s tortured spirit peace and reunite him with his lost love.
A Pandora’s Box of secrets and lies are unleashed as she digs deeper into forbidden territory. Everyone has something to lose if the secrets come out. One will kill to see that doesn’t happen.
Purchase this novel by Patty wiseman in both ebook and print. About Patty Wiseman Master of the unexpected twist, breathtaking depth, and contagious storylines, romance novelist, Patty Wiseman is the daughter of a WWII Navy vet who survived Pearl Harbor. She was raised in Washington State,attended The Wesleyan College in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, then moved to Northeast Texas where she has resided for over 30 years. Several of her short stories have been published in 'Angie's Diary'. Patty is the creator of the Velvet Shoe Collection, historical romantic mysteries set in the 1920's. An Unlikely Arrangement, is the first of the series. An Unlikely Beginning, the second book was released in July of 2012. The third in the series, An Unlikely Conclusion, was released in August of 2013. Fourth book in the series, An Unlikely Deception, was released August 5, 2016. Her self motivational book Success Your Way was published in March of 2016. She is published through Desert Coyote Productions. There are two more series in the works. One is a romantic comedy.

Patty is a VIP 2013 member of the WorldWide Who's Who Women's Entrepreneurs and a member of the GFWC-Texas Federation of Women's Clubs-Marshall Women's Club. She is also a member of the Texas Association of Authors, a member of East Texas Writers Association and NETWO.

Patty's 2nd book in the series, An Unlikely Beginning won 1st place in Romance with the Texas Association of Authors. Patty is a winner in the 50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading Contest and has a 2nd place finish in the Forward National Literary Awards contest in Romance, for the 1st in her series, An Unlikely Arrangement. Her 2nd book won 1st place in the Texas Association of Authors contest in Romance and the 3rd book of the series won 1st place, as well. The 4th in the series won Honorable Mention in the same contest. She has entered and finished twice in the National Novel Writing Month challenge and won both times. 2007 & 2011.

An avid league bowler, Patty is proud to maintain a 145 average on her ladies league. The league quickly turned into a book signing event the 1st day she timidly displayed her 1st novel. She sold a total of 20 books and in the same day bowled her highest series yet, a 521 with a high game of 197. Heady stuff indeed.

Patty is married to husband Ron, and has two grown sons and 11 grandchildren. She currently lives in Texas with her husband and her dog Cutter.website www.pattywiseman.com Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/ya6g5xn7  Twitter: @PattyWG

Knee-high Lies

 What happens when the lies you tell grow so high you can’t see the truth? To the outside world Avery Denton’s life looks happy, normal even. But it isn’t. Not even close. She believes nothing can make it worse. When her mother skips town with their banker, the small-town gossips focus on her. Jaxson Stewart, Avery’s neighbor and friend, has had a crush on her for years. She makes his heart race, which is dangerous for a boy with a heart condition. Unlike their community, he refuses to hold her mother’s actions against her. Avery’s summer heats up when Jaxson kisses her under a star lit sky. The rest of her life boils over, though, when Avery becomes the target of revenge, her alcoholic father’s anger escalates, and long-hidden family secrets come to light. Can Avery find strength in the truth? Or will she continue to struggle through knee-high lies? Dawn Ford lives in a small town nestled among the Loess Hills in Western Iowa with her husband, youngest son, and a wonder beagle. Dawn's love for stories came naturally to her as a child who was lucky enough to be able to explore the Iowa pastures and countryside in search of adventure. Links:Amazon:https://tinyurl.com/y8a3homf
Twitter:@dawnfordauthor

A Whisper In The Shadows: (Rangers of Laerean, #1)

 When the Ranger Baric meets the exotic and alluring woman from Vaar'da, called Whisper, he agrees to assist her on what seems a simple rescue mission that soon turns into something far more complicated than he expected. Their journey soon becomes a deadly and suicidal quest into the Great Divide, an area of Hir where men fear to travel, into the realm of the demonic Manenase, who live under a great volcano in the center of the Boiling Sea.
The fate of Hir depends on the courage and skills of the heroic Rangers and their small Vaar'da companion, as they struggle to save the world of Hir from impending disaster. Early in life, Tom Fallwell discovered a love for fantasy and science-fiction, delighting in the wonderful escape into realms undreamed of. Weaned on the greats like J.R.R. Tolkien, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert E. Howard, Roger Zelazny, Robert A. Heinlein, and Michael Moorcock, just to name a few, Tom's imagination was forever inspired by those marvelous tales.
One day, he discovered a simple book of rules called 'Chainmail', by Gary Gygax, and found a new love: the love of creating adventures and stories of his own. 'Chainmail' evolved into 'Dungeons & Dragons', and Tom played consistently with friends as both a player and a dungeon master (DM) for decades. Such activities helped him develop his ability to create worlds and stories for other players to enjoy.
Now retired from his long career as a software developer, Tom writes all the adventures and characters that constantly fill his mind and shares them with the world.LinksAmazon:https://tinyurl.com/ya6pgcwuTwitter: @RhemaTom

