Suite T- The Author's Blog

Can You Decide What Matters Most?

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 09:30:00 +0200

Hannah Martin thought she was about to have an empty nest . . . until the illegitimate daughter of her late husband shows up on her doorstep.

Five years after her husband’s death, Hannah Martin runs a successful inn and serves the needy in her community. Despite a house full of guests, she’s worried about the loneliness that will come with an empty nest. Now that no one needs her for anything other than serving her famous five-course breakfasts and retrieving fresh towels, she throws herself into winning Camden’s Hospitality Grant. With the help of the grant, the bed and breakfast will bring in even more customers and Hannah won’t have time to think about what she’s missing.

But when a handsome lumberjack named Kevin moves in next door, Hannah’s attraction to the widowedHeidi bachelor knocks her off-kilter. Just as she begins to think about dating again, a young woman arrives at the bed and breakfast claiming to be the illegitimate daughter of Hannah’s late husband.

When the Orchard House’s chances at the Hospitality grant is threatened, Hannah's children oppose her "new" daughter moving in, and Kevin’s problems start to bleed over into her own, she must decide what matters most—before she loses the grant, the bed and breakfast’s reputation, and perhaps, her second chance at love.

This is Book 7 in The Orchard House Bed and Breakfast Series, a contemporary twist on the well-loved classic, Little Women. Readers will fall in love with the Martin family—Maggie, Josie, Lizzie, Bronson, Amie, and their mother Hannah—each trying to find their own way in the world and each discovering that love, home, and hope are closer than they appear.

Heidi Chiavaroli is a hope-inspired storyteller writing from the deep curiosity of her own heart. Her debut novel, Freedom's Ring, was a Carol Award winner and a Christy Award finalist, a Romantic Times Top Pick, and a Booklist Top Ten Romance Debut. Her second Carol Award-winning novel, The Orchard House, is inspired by the lesser-known events in Louisa May Alcott's life and led her to write The Orchard House Bed and Breakfast series, a contemporary twist on Little Women. Heidi makes her home in Massachusetts with her husband and two sons.

Connect with Heidi online at her website (heidichiavaroli.com) or on either of these social media platforms:

Facebook.com/HeidiChiavaroliAuthor

https://www.instagram.com/heidichiavaroli/

Need Comfort? Here is Your Invitation

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 09:30:00 +0200

PULL UP A CHAIR. YOU'RE INVITED.

Come to the Father's table, where you can find a haven of fellowship with Him.

Relax. Take a deep breath. Or even cry if you need to. Discover acceptance in Christ, unconditional love, and so much more.

Learn to exchange the unhealthy diet of stress, fear, and worry for God's gifts-His gifts designed to lighten your load, help you shoulder your responsibilities, and strengthen you for victorious living.

In this devotional book, Jeannie Waters welcomes you into stories, set in places like a quaint tearoom, a shady riverbank, or a hospital bedside.Biblical truths connect you to a sweet blessing of God.

Table Tips accompany each devotion and offer recipes, easy centerpiece ideas, and plans for celebrations.

Embracing the Gift and Sharing the Gift features help you go deeper and apply the biblical teachings to your life.

Hungry for some comfort? Find your place at His table. Need wisdom? There's an extra portion for you. God's heaping helpings of hope, joy, and refreshment are ready for you ... at the table.

Jeannie is a contributing author to “Heart Renovation: A Construction Guide to Godly Character” (Lighthouse Bible Studies), “Let the Earth Rejoice” (Worthy Inspired), “Breaking the Chains” (2018 Selah finalist, Lighthouse Bible Studies), “Just Breathe” (Worthy/Ellie Claire), and "The Power to Make a Difference" (Lighthouse Bible Studies). She is a regular writer for “Refresh Bible Study Magazine” and "In the Quiver."

Meeting new people and sharing the encouragement of Christ fills Jeannie's heart with joy. Find her creative ideas for Brightening Someone’s Day with encouraging words, acts of kindness, and meaningful gifts on her blog at www.jeanniewaters.com. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Jeannie and her husband have two children, four grandchildren, one granddog, and two grandcats. A retired teacher and instructional coach who taught students ranging in age from five to sixty-five and representing over twenty countries of origin, Jeannie leads an English Club-Bible study for friends learning English.

Her favorite moments are spent studying the Bible on her deck or with other women, laughing with family and friends, hiking to waterfalls, and cheering on the Georgia Bulldogs with her Bulldog hubby-buddy.

