Please welcome J.A. Smith to my blog. Hello Julie, Welcome to my little book spot on this beautiful blue sphere of life!

1. Please introduce yourself to those reading this blog post.

Well, I believe that we are all unique, we are given certain talents, and it is up to the individual to find it within us. It took some time to find me. Not that I was lost but finding what I am good at. I hope you will understand. My life has felt like many different stories throughout my time. I have moved many times throughout my life and each time I felt like I began a new story. It was like each time I would become a different person with new challenges to take on. Meeting new people with new diversity to learn. Having to find that new meaning in life. I really do believe the saying that people come into your life for a reason. They walk in when they are needed and then walk out when they’ve accomplished their quest, and that is how a good book is written. But with great imagination to go along with it. Not that all stories are good or bad, just unique in the way of one who tells it. Writing fantasy lets you see that anything is possible, it only allows the mind its freedom to see what can happen!

2. Has writing always been part of your life and when did you “know” that it was time to start writing your first book?

When I was in 9^th grade I worked in the school library: (It was my last class for the day) New books would can in. Each having a long list of kids that want to read them, so I would take them home and read all night to get them back the next day. The worlds I opened reading all those books inspired me. My imagination sparked….

I knew I want to make someone feel like I did and wanted to write a good book….

I’ve written off and on, for many years, but nothing finished to be published. I felt like I needed to write a book that would be worthy of publishing. So, in 2015, I had a dream that started my journey….

3. How difficult was it writing your first book?

The first chapter went well but the second chapter stumped me a little. I took writing the book very seriously like it was a job. Working on it from 9 till 5 every day until it was done.

4. Have you ever wanted to give up and what stopped you?

No, I found it very fascinating. Each chapter just seemed to come alive, like I was living in this great new world.

5. Who is the most supportive of you and your dream to be a writer?

Myself. I don’t think anyone understood the imagination of my writing.

6. Anything specific you want to tell your readers?

Sometimes you just must believe, and sometimes it takes time for others to understand, but don’t give up… You will get there.

7. What is the best advice given to you (book or otherwise), and by whom?

Well, that one’s kind of funny, I would say it was the self-publishing companies…

I talked to a lot of them before I published it. They all loved my excitement in explaining the book. Like some how they could cross over into you amazing new world and see the potential in the book.

8. What is your target audience and what aspect of your writing do you feel targets that audience?

Well, my books are fantasy, so I feel like they’re for all ages, but it would best fall into Young-Adults category.

9. Did the cover evolve the same way, or did you work with someone to make it come together for you?

My first cover the publishing company made. Then when I rewrote the new version I created it myself and also the second book.

10. What are you working on now? Can we get a peek, an excerpt?

Well, I’m working on two books; Just got to be me and the third book to WONDERS & MYSTERIES (just star the first chapter) Oh, I do put out a new edition of Oahu To You Magazine monthly. (FOR YOUR EYE ONLY): We touch down on Avala. A peace is within the atmosphere. Mr. Steins yells, “You, you have deceived us all!”

I AM brightening the sky into a wondrous beauty. Then speaks, “I LOVE YOU ADIEL. I HAVE MISS YOU VERY MUCH.”

A calm swipe through like a breeze. Mr. Steins trembles….

11. Any last words before we wrap things up?

The best thing to do as a writer is to believe in yourself. Sometime people don’t get you, so you need to shake off the bad and keep at what you believe in, because if you touch just one person’s life it’s worth that journey. (I believe in you) Say positive….

Bio:

Well, I believe that we are all unique, we are given certain talents, and it is up to the individual to find them within us. It took some time to find me. Not that I was lost but finding what I am good at. I hope you will understand. My life has felt like many different stories throughout my time. I have moved many times throughout my life and each time I felt like I began a new story. It was like each time I would become a different person with new challenges to take on. Meeting new people with new diversity to learn. Having to find that new meaning in life. I really do believe the saying that people come into your life for a reason. They walk in when they are needed and then walk out when they’ve accomplished their quest, and that is how a good book is written. But with great imagination to go along with it. Not that all stories are good or bad, just unique in the way of one who tells it. Writing fantasy lets you see that anything is possible, it only allows the mind its freedom to see what can happen!

My husband got his old job back in Honolulu, Hawaii and we moved back in March 2024. Somehow, I got this crazy idea to start a Magazine. (right). It’s called Oahu To You, under the name of Ms. Julie. I released my first Edition on April 1^st and then the first of every month a new one is released and can be found on Amazon, Google Books, Rakuten kobo, & B&N.  

