I’m looking for ways to get excited about Scripture again. Since I consider myself creative, I thought this was a cool idea. I also like the idea of doing this in a group, maybe even something similar to those find-raising paint nights.
Month: January 2016
Recurring Dream
Last night I had one of those dreams that I know I’ve had many times before, and as always, I woke up just feeling…right about it. I wish I had a better word, but that’s the one that resonates with how I felt.
In my dream, I travel along this long, winding road to Schulkyll Haven, PA (I’ve only ever been there once, so I can’t tell you for certain whether or not the particular house in my dream actually exists or not—maybe I need to scout around Google Maps or realtor.com). I had someone with me this time, and for some reason I feel it was Rupert Young (Sir Leon in Merlin—how odd).
Anyway, we’re traveling along this road and come in to Schulkyll Haven, and the roads are all hilly, and the way the houses are situated reminds me of the streets of San Francisco, another place I’ve never been. We come around a bend on the main street, and we stop at a corner, in view of a huge brick Victorian house (yes, the house is always Victorian). The really weird thing is that at this point I realize I am dreaming, and I tell Rupert that this is the house I always seem to dream about. It’s always in the same town, always on the same road, and always has the same feel when I go inside.
We continue on the road, walking now, and go inside the house. The atmosphere is very welcoming, as though the house recognizes me and is glad I’m home. Even sitting here typing this, I can still smell the somewhat-musty old-house smell of plaster, old wallpaper, and wood, and it is comforting. Even in the dream, I told myself, “Of course the house remembers you; you’ve been here so many times before, in so many dreams before.”
Nothing major ever happens in these dreams. There is never any real action, beyond me traveling along this familiar road—although there is sometimes an alternate route that I take—to this same house. I usually go inside the house and walk around a bit, but I never stay for very long. It may be a strange dream, a boring dream, but I love it. I love traveling that road and visiting that house. I love the feeling I get while I’m inside that house, and I wish I could locate it and visit it in real life.
I’m not much of a believer in reincarnation. I love the idea of it, and I love reading and writing stories that involve past lives, but it’s not an accepted part of my belief system. Still, things like this always make me wonder if there’s not a part of my soul that has seen things from other times, other places. And it’s that kind of wonder that makes me write.
Danielle Ione, Becoming (Limitless novel #3)
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Title: Becoming (Limitless novel #3)
Author: Danielle Ione
Gay.
Confused.
Unsure.
Lost.
Lily was all of the above. She spent her entire life fighting the person she truly was inside. Lily waged a war on her reflection, hating the things she saw that no one else could. She refused to accept that she was different in hopes that one day, things would change, that she would be normal. And it wasn’t until Cambria Miller came into her life, that she started to realize that loving yourself, let you see the beauty in the imperfections.
Cambria let the world see what they wanted; the social butterfly, the logical girl, the one everyone relied on. But no one saw what was underneath it all; the loneliness, the depression, the hurt that was caused by losing the one you love. Since the death of her girlfriend, Cambria refused to move forward, letting herself live in a world filled with memories of what she had lost. But the day Lily became apart of the equation, that all stopped. The lines she had set blurred until all she could see what the girl she wanted so desperately, despite the fear, the memories, and the shattered heart.
As they come together on the broken path, supporting each other in the journey of discovery; the prospects of their future shatters in a tangled web of lies. Cambria and Lily are faced with the destruction of Cambria’s past, leaving them wondering if they bond they had was strong enough to survive.
Becoming is part of the Limitless standalone series. Each book can be read individually, but it is encouraged to read them in order to gain the best experience.
I’m a mama of an amazing set of twins, and a wife to a pretty cool dude. I live off of coffee, books, and sarcasm. I mean, there’s no other way to live, is there? I’m not a romantic person, not really anyway. So I always find it humorous that I only read and write romance, as if it were ingrained in me. My addiction to reading turned into a love for writing. And in all reality, writing is what keeps me sane. Any spare moment I have in my entirely too crazy life, I spend spilling the words from my head onto paper.
Release Day Blitz***The Packing House
Paperbacks & Wine is pleased to bring you G. Donald Cribbs- THE PACKING HOUSE virtual book tour January 18-31.
