Monday, November 30, 2015

Welcome Colette Harell!

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Book Title: Tell The Truth; The Devil Won't Genre: Christian Fiction Paperback: 288 pages Publisher: Urban Christian (October 27, 2015) ISBN-10: 1622868196 ISBN-13: 978-1622868193 Publication Date: October 27, 2015 Author: Colette Harrell 

  About The Book
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 From the author of The Devil Made Me Do It The full-figured Esther Redding doesn’t realize it, but she desperately needs a change. Her Cinderella tiara is tarnished, and her glass slippers cracked. No longer any one’s knight in shining armor, Briggs Stokes always had a soft spot for Esther. She was in his blood, and he didn’t want a transfusion. When he returns to Detroit, he decides that nothing will keep him from her door. Well, nothing . . . but the once reformed bad girl, Monica Stokes Hawthorne, Briggs’s ex, who wants to be his—give me one more chance, again—wife. The resulting tug-of-war that ensues may be the catalyst that destroys the person they both love the most. More than one household is upset when the prison doors swing open and a “rehabilitated” Roger, Esther’s ex, returns home. Following Roger is a sinister force so malicious that no one in their community will be left untouched. When truth is held hostage by lies, mayhem ensues. And when it does, the lives of Esther, Briggs, Monica, and Roger are forever changed. Don’t blink—pray—these shenanigans are too shocking to miss . . . The second stand-alone book in the Heaven over Hell trilogy.  

About The Author
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 Colette R. Harrell, Christian Fiction Author Colette Harrell, wants you to know that she’s like you, God’s chosen vessel. She has come to be a gift, to be an encourager and a light that reflects God’s goodness. She’s a wife, mother, author and playwright. A Detroit native, she currently calls Ohio home. She holds a master’s and is a Director of Social Services. Writing with humor and compassion to engage and minister to the human heart. Her motto is: whatever you do, do it “for love alone.” Her newest novel, Devil Get Behind Me! Will thrill this January 2016. It is filled with wisdom and humor. This adventourous love story goes where Ms. Harrell loves to tread, down an unbeaten path. No millionaires rescuing damsels in distress—although she enjoys these reads herself—but real people, falling and getting back up. The Devil Made Me Do It was her debut novel. It was Nominated for First Fiction for the Phyllis Wheatley Book Award. It has been held as one of Black Pearl Magazine’s, top ten Christian fiction books for 2014. And, Read Between The Lines radio show, named it as one of its overall top ten books for 2014. Her sophomore novel, Tell The Truth, The Devil Won’t will cement her as an author to watch.

