Cindy C. Bennett's Blog, page 13

Valentine's Book Blitz Day 1

Denise is a Southern girl who has lived in Louisiana all her life, and yes, she has a drawl. She has a wonderful husband and two incredible children, who not only endure her writing moods, but also encourage her to indulge her writing passion. Besides writing romantic suspense, she enjoys traveling, reading, and scrapbooking.

Accounting is a skill she has learned to earn a little money to support her writing habit. She wrote her first story when she was a teen, seventeen handwritten pages on school-ruled paper and an obvious rip-off of the last romance novel she had read. She's been writing off and on ever since, and with more than a few full-length manuscripts already completed, she has no desire to slow down.


http://www.denisemoncrief.com
http://www.facebook.com/DeniseMoncriefAuthor
http://www.twitter.com/dmoncrief0131
http://www.amazon.com/author/denisemoncrief


No longer able to tolerate her husband Scott’s abuse, Tamara Slay packs up her daughter, Gabby, and moves to Louisiana, hoping a new life and a new identity will give her a fresh start. An unexpected phone call from a Sheriff’s deputy in Florida shatters her sense of security. Scott hides a much darker secret than abusing his wife. Above all else, she must protect Gabby from Scott.

Lt. Martin Beck of the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Department has been investigating the death of Brandy Fuller for years. Sidetracked for a while by his wife’s murder, Beck finally reopens the cold Fuller case and discovers a thin lead. The new evidence takes him to Louisiana to meet the estranged wife of his primary suspect. Together, Beck and Tamara conclude that Scott not only murdered Brandy Fuller, but seven other women on the Florida Gulf coast.

As Beck dives deeper into the investigation, he draws closer to Tamara. Passions ignite as the one woman who wants Scott dead the most allies with the one man who wants Scott dead the most. Can Beck protect Tamara and Gabby from Scott and stop a serial killer from killing again?


http://www.amazon.com/Cross-Examination-Denise-Moncrief-ebook/dp/B00RWO0MR8
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/cross-examination-1
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cross-examination-denise-moncrief/1121029959
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/cross-examination/id957126894?mt=11

Snippet Time!
She rushed down the remaining steps and ran for the kitchen door, no longer mindful of the racket she made. As she passed the counter, she grabbed her purse. Her compact, lipstick, brush, two pencils, and a pen, plus a few wadded up receipts, spilled across the countertop from the open flap. She hadn’t left it unsnapped. Had he searched the contents? She stuffed the scattered items back into the handbag with one hand. One glance around the kitchen and she was moving again. She slung the purse strap over her shoulder, rushed toward the back door, and wrapped her fingers around the doorknob.“Tamara,” he yelled down the stairs. “Where are you? Quit hiding from me.”She cringed at the anger in his command for her obedience.She never doubted the man in her house was Scott. She could almost smell his menace. His voice crawled all over her—a voice she had hoped never to hear again. She yanked the door open and rushed into the dark hours of the morning, her child clutched to her chest, the weight of her purse and the paperwork in the tote pulling on her arm. She didn’t bother to slam the door behind her.
Check out all the great blogs that are a part of this event by following along on the Facebook page.https://www.facebook.com/events/564215317070627/
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dreaming of Cash? Here You Go!

Dreaming of Cash $250 Giveaway An Awesome Group of Authors & Bloggers have joined together to bring you one fabulous prize! We’re giving away $250 in Paypal Cash! Or alternately you can choose a $250 Amazon.com eGift Code! Thanks to these awesome bloggers & authors for sponsoring this giveaway.

