Kristy Moody's Blog, page 11
March 2, 2024
February 24, 2024
Former K-Pop Idol Lucas Wong Debuts Documentary Series
Lucas is ready for his comeback!
It has been a few years since singer Lucas Wong performed on the global stage. After the negative 2021 rumors about his personal life, the star went on hiatus and left his former bands NCT and WayV. This month, the 25-year-old finally shared a new photo of himself and revealed part one of his documentary series. Lucas fans can finally get a glimpse of his new life, while we all receive a hint of his future plans.
Check out the first part of the documentary titled “Freeze” in the video above.
Credit: @lucas_xx444 & @lucas_smofficial
Welcome Back, Lucas!
January 27, 2024
RIIZE Releases Dance Practice Video for J-Pop Version of Hit Single
The K-Pop group RIIZE is one of the trendiest new boy bands in music. The guys continue their reign in the J-Pop music scene with the Japanese version of their catchy single “Love 119.”
Check out RIIZE’s new dance practice video above, which illustrates the sleek choreography promoting the song.
Good job, guys!
View this post on InstagramA post shared by RIIZE (@riize_official)
January 20, 2024
Q&A: Jamie Ogle Talks New Novel “Of Love and Treason”
Tyndale: This is your debut novel! What has the process of getting your first book published been like?
Jamie Ogle: Like most authors who pursue traditional publishing, there were so many highs and lows (and a lot of rejections) along the way, but God was so faithful to lead, guide, and encourage me through it all. I didn’t know if the end result of the work would be a published novel or if it was going to be a journey where God would grow my faith—it turned out to be both! Getting to publish with Tyndale is a total dream come true!
Of Love and Treason centers on a historical figure. Where did your interest in the legend of St. Valentine come from?
I was never really a fan of Valentine’s Day. I thought it was a dumb, commercialized holiday, and my research began as an attempt to justify how stupid I thought it all was. But the more I dug into Valentine, ancient Rome, and church history, I found myself falling in love with the story. As scenes and snippets of conversations popped into my head, I started to write them down, and pretty soon I’d written the first draft of the novel.
This story touches on themes of surrender and sacrifice. How have your own life experiences shaped your exploration of these topics?
I’m a planner, a plotter, and a perfectionist—which are fine qualities for a writer, but sort of a detriment when it comes to things like trust and surrender. However, this whole writing and publishing journey has been one of constant surrender and trust that while I can do the work God has called me to, the results are not in my hands. It’s a lesson I am learning and relearning all the time.
What do you enjoy about historical fiction? What was it like writing a fictional retelling?
I love that historical fiction lets us explore the adventures of the past, while showing that the inner struggles and desires of people then are still similar and relatable to us today. It’s a dichotomy of being both an escape and a mirror. Writing a historical retelling was an interesting challenge! The history of Saint Valentine has turned to stuff of legend over time, with each version of the story differing here and there. I had to operate under a mindset of ‘If these stories are true, how could they have happened based on what we know of the culture at that time?’ After many edits and revisions, it was really exciting to see it all fit together, even though there were a few things that I wish didn’t have to be historically accurate.
Who is your favorite character in the novel?
I don’t know why, but whether I’m reading or writing, I always find myself more attached to a secondary character over a main character. It just happens. Titus was that character for me in Of Love and Treason. In the original drafts, he was always there, doing his job as a secondary character, but when I realized we needed to hear his own side of the events in the story, he took on a whole new level of complexity and became my favorite character to explore.
How does faith play a role in this story?
Within the story, we find each of the characters putting their faith in different things. Some place their faith in God; others look to pagan gods, themselves, alcohol, peer acceptance, etc., in hopes that these things will satisfy and solve the problems they face. It’s so easy to look to other things to satisfy—I’ve done it in my own life over and over, and I’m so glad God continually calls us back to what will truly fill our longings (Himself). I think Augustine of Hippo said it best when he wrote, ‘You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless til they find their rest in You.’
What do you hope readers take away from Of Love and Treason?
I hope readers are as captivated by this story as I was. Digging into the courageous stories of how our spiritual ancestors deemed God worthy of their worship and obedience no matter the cost changed me and challenged my own faith to go deeper. The thing I love most about history, and especially church history, is that in the darkest moments, when all seems lost, there’s always a spark of light rebelliously pushing back the dark. I find these stories incredibly hopeful, because if God could use ordinary people to do extraordinary things back then, He can do the same with us today. I hope readers come away from this story with that same knowledge.
Do you have any future writing projects planned?
