Tooth For Tooth by Kimberley Payne Review

Tooth for Tooth 

Kimberley Payne
Inspirational Fiction

About the Book:

Dumped into single parenthood, Heather Williams has found a part-time job as a dental receptionist and a cozy apartment with her four-year-old daughter. Life finally looks safe and secure until her daughter reveals a terrifying secret that she's been molested by her own father. While struggling with her feelings towards her new boss, Heather tries to get the help her daughter needs, navigate the court system, and protect the child from further harm.

99 cents

Buy on

Amazon USA http://amzn.to/Yk4dgG

Amazon Canada http://amzn.to/1dNH1Te

Smashwords http://bit.ly/XKSR6c

Lisa's Review:

Much more than a revenge story, Payne’s fictional account of child abuse is a frightening tale for any parent or guardian. So realistically told, I hoped the author hadn’t gone through such a devastating event. Well told from the mother’s point of view. Tooth for Tooth is a cautionary drama for contemporary suspicious society but with love and hope for a full and healthy future, both physically and emotionally.

When a nightmare comes to light, single mom Heather must face all the repercussions of the medical and court system when she decides to bring charges against her former husband, who challenges the accusation. Although surrounded by a good support system of close family and friends, Heather is still bewildered by the legalities of what she must put her young daughter through in order to prove the abuse. Worse yet, Heather is reminded of an episode two years earlier, before divorce proceedings, in which she believes Caitlyn tried to tell her she was hurt.

The story is ultimately about recognizing that no one on earth can protect us from the bad things that happen, that we can’t blame ourselves when we’re trying our best, but mostly that the only place we can run to for love, for comfort, for peace of mind and heart is our Savior, Christ Jesus, the Father who ultimately forgives all, and the Spirit who entwines us and teaches, or enables, us to forgive others. Heather learns that while she may not be able to control much of anything, the One who is in control has her back and everything will be okay.

Nicely written with the nuances of what it must feel like to be in Heather’s position. But it’s not for the faint of heart readers who prefer sweet and light rosy family stories.

About the Author:

Kimberley is a half-cup-full optimist who’s been blessed with a short memory. She is happily married and lives with her husband in a village east of Toronto, Canada where she hikes and bikes. Visit her website.

Facebook | Twitter

Pinterest | YouTube | Amazon I’m 

Mission Mesquite

Diane Tatum

January 16, 2017

269 pp.

Buy: $3.99 Kindle US

While Kate Lawrence's parents served in Cote d'Ivoire as career missionaries. Kate's education came in a French boarding school and American University in Paris and Georgetown. Now a Foreign Service Officer for the US State Department, she wants nothing to do with the missionary lifestyle. When she finally agrees to visit their new mission post Mission Mesquite, the rodeo church at the Mesquite Arena in Dallas, Kate meets Tyler Hawkins, attractive All American Cowboy who has since been crippled by a bull trampling. They have an instant connection, but Kate doesn't know that Tyler has just completed seminary and mission training and is poised to take over Mission Mesquite once her parents retire. How can Kate resolve the conflict between her and God and her heart? Will Tyler's past as a free-wheeling cowboy cut short his ministry?

Mission Mesquite is a contemporary Christian romance.

Visit Diane’s Amazon Author Page to see links to her other work. 

Diane Tatum grew up in St. Louis, MO. She started writing her own stories in elementary school. Her first novel grew out of a short story she wrote in high school. College was a detour to a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and Business Administration and later a Masters in Teaching Language Arts. Between degrees, she stayed home raising her boys and began writing again. She started freelance writing for magazines and church Sunday school curriculum. She also finished her novel, Gold Earrings.

After teaching middle school language arts in Tullahoma City Schools for 11 years, she retired with her husband's encouragement to write the historical fiction books that she had been starting and saving on her computer. Gold Earrings was published in 2011. She completed her second novel, A Time to Choose, in 2012, and finished her third, Colonial Dream, in 2013. In addition she serves as an adjunct English professor at Motlow State Community College.