Excerpt
Chapter One
It was dead cold. The air crackled with the sound of ice-covered tree branches crashing onto cement sidewalks; it was an unnatural arctic day, even for Harlem. There were motorists stranded on every major highway as an epic ice storm settled over the length of New York City. And while the air over those highways was filled with road rage, explicit language, and hunger pains, the contrasting hush of the opulent brownstones on 132nd Street was shattered by an eerie scream that filled the bitter air.
Monica Hawthorne, the ex-Mrs. Briggs Stokes, stood shaking uncontrollably. Her beloved, risked-everything she-had-to-have-him husband of one month, Randall, lay in a pool of blood on their imported Brazilian cherry kitchen floor. If Randall could, he would have stood up and told her for the tenth time that ten thousand dollars for a floor was too much, and just because she could buy it didn’t mean she had to. But Randall couldn’t utter a word. She watched horrified as his blood seeped into the natural grooves of the wood, giving credence to the fact that maybe the cost was too much.
Monica blinked, but he wasn’t getting up or giving her advice about her newly acquired wealth, because standing over him was his newly divorced wife, the ex-Mrs. Meredith Hawthorne. This She-Spawn-from-the-Pits, with her six hundred-dollar hairdo mussed, her designer clothes askew, and her chest heaving in spastic breaths, clutched the knife that once protruded from Randall’s chest. Words of explanation weren’t necessary; the vivid picture painted its own morbid story.
Monica was spellbound. She was in her own home. The ordeal of leaving one husband to claim another’s was behind her. The guilt had been laid aside. The shame stamped down, at least temporarily. It was Randall and her against the world. But it had all just changed drastically.
Snapping to, Monica shrieked, “Oh sweet Jesus! What have you done? You crazy—!”
Her cries were halted by the demented gleam in the ex-Mrs. Hawthorne’s eyes. The maniac’s focus switched from Randall to her, then back to Randall. Mrs. Hawthorne had gone mad, crazy, bonkers, craycray.
Monica’s head hurt at the thought that she was still addressing this woman by what was rightfully her new name. It bore psychological study that she could only think of the witch as Mrs. Hawthorne. For over three years the woman had railed it at her, negating Monica’s right to ever wear the title. She’d stood in haughty arrogance and promised in divorce court that she would never relinquish it. At the time, Monica didn’t care; she felt Mrs. Hawthorne could keep the last name, as long as she had the man. Now she felt she had been short-sighted. If in the middle of a bloody rampage, she thought of her that way, then who was she?
The murderous interloper looked on in glee as blood bubbled out of Randall’s mouth. Monica observed her spiteful approval as Randall’s hand feebly stretched over his wound, but failed in mustering the strength to staunch the flow of his river of life. His eyelids fluttered—pausing, fighting to focus as he scanned beyond Mrs. Hawthorne’s face. His eyes settled on Monica’s outstretched hands.
“Randall,” Monica whispered. She swayed in agony.
Time was grinding to a stop, like an old-fashioned watch discarded in a moth-eaten hope chest, it would soon end, and Randall would be done. She needed a way to get close to him, but Mrs. Hawthorne stood as she had for the last three years, directly in her path.
Always . . . in my way.
Rage bubbled into a go-for-broke moment. Monica launched forward and charged Mrs. Hawthorne with a Joan of Arc warrior’s roar. The sound of the impact and responding grunt was dulled by the body that crumpled to the floor. Monica gambled . . . and lost. Her body fell inches from Randall’s.
Her hands bloodied, Mrs. Hawthorne rocked in despair. She had meant to take her time with the slut, but her offensive attack had taken her by surprise.
Then . . . Monica moved. What she was witnessing had
Mrs. Hawthorne’s keening wail ricochet throughout the spacious brownstone. She glowered in anguish, howling as Monica’s fingers inched toward Randall’s, and they entwined even in their near-death status.
She watched in ghoulish repulsion as the almost loving tableau played out before her. Her eyebrows arched as she made out Monica’s pleading words, “Jesus, help us.”
A rattle of air descended from Randall . . . and then stillness.
In slow motion, Mrs. Hawthorne turned in robotic movements away from the scene. Her steps faltered when she heard Monica’s fading voice, “Father, why hast thou forsaken me?”
The prophetic words washed over her as she stood in cold resolution. Shaking it off, she strutted away from the two people who had humiliated her in public and had caused her heart to bleed dry for three unbearable years.
Randall had won his freedom, imprisoning her in her own madness in the process.
She had sworn to Randall’s dying mother, there would be no divorce. Tears gathered at the end of her hawkish nose, dribbling onto her twice-a-week, spa-waxed upper lip, then streamed down her cosmetic-tightened neck.
She was Mrs. Meredith Hawthorne, of the Hawthornes, and failure was foreign to her. In agony, she backtracked, and stumbled, tumbling over the bodies. Blindly, Meredith wiped her eyes, reared back, and spit in Monica’s face. Still feeling empty and unfulfilled, she stared, craving the ability to wake Monica and kill her again.
Rising, she noted Randall’s discarded, prized Civil War-era, matching pearl- and jewel-handled knives. She blew a kiss at him, and left the knives there. It was only fitting Randall have ownership of what he demanded in the divorce decree. What better way to deliver his bounty, then to use it as the method of obliteration for both he and his tramp?
Mrs. Hawthorne reached into her purse and pulled out her derringer. Acting as a lover whose desire is close to fulfillment, she caressed it. Her insides churning, she panted, taking one last glance at the co-conspirators to her destruction. She could answer Monica’s final question. God had forsaken Monica because she was a Delilah home wrecker. What Mrs. Hawthorne wanted to know, was why He had forsaken her.
She lay the letters for her children—who never called—on the solid mahogany credenza, then her purse. All she’d had was the facade of a happy life. She’d paid for it in an avalanche of tears as she played dumb blonde to Randall’s neglect and numerous indiscretions over the years, anything to keep him home. And how had he repaid her? By falling for a nasty, ashy-prone, ghetto rat. The slut’s resulting pregnancy, and his request for a divorce, “so he could be happy” was the Joker’s wild card. How many wrongs was she expected to endure?
She looked around and hiccupped laughter—a great-granddaughter of the confederacy ending up in a brownstone in Harlem? Well, rise up every long-buried plantation owner and move over. I’m coming in, and from this gaudy, overpriced slum.
In the middle of her cynical chuckle, she bit her lip. She was stalling and knew it. The gun shook in her hands as she placed the barrel to her temple; lips pressed together, she focused on the brightness of the moon, brilliant against the frigid dark sky. The trigger was pulled, and the gun clattered to the ground. Once again blood seeped into the Brazilian cherry hardwood floor.
It should now have been quiet in the apartment. Instead, after the booming sound of the gunshot, you could hear through the intercom three things: the startled cries of a newborn, a phone ringing, and a feeble whimper.

