Monday, February 29, 2016

Get Your Romance Fix!

Do you love that "ahhhh" feeling you get when you read a sweet romance? Especially when you get to that inevitable happy ending? Tamie Dearen's romantic comedy series, The Best Girls, can satisfy that craving. And the first book of the series, Her Best Match, is currently free. But beware.... it's addicting! The limited-time price-reduction for Her Best Match is already in effect, in preparation for March 13, the day of the big sale and the release of A Rose in Bloom, a serial romantic comedy. Unlike anything you've ever read before, A Rose in Bloom was written and published in small parts, week-by-week, on Tamie Dearen's blog, to the simultaneous delight and frustration of her devoted readers. Now, for the first time, the complete serial romance will be available to read as a novella. her-best-match-02

Blurb:

Feisty, stubborn, and bored with life in Texas, Anne Best is about to get more than she bargained for. The lovely widow heads off to the Big Apple for a job interview, expecting no more than a few days adventure in New York City, only to find herself with a new job working for the most infuriating man she's ever met.   Billionaire Steven Gherring is one of New York's Most Eligible Bachelors, and he has every intention of staying that way. But Gram has other ideas. She's on a not-so-secret campaign to find a wife for her grandson.   As fearless as she is clumsy, Anne tackles every challenge (including her new boss) enthusiastically, with two lone exceptions... public speaking and recognizing her own feelings. Passions rise along with hemlines as Gram joins forces with Anne, a veteran matchmaker, to find the perfect match for Steven. Get Her Best Match free on Amazon, Nook, iTunes, and Kobo! Best Girls Banner 2014-08-17 at 2.58.51 PM

Own the entire Best Girls Series for $9!

[caption id="attachment_666" align="aligncenter" width="252"]cropped-a-rose-in-bloom3.jpg New Release--Preorder Now![/caption]

Blurb:

Elyssa Rose has delicate flowers in her hands and a muscular guy on her mind.
The talented owner of A Rose in Bloom is determined to make a success of her floral business. And she doesn't want or need a man's help or interference! But trouble shows up in the form of her handsome, but antagonistic, neighbor, Jaxon McCall, a gym owner whose sole purpose is to buy her building from her.
Jaxon McCall once had his eye on Elyssa's building, but now he can't take his eyes off her.
Magnetic attraction draws them together, even as their stubborn personalities drive them apart. A Rose in Bloom is now available for pre-order on Amazon, with a March 13 release date! Author Square

BIO

Tamie Dearen lives with her very romantic husband of thirty-three years. She has two beautiful daughters, two amazing son-in-laws, and one awesome grandson. She plays piano, flute, harmonica, keyboards, and guitar, and loves composing and art. And she hates housework. She has been a dentist in private practice for thirty years. She stays busy playing on her church's praise team and leading a weekly Bible study. In her spare time, she writes books.   Tamie specializes in writing “clean’ books without excessive violence, offensive language, or explicit sex. She has published a Romantic Comedy series called The Best Girls, which includes a free novella and four full-length novels, and recently published her first Christian Romance, Noelle’s Golden Christmas. She has also published the two books in a Young Adult Fantasy series, Alora: The Wander-Jewel, and Alora: The Portal. To combine her love of music with her writing, Tamie composed the background music for the Alora Series video trailer and a Christmas song, which is linked in the back of Noelle’s Golden Christmas. Her latest book, A Rose in Bloom, a romantic comedy serial story, is available for pre-order and will be released March 13.
Tamie met her husband as a freshman in college when she acted out of character on a whim. One night in the library lobby, she spied a cute guy with his first name written on the back of his shirt. She called out his name. When he approached to talk to her, she pretended that she'd met him before, asking about his classes and how he liked college. To her surprise and delight, he also pretended that he knew her, but of course he didn't know her name. They continued this false relationship for two months. Each time they saw each other, an event that occurred three times per week at the cafeteria, he would pretend he knew her. Meanwhile, all of Tamie's friends were careful not to reveal her name to him. When he finally admitted his ignorance of her name, he was astonished to learn the truth. And the rest is history.

Thursday, February 25, 2016

The Ying Yang of it all Knowledge vs. Wisdom

Back in the biblical times King Solomon, was the wisest man around. I think this happened because when God asked him what he'd like the King asked for wisdom (2nd Chronicles 7 & 8). Yet with all the wisdom God gave him, the King fell into Satan's trap.