Jim Baton and the Peace Trilogy

Peace Trilogy book 1

Jim Baton

June 2012

In the midst of a global clash between international terrorism and an American congressman’s peacemaking effort, a poor Muslim-majority neighborhood in Indonesia holds the keys to victory. While some in the neighborhood are making efforts to understand the truth behind the Muslim-Christian divide and build new bridges across it, others are determined to perpetuate and intensify the hatred that has plagued the region for years.

When a tragedy reveals an unexpected villain, it will be up to two unlikely heroes to set aside their differences and save the day. What will it take to keep hope alive? And who will be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of peace?

This intense thriller will encourage you to reexamine your understanding of love and forgiveness, and reconsider what it means to be a true hero.

ISBN-13: 978-1616389222

$2.99 eBook

$14.99 Print

Amazon US 

Australia

Canada 

UK 

  

Lisa's review:

Provocative, thought-provoking, challenging. Jim Baton, long-time missionary to Asia, writes a call to action in his novels. Aptly named Peace Trilogy, the first two novels in the series are a virtual visit to life in the streets of a little-known nation torn by differing faith practices. Baton explores why Muslim youth are able to be drawn into jihad, especially those who have nothing but themselves.

I read the books in reverse order, not necessarily on purpose, but also to see how they stand up. A Way Out of Hell (read about the book and my review here), is a story of the result of actions taken by families in a close-knit neighborhood in this book. The reader is drawn into Indonesian culture at its most intimate level, from intact family life, to single parentage to second wife status, from making a living, to education and religious life. Readers can’t help but empathize with the widows who live on handouts, the angry youth who feel purposeless, the women who must keep their deepest secrets, teens with a Romeo and Juliet story, and especially the fear of anything that rocks the status quo. When a neighborhood matron takes charge of bridging the gap and getting to know the neighborhood Christian lady better, she opens a Pandora’s Box of woe that drives a storm of retaliation across the planet. Who will step into the miasma of hatred and show what love can do?

The amount of detail was both wonderful and frustrating as I was sometimes impatient to find out what would happen next. For those who love detailed virtual visits to exotic places where you can live with the natives, the books of the Peace Trilogy will meet your expectations. A bonus is Baton’s character’s struggle with how to practice what they believe, an in-depth look at the misunderstandings and lies that have kept people of different religions and denominations within the religions in hate. There is no pussy-footing around American or Christian values for that matter, but love is the foundation of miracles. Told in multiple viewpoints. Nicely done.

About the Author

Jim Baton (pen name) has spent the last 20 years living in the Muslim world, where he’s been involved in a variety of peace and reconciliation activities including interfaith dialogue, training elementary through university students in peace principles, and bringing Christians and Muslims together to pray.  His real name and photo won’t appear on this site to protect his identity from radical groups where he lives out his faith.  When in America, Jim is available to speak to groups that have a heart for loving those of the other religion and can protect his identity.

Wakulla Book Review: A Summer in Oakville by Lisa Lickel and Shellie Neumeier, Review by Booker T.

Four of the Hasmer family are about to learn about love, forgiveness, and God. Contessa, known as Tessa, is seeking to divorce her husband Phil who has moved away to a big city and a job promotion—or so it seems. An old boyfriend is back in town, whom she’s attracted to.

Lindsey is a college graduate who can’t find a job so she moves in to her grandparents’ home and takes up the fight to save their farm.

Andy is an out of control teenager who’s lost his mom in a helicopter crash and is unable to connect with his father.

Arthur, or Art, is Andy’s father and is suffering from his wife’s death, his son’s out of control behavior, and his own demons concerning his brother Otto’s death years ago

Back on the farm in the summer, they find Oakville, Wisconsin to bring therapy, love, and a relationship with Christ into all four lives.

Purpose: One story has many different sides. The authors show how it differs from person to person.

