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Posts Tagged ‘Christian Fiction’

Secrets and Romance Surface in Majestic Alaska

First Book in Alaskan Waters Trilogy Set in 1950s Alaskan Panhandle

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Family, secrets and romance, set against the backdrop of Alaska’s Panhandle – author AnnaLee Conti’s first book of the Alaskan Water Trilogy, Till the Storm Passes By (Ambassador International; April 15, 2013; $14.99, paperback), explores the sense of peace that can come from the healing power of forgiveness.

Conti’s experiences growing up in a missionary family in Alaska during the 1950s and 1960s heavily inform her writing. Till the Storm Passes By offers an intimate picture of life in one of America’s most popular cruise destinations, the Panhandle of Alaska.

The novel begins with Evie Parker, a Rhode Island schoolteacher, who is plagued by a recurring nightmare from her childhood. Who is the woman in her dream? What does it mean? Her quest for answers and a deathbed confession compel her to cross the continent to Juneau, Alaska. There, she struggles through storms, both natural and emotional, to unravel a past shrouded in mystery. When she makes a heart-rending discovery, can she relinquish her heartaches to God? Can she ever find true love and joy?

“While showcasing the scenic beauty of Alaska,” says Conti, “I dramatize the destructiveness of family secrets, as well as the redemption and healing that can only come through forgiveness.”

About the Author: AnnaLee Conti is an author, teacher, and ordained minister. She resides in the Mid-Hudson River Valley with her husband, Bob. Together, they have pastored churches in New York State for 35 years. AnnaLee has also published numerous short stories, articles, devotionals, church school curriculum, and a nonfiction book, Frontiers of Faith, which recounts the adventures of her grandparents as pioneers to Alaska (1917-1982).

For more information about the author and her book, please visit www.AnnaLeeConti.com. For interview requests, please contact publicist Alison Storm at [email protected].

National Autism Awareness Month: An Interview with Author D’Ann Renner

In celebration of National Autism Awareness Month, Ambassador International spotlights author D’Ann Renner and her book Dancing From the Shadows that discusses her firsthand experience with having her child diagnosed with autism. During National Autism Awareness Month, D’Ann’s book is available on Amazon.com or ChristianBook.com for only $3.99 for your eReader. In the United States alone, an estimated 1 out of 54 boys and 1 in 252 girls are diagnosed with autism according to austismspeaks.org. Renner provides inspiration for parents everywhere who experience similar difficulties and pleasures of having a child with autism.

Ambassador: What were the main signs from your child that ultimately lead to the autism diagnosis?

D’Ann Renner: He didn’t play with toys typically- he’d spin the wheels of a toy truck without doing anything else. He would spend hours spinning a mixing bowl or watching a ceiling fan. He didn’t make much eye contact, was speech-delayed, and didn’t seem to feel pain.

Ambassador: How did you find peace with God after the autism diagnosis?

D’Ann Renner: I was angry and depressed at first, because I knew God could heal him, but wasn’t choosing to do so. I wondered how I had so displeased God that He would choose to punish my son. That’s just plain bad theology! Eventually, I came to the place that I could trust that God loved my son more than I did, and had a good plan for his life. Autism is not a punishment. It’s a challenge, but it’s also a gift. We all have challenges that God can turn into gifts if we allow Him.

Ambassador: Do you still struggle with finding peace? How do you deal with those moments?

D’Ann Renner: Yes, especially at transition times- like entering high school, or when other kids are getting their learner’s permits. At those times, I see a Grand Canyon sized gap between reality and what my expectations were. I deal with it by reminding myself: God is Sovereign, God is good. Only He knows how beautifully our lives are being woven into the tapestry of eternity.

Ambassador: After immersing yourself into the special needs world for autism, what information do you wish was more widely known?

D’Ann Renner: Children with autism DO want to have social relationships. They DO have senses of humor. One just has to work harder to discover how to interact with them, and it takes time and patience. And- kids with autism, even if they are non-verbal, understand a lot more of what is being said and what is happening, and they can be badly hurt by it.

Ambassador: What similarities do you share with the main character in Dancing From the Shadows?

D’Ann Renner: I did have a successful career in marketing, although not nearly as brilliant as Tori’s. We did adopt children from Bulgaria, and I’ve experienced many of the incidents she does in the book, although I fictionalized them and merged them with the experiences of others. THERE IS NO SIMILARITY BETWEEN MY HUSBAND BRUCE AND TORI’S HUSBAND PHILLIP! Bruce is a wonderful, supportive husband, but that’s not true for many parents with special needs children. The character Phillip was based on the ex-spouses (male and female) of many friends and acquaintances.