If he'd gone out and secured the boarders as all monarchs did, Solomon would never have seen Bathsheba taking a bath on the upper patio of her home while her husband - Uriah the Hittite - was doing what Solomon didn't.

How often we fall into the same trap Solomon did. We get complacent. We become satisfied with what we have thinking things will always be as they are.

However, Scripture is VERY clear for it says in 1st Peter 5: 8 that we are to, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

Yet we are more like Solomon who originally emulated his father David than we know. Like this great King to whom God promised a seed of his line would save all, and to whom this promise was bequeathed to, namely Solomon - we lose sight of what’s important - a human failing and one that shows how much we need the forgiveness that Yeshua purchased for each one of us at redemption's cross on Golgotha — an Aramaic word meaning “the skull.”

No matter the language or our need Messiah has already won the victory. It's ours if we claim it and the Good News is that once in Messiah, though we continue to fall short, there is a Savior who is sworn to defend and support us!

So to answer the question "Knowledge vs. Wisdom", for me is simple for wisdom is found within the pages of God's Word.  Where knowledge seems to change as often as the wind does, God's Word never will. So as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD (Joshua 24:15). 

Thursday, February 18, 2016

The Naomi Chronicles & THE DECREE of ALHAMBRA

If Naomi wasn't a hidden Jew fleeing Spain so she could practice her faith in public, her illegal entry into America would make her story very different from the one found within the pages of THE NAOMI CHRONICLES. True, Naomi was ~ Bound by Secrets ~ Trapped by Choice ~ Agreed to an Arranged Marriage ~ And Fell in Love with her Husband whom her Faith Forbid her to Love ~ Then add how living in the shadows, fearing exposure due to the hated Decree that sent her people into hiding, and you'll understand why reading Lola's list left on the kitchen counter, caused Naomi to grieve for the 500 years of hidden Jews ~ like her and her family ~ who were taught to never tell who they were or whom they believed in. 
*******
Lola's list from the DECREE of ALHAMBRA (below)
-  Jews keep their Sabbath from sunset Friday until sunset Saturday night.
-  Jews will do no work during their Sabbath.
-  Jews clean their homes before their Sabbath.
-  Jews wash themselves before their Sabbath.
-  Jews wear clean clothes on their Sabbath.
-  Jews read and study their holy book and pray to their god.
-  Jews light no lights or fires on their Sabbath except for their special Sabbath candles, which they light during a ritual prayer.
-  Jews do not cook on their Sabbath.
-  Jews sweep their homes from the front to the back door.
 -  Jews keep a sacred paper attached to the lintel of their home in a special box made expressly for that purpose.
-  Jews choose their children’s saints’ names from those found in the Old Testament.
-  Jews will not eat certain foods together such as dairy and meat.
-  Jews will only eat animals butchered according to their law. 
Naomi's Reaction After Reading Lola's List
No one would understand why I have this, Naomi told herself. She clutched the papers to her chest, hurried to her office, closed and then locked the door as an added precaution. Taking the key from its hiding place, she opened the safe, rolled up the edict and the list, and placed them within its confines. I hope the removal of this document and list will put a stop to this evil work. Yet, even as she locked the safe, she wondered, why would someone choose to jeopardize all I have pledged to do? The name Lola flashed across her mind, and she realized that she knew more about the teenager than she had ever wanted to. Drained from stress, she entered her bathroom and splashed cool water on her face. A person has to be shaped from birth or maybe even before then to become involved in such things. “I never knew anyone like this until now,” she muttered.
*******
Later, aware her list was missing, Lola remember the priest saying, “If a Catholic were really a Jew, there would be evidence of their rituals. They would always have a good reason for everything they did and everything they owned. Those reasons seemed to support their claims to be Catholic. But we never see those things in homes that are not inhabited by conversos!
********
Historical Notes -The Decree of Alhambra
The Spanish Inquisition began with the signing of the Decree of Alhambra on March 31, 1492, which was in effect until for five hundred years until the decree was rescinded on March 31, 1992. That decree instituted pureblood laws, which forced the Jews to leave Spain before midnight of the above date, become a Catholic converso (which was the title the church gave them, meaning convert) or Anusim (the forced ones, as they called themselves), or die. 
     Prior to the signing of the decree, the crown moved the Jews into towns expressly set aside for them. This made it easy for the office to monitor the conversion of those Jews who had not married Catholics and subsequently converted or convinced those in high office that they believed in Christ. During that time, fervent priests were preaching against the Jews; many who feared death became Catholic and were assimilated into that faith. Others allowed themselves to be baptized and acted Catholic while practicing their Jewish faith at home. The records show that Jews who did not convert and could not, or would not, leave watched their homes and towns razed and torched before the officials killed them.
