Archive for the ‘Books’ Category

99¢ SALE: One Day Only!

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For 24 Hours we’re offering a great fiction title for just $.99! Pick up Andrea Rodgers’ novel The 20th Christmas at a discounted rate for the Kindle during our one-day sale event. After Thursday the price will go up to $2.99 through the weekend, and then it will return to regular price. So don’t wait- pick up this book right now for just $.99 on Kindle!

the20thChristmasThe 20th Christmas has 60 five star reviews on Amazon including this one from Debbie W: “Amazing book! Andrea Rodgers writes incredibly well. She takes what starts as a tragic set of events and leads you through the heartache, happiness, fear, and hope that each person in this story experiences. The Bible tells us that God takes all things and uses them for good, for those that love and obey His commands. Andrea expresses this really well in her book.”

Synopsis: Arianna Tate has a simple and fulfilling life—until four days before Christmas when her young son is kidnapped. For two decades, she grieves the loss of Chase and struggles with her marriage to her husband, Alan.

Meanwhile, Lydia Feller mourns the death of her estranged sister, who spent years living on the streets with mental illness and substance abuse. Lydia adopts the boy that she believes was her sister’s son and raises him in a happy, stable home with her husband, Daniel, and their four children. God works in miraculous ways as, twenty years later, both women’s worlds collide . . .

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$.99 SALE: One Day Only!

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For 24 Hours we’re offering a great non-fiction title for just $.99! Pick up Brett Park’s new book Miracle Man: A Bullet That Ignited a Purpose-Filled Life at a discounted rate for the Kindle during our one-day sale event. After Thursday the price will go up to $2.99 through the weekend, and then it will return to regular price. So don’t wait- pick up this book right now for just $.99 on Kindle!

MiracleMan-99Synopsis: October 17, 2012 started as any other day for Navy airman and fitness trainer Brett Parks until he heard screams for help. Without hesitation, he ran towards the sound and apprehended the mugger, unaware that the criminal had a gun. Moments later, the attacker fired a devastating shot directly into Brett’s body. The bullet shredded Brett’s kidney, pierced his intestines, and destroyed several inches of the largest vein in his body. Three sets of surgeons’ hands applied pressure inside Brett’s open stomach to stop the bleeding while nurses delivered coolers full of blood to the operating room every 15 minutes. As the medical team worked fervently to save Brett’s life, his wife received the bleak news that their unborn daughter and young son may grow up without a father. But the God whom Brett had given his life to years before had other plans. After a medical battle that included a 20-day coma, multiple surgeries, and an unexpected amputation, Brett emerged from his coma to begin a long and challenging recovery—medically and spiritually. Miracle Man details Brett Parks recovery as he experienced it and the miracles and greatness of our God in heaven; however, Miracle Man is less about Brett and more about what God has done through his story. Miracle Man: A Bullet that Ignited a Purpose-Filled Life shows readers how to:
• prepare (by doing what God puts in front of you),
• set goals (by being who God wants you to be), and
• never give up (because God has a purpose for your life that only
you can fulfill).

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$.99 SALE: One Day Only!

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For 24 Hours we’re offering a great non-fiction title for just $.99! Pick up Dr. Ralph Carter’s new book You Make the Call: Choices that Make or Break Us at a discounted rate for the Kindle during our one-day sale event. After Thursday the price will go up to $2.99 through the weekend, and then it will return to regular price. So don’t wait- pick up this book right now for just $.99 on Kindle!

YouMaketheCall-99Synopsis: Flip open the restaurant menu, walk down the cereal aisle, or turn on the TV and it’s bound to happen: we are inundated with options. Through the course of your life, you’re going to get weary of making so many choices. Thankfully, choosing what dish to order, deciding which cereal to buy, or selecting a television show to watch won’t make a big difference. But some decisions—many in fact—matter a great deal. Life is all about the choices we make. Make good ones and you do yourself a huge favor. Make crummy ones and, well, you’ve got problems. Bad choices result in a life of more than your fair share of bad days. This book won’t tell you what to do, but it just might keep you from making a terrible mistake in life that would derail your pursuit of happiness. The person you decide to marry, the career you pursue, even the friendships you choose to invest in—these are some of life’s biggest decisions, yet many are made far too casually. Dr. Ralph Carter has spent decades trying to point people in a direction that would enable them to live life well—to make fewer mistakes—to live life, as the writer of Proverbs puts it, “skillfully.” The key to living such a life is to make good choices. It’s not rocket science, nor is it dumb luck. So are you going to start choosing well? You make the call. BUY NOW!

World Series Sale: Ben Zobrist Shares His Faith Story

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Congratulations to the Kansas City Royals for their World Series win! One of the players making headlines is second baseman Ben Zobrist. He and his wife Julianna give all the glory to God! Ben Zobrist and several other major league ball players share their faith story in the book God’s Lineup: Testimonies of Major League Players.

WorldSeries-SquareIn celebration of Ben’s World Series win we’ve lowered the price of God’s Lineup to just $.99 for the Kindle! Hurry, like every baseball game, this sale won’t last forever and we don’t want you to strike out! Take advantage of this home run of a sale and BUY NOW!

