Blog Tour for The Book That Made America: How the Bible Formed our Nation by Jerry Newcombe

Author Jerry Newcombe stated: “The first Great Awakening, of course, helped lead to the founding of America. The Second Great Awakening helped lead to the end of the evil of slavery. Now, we need a Third Great Awakening. Such a move of God is what this nation desperately needs.”

That just about says it all. We need to get back to our Christian roots.

The Book That Made America: How the Bible Formed Our Nation (Nordskog Publishing) by Jerry Newcombe is a definitive volume on the Christian roots of our nation. Those who want to restore knowledge of our Christian heritage have their work cut out. As secularism continues its stranglehold on American education, we move further and further away from retaining our Christian roots. The Book That Made America will challenge anyone to know the true origin of our Nation and to fight to keep it. Newcombe hopes to educate Americans by providing the facts of history, proving that America began as a Christian nation and American’s have every right to preserve and uphold that heritage.

All that is positive in our foundation can be traced back to the Scriptures. Recently, President Obama declared that America is not a Christian nation, while Newsweek announced the demise of Christian America. This book is the answer to America’s critics with the facts of history.

Jerry Newcombe, D. Min., is senior producer for Coral Ridge Ministries and has produced or coproduced more than fifty documentaries. The host of two weekly radio shows, he has also been a guest on numerous television and radio talk shows - including Fox Business News, C-Span, USA Radio and Moody Radio. He is the author or coauthor of twenty two books, including with Dr. Kennedy, What If Jesus Had Never Been Born?, How Would Jesus Vote?, and The Presence of a Hidden God.

Coral Ridge Ministries is a media outreach founded by Dr. D. James Kennedy. Its programming reaches a national television, radio, and Internet audience.

Amazon
Nordskog Publishing

Don't Do As I Do--Do As I Say

I told someone today that I believe my calling is to encourage other writers and create opportunities for them. I’m not sure what that means—‘create opps’ for them, except, I search out markets, keep my ears open, look for good articles, blogs, websites, agents, and quotes that will help them reach and stretch in the right direction to grab some bylines and bucks.

When I was growing up, my mother bought Dial soap. In her mind (and experience) Dial was the only soap that got us clean. She used Tide—no other—and Purex. When it came to fruit drinks, Hawaiian Punch was it. And there was nothing better than Crisco.

She baked with Fleischmann's Margarine. Absolutely no compromises.

When I married, I chose my own brands. Well, actually, I still use Dial, but I prefer Cheer, don’t use Purex at all, prefer I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter and my fruit juice consist of Crystal Light powder sprinkled in a bottle of Aquafina.

When I became president of the Bayou Writers Group, I wanted each and every member to work hard, enter contests for feedback and send their work out. You learn by doing, I tell them. You learn from rejections and critiques. Writers write, I say, as if I’m some great philosopher sharing wisdom. I also harp for them to read how-to books, stand at the magazine rack for hours like I do to know what’s there, study the periodicals, surf the net to learn what’s out there, write, write, write.

Recently I told Robert Swartwood that
many new writers want to be spoon-fed—they don’t want to teach themselves, work hard to learn and achieve their goals. I think I might have been wrong. I guess what I’m trying to say is… I’m becoming my mother.

Am I guilty of force-feeding?

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Writer Friends and Writer Business

The past few days have been hectic but fun. Daughter hopped a plane with three friends and they're sitting in Seattle now waiting to attend the LSU game. Honestly, I doubt if they're sitting and waiting. :)

I hooked 'em to Beaumont to visit friends and take care of some business. Spent Wednesday with Rogayle, my travel writer/novelist friend, then met hubby to have dinner with cousins. Then today, I met with another writer friend.