I have great writers, great Authors, and many new supporters in this new adventure. I also am writing a new book called Just Got to Be Me. Hoping to get it out soon. It’s about five different short stories and it’s kind of a personal look into my life.

Well, that’s me….

Author’s Blog: https://jasmithbooks.blogspot.com/?zx=5a6704545af98fd1

Amazon’s Author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/J.A.-Smith/author/B0CG27TQ2S?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011698493248

X’s: https://x.com/JulieBeagley1

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15697332.JASMITH

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/WONDERS-Book1-J-Smith-ebook/dp/B0CP1MDZWF?ref_=ast_author_dp

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Media Kit

Book Title: Venator

Series: Roman Equestrian Series

Author: A. M. Swink

Publication Date: July 16^th, 2024

Publisher: Historium Press

Page: 464

Genre: Historical Romance

Twitter Handle: @cathiedunn

Instagram Handle: @am_swink @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #AncientRome #AncientBritain #RomanFiction #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2024/07/blog-tour-venator-by-am-swink.html

Book Title and Author Name:

Roman Equestrian I: Venator

by A. M. Swink

Blurb:

Britannia, AD 59. Decimus is a long-serving senior centurion who dreams of retirement in Rome. Luciana is a Cornovii princess devoted to the freedom and survival of her tribe. Connected only by a passion for horsemanship, the pair could not be more ill-matched. After a deadly conflict thrusts these enemies together, each is determined to fight their desires and triumph over the other. Who will ultimately control the other’s heart?

But Decimus and Luciana are not the only ones on the hunt for supremacy; a desperate struggle over the province is beginning to simmer to a boil. There are whispers of mysterious Druids fomenting unrest among the western British tribes, whose inter-tribal divisions threaten to subsume them. The future of the Roman legions in the province is suddenly thrown into doubt as casualties begin to mount. Decimus and Luciana find themselves entangled within a web of characters, Briton and Roman, playing with Britannia’s destiny to serve their own ends.

The hunt for power is on, where only one side can emerge triumphant. But just who among these hunters will end up hunted?

Excerpt 3:

Decimus’s pulse quickened. ‘Everyone form square! On the double!’

He whirled around to face the treeline, creating the edge of one corner as the men formed up, linking shields around him. He silently cursed the fact that the half-century’s pila were sitting uselessly in a pile on the opposite side of the moor – a spear worked best when confronting a mounted enemy. He looked over his shoulder to find Vulso just behind. ‘What are their numbers?’

‘Forty at least, sir. Probably more.’

‘Fortuna, you old bitch,’ Decimus softly swore. He craned his head and lifted his voice to carry along the lines. ‘Swords ready! Hold formation! Aim for the horses; we’ve got to get those bastards dismounted!’

No sooner had he turned around to face the forest than the British horsemen charged forth from the trees. Time slowed as Decimus took their features in. The compact shaggy beasts they rode rolled their eyes, nostrils puffing visible smoke in the cold air. The warriors’ fierce expressions, accentuated by their intricate woad tattoos and blood-curdling war cries, were enough to make any man’s blood run cold. They brandished their lengthy swords above their heads, long braids and pigtails streaming in the air behind them. Sunlight glinted off the sharpened blades and the glittering torcs that adorned their arms and necks. Their oval shields, skins stretched tight across and embossed with iron, depicted tribal symbols Decimus knew all too well: Silures. Their brightly dyed leggings and fur boots, highlighted against the stark wintry landscape, urged the ponies forward in a triple line, making straight for the Roman soldiers. A whiff of shit within the ranks indicated some of the legionaries had indeed been cowed.

‘Roma!’ Decimus cried defiantly just as the first wave of horsemen smashed into the square. He crouched low and thrust his gladius directly into the nearest horse’s neck. The beast crashed to the ground behind the centurion with a strangled whinny, sending his rider flying. He whirled around and thrust his shield high to parry a sword blow from the next rider. He feinted towards the man’s thigh, causing his opponent to accordingly lower his shield. When the warrior swung his sword again, Decimus ducked inside the weapon’s arc and drove his gladius into the rider’s stomach. He wrenched the blade once and withdrew as the rider slumped over, dark blood gushing from the wound.

