Fascinating Friday Feature – Learn, Persist and Have Faith

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by Dave Pratt Over the past few weeks, the first book in my Christian Suspense series, The Home Team, received numerous positive book reviews. That experience has left me both pleased and humbled and caused me to reflect on how someone like me, with several well-reviewed novels in print, who started the journey as a newly commissioned second lieutenant in the Army, braced by a senior officer in a hallway who growled, “Pratt, you can’t speak and you can’t write. Fix it, or you’ll fail.” More than a little shook by the experience, I signed up for the first correspondence…

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Fascinating Friday Feature – One Fruit of the Spirit

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by Ava Pennington Did you know there is only one fruit of the Spirit? Have you ever wondered why you didn’t have more of the nine fruits of the Spirit the apostle Paul listed in Galatians 5:22-23? That list includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. But what if I told you there is only one fruit of the Spirit? That’s right, just one, not nine! God describes several of His attributes as fruit that He develops in us. They are not separate fruits (plural). Rather, each one is a display or facet of the fruit…

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Fascinating Friday Feature – Long Unsolved Family Mysteries

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by PS Wells Awarded Mystery Suspense of the Year, Unnatural Cause explores two long-unsolved family mysteries rooted in World War II. My profoundly smart coauthor, Max Garwood, is a patent attorney and inventor. Max pitches brilliant plots to me and I craft a novel from his ten bullet points. Unnatural Cause, the recent book in the Marc Wayne Action-Adventure Series, is equal parts Max’s fiction and my truth. My grandmother was one of ten children who grew up in a small, patriotic burg in the Midwest. When the US entered World War II, her oldest sister’s son, who had been…

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Transforming Personal Stories into Powerful Insights

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Susan Neal Stories have always been a profound tool for connecting, teaching, and inspiring. Jesus himself used parables—simple stories used to illustrate moral or spiritual lessons. I, Susan Neal, have woven personal and relatable stories throughout my latest book, 12 Ways to Age Gracefully: How to Look and Feel Younger, to help illuminate complex health concepts and encourage a proactive approach to aging. One of the most personal chapters in the book, Keep Your Brain Young, delves into the critical issue of brain health through the lens of my family’s experiences. My mother suffered a stroke at eighty-five, which led…

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Fascinating Friday Feature – Standing in My Settings

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Research is one of my favorite parts of writing, and I took to traveling, if at all possible, to the locations of my novels in the past few years. Actually standing in the place where my story happens has made my writing richer and deeper, as I can weave in the sights, smells, and sounds of a place along with the emotions it stirs up. For my most recent release, What I Promise You, I traveled to Barcelona and Southwest France, and along the way, I picked up quite a few interesting tidbits. First of all was the geography. When…

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Fascinating Friday Feature with Karin Beery – Most Valuable Lesson Learned Through Writing

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Writing a novel is easy. Writing a good novel that people enjoy and want to share with others is anything but. Based on TV shows and other novels, however, you’d never know that. Fictional novelist Richard Castle somehow managed to write best-selling novels without actually doing much writing. I can’t tell you how many novels I’ve read where a character’s debut novels sell millions, making them instant celebrities without any training or experience. But those authors know better—it’s never that fast or easy. Even though I know fiction isn’t reality, that didn’t stop me from imagining my first manuscript was…

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Fascinating Friday Feature – How Fascination Fuels Sarah Hamaker’s Writing

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I’m often asked where my ideas for my romantic suspense books come from, and the answer isinevitably “everywhere and anywhere.” I’m always collecting ideas on what-if questions basedon current events or something I read or heard. I never know what will spark an idea or plotline.Sometimes, those ideas never go anywhere because once I start thinking through the situation, Irealize it’s not enough for a book or it’s too flimsy. Since I write realistic fiction, I also want the storylines to be believable. I’m more of panster (one who writes without outlining the entire book), so I try to spend…

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Fascinating Friday Feature – The Mafia in America

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Pre 1890s While researching my recent release, Claire, I uncovered several interesting facts about the mafia in America. In my book, Claire boards a train to flee New York after her mafia father is murdered and a contract is placed on her head. Toby, an undercover Pinkerton operative, heads for Denver, finding himself on a train with a woman who is vaguely familiar to him. Toby, to add to his cover story, has placed an ad for a mail-order bride. Claire replies to the ad, neither realizing their connection. Can they solve the mystery of who is trying to kill…

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Seen and Heard – May and June Happenings

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Many among our Christian Author Network have been seen and heard; spotted out and about spreading the word on their books, their message, and most importantly, the love and provision of our precious Father. Here’s where you may catch them: Joan Benson appeared on Storytellers with Cristy Lou to discuss her historical fiction novel, His Gift. Attached is the link to hear the full one-hour interview. https://www.facebook.com/christy.lindsay.714/videos/1167724997227945 For additional information on Joan, visit her website at https://www.joancbenson.com/ Growing Hearts with Karen Whiting Karen Whiting has published several articles and has been interviewed on multiple radio stations recently. Catch her if…

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Seen and Heard – April and May Happenings

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Many among our Christian Authors Network have been seen and heard, caught out and about spreading the word on their books, their message, and most importantly, the love and provision of our precious Father. Here’s where you may catch them: Susan Neal, CEO of Christian Authors Network (CAN) and Christian Indie Publishing Association (CIPA), was a featured speaker at The Well Conference for Creatives in Hudsonville, Michigan in April. In addition to her faculty sessions, Susan announced the winners of the Christian Indie Awards and the CAN Marketing Awards with a live presentation for the first time during their awards…

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