Title: THE PACKING HOUSE
Author: G. Donald Cribbs
Publisher: Booktrope
Publication Date: 1/18/16
Pages: 261
Genre: YA
~Blurb~
When sixteen-year-old Joel Scrivener has a raging nightmare in study hall and someone records it on their phone, he awakens to a living nightmare where everyone knows the secret he’s avoided for ten years. Reeling from a series of bullying incidents posted on YouTube and an ill-timed mid-year move, Joel takes to the woods, leaving the bullies and his broken home behind. However, life as a runaway isn’t easy. Joel finds it difficult to navigate break-ins, wrestle hallucinations, and elude capture. He races to figure out who his dream-world attacker could be, piecing clues together with flashes of remembered images that play endlessly inside his head. Besides these images, the one constant thought…
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Jonas Aftermath
Well, we survived Winter Storm Jonas here in Dillsburg, PA. Best measurement, we got around 30 inches, but it was really hard to tell because of all the blowing and drifting. It was definitely one for the record books. Thankfully, we didn’t have any power outages or building collapses at our place, although the boys’ swingset took a bit of a hit from the winds.
The snowplow went through once on Friday night, once on Saturday, and a couple times yesterday, but our road is still pretty bad. From what I hear, the main roads are good, which is a good thing, since my son came down sick over the weekend with what is likely strep again.
I had hoped that with all the snow and not being able to go anywhere, that I’d get a lot of writing done, but that really didn’t happen. I did a little bit of work on Witch of Willow Lake, but not as much as I would have liked. I should have used the snow as inspiration to work on my Christmas story, but I just wasn’t feeling it. Go figure, I spent the weekend writing a 4th of July picnic scene.
How about you? How did you fare with the storm? Let me know by leaving a comment.
“Biblical Christianity” has a semantics problem
There is so much truth in this.
A friend shared the following article on Facebook: The Scandal of Biblical Illiteracy: It’s Our Problem. I do agree with its main premise that Christians perhaps aren’t doing so well in their efforts to educate their own (I did laugh at the anecdote that apparently some people really think Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife). What the writer, Albert Mohler, doesn’t mention is the diverse explanation of the term “biblical Christianity.” This term is taken as a given in many churches, and it’s assumed to be understood and agreed upon by all.
There are plenty of other points I could comment on throughout his piece, but the nondescript use of “biblical Christianity” immediately lost me. If it said “evangelical Christianity” or “Anglican Christianity,” that would be a different story. But history shows there is not and has never been a singular Christianity.
Since evangelicalism is the Christianity of choice in…
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The Packing House Release
Paperbacks & Wine is pleased to bring you G. Donald Cribbs- THE PACKING HOUSE virtual book tour January 18-31.
Title: THE PACKING HOUSE
Author: G. Donald Cribbs
Publisher: Booktrope
Publication Date: 1/18/16
Pages: 261
Genre: YA
~Blurb~
When sixteen-year-old Joel Scrivener has a raging nightmare in study hall and someone records it on their phone, he awakens to a living nightmare where everyone knows the secret he’s avoided for ten years. Reeling from a series of bullying incidents posted on YouTube and an ill-timed mid-year move, Joel takes to the woods, leaving the bullies and his broken home behind. However, life as a runaway isn’t easy. Joel finds it difficult to navigate break-ins, wrestle hallucinations, and elude capture. He races to figure out who his dream-world attacker could be, piecing clues together with flashes of remembered images that play endlessly inside his head. Besides these images, the one constant thought occupying Joel’s mind is Amber Walker, the girl he’s been in love with for years. Amber sees little beyond the broken boy Joel has become, despite the letters they’ve written back and forth to each other. But Joel is stronger and more resilient than he looks, and it’s time he convinces Amber of this fact, before he runs out of chances with her for good.
Find out more about THE PACKING HOUSE on Amazon, Goodreads
Discuss this book on Paperbacks & Wine-> The Packing House Discussion Group
Join the Release Day Celebration on Facebook, January 31, 2016: https://www.facebook.com/events/893290854125403/
G. Donald Cribbs has written and published poetry and short stories since high school. Donald is a graduate of Messiah College in English and Education, and is currently a graduate student in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. He and his wife and four boys reside in central Pennsylvania where the author is hard at work on his next book, tentatively titled, UNPACKING THE PAST, the sequel to his debut novel, THE PACKING HOUSE (2016), by Booktrope Editions. Having lived and traveled abroad in England, France, Belgium, Germany, China and Thailand (you can guess where he lived and where he visited), the author loves languages and how they connect us all. Coffee and Nutella are a close second.
Find out more on G. Donald Cribbs: on Amazon, Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter and www.gdonaldcribbs.com
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Eradicating Hatred
ERADICATING HATRED by Tak tse Profit
Check out the new book by Tak tse Profit, ERADICATING HATRED. Below you can find the book’s blurb, cover, trailer, teasers, purchase links and all about the author.
‘This book seeks to affect change in its readers perception of the actual circumstances that humanity shares.’ – Eradicating Hatred.
