Thursday, July 29, 2021

My Story BEFORE The Story ~ A Familiar Spirit ~ in ~ CAST OUT: Chronicles of a Familiar Spirit ~ Ivani Greppi

As a familiar spirit, a demon, perhaps an imp, as some may choose to label me, my authority and control over generations of Branca’s family tree have been my lot for decades, spanning throughout three continents.

Just as a numerous company of rebel angels, I was given authority over bloodlines for multiple millennia. This is how we serve the rulers and principalities, the underworld’s gods, the spiritual forces, and dominions of this dark world.

It is our cup. Our portion. Our inheritance. Our pleasure to deceive and crush these mongrels made of flesh and spirit. To cause suffering. For them never to see the light of life and be satisfied. To blind the unbelieving ones’ minds, so the light of the Son may not dawn on them.

That is until an impertinent preacher man arrived on the scene attempting to usurp my power over these miserable immigrants assigned to me.

Did he show them a way out of their spiritual stupor?

Did his “weapons” strike terror in my heart?

Did he teach Branca and her family that the Son rises over those who have faith?

Did they learn that when the Son radiates His light, I must flee?

Has not this story been written for thousands of years?

What has been will be again; there is nothing new under the sun.

Now is there?                                                                   

~ ~ ~ ~

Ivani is offering one free signed copy to a US resident for the drawing to be
held Wednesday evening ~ August 4, 2021

~ ~ ~ ~







My Story Title:   CAST OUT: Chronicles of a Familiar Spirit

My Story Genre:  Christian Fiction/ Historical

My Story Releases:   May 21. 2021

~ ~ ~ ~


The Author of My Story:    Ivani Greppi



Ivani Greppi was born in Brazil. Her ancestors were spiritist mediums. Throughout her childhood, Ivani experienced seeing spirits. At the age of 14, while living in Brazil, she was indoctrinated into Umbanda, a spiritual practice derived from the African Yoruba, Ifá faith, syncretized with spiritism and Roman Catholicism.


In 1997, she met a Brazilian missionary pastor in Florida who led Ivani and her family to salvation in Jesus Christ. This fictional story is based on Ivani’s and her ancestors’ spiritual and immigration journey across three continents, spanning one hundred years.

Posted by at 4 comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,

Thursday, July 22, 2021

My Story BEFORE The Story ~ Jade Pepperdine ~ in ~ Journey To Chi Yah

Hey everybody. Jade Pepperdine here. I guess I’m supposed to tell you about myself before Journey To ChīYah, even though it’s embarrassing. But if that’s what Joy wants, here goes.

I’m 34 and live in small-town-nowhere-you’ve-ever-heard-of. I’m named after my great-aunt Jade Edith Pepperdine, and I’ve always hated my name, especially since my mother has a tendency to taunt me for being ‘Jaded.’ Usually, I just roll my eyes when she spits out her favorite Momism, but she can be quite annoying.

So, what can I tell you about me? I’m actually pretty unremarkable. Kinda basic, plain, and a tad rotund (need to deal with THAT one someday) but it’s all good. For real. It doesn’t bother me nearly as much as it used to—okay, getting ahead of myself here...

I grew up in a basic “Pastor’s family” where everything looked all neat and tidy from the outside. There’s three of us girls (Krissie, Marie, and myself) and my brother Bill, who is known as the free-spirit that never quite fits in. I’ve always admired him. Maybe someday I’ll have the courage to pull off some of his wild antics.

My father, Gil, was a wonderful man and a great preacher. He used to test his sermons out on me, then we’d go for donuts. I miss him so much—he’s been gone five years now. Mom blamed his heart attack on consequences for his actions, but I don’t agree. Oh sure, he made some mistakes. Okay, pretty major mistakes, having an affair with his secretary and all, but Mom must have missed the sermons Daddy did on grace. Her constant harping at him had to wear him down—he could do nothing right in her eyes. Do I blame her for Daddy’s death? Strangely enough, no, just seeing the facts a bit clearer these days. There I go again... getting ahead of myself.

Then there’s Mom. Louisa Jean Pepperdine. She’s been a sore subject for me. She’s still the same, with her ‘perfect religious lady’ appearance, sharp tongue, and critical barbs that hurt like bee stings.