Her Only Hope For Survival

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 09:30:00 +0200

Amish Country Justice Book 17 by Dana R. Lynn

Wanted by a bounty hunter.

Chased by a killer.

When single mother Addison Johnson is attacked by a hit man, she learns there’s a price on her head. And Isaiah Bender—the bounty hunter hired to track her down for crimes she didn’t commit—is her only hope for survival. Protecting Addison and her young son from armed assailants means seeking refuge in Amish country. But when their holiday hideout is discovered, can he clear an innocent woman’s name and keep her alive?

From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.

Dana R. Lynn is a bestselling, award winning author of romantic suspense and Amish romance who believes in the power of God to touch people through stories. She met her husband at a wedding in Pennsylvania and told her parents she had met her future husband. Nineteen months later, they were married. Today, they live in rural Pennsylvania and are entering the world of empty nesters. She is a teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing by day and writes stories of romance and danger at night. She is also a blogger on Seekerville and a member of the Suspense Squad. Dana is an avid reader, loves cats and thinks chocolate should be a food group. Readers can contact her or sign up to receive her monthly newsletter at www.danarlynn.com.

Do You Have Giants To Slay?

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 09:30:00 +0200

Discover timeless truths to slay your giants. Like the faithful in Hebrews 11, you can become mighty in battle.

Loss and intimidation are not new to God’s people. What if you had to choose between―

- Drowning your baby or letting your worst enemy raise him?
- Bowing before an idol or being thrown into a fiery furnace?
- Compromising your convictions or being tossed to the lions?
- Living in fear or leading ill-equipped volunteers against an intimidating enemy?

The believers who faced these decisions felt their limitations. Yet they found strength in the Lord. You can too. Using the men and women highlighted in the last half of Hebrews 11, Little Strength, Big God will help you turn your weaknesses into strengths to accomplish God’s purpose in your life. When trouble attacks, you don’t need a bigger God―you need clearer vision. Discover the transforming power of a God greater than your Goliaths and live strong now.

Debbie W. Wilson (debbiewwilson.com), Bible teacher and former counselor, has helped hundreds of women find victory in life's battles. Known for her fresh insights and ability to make the Bible come alive, Debbie mixes wit, insight, and Spirit-filled encouragement to inspire her readers to trust God with their challenges.

Her years with Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) took her from Boston to Southern California with stops in Indiana and Oklahoma. She and her husband, Larry, founded Lighthouse Ministries in 1991 and live in North Carolina with their two grown children and two standard poodles.

Love Dogs?

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 09:30:00 +0200

BOOK EIGHT in the bestselling BARKS & BEANS CAFE cozy mystery series!!

Welcome to the Barks & Beans Cafe, a quaint place where folks pet shelter dogs while enjoying a cup of java...and where murder sometimes pays a visit.

During Lewisburg's popular summer home and garden tour, Macy and her brother Bo discover new aspects of their hometown's history. One of the last homes they visit features a lush commemorative shade garden marking where a Civil War soldier's bones were buried. As Macy pauses to admire a bed of blue hostas, she glimpses a shadowy shape lying beneath the dinner-plate leaves. It turns out to be the body of famed movie star Cody Franklin, who'd purchased the garden house as a quiet country retreat.

Back at the cafe, Macy speaks with Cody's distraught sister, who lets slip that she's afraid her brother's killer will target her next. Macy's heart goes out to the bereaved sibling, and she agrees to speak with Cody's local acquaintances in hopes she'll uncover some helpful backstory.

But someone powerful is lurking behind the scenes, and Macy has to zoom in on the killer before everything fades to black.

Join siblings Macy and Bo Hatfield as they sniff out crimes in their hometown...with plenty of dogs along for the ride! The Barks & Beans Cafe cozy mystery series features a small town, an amateur sleuth, and no swearing or graphic scenes.

Heather Day Gilbert, an RWA Daphne du Maurier Award winner and 2-time ECPA Christy Award finalist, enjoys writing contemporary mysteries with unpredictable twists, much like the Agatha Christie books she read growing up. She also writes Viking historicals. Her novels feature small towns, family relationships, and women who aren't afraid to protect those they love. Find out more at heatherdaygilbert.com.

Tired of Dismal Prospects?