The air was clear and sweet with the aroma of citrus floral and the essence of myrrh. Large winged inhabitants fluttered about on missions of supreme purpose. Above, two hovered in midflight, one apparently holding the other from takeoff.
“Why do you hold me, Zadkiel? I must go. Did you not hear Monica scream? I am hers, and she is mine. Monica thinks that God has forsaken her. I am here,” he bemoaned. What the guardian saw split him in two. He could not linger.
Zadkiel pulled the guardian angel back, his wings clutched, and held him firm through the struggle. “Stand down. She cries out in fear, not faith. We are not charged to react to tears, but we are rewarders of faith. What is occurring is heartbreaking, but you have not been given leave to interfere.”
The guardian wanted to push at Zadkiel’s wings, but that would have been disrespectful. “Oh, why do the humans act this way? Must they torment and cause such pain to each other? They have left a child and though Monica has not been innocent for many years, her screams of pain bring too many hurtful emotions to the forefront. How can you float above it all?”
“I am not above anything, but we must be obedient to our Lord of Hosts. He has not given us permission to intervene; a greater good must be coming.” Zadkiel then telepathically shared with him how he kept the sounds of Randall’s and Monica’s pain in the background of his thoughts. “I am empathetic to your feelings. I have learned that our God knows all and His will is the only way. He did not create this mess, but He will make a way out for the innocent babe. Go sing a song of praise. It will ease your soul.”
Large expansive wings flapped in decisive strokes as a voice of power and beauty soared over majestic heads. As other voices joined in song, the angelic choir trumpeted the holiness and sovereignty of God. Contrary to the chaos, He continued to reign.
In another realm, the gates of hell rattled in anticipation of the eventual capture and consumption of the new souls. It was a two-course meal: adulterer and murderer, their favorites.

Connect Socially 
Website: http://www.writespirit.org/ColetteHarrell/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Colette.R.Harrell
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ColetteRHarrell

Purchase Links
 Amazon: http://amzn.com/1622868196 Barnes & Nobles: http://bit.ly/1XbNJZh

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

HOT OFF THE PRESSES: A Piece of the Pie by Michelle Lindo-Rice

Introducing the Sweet and Spicy series, Book 1. 
Pumpkin is a supermodel with a mother like no other. What Evie wants, Evie gets, and Evie wants is A PIECE OF THE PIE.

Get ready for a fun, crazy read!

Order Your Copy

About the Book

Is Thanksgiving about Family, Fame or Fortune? 
Pumpkin Reynolds is enjoying success as a model, business owner and devoted wife. Then things fall apart. Despite the issues in her professional and personal life, Pumpkin dreams of her Grandma Bertie's sweet potato pie. But this year the question is, Will Pumpkin make room for an unexpected guest?
 
Evelyn "Evie" Burkette was a spoiled teenager when she had Pumpkin. She left her newborn with her mother and never looked back. But now Evie's broke, homeless and owes a loan shark $50,000. Then she sees Pumpkin's face on a billboard and decides Thanksgiving is the perfect time to go home. Cause what Evie wants, Evie gets. And, Evie's not leaving without A PIECE OF THE PIE.