I just turned in my second book, which I can’t speak too much on just yet, since I’m sure there will be changes, but it’s a story of courage and forgiveness set in the early fourth century, involving the legends of Saint Nicholas. A few of the characters from Of Love and Treason make an appearance, and it was really fun to sneak them into this new story and get to see what they’ve been up to.
“Of Love and Treason” releases on January 23rd, 2024.
A Special Thanks to Tyndale House Publishers and Jamie Ogle for the Q&A and images.
January 11, 2024
January 5, 2024
BTSCelebs to Review Patricia Raybon’s “Truth Be Told”
Christy Award–winning author Patricia Raybon continues her popular Annalee Spain Mystery Series this summer!
In her upcoming novel “Truth Be Told,” Professor/ unofficial detective Annalee Spain investigates a murder that hits a little too close to home. The victim is a woman who shares the same age and ethnicity as the detective. The shocking event occurs at a local, political garden party, and Annalee takes it upon herself to start searching for the guilty one. Also, the baffling case helps her ignore the recent discovery she made about her own birth mother.
Stay tuned for BTSCelebs’ complete review this winter season.
“Truth Be Told” is scheduled to be released on June 11th, 2024.
A Special Thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for the advanced reader copy of the book and cover image.
December 29, 2023
December 21, 2023
[Review] Janice Cantore’s “One Final Target”
Janice Cantore creates a jaw-dropping suspense novel with her upcoming title “One Final Target.” The story places a spotlight on former police sergeant Jodie King and her new friend, detective Sam Gresham.
The pair meet under strange circumstances as he protects her from a demented hitman. During their first meeting, Jodie and Sam are still reeling from two tragic accidents that took the lives of their team members. As they struggle to pick up the pieces of their new lives, Sam continues to come to her rescue as Jodie searches for her hitman and an eternal Savior. Sam even reignites her desire for her Christian faith. As they both learn to rely on a divine God, the path to solving the mystery and finding inner peace gets easier, as well.
This book is filled with action-packed scenes and “keep you on the edge of your seat” moments. It’s the ideal book for lovers of all things action, suspense, and crime genres. It grips readers at the very beginning and doesn’t let go until the end.
“One Final Target” is scheduled to be released on February 13, 2024.
A Special Thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for the image and complimentary copy of the book.
December 12, 2023
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Returns To Auditorium Theatre Next Spring
Constance Stamatiou Photo by: Dario Calmese Horiz
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater plans to celebrate its 65th anniversary with a group of eye-catching performances at Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre. According to an official press release from The Silverman Group, the famous dance company will stay for a limited engagement, April 17-21, 2024.
Which dance programs will be performed? A trio of dance lovers’ favorites! The main programs are titled AUDIENCE FAVORITES, AILEY CLASSICS, and ALL NEW.“AUDIENCE FAVORITES features Kyle Abraham’s Are You in Your Feelings? and Ronald K. Brown’s Dancing Spirit along with the Company’s traditional program closer, Alvin Ailey’s beloved Revelations; ALL NEW presents a pair of exciting new works commissioned especially for Ailey: Amy Hall Garner’s rousing, high-spirited tribute to her grandfather, CENTURY, and Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish’s dreamlike reminiscence of romance, Me, Myself and You, in addition to updated productions of Following the Subtle Current Upstream by Alonzo King and Solo by Hans van Manen; and AILEY CLASSICS offers a newly curated two-act program sampling a variety of classic works by Alvin Ailey, himself.”
Veteran Associate Artistic Director Matthew Rushing will be leading the dancers in the three special programs. This is the 55th visit to Auditorium by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. More details about the show is scheduled to be announced in the coming year.
Auditorium Theatre CEO Rich Regan: “Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s annual engagement at the Auditorium Theatre is a recognized highlight of the Spring arts season, and we’re pleased to be able to announce the exceptional program lineup so far in advance to help the Company’s legion of Midwest fans plan their schedules. We look forward to welcoming back Matthew Rushing, with whom we’ve had the pleasure to work for many years, as he and the company share this diverse program with Chicago audiences.”
Click here to read the complete press release on BTSCelebs’ Facebook page.
A Special Thanks to The Silverman Group for the info.
December 4, 2023
Patricia Raybon’s Mystery Book Is A New Award Winner
Christianity Today just honored Patricia Raybon’s “Double The Lies” with an award in the fiction category at Christianity Today’s 2024 Book Awards.
Check out Patricia’s post about it here –
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Patricia Raybon (@patriciaraybon)
Congratulations to Patricia Raybon!