$1.99 SALE: One Day Only!

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For 24 Hours we’re offering a brand new fiction title for just $1.99! Pick up Rachel Britz’s new book Good-Bye, Lover at a discounted rate for the Kindle during our one-day sale event. After Thursday the price will go up to $2.99 through the weekend, and then it will return to regular price. So don’t wait- pick up this book right now for just $1.99 on Kindle!

GoodbyeLoverSynopsis: All she ever desired was to play her fiddle . . .
But her love of music may cost her everything.

In 1880, seventeen-year-old Honora (Nora) Gallagher captivates Ireland’s attention when news of her father’s untimely and tragic death spreads across the countryside. According to her father’s will, Nora must now find and marry a suitor within a year if she is to inherit her family’s estate, Kings Castle, or be forced to hand it over to a distant and unfamiliar cousin. Distraught, Nora must now choose between following her dream of studying music in Dublin or saving her beloved home through a rushed marriage.

The combination of her father’s mysterious death, missing family money, and an abrupt end to the castle’s Fair Day program leads Nora to question the motives of people she once trusted. Nora quickly realizes there is only one solution to such a tangled mess: sacrifice.

Nora is forced to choose—will she remain loyal to her father and the servants who are counting on her or will she follow her heart and chase her dream? BUY NOW!

Download a FREE Sample Chapter of Caged Dove

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The first chapter of Andrea Rodgers’ highly anticipated novel Caged Dove is now available for free. You can access this sample preview here.

Synopsis: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

Twenty years ago, Aniston Kline learned that childhood rhyme wasn’t true after being bullied in junior high. Now a newspaper reporter, Aniston returns to her hometown—a place she thought she would never return to—prepared to write an article about a boy’s story that echoes her past. Aniston wants nothing more than to slip in and out of Savanna Shores unseen and unrecognized by anyone who might still remember her; however, a brutal snowstorm ushers her into town and leaves her stranded in a snowstorm with her high school crush, Arjay.

Caged Dove Free ChapterArjay Mason was once the handsome quarterback of the high school football team. Now a police officer in Savanna Shores, he has yet to find lasting love. He realizes he already missed one opportunity with Aniston and doesn’t want her to leave again—but how could she stay in a town that once caused her pain?

As Aniston faces her own demons from her past and sifts through old emotions with Arjay, the fate of a teenage girl named Maddie becomes intricately intertwined with the two adults’ to reveal a much grander plan for everyone involved. While it seemed like it was just coincidence that brought together Aniston and Arjay, the two begin to understand there’s a reason they were brought together again . . .

$.99 SALE: One Day Only!

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For 24 Hours we’re offering a brand new fiction title for just $.99! Pick up Hannah Buckland’s new book Rebecca Stubbs: The Vicar’s Daughter at a discounted rate for the Kindle during our one-day sale event. After Thursday the price will go up to $2.99 through the weekend, and then it will return to regular price. So don’t wait- pick up this book right now for just $.99 on Kindle!

Rebeccastubbs-99Synopsis: Rebecca Stubbs, the beloved daughter of a conscientious village vicar in Victorian England, has always enjoyed a sheltered, idyllic childhood. Her parents work tirelessly for their small farm community, aiding both the church and the poor. When an unexpected outbreak of fever rages through the town, Rebecca must face growing up alone.

As she matures into womanhood, Rebecca finds that she is ill-prepared for her new world. With no home, no family, and few prospects, she is determined to make her own way in life. As a housemaid at Barton Manor, she struggles to find her place in a world of double standards and man-made rules.

Can she keep her faith strong amidst a lonely life of domestic service? Must she always be a bystander, watching other people’s lives unfold and flourish? Or is there something else in store for her servant heart? BUY NOW

Powerful Novel Aims to Bring Attention to “Bullycide”

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Author’s Real-Life Experience woven Through Caged Dove

For immediate release: Caged Dove was not written without tears, says author Andrea Rodgers. Although the idea for the story has been floating in her mind for two decades, Rodgers says it took time to gather the courage to revisit those painful memories from her past. “Bullying and suicidal thoughts were something I once dealt with and overcame,” she explains. “But I believe it’s also our duty to stand up for those who are currently going through similar situations.” Caged Dove (Ambassador International; October 2015; $13.99, paperback) follows the story of journalist Aniston Kline assigned to cover a tragic story that echoes her own past.

9781620205419While bullycide is a prominent theme in the novel, Rodgers continues her trademark style of writing about dark topics without being too dark, a skill seen with her first novel The 20th Christmas. Much of Caged Dove is a light-hearted love story. “If you ever had a high school crush than you can relate to the giddy and silly memories of the main characters,” says Rodgers. “School crushes were a bright light for me. I kept one high school journal so it was fun to read to get back into that mind-frame!”

Caged Dove begins with Psalm 55:6, “I said, ‘Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.'” The verse fits the novel’s plot perfectly says Rodgers, whose faith was significantly strengthened during her own bullying experience. “It really helped to have the perspective that Jesus was bullied and therefore knew exactly what it was like and was on my side. Looking at what he’d endured, I had motivation to rise above my own situation,” says Andrea who spent a year as an atheist. “But once I realized he was with me every single minute at school—I wasn’t on my own, he was watching everything and would help me through it—life got amazingly better. I wore cross necklaces to school and, when the kids were mean, I’d hold on to the cross and feel Jesus standing beside me. He was not only my friend, but gave me the most strength I’d ever had.”

