Last Day for Suspense Readers to Cash in on This Great Offer

Last day for suspense readers to get new books and enter for $100 cash prize and free books. http://t.co/X9yB5laqZt pic.twitter.com/PM1XWaUHjX

— Lorilyn Roberts (@LorilynRoberts) March 17, 2014

A Taste of Friday First Chapters with William Burt's The Golden Wood

THE GOLDEN WOOD

 

BOOK III in the “King of the Trees” series

by William D. Burt

  

© 2002 by William D. Burt. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.

Cover by Terri L. Lahr.
Illustrations by Rebecca J. Burt and Terri L. Lahr.

Llwcymraeg translations by Lyn Mererid.

Packaged by WinePress Publishing, P.O. Box 428, Enumclaw, WA 98022.

The views expressed or implied in this work do not necessarily reflect those of WinePress Publishing. The author is ultimately responsible for the design, content and editorial accuracy of this work.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any way by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without the prior permission of the copyright holder, except as provided by USA copyright law.

All Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

ISBN 1-57921-466-5
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2002104097

 Amazon

For my beloved wife, Johnnie Calista, who made room in her life for Lucambra.

  

“. . . and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.” Numbers 21:9 (NASB)

 PROLOGUE

B

athed in sweat, Rolin son of Gannon jerked awake. Was it a dream, or had the King of the Trees just left him a message? Shakily, he slipped out of bed and went to the table by the window. Sure enough, sixteen lines of spidery script gleamed on the polished tabletop, as if engraved by moonbeams. As the flowing words slowly faded, Rolin copied them onto a sheet of parchment. Then he spread his hands over the table, hoping to preserve the writing until Queen Marlis could see it.

At his touch, the letters blazed up, searing themselves into his mind. Rolin staggered backward as a long, shuddering BOOM shook his soul and splintered his senses. The disquieting sound disturbed his dreams for nights afterwards.

  

Chapter 1: The Shattered Spasel

P

apa, I’m bored,” fussed Meghan, playing with the buttons on her father’s green tunic. “It’s raining and the griffins are too sick to fly.” Her gaze wandered around the Hallowfast’s throne room before coming to rest on a bank of tall cupboards. Eyes brightening, she asked, “May we look at some spasels?” She dimpled at Rolin and batted her eyelids.

Seated on his throne, the king laughed. His youngest daughter’s pixie moods never failed to pluck his heartstrings. “Of course, cariad,” he replied. After Meghan hopped off his lap, he unlocked one of the cupboards and searched among its crate-crammed shelves until he found a box labeled THALMOS.

“Here we are,” he said, setting the box on the floor. “Since the torsils are leafing out, maybe we’ll see something of Beechtown in one of these.” He smiled at Meghan. “Go ahead, open it.”

Meghan lifted the lid off the box. Inside, twelve glassy balls of assorted shades and sizes nestled in separate niches like so many dragon’s eggs. Meghan’s mouth made a breathless “O” as she leaned over the box, her flaxen hair spilling into it. Removing the darkest of the polished balls, she held it up in a sunbeam, where it glowed like liquid amber. She selected another of the misshapen spheres and frowned at its flattened bottom.

“Why isn’t this one round, Papa?” she asked plaintively, her sea-green eyes pouting.
King Rolin chuckled. “I haven’t turned these spasels for several months and they’ve ‘melted’ a little.”

“Melted?”

“Why, yes. They may feel as solid as glass, but the torsil sap they’re made of still flows slowly, even in this cool room.”

“Like that candle I left on my shelf?”

“Just like the candle,” Rolin agreed. A few months earlier, Meghan had molded a crude candle out of beeswax. Now it was already drooping like a snow-burdened fir.

A shadow passed across Meghan’s face. “How can we unmelt them? I want to see what Grandfather Gannon is doing on the other side. Maybe he’s lonely and missing me.”