Debra and I have known each other via the Internet since 2007--if not longer. We "met" when she emailed me about Lamar's writing classes. We clicked and have kept in touch ever since. Debra took my NF writing class. I believe when Debra and I first started emailing each other, she was unpublished. Since then she's sold a recipe and she's got a regular column in a newsletter--a paying gig! Plus, she blogs on a regular basis because she always has something to say. Talk about a go-getter. Every time Debra opens her mouth, I hear myself saying, "That's a fantastic story, you need to write it!" or "Debra, you've got a book there, you need to go home and focus on your writing!" This woman has more stories in her than anyone I've come across, and believe me, there's nothing she can't do.

Today we sat in Rao's Bakery and talked blogging, books and writing for almost three hours. This is a picture of us standing outside Rao's. I can honestly say I wish I had half her energy and all her ideas!

When I left Debra, I ran to Barnes & Noble to meet with the Cindy, the Community Relations Manager and Cathy, the store manager. I hurried to the reference section to see if they had any new writing books and saw a young man browsing. I'm always so curious when I see people purusing the writing books so this time, I was bold and asked if he was a writer. We struck up a conversation, so let me say right here: Anthony, I hope you accomplish all your dreams with your art and your writing.

Cindy and Cathy and I spent an hour discussing our Bayou Writers' Conference. The two ladies are going to manage our conference bookstore/author signing. This will be the first time we've had an author signing at our conference so it's great to have a couple of pros in charge.

Overall, a very productive day with old friends and new ones. What would we do if we didn't have writer friends to encourage us and help us along the way? I can't imagine.

Tomorrow morning I interview the State Treasurer. My brain is mush. I think I'll immerse myself in Project Runway.

Later,

j

CFBA Presents Gone to Green by Judy Pace Christie

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing

Gone To Green Abingdon Press (August 2009) by Judy Christie

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:




Judy Pace Christie, after working as a journalist for twenty-five years, left the daily news business to open a consulting firm that works with individuals, businesses, and churches on strategies for meaningful life and work, including goal-setting, living fully, and balancing personal and professional lives. She is the author of Hurry Less, Worry Less; Hurry Less, Worry Less at Christmastime; and co-author of Awesome Altars. Judy and her husband live in northwest Louisiana.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Lois goes from being a corporate journalist at a large paper in the Midwest to the owner of The Green News-Item, a small twice-weekly newspaper in rural North Louisiana. The paper was an unexpected inheritance from a close colleague, and Lois must keep it for at least a year, bringing a host of challenges, lessons, and blessings into her life.

When Lois pulls into Green on New Year’s Day, she expects a charming little town full of smiling people. She quickly realizes her mistake. After settling into a loaned house out on Route 2, she finds herself battling town prejudices and inner doubts and making friends with the most surprising people: troubled teenager Katy, good-looking catfish farmer Chris, wise and feisty Aunt Helen, and a female African-American physician named Kevin.

Whether fighting a greedy, deceitful politician or rescuing a dog she fears, Lois notices the headlines in her life have definitely improved. She learns how to provide small-town news in a big-hearted way and realizes that life is full of newsworthy moments. When she encounters racial prejudice and financial corruption, Lois also discovers more about the goodness of real people and the importance of being part of a community.

While secretly preparing the paper for a sale, Lois begins to realize that God might indeed have a plan for her life and that perhaps the allure of city life and career ambition are not what she wants after all.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Gone To Green, go HERE

Writer meets Artist

Last night I covered a really interesting art exhibit at the Historic City Hall Arts and Cultural Center, but what made it interesting wasn't the art, but the artist himself. He spoke for an hour, illustrating how he worked and, like most writers, I applied everything he said to my writing. Amazing the similarities between artist and writer. First let me tell you about him: His name is Albino Hinojosa. He was born in Atlanta, Texas in 1943, not far from my home town. That means we have a lot in common--the way we say things, the way we think. When I listened to him speak, I heard East Texas. :-)

Hinojosa was raised by his Cherokee mother and Mexican-American father. Because of his family’s poverty, he didn’t buy his first paintbrush until he was a senior in high school, but he had already been pursuing his interest in art for years, working with an ordinary knife and the pieces of wood he found for himself. He carved intricate wooden guns and toys, not realizing he was actually sculpting. He was offered an art scholarship to Texarkana College. He grew up so poor--that scholarship made everything that followed possible.