     The church appointed the office of inquisitor and his assistants. Their work involved the unification of Spain under the Catholic Church. While the office hunted the hidden Jews, some Jews who followed the Laws of Moses, as they called the Old Testament, sought Jews who had fallen away from Judaism and called them back to that faith. The inquisitor’s office labeled those working to bring Jews back to Judaism Judaizers.
      During the trial of Judaizers, the church sought repentant conversions. If a person was unrepentant, the office stripped him of his rank and worldly possessions, tortured him for information, and killed him. If the person repented, the church occasionally showed mercy and allowed him to serve as a cleric. A penitent forfeited everything he owned, was incommunicado for life, and forced to wear a penitent garment, which reflected his reduced status, making him a target of ridicule. If the church deemed the penitent unsuited for service, he incurred everything listed above, was placed under house arrest, and never allowed out of the sight of someone associated with the office of the inquisitor. Jews who became Catholic during this time were called New Christians as a means of differentiating them from those who had no Jewish blood.
     Since the majority of the population was illiterate and poor, they viewed this as God’s recompense for what they assumed was the Jewish belief in their superiority. It took little encouragement for those working within the office to find many who were willing to falsify their witness to curry favor with those in power. The Inquisition’s purpose was to rid the country of all dissidents, including Moors, Muslims, and gypsies. Records show that some Catholic Spaniards used it to acquire the wealth, property, and power they coveted from other Catholics who practiced Catholicism hundreds of years before the Inquisition began.
     It is sad to realize that the place where Judaism flourished after the Jewish diaspora from Israel became an extremely hostile environment toward them for hundreds of years, and horrifying to note that Hitler’s Third Reich used the pure blood laws that Spain had instituted against the Jewish people when Hitler implemented his final solution.
     When we study the Inquisition and its effects, it is important to mention that the Spanish Inquisition came to the new world. The first governor of New Spain, Luis de Carvajaly de la Cueva, was a converso. The office of the inquisitor brought him to trial and found him guilty of Judaizing. He died during his incarceration. The office arrested the members of his family, and they faced the reprisals mentioned above. The only member of this family to survive the Inquisition was Leonor de Caceres, a distant niece of the governor’s. She recanted her Jewish faith at fourteen, was placed within the house of the inquisitor, and when she reached marriageable age was married to a devout Catholic. 
      Throughout the world, many people are interested in discovering if their heritage is Jewish or, as the Spanish Jews say, Sephardim—a word derived from Sepharad, a root word found in Scripture. In the Southwestern United States, many people of Spanish and Mexican ancestry, as well as Caucasians and some Plains Indians, wonder about the artifacts they have, customs they practice, and stories they heard that suggest a Jewish heritage. Some use the name Sephardic, Ladino, Anusim, Marino, or Converso when they refer to themselves, and that leads many knowledgeable people to believe they are Jewish. Since the Jews lived in Spain for hundreds of years and married Catholic Spaniards, many believe that if you scratch a Spaniard, you will find a Jew. Others, both here and in Spain, have noticed that their last names are the names of Jewish towns razed during the Inquisition. Whether here or in Spain, whether people know they are Jewish or just suspect, the Spanish Jews have learned, over centuries of persecution, to hide who they are as a means of survival.
      On March 31, 1492, five hundred years to the day the Edict of Expulsion was signed, King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sofia, his wife, stood in the main synagogue of Madrid. The king wore a yamulke—a skullcap. Chaim Herzog, the president of Israel, flanked him. What he said reveals the Spanish attitude toward the heinous acts the Jews experienced. “May hate and intolerance never again cause desolation and exile. Let us be capable of building a prosperous and peaceful Spain based on concord and mutual respect. What is important is not an accounting of our errors or successes, but the willingness to think about and analyze the past in terms of our future, and the willingness to work together to pursue a noble goal.1”
      Although the king rescinded the edict, he did not apologize for the expulsion because to do so would be unfaithful to Spanish history, which continues to view the country’s unification under Christian rule as a most noble endeavor. However, history records that as of March 31, 1992, those who are Jewish may now live openly in Spain.
********
Bibliography
Authors note: Though THE NAOMI CHRONICLES are not historical, the history of the Sephardic Jews continues to impact Naomi, her husband, and all who care about her. Finding historical primary source and corroborating information was extremely difficult and took more than a year to acquire. Since several writing their doctoral dissertations asked for this bibliography, and so you will know that Naomi's history is true, I have added this bibliography. 