Her father tossed a lopsided sap ball into the air and deftly caught it. “Where is it written in all the lore of Lucambra that spasels must be round?” he said archly. “They’re only more compact that way and the images are truer. I think it’s high time I taught you the finer points of spasel care.” Holding the ball so that its underside faced Meghan, he pointed to the flat place.

“If your great-grandfather Bembor and I didn’t turn these spasels every so often, they’d all eventually ‘puddle out.’ After that, it’s well nigh impossible to restore them to their original shapes. That’s why we give each one a quarter turn when it’s starting to settle, like this.” Rolin returned the ball to its compartment, flat side facing left. “Now you try it.”

After gamely turning several spasels in their cubbyholes, Meghan pounced on a caramel-colored, potato-sized specimen. “Which one is this?” she asked.

“If I’m not mistaken, that is one of Lightleaf’s,” said Rolin. “It should give us a good view of the valley.” He felt a twinge of homesickness as he recalled his many happy hours spent combing Beechtown’s hills and vales for herbs and mushrooms.

Meghan put the ball to her eye. “I don’t see anything.”

Her father smiled. “Of course not. You have to warm it first.”

With puffed cheeks, Meghan lustily blew on the spasel. Gradually, a creamy fog curdled in its center, giving way to bright, swirling colors like windspun showers of autumn leaves.

Anxious to see what new scenes the spring’s first spasel-warming might reveal, Rolin peered over his daughter’s shoulder. “What do you see?” he asked her.

Meghan’s nose wrinkled. “Just a big, shiny snake. I don’t like snakes, Papa, ’specially big ones.”

“Neither do I,” said Rolin, staring into the spasel. Sure enough, a silvery serpent was winding through it, flanked by familiar landmarks. The “snake” was at least a mile long.

Lucambra’s king rubbed his eyes and looked again. Recoiling in shock, he accidentally knocked the spasel out of Meghan’s grasp, sending it crashing to the floor in a hail of shards.

“Oh, no!” Meghan wailed. “It’s broken!” Her face shrank into a tearful mask of misery.

“I’m sorry,” said her father as he swept up the fragments and dropped them into the box. “Don’t worry, my sweet. We have lots more Thalmos spasels. Now run along and play with your brother and sister.” He pulled on a long, gold cord dangling beside his throne. Somewhere in the bowels of the Hallowfast, a deep-voiced gong sounded and footsteps clattered up the tower stairs. Then two green-cloaked men burst through the door.

“Hail, Gemmio and Opio,” Rolin greeted the brothers, who were among his most trusted advisors. “Is all well in my kingdom?”

“All is well, sire,” said Gemmio, the taller of the two.

“I hope you’ve summoned us here on urgent business,” grumbled Opio, panting heavily. “It’s a long climb up those stairs, and you interrupted a fine game of chess.”

“One that you were winning,” Gemmio dryly reminded him.

“The exercise will strengthen your lungs for flute-playing, Opio,” Rolin retorted. “Now then, I’d like you both to pack up and go to Beechtown at once.”

“The torsils are scarcely in leaf yet, and the spring market is still weeks away!” Opio protested.

“I realize that,” Rolin growled. “I’m not sending you to Thalmos for sewing needles or cooking pots! Meghan and I just had a look-see into one of Lightleaf’s spasels. There’s trouble brewing in Beechtown.” Then he described the sap ball’s images.

The brothers blanched. “What would you have us do?”

“I need your eyes and ears over there. After you find out who is stirring things up, bring me back a report. In the meantime, do try to stay out of mischief. I’ve bailed you out of enough scrapes already!”

The brothers nodded, their floppy hoods flouncing like jack-in-the-pulpit blossoms.

“Very good,” said Rolin. “By the way, if you see my father, give him my love and tell him to stay out of Beechtown until all this has blown over. He’ll be safe with his bees up in the hills.”

Once Opio and Gemmio had departed, Rolin returned to the box of spasels. With shaking hands, he lifted out another sap ball and gently warmed it with his breath.

