A Few Bumps in the Road

The third book in the Idioms & Cliches series is now ready for preorder on Amazon. In A Few Bumps in the Road, Judith Johnson takes her younger brother and moves from Western Virginia to Kansas as a mail-order bride after their parents die. Her husband, although handsome and charming when he wants to be, turns out to also be an alcoholic and womanizer. At least Calvin's older brother is stable and responsible, providing a home for all of them on the farm. But farm life on the prairie can be difficult in 1850, and Cal's attitude makes the struggles even worse. Where will it lead? Does God have a plan in all this?

Link to A Few Bumps in the Road -  https://www.amazon.com/Bumps-Road-Janice-Cole-Hopkins-ebook/dp/B09RQ2XBW9

We are working to have the print, ebook, and audible versions ready at the same time. Brad Leaf, the narrator who produced Unexpected and Maneuvers, has agreed to put A Few Bumps in the Road on Audible and is set to start work on it in March to have it ready by the released date of June 2. I am thrilled to be partnering with him again because he is a true professional and a pleasure to work with. I think his voice is also a great fit for this book. I feel certain that readers and listeners will love this book and the series.

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Have You Changed? 

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Has your life changed drastically because of Christ, or are you living pretty much the same daily life as you were before? You must make him Lord of your life and not just give it lip service. The evidence of a saved life is a changed life. A Christian should stand out as different from the rest of the world.

Have you had a change of heart? Does it belong to Christ and align with His truths more all the time? Have your desires changed? Do you crave a close, personal relationship with the Lord? Do you want to please Him because you love Him? Do you bear fruits of the Spirit as evidence of Him dwelling within you?

Do you love God and make Him first, the top priority in your life -- far above everything else, even your own life? How much do you study God's Word and pray? Do you love everyone and grieve for the lost? Do you want to witness and make disciples? How much have you really surrendered to God?

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Going the Extra Mile

The second book in the Idioms and Cliches series is ready for preorder and will publish on April 5th. Going the Extra Mile tells the story of Aaron Johnson, Jocelyn's grandson from A Bird in the Hand. On his return home to Western Virginia from taking his sister back to her husband in Trade, Tennessee, he's caught in a blizzard in the Appalachian Mountains, stumbles upon a remote cabin, and is rescued by the young lady inside. When her uncle turns up murdered, things get complicated.

Amazon Link - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09Q9489QK

James R. Cheatam, the narrator who produced Walnut Cake by Wylene, will begin the Audible version of the book in the next few days. Our goal is to have it ready at the same time the print and ebook versions release. James did such a great job with Walnut Cake by Wylene that I can't wait to see what he does with this book. He lives in Iowa now, but he grew up in Georgia. He is a retired military veteran who has been deployed in four wars and traveled around the world. This gives him a wealth of experience with different accents and voices. He started narrating full-time in 2018 and says he absolutely loves it. Listeners love him too.

Although Going the Extra Mile is part of a series, it certainly can be read as a standalone. This is true for all my books, but even more so for this series. The books are about different generations in the same family, but they often skip a generation, and the same characters rarely extend to the other books, although they may be mentioned in them. The five books in the series will stretch from colonial days with A Bird in the Hand all the way to the stock market crash in 1929 in the last book, Taking Stock. They will publish quickly with the last book coming out in August. This is the most exciting series I've done in a long time, and I can't wait to see them unfold.

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 Whom Do You Put First?

Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24b).

If most of us are truly honest, when the facade is stripped away, we really live for ourselves. Taking care of ourselves and those we care about is our priority, but, as Christians, it shouldn't be. The first mandate in the Ten Commandments tells us, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3). Jesus said, "Thou shalt love the Lord Thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" (Matthew 20:37). Are we our own gods, or is it money, possessions, hobbies, power, or something else? Are you putting God first and living for Him? Do you love Him the way Jesus commanded?

"The church must get back to influencing society for God, but in order to do this we must get back to living for God ourselves" (David Fioraza, The Cost of Our Silence, kindle location 1289).
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Living for God requires a total surrender to him, and this is hard for us. We like to think we are in control, but, no matter what we think, God is always in control. It comes down to a trust issue. If you truly trust in God, then you know His goodness and that He always wants what's best for you. Trusting in God is a choice. If you choose to do so, He will grow your faith, trust, and love. The more you love Him and others, the more faith and trust you will have. The more faith and trust you have, the more you will love Him. It is a wonderful cycle that allows for total surrender.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 5:33).

