Davalynn Spencer's Blog, page 24
February 14, 2021
Greater Love and a Giveaway!
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways,” wrote Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
For simplicity’s sake, let’s merely count the kinds of love.
Romantic love.
Empathetic love.
Brotherly love.
Unconditional love.
Unfailing love.
Mature love.
Sacrificial love.
Endless love – as is the list! We could go on and on.
But let’s not forget puppy love. Though it’s become a metaphorical phrase describing early platonic love, I’ve been experiencing the real thing since a now-12-week-old heeler/border collie mix moved in. I call him Keeper and he definitely keeps me busy.
As a romance writer, I obviously write about romantic love, but others from the list filter into my stories as well because in inspirational fiction, characters find their footing in God’s agape love.
I call that Greater Love – the kind Jesus referred to when he said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13 BSB). That’s what Jesus did for us.
With Valentine’s Day filling the weekend with hearts, candy, cards, and flowers, it’s not too late to do something a little different and show love with a kind deed or word to those around you. Can you count the ways?
Liberating love is how I hint at what lies in store for the readers of my recent release, A Change of Scenery. And in celebration, I’m giving away a signed *print copy to one randomly selected commenter responding below on this blog to the question listed here. A winner will be chosen Feb. 20, 2021.
~
QUESTION: Can you briefly share a kind deed or word that you received unexpectedly from someone or witnessed someone else receiving? Leave your answer in the comments below.
Share a kind deed or word.
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Ella’s breath caught in her throat, too late to hide. Too late to act as if she hadn’t heard his declaration. Her heart fractured, something she’d wanted to never happen again.
She had lost Charles. Now she would lose the only other man who had believed in her, who loved what she loved. Who apparently loved her in spite of her imperfections. She’d seen the truth of his words in his eyes today, felt it in his embrace. But she refused to come between him and his brother who clearly opposed her. She was city gal and nothing more to him. ~A Change of Scenery
*Print copy limited to the U.S. A winner outside the U.S. will receive an e-book version.
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.
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February 7, 2021
As Surely As the Arrival of Dawn
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Dawn may be my favorite time of day. It appears full of promise and new possibilities.
Most of my stories present at least one sunrise that catches my characters’ attention and provides a moment of reflection and gratitude.
I also find dawn mentioned during significant biblical events as well, such as the Hebrew’s escape through the Red Sea as recorded in Exodus 14:27, and the arrival of Mary Magdalene and other women at the tomb where Jesus’ body had been laid (Mark 16:2-4).
The Old Testament prophet Hosea compares dawn to the faithfulness of God, but it is an assurance that follows on the heels of stern rebuke and warning.
“My people perish for lack of ___,” Hosea tells his backsliding countrymen.
Do you know what goes in the blank? It’s not faith, as so many think. It’s not hope.
It’s knowledge.
“My people perish for lack of knowledge,” Hosea says to those who turned their back on God (Hosea 4:6).
Scattered through Hosea’s dire warnings of what was to come – and it did – are glimpses of encouragement for those who were paying attention.
“Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know Him,” Hosea says. “He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn” (Hosea 6:3).
What a stunning picture of God’s faithfulness. Hosea continues by reminding the people that their busy-ness is not what God wants, He wants relationship:
“I want you to show love (mercy), not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings (Hosea 6:6).
Last week we talked about how intimately God knows us. This week, let’s evaluate how well we know Him.
In the next few days, pick a morning and rise early enough to see the dawn. Then take a moment to consider God’s desire for relationship with us. What can we do to get to know Him better?
~
My people perish for lack of ___.
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Aching and tight, she watched the east window of her room until the black square dimmed to gray. Against the will of every muscle in her weary body, she pulled the coverlet around her shoulders and made her way to the window. Buildings blocked the sunrise but for a line of blood-red across the open roadway, seeping beneath low clouds. Time slowed, and crimson crept into the cloudbank, firing it from within.
Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice. The phrase always came to mind at a glorious sunrise or sunset. And she’d always marveled that such a phrase was found in the poetry of the Psalms. Who but one who had seen the splendor could write such things?
Her chest released its frantic grip, her fingers their stingy hold of the coverlet. A new day rose before her. Never before used and carrying promise. ~A Change of Scenery
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January 31, 2021
God Knows Us
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
“I talk about these made-up people as if they were real,” I told a friend as we discussed the characters in one of my books. “I know them better than I do most real people.”