About the Author: Andrea Rodgers is a graduate of Iowa State University with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She worked in the television and radio industry prior to being a stay at home mom, but her life-long dream was to be an author. A few months after her oldest child started kindergarten, she wrote her first published novel, The 20th Christmas. Her second book, Caged Dove, follows one year later. Andrea lives near Des Moines with her husband, son, and daughter.

To receive a review copy of Caged Dove or to connect with the author please contact publicist Alison Storm by email at [email protected].

 

National Bullying Prevention Month: My Bullying Story

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October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Ambassador author Laura Taylor’s book EE Otter and the Bullfrog Bullies teaches kids how to biblically combat bullying. This is the final installment in Laura’s three-part series on bullying.

 

I really wasn’t planning on writing a children’s book. I spent years telling stories to my own boys. One of my younger sons, Evan, was wild about the fantastic tales of Nutty the Naughty Squirrel that I made up to help him go to sleep at night. Still, I’d never entertained the idea of writing a book for kids. I always wanted to write but thought my first adventure into publishing a book would be more along the lines of a women’s devotional.

Bullying-PinterestThat all changed about five years ago. My two youngest boys, Evan and Ethan had gone on a trip and brought me back a stuffed otter. Otter’s happen to be my favorite animal so they surprised me with this sweet gift. We were going through a very difficult time back then. And I named that little, stuffed otter EE Otter (short for Evan and Ethan) and told them I was going to write a story about him.

I didn’t set out to write a story about bullies, it just popped into my head one night as I was trying to go to sleep. EE Otter and the Bullfrog Bullies. It had a catchy ring to it so I decided that would be the title of my first manuscript. That’s good, right? To have a title? At least it’s a place to begin. And being a physical education teacher I had to deal with handling issues of bullying as they arose. And, beyond that, I was actually dealing my own situation involving a bully. It seemed as if the timing were perfect.

It was a quick start. I found myself lost and falling in love with the Laurel Wood and all of EE’s little forest friends. The first few chapters came easily and I was thoroughly enjoying writing this story. Then I hit a snag. I just wasn’t sure where the story was supposed to go. EE had his bully encounter, but now what? I did know one thing for sure, that this book was to center around God’s Word and how children can apply His truths to any situation in their life because His way works. I pondered using David and Goliath for the scriptural part, but that seemed too overused. I read various passages of scripture but none seemed to be the right direction for my little otter to head.

At the same time, the situation in my personal life was escalating. I was receiving emails, calls, and text messages with insults and veiled threats and I was getting fed up and angry. Yet this bully always managed to fly under the radar. I wasn’t able to get help in stopping this and I was sick with anger and anxiety over it. There were times I prayed those imprecatory prayers like David where I asked God to just deal out His justice upon my enemy. And times I cried out to Him to heal my hurt. There were times I fired back with an angry email or text. Yet healing seemed to be so far away and so did the conclusion of EE’s story. It was New Year’s Eve and my husband and I were at church. Seated in front of us was a family that I knew had been through experiences similar to ours. I had listened as the mother talked about forgiveness and healing. It was then that God’s voice spoke to me sweetly and very clearly. “I said to love your enemies, to bless those that curse you”. I really wanted to pretend I didn’t hear that! “But I am afraid, Father.” I replied. “This person has caused so much pain and destruction in my life, in the lives of people I love, if I let down my guard I can’t protect them, I can’t protect me!” He whispered, “Child, I created mankind. I created you. I know how the heart works. I know how life is supposed to work. That is why I gave you My Word as an instruction manual. What I ask of you is because I love you and I know how to make things
work for your good. My Word says that there is no fear in love for perfect love casts out fear. I love you perfectly, Laura. So if I tell you to forgive this enemy, this one who has hurt you; if I tell you to bless this one who has cursed you, then I am telling you out of my perfect love for you. Do you trust my Love?”

It was then that I relinquished my hurt and my control over this situation. I realized that God’s word was truly Life for my living. It wasn’t a book of suggested “How To’s”, it was the essence for living well, for living life as He intended and commanded for me to live it. Forgiving didn’t come easy and the bully is not gone from our lives. Forgiving has been and continues to be a process for me, but as I learn to trust God’s love more completely it becomes easier. And as I marvelled at God’s ways, I became thankful that His ways are not my ways nor His thoughts my thoughts! I was thankful that His love was perfect and meant I didn’t have to fear doing that which He asked of me! And, in the midst this personal growing process I discovered the direction that my little friend, EE Otter would need to travel on his own adventure in dealing
with those old bullfrog bullies.

I don’t know what bullies you might be facing. I don’t know how daunting the task of forgiving someone may be for you. What I do know is that you have nothing to fear by following the words of our Savior, by putting His principles of living and loving into action. Trust His love. It has never failed anyone yet! May you be blessed and find rest in His perfect, unending love.