Wakulla Book Review: Straight Pipes, by Barbara Ann Derksen

Whether you’re just an affiliated club member, patch wearer, or you just ride for fun, you’ll soon be blowing your pipes for Jesus. This devotion takes the hard learned principles of the Holy Bible and not only makes them practical but applicable as well. The vernacular of a little known society is used fluidly and in a way that is easily related to by the biker.

The book teaches evangelism techniques to a people who are seldonly understood and are more or less tolerated, as well as gives perfect examples of how to follow through.

I loved it. I was reminded of the society I was once associated with and the feel of this devotional can easily give you a picture of Jesus on a motorcycle headed across the country spreading His Good News. –  Jaxon, inmate, Wakulla Correctional Institution, FLA

To purchase on Amazon, click here

To learn more about Barbara Derksen and her books, visit her website at BarbaraAnnDerksen

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I want to personally thank all the men who are reviewing the books written by JOHN 3:16 AUTHORS. I am thankful that we are able to bless them and appreciate the encouragement given to us by their reviews. 

Each WEEK (usually on Tuesday), we are posting reviews from 

Wakulla Correctional inmates of John 3:16 books. 

Inmates are loving the new books from John 3:16 authors. 

Chaplain Steve Fox is adding the new books to the prison library in this an initiative to "change lives to ensure a safer Florida."

Essence of Evil by Barbara Ann Derksen

Read about prolific author Barbara Ann Derksen's latest novel, Essence of Evil!

This book was the natural next link in the series that started out as a mystery to find the killer of her parents, but Christine chose to be a finder of missing children as well. Her profession takes her into the world of human trafficking, a place uncomfortable for her. When I started the series, I did not know I was going to delve into this cultural issue but God is using the series to make more people aware that this is an issue prevalent around the world, even in our own back yard. Book three in the series will be released spring 2015.

The Universal link for the first in the series, Shadow Stalker, is http://smarturl.it/llfqfy where you will also be able to find Essence of Evil from any country.

Essence of Evil,  Amazon.com http://amzn.to/1u4G6D9

$4.99 Kindle

$15.00 paperback

Watching the expressions on the faces of her readers, as well as answering questions about her characters, is what drives author and speaker, Barbara Ann Derksen to write yet another book and another. Her favorite genre is murder mystery but each book brings forth characters who rely on God as they solve the puzzle in their life.

Barbara’s devotionals are sought after each year when she publishes a new one that reflects what God has placed on her heart. From Straight Pipes, her first, to More Than Bells, Preparation for Prayer, the latest, Barbara’s devotions take people to the place where God can touch their heart and leave a lasting impression. When people stop by her table for the latest, they talk to her about using the devotions in their chapter meetings, or their personal devotions. Some men return at their pastor’s request because the books are used as launch pads for men’s bible study. Many copies have been passed on to new believers as discipling tools.

Born in Canada, Barbara lived in the US for 12 years. There her writing surfaced as she worked under contract as a journalist for six years with over 2500 articles published in newspapers and magazines during that time. Meeting and interviewing people, digging for the hidden gems in their lives, made those years informative as well as instructive. She began attending Colorado Christian Writer’s Conferences and each year, under the tutelage of great Christian writer’s like James Scott Bell, Angela Hunt, and others, she honed her skills.

Barbara has developed a speaking platform and has spoken across the US and in Manitoba, Canada for women’s groups and in church services on topics such as The Writing Experience, working in the ministry of Christian Motorcyclists Association, Love, Parenting, Time Management, and a host of others.

With 17 books to her credit, one currently inactive and awaiting revision, each one surpasses the last, according to her readers. They look forward to discovering the new characters in a new series Finders Keepers. Book One – Shadow Stalker – will be released mid-May, 2013

Writing, however is simply a tool to be used in the ministry she shares with her husband. With his gift of music (he sings country gospel), Barbara and her husband operate CatchFire Ministries, a ministry to bikers through Christian Motorcyclists Association. They travel for four to five months every summer in the US and the rest of the time in Canada where they seek to inspire, encourage and invite people into a deeper ministry with Jesus Christ. They also minister at Veterans Homes and churches along the way and are about to begin a ministry to Juvenile offenders incarcerated at Manitoba Youth Center. The mysteries include a gospel message that opens her readers to the possibility of reading books written from a Christian World view and supply funds for CatchFire.

A Taste of Vanished by Barbara Derksen

Vanished, Barbara Ann Derksen, Createspace, May 2009

Prologue

The intruder shoved her up the stairs. Diane Michner stumbled. She grabbed the stair treads for support. Tears of fright blurred her vision.

“Hurry or I hurt the kid.” His rumbling threat released hot breath across her neck. She scurried faster. An arm, covered in monstrous tattoos that bulged beneath the sleeve of his dirty t-shirt, circled the tiny wiggling torso of her three year old son. Jeffrey whimpered. The thug pushed her again.