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 09:30:00 +0200

After five unsuccessful Seasons on the marriage mart, Miss Adelaide Duveen has resigned herself to the notion that she's destined to remain a spinster forever--a rather dismal prospect, but one that will allow her to concentrate on her darling cats and books. However, when she inadvertently stumbles upon Mr. Gideon Abbott engaged in a clandestine activity during a dinner party, Adelaide finds herself thrust into a world of intrigue that resembles the plots in the spy novels she devours.
Former intelligence agent Gideon Abbott feels responsible for Adelaide after society threatens to banish her because of the distraction she caused to save his investigation. Hoping to return the favor, he turns to a good friend--and one of high society's leaders--to take Adelaide in hand and turn her fashionable. When danger surrounds them and Adelaide finds herself a target of the criminals in Gideon's case, the spark of love between them threatens to be quenched for good--along with their lives.

Named One of the Funniest Voices in Inspirational Romance by Booklist, Jen Turano is a USA Today Best-Selling Author, known for penning quirky historical romances set in the Gilded Age. Her books have earned Publisher Weekly and Booklist starred reviews, top picks from Romantic Times, and praise from Library Journal. She’s been a finalist twice for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards and had two of her books listed in the top 100 romances of the past decade from Booklist. When she’s not writing, she spends her time outside of Denver, CO. She can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jenturanoauthor/ or visit her on the web at www.jenturano.com. She is represented by the Natasha Kern Literary Agency.

It Promises Beauty But Steals . . .

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 09:30:00 +0200

It promises beauty but steals life instead. Will the ghosts of Barlowe Theater entomb them all?

Barlowe Theater stole the life of Greta Mercy's eldest brother during its construction. Now in 1915, the completed theater appears every bit as deadly. When Greta's younger brother goes missing after breaking into the building, Greta engages the assistance of a local police officer to help her unveil the already ghostly secrets of the theater. But when help comes from an unlikely source, Greta decides that to save her family she must uncover the evil that haunts the theater and put its threat to rest.

Decades later, Kit Boyd's best friend vanishes during a ghost walk at the Barlowe Theater, and old stories of mysterious disappearances and ghoulish happenings are revived. Then television ghost-hunting host and skeptic Evan Fisher joins Kit in the quest to identify the truth behind the theater's history. Kit reluctantly agrees to work with him in hopes of finding her missing friend. As the theater's curse unravels Kit's life, she is determined to put an end to the evil that has marked the theater and their hometown for the last century.

Jaime Jo Wright, multi award-winning author--including the Christy and Daphne du Maurier awards--is a coffee-fueled and cat-fancier extraordinaire. She has entwined her life with the legendary Captain Hook, residing serenely in Wisconsin's rural woodlands. Her literary vocation involves penning chilling Gothic tales, a baffling change from that of Austenites, with a strong preference to the master of dark, Edgar Allan Poe. Two mischievous urchins adorn their family, who keep their mother on her toes - providing an exhilarating amount chaos.

Visit her at: http://www.jaimewrightbooks.com and listen to her podcast MadLit Musings on your favorite podcast player or at http://www.madlitmusings.com

What Do You Have To Lose?

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 09:30:00 +0200

For the first time in his life, Pete has everything to lose.
After years of drifting, fifty-year-old Pete Ryman has settled down with his potbellied pig, Pearl, in the small Montana town of Sleeping Grass--a place he never expected to see again. It's not the life he dreamed of, but there aren't many prospects for a high-school dropout like him.

Elderly widow Wilma Jacobsen carries a burden of guilt over her part in events that led to Pete leaving Sleeping Grass decades ago. Now that he's back, she's been praying for the chance to make things right, but she never expected God's answer to leave her flat on her face--literally--and up to her ears in meddling.

When the younger sister Pete was separated from as a child shows up in Sleeping Grass with her eleven-year-old son, Pete is forced to face a past he buried long ago, and Wilma discovers her long-awaited chance at redemption may come at a higher cost than she's willing to pay.

Katie Powner is an award-winning author who lives in Montana, where cows still outnumber people. She writes contemporary fiction about redemption, relationships, and finding the dirt road home. Katie is a mom to the third power (biological, adoptive, and foster) who believes every child deserves a loving family. Visit www.katiepowner.com.

Long Awaited-Reunion

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 09:30:00 +0200

For the past five years, FBI Special Agent Risa Jacobs has worked in the violent crimes against children division of the Houston FBI. She’s never had reason to believe there’s a target on her back . . . until now.

When the long-awaited reunion between Risa and her brother, Trenton, ends in tragedy, Risa is riddled with guilt, unable to cope with the responsibility she feels over his death. On leave from the FBI, Risa returns to her former career as an English teacher at a local college, only to see her past and present collide when one of her students, Carson Mercury, turns in an assignment that reads like an eyewitness account of her brother’s murder, with details never revealed publicly.