Growing up in the Pepperdine home left me wounded enough that I made a run for it… right into the arms of an abusive alcoholic that I married at nineteen. Talk about jumping from one hot mess to another. Fortunately, I figured out pretty early on that my marriage to Daniel would not end well, and I got out before he could add too much damage to my already-fragile psyche.

I work at a library and live in a tiny little gal’s house with my Shih Tzu, Prince, who I adore. I might have rescued him, but he certainly rescued me and takes the place of most humans. My circle of friends is small, since I prefer to keep to myself. If I had to guess, it’s because relationships are risky and I’ve been burned a lot.

Being my friend isn’t always easy. I can be a little high maintenance. It’s hard to deal with my control-freak tendencies, snarky crankiness that gets the best of me sometimes, and the fall-out from a fear-fueled life. My reaction time to button-pushing, my feelings so vulnerable to pain, and my temper at the edge of explosion most of the time, became my way of life.

As you might’ve guessed, Journey to ChīYah is about my travels, and those weren’t exactly a Disney vacation—trust me on that. I got stuck there after an unexpected crisis... okay. Enough said, or I’ll tell you THE STORY.... That, you’ll just have to read... for yourself... soon in Journey to ChīYah.

~ ~ ~ ~

KimberlyRussell is offering a signed book to US only winner or an Ebook to overseas winner.
Be sure to leave your comment by 7pm - Eastern, Wednesday July 28, 2021.
Winner to be announced following the drawing!

~ ~ ~ ~






My Story Title:  Journey to ChiYah
My Story Genre:  Fantasy/Allegory

My Story Released: July 1, 2021

~ ~ ~ ~


The Author of My Story:   Kimberly Russell





Kimberly Russell lives in a tiny house in southern lower Michigan with Toby, the Shih Tzu, who allows her to be his roommate. Retired for four years, Kim’s 30 year day job was that of civil servant in the Michigan Department of Corrections at the local prison complex as the Warden’s Secretary.

Kim began writing in 2009 after she joined an on-line writing community called FaithWriters and regularly participated in their weekly writing challenge. High-ranking finishes led to publication in the 2015 & 2017 FaithWriters anthologies. She branched out and authored a column for entertainment publication, Frank Talk, and has been published in Dog Life Magazine. Her first full-length novel is Christian Fantasy, Journey to ChīYah, which released July 1, 2021.

When not hanging out in her favorite place on earth—the She Shed—and creating literary magic, Kim is a pickleball fiend, playing several times a week. She also loves to read, enjoys a somewhat mediocre golf game, and is a tech geek.

~ ~ ~ ~

You can connect with my author at:

~ ~ ~ ~

WHERE can my book be purchased?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Posted by at 3 comments:
Labels: , , , , ,

Thursday, July 15, 2021

Our Story BEFORE the Story ~ DeAndre and Janell ~ in ~ Mercy’s Song ~ by ~ Sarah Hanks

DeAndre

I’m on my way back…home? Where is home anyway? I thought I could find a home with Mama in Chicago, but nothing turned out the way I’d imagined. When I got a scholarship to art school in the same city my mother fled to after Pa died, how could I not call that fate? But Mama held me at a distance. So secretive at times I can’t help wonder if she’s hiding something. I never did fit in with that school crowd. Couldn’t relate.

So when the scholarship and the money ran out, where was I to go? Definitely not back to Reg. I’ve cut those ties for good. So I’m bound for Crawford County, for Java Joe’s. The last place that felt like home. I don’t even know what I’ll find there. I haven’t kept in touch. Do Rob, Patrick, and Eddie even work there still? Do they even remember me? Canvases of painted dreams shift around in my trunk. I know what’s behind me. What’s ahead?

Janell

I left for college floating on a cloud of bright aspirations. Janell Brodigm. Most Likely to Succeed. Of course, I’d make it. Why wouldn’t I? I’d never—never—gotten below and A in my life. I naturally get along well with people. Teachers, peers. I guess that’s why I didn’t see it coming, this tsunami of failure. What is it they say? Big fish in a small pond, small fish in a big pond? Whatever body of water I ended up in my Freshman year, I drowned in it. That brilliant future everyone swore was in front of me? I sulked home with its broken shards scraping my hands, my heart.