“That’s because you know their hearts,” she said. “You created them. That’s how God knows us.”
I’d never thought about it quite like that before, but she was right. That’s how I know Ella Canaday and Cale Hutton – I would recognize them on the street. Ella has a deep heart-wound that overshadows her physical disability. Cale works hard to hide his loneliness. I know they could help each other if they could just get past all the pretense, misconceptions, and self-erected barriers.
But obstacles create growth—if one doesn’t opt for quitting first.
Isn’t that the way it is in “real life?” We run up against conflict and insurmountable odds all the time. We either back down or press on. And that choice makes a difference in who we become.
God knows our odds and obstacles. He knows us more intimately than we could ever imagine. He knows what makes us tick. What makes us laugh, growl, cry – and why. Yet He loves us beyond our highest, most desperate dreams and hopes.
That’s incredible love.
On Thursday, Ella Canaday and Cale Hutton meet the public in A Change of Scenery, Book 4 of the Cañon City Chronicles.
This book churned in my heart and mind for three years, and it carries me back to the early 1900s in Cañon City when pictures and horseless carriages were moving in ways unheard of in the previous century.
I hope you enjoy the story. And I hope even more that in the hearts of these made-up people you see a reflection of the way God works in the real hearts of the people He created and loves.
~
Consider it a sheer gift, friends,
when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.
You know that under pressure,
your faith-life is forced into the open
and shows its true colors.
So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely.
Let it do its work
so you become mature and well-developed,
not deficient in any way.
(James 1:2-4 MSG)
Obstacles create growth.
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Ella Canaday wanted a change of scenery. She hadn’t planned on a change of heart.
“You can’t undo the past, girl, so there’s no use wastin’ away for it. It’ll cripple you for sure if you spend your heart wishin’ for what you can’t have. Best leave it in the Lord’s hands. They mighty big.” ~A Change of Scenery
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January 24, 2021
Of Rocks and Words and Sticks and Stones
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
The earth was eating my driveway.
Where had all the gravel gone? (Sounds like a Pete Seeger song.)
My remedy: order more.
But that’s not how it works. I couldn’t just call the rock shop and ask them to deliver plain gravel – even though I had a gravel driveway. I had to go down there and look at piles of different colored rock in different sizes and choose exactly what I wanted.
It was like viewing the Grand Canyon at sunset all chopped up into little pieces.
Soon after, a big truck arrived at my home. Hydraulic arms extended, tipping the dump box up on one end, spilling a load of ¾-inch rose aggregate in a long pile.
It took a lot of those little pieces to cover my muddy driveway. Fifteen tons, to be exact.
One little rock. Then another. Then a flood.
A ¾-inch piece of pinkish rock doesn’t weigh much. Dig into a pile of them with a rake, and they weigh a lot.
Like words.
I make my living with words, lining them up in just the right order and teaching workshop students to do the same. Sometimes I pass out a survey at the beginning of the class that helps me get to know people better and get a sample of how they write.
Survey questions include:
“What’s your greatest weakness when it comes to writing?”
“If you could travel back in time to a historical event, which would you choose?”
“If you could take back one sentence you’ve spoken, what would it be?”
That question is always a gut-buster. In the anonymity of a writing course, people tend to be honest. They write from their soul, and truth leaks out through the cracks in their answers.
“I quit.”
“I’ll buy it.”
“I don’t love you.”
“I wish you were dead.”
“I will never amount to anything.”
“I can visit grandma tomorrow, she’ll still be there.”
She wasn’t.
Of all the answers to this question over the years, the most often repeated has been, “I hate you.” Sometimes these three words were directed at a spouse or a friend, often to a parent. Regardless of the recipient, they always left a festering wound, doing more harm to the speaker than to the object of their anger.
Somewhere down deep inside us, we regret hateful, misspoken words uttered in the proverbial heat of the moment. We instinctively know they carry a 15-ton weight that can break a spirit.
And we know the old adage should really say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can crush my soul.”
The wrong words can pile up and weigh a person down. But the right words can lay a strong, supportive foundation.
Back in the driveway, I knew what was happening to the vanishing rock. The earth really was “eating” it, absorbing it the same way we absorb words that build us up and make us feel appreciated or bury us beneath a weighty hill of insignificance.
Commonplace little things, rocks and words. Choose wisely.
