Bailey Tucker, "Maid for Murder"

Bailey Tucker is curious and has to find out the source behind everything! If she spotted the North Star shining brighter than anything else, she’d be the first one to want to check out what was going on. Someone in town may have blamed her for being responsible for it being there, that maybe she had incited an alien invasion in her attempts to send an SOS to outer space, hoping to contact God.

Not being the type to go-it-alone, she’d drag in two accomplices. Together they would take a peace offering—just in case it was aliens from outer space.

Being stopped by the Chief of Police—King Herod, Bailey would appear helpful, but know he wasn’t someone she could trust, and would avoid him after being released, keeping any information she may have stumbled upon in her quest to herself.

Upon arrival in Bethlehem, she would insist on going undercover and would craftily find outerwear to disguise them. She would choose a position of authority so that any would-be aliens would think they were talking to Earth’s leaders, thus pretending to be wise men bringing gifts.

Having mistakenly uncovered an affair at the Inn, started a riot in which the town officials were involved, she and her two cohorts would have gone to the stable to hide out. There discovering a Baby in a manger. She and the other two wise men would then leave their gifts for the ‘needy’ family and head home after discovering the bright star was not a beacon from outer space, signaling an alien invasion.

AUTHOR BIO

Susette Williams is a Best Selling Author. She loves writing various genres, both for children and adults. She usually can't resist the urge to let her ornery sense of humor shine through in one of her characters and has always believed that laughter helps you deal with the obstacles life puts in your way.
Susette and her husband have six wonderful children, all with intriguing and different personalities, like the characters she creates in her novels.

Books by Susette Williams:

Maid For Murder: Deadly Business (Volume 1) print: http://ow.ly/fGsoF  eBook: http://ow.ly/fRfVK

Accidental Meeting http://ow.ly/fR7ft

Falling in Love (Seasons of the Heart) http://ow.ly/fR717

Winter Chill (Seasons of the Heart) http://ow.ly/fR75F

The Quakers of New Garden (New Garden’s Conversion) http://ow.ly/fR7bB

Books for Children:

The ‘In’ Crowd (Life With Stef) http://ow.ly/fGsul

On My Own (Life With Stef) http://ow.ly/fR7GG

Author Website: www.susettewilliams.com

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Susette-Williams/182094681851446?ref=ts&fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SusetteWilliams

Inzared, "Inzared, Queen of the Elephant Riders"

If she were to be a character in the manger scene, my protagonist, INZARED, Queen of the Elephant Riders, would be Joseph.  Joseph displayed many unusual qualities, as does Inzared. 

Joseph was kind, considerate and loving to Mary, the mother of Jesus.  He was understanding.  How many men would continue to love and care for a woman who was pregnant, still a virgin, and claimed the child came from God?  He must have loved his wife very much to make the sacrifices he did.  He worked hard to care for Mary and her unborn child.  He made sure she was warm and sheltered on the way to Bethlehem.  After a long day’s journey he built a fire and make her a hot drink.  She sipped it while he rubbed her back and swollen feet.  When the couple reached the city and time for the birth had come Joseph was persistent.  He knocked on doors to ask for a room and was turned away countless times, all the while worried about his wife’s condition and that of the child that was soon to come.  When the owner of an inn told him all he had was the manger, Joseph gratefully accepted the offer and led his wife to the warmth of the barn full of animals.

Joseph must have had issues, but he stayed silent and accepted his fate.  He loved his wife and eagerly awaited the birth of their first child, even though he knew he had not sired Jesus.  He was a carpenter and planned to teach the child his trade.  He must have had high hopes and dreams for the boy, even as he fought confusion and envy.  Family was important to him.

Inzared displays many of these same traits.  She is adaptable to new situations and learns to live in a totally different culture from the one in which she was raised.  She is non-biased and stands up for the Gypsies when they are bad-mouthed.  She learns a trade from an old Gypsy fortune-teller (even though her own parents would not have approved, because of their strict Christian values).

Inzared is kind and gentle.  She turns the other cheek when people wrong her.   She feels guilty for leaving home but keeps a sunny disposition as she learns to ride the elephant.  While she carries her first child she knows he will be half Gajji and half Gypsy.  She must worry about it but never lets on, instead keeping a soft voice and doing her best to be happy.  The overlying thread of Inzared’s life is that she is strong, just as Joseph was.  She cares deeply for her family, both the one she grew up in and her new Gypsy familia.  She is kind and generous and giving.

These traits are special and indicative of the Christmas season, when we think of the manger scene and what it depicts.  Inzared could do a lot worse!

Links for L.Leander and INZARED, Queen of the Elephant Riders

Amazon Link: http://tinyurl.com/7dfave4

Amazon UK Link:  http://tinyurl.com/by8xlwk

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/L.-Leander/e/B008IVRNU8

Video Trailer:  http://youtu.be/lQHtsFQGAP0

Website:  www.lleander.com

FB Author Page:  http://facebook.com/lleanderbooks

L.Leander Blog: http://lleander11.wordpress.com/

L.Leander’s Reviews and Interviews: http://lleandersreviewsandinterviews.wordpress.com/

Twitter:  @lleander11

Do You Know Your Rights? by S. L. Wallace

Today is a very special day. Yes, it's the first day of the Holiday Blog Hop, and for that, I'm very excited. However, it is also Human Rights Day, and that is even more important.

 Did you know today was Human Rights Day? Did you know that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a cornerstone of most international treaties and many laws worldwide? Do you know your rights? If not, you're not alone.

The focus for 2012, is on articles 19, 20 and 21.

Article 19: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20: Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

Article 21: Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country. The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

Unfortunately, not all countries agree with all 30 human rights, but that doesn't negate the fact that they belong to you. But how would you know to fight for your rights, if you don't even know what they are? Youth for Human Rights is an amazing website! They've taken the time to create and share 30 short public service announcements about our rights. If you prefer reading to visual media, here is a plain language version of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Today is important, and these rights are important because they're yours; they're mine. They belong to all of us.

World AIDS Day…Writing a Character That is HIV Positive

Welcome to Indie Author, Robin Nadle, speaking on writing a character who is HIV positive.

Nobody wants to read about a character who is HIV positive, pick something else.

People aren't going to care about a character they can't relate to. You're setting yourself up for failure.

Why on earth would you write about something so depressing?

These were just a few of the questions I faced when I began to shop my series to readers. When describing the story, many were intrigued until they heard about the main character. Beautiful, talented, intelligent, famous, and HIV positive. My heroine was not typical. She was a survivor and she was worthy of love and attention. I needed people to give her a chance.

Having your main character deal with a disease such as HIV was a gamble and I knew it. I have had many people tell me that a story dealing with a rape and a woman who is HIV positive will never sell. I was encouraged to change those aspects and it was the most frustrating part of the development of the series. Having HIV is who Brittany is, and unfortunately for the many people who also deal with this disease, they wish it wasn’t there, too. However, wishing it away doesn’t make it go away and I decided that Brittany would be the character who showed everyone that she was still someone worthwhile. She was still someone who deserved a chance and more importantly, she deserved love. 
Yes, she is HIV positive, but she is also so much more.

I am almost certainly asked more about Brittany than any character I have created. She is also probably the most frustrating character I have written. She is deeply flawed, but profoundly giving and at times, those two traits are in direct conflict. She doesn’t handle everything the right way. She doesn’t trust in her ability to be loved, and she doesn’t think she’s worth the effort. That’s not to say she is weak, but sometimes it takes the love of someone else to help us become who we are supposed to be. For Brittany, that’s Tommy, a man who in his own way, was just as closed off.

The idea for Brittany came years ago, before there was any thought of a series or of ever finishing a novel. She was a character I needed to write and a story I had to tell. It was a challenge to develop a character that had been through something so completely tragic and horrific in its intensity and its cruelty. I needed to be sure that as much as her attack changed her, Brittany wasn’t defined by that moment, as many of us have survived moments that shape who we are, and are not all we are.

Making a character HIV positive was a gamble from the beginning, and I knew it would be a hard sell. Creating a character that was HIV positive as well as a doctor was even tougher. It was important for me to show how HIV is not a death sentence and people deserve to live their lives safely in any way they choose.

I love when people look at Brittany as a strong woman and an inspiration. She is that, but she is ultimately real in her thoughts, actions, worries, triumphs and failures. As famous as she was is as undeserving as she feels. So much in our lives can make us or break us, and although it is a daily choice, I hope Brittany can serve as an example to all, that with love and hope, anything is possible.

As much as I adore Brittany, her journey would not have the impact I wanted if not for Tommy. He was simply the perfect match for her. He was just as stubborn as she was and the love they developed through their story continues to be one of my most favorite things to write. They both have a vulnerability that comes with being left behind and although both are wildly successful and confident in their professions, underneath the surface, they are floundering.

Brittany is such a complex character. I try to go for complete accuracy in her health concerns and although it seems like she is constantly in the hospital, someone in her condition would face many struggles and obstacles and although it’s hard, I want to show her continued fight. Her fears are real and her concern over the stigma of her disease is valid. She is a hero and she is my honor to write.

There is much more to her attack that continues to be explored throughout the later part of the books. It was important to me to show her therapy and the support she has from Tommy. He isn’t perfect in how he reacts, but his intentions are completely honorable and he desperately wants her to feel loved. He is ultimately her protector and the one thing she never had, was that very thing. He is her hero, her strength, her lover and her equal.

I view these characters as a responsibility. Living with HIV comes with so many issues; public criticism shouldn’t be one of them. I also wanted to show that not everyone who lives with a disease is required to be a spokesperson. We all bring baggage into our relationships, both personal and professional, but as long as we realize that at the heart of all of us, we are human beings who deserve to be respected and valued.

Whatever your views about HIV and AIDS, it is our responsibility as human beings to treat each other with respect and understand that no matter what, we are in this life together. I know that one day a cure for HIV is possible, but until that day, education is the key to survival and tolerance.


Thank you for reading and for more information, please check out my blog: nadlersnovels.com

Finding Hope Book Launch – Free Books and More!

Have you been through difficult times in your life? If so, you are not alone. Jesus says in John 16:33, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Notice that He doesn't say that we might have trouble or that if we have enough faith we will escape it. He clearly states that on this side of heaven we will walk through difficult times in our lives.

And yet we have reason to hope.

This book is Shelley’s own personal journey to finding hope after a tragedy hit her family. However, she did not want this book to be her story alone. Instead, she wants it to be a resource for you to find hope in the midst of your own difficulties. That is why she has added the sections that you will see through the book called, "From My Life to Yours," where she includes journaling prompts and reflection questions for you to apply what you are learning to your life. Her prayer is that God leads you to find His hope no matter what you are currently walking through.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Get your copy here:Finding Hope in the Midst of Tragedy

What Reviewers are Saying:

"A must read for anyone who has had storms in their life. I laughed, cried and got so excited. This book gave me the answers to many of my prayers and showed me the right way to forgive." - TALoveRocks

"This is a book of hope, trust, faith, forgiveness, and so much more! Highly Recommended!" - Sandra McLeod Humphrey

"Wow! My eyes are full of tears and my heart is full of God's promises to the author and to each of us. Great book!" - Kristie

Shelley’s main passion is to share God’s truth and the freedom in Christ she has found with others. She does this through her books, websites and speaking engagements. You can find more about Shelley at www.ShelleyHitz.com or invite her to speak at your event here: www.ChristianSpeakers.tv

From Fear to Love

 My friend Precarious Yates has released Book 1 in The Heart of the Caveat Whale trilogy. Congrats, Precarious! Please enjoy this guest post from her, explaining why she set her new fantasy trilogy in her most-feared environment: the Ocean.

From Fear to Love

When I was a child I was terrified of being under water. Fear would swallow me the moment I was submerged and would last until I was safely back home again. At times, the fear was so strong I couldn’t even look at pictures of underwater landscapes, and if there was any program about fish or, God forbid, sharks, I would close my eyes and hum until the underwater scene was over.

So what was I thinking writing an epic fantasy based on an underwater world?

Slowly, as I began to write this book and research coral reefs, dolphins, squid, barnacle, tuna, sharks, and even the way bodies would move under water, I became less and less afraid. When I could, I would go swimming to do some firsthand research. And in the midst of facing this most paralyzing fear, I began to really like the water, especially the ocean.

As I faced my fear, and as I researched and wrote, I began to fall in love with the ocean. These days, I enjoy a documentary about sharks. No more closing my eyes and humming ;).

And all the while, as I journeyed from fear to love, the Lord was doing something in my heart. My fear of people dissipated. My fear of heights began to crumble. My fear of the dark was swallowed by His most marvelous light.

When He said, through the Apostle John (1 John 4:19) that perfect love casts out fear, He wasn’t even remotely kidding. Every step toward courage was one that I took with the Lord, laying my heart and my fears bare before Him. It was His perfect love that drove out each one of my fears.

Also, I considered this: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. He was the one who created the oceans, and mightier than any crashing wave, the Lord on high is mighty (Psalm 93:4). God is so big that the oceans are tiny droplets in comparison. And God loves me, what do I have to fear?

I invite you to come investigate this underwater world I created. Dive in! The Captives: The Heart of the Caveat Whale (Volume 1)

Guest Post: Daniel Lower

Thanks to Daniel Lower of Keyboard Theologians for the guest post today!

Hi!

I should probably start by saying: "I'm not Rikki. I'm her cousin Dan, who normally blogs on a thing called Keyboard Theologians."

So I was told by my cousin, who writes this thing, that I could guest post if I wanted.

To paraphrase that great literary mystic G.K. Chesterton, it may have been an incautious suggestion to make to a person ready to write blog posts upon the feeblest provocation.

Now I can't really talk much to young adult Christian fiction. Most of my experience of that was the Wally McDoogle series from Bill Myers, which was awesome. I think I also read some guy whose last name was Lewis, on occasion.

But I digress.

Christian fiction! More recently than my childhood, I've read two Chestertonian novels, three Graham Greene books and five of six novels by Walker Percy. One Flannery O'Connor, and Young's The Shack, and I reread one from that Lewis guy. I should warn that Chesterton's really the only one of those three first writers that is safely readable by those in their teens, though if the current canon of high school lit is any indicator, nobody's really got any right to object to high schoolers reading the lighter of Percy and Greene's works. Just don't expect them to get theology.

While I've written one or two things you could call Christian fiction I'm going to make three observations about the things I've found inspiring and good in Christian fiction. Essentially, I'm going to talk about, on an inspirational/theological level, what makes these authors awesome.

(1) Good Christian characters are sinful, not perfect or evil. But they are believing Christians.

The world already suspects enough that we Christians are people who clean the outside of our bowls and leave the insides dirty. An unbelieving world will not find truly saintly believers believable--at least, not if the whole world seems to be full of them.

That said, if all our Christian characters never strive for Sainthood, if they're not trying to "be perfect" as Our Heavenly Father is, this would be equally flawed, and is probably the biggest danger of a writer like Greene.

Note that there can be something edifying about a bad believing Christian in a novel, or even an evil one. But I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that for YA fiction, it's probably best to keep at least one good example front and center.

(2) God is found throughout the book.

That may be kind of an odd phrase.

What I mean is, there should be a pretty consistent and continual presence of grace. If the book comes from a Christian perspective, one will notice this in the book as a whole, but not only there, but fairly consistently throughout. I'm certain there are exceptions, but the only big one coming to mind is if something near the end of a novel makes you realize just how providential everything was behind the scenes. While he's not necessarily the world's most Christian author, John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany is the only work I have under my reading belt that really seemed to do this. But I do feel it is good, if a novel reflects the faith, if it does so consistently, not coming and going chapter-to-chapter.

(3) A reader experiences a moment of the grace and/or the beauty of God in the reading.

This one's probably the most dangerously subjective of the three, but I think we've all had it. There will be moments, of God's beauty, or grace, or both, that a book finds ways to communicate to us. And though, due to the nature of the thing, I can't quite communicate how it feels to me, it's almost as if the work becomes a bit sacramental, and pulls me out of the almost dream-like state of living for a second, or into a place of understanding. Some variations make you want to laugh at the moment of grace or beauty. Others will make you want to cry.

Examples of books that do these things:

G.K. Chesterton:

Manalive

The Man Who Was Thursday

Graham Greene:

The End of the Affair

The Power and the Glory

Walker Percy:

The Last Gentleman

Love in the Ruins

C.S. Lewis

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Hopefully these are generalized enough for people to get stuff out of even if they haven't read the authors in question, but they are good authors and were orthodox, if not always good, Christians in their time, so they're definitely not bad reading.

It's definitely true that not every Christian book I've read has done all three of these; while I consider Walker Percy a fantastic author, one or two of his novels lost me on point number two, and one lost me on points two and three. Graham Greene rode the line in Brighton Rock of just how bad of Catholics his characters can be.

In fact, I'm not sure if I can name a book right now that I can confidently say did all three of these things beginning to end, flawlessly, though the writers I've been putting out there in this post definitely came close.

Anyway, there's my thoughts. Hopefully they were somewhat useful. I highly recommend that anyone aspiring to good Christian fiction or even good fiction in general go out and read that list of books; if nothing else they ought to make you think.