Alarmed by Carson’s inside knowledge of Trenton’s death, Risa reaches out to her former partner at the FBI. Special Agent Gage Patterson has been working a string of baby kidnappings, but he agrees to help look into Carson’s background. Risa and Gage soon discover their cases might be connected as a string of high-value thefts have occurred at properties where security systems were installed by Carson’s stepfather and children have gone missing. There’s a far more sinister plot at play than they ever imagined, and innocent lives are in danger.

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She creates action-packed, suspense-filled novels to thrill readers. Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists and won two Christy Awards, the Golden Scroll, Inspirational Reader’s Choice, and Carol Award contests. DiAnn’s latest novel, Facing the Enemy, releases from Tyndale in September 2023. Connect with DiAnn at diannmills.com.

Can Our Secrets Stay Buried?

Mon, 18 Sep 2023 09:30:00 +0200

Some secrets can only stay buried for so long. . . .

Anna Lakeman has spent her life working alongside her paleontologist father, drawing intricate sketches at every dig. When they find dinosaur bones near their home in Wyoming Territory, they're given the opportunity of a lifetime and are swiftly caught up in the competitive era of the Bone Wars. But after her father becomes sick and Joshua Ziegler, an old beau, returns for the summer, Anna's world is upended, and the practical, orderly life she has made for herself shatters.

Medical student Joshua Ziegler left his hometown to forget Anna, the one woman he truly loved and deeply hurt. But when he returns, time hasn't erased the feelings they've always had for each other. After Joshua's nephew goes missing--just like his sister did years ago--and Anna's job is threatened, tensions mount and dangerous secrets are unearthed.

Kimberley Woodhouse is the best-selling and award-winning author of more than two dozen books. She is a wife, mother, author, and musician with a quick wit and positive outlook despite difficult circumstances. A popular speaker, she's shared at more than 2,000 venues across the country. Kimberley and her family's story have garnered national media attention for many years including ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, The Montel Williams Show, Discovery Health channel's Mystery ER, The Hour of Power, The Harvest Show, and over 1,000 other TV appearances and radio interviews. She lives and writes in the Poconos with her husband of thirty years. kimberleywoodhouse.com

Guide For The End Times: The Josiah Manifesto

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 09:30:00 +0200

Is there an answer, a guide, a blueprint that reveals what you need to know to survive, to stand, and to prevail in view of what’s coming in the days ahead?

Has it been revealed to us in the appearing of a sign from an ancient mystery playing out in modern times before our eyes?

The Josiah Manifesto opens up the stunning mysteries that lie behind the dramatic events of recent times that have changed our world – and the message hidden within them with regard to what lies ahead.

Could a 3000 year-old calendar of appointed days provide the secret to the most dramatic year of our lives – even ordaining a plague, a national lockdown, days of fire, and the changing of the Supreme Court?
Could an ancient temple, an ominous prayer, and a mysterious template lie behind the event that overtook Capitol Hill and shook the nation?
Could an enigmatic ancient king reveal the secret of a modern American president?
Could an ordinance given in the middle of a desert 3000 years ago have determined the rise and fall of a Latin American dictator?
Could an ancient array of mysteries from the Middle East have converged on Washington DC in a single hour to change the history of America?
What does the future hold? Is America heading for calamity? Is the world?
Is there hope? Have we been given a last chance? Is it possible to change history?
And is there a blueprint for what you need to know to survive and stand with regard to what is yet to come - even a guide to the ‘end-times’?

The Josiah Manifesto will take you on a prophetic journey from a Caribbean island to the Washington D.C. to the ancient Valley of Hinnom to the Supreme Court to a desert mountain to an ancient middle eastern temple to the gates of America - to uncover an ancient puzzle that lies behind the events that have altered our lives - Including …

The Island of Mysteries – The House of Fallen Children – The Heavenly Court – The Child of the Nile – The Agents of Heaven on Earth – The Stranger in the Living Room – The Mystery of Days … And Much, Much More!

And could these mysteries give you the key to what you need to know to prevail in the days to come – even a guide to the end times?

It will all be revealed in THE JOSIAH MANIFESTO – The Ancient Mystery & Guide for the End-Times!

Jonathan Cahn is a Messianic Jewish Rabbi and pastor best known for his best selling novel The Harbinger, in which he compares the United States and the September 11 attacks to ancient Israel and the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel. In particular, he sees Isaiah 9:10 as a prophetic warning to the United States. The Harbinger was followed with The Harbinger Companion: With Study Guide.