“Mommy!” Jeffrey screamed, large droplets of tears coursing down his pudgy cheeks.

“Quiet.” The man gripped the boy’s arm and squeezed. He shot a glance at the woman. She bowed her head in submission and headed toward her little boy’s bedroom.

“H-h-how long will we be g-gone?” Her eyes traveled over the little blue train stenciled on three walls of her son’s dream room.

“Never mind. Get the clothes.” He motioned with the boy’s body, whipping him toward the folded doors of the closet. Jeffrey whimpered.

She yanked the door open and snatched a large suitcase from the top shelf. Her tears dampened pieces of clothing from her son’s chest of drawers as she threw them into the case. With downcast eyes, Diane glanced toward her son and then back to the task at hand. In a haphazard fashion, she added some of the outfits hanging inside the closet door and seized his fluffy brown teddy bear from the bed. Jeffrey whimpered again.

Obediently she turned toward the doorway where the intruder fought to retain hold of her struggling child.

“P-please. Don’t hold him so tight,” she pleaded. “You’ll hurt him.” Her arms ached to hold her frightened son, to protect him from this man who didn’t care if he injured a small child. “It’s okay, Jeffrey. Please don’t cry.”

The man used his elbow to point her toward the next room. “Get a move on.” His grip on the child’s body enticed her to hurry.

The trio moved quickly down the hall towards the bedroom she shared with her husband of five years. She sucked in an anguished breath as she stumbled against the doorframe of the closet. She seized another suitcase and shoved in pants, shirts, and undergarments for both of them, then closed that case and looked at the man. Her eyes begged as her arms reached to hold the tiny boy.

The man thrust Jeffrey at her and grabbed the suitcase, as she wrapped grateful arms around her son’s trembling body. She could feel his terror. The thug pushed Diane toward the hallway. She shifted the boy’s weight to one arm but stumbled, almost losing her footing. She reached out with her free hand to steady herself against the wall.

Moving toward the staircase, the villain picked up the other suitcase standing just inside the boy’s bedroom. “Get going.” He motioned for her to descend the staircase toward the living room.

When she reached the first floor, Diane gasped. Two large men twisted a rope looped tightly around her husband’s neck. Another coarse length of rope tied Trent’s hands and wrists together, behind his back. The muscles of his upper arms stretched painfully beneath the sleeve of his cotton shirt. He grimaced, pain written on his face. Bright red oozed from a cut above his eye, the evidence of a battle lost. Blood congealed in his eyebrow and then trickled down his face to drip onto his collarbone. A jagged piece of cartilage stuck out from the bridge of his nose, blood coagulating near his upper lip.

A tormented groan escaped Diane’s lips, as if from the depths of her heart. She shuddered and cuddled Jeffrey, trying to shield him from the sight of his father. Her body churned with unfamiliar hatred as she looked on the three men who had invaded their peaceful home. She watched as they laughed. The one nearest caressed her cheek. Her skin crawled in revulsion. She yanked her face out of reach. The intruders laughed harder.

****

Trent struggled toward his wife. He watched anguish seep from her eyes, a torment that matched his own. Had he brought this to their home? What did they want? The thugs yanked him back as viciously as they would a dog on a leash. He twisted, desperate to reach her side. Jeffrey’s eyes seemed so large that Trent could almost feel his fright from across the room. His own eyes cautioned his wife not to arouse their anger. By the look on Diane’s face, he knew she wanted to scratch their eyes out, to inflict as much damage on them as they had on her family. He watched tears fall unchecked as Diane turned accusing eyes on him and then turn her head towards their son.

****

Diane glanced up again at her husband and saw a tear slide past the corner of one eye. His helplessness was evident in the slump of his shoulders. The men were too strong. “Diane...” His voice croaked. The rope strangling him ended further communication. He saw the slight nod of her head. She offered him understanding. He had tried to protect his family but failed.

Diane glanced around at the destruction of her tidy home, a sanctuary they had built together. Two plants dripped black dirt onto the carpet, evidence of her husband’s struggle. The coffee table lay at an awkward angle in splinters, and two sofa cushions exploded with feathers everywhere. She ached to have control over her life again as evening shadows crept from the corners of the room and the smell of overcooked food lingered in the air.

“Did anyone think to turn off the stove?” She made a move toward the kitchen but a large beefy hand stopped her.

Her subjugator grunted beside her. His nod told one of the others to check it out.

Diane’s focus switched. She watched the thug drop the bulky suitcases and then flex his muscles. His grin, when he caught her watching, caused her stomach juices to curdle.

“Now, we go outside to your car. I will hurt you and your son if you make a fuss or attract any attention. Understand?”

