Chasing Liberty Trilogy Giveaway

My fellow author, Theresa Linden, is having a book giveaway. She will be giving away the complete set of her trilogy “Chasing Liberty.” You can enter through the link below.

 

 

The giveaway ends July 9th, so be sure to enter soon.

 

Liberty trilogy

A young woman named Liberty lives in a dystopian society where the earth has been elevated above man and the government controls everything. Moving from one trial to another—escapes, imprisonment, secret missions, rescues, 3D games—this action-packed trilogy follows Liberty to her final sacrifice as she learns that true freedom is within, cannot be taken away, and is worth fighting for.

 

Author bio:

Raised in a military family, Theresa Linden developed a strong patriotism and a sense of adventure. She began writing in grade school and her passion for writing has never waned. Love for faith, family, and freedom inspired her to write the Chasing Liberty trilogy, a dystopian story about a future she hopes never becomes a reality. Her other published works include award-winning Roland West, Loner, first in a series of Catholic teen fiction, Life-Changing Love, and her newest release, Battle for His Soul. A member of the Catholic Writers Guild and the International Writers Association, she balances her time between family, homeschooling, and writing. She lives in Elyria, Ohio with her husband, their three adopted boys, and a sweet old dog named Rudy.

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My Favorite Beach

This month I was asked to do a guest post over at Rx For Travel Blues, run by Nathan Hill. You can read it here: My Favorite Beach

 

Defining Catholic Fiction

I’m still playing catch-up and tag-a-long a little so today I’ll share my interview on Defining Catholic Fiction that is being carried on the Indie Catholic Authors Blog.

https://indiecatholicauthors.wordpress.com/2017/01/24/defining-catholic-fiction-tim-speer/ 

December – An Open Book

Now that my latest book Seventy Times Seven has been published, I have finally had a little time to do some reading. For the December “An Open Book” posting, I am posting a review of a book I just finished. It is a historical fiction novel based on the life of Mary and Joseph entitled Road To Bethlehem by E.G. Lewis.

 

Road To Bethlehem
A Prelude to The Seeds of Christianity Series
By E.G. Lewis

The Road To Bethlehem is a fictionalized account of the life of Mary and Joseph starting shortly before they met, and ending just prior to the birth of Jesus. Since the overall story is well known, there really aren’t any surprises. That said, E.G. Lewis does a good job of providing a plausible fictional account that fills in the gaps left by the biblical record. The book is well written and well researched. And despite its overall predictability, it keeps the readers interest throughout. I also like the use of biblical passages that serve as introductions to the chapters. All of that said, I feel that there are two big opportunities that the author misses. The first is not giving a more detailed account of the annunciation from Mary’s perspective, and the second is not continuing the story through the actual birth of Jesus. These are arguably the two most important and most amazing events in history. And by leaving them out, the author misses a big opportunity to fill the story with emotion and add a true sense of awe and wonderment. The only other flaw I found is that, while on the whole the Road To Bethlehem does a good job of following the biblical account, it departs slightly from the biblical record regarding the birth of Jesus.

Purpose And Success In Writing

​Today I have a blog post being carried over at Catholic Mom. Rather than repeat it here, I am posting the link. I hope all of you had a very blessed Thanksgiving and a peaceful Black Fiday. The feature picture for this post is from where I spent my Black Friday. It was taken from the top of Casa Grande in Big Bend National Park.

http://catholicmom.com/2016/11/29/purpose-success-writing/

New Releases from Indie Catholic Authors

I’m once again behind on my blog posts. However, I would like to take the time to share a post from the Indie Catholic Authors blog highlighting some of their recently released books, including my new book Seventy Times Seven. I encourage you to check out these great books.

https://indiecatholicauthors.wordpress.com/2016/11/17/new-releases-from-indie-catholic-authors/

 

 

 

 

Life In The Desert

About a month ago, I went down to Big Bend National Park. This is a place that I have been blessed to be able to visit a number of times. For those of you who are not familiar with Big Bend, it lies along the Mexican border in the far southwestern part of Texas, and is a part of the vast Chihuahuan Desert. As you might expect it is characterized by a hot, arid climate. And although the Chisos Mountains, located near the center of the park, provide for a more temperate climate, with accompanying forests and wildlife; much of the park is composed of sparsely vegetated desert. With the exception of various cacti dotting the landscape, it often appears very barren. That is not to say that it isn’t still beautiful. Numerous rugged hills and small mountains form a uniquely beautiful landscape that is different from any other place.

However, as we often discover, looks can be deceiving. The desert only looks barren, most of the time that is. Hiding within it is an abundance of life. Some of it can be seen at most any time, if one just looks closely enough. But much lays dormant, waiting for the next rain to receive its life giving water. And when the rain comes, the desert life springs forth. Grasses and other vegetation sprout out covering the valleys and hills with a lush green. Wildflowers bloom all around, dotting the landscape with all of the colors of the rainbow. It is as if the entire desert is giving praise to God for the rain that it has received.

Our souls are the same way. When we ignore God, our souls lie dormant and barren. But when we turn towards God, and accept the love and forgiveness that Jesus gave us on the cross, we are filled with the Holy Spirit and our soul springs to life. For those of you who have experienced this, you know that it is a feeling unlike any other. For those who haven’t, I pray that you soon do. And how do you recognize those who have? Just look around, they are the ones walking with a spring in their step, often humming or whistling as they go. They are the ones greeting others cheerfully as they pass, and helping those they meet who are in need. For just like the desert, when the life giving rains come, you can’t keep it in.

 

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.