About Michelle Lindo-Rice

Michelle Lindo-Rice is an award winning, bestselling author of "Able to Love" and "On the Right Path" series. She enjoys crafting women's fiction with themes centered around the four "F" words: Faith, Friendship, Family and Forgiveness. She is the 2015 winner of the Black Writers And Book Clubs Rocks Author of the Year Award.
www.michellelindorice.com
To read Sample Chapters, CLICK THIS LINK

Monday, November 23, 2015

Hot New Release: Secret Places by Vivian Kay

Welcome Vivian Kay to my Blog. I've heard great things about this read. It is Christian Fiction at its finest. 
Title of Book: Secret Places
Author: Vivian Kay
Genre: Christian Fiction

About the Book:
After many years of happiness, Moni Badmus's marriage is falling apart. Unwilling to lose her only child, a self-proclaimed daddy’s girl, to her husband in a custody settlement she goes along with his suggestion of an unconventional marriage intervention. Will Moni’s fear of losing what she holds dear take her to dark places she never imagined she would go? Sam Badmus has lost his thirst for the things of God. For a while, his extramarital activities seemed to be a cure for his unsatisfying home life. But soon his risky behavior exacts a steep price and Sam has to turn to the God he left behind to save his family and maybe even his life. Debo Ajala and his wife Adele are living the golden life or so it seems. Debo is a respected church deacon and Adele, a mother to their four adorable sons. Their lives couldn’t be better, that is until Adele’s feelings for another member of their church surface. Adele’s confession unleashes a series of events that Debo never expected. He escapes his troubled life by accepting a pastoral position in a city on the other side of Canada, but soon his twisted past catches up with him. In this emotionally charged tale of sacrifice, temptation, and redemption, two couples learn sin has consequences and there is no place they can hide from the presence of God.

Author Bio
Vivian Kay is a debut Christian author whose faith stories are woven around the themes of imperfection, divine encounters and redemption. When she is not writing or daydreaming about writing, you’ll find her playing simultaneous games of online scrabble or snuggling up with a good book. A wife and mother, Vivian lives in a quiet corner of Canada’s banana belt.

Reviews
In Secret Places, Kay pens a unique and redemptive tale about what happens when we bend our values to fit our carnal desires. You will find yourself in a love hate relationship with Moni and Sam as they try to pull themselves out of their web of deceit. It kept me turning pages to find out what’s next. I can’t wait to see more from this author. ~ Rhonda Bowen, author Get You Good & Under Covers
Secrets Places is an amazing story of restoration and redemption. I was quickly pulled into Moni and Sam and Debo’s story and Kay held me there until the very last line. She is an anointed storyteller and a master at characterization. Readers will not soon forget this book or God’s message of forgiveness between the pages. ~ Rhonda McKnight, author of An Inconvenient Friend & Romance Slam Jam Award winning novel, Unbreak My Heart.
“This is a quick, easy read that packs a powerful punch. Author Vivian Kay has bravely shone a spotlight on subject matter that is not usually covered in works of Christian fiction and I applaud her for that, because the truth of the matter is, there are people, Christians, dealing with similar situations who need to know and understand there is deliverance and healing available for them. This book clearly illustrated the dangers of letting the tiniest bit of sin creep into your life and/or marriage, whether in thought or deed. It also nicely illustrates the saving grace of God. At times, this book made me cringe, made me angry, and left me in shock–and shouldn’t a good book evoke that type of emotion? This reboot of the author’s debut novel is definitely worth the read.” ~ Adrienne Thompson author of Ain’t Nobody.

 Buy Links

Contact Links
Author Website: http://viviankay.com/


Thursday, November 19, 2015

Welcome Abby Kelly!

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I love semantics. As a writer, verbal sparring often leaves me gasping for breath, but, give me a paper and a pen (and a dictionary, thesaurus and encyclopedia) and Ill bury you in etymology.
Recently, I was sidetracked from an entire morning of Bible study by the tiny little word, “in”, and more accurately, its absence.

Genesis 15:6 says, “ And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.”

Principally, when were discussing imputed righteousness with other Christians or the tenants of the Christian faith with an unbeliever, we say, “You must believe in Jesus Christ.” Thats not entirely wrong, but I wonder if it doesnt leave out an integral aspect of the Gospel.

