Monday, December 16, 2013

LORILYN ROBERTS BOOK REVIEW: “Hobbits, You and the Spiritual World,” by Jill Richardson


Enjoy my review of Jill Richardson's new book 


I am a Lord of the Rings and Hobbit fan and loved this book. As a Christian, I really appreciated the author's comparisons to the Bible and her in-depth study gave me insights that had escaped me when I read all the books and watched the movies. 

With the second Hobbit movie coming out, I can't wait to see it, now that I have a better understanding of the characters. The more I learn about the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, the more I see Tolkien as being one of the greatest writers of all time. Jill Richardson's commentary and analyses helped me to see the genius in this epic masterpiece, the creativity, and the passion of JRR Tolkien. Great insights for those who love Tolkien's works.




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Wednesday, December 11, 2013

BOOK EXCERPT: THE DONKEY AND THE KING, A STORY OF REDEMPTION : Final Stop on the Book Tour





A donkey longs for an easier life with no heavy burdens and no one to tell him what to do. He runs away and becomes lost, but “good” finds him in the most unlikely of places.

Travel to the Bible lands and meet Baruch, a stubborn donkey, and other lovable animals:  Lowly, the pig; Much-Afraid, a small, lame dog; Worldly Crow, who isn’t as bright as he thinks he is; and a sheep, Little, sent on a special mission by the King. The ending of the story will delight young readers as they discover “good” exists in the world if they look and listen for it.


When I was young, I hated doing chores. I suppose I was this donkey, rebellious and self-determined, but desperate for a friend—the one friend who would never leave me (or you).


Here is a short excerpt from The Donkey and the King

3

Worldly Crow squawked, “You’re making a big mistake. I know because I’ve been around. You’re headed for trouble.”

4

Much Afraid, a brown and white crippled dog, followed close behind.
“Please don’t go,” she cried.


On every page is the hidden word “good.” Can you find it in the drawings above? 


This is the ninth (and final) stop on the tour. If you missed the previous eight stops, here is a listing of some of them:

http://bit.ly/Janis_Cox (The Donkey and the King at this link of the tour)

I hope you will visit all the blogs and participate in the John 3:16 Marketing Network Book Launch and win the grand prize. See details below.



The donkey and the sheep took off down the road.
“We are going to a garden,” said the sheep. “It’s a beautiful place full of flowers, friends, and, most of all, the King, but…”
“But what?” Baruch asked.




“There is only one gate, one door, one place to get in.
An angel guards it with a flaming sword.
You must hear the King’s voice to enter the garden.”

*~*~*~*~*~*


On every page is the hidden word “good.” Can you find it in the drawings above? If not, you can look below and see where the word is hidden.

The unique quality about Kindle-enhanced books is that the drawings and font size can be enlarged for young readers. And for parents who can’t find the word, a QR code (a free AP is available for smart phones) and link is provided to facilitate the search. Some pages are more challenging than others (for older readers).

If you enjoyed looking for the mouse in “Goodnight Moon” when you were young, your child will delight in looking for “good” in “The Donkey and the King.” The moral:  There is good in the world if you look and listen for the King’s voice.





Purchase: The Donkey and the King (A Story of Redemption)

24 reviews, 4.8 stars
Ages 2-6







Lorilyn Roberts is an award-winning author who writes family-friendly books for the young, the young at heart, and all those in between. Visit http://LorilynRoberts.com to learn more.




Tuesday, December 10, 2013

LORILYN ROBERTS BOOK REVIEW: Excerpt from "Spiralling out of Control" by Michelle Dennis Evans

Temptation, depression, seduction, betrayal ... Not what Stephanie was expecting at fifteen years of age. Uprooted from her happy, all-girl high school life with a dream-filled future and thrown into an unfriendly co-ed school, Stephanie spirals into depression. 

When charismatic high school senior, Jason notices her, Stephanie jumps in feet first and willingly puts all her faith and trust in him, a boy she barely knows. 
Every choice she makes and turn she takes leads her toward a dangerous path.
Her best friend is never far away and ready to catch her … but will she push Tabbie too far away when she needs her most? 

This novel contains adult themes.
Recommended reading audiences 17+ 


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BOOK REVIEW OF SPIRALLING OUT OF CONTROL BY LORILYN ROBERTS

Spiralling Out of Control is well-written, realistic, and scary. As the mother of a 15-year-old daughter, I would not want my daughter to read this book, however. While rated by the author for 15 and up, I would go with 17 and up. The content is for mature teens only. Sex, booze, drugs, rape, overdose, pimps, and illegal activity are dominant themes, with hints of Christian spirituality. As a Christian, I also struggled with the fact that there wasn't the redemption that I hoped for at the end -- but I suppose, when teens go so far down this path of destruction, they may not be able to be saved, though I know that you are never out of the reach of Jesus Christ.


If I had a teen who I felt like I was on the brink of losing, this would be a book I would recommend, Christian or non-Christian. I personally don't like dark books, but if I were to recommend one, this would be it. I hope in the sequel that the author will work on the redemption for which the spiritual part of me longed. I would strongly recommend that a parent read this book first before recommending to his or her son or daughter. I believe the content can serve as a good starting point for a troubled teen that needs counseling and direction spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. 

This book also reminded me of the need to be involved in my daughters’ lives, praying for them and being there for them. Spiralling Out of Control may serve as a wake-up call -- our kids need parents who love and care -- all the time, day and night, when it's convenient and when it's not! We need to be available to meet their needs, even when they think they don't need us.