Ambassador: Do you have any advice for parents who recently received the autism diagnosis?

D’Ann Renner: I’m going to go against the norm here, so understand this is just my feeling. It’s more important, in my opinion, to concentrate on expanding the child’s ability to think flexibly and communicate than it is to teach rote skills. I feel we concentrated so much in the early years on getting Luke to speak that I neglected working on his desire to communicate, and expanding his ability to think in a flexible way. If I had it to do over again, I’d embrace more therapies like Floor Time, Relational Development Intervention, Neurodevelopment and programs like the SonRise protocol, rather than ABA. But that is just my opinion and many wonderful parents disagree with me.

Through the month of April, National Autism Awareness Month, pick up a copy of Dancing From the Shadows for your eReader for only $3.99! Shop now at Amazon.com or ChristianBook.com.

Novel Features Heartwarming and Heart-Stopping Adventures of First-Year Teacher

Author and Veteran Educator Focuses on Importance of Nurturing Children in School

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Young Tommy disappears during a field trip, Jeffrey risks electrocution by urination and Brenna struggles to learn how to read. It’s all in a day’s work for a first-year teacher in the tiny town of Karola in the 1970s. In this tale of heartwarming classroom adventures in rural Kansas, Author Linda Born’s new novel, The Children Are Tender (Ambassador International; March 2013; $14.99, paperback), addresses the importance of childhood education and emotional development while also focusing on issues of tolerance, forgiveness, and love.

First year teacher, Lydia Birn quickly learns that there are challenges to being an elementary school teacher. With the support of her husband, Farmer John, and her two colleagues, Abby and Ruth, Lydia must rely on her faith in God as she navigates the emotional needs of children as well as her own personal life. “I spent 22 years as a first grade teacher which gave me a wealth of material for this novel,” says Born. “The kids can make you want to laugh and cry, which is very much reality for any elementary teacher.” In The Children Are Tender a sense of place and community lies at the heart of the story making the imaginary town of Karola, Kansas as important as the characters themselves.

Although not a biography, Born draws from many of her own life experiences in the novel. She based the character of Ruby Mae on her mother, Anna Ruth Williamson, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2004 and inspired Born’s first book, My Mom Has Alzheimer’s.

About the Author: Linda Born worked for twenty-two years as a first grade teacher and implemented a special program for children with reading challenges. She is a farm wife and the primary caregiver for her mother, who has dementia. Linda lives in a yellow farmhouse in Kansas with her husband, John.

To learn more about the author and her new book, The Children Are Tender, visit http://lindaborn.com. For interview requests please contact publicist Alison Storm at [email protected] .

Novel Addresses Hardships Facing Military Families

Romancing Melody is the Third Installment in Popular Crossing Series

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: More than half of 3.6 million Active Duty military personnel in the US are married, 85% are under the age of 35 and slightly less than half have children. The life of a military wife and mother is one author Carrie Daws knows personally and one she writes about in her latest book, Romancing Melody (Ambassador International; Feb. 2013; $11.99, paperback) in which she tells the story of a young newlywed and mother who must learn to trust that God has a plan for each of us.

Melody Podell is a new wife and mother when her husband is deployed to a dangerous region of the world. Feeling alone, she is unprepared to handle the tragedy that strikes and soon pushes away family and friends as they try to help her find solace in God. “The first problem is that Army life is not what she expected and she struggles to adapt. Shortly before her husband is deployed, Melody gives birth to their first child, and just as she is settling in, tragedy strikes,” explains Daws. Romancing Melody follows a relatable character as she faces tragedy and loss while focusing on the power of love and how God romances each and every one of us.

Romancing Melody is the third installment in what Daws says will be a four-part series. Crossing Values was released in early 2012, followed by Ryan’s Crossing in August. Just as with Daws’ other books, readers will find a free book club discussion guide as well as a character list available at CarrieDaws.com/Freebies. These tools will help book clubs, small groups and individual readers delve further in to the themes and characters of Romancing Melody.

About the Author: Carrie Daws currently lives in North Carolina with her three children and her military retired husband. She finds time to write when she’s not homeschooling her children, working at the church office, or volunteering with military ministries that are close to her heart.

To learn more about the author and her book Romancing Melody, visit http://carriedaws.com or https://www.facebook.com/CarrieDaws. For Interview requests please contact publicist Alison Storm at [email protected].