What’s next? I haven’t a clue. I’m working at Java Joe’s—the same coffee shop I worked at throughout high school. It’s not like it’s a bad job. Just far less than my parents wanted for me. Far less than I’d dreamed of. Now that their star daughter has lost her gleam, my parents are intent on setting me up with one successful bachelor or another. As if I can’t make it on my own and need someone to bail me into respectability by association. Humiliating. Maybe… maybe I just need someone to believe in me again. Or maybe I need someone to believe in.

~ ~ ~ ~

Leave a comment, because 
Sarah Hanks is generously offering an autographed book:
Book 1 or Book 2
Winner's choice
Drawing is to be held Wednesday July 21, 2021

~ ~ ~ ~ 








Our Story Title:  Mercy's Song

Our Story Genre:  Slip-Time Novel
Contemporary Christian/Historical Christian Fiction
                                Book 2

Our Story Released: June 17, 2021


~ ~ ~ ~


The Author of Our Story:    SARAH HANKS

 Sarah Hanks has spent the last decade delightfully merging her two main passions—writing and equipping children—by writing a variety of Sunday school curricula.

She wrote her first novel when she was seventeen and continued to write fiction “on the side” until deciding to pursue writing professionally.

Sarah and her husband have eight children, a couple of whom have inherited their mother’s love for playing with words and crafting stories.

Though Sarah dreams of a cabin by the beach, the family of ten lives jammed together in beautiful chaos in St. Charles, Missouri.
She buys ear plugs in bulk.

~ ~ ~ ~

  Get Connected with Sarah:

~ ~ ~ ~

WHERE can our book be purchased?


~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Posted by at 9 comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,

Thursday, July 08, 2021

Our Story BEFORE the Story ~ Amy Torelli & Ted McMasters ~ MIRACLE IN MILAN ~ by ~ MaryAnn Diorio

Hi, Everyone! I’m Amy Torelli, a CPA and Chief Auditor with Enson Pharmaceuticals, a global pharmaceutical company based in New York City. My boss recently gave me the assignment of my life. He sent me to our Italian branch office in Milan, Italy, to investigate a possible embezzlement. I’m both excited and nervous. Can I pull it off?

Although people think I’ve got it all together, they don’t know that, on the inside, I’m falling apart. You see, my dad abandoned my mom and me when I was only five years old. I was devastated and, from that moment on, I’ve never trusted men. So, I’ve pushed aside all consideration of ever getting married and having a family.
 
But when I got to Milan, I met Ted McMasters, the current VP of Enson Italia. The guy totally knocked me off my feet. But I’m afraid. Afraid of what falling for Ted could mean for me. Only more pain, for sure. And nothing is worth that to me.

I’m Ted McMasters, VP of Enson Italia. Although I’m from the States, Enson assigned me to this job to help straighten things out in the Italian branch office. I really wanted to be a pastor in my early days, but I didn’t think I could make a living as a pastor. Plus, I wanted to be somebody. I still feel guilty about that decision.

I also feel guilty about my breakup with my girlfriend shortly before I was going to propose to her. You see, I’ve got a lot of hang-ups about my worth. When I was a kid, I could never do enough to please my dad. He always complained about how and where I was falling short. That didn’t help my confidence at all. So, to this day, I still struggle with feeling good about myself. And that affects my relationship with women.

Speaking of women, the Chief Auditor from the New York office just arrived to audit our books. I noticed some suspicious entries and notified headquarters, so they sent her. Wow! What a beauty! She took my breath away. But I can’t afford to get involved with any woman ever again. It hurts too much. And hurt is something I need to avoid at all costs.

~ ~ ~ ~

Author, MaryAnn Diorio is offering one free Ebook copy for the drawing
Wednesday evening, July, 14, 2021
You MUST leave a comment to be entered.

~ ~ ~ ~









       Our Story Title:   MIracle in Milan

       Our Story Genre:  Contemporary Romantic Suspense

       Our Story Released:   May 04, 2021

~ ~ ~ ~


The Author of Our Story:    MaryAnn Diorio

MaryAnn Diorio is a widely published, award-winning author of fiction for adults and children. Her latest release, Miracle in Milan, is about a young, female auditor who discovers evidence that the man she loves is an embezzler.

MaryAnn has also published The 
Italian Chronicles Trilogy (The Madonna of Pisano, A Sicilian Farewell, and Return to Bella Terra); In Black and White (First Place Winner in Historical Fiction in the 2020 Christian Indie Awards Contest): Surrender to Love (A Novella); and A Christmas Homecoming (A Novella and winner of the Silver Medal in Ebook Fiction in the 2015 Illumination Book Awards Contest).  MaryAnn has also written seven books for children. Her eighth Penelope Pumpernickel: Dynamic Detective, Book 2 in the Penelope Pumpernickel Series of chapter books for six-to-ten-year-olds, will be released in June.

