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.

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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

Ivory and Ice by Sandra Julian Barker

Ivory & Ice

by Sandra Julian Barker 

ISBN: 1490413103

June, 2013

e-book $1.99

p-book $9.95

Buy on US Amazon

Buy on Canada Amazon

About the Book:

     Three 6,000 year-old bodies are discovered frozen in a glacier in Austria.

     Where were they going? What were their thoughts on that day so long ago?  When Beth Leyton, a budding anthropologist, discov­ers the answers, they have a surprising affect on her 21st century life. Beth’s personal struggles parallel that of Jaen, a young woman from the ancient past who is on a quest of her own. Jaen is traveling across the mountains, leaving her dear family to join Baarak, the man she loves. What will her new life be like?

      Jaen and Beth live 6,000 years apart — yet the journeys they are each taking are not really so different. Human nature and the needs of men and women over the centuries have changed very little. The same Creator is active in both lives. The ancient past comes alive, mingling with the present as Beth is led to a gripping reality.

A note from Sandra on why she wrote the book:  

“I’m fascinated by the fact that people have changed very little since the beginning in the Garden of Eden. In my story, Jaen from the ancient past, is actually wiser about life and more stable in her relationships than the present-day Beth, who struggles with both. I wanted to present a people that might be only a dozen or so generations removed from the great flood and have religious beliefs that would reflect that. I’m so pleased with the way this story turned out. It truly developed a life of its own as I wrote. All of my books seem to do that.”

About the Author:

Sandra Julian Barker is an award-winning short story and travel writer, and has a story in the best selling, Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul. Her first novel, Ivory & Ice, has been followed by four more e-books available on Amazon, with two more books in the pipeline. Sandra's greatest desire, however, is to bring honor and glory to God through the talents He has given her. You can contact her through her inspirational blog at www.sandra-ramblingrose.blogspot.com.

Also available are:  Deadly Masquerade, The Frenchman, The House (a novelette), and The Stuff ofNightmares: a collection of short stories.

The Matheny Manifesto book review by Joe Buonassissi

The Matheny Manifesto: A Young Manager's Old-School Views on Success in Sports and Life 

ISBN: 978-0553446692

US prices - Canada, $2 higher

e-book - $10.99

p-book - $24

audible - $17.99

Buy the book on US Amazon

Buy the book on CA Amazon

From the Publisher:

 “Nothing worth doing right is easy.”
–Mike Matheny

   Mike Matheny was just forty-one, without professional managerial experience and looking for a next step after a successful career as a Major League catcher, when he succeeded the legendary Tony La Russa as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012. While Matheny has enjoyed immediate success, leading the Cards to the postseason three times in his first three years, people have noticed something else about his life, something not measured in day-to-day results. Instead, it’s based on a frankly worded letter he wrote to the parents of a Little League team he coached, a cry for change that became an Internet sensation and eventually a “manifesto.”

   The tough-love philosophy Matheny expressed in the letter contained his throwback beliefs that authority should be respected, discipline and hard work rewarded, spiritual faith cultivated, family made a priority, and humility considered a virtue. In The Matheny Manifesto, he builds on his original letter by first diagnosing the problem at the heart of youth sports−hint: it starts with parents and coaches−and then by offering a hopeful path forward. Along the way, he uses stories from his small-town childhood as well as his career as a player, coach, and manager to explore eight keys to success: leadership, confidence, teamwork, faith, class, character, toughness, and humility.

   From “The Coach Is Always Right, Even When He’s Wrong” to “Let Your Catcher Call the Game,” Matheny’s old-school advice might not always be popular or politically correct, but it works. His entertaining and deeply inspirational book will not only resonate with parents, coaches, and athletes, it will also be a powerful reminder, from one of the most successful new managers in the game, of what sports can teach us all about winning on the field and in life.