Guide to Nurture Confidence, Resilience, and Leadership in Your Teen

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 09:30:00 +0200

Discover the Key Principles for Fostering Independence, Confidence, and Resilience in Your Teenagers.

"Raising Leaders" is a refreshingly irreverent and humorous gloves-off guide by author Joshua Nussbaum that upends traditional parenting advice and empowers parents to nurture leadership skills in their teenage children.

With his signature wit and relatable anecdotes, Joshua challenges the chaos of teenagehood and shows parents how to unlock their teenager's leadership potential.

In the words of Fredrick Douglass, "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."

This book resonates with this profound wisdom, equipping parents to build strong teenagers who will grow up to be influential leaders and responsible citizens.

Each chapter delves into a critical aspect of parenting and provides tangible, practical advice that you can implement immediately.

What You’ll Find:

In-depth insights into setting a good example to prevent intergenerational patterns of behavior.
Effective strategies for fostering strong communication skills.
Guidance on how to encourage decision-making and promote independence.
Practical advice on building confidence and resilience.
Techniques for cultivating a positive mindset, managing time effectively, and fostering innovation.

Whether you're a bewildered parent or a teenager searching for your own path, get ready for laughter, wisdom, and unexpected insights that will transform your home into a fun and productive leadership boot camp.

So, join the inspiring and hilariously unconventional journey of "Raising Leaders" and discover how to embrace the challenges of teenagehood while fostering the future world-changers you have under your own roof.

Joshua Nussbaum is a successful entrepreneur, founder, and president of Revolution Laboratories (RevLabs Supplements), a company dedicated to creating innovative and high-quality supplements to help people reach their fitness goals. As a martial artist and owner of 4S Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Joshua has honed his discipline, focus, and determination to excel in all aspects of life.

In addition to his business ventures, Joshua is the host of the popular Inside Out Empowerment Podcast, where he shares his insights and expertise on personal development, productivity, and success. As a published best-selling author, Joshua has used his experiences and knowledge to empower others to achieve their full potential.

As a single father, Joshua understands the importance of balancing personal and professional life, and the challenges that come with it. He is passionate about helping others navigate their own unique paths by sharing his strategies and techniques for mastering time management, overcoming procrastination, and boosting productivity.

The Crisis Plaguing Today's Teens ~How To Help

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 09:30:00 +0200

The definitive book on the rise of “toxic achievement culture” overtaking our kids' and parents' lives, and a new framework for fighting back.

In the ever more competitive race to secure the best possible future, today’s students face unprecedented pressure to succeed. They jam-pack their schedules with AP classes, fill every waking hour with resume-padding activities, and even sabotage relationships with friends to “get ahead.” Family incomes and schedules are stretched to the breaking point by tutoring fees and athletic schedules. Yet this drive to optimize performance has only resulted in skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, and even self-harm in America’s highest achieving schools. Parents, educators, and community leaders are facing the same quandary: how can we teach our kids to strive towards excellence without crushing them?

In Never Enough, award-winning reporter Jennifer Breheny Wallace investigates the deep roots of toxic achievement culture, and finds out what we must do to fight back. Drawing on interviews with families, educators, and an original survey of nearly 6,000 parents, she exposes how the pressure to perform is not a matter of parental choice but baked in to our larger society and spurred by increasing income inequality and dwindling opportunities. As a result, children are increasingly absorbing the message that they have no value outside of their accomplishments, a message that is reinforced by the media and greater culture at large.

Through deep research and interviews with today’s leading child psychologists, Wallace shows what kids need from the adults in the room is not more pressure, but to feel like they matter, and have intrinsic self-worth not contingent upon external achievements. Parents and educators who adopt the language and values of mattering help children see themselves as a valuable contributor to a larger community. And in an ironic twist, kids who receive consistent feedback that they matter no matter what are more likely to have the resilience, self-confidence, and psychological security to thrive.

Packed with memorable stories and offering a powerful toolkit for positive change, Never Enough offers an urgent, humane view of the crisis plaguing today’s teens and a practical framework for how to help.

Jennifer Wallace is an award-winning journalist and author of the book Never Enough: When Achievement Pressure Becomes Toxic – and What We Can Do About It. She is a frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post and appears on national television to discuss her articles and relevant topics in the news.