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SHORT EXCERPT FROM SPIRALLING OUT OF CONTROL 
BY MICHELLE DENNIS EVANS


Excerpt - Chapter 2 part b

“Stephanie,” April called.
“Go away,” she mumbled from under the pillow.
“Steph!” April flung the bedroom door open. “Steph, I’m practicing a new routine, come watch.”
Stephanie pulled a tissue from the box to wipe her face. She grabbed a handful more and dragged her feet along the short hallway and halfway down the stairs. Slumping over her knees, she hugged an arm through the vertical posts to watch her sister flipping and cartwheeling around the empty lounge room. Stephanie glanced at her mother standing in the kitchen doorway and clenched her teeth. April. Always the favourite! 
“Gymnastics display finished.” April took a bow. “Your turn.”
“Where’s Dad?”
“Oh, he just had to pop into the office for a bit to sort things out there.” Her mother shook her head.
Would they really see more of him now that his office was so close?
April stood at the base of the stairs. “Come on Steph. Dance.”
Stephanie refused, denying herself the chance to dance, and ran back upstairs. She swallowed. Her stomach churned.
“Don’t you want to dance?” her mother called after her.
Of course, I want to dance, but you can’t seem to find the money.
Stephanie closed her bedroom door and leaned against it. She cried until she’d saturated all the tissues in her hand. Flinging her wardrobe open, she dug out any dancing gear she could find and threw it all into the bin. Done. Over. Gone. Season of life finished.
Her mother’s words still stung. ‘We might have to check the cost.’ Gah! It seemed the star gymnast’s fees came first.
She needed to hide. From the world. From her parents. From her sister. Climbing into bed she pulled the covers over her head. She drifted between awake and asleep until she startled awake. Light shone through her doorway. Musk, the scent of her mother, tickled her nose. Her body stiffened as she closed her eyes—the last thing she wanted was a conversation with her mother.
“Lord, watch over her as she sleeps,” Diane whispered.
Stephanie held her breath until her mother padded out of the room and clicked the door closed. She cried until her tears stopped flowing, then she took a breath and tears rolled again until she slept.



Michelle Dennis Evans writes picture books, chapter books, young adult contemporary novels and enjoys dabbling in free verse poetry. Her debut novel Spiralling Out of Control and poetry collection Life Inspired both reached #1 in subcategories on Amazon in their first week of release. Michelle is passionate about seeing people grow and move forward in their journey. She lives on the Gold Coast with her husband and four super active, super fun and super time consuming children. Find Michelle and all of her social media links at MichelleDennisEvans.com 






Saturday, December 7, 2013

GUEST POST BY MARTIN ROTH: Book Excerpt Tour, “Brother Half Angel,” by Martin Roth




Brother Half Angel

 By Martin Roth

“Brother Half Angel” is the first in a series of international thrillers by Martin Roth. These feature Brother Half Angel, the leader of a secret new church military order dedicated to helping Christians under attack around the world.

In this first book of the series, he is dispatched urgently to China, where an underground seminary is under siege from fanatical sword-wielding members of a local cult who still pay homage to the bloodthirsty extremists who tried to expel all foreigners from China in the nineteenth century.

The following is a short excerpt from the book (continued from http://www.barbaraannderksen.com/ and http://www.kimpayne.wordpress.com). Scroll to the end to learn how to read more, and also to learn how you can buy the book for a special price and with the chance to win a $200 Amazon gift voucher.




Chapter 3 

Fulang, China



Daniel looked at Ling, clearly in great distress. He had not seen him like this before. Unfortunately, Jenny pressed on.

“What’s going on?” she asked. “What on earth is happening?”

“He’ll tell us,” said Daniel, annoyed at his wife’s apparent insensitivity. “I’m sure he’s going to tell us.”

But now Ling lapsed into silence, rubbing at his head with both hands as if trying to locate a dreadful itch, his eyes darting around the room. Finally he spoke. “I don’t know who did it. Or why.”

“Have you called the police?” asked Jenny. Daniel translated.

“We can’t possibly call the police. You know that.” He was clearly angered by the suggestion.

“But someone’s been murdered.”

“You know that we can’t have the police here, nosing around.”

“But when someone is murdered…”

“He is a martyr. A martyr of the church. If the police come they will close us down.”

“They’ll think it’s an English school.”

“We cannot take that risk.”

Once more he went silent.

Brother Yoon turned to Daniel and Jenny. “It’s a warning,” he said to them in English. Yoon was a stocky, middle-aged man from one of Korea’s gigantic mega-churches. He had lived in China for more than a decade, tirelessly aiding the underground church.

“A warning?”

“It’s those Plum Flower boxers.”

“Plum Flower boxers?” asked Jenny.

“I’ll explain later,” said Daniel. He looked back at Yoon. “At the temple? All those men practising martial arts?”

“Yes, them. It’s a Taoist temple. They hate foreigners. And they especially hate foreign Christians.”

In their two months in Fulang, Daniel had sometimes taken to riding one of the seminary bicycles around town to explore. In this hectic and ugly environment, the temple actually stood out as a mini-oasis of beauty and tranquility. Once he had seen lines of men there training in the martial arts, punching and kicking the air, and screaming in unison. This, he learned, was a local variant of kung fu known as Plum Flower boxing, even though it did not really resemble Western-style boxing.

“Why do they hate foreigners?” asked Jenny. “And foreign Christians?”

Yoon shrugged. “They just do. It gives them a feeling of superiority. Having someone to look down on. It’s not just foreign Christians. They hate all Christians. I think they really despise Chinese Christians. They see them as somehow slaves of the West - without honor or dignity. Forsaking their own Chinese heritage.”

“But they don’t come and murder people just because they’re Christians, do they?” asked Daniel.

Again Yoon shrugged.

“And why Brother Shuei? He was no different from any of our other students. Passionate for Jesus, wanting to spread the Word. But so is everyone here.”


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