Decimus caught a movement in the corner of his eye and turned towards a large warrior approaching on foot. He thrust his scutum forward and felt his arm shudder from the impact of the Silure ramming his sword into the metalled wood. The tip of the blade poked through the canvas lining on the reverse side, coming within a hair’s breadth of Decimus’s face. He heard the Briton’s hoarse laugh and gritted his teeth. He thrust his gladius over the top of his shield, penetrating the warrior directly through his eye. The man fell silent as his skull cracked, brains spilling out onto Decimus’s blade.

The centurion looked around him at the men fighting either side, grasping his useless, unwieldy shield. His men were fighting ably given their considerable disadvantage, but the Silure band had already claimed several casualties. The strength of the square grew increasingly weak as the men stepped over their fallen comrades to fill gaps in the shield line. The ground immediately behind him lay strewn with scarlet-clad corpses.

He ducked down and hurriedly picked up a shield from one of the downed legionaries, tossing his old one aside. As soon as he popped back upright, his brilliant red crest drew more of the enemy his way. An angry, raven-haired man bellowed, drawing the others back. He sawed the reins of his horse directly into the centurion’s path and drove him forward. His skin bore more of the woad dye than his comrades’, and his heavy winter cloak, trimmed in fox fur and fastened about his broad shoulders with large, burnished gold pins, was of a rich, purple wool. Two eyeless heads, fastened to the rider’s saddle by the hair, clattered against the horse’s shoulder. The warrior bent low, sword aimed for Decimus’s head.

Decimus ducked and swerved to avoid being trampled under the horse’s feet. The warrior smashed the flat of his blade down against the centurion’s helmet, knocking the crest over against the back of his head. The world flashed bright before Decimus’s eyes and he felt his legs crumple. He regained his wits just enough to dive underneath the horse’s abdomen as the warrior moved to deal the killing blow. He pressed his shield against the horse’s clattering hooves and thrust his gladius up inside the horse’s stomach. He sawed it back and forth, deepening the wound. The horse reared back off his blade, throwing its rider to the ground. The horse galloped away from the melee, intestines trailing from its abdomen.

Decimus sprang to his feet just in time to see his opponent rush him from on foot. The black-haired warrior expertly parried his thrust, swinging his own sword towards the centurion. Decimus crouched behind his scutum, moving with the momentum of the warrior’s charge and effectively blocking his feints. Suddenly, to his surprise, the warrior ducked down and rolled aside to avoid one of Decimus’s thrusts. Before the centurion could wheel his shield to follow the swift movement, the Silure had risen to a crouch and plunged his sword into Decimus’s thigh.

The world turned red before Decimus’s eyes. Searing pain shot through his frame. He dropped his shield to clutch at the driven blade. The man leant against the hilt to shove his sword in further and Decimus swept his gladius down over the warrior’s knuckles. His blade severed the bones with a swift crunch. The Silure howled and quickly withdrew his hand. The tips of his fingers dropped into the snow by Decimus’s feet. A bright trail of blood followed the warrior’s path as he retreated towards the forest.

Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/m27PO7

Author Bio

A native of Dayton, Ohio, A.M. Swink grew up obsessed with two things: books and horses. After a childhood of reading, writing, showing, and riding, she moved to Lexington, Kentucky to complete a degree in equine science and management and a degree in English literary studies. She now works in Lexington as a college professor of reading and writing. In her spare time, she has travelled extensively around the UK and Ireland, exploring ancient sites and artefacts, as well as tracing her own ancestry. She is proud to be descended from County Cork’s Callaghan clan.

When not writing, she can be found collecting and showing model horses or enjoying her favourite British comedy programmes.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.amswink.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555959905053

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/am_swink

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@am_swink

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/amswink.bsky.social

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/409641726

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/A-M-Swink/author/B0D8WT483P

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/167233946-a-m-swink

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@am.swink_author

Book Link

From Amazon:

She was taken from her family when she was a toddler and raised to be an unstoppable warrior. But for what purpose? As Saku grows in power and begins to master the four elements – earth, wind, fire, and water – she’ll seek answers to that all-important question. And she will learn that there is something beyond the elements – the Voids. If she can learn to bind the Voids, nothing can stop her. Inspired by samurai stories and esoteric teachings, this thriller will keep you turning pages until late at night.

My Review:

Top reviews from the United States

Mary Schmidt

5.0 out of 5 stars First time to read this type of book.

Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2024

Verified Purchase

This was a unique read for me. I learned much about samurai training and using elements, natural elements such as water, earth, wind, etcetera, and being able to control the elements. Not only control, but bind them for the betterment of all. I’m ahead of myself. A baby girl is born, and one faction wants her dead. The other transports her swiftly and carefully to a faraway place to live a safe life in her early years. Around age six, she begins training, in depth, and interesting, as she begins the path destined since birth. Five shiny gold stars.

Book Link

From Amazon:

Join Little Monster and his quirky friends as they guide children through a journey of emotional discovery shared with you by award-winning authors Derek R. King and Julie L. Kusma with her Master of Health Education expertise. From A to Z, each letter introduces a lovable monster embodying a feeling or emotion, an explanation, and a tip for reframing, making it easy for children to relate and understand.

But the magic doesn’t stop there—this delightful book also equips parents with invaluable resources. Simple definitions of emotions and feelings empower parents to have meaningful conversations with their little ones, promoting open communication and mutual understanding. Further strengthen the parent-child bond with a journal exercise to deepen emotional awareness and self-expression. This book is not just for children to learn their ABCs; it’s a tool for parents to engage and connect with their little ones on a deeper emotional level.

Additionally, “Monster Me ABCs” offers practical de-escalating techniques and imaginative role-playing suggestions for parents to navigate their child’s negative emotional reactions. Children learn healthier coping skills and emotional resilience by transforming challenging moments into positive learning experiences.

With its playful and educational approach to emotional learning, “Monster Me ABCs” promises to be a cherished addition to every family’s library.

The Alphabet Concept for Ages 3-5
Educationally for All Ages

My Review:

Top review from the United States

Mary Schmidt

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have ABC book unlike others read before

Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2024

Verified Purchase

I loved the ABC book. I’ve written more than 22 children’s books and many with tough social and personal issues children can have due to outside forces. Their focus encompasses feelings and emotions, but not like this book. First, there is a parent section in the beginning that aids parents, educators, preschool teachers, and others, a refreshing reminder about differentiating between one versus another. The letter pages contain a sentence about how a child might be feeling in the moment. This validates the child’s feelings. Below, one finds a different way to rephrase that feeling in a positive manner easily understood by children. That makes this book stand out! Ten, okay, five shiny gold stars.

Book Link

From Amazon:

Five years ago, First Force operative Grant Ketchum let the ballerina of his dreams dance right out of his life.

After her American adoptive parents had been killed in an automobile accident, Silja Ramsay returned to her birthplace, Russia, to take the position of the principal dancer for the Novikov Ballet Company. She was living her dreams, and although they had very little contact, Grant was proud of her.

The owner and director of the ballet company, Natalia Novikov, has a dark secret: her beloved ballet company is almost broke. Natalia has become so desperate for funds to keep the company afloat that she’s forced her dancers to prostitute themselves to financial contributors at exclusive after-show parties.

As the prima ballerina of the troupe, Silja has been exempt and kept in the dark about the parties, until a big-time American financier, who is obsessed with Silja, offers to bail the failing ballet company out and provide Natalia with everything she will ever need. His prerequisite: Silja must become his personal companion, live in his home, and fulfill his every desire.

Against her will, Silja is taken to the American’s mansion, but before she goes she manages to send a text to the only man who can save her, Grant:

HELP!

Now Grant Ketchum is on a mission to find his lost ballerina and rescue her from this powerful man’s subjugation. He will do anything to get her out alive.

If they survive, will he let her chasse out of his life again?

My Review:

Top reviews from the United States

Mary Schmidt

5.0 out of 5 stars Romance, dancing, love, special forces

Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2024

Verified Purchase

Wow. I’ve not read book one, but this book was great! First, it is truly a stand-alone book read. I was fine with it. When one mixes in special ops teams, USA ballerina who went to Russia to dance, and a very rich monster of a man who is ruthless beyond compare, the suspense is superb, the action dynamic, and great one liners tossed in here and there – that is the mark of a great book! A special love story that spans years, and the ruthlessness that some people are born with, as far as Mr. Crafton is concerned, plus other characters are a great fit. The only sad feeling I felt in my gut was the thought of women who are treated in a similar manner. Real life happens. My prayers go out to all real-life women who are trapped, whether they have a chip in their neck or trapped otherwise.

