Amazon Prison

Amazon has a strict policy for authors who submit a book on preorder and punishment for those who don't make their deadline. Writers refer to the punishment as Amazon jail or prison.  When this happens, an author won't be able to submit another preorder for one year.

One of the advantages to preorders is that the book publishes on an exact date, and that makes it easier to manage, especially if it's in a multiple-author series. They're also helpful with sales and promotions. Not being able to do this is a big handicap for an author, and a year is a long time.

However, I can understand why Amazon has a stiff penalty for non-compliance. The readers preorder books in good faith that they will be delivered when promised. It's like a breach of contract when they aren't. I do know a few authors who have endured Amazon prison for a year, but I haven't, and I pray I never do. I had Boone's Burden uploaded a week before the deadline, and that's the closest I've ever come. The novel published on May 30.

Amazon Link to Boone's Burden -

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 Whose Will Do You Follow?

In Jeremiah 42, the remnant, who were left in Judah, feared the Chaldeans would come back and take them, too, so they decide to flee to Egypt. However, first, they went to Jeremiah and ask him to pray for them, despite the fact that the nation had turned from God.

Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the Lord thy God, even for all this remnant; for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us. That the Lord thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do (Jeremiah 42:2-3).

Jeremiah agrees to pray for them, and then they make a promise.

The Lord be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all the things for which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us. Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God… (Jeremiah 42:5-6).

God answered them through Jeremiah.

If ye will still abide in this land, then I will build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you. Be not afraid of the King of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the Lord; be not afraid of him saith the Lord; for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand. But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey to voice of the Lord your God Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, not hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread, and there will we dwell. Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt, and ye shall die (Jeremiah 42:10-11, 13-14, & 16).

After asking for God’s direction and receiving a clear answer, what do these people do? They go to Egypt. Before we judge them too harshly, think of the times you knew you should do one thing in order to be obedient, but you did something else based on what you wanted. We all have been there, especially if we’ve been Christians for a long time. Of course, what God told them would happen did. Disobedience always has consequences. Thankfully, we live in a time where we can have grace and forgiveness, but it’s important to learn from our mistakes and know that life is so much better when we obey. Following God’s will shouldn’t be an option for us, but He did give us free will. Therefore, don’t be like his remnant from Judah, refusing to give up the plans that seemed best to them. Choose to always follow God and His will for your life.

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Succinct Writing

Writers today are taught to write in a clear, crisp manner, using as few words as possible while still staying true to the story and including all the needed information. Writing instructors often use Stephen King's writing as a good example of this. He's known for trimming down his writing to only what's essential. 

This hasn't always been true. Up until the mid-1800s, writers tended to have a flowery, long-winded style. You can see this in many of the early classics. The invention of the telegraph changed all this. Because each letter had to be tapped out with its own code, sending a telegram was expensive. Just twenty words sent from New Orleans to New York cost $5.40, which would be around $150 today.

However, during the Civil War, reporters needed a way to get their stories to their editors quickly, so they used the new invention, but they trimmed their words to the bare minimum. Eventually, this succinct way of writing also filtered down to fiction writers. As people became busier and women joined the workforce, shorter pieces gained in popularity and the call for brevity became stronger. Editors and readers began to insist on it.

So, as with many things, writers must find a balance here. They should write in a clean, concise style while still furnishing all the needed information for the reader. This balancing act is rather subjective, varying, and being interpreted differently by both writers and readers, but we can all see when it goes much too far in either direction.

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On Top and Underneath

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).

We can't always understand God's ways. We live below heaven and we don't have clear, complete, or wide vision. As Paul said, "For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known" (1 Corinthians 13:12). Needlework, such as embroidery and needlepoint, is also a good illustration of this.

I learned to embroider when I was five years old. I had been recovering from an illness and needed to stay in bed, but I was feeling better, became restless, and wanted to get up. Mother gave me a simple piece of cloth with a pattern stamped on it for me to embroider to keep me occupied. I continued with it and other crafts throughout the years.

When you view the underneath side of such needlework, it's a mess of crossed threads, knots, and sometimes tangles. This is also how we view our lives at times since we're living in a fallen world on this side of heaven. Viewed from the topside, however, a beautiful picture emerges. This is how God sees His children who have accepted His Son as their Savior from His vantage point. We don't have that view yet, but we will. However, we can have glimpses of the pattern above through faith in our sovereign God. 

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 Boone's Burden

My next book will publish on May 30th and will be part of the Hers to Redeem series that I'm enjoying so much. This will be my third book in the series, but each of them is a standalone. In Boone's Burden, Boone Malone’s father and brothers were town drunks. When Boone gets drunk and does some things he would have never done sober, he thinks he has their tainted blood and decides never to marry or have children. He secludes himself on a ranch and becomes the foreman. He has no trouble keeping to himself until he decides to help a young cowboy resist spending his weekends in the saloon. When he takes Kenny to church and meets the preacher’s daughter things move out of his control. Can he keep his resolve, or is he weak in yet another area? 

After this one, I have only two more books coming in the series, and I hate to see it come to an end. 