Sponsor List I Am A ReaderMelissa M. FryeHere We Go Again...Ready?UnshelfishHeather Gray, AuthorThe YA GalAuggie @ AuggieTalkJenna Lyn FieldKimberly KreyLori's Reading CornerSimple WyrdingsHidden World BooksAuthor Inger IversenMelanie McFarlane BooksAuthor Mary Ting/M. ClarkeKimber Leigh WheatonSuzi LoveRockin' Book ReviewsAuthor Georgina Young-EllisAuthor Ednah WaltersAuthor D.E. HaggertyLaurie Here - Cont Fiction and More Author Cindy C Bennett Krysten Lindsay Hager authorLiterary WinnerMia Siegert, AuthorThe Page UnboundGlistering Bs BlogBonnie Blythe Pure RomanceBella Street's Time Travel RomanceThe Book RefereesAuthor Wendi SotisNikki JeffordAuthor A. GardnerDark and Dreamy With C. C. MarksDiana's Book ReviewsAuthor Joy Penny  

Giveaway Details $250 in Paypal Cash or a $250 Amazon.com eGift Card Ends 1/30/16 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use money sent via Paypal or who can redeem an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the authors, bloggers and publishers on the sponsor list. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Heart of Forgiveness: Just Let Go

   On a cold February night in 2007, a devoted father of four and a seventeen-year-old drunk driver both received life sentences.
   In one violent, devastating instant, both faced a drastically different and uncertain future. But as Chris Williams sat in his demolished vehicle, staring at the car that had just caused the death of his wife, his unborn baby, his nine-year-old daughter, and his eleven-year-old son, he committed to do something extraordinary: he would forgive.   That decision launched Chris on a journey toward healing that affected his family and friends, the young man who caused the accident, and an entire community a community that would face another deadly tragedy just a few days later.   Chris's message of forgiveness is an empowering invitation to all who have suffered, however unjustly, to lay down their burdens and let go.


My Review*
Just Let Go is the story of Chris Williams, and the extraordinary way that he forgave the young man who got into a car drunk and killed Chris' pregnant wife and two of his children. Starring Henry Ian Cusick (Lost), Brenda Vaccaro, and Mitchell Ferrin, this powerful movie is tragic and uplifting at the same time. Cusick is fantastic in the role of Williams.

I can't begin to imagine the horror that Chris Williams had to live through that night, seeing his family in the car and knowing they were dead, followed by both his and his surviving son's rehabilitation (another son wasn't in the car at the time). I can imagine the immense grief and pain and anger that he must have gone through, and yet he never lost sight of the fact that the boy who hit them was just that - a boy.

Most of the movie is told through flashbacks which I think is a really smart way to tell the story, more dramatic and more meaningful as you watch his journey to forgive the boy responsible, and along the way help the boy himself to heal. Chris Williams' story is powerful, and while his book focuses more on his relationship with God and how that helped him to forgive and move forward, the movie keeps it more universal. While it definitely shows his love for God, it doesn't shove it down the viewers throat which is nice and keeps the movie appropriate for anyone no matter their beliefs. Anyone struggling to forgive someone else, or even to forgive themselves, can benefit from this movie. Highly recommend.



On DVD or Blu-Ray at any of these retailers.

*I was given a copy of this DVD for review purposes

One of my favorite authors, and favorite people in genera...

One of my favorite authors, and favorite people in general, Karey White, has a new book out, and I'm excited to help her share the news!


Broken Things to Mend by Karey White
Celia is in desperate need of a change--a change of scenery, a change of pace, and a complete redo of all relationships. Not knowing what else to do, she opens a map, closes her eyes, and lets fate decide her future. Then she packs her meager belongings and buys a one-way ticket to a little town on the fringes of Oregon's Deschutes National Forest called Sisters. She's wanted a family for years. Will she find one in Sisters? What Celia doesn't plan to find is a strange Chinese woman whose meddling ways keep throwing her in the path of a handsome, but reserved, forest ranger. But no matter how kind or dependable Silas seems to be, there are some things in Celia's past that neither of them can escape, and this time, the damage might be too much to mend.

***This book is part of a multi-author project that features one recurring character--the match maker--but it is a STAND-ALONE novel.***


 


 

Blog Tour Schedule
Author Karey White Karey White grew up in Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and Missouri. She attended Ricks College and Brigham Young University. Her first novel, Gifted, was a Whitney Award Finalist. She loves to travel, read, bake treats, and spend time with family and friends. She and her husband are the parents of four great children. She teaches summer creative writing courses to young people and is currently working on her next book.

