Self-Published Saturday: A Breath of Fresh God #UnderstandingGod #ConnectingwithGod

Self-Published Saturday is my effort to help Self-Published/Indie authors with marketing. These authors have to do it all, from cover design to editing to marketing and more. If I can help even a little bit with marketing, I’m happy to do it. Below is my review of A Breath of Fresh God by Charissa Fryberger, a devotional and much more!

BOOK DESCRIPTION

If I can pass through whole days without

noticing God, how can I know that He is here at all?  Perhaps I am

just a sugar ant, busying myself with tasks that have little significance

beyond the meaning I give them during my own short life.” ­­

It is easy for us to “underlook” God, yet even when we forget to notice Him, He hasn’t turned His attention from us. Charissa Fryberger finds wonder in the many ways God taps us on the shoulder, making us catch our breath in sudden remembrance that He is right here with us. She leads us on a journey of rediscovering God:

      in slowly plodding steps up the steep Pikes Peak trail;

 in the prayer-soaked walls of an old country church; 

            in a mirthful sky studded with laughing stars;

            in the fearful unknown of a cancer diagnosis;

            in the soaked discomfort of a sudden downpour;

            in the joy of defying gravity at the moment of take-off;

            in the labored trail of a tiny sugar ant.

Her vivid word pictures reveal an overwhelmingly grand and yet comfortably intimate God who is with us daily, hourly, minutely.  All we have to do is glance over our shoulders to be astonished again as we catch….a breath of Fresh God.

BOOK REVIEW

A Breath of Fresh God is exactly as it sounds–a way of looking at God with a fresh perspective. Have you fallen into a rut? Do you feel like God is so remote you can’t feel His presence? This book gives you many different perspectives in a way to reconnect. It is filled with devotionals that will speak to different people in different ways. Each devotional is followed by exercises that will help you connect to God and see Him more clearly. My favorite aspect of this book is that it is written with such care. The author shows a genuine heart for people and a desire to help others expand their relationship with God. While reading this book, be sure and try the exercises that follow each chapter. They will definitely give you a greater perspective. This book has the potential to change your way of relating to God and also expand your insight into Him. Highly recommend.

I received a free copy of this book. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Charissa Fryberger and her husband, David, live in wonder at the plot twists and surprises God weaves into the story of their lives. Wherever they go, they discover new breaths of fresh God in unexpected places. Charissa wrote her first “book” in a blue-lined notebook in the fourth grade. Later she freelanced for newspapers, magazines and literary journals. With the birth of four babies in rapid succession, writing took a twenty-five-year pause while Charissa and David raised, educated, and loved four dynamic young characters through the prologues and openings of their own stories.

After working herself out of a job as a homeschool mom, Charissa returned to school herself, earning a master’s in English at Clemson University. Their adventure in following Christ continues as they explore near and far from their family home in Beulah Colorado. Everywhere they go, Charissa finds new chapters to write about the transcendent, yet intimate God in Whose footsteps they follow.

BUY LINKS

Amazon US Amazon UK

*If you buy the book, please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books.  Some people feel very daunted by writing a review. Don’t worry. You do not have to write a masterpiece. Just a couple of lines about how the book made you feel will make the author’s day and help the book succeed. The more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it.

*Please click on the “share” buttons below and share these books with your Twitter, Facebook, and WordPress followers. A little bit of help from all of us will help self-published and indie authors go a long way!

Self-Published Spotlight: Increase Your Leadership Impact by John Frame

We have our first spotlight! See below for a book description and links to pick up a great Christian self-help book, which is absolutely free right now!

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Want to become a better leader?

Increase Your Leadership Impact is a short, easy-to-read book that walks you through simple tips to help you feel closer to God and grow in your ability to lead those around you.

If you’re a Christian professional, leader, pastor, or anyone who loves to serve and inspire others—and you’re willing to start by first improving yourself—this book is for you.