In His time on earth, Jesus didnt just talk about eternal life, but abundant life and complete joy. (John 10:10, John 15:11) And which one of us hasnt envied Abraham or Moses, even a little bit, for the face-to-face, by name, friendship they had with God? But, by and large, the modern Christian pins their hope on a futuristic heaven, even “pie in the sky” imagery that really doesnt translate well into daily life. In fact, those behind the pulpit spend more time reminding their flock that, “The best is yet to come,” and “In this life you will have suffering,” and “The world is going to hell in a hand-basket,” imposing a “grin and bear it” attitude.

But, on this side of the cross, shouldnt our experience and awareness of the God who is our Father and Savior be even more palpable than that of Moses and Abraham? Now that, as Jesus told us, He lives inside of each believer, shouldnt we feel His friendship—at least as well as Abraham and Moses did? He has walked side-by-side with men since the Garden of Eden! I mean, this God, our God, has the dust of our streets on His feet!

Jesus made this planet His home. God came down and dwelt among us in human flesh and He did not leave. Though the physical body of Jesus Christ ascended to the right hand of God the Father, we delude ourselves if we think and act as if He does not dwell among us now with as much reality as He did in the New Testament.

So what does this have to do with the two-letter word I mentioned in the beginning of this article? Glance back with me to the story unfolding just before Genesis 15:6.

In these verses, God promised Abraham, a very old and childless man, a son from his own loins and a nation of descendants—as many as the stars:  “So shall your offspring be.” (Genesis 15:5)

The very next line: “Abraham believed God and He credited it to him as righteousness.”

What did Abraham believe? Abraham believed that God would indeed give him a male heir, and that God would indeed make him a mighty nation, and that God would indeed be his shield and very great reward.

In the New Testament, we learn the repercussion of Abraham believing God. James 2:23:
“ … and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’—and he was called a friend of God.”

To bring this closer to home, think of your current, human relationships. Do you merely believe that your spouse, friend or child exists? Of course not! If that were the case, they might be no more real than Santa Claus whom many children believe “in” and learn later was only their imagination.

To establish relationship and friendship, there must be trust. When you believe someone, when you place stock in their word, you express confidence not only in their validity but in their character. If I merely believe “in” my husband, theres not much to build a marriage upon.
But, when I believe him—the things he says and promises—I am investing in the relationship. I can believe “in” someone based on someone elses word, but I can only believe someone by trusting them—in and of themselves.


And this is where we find the key to Abrahams friendship with God—the frequently missing element in the modern Christians life. Its almost easy, anymore, to believe in God, and particularly easy to believe in “a” god. That leads to difficulty in defining the Christian from other god-followers. Many believe in “a” god, but only those who follow Jesus Christ believe God Himself and can be called His friend.
Genre: Bible Study, Christian Non-fiction ISBN-10: 1632131145 ISBN-13: 978-1632131140

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Abby Kelly is a nomadic, military spouse writing from wherever she momentarily finds herself with her husband, their wonderful dog, Brave, and two tolerable cats. Abby began writing in the process of recovering from a more-than-decade long eating disorder. She credits Jesus Christ for her full recovery and for filling her with a passion to encourage others to seek freedom from their own addictions and struggles. Now, Abby is the senior editor for two online Christian publications: www.tblfaithnews.com and www.mydailyarmor.org. She is a freelance editor, as well. Abby continues to write for numerous Christian publications as well as maintains her personal blog, www.predatory-lies.com. In her free time, she and Brave enjoy volunteering in hospitals and schools as a pet therapy team through Pet Partners. cooltext1950058583  
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Does your life look the same as it did the day you put your faith in Jesus Christ? Or have you discovered the power of the Spirit within you enabling you to live a holy, righteous life? For that matter, is it even possible to be holy? Many Christians today are wading in the shallow end of the infinite relationship God desires to have with His children. They are strangled by addictions and idolatry, or distracted from the pursuit of spiritual maturity by a cheap imitation of moralism. Whatever the reason, their spiritual growth has been stunted; they’ve never gone beyond mere belief in Jesus Christ. Beyond Belief: Jesus Saved You ... Now What? explores what God has in store for you and what He wants from you. With a firm foundation on the centrality of Christ, this book will help you see exactly who you are and what you are called to, based on, and enabled by, His righteousness alone. Through intense study and humbling application of both the Old and New Testaments, Beyond Belief, will show you what a mature Christian life looks like and what it takes to get there.
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