About the Author:

Having spent most of his teenage years vicariously adventuring in Middle Earth, the author is an avid fantasy fan. His first fantasy title, "The King of the Trees," came out in 1998 (first edition). While still in high school, he began his writing career editing his father's popular identification guides, "Edible and Poisonous Plants of the Western/Eastern States." As an Assistant Professor in the Special Education Department at Western Oregon University, he served as a successful grant-writer and program coordinator.

Burt holds a B.S. in English from Lewis and Clark College and an M.S. from Western Oregon University in Deaf Education. He is an RID-certified sign-language interpreter with over 40 years' experience. His interests include reading, foreign languages and mycology. He is married with two grown children.

HOW TO USE PINTEREST TO SPREAD WORD ABOUT YOUR BOOK, Guest Post by Mary Noble Bull.

Here is another way to promote your book and others' books by author Mary Noble Bull. I (Lorilyn Roberts) haven’t done a lot with Pinterest so I found this helpful.

Are you a member of Pinterest?

In order to use the tip I am about to give, you must first join Pinterest. I used this tip to promote Cheryl and Barbara's launch books this morning. Once you join Pinterest, you can do this, too. And maybe you would consider adding "Gatehaven" to your list.

First:

.   I went to Amazon, wrote in the name of one of their books and clicked. 

.   On the book page, I scrolled down on the right side of the screen until I found a list of icons, including the F for Facebook. I clicked on the red P for Pinterest.

.   This click took me from Amazon and directly to Pinterest and my list of boards. 

.   I scrolled down and clicked on my board titled, [Books I Want to Read]

.   And clicked on the red P button again.

.   This click caused two things to happen..   A picture of the cover of the book from Amazon appeared on the main page at Pinterest for all to see.|
.  A picture of the cover of the book also appeared on my page at Facebook. Facebook and Pinterest are connected, and I think you can see how important it is to join Printerest as well as Facebook.

If anybody wants to join Pinterest, I would like to help get you started. I am not an expert but know a little.

.   The first thing you need to do after you join Pinterest is to form what they call a board and name it.

.   I named one of mine [Books I Want to Read.]

.   After I gave my board that name, I went on the main board to find the covers of books that sounded interesting.

.   When I found a cover I liked, I clicked at the top of the cover I liked and then clicked on the P for Pinterest icon.

.   When I did that, that cover appeared on my [Books I Want to Read] board.

And of course you can also get pictures of covers directly from Amazon like I did.

* * * * * *

Thanks, Molly, for the tip. If you are reading this, why not try this with Molly’s new release “Gatehaven.” The price will be going up after the official John 3:16 book launch, so get it for $2.99 while you can.

The link to her book on Amazon is:

http://bit.ly/Gatehaven

If you would like to visit our launch page, you can get her book, as well as two other suspense books (see below) by John 3:16 authors at reduced prices, and enter into the Rafflecopter drawing for free books and a $100 cash price.

http://bit.ly/Christian_Books

John 3:16 Book Launch by Christian Authors – Thriller Fiction for Suspense Lovers

 Cash and Book Prizes – make sure you enter the Rafflecopter for a chance to win.  The launch of our three featured books runs from March 1 through March 17. 

To purchase our featured books, click on the Rafflecopter givewaway below for 30 chances to win $100 and additional free books!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

7 Things I Learned at the 2014 Christian Writer’s Guild Conference - Guest Post by Shelley Hitz

Recently I (Lorilyn Roberts) asked Shelley Hitz to share with us what she learned at the 2014 Christian Writer's Guild Conference. I was excited to have one of our John 3:16 authors to attend. Enjoy Shelley's insights and tidbits of wisdom. The information she highlights below makes me want to go next year. 

I recently attended the Christian Writers Guild, "Writing for the Soul," conference. I learned a lot of practical information I know I can apply immediately. I met some great people and took TONS of notes.  I will be sharing with you just a few of the things I learned.