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Joe's Review:

Jerry Jenkins has done it again! What a helpful, well-written page turner. Not only does this book provide excellent advice for coaching (whether sports, business, or family), but it's encouraging to learn there are people of principle like Mike Matheny still on the planet. Our world is starving for true leaders. In politics, religion, sports, business, and just about every other human endeavor, true leadership is a rare thing. How refreshing to see that Mike Matheny gets it—he doesn't use his people to build his work; he uses his work to build his people.

As an incurable baseball fan, I found Matheny's insight into his baseball life fascinating. His comments about players and coaches, whose names were familiar to me, made me feel like I knew them as people, not just as statistical avatars.

Every "coach," (and we all coach at some level), regardless of his arena, should read this book to get his true north bearings before assuming responsibility for others. Mike Matheny is the real deal. His leadership style has been forged by the wisdom of the Scriptures and honed by living it out in shoe leather—he walks the talk. Mike, may your tribe increase!

Joe Buonassissi

TechnologyResources WorldWide

Goodreads Giveaway - "Meander Scar" by Lisa J. Lickel

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Meander Scar

by Lisa J. Lickel

Giveaway ends February 20, 2015.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Christian Fantasy Author Lorilyn Roberts: How Do I End My Memoir?

Christian Fantasy Author Lorilyn Roberts: How Do I End My Memoir?

What is Meant by “Authentic Voice” in Writing Young Adult Books?

By Lorilyn Roberts 

When I was a young girl, a black lady named Helen used to take care of me while my mother worked. Helen’s voice was soothing and loving; when I heard her voice, I knew I was safe. Later, my mother remarried and we moved away to another city. I used to think about her and wistfully wished I could hear that voice call my name one more time: “Lori.”

One afternoon, quite by surprise, I arrived home from high school and I heard a voice from the past in the basement of our home laughing and talking to my mother. I stopped for a moment, thinking, could it be? But it was too outlandish to even consider, I brushed it aside as impossible. Then I heard my mom call me, “Lori, come see who came to visit you.”

I rushed down the stairs and there she was. Helen said, “Lori, it’s so good to see you.” My first thought was that her voice sounded exactly the way I remembered it from a decade earlier, a sweet sound, distinctively hers no matter how long I went without hearing it. That made an impression on me that I have never forgotten. All those years, I had longed to hear her once more and thought I never would. If I heard her voice again today, I would recognize it as Helen’s.

To me, that is an authentic voice – one which is identified as belonging to one person and no one else. It translates into writing. We must each have our own unique voice. My voice should identify me as Lorilyn Roberts.

While I think it’s good to read and examine others’ style of writing, we should strive to develop our own. I am still playing around with my own style because writing fiction is much harder for me than nonfiction. I have come to realize, though, it’s what I feel comfortable with, what flows naturally, and where my creative process takes me. It’s what I was born with. God gave me a voice to talk; He has given me a voice with which to write. 

Involved in that is a process of learning. Children have to learn how to talk, and that’s much easier and more natural than learning to write, but they still have to learn. In the same way, writers need to develop their own authentic voice and not be afraid to claim it. They should not try to write something intentionally or unintentionally that imitates someone else.

A great example of voice by a young adult is Anne in The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank. Anne was writing to “kitty,” her best friend. Her spunky personality shone without pretense or excuse for why she felt the way she did. She was comfortable in her own skin. There is a term called self-actualization, where one uses everything he or she is to become what he or she was created to be. During Anne’s confinement, she was able to verbalize her innermost fears, hopes, dreams, ambitions, and little triumphs as she learned to rise above the horrific situation she was in and “cope.” 

It’s a tribute to her that such a young girl could come so far into understanding so much about herself and who she was. The amazing thing, which was a God-given gift, was that she had the capacity to write it down so that future generations could empathize and understand what she went through. It’s a great achievement, I believe, in the use of authentic voice, to come so close to knowing Anne Frank and yet never having met her. 

Her authenticity came out in the graphic descriptions of the people in the attic; what it was like to live there for two years locked away from society; their everyday struggles, from using the bathroom to what they ate to what they did to occupy their time; the frequent references to the war and who was winning; their fears of being discovered and their constant squabbles among each other; and even Anne’s innermost thoughts about love and sexuality.