After graduating from Harvard College, Wallace began her journalism career at CBS “60 Minutes,” where she was part of a team that won The Robert F. Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism. She is a Journalism Fellow at the The Center for Parent and Teen Communication at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Jennifer serves on the board of the Coalition for the Homeless in New York City, where she lives with her husband and their three children.

Memoir of a Family Besieged With Mental Illness

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 09:30:00 +0200

From award-winning journalist Meg Kissinger, a searing memoir of a family besieged by mental illness, as well as an incisive exploration of the systems that failed them and a testament to the love that sustained them.

Growing up in the 1960s in the suburbs of Chicago, Meg Kissinger’s family seemed to live a charmed life. With eight kids and two loving parents, the Kissingers radiated a warm, boisterous energy. Whether they were spending summer days on the shores of Lake Michigan, barreling down the ski slopes, or navigating the trials of their Catholic school, the Kissingers always knew how to live large and play hard.

But behind closed doors, a harsher reality was unfolding—a heavily medicated mother hospitalized for anxiety and depression, a manic father prone to violence, and children in the throes of bipolar disorder and depression, two of whom would take their own lives. Through it all, the Kissingers faced the world with their signature dark humor and the unspoken family rule: never talk about it.

While You Were Out begins as the personal story of one family’s struggles then opens outward, as Kissinger details how childhood tragedy catalyzed a journalism career focused on exposing our country’s flawed mental health care. Combining the intimacy of memoir with the rigor of investigative reporting, the book explores the consequences of shame, the havoc of botched public policy, and the hope offered by new treatment strategies.

Powerful, candid and filled with surprising humor, this is the story of one family’s love and resilience in face of great loss.

Meg Kissinger spent more than two decades traveling across the country to report on America’s mental health system for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. A Pulitzer Prize finalist, she has won dozens of accolades, including two George Polk Awards, the Robert F. Kennedy Award, awards from Investigative Reporters and Editors, and two National Journalism Awards. Kissinger teaches investigative reporting at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and was a visiting professor at DePauw University, her alma mater. Her stories on the abysmal living conditions for people with mental illness inspired changes to Wisconsin law and led to the creation of hundreds of new housing units. She lives in Milwaukee with her husband, Larry Boynton. They have two children and two grandchildren.

Intimate Story of the Most Fascinating and Controversial ~ Elon Musk

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 09:30:00 +0200

From the author of Steve Jobs and other bestselling biographies, this is the astonishingly intimate story of the most fascinating and controversial innovator of our era—a rule-breaking visionary who helped to lead the world into the era of electric vehicles, private space exploration, and artificial intelligence. Oh, and took over Twitter.

When Elon Musk was a kid in South Africa, he was regularly beaten by bullies. One day a group pushed him down some concrete steps and kicked him until his face was a swollen ball of flesh. He was in the hospital for a week. But the physical scars were minor compared to the emotional ones inflicted by his father, an engineer, rogue, and charismatic fantasist.

His father’s impact on his psyche would linger. He developed into a tough yet vulnerable man-child, prone to abrupt Jekyll-and-Hyde mood swings, with an exceedingly high tolerance for risk, a craving for drama, an epic sense of mission, and a maniacal intensity that was callous and at times destructive.

At the beginning of 2022—after a year marked by SpaceX launching thirty-one rockets into orbit, Tesla selling a million cars, and him becoming the richest man on earth—Musk spoke ruefully about his compulsion to stir up dramas. “I need to shift my mindset away from being in crisis mode, which it has been for about fourteen years now, or arguably most of my life,” he said.

It was a wistful comment, not a New Year’s resolution. Even as he said it, he was secretly buying up shares of Twitter, the world’s ultimate playground. Over the years, whenever he was in a dark place, his mind went back to being bullied on the playground. Now he had the chance to own the playground.

For two years, Isaacson shadowed Musk, attended his meetings, walked his factories with him, and spent hours interviewing him, his family, friends, coworkers, and adversaries. The result is the revealing inside story, filled with amazing tales of triumphs and turmoil, that addresses the question: are the demons that drive Musk also what it takes to drive innovation and progress?

Walter Isaacson is writing a biography of Elon Musk. He is the author of The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race; Leonardo da Vinci; Steve Jobs; Einstein: His Life and Universe; Benjamin Franklin: An American Life; The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution; and Kissinger: A Biography. He is also the coauthor of The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made. He is a Professor of History at Tulane, has been CEO of the Aspen Institute, chairman of CNN, and editor of Time magazine.

Can A K-9 Get A Child To Safety?

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 09:30:00 +0200

Can this K-9 get a child to safety?