#1:  Real Writing is Re-Writing

I attended the “Thick-Skinned Manuscript Clinic” conducted by Jerry B. Jenkins and Andy Scheer. In this session, they gave us two pages of notes on self-editing and then showed us samples of opening pages of both fiction and nonfiction works submitted by conference attendees. They then went through line by line and showed us how they would recommend editing the work. This was done anonymously without sharing who the author was of each piece. It was amazing to watch the editing process from two experts in the field. I learned so much.  It was like watching a before and after makeover. The key point that Jerry made during this session is that “real writing is re-writing.” So true!

#2:  The Best Way to Get Speaking Engagements

This session by McNair Wilson was both entertaining and informative. I laughed a lot, but I also took a lot of notes. One of the takeaways from this session was that I needed to be an O.Y.F.O.L. speaker.  O.Y.F.O.L. stands for On Your Feet Out Loud. McNair recommends that every speaker get on their feet and practice their talk out loud several times. Just like we need to practice a sport or a musical instrument, we also need to practice being a speaker. However, he emphasized that correct practice makes perfect. Therefore, he then went on to share how we should practice to be an effective speaker. Good stuff.

#3:  How to Contact the Media

This was probably my favorite session and was the most practical for where I am right now as an author. The presenter, Julie Neils, has worked as a publicist for well-known ministries like Focus on the Family and other major corporations. I could tell she really knew her stuff. My favorite quote from her session was, “Journalists do not want information.  They want stories.”

She proceeded to give us step-by-step instructions on the best way to contact the media and how to pitch our book as a story. One of my goals this year is to do more speaking, which includes pitching my story to the media, and this workshop helped me to know how to prepare and which media to contact first.

#4:  Interview Tips

In the session “Conducting and Writing Interviews” by Dennis Hensley he shared a ton of do’s and don’ts for interviewing guests. I have a full page of notes, but his main point was to master the skill of listening. If you are NOT a good listener, chances are you will NOT be a good interviewer. 

#5:  Sharing Our Testimony is Powerful

Dennis E. Hensley also shared a session on how to turn your testimony into a marketable book. I was interested to hear what he had to say as I have done that very thing with several of my books. He took the testimony of Paul and correlated it with how we can share our own testimony. He gave us many points to consider but a few that stood out to me were to give your story a sharp focus, point people to Christ and not yourself and to be honest, open and vulnerable. Be real and let the reader see your struggle. This session was confirmation for some of the writing I have already done.

#6:  It is Important to Encourage Each Other

Writing can be a very lonely occupation. Therefore, one thing I learned is that we need each other. I met many amazing writers during the weekend. One highlight of the conference for me is when a woman opened up to a few of us before the last session. We were able to pray with her about her unpublished book project and the ministry God is leading her into. God was in our midst and we were all encouraged afterwards.

#7:  Never Give Up

From the keynote speeches to the breakout sessions, all the speakers had similar stories. It took years for them to learn the craft of writing and years to get published. Their success was not overnight. Therefore, the overarching theme of the weekend was…never give up!

Conclusion

I am so thankful I had the opportunity to attend this conference.  I was inspired both professionally and spiritually. They do have MP3’s of the sessions if you are interested here.

The Christian Writers Guild is planning on changing the format of their conferences to multiple regional conferences vs. one national conference each year. This should make it more affordable for authors to attend as the venue will be closer to home. I would definitely recommend these conferences to both new and experienced authors.

Bio:

Shelley Hitz is an award-winning and internationally best-selling author. She is the owner of TrainingAuthors.com and is passionate about helping authors succeed in publishing and marketing their books.  She teaches from personal experience. Shelley has been writing and publishing books since 2008 and has published over 30 books including print, eBook and audio book formats.