“A person’s words can be life-giving water;
words of true wisdom are as refreshing as a bubbling brook.” Proverbs 18:4
“A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but hard words stir up anger.” Proverbs 15:1
“Your own soul is nourished when you are kind,
but you destroy yourself when you are cruel.” Proverbs 11:17
~
commonplace little things .... Choose wisely.
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No laughter followed her confession, but neither did judgment. Helen reached across the circular patchwork of pies and wrapped her work-worn hand around Ella’s with a soothing squeeze. “We all have a wound that makes us limp, dear. Some more than others, like Hugh who is crippled in spirit. That’s a much more difficult injury to deal with than a hitch in your gait.”
Something shifted inside. Helen’s words seeped through the woman’s fingers and into Ella’s core, dissipating a heavy shadow that had lingered there for the past year and a half. A thin and gauzy hope settled in its place. ~A Change of Scenery
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(c) 2021 Davalynn Spencer, all rights reserved.
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January 17, 2021
Perfect Peace
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Ah, peace. What a priceless commodity these days. Isaiah 26:3 offers an equation for finding peace like no other.
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee.”
The old King James English may grate on your ears and if so, please look up different versions. But I use King James for this verse because it is the version I memorized years ago. It’s been in my mind and heart that way for the majority of my life, and that’s how it bobs to the surface of troubled water.
Today, we are surrounded by troubled waters, but water never kept God from doing anything.
He separated it during creation and gave it boundaries.
He stood it on end as the Hebrews left their captivity in Egypt.
He walked on it and told it to be still.
He turned it into wine.
Since He is the same “yesterday, today, and forever,” I think He can handle our troubled waters.
But can He handle our peace if we don’t let Him?
The equation within Isaiah 26:3 is simple:
Focus + Trust = Peace
Over the last few months, it’s been easy to focus on the troubled water. Therefore, I have been very picky about what I read and watch. I don’t want my mind to be “stayed” – focused or fixed on anything that will block my view of Jesus. God’s word and His faithfulness are what I want to feed on, and I do that by reading the Bible as I mentioned in last week’s blog post. I also read other good literature, including Christian fiction and books by C.S. Lewis and other inspirational authors. Many people enjoy listening to podcasts or audio books. All of these methods help us remember that we can trust Him.
I keep my radio tuned to a Christian, commercial-free station that plays “light” contemporary worship music intermingled with brief words of encouragement during the day. Sometimes when I’m working I have it turned down so low I can barely hear it. But it plays in the background, I know it’s there, and it gives me comfort.
God’s peace is my most valuable possession.
Yes, that sounds fairly radical, but where else do we find real and lasting peace when chaos is roaring around us?
As the equation above points out, peace is the result of trust and focus, yet how can we trust and focus on someone if we don’t know them? I want to know the Lord more and more. That’s why I carefully choose what goes in my eyes and ears because it always finds its way to my heart.
Is there any better time to know God and His peace than now?
~
What goes in my eyes and ears always finds its way to my heart.
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A white pitcher of daisies brightened the sideboard, and a hand pump delivered icy water to the sink, not surprising so far from town. Ella had also spied the privy set back among the scrub oak. A more primitive atmosphere than what she was accustomed to—and with no electric lights. Oil lamps perched on sideboards, unneeded now in the bright sunshine pouring through the window.
Apparently, few modern comforts found their way to a mountain ranch, but a nearly tangible peace looped itself into her apron strings and snugged around her. ~A Change of Scenery
Inspirational Western Romance – where the hero is heroic.Want a free book? Sign up for my Newsletter!
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January 10, 2021
I Will Give You Rest
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Have you ever read something familiar and found yourself seeing it with fresh eyes?
It happens to me frequently, and lately it’s been Matthew 11:28-30. Clearly this passage speaks to me, for I wrote about it in September. Is God trying to tell me something?
Last week in my morning quiet time, I read a segment of this scripture in a collection* I read from every day.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
I paused to consider how many people I know who are not laboring or bearing heavy loads. Um . . . do children count? Probably, because sadly, many of them carry heavy loads called “baggage” in today’s terms.
So Jesus invites us – the weary – to come to Him for rest.
And then He tells us to take on His yoke.
At first that may sound like a contradiction. Wouldn’t it be better to not have a yoke at all?
Maybe. But the fact is, we are all yoked to something or someone.