Mountain of Love and Danger: Jack's Beanstalk Rescue

 Jack Greenthumb finds romance in Fairwilde Kingdom—a different day—a different girl. Then a cruel mystery begins. Dad’s beaten, the family farm destroyed and Jack’s true love, Gwendolyn Bante, kidnapped. Jack’s undercover operation reveals Gwenie’s a captive atop a mountain accessible only by helicopter. Reaching her is a dangerous expedition even for a champion rock climber like Jack. However, a Greenthumb Acres employee plants a miraculous seed from Heaven for the rescue. Suspense mounts as Jack scales the perilous cliff to face a brute and a treacherous descent in this retelling of the fairy tale, Jack and the Beanstalk.  About Gail Pallotta Award-winning author Gail Pallotta's a wife, mom, swimmer and bargain shopper who loves God, beach sunsets and getting together with friends and family. A former regional writer of the year for American Christian Writers Association, she's a Grace Awards Finalist and a 2017 Reader's Favorite Book Awards recipient. She's published five books, poems, short stories and two-hundred articles. Some of her articles appear in anthologies while two are in museums. Visit Gail's website at gailpallotta.com
READER'S FAVORITE 5-STAR REVIEW FOR BARELY ABOVE WATER
reviewed by Deborah Stone
"Barely Above Water by Gail Pallotta has a powerful and heart wrenching message that we all need to hear. Suzie has something wrong with her, but no one seems to know what. Without a diagnosis, she is perceived, by some, to be lazy and complaining. No medical doctor has been able to help, so Suzie takes a giant leap of faith and trusts God to lead her. She moves to Florida to see an alternative medicine doctor that once helped her mother's friend. With no job, she relies on God and her savings while she looks for work. She ends up taking a summer-only job coaching a make-shift swim team with inexperienced swimmers. Although temporary, it will keep her going through the summer while she looks for other opportunities to support herself and pay for her treatments. Suzie meets Matt, the Park and Recreation Director and her new boss. When more than a work relationship begins to develop, Suzie feels she must tell Matt about her illness. Will he stand by her or walk away? Is telling him a risk that Suzie is willing to take?
Gail Pallotta introduces us to a world with options when it comes to taking care of our bodies. She speaks with authority on the subject because she understands it first hand. Gail Pallotta's characters are real and convincing because they come from a place of understanding. Gail's love story is fragile and tender, but with an inner strength that comes from trust and faith in God. Gail Pallotta's story is inspiring and resonates with hope when all hope seems to be gone. A lovely story with well defined and well developed characters, and a story line with factual information that will help, or at least educate, readers."LinksAmazon: https://tinyurl.com/y7r57r7j Twitter: @Hopefulwords

Bound to Survive: The Magic Within Series (Volume 1)

 In a realm where wizards govern, treachery is about to descend. Born of prophecy, a boy is torn from the love of his family and 'Bound' with magic to survive. He is hidden from those who seek to destroy him. Over the years, he grows discontent... Until a secret is revealed...a journey begins...and a choice is made. A choice which will be for all in the realm. Join Christopher and his friends as they hatch a daring escape, race with them across the country in a bid to save his love from certain death and find out how a secret will change the world they live in. Bound to Survive is a tale of wizardly love, war and intrigue steeped in a mystical age of magic.
About Sharon GibbsSharon would probably write more books if we had another day in the week. Witches and wizards run wild in her imagination where heroes and villains battle and there's always room for a dragon or two. Magical cats and family curses take up most of her time and she's been searching for that secret ingredient in Mrs Junket's pudding. You can meet a few of these zany characters inside the pages of her Magic Within Series.LinksAmazon: https://tinyurl.com/y92q58hxTwitter:@sgibbsauthor