Drawing on life lessons learned while attending Oxford and Harvard, author John Christopher Frame, PhD, shares easy-to-implement strategies to help you develop your leadership capacity.

In this quick read, you’ll discover:

  • What to emphasize to encourage people to follow you
  • How to make tough decisions with more confidence
  • A way to easily complete large tasks so you can fight overwhelm
  • One thing to avoid to come across more professionally
  • How you can tell your story to touch people’s lives

Inspiring prayers and practical action steps make this a power-packed read.

Unlock your potential and grab Increase Your Leadership Impact today!

Click the photo below and get your free ebook on Amazon. (Free as of this posting. Grab your copy while you can.

#Book Review: My Name is Cain

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Mother Evelyn needs to solve a major problem, and Hannah, a young nun fresh out of college, is the one for the job. Joining the Inner Circle of the Abbey of St. Margaret is an eye-opener for Hannah, to say the least. Travel with Hannah and her Vatican Intelligence cohorts on a roller-coaster ride around the world as she discovers many secrets including . . .Did Cain ever die? The death of one of the prime characters in Genesis was never mentioned. Is he still alive?Who are the Elohim? How is Mother Evelyn always prepared for what is going to happen?Journey into a genre rarely touched—Christian science fiction

#BOOK REVIEW

My only comment prior to the review below is a question. Am I allowed to use the word “badass” in a Christian book review? Because I did.

This surprising novel starts out with a group of nuns in an abbey, and the reader has no idea they are about to enter a world of intrigue, spies, aliens, extrasensory powers, space travel, and cyber technology. Biblical characters, scriptures, prophecies, and events are woven through it all. The author keeps us in suspense as he expertly unveils one surprise after another. I was absolutely kept on the edge of my seat as a group of nuns revealed themselves to be badass operatives, bent on saving the human race. This book is so imaginative and well written that I was completely riveted to each page. The characters are complex and layered, and the layers are slowly peeled off as they reveal their true identities. The plot is so creative and the story itself is fast paced and hurtles forward to a shocking conclusion. There appears to be plenty of opening for a sequel, and I sincerely hope we get one. Fans of Christian fiction, Science fiction, Thrillers, and the Paranormal will enjoy this enticing, multi-faceted thriller mashup. In this well-written, imaginative novel, Dean Sparks shows us that Christian fiction can be bold, exciting, astonishing, and unexpected.  

I received a free copy of this book via Reedsy Discovery. My review is voluntary.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dean Sparks is first and foremost a Christian. He loves his wife abundantly. Four of his children, all daughters, were born in one year! Dean is thrilled to be a father and grandfather to the family’s six children and five grandchildren. He loves his job as a Chick-fil-A franchisee and has been with Chick-fil-A since 1978. Dean is an out-of-the-box thinker who is worth reading. You can contact him at authordeansparks.com or via e-mail at dean.sparks@authordeansparks.com.

BUY THE BOOK ON AMAZON

Self-Published Saturday: May 29, 2021

Once again, it’s time to feature a great self-published book. I really enjoy this feature because it helps independent authors with the monumental task of promoting their books. If you decide to read this book, please write a review and post it on Amazon, Goodreads, and other sites where you talk about books. This helps authors so much. I can’t stress that enough. Your review makes a difference.

Today’s book is the first in a series that captivated me from the beginning, The Hamelin Stoop series by Robert B. Sloan. In fact, I have been known to drop everything and ignore my giant TBR list in order to read the next installment. See the review below.

BOOK REVIEW: THE EAGLE, THE CAVE, AND THE FOOTBRIDGE

Hamelin Stoop is an exciting young adult/middle grade fantasy adventure series in the vein of the Chronicles of Narnia and even Harry Potter.

In The Eagle, The Cave, and The Footbridge, Hamelin’s mother Johnnie is on the run from evil trackers, so she places him, still a little baby, on the stoop of an orphanage in a tomato box. One of the only legible words in the note she left was “Hamelin,” and since he was found on the stoop, he was named Hamelin Stoop by the orphanage staff.