MaryAnn has been married for 51 years to her awesome husband Dom, a retired ER physician. They are parents to two amazing adult daughters, parents-in-love to a very smart son-in-law, and grandparents to six rambunctious children. When not writing, MaryAnn loves to paint, play the piano and mandolin, and make up silly songs with her grandchildren.


~ ~ ~ ~

Get Connected:

~ ~ ~ ~

WHERE can the book be purchased?


~ ~ ~ ~ ~




Posted by at 5 comments:
Labels: , , , , ,

Thursday, July 01, 2021

My Story BEFORE The Story ~ Ashley Hayes ~ in ~ A Life Redeemed ~ by ~ Olivia Rae

God’s peace be with you this day. My name is Ashley Hayes and I hail from London, England. It is the year of our Lord, 1559. My life started out in a very merry way. I was born to a Catholic textile merchant in 1540. I enjoyed throwing daggers with my two older brothers, Robert and Asher in my father’s warehouse. My joy ended early in my life when my father started openly professing his Catholic faith in the era of King Henry VIII Reformed Church.

When young King Edward took the throne, things became worse. Many refused to work with my father because of his Catholic beliefs and often he was not granted permission to do business with foreign merchants. My father began to gamble and make risky ventures to keep his creditors away, but he failed and was destined for debtor’s prison.

The burden of Father’s folly fell to my brothers. Years earlier, Robert, the eldest, became a priest and later was killed in 1554 trying to bring about peace during Wyatt’s Rebellion. From then on, the family’s wellbeing became my brother, Asher’s burden. He would lie, cheat, steal, and sometimes sell tidbits of information to keep food on the table for my mother and me. One night he learned about King Edward’s death before anyone outside the palace knew. Asher took the news to Mary Tudor, who was about to step in a trap created by the powerful regent, John Dudley. Grateful, the new Queen Mary Tudor made my brother a royal agent, a spy. He paid off all my father’s debts, and though my father’s business was never the same, life was secure indeed.

Until one night, the door to our home burst open and my parents and me were dragged to prison on a trumped-up charge. Only once was it mentioned that Queen Mary had given the order so that Asher would go on a dangerous mission for her. The months in the cold, dank cell nearly killed my mother. Then one day we were released. I was taken to the court of Queen Mary and made one of her ladies-in-waiting. Often, I wondered why I was there. The queen ignored me and the other ladies would barely speak to me because I was a lowly merchant’s daughter. Then Asher returned for a short time. He told me he was leaving the country forever. I was to be kept at court as assurance he would never return.

In 1558, Queen Mary died. I was free. My father had died a year earlier and my mother was remarried to a farmer. Suddenly I was in a cottage with three step-siblings. I would have lived out my days happily there, but Queen Elizabeth has other plans for me. I am being sent to Scotland to check on the loyalties of the fierce Laird Gavin Armstrong. I cannot tell you how fearful I am for I am no spy, and Garvin is no fool. What will he do to me when he learns my true purpose for being in Scotland?

~ ~ ~ ~

Olivia Rae is offering 1 free Ebook (print copy is not available yet)
in drawing to be held Wednesday, July 7, 2021
You MUST leave a comment to qualify

~ ~ ~ ~






My Story Title:   A Life Redeemed

My Story Genre:  Christian Historical Romance Fiction

My Story Released:   June 16, 2021

~ ~ ~ ~


The Author of My Story:    OLIVIA RAE


Olivia Rae is an award-winning author of historical and contemporary inspirational romance. She spent her school days dreaming of knights, princesses and far away kingdoms; it made those long days in the classroom go by much faster. After becoming a teacher, she decided to breathe a little more life into her childhood stories.

Olivia is the winner of the Angel Awards, Book Buyer’s Best Award, Southern Magic Award, New England Readers’ Choice Award, the Golden Quill Award, the American Fiction Award, and the Illumination Awards.

~ ~ ~ ~

  Get Connected:

~ ~ ~ ~

WHERE can the book be purchased?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~




Posted by at 13 comments:
Labels: , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)