Novel Explores Life of Woman Healed by Touching Jesus’ Garment

Author Imagines Story of a Woman Who Endured Suffering and Was Healed by Faith

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: In her debut novel, Just One Touch (Ambassador International; January 2013; $11.99, paperback), author Cynthia Goyang relates the story of the woman who pushed through the crowd in order to touch Jesus’s garment. Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” – Mark 5:25-28

Cynthia Goyang takes this short Bible story and creates a story of life and death, hope and salvation, and the power of faith. Using her imagination, Goyang tells the story of this woman’s life prior to her encounter with Jesus and how it affected her life afterward. “ I hope that readers will be encouraged to replace their fear for faith and reach out to touch Jesus Christ the Lord,” says Goyang. “My beginnings, like Sapira’s, were quite humble. I grew up in a poverty-stricken, crowded household. There were complete Colorado winters that we endured without electricity in our house. But also like Sapira, my life changed dramatically when I surrendered it to Jesus.”

When a handsome, rich, young man asks to marry the poor potter’s daughter, Sapira believes that she is the luckiest girl in the world. However, her life soon begins to unravel and she loses not only her family and wealth, but her health as well. After suffering for years from a steady loss of blood, Sapira has all but given up hope until the day she hears about a man named Jesus.

About the Author: Cynthia Goyang is a Christian, wife, and mother. She and her husband Tony have three sons and enjoy spending time with their three granddaughters. She was born and raised in Denver, Colorado as the second to youngest of ten children. Cynthia met her husband while at school in Oklahoma and now resides in the West Texas town of Midland. She is an avid reader and loves to use her pencil to illustrate the Lord’s principles. Just One Touch is her debut novel.

To learn more about the author and her book, Just One Touch, visit her at cynthiagoyang.com or facebook.com/cynthia.goyang. To connect with the author, please contact publicist Alison Storm at [email protected].

$2.99 Kinde Sale Ends Friday!

Now’s the time to load up your Kindle with great Christian fiction because our $2.99 sale ends on Friday! Hot new releases and old favorites are all marked down to $2.99. Enjoy great titles including:

Lukewarm by Will Montgomery: Lukewarm is an apprehensive adventure that takes place in Nashville, Tennessee through relationships seen via the eyes of freelance writer Luke Jennings, his actor/waiter roommate/best friend Blair (B) and his song-writing sister Harvi. Although Luke’s love life starts out as the least promising, he has the most developed philosophies and rules on friendship, dating and other interactions between genders. Luke wades through awkward waters with an ex-girlfriend, ring shopping with his dream girl (who’s in love with another man) and begins dating a Facebook crush. When B gets a part in a major motion picture and Harvi’s boyfriend shows her who he really is, hearts are changed and eyes are opened to new possibilities. Throughout these experiences, Luke fills the reader (and his friends) in on his astutely accurate discoveries on human behavior and post-modern love. BUY NOW

Finding Tom by Simeon Harrar: In a small southern town Tom Weston collapsed in a heap on the red earth. She couldn’t be gone. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye. He closed his eyes and saw again the stiff corpse laying in the bed upstairs. This was not a dream. A tale of grief, faith, and hope, Finding Tom follows the life of teenager Tom Weston as he strives to make sense of his shattered world. Given an opportunity to escape Podunk Greenwood and his past, he finds himself at the gates of the highly prestigious Locklear University. Tom and wealthy roommate, Charles Montgomery, are fatefully paired to tackle the pressures of school, family, and their impending futures as they join a mysterious secret society together. When blonde bombshell Julia Stine walks into the picture things only get more confusing. BUY NOW

Simmer Down, Mr. C by Scott Bitely: As a naïve undergraduate, Ted Carter has big dreams. Though TV did nothing to prepare him for his role as an educator, it certainly inspired him. Fresh out of college, Ted is ready to impact eager-to-learn minds. As summer fades, and September inches closer, he reluctantly accepts the only job he’s offered: a sixth grade teaching position in his hometown of Coleman, a small, quiet village tucked away in the hills of northern Michigan. A wild ride of unexpected trials and awkward moments as a raw first-year teacher ensues. BUY NOW

The Color of My Heart by Sarah Martin Boyd: Living in the foothills of North Carolina, Laura Carter has it all: a nice home, wonderful adoptive parents, two lovely teenage daughters, and a to-die-for handsome husband. As they celebrate freedom on the Fourth of July, she’s certain that nothing could ever shatter her perfect American life: Or could it? An unexpected letter from her great-grandmother brings Laura face-to-face with her birth family. At their first, shocking meeting, she receives a stack of diaries that trace a heartbreaking voyage from Africa to Jekyll Island, Georgia, via a slave ship. Thanks to the missionary who lived with her ancestors in Africa and taught them how to speak and write English, Laura holds in her hands a gripping record of their lives. Could the realities of her mixed-race heritage destroy her family? BUY NOW

Novel Explores the Power of Writing Upon One’s Inner Journey

Young Author Addresses Relatable Topics of Grief, Faith, and Hope

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Although set in 1950’s America, author Simeon Harrar’s first novel Finding Tom (Ambassador International; November 2012; $13.99, paperback) addresses issues that are still relevant today for people of all ages. Harrar explores the question of where one is most likely to find and be closest to God while simultaneously demonstrating the cathartic power of writing.