In one way or another, I could relate from my own life experience. I knew she was real and what she suffered was genuine. I wanted to read more to learn what would happen. I was engaged and transported back to a war fought before I lived. I wanted to save Anne and her family. It was hard for me to believe she died before I was even born. This book is a masterpiece.

A third-person narrative can also have an authentic voice, but it needs to be so close to the person’s feelings, thoughts, and actions that you can’t tell the difference. If a book is well written, I won’t even notice if it’s first person or third person unless I stop and think about it.

More than any other genre, young adult books need an authentic voice. YA readers need to be able to like the protagonist and identify with her feelings, thoughts, and goals. That makes writing for young adults challenging but very gratifying when well done.

Wakulla Book Review: "The Medal, a Novel," by Kerriann Flanagan Broskey

The Medal, a novel, by Kerriann Flanagan Brosky

(available on Amazon by clicking here)

Book review by Kaseta, Inmate, Wakulla Correctional, Wakulla, Florida

This is the story of one young woman’s struggle with her faith, and how she eventually comes to have great faith in God. She’s a business woman and a daughter who is dealing with her father’s illness. Ultimately it’s a story of faith that gives us the victory.

The author’s purpose is to strengthen all caregivers and encourage everyone to believe in miracles no matter how much we want not to.

The themes discussed are angels, saints, God, faith, loneliness and helplessness.

The main point is to help you to believe in angels and miracles.

The author stands firm in the controversial issues of angels and miracles and how an angel can be someone very unlikely to your way of thinking.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly. I couldn’t put it down…just one more page…just one more page. It kept my attention the whole way through. HAVE FAITH!

You can find out more about Kerriann Flanagan Brosky and her book The Medal, a novel by visiting her website at www.padrepiomedal.com

Six-time, award winning author Kerriann Flanagan Brosky, has been featured in a number of publications including The New York Times, Newsday and Distinction magazine. She has appeared on CBS' Sunday Morning Show, as well as on local television and radio shows. Kerriann was the host of a weekly Internet radio show on Blogtalk Radio, and she blogged for many years for Patch.com. She is currently a columnist for Village Connection magazine and a contributor to Edible Long Island. 

Kerriann is President Emeritus of the Long Island Authors Group, and is a well-known speaker who draws standing-room-only crowds to her lectures. She is currently working on her seventh book. Kerriann lives in Huntington, Long Island, and when she's not writing she enjoys spending time at the beach with her husband Karl and their two sons. The Medal is her debut novel.

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Each Tuesday, we are posting reviews from Wakulla Correctional inmates of John 3:16 books. 

The Wakulla Correctional Book Review Series is part of 

Our Vision: "Changing Lives to Ensure a Safer Florida" 

After Writing A Memoir, How to Convert It to a Power Point and Movie

One of my most popular blog posts and for which I've won an award is "How to Write a Memoir in Twelve Easy Steps."  My idea to write the article came after I wrote my book, "Children of Dreams." After the book was published, I made a presentation to an adoption group. Of course, many people in the audience were either adoptive parents or those wanting to adopt. 

To make my presentation relevant to both groups, I decided to show how my audience could write their own memoir via Power Point. I then later converted the presentation into a movie so it could be watched on the web. But then I forgot about it and never uploaded it. I was looking for something else on my computer and came across the movie. 

I decided to post it here to give readers and those who are writing memoirs an idea of what they can do with their own memoir. It's another way to take your book and and present it to audiences - and hopefully entice people to buy your book after your presentation.

Below is a video I found on youtube that will tell you how to convert your Point Point Presentation into a movie that you can then post on the web, as I have done here.

I always like to find different uses for what I create and share that with readers. Of course, you can also add audio to your movie and make your video even better than I have done here. 

My audience loved this simple presentation and I sold several books afterwards.

If you would like to check out my book Children of Dreams on Amazon, click here.