TITLE: Eradicating Hatred
GENRE: Philosophy
PUBLISHER: Xlibris US
REVIEW COPIES: eBook | Mobi
Etiam Tu: Eradicating Hatred is the first installment in the Etiam Tu book series. It is the initial explanation of the philosophy of Etiam Tu as it applies to mankinds most immediate threat to his continued existence: Hatred. This book seeks to affect change in its readers perception of the actual circumstances that humanity shares. It identifies the sources of the Hatred we are subjected to, the motivations that create and maintain it, and the numerous forms in which it is manifested. It’s goal is to alert its reader and raise their awareness, by thoroughly exploring this multi-faceted threat; examining each form and humanity’s role in maintaining their existence. Ultimately, educating each reader in an attempt to enlist their voluntary individual efforts to assist in Eradicating this evil from the collective human psyche once and for all: forever.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
The Tak tse Profit spent most of life observing conditions, circumstances and people. He spent most his adult life in service to people known and unknown, considering and noting differing factors in life: both in his and other’s. He accepted his commission to share the Philosophy of Etiam Tu: inspired by his young son’s convicting of his heart for having given up on mankind.
REVIEWS:
‘I love most books on self improvement, or about the interactions and emotions of humans. This book focuses on eradicating hatred, things such as: morals, honor, family values, faith, trust, negativity, frustration, envy, resentment, the culture of hatred and more. From the authors experiences and observations over the past 9 years, he has brought us this book. It really opens your mind, and the way he speaks about mankind being saved from itself by stopping the hatred is so true. Hatred is the dangerous issue mankind is facing. GREAT BOOK! A MUST-READ!’ – Lifestyleandliterature.wordpress.com
SOCIAL MEDIA
https://www.facebook.com/EtiamTu/
https://www.instagram.com/tak_tse_profit/
http://ahatefreeworld.blogspot.com/
http://eradicatinghatred.weebly.com/
PURCHASE LINKS
Xlibris Website: http://goo.gl/sYNoMd
Amazon: http://goo.gl/qj8l9q
Barnes & Noble: http://goo.gl/YXtVNM
BOOK TRAILER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2RJxAYxxFU&list=PLnPZ2vtiAjbsoItzwaVyt1DgjNgGim1ro
TEASERS
Review of “The Curious Snowflake”
I just finished reading The Curious Snowflake by James C. Struck. My first impression, based solely on the title and the cover design, was that this would be a quick,lighthearted read. Well, you know the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”? Yeah, that.
Don’t get me wrong; it was quick, and it was for the most part lighthearted, but it was so much more than that.
The story follows Curious Snowflake as she travels through the Great Cloud, asking all the other snowflakes her deep questions of life, the most important being, “What happens when we fall?” It seems that no one has the answer to her questions, and they all grow tired of her questioning. It seems she will never find the answer to her questions, until she meets First Flake. First Flake is the only one who doesn’t grow tired of her never-ending quest for answers, and it is First Flake who gives her not the answers she seeks, but the answers she needs.
This is a children’s book, but it’s also an adult book. The story line is simple enough that a child can follow it with no trouble, and the fact that most of the characters a re snowflakes will appeal to almost every young person one might know. Older children especially will relate to the emotions felt by the snowflake as she travels through the Great Cloud seeking answers to her questions and is at times accepted and at times rejected by the other snowflakes.
But you don’t have to be a child to appreciate this book. The themes woven through the story are universal, and even adults will be able to relate to the Curious Snowflake’s desire to answer her deepest questions, as well as fit in with those around her as she discovers who she is. There is also a spiritual undertone throughout the book that will resonate with anyone who seeks to develop their own spirituality, and the broad themes allow the story to be enjoyed by those of many different faith traditions.
I thought this would be a once-and-done read, but there is a depth to this book that will make me want to pick it up again at some point to see what I may have missed the first time around.
Spotlight LETA HAWK
About the Books
The Newbie
Kyrie Carter can’t believe her luck when she wins a spot on a paranormal investigation with celebrity ghost hunter Drac Petery and his heartthrob brother Gabe. As the investigation begins, her main obstacles are her unsupportive teammates and her lack of ghost hunting experience. Her biggest critic is the ruggedly handsome but enigmatic Spook Steele, who takes an instant and intense dislike to the newbie and seems determined to see her fail. However, Kyr soon realizes that her flesh-and-blood rivals are the least of her worries. The investigation takes a dark turn when the team finds evidence of a decades-old murder mystery, and Kyr becomes the victim of the resident spirit’s violent attacks. The discovery of a family connection to the Berkeleys explains the spirit’s malevolence. Will Kyr be able to help the Peterys unravel the mystery and put the Berkeley mansion spirits to rest…
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Hawk's Happenings 