Book Title: Return to the Eyrie

Series: Medieval Hungary

Author: Katerina Dunne

Publication Date: 30 April 2024

Publisher: Historium Press

Page Length: 404

Genre: Historical Fiction (Medieval) / Historical Romance

Triggers: battle violence (moderate), love scenes (moderate), character suffering from childhood trauma (molestation)

Twitter Handle: @cathiedunn

Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #MedievalFiction #MedievalHungary #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2024/07/blog-tour-return-to-the-eyrie-by-katerina-dunne.html

Book Title and Author Name:

Return to the Eyrie

by Katerina Dunne

Blurb:

Honour, revenge, and the quest for justice.

Belgrade, Kingdom of Hungary, 1470:

Raised in exile, adolescent noblewoman Margit Szilágyi dreams of returning to her homeland of Transylvania to avenge her father’s murder and reclaim her stolen legacy. To achieve this, she must break the constraints of her gender and social status and secretly train in combat.

When the king offers her a chance at justice, she seizes it—even if it means disguising herself as a man to infiltrate the vultures’ nest that now occupies her ancestral ‘eyrie’.

Plagued by childhood trauma and torn between two passionate loves, Margit faces brutal battles, her murderous kin’s traps and inner demons on her quest for vengeance. Only by confronting the past can she reclaim her honour—if she can survive long enough to see it through.

Return to the Eyrie is an epic coming-of-age tale of a young woman’s unwavering pursuit of justice and destiny in 15th century Hungary.

My research for Return to the Eyrie

One of the main elements of historical fiction is thorough research. If an author wants to captivate their readers and make them feel as if they are participating in the story, it’s very important to re-create the period in which the novel is set. Historical background, events and personalities, politics, culture and society, geography, moral values, clothing, food, language, behaviours—these are some of the elements that an author needs to research when writing historical fiction.

In Return to the Eyrie, I have tried to re-create the turbulent period of late 15th-century Hungary: a large, multi-enthnic and multi-cultural kingdom which, in modern-day terms, extended from Southern Poland to Belgrade and from Croatia and Eastern Austria to Central Romania.

My general research included primary sources (such as chronicles, correspondence, literature and legislation of the time) but also secondary sources (scholarly work from the 19th, 20th and 21st century about the time period)

These sources helped me understand the historical and political events of the time, ie. the framework within which my story takes place. Although my main characters are fictional, I needed to place them in real locations, battles and other historical settings.

For specifics like architecture, clothes, weaponry, cultural and societal details (such as the position of women in society, inheritance laws, wedding ceremonies etc), further research was required. For instance, I used itineraries of the Hungarian king and the Royal Judge to make sure they were really present in the locations I put them in certain scenes of the novel.

As I had already done an MPhil degree in Medieval History, I knew where to look for the various books, essays and articles and how to study them.  In addition, I joined a medieval combat group here in Ireland in order to learn the basics of hand-to-hand fighting with medieval weapons (I must admit that was the most enjoyable part of my research!)

It also helped immensely that I can read Hungarian and I have some good friends in Hungary as the majority of the material is in the Hungarian language. It’s only during the last couple of decades that more and more research output has been published in English. The newer Hungarian researchers represent a more balanced approach to the primary sources as opposed to, let’s say, the ones from the 19th and early 20th century who viewed the medieval events from a patriotic (and sometimes even nationalist) standpoint, or the scholars of the communist era who applied the marxist theory to their research.

Another important element of historical fiction is to weave the history into the story without making your novel sound like a history book. Long exposition passages describing events or locations prevent the readers’ immersion into the story. In my opinion, the historical elements need to be presented from the point of view of a character. In other words, the author should show how the particular event, landscape etc affects the characters personally and forms part of their arc.

Of course, there are times where I took some liberties with the history to suit my narrative; but I have noted the main parts where this happened in my Author’s Note.

I hope that with Return to the Eyrie—and my first novel Lord of the Eyrie—I have achieved my goal as a historical fiction writer to entertain my readers but also help them learn and understand the fascinating history, society and culture of late 15th-century Hungary. To me, the best reward is when the readers comment that they felt as if they were part of the story, and that they learned so much about a period and location they were not familiar with.

For reference, here are some of the many resources I used in my research. In addition to these physical books, I also used e-books and articles in electronic format as well as online databases (such as the one from the Hungarian National Archives).

Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bz8gJL

Author Bio:

Katerina Dunne is the pen-name of Katerina Vavoulidou. Originally from Athens, Greece, Katerina has been living in Ireland since 1999. She has a degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Athens, an MA in Film Studies from University College Dublin and an MPhil in Medieval History from Trinity College Dublin.