What have we teamed up with? What are we yoked to that we’d like to be free of? If we take on the yoke of Jesus, there isn’t room for another because only one yoke can be worn at a time.
That idea appeals to me.
Jesus also said, “Learn from me.” Learn how to be at peace and work without it killing you.
He goes on to say that He is gentle, or meek. That doesn’t mean He’s wimpy. It means He has great strength of self-control. I’d certainly rather be working side-by-side with someone like that than someone who’s a runaway.
His yoke is easy and His burden is light, and that’s what I want – a doable task with someone right next to me who is bigger, stronger, and more experienced than I. Someone who promises me rest not weariness.
This year, I want to team up with Jesus.
~
Jesus invites us, the weary, to come to Him.
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*If you are looking for a daily devotional, I’d like to suggest Daily Light on the Daily Path, compiled by Samuel Bagster and family in 1794. Yes, it’s been around a while. The daily readings are topically grouped scriptures arranged in short passages for morning and evening, each about a half-page long. There is no commentary, only scripture. There are no opinions, only scripture. No thoughts, suggestions, or human arguments, only scripture. Find it here and here.
This devotional is wonderfully refreshing. There is something to be said for the Word of God. It changes lives and brings light.
~
The saga continues – A Change of Scenery, Book 4 of the ever-popular Canon City Chronicles is available for pre-order at 50% off the release price. Secure your copy now before Feb. 4 and be ready to read about the third generation of the Hutton family!
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January 3, 2021
Nothing Catches God by Surprise
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
After commiserating over recent heartaches the other day, a friend said, “God obviously has different plans than what I had envisioned, and for you as well. And yet, His plans are always perfect.”
The comment stopped me cold.
This person had some seriously disappointing things happen, as had I. “And yet …”
And yet, God’s plans are always perfect.
That does not mean God planned for people to contract a deadly virus in 2020, wives and husbands to leave their spouses, or dreams to be dashed and life put on hold.
Sometimes I lose sight of God’s promise that He knows the plans He has for me, plans for good and not for evil, plans for hope and a future – in spite of external conflict, social upheaval, and my own failures and fears (Jeremiah 29:11).
Since I believe that “God’s got this” (whatever this is), I praise Him for His omnipotence, sovereignty, and unfailing love. I praise Him for His goodness, for being with me in all the hard places. I praise Him for giving us another day, another year, another reminder that He has a future for us.
Nothing catches God by surprise. Not when Eve bit the fruit, not when Bethlehem’s innkeeper over-booked, not a virus that shut down human interaction across our nation and elsewhere.
Not the coming year.
May you find an unyielding confidence in our God who loves us beyond measure.
~
Nothing catches God by surprise.
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He looked at her, and she listened with her eyes for what he was thinking and feeling. ~The Snowbound Bride
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December 27, 2020
When They Saw the Star . . .
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
From my journal, the evening of December 21, 2020 . . .
“It wasn’t so much the bright star convergence. It was standing outside in the dark with my camera and tripod – watching, listening, feeling the glory of God – seeing the night sky change, realizing that the God of the manger is the God who set the planets on their courses. The same God who heard me singing in the dark because I was awed by His work . . .
‘. . . praise Him above ye heavenly host . . .’”
~
That night, I considered the Magi who watched a particular light against the velvety dark – men who studied the stars, knew the ancient prophecies, and weren’t afraid of crossing deserts and wastelands for a glimpse of a King.
What had they thought more than two thousand years before?
I found my answer in the second chapter of Matthew: “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.”
Many theologians believe the Magi did not reach the Christ child until at least a year following His birth because of where they found Him and what happened soon after.
“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh*.
“And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod [whom they had recently visited], they returned to their country by another route.”
Joseph, Mary’s husband and guardian of the child he named Jesus, also had a dream that warned him to take his family and escape to Egypt. Thanks to unexpected visitors, Joseph just happened to have the finances to fund the getaway.
Herod, the king in Jerusalem at the time, defended his throne by slaughtering all the baby boys two years old and younger in the vicinity of Bethlehem. You can read the whole story in Matthew 2:1-23.
In modern nativities commemorating the birth of Jesus, we often see richly robed “wise men” kneeling at a feed trough or manger. Innocent at best, it makes a nice creche scene and tells a larger part of the story, yet Matthew’s account gives us a truer picture.