Footnote: Paris, Erna, The End of Days, pg 306–306, Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 1995.

Cohen, Dr. Martin A. The Martyr-The Story of a Secret Jew and the Mexican Inquisition in the Sixteenth Century: The Jewish Publication Society, 1973.

Columbus, Christopher: The Book of Prophecies, Edited by Christopher Columbus, Repertorium Columbianum, V. 3 Hardcover.

Gitlit, David M., Secrecy and Deceit, The Religion of the Crypto-Jews Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1996.

Gitlitz, David M. and Linda Kay Davidson, A Drizzle of Honey-The Lives and Recipes of Spain’s Secret Jews, New York: St. Martins Griffin, 1999.

Lazarus, |FCO|goog_qs-tidbit goog_qs-tidbit-0Emma, The New Colossuss, written in 1883, in 1903, engraved on a bronze plaque and mounted inside the Statue of Liberty|FCC|.

Liebman Jacobs, Janet, Hidden Heritage-The Legacy of the Crypto-Jews. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002.

Sanchez, Dell F., Aliyah! The Exodus Continues, San Jose: Authors Choice Press, 2001.

Wiesenthal, Simon. Sails of Hope, Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1973.

About Author, Paula Rose Michelson
Writing Christian Fiction and Nonfiction from a Messianic Jewish Perspective, Paula Rose Michelson’s work covers Inspirational Fiction & Romance, biblical Self-Help, Political Satire, as well as a short memoir written to encourage those who feel ‘less than’. The wife of a Lutheran Pastor and Chosen People Ministries field missionary – at her core, Paula writes because she desires to faithfully depict Gods love, compassion, and forgiveness while showing her readers The Jewish Messiah of Israel & the world. And having founded LAMB Ministries in 1988, Paula knows that the biblical tools God taught her, which she faithfully passes on to women suffering from trauma and abuse are needed by all, so she includes a few within the pages of each book. For a more extensive bio or to find the authors books click: http://amzn.to/1z8ydzA


Wednesday, February 17, 2016

My #5Star Review of Killer's Craft (The DI Shona McKenzie Mysteries Book 2)

I loved the first DI Shona McKenzie mystery so that I delighted see the second novel finally available by talented author Wendy H. Jones! To say that this author work surpasses the famed Sherlock Holmes saga it’s saying enough in my estimation. For Arthur Conan Doyle’s crime solver isn’t a detective, and he lives where the author did, making his books rather easy to write. We could not solve the crime because all clues that were real were hidden from the reader. In Author Wendy H. Jones, novels we see the clues when DI Shona McKenzie does. Nothing is hidden, because this amazing wordsmith wants us to become involved…and involved I was!

Tension abounds, and multiplied until my head was spinning in this latest DI Shona McKenzie mystery! Yet, the story was easy to follow, and follow it I did staying up all night to find out who did it…and that’s why I urge any lover of mystery, intrigue, and murder to grab this book. But before you begin to read I suggest you make sure you won’t be interrupted because it is absolutely that good!

Being a ‘start at the beginning’ sort of reader, I suggest you read the first novel in this series Killer's Countdown (DI Shona McKenzie Mysteries Book 1) before you begin this one. Either way, once you’ve read a DI Shona McKenzie Mysteries Book, I believe you’ll be eagerly awaiting the next novel with the rest of us!  amzn.to/1mGeZ17
About the Author
Wendy H. Jones
Wendy H. Jones lives in, Scotland, and her police procedural series featuring Detective Inspector Shona McKenzie, is set in the beautiful city of Dundee, Scotland. Wendy has led a varied and adventurous life. Her love for adventure led to her joining the Royal Navy to undertake nurse training. After six years in the Navy she joined the Army where she served as an Officer for a further 17 years. This took her all over the world including Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. Much of her spare time is now spent travelling around the UK, and lands much further afield. As well as nursing Wendy also worked for many years in Academia. This led to publication in academic textbooks and journals. Killer's Countdown is her first novel and the first book in the Shona McKenzie Mystery series

Monday, February 15, 2016

#5STARS for Jesus vs. Santa: Christmas Misunderstood


Written from his heart, Jason E. Royle, uses humor, life experiences, history, Scripture and what he did when hearing his beloved daughter kneeling in front of the Christmas as one would in church while she praying to Santa for Christmas presents.  Each year many parents, like Jason, find the fantasy of Santa becoming more real to their children than the birth of our Lord and Savior difficult to correct. Thus the title, Jesus vs. Santa: Christmas Misunderstood. Neither a treatise nor debate –the reality that parents face this Jesus vs. Santa issue during the Yuletide season makes this a VERY Important read.