Themes: Broken marriages and renewals. Letting loose and taking a chance on love. Forgiving yourself and others. Connecting and communicating to stop the pain.

This is a really good book. I enjoyed having the story from each of the four main characters. It really put a different spin on the whole story each time and left me sorting through my mind to connect the facts, feelings, and realities in the end. Good job, ladies.

Wakulla Book Review

Review by Booker T.

To purchase A Summer in Oakville, Click Here

*~*~*~*

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 initiative to "change lives to ensure a safer Florida."

Two Generations - One Mysterious Girl - Jordan's Shadow by Robin Johns Grant

Today I am featuring Robin Johns Grant as she talks about her new book "Jordan's Shadow." When I offer to feature authors on the John 3:16 blog, I never know what I will receive. When I read Robin's feature, I was hooked. What a compelling premise, especially as a mother. I can't wait to read "Jordan's Shadow." Here is Robin in her own words.

*~*~*~*

My second book, Jordan’s Shadow, just came out a few days ago. Whenever people find out I’ve published a book, they generally ask one of two questions: How long did it take you to write it? And…where do you get your ideas?

So I’ll just assume that if we were face to face right now, you might want to ask me those questions about Jordan’s Shadow—even though the answer to at least one of those questions is a little embarrassing.

Where do I get my ideas? Usually I invent characters first, get to know them gradually, put them in various situations until a plot emerges. This involves the highly technical skills of make-believe and daydreaming, skills only writers or young children can truly master.

Jordan’s Shadow was a little different. A thought struck me one day (while I was daydreaming), that mothers don’t really know what their babies will be like or look like when they grow up. Those babies gradually change over time as they settle into the adults they become.

Well, I like a little spine-tingling creepiness in a story, so I started to think…what if a mother saw her child growing and changing and gradually turning into someone she used to know? And what if it was someone she didn’t like? Someone she had shared a terrible experience with in the past?

Now for the embarrassing part: how long did it take me to write this? Not years…decades! And I don’t mean just to get it right. It took me decades to get a first draft.

I thought this premise was so intriguing I couldn’t let it go, but I also had nothing but a premise. No characters, no plot, no spiritual take-away. Who were the mother and daughter going through this? What was the terrible experience in the mother’s past? And other than shock value, why did this story matter?

Answering those questions took me many years. And even when I had a skeleton plot and characters, the story was taking place in two different time periods, which was a challenge to my writing skills.

As for the spiritual component, that grew naturally as the other parts came together. As I got to know the family I was subjecting to this madness, I “discovered” that the family matriarch was a no-nonsense pragmatist who didn’t believe in anything beyond the physical world, and wouldn’t let her daughters be exposed to any such foolishness, including the church. Starving her family for God and the spiritual led to tragic consequences.

Now that it’s finally done, I’m glad I stuck with Jordan’s Shadow. It has some important take-aways not just about the God-shaped vacuum in all our lives, but about mother-daughter relationships, about the importance of family, and that it’s never too late to redeem the past.

Plus it’s as much fun as a spooky ghost story around a campfire!

If I’ve made you curious by now, stop by Lorilyn Roberts blog tomorrow to read an excerpt!

Robin Johns Grant published her first novel, Summer’s Winter, in 2014, and her second suspense novel, Jordan’s Shadow, has just been released. Summer's Winter won a bronze medal in the Romance - Suspense category of the International Readers' Favorite Book Awards, and Robin was named 2014 Author of the Year by the Georgia Association of College Stores.

Family and friends are happy that Robin’s imagination is finally paying off. She’s always had way too much of it. She started making up stories before she could write them down (dictating them to her mother) and always had her head in the clouds. She was obsessed with books and movies like Harry Potter and Star Wars and did a lot of crazy fan stuff, which helped her dream up Jeanine and Jamie’s story for Summer's Winter. It’s a romantic suspense novel, but as John Granger (author of The Deathly Hallows Lectures) said, it’s also “a romance-thriller about fandoms…and explores the important intersection of literature, spirituality, and imagination.”  