Upset and frustrated, Hamelin runs away from the orphanage when he is 8 years old. That’s when strange things begin happening. He is drawn to a cave by a talking eagle, and then he begins to learn more about his parents and his true purpose. There is a related story about three princesses in another land as Sloan begins to weave this tale together.

This is a “good vs. evil” adventure series which drew me in immediately, and I am always excited to see the next book. This book has everything–talking creatures, evil overlords, distant lands, and lost princesses. So far, there are three books, and I’m anxiously awaiting the fourth. I see definite nods to C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, which is always a good thing. I would recommend this to anyone over 10 years old who enjoys fantasy, adventure, and good vs. evil stories.  As C.S. Lewis said, “A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.” And this is a great children’s story that will be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

I received a free digital copy from Booksirens. My opinions are voluntary and are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Robert B. Sloan is President of Houston Baptist University in Houston, Texas. He is also a former President of Baylor University. Dr. Sloan and his wife Sue have seven adult children and more than 20 young grandchildren. He is an author, communicator, educator, and leader—all hats he has worn many times for a variety of reasons. These four areas represent life experiences that have provided him and his family with many memories. It is in the experiences of life that memories are made and lives are shaped.

Robert Sloan has a passion for Christian higher education and the spiritual formation of young people for the glory of God, which can be seen in both his professional and personal life.

Dr. Sloan’s Website

FASCINATING Article by Dr. Sloan About Why He Wrote The Hamelin Stoop Series

BUY BOOK 1: THE EAGLE, THE CAVE, AND THE FOOTBRIDGE

BUY BOOK 2: THE LOST PRINCESS AND THE JEWEL OF PERILUNA

BUY BOOK 3: THE RING OF TRUTH

*If you are a Kindle Unlimited Subscriber, you can borrow all three books for free.

Book Review: A Distant Shore by Karen Kingsbury

BOOK REVIEW

Lizzie James is just 8 years old when she is told her mother and brother have drowned. She is taken to her father’s “palace” in Belize and her name is changed to Eliza. She soon learns her father is in the sex trade and trafficks young girls. She is always told she is being saved for “something special,” which turns out to be a forced marriage with another drug and sex trafficking family. Then an FBI agent enters her life, someone she has met before, although she does not remember him, and he does not realize she is a child he rescued from drowning the same day his brother died.

I have read many books by Karen Kingsbury, but this one goes to a whole new level as it exposes the horrors of the sex trafficking industry. The characters are well written and the despair of Eliza and the younger girls is palpable and real. Kingsbury shows us the depths of evil in the sex trafficking industry, the laws that sometimes hinder rescued victims from surviving even after escape, and the hearts of the people in and out of law enforcement determined to rescue every single child. She shows us how God is present, even in desperate, cruel, and wicked situations from which there seems no escape. This is a well researched novel that everyone needs to read in order to know the evils that exist in our world.

I received a free copy of this book from Atria Books via Netgalley. My review is voluntary.

A Distant Shore will be released on April 27, 2021.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Kingsbury

Karen Kingsbury, #1 New York Times bestselling novelist, is America’s favorite inspirational storyteller, with more than twenty-five million copies of her award-winning books in print. Her last dozen titles have topped bestseller lists and many of her novels are under development with Hallmark Films and as major motion pictures. Her Baxter Family books are being developed into a TV series slated for major network viewing sometime in the next year. Karen is also an adjunct professor of writing at Liberty University. In 2001 she and her husband, Don, adopted three boys from Haiti, doubling their family in a matter of months. Today the couple has joined the ranks of empty-nesters, living in Tennessee near five of their adult children.


WEBSITE: https://www.karenkingsbury.com

PRE-ORDER ON AMAZON

PRE-ORDER ON BARNES AND NOBLE

BONUS CHAPTER EDITION EXCLUSIVE AT WAL-MART