Protagonist Tom Weston grows up in rural America until his world is turned upside down by the death of his mother. Floundering Tom has no goals for the future until an unexpected writing contest leads him to an equally unexpected mentor. His path takes him to the prestigious Locklear University where he finds himself a stranger in a new world in which all of his peers come from a very different background. Encouraged by his mentor, Dr. Emory, Tom turns to writing as a means of expression. While addressing issues from loss and change to peer pressure and finding your first love, Harrar attempts to demonstrate the power of writing in discovering God and thus oneself.

Harrar’s passion for writing and desire to inspire young Christians led him to publish his first novel. “I hope that Finding Tom will be a breath of fresh air for those of you who are like me and love stories but also want depth and literary merit,” he states.

Born to missionary parents, Simeon Harrar lived his early years in Senegal, North Africa and Papua New Guinea before attending Erskine College. He worked as a missionary in Thailand with families affected by human trafficking before getting married. He now lives in Pittsburgh where he is earning his Master’s degree with the hopes of becoming a bi-vocational church planter.

To learn more about the author Simeon Harrar and Finding Tom, visit simeonharrar.com. For interview requests please contact publicist Alison Storm at [email protected].

The Last Remaining Christians Fight to Survive in New Political Thriller

After the Christian Holocaust, Islam Rules

For immediate release: In the time it takes to read these paragraphs, another Christian will be killed because of his or her faith in Jesus Christ– 160,000 believers around the world will be slaughtered this year alone. Over the last 20 centuries 70 million Christians have been murdered for their belief in Christ. It’s happening now in countries like Iran, Libya and Egypt, but The Unreconciled (Ambassador International; September 2012; $16.99/paperback) a new suspense-filled political thriller from Eric Young explores the idea of a Christian holocaust on American soil. “The Unreconciled articulates the fears of many. Religious wars are unimaginable to the American mind because we enjoy a safe harbor from religious persecution. But from the Iranian hostage crisis in ‘79 to 9-11 to the assassination of our ambassador in Libya just weeks ago, radical Islamists have been at war with us for four decades. Our attackers do not want our money, our industry, or our land. They want to rob us of our most fundamental liberty—our faith,” says Young. “Can you imagine how dark and pitiless the world without a Christian America would be? I have.”

Set in 2084, The Unreconciled follows Denisa Graceon, an archeologist, as she searches for relics of the extinct Christian faith. While searching in the Appalachian wilderness, she is shocked to discover a few forgotten Christians still exist, “the Unreconciled.” Enamored by them and immersed in their faith, Denisa becomes a believer and falls in love with the sworn guardian of the very relic she was commissioned to steal. When she discovers the all powerful Caliph plans to massacre these last Christ-followers, she launches a desperate gambit to save them.

Author Eric Young graduated Summa Cum Laude from Emory & Henry College, majoring in Political Science with a focus on International Studies and Politics of the Contemporary Middle East. Eric earned his JD from the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville, the setting for much of The Unreconciled. Young lives in rural Virginia with his wife and children.

For more information or to connect with Eric Young please contact Ambassador International publicist Alison Storm via email at [email protected]. You can also learn more at Facebook.com/TheUnreconciled or Twitter.com/TheUnreconciled.

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Announcing a Buy 1 Get 1 Free Sale!

Now is the time to beef up your digital library with Ambassador International’s Buy 1 Get 1 Free Sale! Scoring your free eBook from iTunes is easy!

1. Purchase ANY Ambassador International book title from ANY online retailer. It could be a new release or an old favorite. Buy it from a major retailer (like Amazon or ChristianBook.com) or a mom and pop. You can snap up a hard copy or the digital version– just buy an Ambassador book now!

2. Forward your receipt to [email protected]. Show us proof of your purchase and let us know which FREE eBook you want. Choose from three HOT titles:

Christian Living:

Christian Fiction:

Children’s:

3. We’ll forward you a promo code so you can download the eBook of your choice for FREE from the iTunes store! Quantities are limited so don’t wait! Offer ends July 31 or while supplies last.

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