The percentage of Christians is dwindling in the United States. Our country needs bold Christians who take their faith seriously and put God above everything else. We need to be sure we pass down a strong faith to the following generations. The United States needs to make itself "one nation under God" again, and this needs to begin with each one of us. So, whom do you really live for?

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Falling in Love with a Novel

I'm both a rather prolific writer and an avid reader. I publish about six to eight books a year -- so many that my editor has a hard time keeping up with me. I also read around 350 books a year. Have you ever thought about what makes you love a book? I have.

Although plot-driven books can be a bit different, I read and write character-driven novels. In those, the sooner the reader falls in love with the main character(s), the more they will love the book. To do this, the reader must get to know the characters well, which means exposing the thought processes of the hero and heroine. Using a deep point of view often is helpful here.

Of course, there are other elements that are important to readers in varying degrees, depending on their preferences and opinions, but falling in love with the main characters is always important. It's what makes readers become invested in the characters, get transported into the story, and live the story along with the characters. And that's one of the things that makes a novel really good.

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 For the Love of God

If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15).

In the Christian life, obedience should stem from our love for God, not from a sense of duty or trying to earn favor. Obedience is the fruit of love, not a yardstick. We should also keep in mind that God loves us more than we could ever imagine. A parent's love is strong, but it's only a vague glimpse, a hint, of God's love for us.

And now abideth faith, hope, and charity [love], these three; but the greatest of these is charity [love] (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Corinthians tells us that love is the greatest. It has extraordinary power when connected with God. Marriage is at its best when fueled by love and God's plan. Christ, the Holy Spirit, and His Church are all about love. If the love of God and our fellowmen is taken out of the equation, a church becomes just an organization.

For I am persuaded, that neither death,  nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).

God's perfect love is never demanding or selfish. It is freely given and demands nothing in return. This should encourage us to return His love with our whole hearts. He deserves our love, adoration, worship, and yes, obedience. This divine loving and being loved is more satisfying than anything. We are in Christ, and He is in us, and nothing can tear us apart.

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A Bird in the Hand

I am so excited to be beginning a new series. This will be my last five-book series for a while. I have a trilogy coming out at the end of 2023 and a two-book series in 2024, but all the books between will be standalones or multiple-author projects. The Idioms & Cliches series will span several generations.

A Bird in the Hand, the first book in the series, is set during the Revolutionary War in Pennsylvania but moves to Western Virginia near the end. Jocelyn Wright would prefer to be outside with her twin brother instead of in drawing rooms and social events. She has had to hide her true self and pretend to be the young lady everyone expects. But Jonas is getting ready to attend Philadelphia College, the colonies’ rebellion against the crown escalates, her family is forced to quarter British soldiers, and Bennet Hart comes into the picture. All this means changes are coming much too fast, even for her.

A Bird in the Hand - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09JWMLYSP

A Bird in the Hand was just released and is available in Kindle, KU, print, and Audible. The second book in the series, Going the Extra Mile, is available for preorder now and will be released on April 5th. I love the cover for this book, and for now, it's my favorite of all my many covers. The story picks up with Aaron Johnson, Jocelyn's grandson, who gets caught in a blizzard in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina on his way home to Western Virginia. The series will finish in August, so they'll publish quickly.

Going the Extra Mile - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09Q9489QK

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 Working for Victory

I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee (Hebrews 13:5c).

Even though God had promised Israel He would give them the land around the Jordan River; they still had to fight for it. God went with them, and, as long as they followed His directions, they won the battles. However, they still had to get out there and fight. Too often we expect God to sprinkle us with miracles, surround us with blessings, and drop victories into our laps without effort on our parts. But to get out of Egypt, the Israelites had to move, and to secure the Promised Land, they had to act.

I remember a former pastor telling about when he surrendered to preach and went to seminary. He didn't focus on his classes or sacrifice extra time to study hard. When midterms came out, he was stunned to see his low grades. Since he had committed his life to serving God, he expected God to take care of the rest. However, he quickly learned that God still expected him to put forth effort and to do his best.

This is an important lesson to learn. When God calls us to a task, the going may not always be easy. There may be struggles and problems along the way. He doesn't promise us easy, but He does promise to always be with us and give us victory in the end if we'll stick with His plan. As Joshua and Caleb found out when they led Israel against their enemies, struggling with God leading the way is so much better than struggling or ever easy without Him.

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