Though the focus is Christmas I encourage you to read this book throughout the year. For within the pages the author shares the steps parents can take to build a loving, carrying, and responsive relationship with their children. For just as we trust God because of the relationship and love he has for us, children who see their parents in the same way, will trust what they say.

Because author, Jason E. Royle shows us how to do this, I will share book with others.  amzn.to/1U3vUbB
 About the Author
Jason E. Royle
Writing, for Jason, is a way to express the ongoing story of theology. With every book or article, he hopes readers get a sense of the complexity of God and the necessity of faith. Captivated by the spiritual component of life, Jason loves to read everything from the Greek classics to the Sunday comics. While serving as pastor of a congregation near Memphis, TN, Jason wrote a weekly column in a local newspaper called Sermon in a Nutshell and has had devotions published in The Secret Place, among others.


Jason holds a Master's in New Testament Theology from Johnson University and a Doctorate in Ministry from Sewanee: University of the South School of Theology. Today he lives with his beautiful wife and children in Schaefferstown, PA, where he serves as the pastor of St. Paul's United Church of Christ.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Why Knowing What's Unique About Your Books Matters!

Did it every take you what seemed like eons to realize that a friends tweet about your books gave you what you needed? If so, today’s blog may cause you to smile. If not, after reading this you may look at some of your friend’s tweets with new eyes.

Here’s how I realized that my author friend, William Struse wasn’t retweeting his, “Have you ever read Christian fiction from a Messianic Jewish perspective?” because his books are filled with Messianic information that’s important to Christians. He was trying to show me something I was too dense to see until yesterday eve. When the reality of what he was saying hit me, I formatted these Facebook & LinkedIn posts:


Inspirational Christian Fiction from a Messianic Jewish Perspective
5Stars! “A soulful story in the tradition of some of the Bible's great heroines. Duty, sacrifice, and faith are carried in the arms of love by a courageous young woman, who rises above her own flaws to help others.” Author, William Struse http://amzn.to/1tN7hEp


Christian SelfHelp from a 
Messianic Jewish Perspective
5 STARS! “Forgiveness is a personal self-defining choice,” says Life Coach, Paula Rose Michelson. Within this book, she shares The Kindness Principal and offers an answer to many people’s prayers  that the true answers are found in God, as is clear from the rest of the books title, Lamb Ministries—Life Affirming Messages from the Bible http://amzn.to/1gljnYV

A Christian Fiction Saga from a Messianic Jewish Perspective 

Now you can read the story Naomi told me. A story of fear, the unfulfilled promise of love, betrayal, sorrow, joy, and a faith that overcame all of this to receive the blessing of the love that denied her. <3 http://amzn.to/1IoUSMY

A Christian Memoir with a Messianic Jewish Perspective
Everyone has Something to Overcome...Now Amazon Bestselling author, Paula Rose Michelson shares her childhood learning issues and how God called her to write for Him. 5Stars! "This short read is a testament of overcoming written to encourage many who feel ‘less than’ and help those who feel judged by others." http://amzn.to/SQetiN


With great results, I formatted these tweets:
#Christfic #Inspirational from a #Messianic Jewish Perspective Read NO OTHER CHOICE & you'll...#cr4u #BookBoost #KU http://amzn.to/1tN7hEp 

#Christian #Inspirational #Fiction ~ a #Messianic Jewish Perspective! How can a hidden Jew keep the #Shabbat? #cr4u http://amzn.to/1tN7hEp

#Inspirational #Christfic from a #Messianic Jewish Perspective Thanks4Making NO OTHER CHOICE a hit! #BookBoost #KU http://amzn.to/1tN7hEp


In less than 24 hours triple the number of sold thanks to my friend William Struse! 
William Struse
For information onWilliam and to check out his bestsellers visit: amzn.to/1TQQk7y