Last week, though I had my Nikon camera and tripod, I wasn’t equipped to capture the starry display as clearly and beautifully as many photographers did. But it was what I felt that impressed me most, what I sensed out there in the dark all alone.
Because I wasn’t.
The smallest light penetrates darkness, and I am never alone because the Lord of Light is with me. I sensed great comfort that night, a great peace, an awareness that no matter what happened, He was bigger than all my challenges and was in ultimate control.
In the darkest night – or the brightest day – oh how glad I am that He is.
~
The smallest light penetrates darkness.
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*Tradition tells us there were three Magi, but the theory is based on the naming of three gifts. There could have been only two or several more. An interesting tale concerning the magi is a short story titled, The Other Wise Man, by Henry van Dyke, first published in 1895.
Just inside the barn’s wide door, Ara paused by a new wooden manger filled with fresh hay as if awaiting a heavenly guest. Bending to breathe in the grassy perfume, she closed her eyes and marveled at the simple pleasure. A scuffling step said Buck was near.
“It’s an offering.” He stopped beside her and fluffed the hay with his large, rough hands. “He came to stockmen, you know. Like us. And His ma made His bed in a barn.”
Ara’s heart warmed at Buck’s uncharacteristic tenderness. “It’s a wonderful gift. Exactly what the Christ child would need.”
His thick brows rose with hope. “You really think so?”
“Of course. Warmth and shelter and love. The same things we all need. I’m sure He would have been most comfortable in this crib you’ve made.” ~The Snowbound Bride
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December 20, 2020
A Son is Given
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
God loved, so He gave.
He promised.
He revealed.
He pursued.
He’s been after us all our lives, and to prove it,
He came.
In His most vulnerable condition,
He could not be stopped.
Yet, at the peak of His earthly walk,
He surrendered to …
Love.
When humans see Him again,
He won’t be a baby in a barn.
He won’t be the smallest member of the nativity,
smaller than a lamb.
He will be the Lamb.
And the Lion.
And Lord of heaven’s armies.
All because of …
Love.
If you don’t believe it, give Him something in return.
Yourself.
He’ll show you that He loves you.
~
He’s been after us all our lives.
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ADVENT
For those who follow the centuries-old tradition of celebrating Advent, looking forward to the coming of Christ and Christmas, today is the fourth Sunday. The candle lit in many homes and churches signifies Love.
Read: Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isaiah 9:6 – For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
John 3:16 – For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
1John 4:9 – This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
*For an impressive artistic rendition of the empty manger, see the art of James Nesbit.
Books make great Christmas gifts. Check out my Books page for direct purchase links.
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December 13, 2020
A Christmas to Remember
By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
A working dad took his son to day care early one morning and was surprised to find the police there. He soon learned from the distraught director that someone had broken into the center the night before and stolen all their food.
Instead of leaving his little boy, the dad took him to the market, asked him what the children ate during the day, and loaded a shopping cart with groceries.
When he returned with his son and the bags of food, he was met by a tearfully surprised and grateful director. Not the typical start to a December work week.
The obvious question might be, Who robs a day care center?
Perhaps someone who is hungry beyond what they’ve ever known? Or maybe someone who didn’t have anything better to do. Or someone who didn’t know any better.
Regardless, it created a need this father could meet and showed a little boy a Christmas gift he won’t forget.
So the better question could be, What kinds of gifts can we give this Christmas?
Are there hurts we can heal? Wounds we can mend? Needs we can fill or tasks we can meet?
Are there cards we can send to the quarantined who wonder if anyone remembers them? Words can go places we can’t – especially in these uncertain days.
What can we do this year to bring a little joy into people’s lives and make this a Christmas to remember?
~
What can we do this year to make this a Christmas to remember?
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Words go places we can't.
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ADVENT
For those who follow the centuries-old tradition of celebrating Advent, looking forward to the coming of Christ and Christmas, today is the third Sunday. The candle lit in many homes and churches signifies Joy.
Read Philippians 4:4-5 – Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Luke 2:10-11 – And the angel said unto them, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ, the Lord.”
Nehemiah 8:10 – The joy of the Lord is your strength.
When depression seems to be at an all-time high, may we remember that Christ came to save us from sin and sadness. Let His gift of joy fill you in the coming week.
Joy to the World – the Lord is come!
~
Books make great Christmas gifts. Check out my Books page for direct purchase links.
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