Four years ago, former US Marshal Jackson Dean left his job after falling for a witness—who’s suddenly the target of an assassin.

Now it’s up to Jackson and his K-9 partner to protect single mom Everly Lopez and her young daughter when Everly’s identity is blown.

But with hired killers looking for a payday, Jackson must use all his resources to stop them from silencing Everly permanently.

Jodie Bailey is the USA Today Best-selling author of novels about freedom and the heroes who fight for it. Jodie is also a public speaker and teacher who packs her novels with the knowledge she’s gained as an Army wife.

Jodie Bailey grew up in Eastern North Carolina, where she developed a love for golden sand and the Atlantic Ocean. She started writing stories as soon as she learned how to put sentences together, and spent her childhood and teen years making her best friends’ dreams come true on paper.

In college, she met the love of her life—a soldier who rides a Harley and jumps out of airplanes for fun. This prompted a whole lot of moving from place to place, and she had no idea how much those moves would work their way into her stories. For ten years, she pursued her second love, teaching. Now a full-time writer, she still teaches part-time because the kids keep her young and, every once in awhile, she needs some time away from the imaginary characters.

Jodie currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, her daughter, and a very stubborn pup.

He Rescued Her Once~But. . .

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 09:30:00 +0200

The firefighter rescued her once…

But can they outrun the dangers?

A peaceful vacation is what Haley Gordon needs to put her troubles behind her. Instead, she finds herself fighting for her life against a raging forest fire.

Forest Service firefighter Kendall Simpson vows to protect Haley—although he has questions about her story. But with the firestorm out of control and news of escaped convicts on the mountain, can Haley and Kendall trust each other enough to survive?

Award-winning author Loretta Eidson lives by the motto ‘never a dull moment,’ especially with her four children, thirteen grandchildren, and four great-grands. Her love of reading began during the required library time in middle school, where she devoured Phyllis Whitney’s mystery novels before she moved on to suspense author Frank Peretti. She left her eighteen-year administrative assistant position at her church to pursue the dream of writing inspirational romantic suspense. She has multiple short stories in anthologies, but her heart is writing romantic suspense. She believes in the power of prayer and loves putting her hero and heroine in realistic predicaments where they must trust God to pull them through.

She is the author of three novels published by Love Inspired Suspense. Pursued in the Wilderness, Blue Ridge Mountain Escape, and The Marine’s Deadly Reunion.

Loretta’s literary agent is Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.

You can connect with Loretta on her Facebook author page www.facebook.com/lorettaeidsonauthor or her quarterly newsletter lorrettae.staging.wpengine.com/newsletter-signup/

Can You Play Nice Around Someone You Hate?

Wed, 06 Sep 2023 09:30:00 +0200

She’s a sunny morning-show host. He’s a cynical ex-reporter. They’re destined to hate each other . . . Aren’t they?

Brynn Cornell has to be stuck in a nightmare. Just last week, she was riding high as cohost of the popular morning show Sunup. She’s America’s Ray of Sunshine—the girl-next-door beauty who drives up TV ratings while never exuding anything but her trademark positivity and poise. All it took was one huge on-air mistake to expose her snarky side to the world and make it all come crumbling down. Now she’s back in her hometown of Adelaide Springs, Colorado, in a last-ditch attempt to convince viewers she’s not the mean girl they think she is. All she has to do is apologize and capture some feel-good footage reminding everyone she’s just a girl from humble beginnings who’s grateful for her big break, and she might manage to preserve both her career and her image. But this town holds painful memories that she’s not ready to face.

Sebastian Sudworth was on the fast track to the journalist hall of fame. A superstar reporter with a reputation for being in the center of the action, his fearless, relentless coverage of major events around the globe was winning him awards and accolades—until something snapped inside him and he vanished from the scene under mysterious circumstances. Sebastian sought refuge in tiny Adelaide Springs, working odd jobs and trying to blend in as a scruffy mountain town citizen.

When Sebastian is assigned to chauffeur Brynn around town, Brynn is sure he can see right through her carefully cultivated, sunny persona. But she’s determined to do what it takes to maintain her image and save her career—so she’ll just have to charm the socks off Sebastian the same way she charmed her viewers. Easier said than done. It’s no picnic to play nice around someone you hate . . . especially when you might be crazy about them.

Bethany Turner has been writing since the second grade, when she won her first writing award for explaining why, if she could have lunch with any person throughout history, she would choose John Stamos. She stands by this decision. Bethany now writes pop culture–infused rom-coms for a new generation of readers who crave fiction that tackles the thorny issues of life with humor and insight. She lives in Southwest Colorado with her husband, whom she met in the nineties in a chat room called Disco Inferno. As sketchy as it sounds, it worked out pretty well in this case, and they are now the proud parents of two teenagers. Connect with Bethany at seebethanywrite.com

DiAnn Mills Shares Three Tips on Writing A Thriller Story

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 09:30:00 +0200

Three Tips for Writing a Thriller Story

Ever experience a nightmare in which you were running to escape someone or something? The “monster” is on your heels, breathing down your neck. Chills cause you to wake up in a cold sweat. You struggle for a sense of reality. Fear forces your heart to pound and your chest to ache. You awaken, startled, exhausted, and the darkness envelopes you like a shroud. That, my friends, is a thriller.

Writing a thriller follows the guidelines of every well-written story with the caveat of super high stakes and calculated suspense that pit the hero and villain against themselves. Neither will bow to defeat. Death is an accepted risk, and victory for the hero could mean saving hundreds or thousands of lives. Time is always running out!

The thriller’s macro level is a plot that involves a crime or espionage. That is the easy part. Understanding the micro level and applying expert thriller-writing techniques set the book up to be a potential bestseller. A true thriller, whether psychological, action, crime, or legal contains tension and gut-wrenching, edge-of-the-seat fear and its best friend, danger.

In your quest to reach acclaim for creating a masterful thriller, what are three tips to add to your writing arsenal?

1. Read thrillers. Lots of them. Understand the author’s method of building suspense.

Dissect the books like a biology class assignment. Highlight and write in them like a workbook. What makes the plot line work? What is different about the character?

Study the antagonistic setting in every scene. What is the heart of the story? As a reader, why are you scared for the hero/heroine and other victims?

2. Build emotive conflict. Use all seven universal emotions—surprise, fear, anger, sadness, disgust, happiness, and contempt—to fill the characters and readers with near constant anxiety. Pack a punch with dialogue, ensuring that every word could translate into betrayal. Incorporate pressure for the hero to succeed. Incorporate pressure for the villain to succeed.

3. Drop your hero/heroine into a cauldron of inescapable danger. Increase tension with the action. Set the hero/heroine up to fail. Have them climb the ladder of determination with peril stalking their every step. Don’t save your darlings too soon. Make them pay for their courage with blood, sweat, and tears.

Bonus tip! Think like Agatha Christie, Stephen King, and Dean Koontz. Crawl into their minds and discover how to create your own unforgettable thriller.

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She creates action-packed, suspense-filled novels to thrill readers. Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists and won two Christy Awards, the Golden Scroll, Inspirational Reader’s Choice, and Carol Award contests. DiAnn’s latest novel, Facing the Enemy, releases from Tyndale in September 2023. Connect with DiAnn at diannmills.com.

Until Then

Mon, 04 Sep 2023 09:30:00 +0200

Until then may I use my time as you desire . . .

In 1985, Old Order Amish couple Celeste and Vin Lantz have been married for six years. Vin is a carpenter by trade but an artist in his heart. He is especially captivated by drawing portraits, which the Amish consider idolatry. Knowing they could be shunned, Celeste is shocked to discover that Vin has secretly been sketching her and their sons. When she confronts Vin, they argue and Vin storms off . . . and seems to disappear, leaving Celeste to wonder if he chose his art over his family.

When he leaves the house that night, Vin seeks peace on his favorite mountain overlook. But he takes a fall and wakes to find himself injured and lost. Vin soon realizes just how far he has traveled—not only in distance but back in time, to 1822 Ohio, a place that provides the freedom he craved but where he is separated from his beloved wife and children. Vin is saved by the kindness of strangers and gradually learns to survive and even to use his skills to help his new friends in this unfamiliar time and place. But all the while he prays desperately for God to return him to his family, before Celeste makes a new life without him.

Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times and CBA bestselling author of twenty-six works of fiction and one nonfiction book. Coverage of Cindy's writing has been featured on ABC's Nightline and the front page of the Wall Street Journal. She lives in the foothills of the north Georgia mountains with her husband, just a short distance from two of her three sons and her six grandchildren.

https://www.cindywoodsmall.com/

Erin Woodsmall is a writer, musician, wife, and mom of four. She has edited, brainstormed, and researched books with Cindy for almost a decade. More recently she and Cindy have coauthored five books, one of which was a winner of the prestigious Christy Award. https://www.facebook.com/authorcindywoodsmall