Albino Hinojosa was so inspiring, and so encouraging to the many students, art lovers and amateur artists sitting in his audience. He shared all his secrets, and by sharing his secrets he shared his heart. He said, "an artist is always trying to do that master painting, the one that will make him famous, or at least pave the way." So are writers.
He said, "Join a reputable organization and network."
And we writers do, don't we? That's part of it.
He said, "Incorporate passion in what you do."
Yes, that's necessary in writing too. If we don't have passion for what we're writing, it shows, doesn't it?
Hinojosa said he always had the feeling the piece he'd just finished wasn't finished at all--that there was something more it needed, that it was incomplete.
Don't we often feel that way about our stories? That we can add one more chapter, one more character, one more layer of love? That we need to edit or revise one more time.
Hinojosa said that landscapes usually have background, middle ground and foreground.
And so do our books: beginnings, middles and the ending. He also said, "People, you have to get your work out there if you want to rub shoulders with the big guys."

Ain't it the truth?

What spoke to me most was when he said he'd always dreamed of being a portrait painter.

So many of us dream of being novelists, short story writers, famous poets or screenwriters.

It doesn't always happen the way we want it to happen, but that doesn't make us any less a writer.

Albino Hinojosa isn't a portrait painter. He's so much more.

If you are in a position to bring this artist to your town, please do. He's a wonderful, from-the-heart speaker and a fantastic artist. His work is included in a number of museums, including the Masur Museum in Monroe, the Tyler Museum of Fine Art, and the Museum of American Illustration in New York City, and he has had more than 14 one-man shows at various museums and institutions. The Norton in Shreveport, Louisiana is delighted to add its name to that list of host institutions with “Albino R. Hinojosa: An American Realist”. He will be at The Norton from August 11th to September 20th.

Bayou Writers' Conference

We're gearing up for our annual Bayou Writers' Group conference in November. Our speakers are Charles McGrew from Brown Street Press; Trent Angers, Acadian House Publishing; crime writer Kathryn Casey and Melanie Rigney, former editor of Writer's Digest. If you want a brochure, I'll mail you one.

Conferences are fun, and necessary for a writer to grow, learn, and make connections. Networking is crucial in this business. I hope everyone plans to attend at least one conference this year.

Q&A with Author Preetham Grandhi

When Preetham Grandhi contacted me to ask if I would participate in his blog tour, I checked him out on Amazon. I wanted to read what others thought about his book before I committed. More than 60 people have read and reviewed Circle of Souls, and all of those reviews have been exceptional. His endorsements from Judge Judy, M.J. Rose, Paul Castro, and Linda Fairstein are impressive. This is Preetham Grandhi's first novel and deals with paranormal elements, the brutal murder of a child, predestination and other Indian beliefs and traditions. It began as a self-published book. Because of these wonderful reviews and reader comments, my curiosity got the best of me, so I agreed to participate in Preetham's blog tour; he mailed me an ARC. I'm still reading Circle of Souls. I'm fascinated by this new author's stortytelling abilities as well as his attention to detail so I emailed him to ask a few questions. Please take this opportunity to meet Preetham Grandhi and learn from his honest answers to my questions:

How did you write this book? Did you meticulously plot it out or did you just sit down and start writing? Feel free to elaborate on your writing process.
It was a few months post 9/11, and I was looking at the biographies of the people who had lost their lives. I began to wonder if there was a larger meaning to their lives. All of a sudden, a story flashed into my mind, and I quickly wrote it on a piece of paper. I knew then that I needed to write a story that was larger than life. It needed to communicate the essence that there is a bigger purpose and meaning to our passage on earth. I knew that in order to capture and convey such a message, the book needed to be captivating, interesting, and thrilling. I realized that a story based on the work I do would be the right place to begin. I am a child psychiatrist and had just started a new job. During my fellowship, I worked with children with numerous psychosocial issues and had many life stories to tell. It was at that moment that I decided I could write a book that would capture all these thoughts. That was how A Circle of Souls was born.

