What was it like to live in the days of the early Christian church -- a time of great persecution and great faith? In Disciple, book two in the Seeds of Christianity series, Author E. G. Lewis's fine writing gives a glimpse into the lives of real people facing hardships and challenges in the name of Yeshua. The story follows the travails of Shemuel and Rivkah as the very fabric of their faith is tested. Their daughter, Channah, suffers crushing loss. Another daughter, Hadassah, rejects the Way. Can they survive amid unrest and persecution?
Lewis's fine writing and attention to detail breathes life into Biblical figures like Simon Peter, Saul of Tarsus, Mary the Mother of Jesus, John the Beloved and Stephen. Vivid characterizations will cause the reader to weep with the likes of young Eleana as she makes a shattering decision, Pavlos the Giant -- cast away as a child -- and the fading prostitute Zeeta faced with hunger and scorn. All the stories woven together to make this boo give a message of hope.
I highly recommend Disciple for readers who enjoy Biblical fiction. This book is teen-approved for its honest portrayal of the difficulties faced by youth living in a hard age.
This book's premise is that a man needs to be allowed freedom to be wild at heart, to be the warrior God wants him to be -- even if becoming that warrior means dealing with the pain of the past.
This book is aimed mostly at men. While I enjoyed reading WILD AT HEART, I was at times frustrated because as a woman I cannot relate to everything the author talks about. It does make an excellent read for today's Christian man. A man who is not saved or who is just saved would not understand its full message.
I have already recommended WILD AT HEART to many. It is a good choice for a church library and for the personal libraries of Christian men and boys.
* A complimentary copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher for purposes of review.
Jill is the author of By Darkness Hid and To Darkness Fled, the first two books in a medieval fantasy trilogy. She has worked as a freelance editor and published numerous articles. VOYA magazine named By Darkness Hid as one of the Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror novels of 2010.
Jill grew up in Alaska with no electricity, an outhouse, and a lot of mosquitoes. Thankfully it was the land of the midnight sun, and she stayed up late, reading by the summer daylight that wouldn’t go away. But in the winter, there was nothing better to do than daydream. Both hobbies set her up to be a writer.
Jill has served alongside her youth pastor husband for the past twelve years and loves working with teenagers, especially to encourage young writers. (http://www.teenageauthor.com/) An avid reader, she started Novel Teen Book Reviews (www.novelteen.com) to help teens find great books to read. She lives in Oregon with her youth pastor husband and two book-loving children. Visit Jill at http://www.jillwilliamson.com/.
BRC: How would you describe your book?To Darkness Fled is the second book in the Blood of Kings trilogy. It’s about Achan, a young man who wanted to become a knight, and Vrell, a girl who is dressed as a boy to hide from the man who wants to marry her. Book two picks up where By Darkness Hid left off.
Here is the back cover copy for To Darkness Fled (Blood of Kings, book 2):
They have no choice. Chased by an evil prince, Achan, Vrell, and the Kingsguard knights flee into Darkness. They head north, for Tsaftown and Ice Island, where they must free an army that can help them fight for Er’Rets.
Darkness sickens Vrell. How long can she keep her secret without being caught? Achan already suspects her of lying. If she is not careful, he will suspect her of treason as well. She hopes he will let his suspicions go until they reach her home.
Achan wanted freedom, but this new journey has bound him more than ever. Sir Gavin’s claims are so far fetched. First, that there might only be one God, and second, that this God chose Achan to push back Darkness, the magnificent curse of Er’Rets. Him. Achan. Barely a man himself.
Each setback Darkness brings seems minor compared to the one choice only Achan can make. What will he choose?
BRC: What message do you hope it conveys?
From Achan’s journey: That there is only one God and that he is the desire of Achan’s heart. No matter what Achan faces, knowing God will make life more worthwhile. God created Achan for a purpose. If Achan wants to fulfill that purpose, he must discover who God really is.
From Vrell’s journey: That the truth will set her free, but there are still consequences to sin. Vrell may try to hide from those consequences, but she cannot hide forever. She must embrace who she is and confess what she has done if she is ever to be truly free.
BRC: What did you enjoy most about writing this book?I loved slowly revealing Vrell’s secret here and there. Vrell is a girl, but in the first book, she is in hiding, dressed as a stray boy to avoid having to marry the evil Prince Gidon, who only wants her inheritance. Then she meets up with Achan, who thinks she’s a scrawny boy. It was so much fun to dangle Vrell’s secret out there to be nearly discovered time and again, only to save her at the last minute each time. But the secret does come out in this story, and that was a fun scene to write too.
BRC: What did you dislike most about writing this book?
It was a challenge to write a book where much of it takes place in pitch black darkness. You can’t describe people or surrounding so easily without light. I had fun at first, but it was hard to keep it up for most (of) the story. There are lanterns and torches and candles used sometimes, but often, they travel in darkness so that no one will be able to track them. That was tough to write.
BRC: What inspired you to become a writer?
I wanted to speak to teens. I discovered that sometimes, people hire speakers based on articles written by the speaker. So I looked into writing articles. Then the new Harry Potter book came out, and a new barrage of debates within the church community flared up as to whether or not the books were evil. The debate inspired me to write my own teen novel that all Christians would love. Yes, I was a bit naive. I have since learned that no one likes every book. But that’s how I got started. I was inspired to try and write blockbuster-style stories that glorified God.
BRC: Tell us about your writing process.I start by brainstorming a premise, characters, and a basic plot. I need to know where the story is headed before I can write too much. I also need to know how each main character’s story will end. For this book, I use a spreadsheet, since I have two point of view characters. I write Achan’s scenes in one column and Vrell’s scenes in the next column so I can see how their journeys will mesh. Once I feel good about where I’m headed, I start writing. I try to write the whole book as quickly as I can—in a month, preferably. Then I go back and edit, rewrite, and add or cut scenes if necessary.
BRC: What are you working on now?
I'm working on From Darkness Won (Blood of Kings, book 3).
BRC: What books do you enjoy reading? Books by Ted Dekker, Eric Wilson, Frank Peretti, John Olson, Bill Myer, Anthony Horowitz, Jane Austen, Jenny B. Jones, Lisa Samson, Francine Rivers, Megan Whalen Turner, and Cathy Gohlke. I enjoy stories that make me laugh, cry, or stay up all night because I can’t put the thing down.
BRC: Where can readers buy your book?
Online you can go to Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, or MarcherLordPress.com. You can also buy an autographed copy from me through my website. You can special order my book at your local bookstore by giving them the name and author. Also, many libraries have my first book, and if they don’t, they would likely order it if you ask. Print out a couple reviews from the Free Download section of my website and take them to the library with you when you ask so that they know my book is a good one for their library.
BRC: Where can readers find you online?
My website is http://www.jillwilliamson.com/. I’m also on Facebook, MySpace, Shoutlife, Shelfari, GoodReads, Twitter, Amazon… On top of that, I run two blogs. The first is Novel Teen Book Reviews at http://www.novelteen.com/. It’s a website that reviews clean teen fiction. This is a great resource to see what books are available in the Christian market for teens. The other blog is for teen authors, though adult authors may find some useful tips too. http://www.teenageauthor.com/.
BRC: Thanks for visiting Book Readers Central today.
Thanks for having me! J
Book Giveaway Contest: Limited to entrants with mailing addresses within the United States. Please leave a comment to this post to enter. The winner may choose either By Darkness Hid or From Darkness Fled. A link to the full giveaway contest rules is provided in a sidebar of this blog.
Lynn Austin weaves a generational tale with deft skill in Though Waters Roar, which opens with young Harriot Sherwood in jail for a crime which would break her grandmother's heart. As the book discloses Harriot's secrets, it also uncovers the stories of Grandma Bebe and Lucy, Harriot's mother. But this book is not just about the lives of three women who share a blood bond. Rather, it embodies in its three protagonist's lives the struggles of all women in America as they fought for the right to vote and to abolish Demon Rum from the bars and speakeasies.
I enjoyed this book for its believable characters and sense of place and time, which transported me between the second half of the 19th-Century and the 1920's. Some of the decisions made by the book's characters seem a bit foreign in light of today's sensibilities, but they were true to the times. A thread of faith in God and the acceptance of life's hardships wended through the story like a bright stream. The transition between time periods sometimes came too fast for me, and one or two plot points could have flowed more naturally, but Though Waters Roar is worth reading. I recommend it for women who enjoy historical fiction, and for their teenage daughters.
(Note: A complimentary copy of this book was provided to Book Readers Central for purposes of review.)
The Sweet By and By, with its tight plot, memorable characters and lively dialogue, serves generous portions of poignant charm in a timeless story of sin and redemption. Jade and Matt have agreed to keep their pasts in the past as they move forward into a new life together. But in the days before their wedding, the past refuses to stay buried. Together and separately, Jade and Matt must come to grips with painful secrets, long-buried issues and unresolved relationships - even with God Himself.
At the heart of this book we find a deep reverence for family relationships and important messages of repentance and forgiveness.
With a tender love story told on several levels and overall beautiful writing, this book will appeal to women of all ages. I recommend it for teens in particular because of its realistic and principled look at morality.
Deputy Benjamin Patil finds a newborn baby who has been left to die in a plastic grocery bag in a field. He transports the infant girl to the hospital and returns daily to check on her. When the time comes to place the baby in foster care, Benjamin and his offbeat wife, Abbi, unable to have children of their own, offer to take her in. But can their crumbling marriage stand up under the strain? And what will happen if Ben's search for the child's parents yields results?
Watch Over Me by Christa Parrish tells the story of two people faced with the choice of ending their marriage or giving it the effort and sacrifice loving requires. Each must choose to trust not only one another, but also a God who seems distant. Illustrated with true lines and colored in vivid hues, Watch Over Me paints an intimate portrait drawn from real-life realities.
Those who enjoy contemporary fiction will enjoy this book. I also recommend it for teens because of its honest portrayal of the issues teens face and its emphasis on practical morality.
(I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House for purposes of review.)
"Like a bird wandereth from her nest. So is a man who wandereth from his home (Proverbs 27:8 KJV).
Authored with rich diversity, redolant with the aromas of small-town life in the Pacific Northwest, and illustrated with beautifully-drawn characters, Like a Bird Wanders sings a song of heartbreak and forgiveness. The timeless story of a wayward girl who leaves home in pursuit of a dream that crumbles bridges the gap between social mores on the cusp of the Twentieth Century and modern times.
Grace Rose McFarlane, while dying, leaves a cryptic note for her great-granddaughter: Julia, the lion will destroy you. Puzzled, Julia pockets the missive. When she discovers old letters and journals in a trunk in her great-grandmother's attic, however, Julia unlocks a family secret that clarifies Granny Grace's message.
The story unfolds as Julia reads the letters and journals, which tell of a younger Grace full of ambition and disparaging of her family's rural lifestyle. Grace makes a decision to leave it all behind and "come up" in the world, running off for a better life with handsome Jake Hudson. But fulfillment of her dreams eludes Grace, and she learns - the hard way - the definition of "home."
A fine and moving work containing high-caliber writing, Like a Bird Wanders seamlessly blends the voices of its three co-authors: Sharon Bernash Smith, Rosanne Croft and Linda Reinhardt. I found it a little off-putting at first that, although the author of each journal entry was identified, the letters were only identified by their signatures, which might not come for several pages. This made for some flipping back and forth for me until I became familiar with each character and could pick up on clues as to identity. I also found certain aspects of the plot a bit contrived, but the book is so well done overall I recommend it for those who enjoy family sagas and historical fiction. I also approve this book for teenage girls since it focuses on home and family, defines a Biblical morality and gives clear consequences for sin.
*Thanks to the authors for a complimentary copy of this book provided for purposes of review.
**Janalyn Voigt is an Amazon Associate and benefits when products are purchased on Amazon through links from Book Readers Central.
Three orphaned farm girls abandon their native Sweden for the promise of new life in America. They leave behind everyone and everything familiar and step into the unknown carrying only a trunk filled with practical necessities and precious momentos.
Elin, the oldest, frets over her sisters' safety. Adventurous Kirsten rebels against Elin's restrictions. Sofia, the youngest, wails with annoying regularity that she wants to go back home. Elin, who bears the weight of a terrible secret, knows the safe, ordered existence Sofia led at the farm could not last. Kirsten, dogged by her own secrets, finds she can't escape the past.
Hardships arise in the sisters' travels but also transcendant moments. As Sofia observes: "To me, this whole adventure wasn't about reaching a destination and finding a home - it was about the journey."
Each girl, in the course of events, makes her own voyage of personal growth. Each encounters God's grace. Until We Reach Home by Lynn Austin presents true-to-life characters and believable resolutions against an authentic late-1800's background. While this book appeals to an adult readership, I also recommend it for teen girls because of its honest, moral look at sexuality and love.