Diane nodded once. “Why are you doing this?”

“Not your business.” He pushed.

“Not my…” She stopped in her tracks but her captor raised his arm as if to strike her. Diane used her free arm to swipe at tears betraying her fright. Her eyes traveled down the sidewalk toward the SUV. Her husband groaned, loud enough for the neighbors to hear if they’d been home, as the butt of a gun connected with his right shoulder. She saw his knees buckle. They were defenseless against these men. Her husband stumbled against the side of the van but no longer labored to free himself.

Diane cried in anguish, not caring this time who heard. She stared as they grabbed her husband’s shoulder and squeezed. They lifted him bodily into the backseat.

“We take your car.” Diane jumped. Her escort’s hot breath drifted across her neck as he thrust her through the door. The thug let the front door slam behind them. He threw the suitcases into the backseat of the station wagon parked near the front entry of the house. He motioned for her to secure the little boy into his car seat.

“You drive. Follow them, and nothing will happen to you or your man. Make a wrong turn, and you won’t live to see him shot.” The brute spoke the last word as if a gunshot erupted from his mouth and then he sneered. He plunked himself in the passenger seat.

Diane’s eyes looked, maybe for the last time, towards the home she had come to love. She searched for any means of escape and then slumped in the driver’s seat. Her instincts told her they would carry out their threats. Her hands trembled as she inserted the key into the ignition. The motor roared.

She placed the car in reverse and swiveled her head to linger on the tear-stained face of her little boy. Her heart felt as if someone had punched a hole in it and all the blood drained away. Her mind filled with black hatred, hatred so strong that she knew if she’d had a gun in her hand, she’d use it. Instead, she backed out of the driveway and followed the SUV containing her husband. She made a quick study of the home her family had occupied for the last five years, longing to wake from her nightmare. Will we ever come home again?

*********

About the author:  Canadian born, and with 19 books to her credit, Barbara Ann Derksen works hard to give her readers the ride of their life when they pick up one of her books. Her favorite genre is murder mystery, but each book brings forth characters who rely on God as they solve the puzzle in their life. She also writes devotionals and children’s stories.

  

HOW TO USE PINTEREST TO SPREAD WORD ABOUT YOUR BOOK, Guest Post by Mary Noble Bull.

Here is another way to promote your book and others' books by author Mary Noble Bull. I (Lorilyn Roberts) haven’t done a lot with Pinterest so I found this helpful.

Are you a member of Pinterest?

In order to use the tip I am about to give, you must first join Pinterest. I used this tip to promote Cheryl and Barbara's launch books this morning. Once you join Pinterest, you can do this, too. And maybe you would consider adding "Gatehaven" to your list.

First:

.   I went to Amazon, wrote in the name of one of their books and clicked. 

.   On the book page, I scrolled down on the right side of the screen until I found a list of icons, including the F for Facebook. I clicked on the red P for Pinterest.

.   This click took me from Amazon and directly to Pinterest and my list of boards. 

.   I scrolled down and clicked on my board titled, [Books I Want to Read]

.   And clicked on the red P button again.

.   This click caused two things to happen..   A picture of the cover of the book from Amazon appeared on the main page at Pinterest for all to see.|
.  A picture of the cover of the book also appeared on my page at Facebook. Facebook and Pinterest are connected, and I think you can see how important it is to join Printerest as well as Facebook.

If anybody wants to join Pinterest, I would like to help get you started. I am not an expert but know a little.

.   The first thing you need to do after you join Pinterest is to form what they call a board and name it.

.   I named one of mine [Books I Want to Read.]

.   After I gave my board that name, I went on the main board to find the covers of books that sounded interesting.

.   When I found a cover I liked, I clicked at the top of the cover I liked and then clicked on the P for Pinterest icon.

.   When I did that, that cover appeared on my [Books I Want to Read] board.

And of course you can also get pictures of covers directly from Amazon like I did.

* * * * * *

Thanks, Molly, for the tip. If you are reading this, why not try this with Molly’s new release “Gatehaven.” The price will be going up after the official John 3:16 book launch, so get it for $2.99 while you can.

The link to her book on Amazon is:

http://bit.ly/Gatehaven

If you would like to visit our launch page, you can get her book, as well as two other suspense books (see below) by John 3:16 authors at reduced prices, and enter into the Rafflecopter drawing for free books and a $100 cash price.

http://bit.ly/Christian_Books

John 3:16 Book Launch by Christian Authors – Thriller Fiction for Suspense Lovers

 Cash and Book Prizes – make sure you enter the Rafflecopter for a chance to win.  The launch of our three featured books runs from March 1 through March 17. 

To purchase our featured books, click on the Rafflecopter givewaway below for 30 chances to win $100 and additional free books!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway