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Comment by Joseph M. Perez on October 16, 2009 at 2:13pm

From SMALL GIFTS: very short stories with a touch of faith This is from the first INTERLUDE after "Night Meadow"-where I reproduced a letter to our daughters.

"We picked up a small rescue Maltese female this past Saturday from in front of the pet store in the East county community of El Cajon. I sent you some pictures of the little thing. She is so emaciated she's like a little bag of bones and so frail. In order to get her I had to fib my butt off to the county animal shelter lady. You see, the one who had the thing needed some vouchers to get some cats fixed and figured we, your mom and I, could make a run to get them in which case there would be no money exchanging hands. I had to tell the county lady the cats were ours that they were given up by a neighbor who lost his home to foreclosure-six of them. That's the rule. The vouchers are a once in a life time special good deal and only six are available. My name is all over them so I hope they don't check up on me because I could be toast for perjury."

I told the story of the little one by writing letters to our daughters, and thought it would be kind of nice to let folk who read my book know about her, too. The INTERLUDE segments are true-as in-Princess SweetPea does exist and did go through so very much. The veterinarian made it clear she was just about a week from death when we got her. My wife told him quietly (menacingly) to save her no matter what. The letters cover about the first year. There's a picture of her in my page on this WEB site. Anyway, SMALL GIFTS is available on Amazon. Select books, search J. Michael Perez and there it will be. To anyone in this group who reads it: I would like to hear from you-what do you think? Thank you!

Comment by Deborah McCarragher on October 9, 2009 at 7:32pm

You are invited to tune in to an interview with me regarding my book Mission Possible on WAY Radio through their website at http://am.wayradio.org/ (click on "Listen Online" to hear show live.) Saturday 8:30am or Sunday 8:30pm (EST) - "Conversations with Val Marie" Enjoy!

Comment by Princess Carroll Ayo Durodola on October 9, 2009 at 7:13pm

Check out my new blog http://comprehensivedemonology.blogspot.com
Please read, comment and follow.
Thanks,
Princess Ayo

Comment by Gene Cartwright on October 8, 2009 at 2:59pm

Free E-Book For Members | See 'Author Resources' group

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Comment by Joseph M. Perez on October 8, 2009 at 8:59am

I'm blocked and my outline has failed me. I keep hoping for a knock in the beanie to get me started again. My wife says I need a break. You see, I get up at 0345 to go to my day job. I get home just about 1500. I eat supper, and at 1600 I feed the four dogs finishing up around 1700. Then, it's quality time with wifey-poo. It's bed time at 2000 where I mull/meditate my next move with the book-usually keeping my mind going till 2300 or so when I finally go out. I think there's something wrong with my outline's layout-perhaps I need to revamp it a bit-I need a key word though I'm not sure what that might be right now.
I keep going back to SMALL GIFTS: very short stories with a touch of faith for a little inspiration-it was my first. Every little story has the Savior helping the subject to overcome his dilemma. Now, I don't ask for that kind of help. I do look to Him for inspiration-something that comes from my own faith. Hey, I say,"Good night buddy-see you in the morning" every night looking at his image just before I switch off the light. Who else does that? I think I'm going to have to find a sand dune somewhere where I can get nude and bake in the sun all by myself. (No pictures, please. At age 60 gravity has begun to take its' toll. You don't want to get sick laughing too hard, do you?). Anyway, I go back to what Blessed Charles de Foucald wrote (I mention this in SMALL GIFTS): "One must pass through the desert and spend some time there in order to receive the grace of God; it is there that one empties oneself, that one drives away from oneself everything which is not God and that one empties completely the house of one's soul in order to leave all of it to God alone." I need to cleanse.
The "INTERLUDES" between those stories tell the true story of our rescued little female Maltese set in letters to our daughters, Sidonia and Andrea. I look to those letters for help, too. It ain't happening! I think I'll take tomorrow off-a lets play hooky day-a mental health day away from the day job. Maybe something will pop so I can continue. I still need a key word!

Comment by Stormi Johnson on October 8, 2009 at 7:37am

A great way to display yourself as a writer than to have some business cards. Whats better is that they are free, thats right FREE! Uprinting.com is letting me do a giveaway of 250 business cards so check out the giveaway on my blog.

Comment by Molly Barrow on October 7, 2009 at 7:30pm

Christian Children's Book Review recommends my new book Malia and Teacup Awesome African Adventure for tweens.

Christian Children's Book Review

Who We Are &
Why We're Doing This

We're Christian moms who not only love books, but love helping our kids learn to love books!This blog is a labor of love, started because we couldn't find a comprehensive website of Christian children's picture book reviews. We hope you find it useful.






Malia and Teacup: Awesome African Adventure is a unique and empowering novel by psychologist and author Dr. Molly Barrow. In Dr. Barrow's words, "Prevention psychology is what we need now. Children must believe they deserve to be treated well." This philosophy provides the basis for an exciting, unusual, and sometimes bizarre novel.


When we meet Malia, we notice that her interactions with peers and adults are a bit atypical for a junior high student. When a peer teases her about autism, we gain a clue into her personality. Although Dr. Barrow never specifies whether or not Malia places on the autism spectrum, some degree of autism would explain her quirky traits.

In addition to a possible autism diagnosis, Malia has a fairly dysfunctional family to contend with. When her mother runs off to the city to live with a "creep" of a boyfriend, Malia is left living with her grandpa. Her grandpa, meanwhile, is keeping Malia's dead grandma preserved in the family freezer, among their meat and vegetables. He is trying to find a way for Malia's grandma to continue to communicate with them, but only Malia is able to receive her grandma's "transmissions" through one of her heirloom necklaces. Malia knows that she needs to keep her social worker from discovering the truth about her grandma in order to remain living with her grandpa. Even though Malia and her grandpa are successful in keeping their secret, when Malia's grandpa learns he has a severe heart condition, he turns her over to social services. At this point, Malia learns that her mom and grandparents have lied to her for years, and her father is not dead, but is alive and living in Kenya.

Malia's Awesome African Adventure commences when she is put on a plane to Kenya, to live with her dad, his wife, and his preteen son. Malia has a hard time adjusting to her dad's scheduled, rule-based home, and ends up befriending the African cook, and a tiny dog called Teacup. At this point, the book becomes part mystery, part adventure. When Malia and Teacup decide to sleep in a tent in the yard in order to pass daily room inspections, they are kept busy avoiding cheetahs and an elephant stampede. When not dodging wild animals or Malia's stepbrother, they occupy themselves trying to discover who, exactly, Malia's father is, and why a customs inspector is so interested in him.

Throughout her adventures, Malia learns positive character attributes like bravery, honesty, open-mindedness, and how to make friends. She also realizes that judging people without all the facts can lead to some major mistakes.

In the exciting climax, Malia realizes her dad loves her and is actually a good person. She also realizes that she must act to save Teacup, regardless of risk to herself. Upon returning to the States (after surviving a cargo hold, pirate attack, and being tracked down by the evil inspector) she learns that her mother loves her too. In fact, she has finished nursing school and is married to Malia's favorite teacher--not the creep.

There are a couple of instances of praying--Malia's grandpa prays for her as he sends her off to Kenya, and Malia prays the Lord's Prayer (because it was the only prayer she knew) when she is about to be caught by the inspector. There is also a brief discussion about whether all gods are the same as Allah. Malia asks a friend, "Do you think your God is a different God than my God?" Tahir answers, "No, Allah is Allah for everyone." They then agree that there must be a God because the world is too beautiful to be random.

Delightful pencil sketches begin each chapter. Teacup is adorable, Malia has beautiful, big eyes and wild, curly hair, and each illustration is captioned by a corresponding quote from the chapter.

What I Like: My favorite part of the book is Malia. She is an unusual protagonist, because she is not socially adept or well-adjusted, and deals with phobias and an often-grumpy attitude. She provides a stark contrast to the syrupy, always-sweet protagonists of many "character-building" novels. At the same time, she is funny, likable, and resilient, and we see her grow and change as a result of her adventures.

I also like the fast-paced adventure and mystery elements of the novel. I meant to put it down half a dozen times, but ended up reading until midnight in order to find out what happened. The characters are quite complex and diverse--the African cook is very kind, but has three wives, Malia's stepmother is vain and frivolous, but good-hearted, and Malia's grandpa is eccentric but loves her immensely. We are kept guessing about the inspector and Malia's dad until the end, and even Malia's stepbrother and mom have good qualities. This type of book would be useful for children who tend to see the world in "good and bad" or "right and wrong" terms.

Dr. Barrow includes several fun and informative appendices. She includes a note on Kenya, Swahili terms, and a "creep alert" checklist (tips on staying safe and avoiding abusive situations and people), in addition to a discussion guide.

What I Dislike: There are a few plot and character inconsistencies that make the reading of the novel more difficult. The main issue is there is little explanation of why Malia's grandparents don't give her letters from her mother, and neither does her father. The story works when we think Malia's mother is uncaring and uninvolved, but the surprise of having Malia's mother married and happy to have Malia live with her is a bit of a stretch. If she was caring, wouldn't she have asked Malia to come live with her in the city for the summer, instead of allowing her to be shipped off to Kenya?

In another instance, Malia's father allows her to climb into the cargo hold of a ship and travel to America, in order to be with Teacup. Throughout the journey, the inspector tracks Malia through Teacup's embedded microchip, but this never occurs to her dad, despite his CIA training.

Perhaps Dr. Barrow is showing us adults through Malia's eyes, and that is why they seem so inconsistent and don't act like we think adults should. If Malia indeed placed on the autism spectrum, she would miss social cues and would only be able to interpret adult behavior through concrete actions. However, I wish that there were more respectable adults in Malia's world.

The other issue of concern in Malia and Teacup: Awesome African Adventure is the fact that Malia's grandpa is trying to preserve his wife's body and find a way to communicate with her. Not only is this eccentric and disturbing behavior, the Bible specifically forbids communicating with people who have died. In Deuteronomy 18: 10-11, we read, "There shall not be found among you anyone who. . .calls up the dead." Speaking with the dead is too similar to praying to them, and it shows a lack of faith in God. Dr. Barrow could have shown Malia remembering things her grandma had said to her and having the same internal dialogue with her, without actually speaking to her while deceased.

Overall Rating: Very Good

Age Appeal: 9-13

Publisher Info: Barringer Publishing, 2009; ISBN: 978-0-9825109-0-2 ; Paperback, $14.95

Buy it at Amazon.com for $11.66.

Special Information: Some readers may find the idea of a dead grandmother in a freezer disturbing, and may object to the concept of trying to communicate with her.

Comment by Gene Cartwright on October 7, 2009 at 12:18pm

Comment by John C. Bieber on September 29, 2009 at 1:29pm

Christians, conservatives, those concerned with Islamic terrorism and anyone looking for a fast exciting read and anyone living in America today will love "Angels: A Story about Fannie & Freddie, the President, Blackmail and Murder". Without naming names, the president of the United States in Bieber’s new novel, demonstrates many similarities to the current resident of the White House. “Readers can use their imaginations any way they want. My hope is they can relate to the characters in the story the best way that works for them.” Bieber says.
Inspired by the current day economic and political scene in the United States, in “Angels: A story about Fannie & Freddie, the President, Blackmail and Murder”, lead character Matt Davidson’s real estate company is being taken down by the busted housing bubble and the economic crisis of 2009. As a prayerful believer and ordinary family man, Matt has prayed for help to survive the economic downturn and he is given a gift that lets him see into the spiritual world. The gift is the ability to see angels and demons on earth. He can see them in the world, on television and in photography. Matt sees patterns of demonic activity around certain politicians, some more than others. He prays to find out why and for what purpose he has been given this ability. This leads him on a spiritual mission and he is shown where evil forces lie in the highest offices in American government. Matt is used, with the help and protection of angels, to reveal an Iranian plot to control the American presidency. Matt remains faithful and with the help of a fellow believer friend, they go to “seek out” the one who is revealed to him to be at the center of the plan.
Fast paced, romantic, political, intense, funny, tender, dark and spiritual. John C. Bieber takes the reader from modern day Valley Forge, to the New Jersey shore, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Paris, Monte Carlo, on board Air Force One, Detroit, Tehran, New York City and into the White House. The momentum builds and builds to a dramatic conclusion.
“Angels: A story about Fannie & Freddie, the President, Blackmail and Murder” is available through the online bookstore of Xulon Press at Xuonpress.com and will be at Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Bordersbooks.com, Googlebooks.com, and
Book Statistics:
ISBN: 9781615790876 Suggested Retail Price: US$16.99
Size and Format: 5.5 x 8.5 paperback Page Count: 258
About the Author: John C. Bieber lives in southeastern Pennsylvania with his wife and two daughters. He is a self employed real estate investor. John is a graduate of Kutztown University with a B.S in Criminal Justice. He is an opinion writer and blogger. For more information visit www.JOHNCBIEBER.com

Comment by Lynn Pinder on September 26, 2009 at 4:37pm

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