Link to Boone's Burden

Boone's Burden is available for preorder on Amazon now, and it will be available for Kindle, KU, print, and Audible. In fact, I have a new narrator for this one. Todias Coleman just finished the project, and we're waiting for ACX to approve and publish it. With my intense publishing schedule and the length of time it takes to get an Audible book out, I'm pleased to have another strong narrator to turn to. I have three males now: Jared Walters, Adam Slousen, and Todias Coleman. However, I'm looking for a female producer since E.J. Lavery stopped single narration for me, although Douglas Birk and she are still doing my books that have so many characters they need dual narrators.

I only have two more books coming in this series, and I  hate to see it end. If the multiple-author-series administrator would decide to continue it into 2024, I would sign up for more, but that doesn't look likely right now. Inman's Impersonation will publish on July 18th, and Solomon's Secret will release on August 1st. Both are ready for preorder. Don't miss the books in this wonderful series.

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 Women's Roles in the Bible

Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all (Proverbs 31:29).

As we approach Mother's Day and consider the women in our lives, it's interesting to look at the roles of women in the Bible. Women were an important part of Jewish society, and their roles weren't as lowly as many people have been led to believe. Women had the important jobs of managing households and overseeing the children. Even though men made all the public decisions, a woman was often considered an equal partner in daily life. Jewish women in general were treated much better than those in neighboring societies.

It's true that single women without a male responsible for them were frowned upon, but Jewish societal laws tried to avoid this, declaring the line of responsibility. The story of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz is a good illustration of this. Women in Israel had the right to be consulted about their marriage, and they could buy, sell, and own property, as well as make contracts. 

Esther

Some women held high positions of respect. Deborah was a judge as well as a prophetess, and Barak refused to go to war without her. Sarah, Miriam, Hannah, Abigail, Huldah, and Esther are considered female prophets too. Records also show that there were female scribes (see Guardians of Letters by Kim-Haines-Eitzen). Overall, the life of a Jewish woman in the Bible wasn't so bad for their time.

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A Successful Series

The Matchmaker - Agatha Returns is becoming a wildly successful series for me. So far, I have two books published in this multiple-author series, A Match for Marshall and A Match for Cord.  Since it came out on February 1, A Match for Marshall has continued to be my overall best-selling book in all formats: Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, print, and Audible. 

Link to A Match for Marshall

A Match for Cord just released last week, and it quickly rose to be a number one best-seller on Amazon. It has alternated a little between first and second place, but at the time of writing this blog, it is in the number one spot in "New Releases in Western Short Stories" and number fifty-six in "New Releases in Christian Romance."

A Match for Cord has been in the number one slot for my sales both for the week and the month, and A Match for Marshall has been number two. Only the first of my series, which have been out for a long time, have better lifetime statistics, but A Match for Marshall still ranks number six there, and A Match for Cord ranks number fifteen, even though it has only been out for a week.

Link to A Match for Cord

The good news is that I'll have five more books coming in the series to make seven in all. These next books will publish in 2024 and 2025. All of my contributions to this series are really a series within a series because my seven books are set in Pinyon Falls in the Texas Hill Country, and readers will get to stay in touch with some of the characters in previous books. The next book will publish on February 1, 2024.  Silas is the blacksmith in Pinyon Falls. I hope my readers are looking forward to all of these Western novels.

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Belonging to Jesus

After accepting Jesus into our lives, we need to begin a personal journey that will strengthen our faith and bring us closer to our Savior. First, we need to know who Jesus is. We do this by diligently studying the Bible, especially the New Testament. Although Jesus is in the Old Testament, too, and it's important to study all the Bible, we learn the most about Jesus in the New Testament.

We need to stop living by our feelings and selfish desires and start living according to what Jesus wants of us. Again, we can find out what that is in the New Testament, especially in the teachings. We need to start putting Him first and rejecting anything that's not pleasing to Him.

Likewise, we need to accept what He accepts. This is also true when it comes to people. He taught again and again not to judge others harshly but to extend Christian kindness and love. We need to stand strong and unwavering in our faith and our willingness to serve Him. After experiencing an intimate, personal relationship with Christ that brings joy despite our circumstances, we'll never want to depart from Him.

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A Match for Cord

A Match for Cord just published today as part of The Matchmakers, Agatha Returns series. It follows A Match for Marshall, which released in February and has become my current best-selling book.  Cord Atwood was Marshall Walker's foreman in A Match for Marshall. Now he is starting his own horse ranch, but he still helps Marshall when needed.

A Match for Cord on Amazon

Cord needs a wife, and since Marshall found the perfect wife for him through a matchmaker, Cord decides to write to Agnes Sinclair too. When Moriah Williams arrives from Georgia, he's never seen a more beautiful woman, but the moment he opens his mouth, she turns to ice.

Moriah Williams is tired of being seen as just a beautiful object that men want to possess. Since her parents are pressuring her into a shallow marriage with a man she can't tolerate, she decides to become a mail-order bride. Men of the West are known to be real, practical men who appreciate hard work and character. But she barely gets out of the stagecoach before her intended is telling her how beautiful she is.

As with all my books, this one is available on Kindle, KU, print, and Audible. It had a ton of preorders, so I'm confident that it will do just as well as A Match for Marshall if not better. There will be nine of my books in this series, all set in Pinyon Falls, Texas, but the next one won't be out until February 2024. I will share more about the others in future blogs.

A Match for Marshall on Amazon

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