What aspect of writing this book was the most difficult for you to grasp/conquer? How did you overcome it?
I think overcoming writers block at crucial moments was the hardest to pass. I had to put it away for weeks before coming back to write. In the end I had to be very patient and had lots of encouragement from my wife.

What is the biggest challenge you've faced in writing and marketing your books?
I had thought writing was hard but marketing is much harder. Thanks to bloggers like you I am getting the word out there.

You give wonderful attention to fine details--do you have to work at that or does it come naturally because you're a doctor? How does your profession play into your writing.
Fictional realism is the term used to describe a story that is based on both fiction and the author’s real life experience. If it was only based on author experience and no fiction then the book would be a memoir. When an author uses his or her own experiences it can make the book feel more real. As an author it is sometimes easier to write content from one’s own experiences. It is best to have a good balance of both fact and fiction. In fact without my profession there would be no book. My interactions with children gives an accurate portrayal of their struggles.

Is this a self-published book? How did you find your publisher and if it is self-published, why did you choose that route instead of a traditional publisher?
When I started writing my first novel in late 2002, I never imagined how challenging and long the process would be. The first task was finishing the first version of the book that took about a year and a half. Then it took me about three more years to go through the next sixteen versions and revisions of the book.

Then finally, I had the finished book at hand only to find the task of finding a literary agent or a publisher even more daunting. I went through many agents who said they were either not interested or would get back to me. When I tried to reach the publisher directly they all said I needed an agent. Now I was in a pickle with a good manuscript on hand and nowhere to go.

Then one day I discovered iUniverse the independent publishing house. So in November 2007 I published the first print of “A Circle of Souls.” I was awarded their publishers choice award for excellence. I found it both a relief but yet frustrating that the book was finally available but was poorly received by book reviewers and had limited distribution to online vendors only.
So in early 2008, I began the search for a traditional publisher to pick up the book again. In July 2008 I was at the Book Expo in LA. I was fortunate to meet Lyle and Bryce from Cedar Fort. They are a wonderful father and son team who have been running a midsized publishing house in Utah. They were kind enough to look at my book and accepted to publish it just the way it was. There were no changes in content but had a brand new fabulous cover.
So in June 2009 “A Circle of Souls” was born again with a new gorgeous cover and renewed life. It came with the perks of a traditional publishing house and a better distribution opportunity.

Book Synopsis:
The sleepy town of Newbury, Connecticut, is shocked when a little girl is found brutally murdered. The town s top detective, perplexed by a complete lack of leads, calls in FBI agent Leia Bines, an expert in cases involving children.

Meanwhile, Dr. Peter Gram, a psychiatrist at Newbury s hospital, searches desperately for the cause of seven-year-old Naya Hastings devastating nightmares. Afraid that she might hurt herself in the midst of a torturous episode, Naya s parents have turned to the bright young doctor as their only hope.

The situations confronting Leia and Peter converge when Naya begins drawing chilling images of murder after being bombarded by the disturbing images in her dreams. Amazingly, her sketches are the only clues to the crime that has panicked Newbury residents. Against her better judgment, Leia explores the clues in Naya s crude drawings, only to set off an alarming chain of events. In this stunning psychological thriller, innocence gives way to evil, and trust lies forgotten in a web of deceit, fear, and murder.


How can interested readers purchase your book?
It is available at Amazon.com, and in the stores at Borders and Barnes and Noble. Visit my website at www.acircleofsouls.com for the direct links.

Thanks for the opportunity to be interviewed. ~Preetham