Katerina is passionate about history, especially medieval history, and her main area of interest is 13^th to 15^th century Hungary. Although the main characters of her stories are fictional, Katerina uses real events and personalities as part of her narrative in order to bring to life the fascinating history of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, a location and time period not so well-known to English-speaking readers.

Return to the Eyrie (published April 2024) is the second book in the Medieval Hungary series, a sequel to Lord of the Eyrie (published in February 2022).

Author Links:

Website (publisher): https://www.thehistoricalfictioncompany.com/hp-authors/katerina-dunne

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076818802721

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katerina-vavoulidou-07962a85/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Katerina-Dunne/author/B09R4P733K

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22196953.Katerina_Dunne

Book Link

From Amazon:

Visions of her Cherokee grandmother, Cordie, flashed through Mary’s mind as her mother, Marguerite, informed her that her stepfathershot himself and was in the hospital. Oh no!

No! This can’t be! Not after the joking around at my home last night. NO!!!!Did she use me last night? She’d never use her scapegoat child. No, she couldn’t! Even Marguerite wouldn’t sink that low! Or would she? Marguerite had always been abusive and vile to most people,and especially to her children and husbands, but would she shoot Harold? 

Yet, here I was, and I had to tell the police that, yes, my mother was at my home all evening and into the night. How despicable that my mother connived her way into using me as her alibi.

This book is a true memoir drawing upon the locals and inspiration of the areas in which the author lives and works. Names of towns, places, facilities, and people are real except for three men. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is not coincidental in nature and places where events take place are from her life growing up.

New Review:

Top reviews from the United States

Kalimaxos

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read

Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2024

Verified Purchase

This is a tough read for those who suffered abuse at the hands of a parent. But in a way, it was cathartic. It may help you understand why abuse sufferers are as they are. Guarded with their children.

Thanks, Kal. Short and to the point!

When You Pass Through the Waters

By Jodie Wolfe

When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.

Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)

The Lord has brought this scripture to my mind many times over the past couple years. Three times we’re told – When you pass through the waters, when you pass through the rivers, and when you walk through the fire. Not IF you pass through these things, but WHEN. In other words, we shouldn’t be surprised by going through difficult times.

I love how the Lord goes beyond all this to say, ‘I will be with you’, and how He won’t allow the river to ‘sweep over you.’ Also, He promises ‘you will not be burned’, and ‘the flames will not set you ablaze.’ What a comfort to know that He will walk with us every step of the way. No matter how much those storms, rivers, or fires rage in our lives.

The Lord continues to teach me this spiritual truth, and definitely did as I was writing my book that just released, Convincing Lou. My heroine, Ellie Lou Williams has had a strong faith throughout my Burrton Springs Series (even though she isn’t mentioned much in the first three books.) 😊 But after facing difficulties and struggles, she’s beginning to doubt the Lord’s faithfulness.

I hope you’ll want to journey along with Ellie Lou and see what happens. Here’s a little bit about my new book.

Blurb

How hard can it be to round up one delinquent groom?

Ellie Lou Williams will do just about anything to save her ranch, even going undercover as a man to round up a fella who is late to his own wedding. The reward will more than cover the money she owes the bank and solve all her problems.

Caleb Dawson agrees to one final job as a deputy US Marshal before he starts his new life away from the trail and tracking criminals. What he isn’t counting on is a mysterious bounty hunter who’s determined to undermine his every step.

Will one reach their goal first? Or will they learn to lean on God and work together?

Bio

Jodie Wolfe creates novels where hope and quirky meet. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and Faith, Hope, & Love Christian Writers (FHLCW). She’s been a semi-finalist and finalist in various writing contests. A former columnist for Home School Enrichment magazine, her articles can be found online at: Crosswalk, Christian Devotions, and Heirloom Audio. When not writing she enjoys spending time with her husband in Pennsylvania, reading, knitting, and walking. Learn more at www.jodiewolfe.com.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.jodiewolfe.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jodie-Wolfe-553400191384913

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jodie-wolfe

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/JodieAWolfe

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15220520.Jodie_Wolfe

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Jodie-Wolfe/e/B01EAWOHXO/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

MeWe: https://mewe.com/jodiewolfe

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodie-wolfe-3955b2bb/

Purchase Links

https://qr.pbgrp.link/convlou

Thanks for letting me stop by today!