As a Christian, Robin can’t help but explore spirituality in her writing, but wants to do so in a way that reflects the awe and wonder of God and eternity.

With a degree in English, several non-fulfilling jobs under her belt, and a mid-life crisis coming on, Robin returned to school and earned a master's degree in library and information science. She now has her best day job ever as a college librarian, which keeps her young by allowing her to hang out with students.

With her wonderful husband Dave and formerly feral felines Mini Pearl and Luna, Robin lives in Georgia.  She is also surprised to find herself part owner of a pit bull named Pete, who showed up as a starving stray puppy at her mother's house.

Keep up with Robin at these sites:

Amazon (read about and purchase her books): http://amazon.com/author/robinjohnsgrant

Website and blog:  http://robinjohnsgrant.com

Facebook: https://facebook.com/robinjohnsgrantauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/robinjohnsgrant

Meet Emma Right

Emma Right

Facebook
Follow me on https://twitter.com/emmbeliever
I am also on Goodreads and Librarything. Be my friend there--it gets lonely.

About: Emma is a happy wife and homeschool mother of five living in the Pacific West Coast of the USA. Besides running a busy home, and looking after their five pets, which includes two cats, two bunnies and a long-haired dachshund, she also writes stories for her children. Emma loves the Lord and His Word deeply, and when she doesn't have her nose in a book, she is telling her kids to get theirs in one.



Short Summary:

Books written in blood. Most are lost, their Keepers with them. A curse that befell a people. A Kingdom with no King. Life couldn’t get more harrowing for the Elfies, a blend of Elves and Fairies. Or for sixteen-year-old Jules Blaze. Or could it? When the hand of evil seeks him out and one by one his family members disappear, Jules adventures into enemy land to seek answers to save his family from annihilation, and his Kingdom from destruction.



ASIN: B00CVK128Q
$2.99
ISBN 978-1-939337-69-6 (paperback)
Library of Congress: 2013936697

Available now on Amazon at http://amzn.to/10W9ZHO. Soon to be at Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and iBooks.

The Interview:

Your unique talent: I think I have perfected the art of scolding. I've had too much practice.

Share something not many people know about you:

I can't sleep if there is the slightest light. I probably couldn't live in Alaska during the summer since I can only sleep when it's dark and the slightest pinpoint of light would wake me up.

Are you a “pet person” or prefer no pets? A pet sort of person…except maybe insect pets. I've even petted a cobra--it was alive, too!

Would you rather travel or stay at home? Home, please. I could probably survive in a cave with just a computer.

Do you read more or write more? Not enough of both.

Prefer cake or pie? And ice cream, too. And chocolates.

Would you or do you ride a motorcycle or do you prefer to ride/drive a car? My second home is my SUV. I spend about 4-6 hours a day driving my kids somewhere or other.

Bus or taxi or walk? Probably taxi. but I'd rather be home.

Are you part of a big church congregation or a small church?
I used to go to New Creation Church in Singapore with about 25K people. We had to line up for 2-3 hours to get to church and people jostled to get in. Some even cheated to get into the line. I used to sing in the choir. Sometimes we practiced until 1am and I had to be at church the next day for the service by 6am. It was very tiring. But I enjoyed singing for Jesus, so it was worth it. Now I am very happy to belong to a church of only 200-300 people preaching the message of grace.

Do you like to telephone people or prefer to use e-mail?

I prefer e-mail. I get very distracted on the phone. I probably have ADD or something like that.

Are you happy or joyful? Joyful, joyful, we adore thee, Jesus.

Do you eat at home or eat out? Both. But I prefer to eat standing up.

Listen to music or prefer quiet? Praise music. Quiet is good too. Depends.

Prefer sunrises or sunsets? Sunrise. Sunsets look too sad--it reminds me another day has ended and I haven't done all I needed and wanted to do!