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

 

Book Blast Giveaway - $50 Amazon Gift Card or $50 in Paypal Cash Ends 1/24/16 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Traitor's Trap

Blog Tour Schedule
The Traitor's Trap by Brendan Murphy It’s tough being a thirteen-year old schoolboy, especially when you’re a coward and the big brother who stuck up for you is dead. Oh, and you’ve been thrust into a magical realm you’re expected to save single-handedly. Sebastian Duffy has to learn an awful lot of skills in a hurry if he is to defeat Phobitor by stealing the Spear of Lugh from the peace-loving Tuath. He’s been given some help of course–a mercurial sorceress, an orphaned druidess, a taciturn warrior, a snuff-sniffing leprechaun and a lovelorn poet– an outfit known as the Hibernauts, but can he really overcome a psychopathic, warmongering god when half the realm is bent on his destruction? If he is to have the remotest chance he will have to do deal with aiia, cluricaun, brigands, woodwose, undead warriors, speckled bats, spies, hunkypunks, traitors, skeletons and battle-swine first. And are those Tuath really so peaceable? If only he could find his courage.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble
Excerpt: Gobbleratches had arrived in droves and the sky was filled with twisting, plummeting forms. He sank to his knees.  “I could have prevented this,” he wailed, curling into a ball. “Why did they do this to me? How could they expect me to kill thousands to save more? I’m just a boy.” He screwed his eyes shut and pressed his palms against his ears, trying to zone out. It did no good. The battle consumed his senses. He could taste it. “Are you alright?” asked Blodwyn, her voice appearing to come at him down a tunnel. “Why did you bring me here?” he cried angrily, his hands trembling uncontrollably. “I’m so sorry,” sobbed Blodwyn, dropping beside him. “I’m so, so sorry.” “I can’t get away,” he screamed. “I’m scared. I want to go away. I want to go home.” Feeling her hands on him, he pushed her roughly away, but when she persisted he found he had no fight left and he let her fold herself around him, opening his eyes to her hypnotic gaze. He saw her raise her arm and bring it toward him, felt the branch touch his brow, and as her lips brushed his lobes and her tears kissed his face, heard the words she whispered in his ear, knew, even as he dissolved into sleep, that he had never heard anything so wonderful in all his life. “Child of my heart,” she murmured. “Child of my heart.” 

Praise for The Traitor's Trap An imaginative epic…an intricate and fully realised fantasy world with a big cast of likeable characters that are charming, well drawn and endearing, with wonderfully apt names. The depth and breadth of the author’s high-voltage imagination, and the richness of the world created is very impressive. ~Sam Mills, author of Blackout, The Boys Who Saved the World, and The Quiddity of Will Self I cannot say just how much I have enjoyed this book ... a very accomplished writer with a wonderfully rich imagination and an incredibly inventive mind. Readers will come to love the many wonderful creations in this novel, it is jam-packed with the most wonderful and inventive characters; new, exciting and beautifully realized. ~Cherry Mosteshar, author of Unveiled: One Woman's Nightmare in Iran

   
  Author Brendan Murphy Brendan Murphy was raised in Sheffield, England, with dreams of becoming a writer, and has written every day since he was nine years old. After reading medicine in London and psychiatry in Manchester, he moved to Australia in 1999. He is an Associate Professor at Monash University and has written widely on youth mental health. His nonfiction work on the development of football in Victorian society, From Sheffield with Love, was published in 2007. He is contracted to Assent Publishing for his six-book fantasy series, Sebastian and the Hibernauts. The first adventure, Beyond the Gloaming was published in 2014 and the sequel, The Traitor’s Trap, in 2015. He is a columnist for Aontacht magazine. He lives with his wife, Katrina, and their children, Sebastian and Violette, in a sprawling property built for the composer, Dorian Le Gallienne. They share their garden with a mob of kangaroos, a wombat, two possums, any number of creepy crawlies, and some very feisty kookaburras.

Website * Twitter * Facebook
    Blog Tour $25 Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 12/28/15 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Looking for Signs

A while back an author by the name of Sharon Shabinaw contacted me about the best way to go about publishing a book she was writing. We emailed back and forth a few times and soon she became one of what I call my "phantom author friends" (authors who I admire/like but have never met). She eventually decided to go with self-publishing and hired me to both edit and format her book.
Turns out the book isn't just Sharon's. It also belongs to her mother, Arlene Garrett. Their quest is to share stories, both their own and those given to them by others, about signs from God they've received. Do I believe in signs from God? Absolutely. Always have. In fact I'll share with you one that came to me within the past year or so.
I was thinking of selling my house and moving. I'd been separated over a year and felt like I needed a change from the house I was living in. It hadn't ever really felt like home so I decided that meant I should move. I went out house hunting, and eventually put a down payment on one. Almost as soon as I did I began to have really bad feelings about it. The more I thought of it, the more I felt like it was a crushing burden. So I finally did what I should have from the beginning and prayed about it. A little while later while standing in the shower I heard someone say, "You need to stay here for now." Yeah. Freaky, right? Someone was in my house? Nope, I looked, and no one was there. 
So I said it aloud myself. "I need to stay here for now." Immediately the burden lifted and I knew I had my answer. I called my realtor, who informed me I'd likely lose my deposit, but I didn't care. I couldn't afford to lose it but figured it was a small price to pay for the relief I felt at my decision. (Note: the contractor was very understanding and did refund my deposit.)
At the time my dad was quite sick. He had heart disease, and had been going downhill steadily for a while. Still, I didn't expect him to actually die anytime soon. Three days after I made the decision not to move, he died. Three days. I can't even begin to fathom what it would have been like to be trying to sell my house and complete the new house with not only my grief at losing my dad, but also in the craziness that follows something like that as I helped my mom to get everything organized. Not to mention that about a month after he died I was presented with the divorce papers which, while expected at some point, I didn't expect while I was swathed in my grieving process. 
Several months later, when life had resettled a bit, I found another home and it felt right, more right than the previous one had. I put my house up for sale, it sold in 4 days, and a month later I moved. A couple of months after that I was in my new home, where I am now, and I feel completely content and happy where I am. I'm near my children, near my mom, and near all of the things that currently occupy my life. If I'd ignored that sign, I'd be in the wrong house again, I'd probably have had a nervous breakdown last fall, and I wouldn't be in a place where my life is so complete.
Sharon and Arlene have compiled many, many stories about people, just like you and me, who have heeded the signs they're given and who've been grateful they have. If you're interested in the book, there are links below for you to find a copy for yourself.


"It was the summer of 1990.  I don’t remember the exact date, but I do remember the moment I received my first sign from GOD.  It’s a moment that I believe everyone remembers because it is an awakening on the inside of you.  A feeling of pure peace, love, astonishment, and a life-altering moment!  My boys were three and four years of age at the time and I was going through a very difficult time in my life.  My marriage was in turmoil.  My husband, at the time, was very controlling and at times verbally and mentally abusive to me and our boys.  One day sitting in my office depressed, distraught and simply not able to concentrate on anything, I had mindlessly dropped onto a sticky pad a drop or two of whiteout and folded the paper in half.  My mind was everywhere, thinking what should I do?  What can I do to make a difference? Would we be better off without him in our lives?  Or, do I take a leap of faith for the sake of all of us?  It was then that I opened this piece of paper and saw a cross appear in the seam where I had dropped the whiteout.  I was simply amazed.  Was this a sign from GOD?  I knew it had to be; because, when I held that piece of paper up to the light, I could see the figure of Jesus on that cross.  He paid for our sins so that we can live on.  I was immediately overcome with peace knowing that GOD was in control and from that point forward, I believed everything happens for a reason and I took one day at a time doing what I needed to do for my children and myself."

Purchase at:
Amazon

The Traitor's Trap

  The Traitor's Trap by Brendan Murphy

It’s tough being a thirteen-year old schoolboy, especially when you’re a coward and the big brother who stuck up for you is dead. Oh, and you’ve been thrust into a magical realm you’re expected to save single-handedly. Sebastian Duffy has to learn an awful lot of skills in a hurry if he is to defeat Phobitor by stealing the Spear of Lugh from the peace-loving Tuath. He’s been given some help of course–a mercurial sorceress, an orphaned druidess, a taciturn warrior, a snuff-sniffing leprechaun and a lovelorn poet– an outfit known as the Hibernauts, but can he really overcome a psychopathic, warmongering god when half the realm is bent on his destruction? If he is to have the remotest chance he will have to do deal with aiia, cluricaun, brigands, woodwose, undead warriors, speckled bats, spies, hunkypunks, traitors, skeletons and battle-swine first. And are those Tuath really so peaceable? If only he could find his courage.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble
Praise for The Traitor's Trap An imaginative epic…an intricate and fully realised fantasy world with a big cast of likeable characters that are charming, well drawn and endearing, with wonderfully apt names. The depth and breadth of the author’s high-voltage imagination, and the richness of the world created is very impressive. ~Sam Mills, author of Blackout, The Boys Who Saved the World, and The Quiddity of Will Self I cannot say just how much I have enjoyed this book ... a very accomplished writer with a wonderfully rich imagination and an incredibly inventive mind. Readers will come to love the many wonderful creations in this novel, it is jam-packed with the most wonderful and inventive characters; new, exciting and beautifully realized. ~Cherry Mosteshar, author of Unveiled: One Woman's Nightmare in Iran
 
 Author Brendan Murphy was raised in Sheffield, England, with dreams of becoming a writer, and has written every day since he was nine years old. After reading medicine in London and psychiatry in Manchester, he moved to Australia in 1999. He is an Associate Professor at Monash University and has written widely on youth mental health. His nonfiction work on the development of football in Victorian society, From Sheffield with Love, was published in 2007. He is contracted to Assent Publishing for his six-book fantasy series, Sebastian and the Hibernauts. The first adventure, Beyond the Gloaming was published in 2014 and the sequel, The Traitor’s Trap, in 2015. He is a columnist for Aontacht magazine. He lives with his wife, Katrina, and their children, Sebastian and Violette, in a sprawling property built for the composer, Dorian Le Gallienne. They share their garden with a mob of kangaroos, a wombat, two possums, any number of creepy crawlies, and some very feisty kookaburras.

Website * Twitter * Facebook
 BookBlast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 12/20/15 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.  

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Need Some Christmas Money? Here's Your Chance!

  An Awesome Group of Authors & Bloggers have joined with me to bring you 1 fabulous prize!! The winner will be selected on December 23rd making it just in the nick of time to help with last minute Christmas shopping! We’re giving away $250 in Paypal Cash! Or alternately you can choose a $250 Amazon.com eGift Code!

Sponsor List – Thanks to these awesome bloggers & authors for sponsoring this giveaway!!
I Am A ReaderTaking Time for MommyThe Discerning ReaderRaven Haired GirlUnshelfishLiterary WinnerNicole ToneHere We Go Again...Ready?Simple WyrdingsCoupons and Freebies MomAuthor Devon AshleyJulie Antonovich ReeceAuthor Mary Ting/M. ClarkeNikki JeffordHeather Gray, AuthorSimply SherrylThe HomeSchool VillageJennifer BardsleyAuthor Ednah WaltersThe Page UnboundConfessions of a Frugal MindOnce Upon a TwilightKrysten Lindsay Hager authorBooks R Us Author Cindy C Bennett Lori's Reading CornerLaurie Treacy, AuthorHeather @ Townsend HouseAuthor Erin RichardsLise McClendon, AuthorD'Ann BurrowHeather Boyd, authorCynthia Luhrs AuthorEcho Ridge BooksRachelle J. ChristensenDorine WhiteLucy McConnellTaylor HartPatricia B. TigheAuthor Jeanette LewisHeather JustesenBabs Book BistroGlistering Bs BlogA Leisure Moment: A Casual Conversation about our Love for LiteratureJL Weil

Giveaway Details $250 in Paypal Cash or a $250 Amazon.com eGift Card Ends 12/22/15 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use money sent via Paypal or who can redeem an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the authors, bloggers and publishers on the sponsor list. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One Year

Dear Dad,

1 year.
12 months.
52 weeks.
365 days.
8,760 hours.
525,600 minutes.

That's how long I've missed you. I know beyond any shadow of a doubt that death isn't the end, that you're still somewhere, waiting, but that doesn't mean I don't miss you just the same. I can't count how many times I've wanted to call you, to talk to you or ask you a question or for advice. I've seen so many movies I wanted to take you to because I thought you'd like them. I've heard jokes I knew you'd enjoy and wanted to tell you just to hear your laugh. I've held my grandbabies, your great-grandbabies, and wished so much that they could know you. My daughter married, wearing your wedding ring on her right hand, and I so much would have preferred that it was on your hand, holding her hand, instead. Every time I hear "Home on the Range" I wish it was you singing it.

I've been to the cemetery where your body rests, but it isn't you. You're not there. I know you're so much better, happier now. I know your pain is finally gone. I'm glad. I'm so very happy you're free of the misery that your life became at the end. And still, selfishly, I want you back.

I miss you.

I love you.

Freetown Giveaway

I was asked to watch and review Freetown to help promote its DVD release. Let me first tell you about the movie and then I'll tell you my thoughts about it. To make things even better, Three Coin Productions and Deseret Book are giving away a copy of the DVD to one lucky winner! So be sure to enter at the bottom of the post.

Monrovia, Liberia, 1990: A rebel army has taken over the city. Six missionaries, determined to maintain their proselyting efforts, continue to share their message of hope despite the conflict that surrounds them. But after months of escalating violence, the missionaries, led by Elder Menti (Michael Attram), turn to local church member Phillip Abubakar (Henry Adofo) to help them flee the country. Their destination: Freetown, Sierra Leone. 

Reaching Freetown will not be easy. The airport has shut down, power and water have been shut off, and food and fuel are scarce. Menti, together with the other missionaries in the district, convince Abubakar to pack the missionaries into an old Toyota Corolla, and get as far as they can. A few of the obstacles facing the fleeing missionaries include a 30-plus hour trip over muddy, uneven dirt roads, hardly any food and limited fuel. Additionally, they must make their way through seemingly endless rebel checkpoints where the unpredictable rebels are determined to find and eliminate members of the Krahn tribe, one of which is travelling with the missionaries. 

My review: This movie was written and directed by Garrett Batty (The Saratov Approach) and produced by Adam Abel (Saints and Soldiers), both movies that I'm a fan of. I had high expectations from them, and I wasn't disappointed.

I'll begin with the cinematography, which was incredible. They filmed on location in Ghana, using a mostly Ghanian crew (including the actors), and it shows. I think only natives could have shown such love for the beauty of their country while also showing the poverty that rules much of West Africa. With the added layer of the rebel soldiers, it's impossible not to become immersed in the scenery and feel like you're right there beside the missionaries as they try to get to safety. I think it's fantastic that they shot this with natural light, the brightness of the sun a stark contrast to the darkness of war and horror that surrounds them. It makes the violence feel that much more real.

The music was also really great, feeling so organic to the setting and situations that it's almost unnoticeable, which to me is the indication of a composer who knows what he's doing.

The fact that these seven men reached Freetown in such an old car, passing through the roads and checkpoints required, with barely enough food and water to sustain them is a miracle. The movie only shows them passing a few checkpoints when in reality they had to pass over 50 of them. One of the best things about this movie is that they don't feel the need to shove it down your throat that you're watching these miracles, they just organically let them happen and believe you're smart enough to figure it out on your own.

The movie has enough positivity and humor to keep it from feeling to depressing. At one of the checkpoints, when it didn't seem they'd be allowed to pass, one of the missionaries begins preaching and they're quickly waved through as the guard doesn't want to listen to it. The missionary's knowing smile as they pass is golden.

At one point one missionary is explaining to another that he should be brave and lie about who he is in order to not be shot. The other says, "Is it brave just to try to live?" For me, I'd probably say "Yes!" but for this missionary it felt like the lie would be the bigger burden, so he tells the truth. I won't tell you what happens when he does, but suffice it to say I was shamed by my immediate response.

I highly recommend a viewing of this movie. The events happened 25 years ago, but nothing that happened feels dated. It could be happening right this minute somewhere else in the world, and to me, that's as current as it gets.


a Rafflecopter giveaway