Download Shelley's free training “Building a Book Marketing Plan” ($27 value) when you sign up for her newsletter here: http://trainingauthors.com/newsletter/

A Taste of Friday First Chapters with Kimberley Payne and Women of Strength

WOMEN OF STRENGTH – A DEVOTIONAL TO IMPROVE SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH

January 2013

Amazon

Introduction

I created this devotional book out of a desire to become more physically healthy. As a former personal trainer, I knew all about exercise and nutrition, however, I still missed something. Or should I say, Someone.

In the past, I’d never included God in my health and fitness plan. I thought it wasn't something worthy of His attention. However, God checked my spirit and told me that He wants to be part of everything in my life; even something as small as losing a few pounds.

How can you become a woman of strength today?

You can honour your body by taking care of it – both physically and spiritually. Women of Strength is the perfect companion for your health program. There are four divisions to follow the seasons – winter, spring, summer, autumn. Each season is further divided into 6 sections that include an inspirational devotional, a fact on common health and fitness questions, a reflection, a prayer, a Bible verse, and an energizing exercise.

My prayer is for you to improve your spiritual and physical health through the seasons!

WINTER

God is in the Details

I gained a pound in the last week. It really is remarkable how a small number on the scale can have such great significance. Last week, I didn’t gorge and eat with gluttonous hunger. I didn’t sit down to seven-course meals and midnight snacks. No, the error I made wasn’t in the big sense but rather in the small. I neglected to mind what I ate. That is, I didn’t pay attention. I ignored my body signals of hunger and fullness. I ate food while tending to other matters – as if eating were second to other activities. I ate food for the mere taste of it and, more often than not, I ate without fully knowing I was eating. 

When I am mindful of what I eat I truly enjoy it. I look to it as a source of pleasure and nourishment. When I treat food with respect I treat my body with respect. It is the same with my Christian behaviour. Some days, I tend to get lazy with my worship of God and just go through the motions. I may go to church but my mind is tending to other matters. When I’m not mindful of my prayers and pay lip service to them, they come only from my mind but not my heart. It’s not enough to practice spiritual rituals. I must worship God with my heart as well as my mouth. 

My intentions may be good but if I don’t pay enough attention to the Word, I realize that I haven’t lived up to my true call as a Christian. Although I didn’t commit a horrendous sin, my behaviour isn’t reflected in the large events. Instead, it’s the small details. Was I patient and slow to anger? Did I respect the clerk behind the counter, obviously overwhelmed by the volume of customers? Was I kind and gentle with my children? I realize that my misbehaviour hurts God more than anyone else.

I pray that I won’t be like those spoken of in Isaiah 29:13, “The Lord says: These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”

I don’t want to go through the motions, but rather, I want to pay attention to the details of my heart. God is in the little things. He is in the every day. If I look to Him in my everyday life, I’ll grow spiritually strong. I want to be healthy in body, mind and spirit. 

Exercise Your Funny Bone

The Best Vitamin for a Christian: B1

You Asked

Q: Do I need to spend hours in the gym to see results from an exercise program?

A: Even if you don’t have time for a formal workout during your day, any exercise is better than none. Try to take three 10-minute walks. For strength training, three 20-minute sessions a week will do the job.

Faith Lift

Dear Father – I pray that You will provide me with the courage to accept Your power and make the changes You ask of me. In Jesus’ name, I pray.

Reflection

Yesterday, I spent the majority of my time outdoors playing in the snow. I got some good cardio activity from clearing the front walkway and back deck. Then I built a snow fort to play war with my son and his best friend. And, if I may say so myself, the fort looked fantastic!

What are you doing to enjoy the season your in now?

Top Tip

Check with your doctor – You should get medical clearance from your physician before making any significant changes in your physical activity level. 

Bible Truth

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you” (1 Corinthians 3:16 NIV)?

Challenge

Drink one less caffeine beverage every day.

Praise Move: Legs - Lunge

Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand, your hands next to your thighs and palms facing your body.

Keep your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, abdominals contracted.

Take a long stride forward so that your knee is directly over your heel and your thigh is almost parallel to the floor.

Your rear leg should be relaxed and bent so that the knee almost touches the floor.

Hold this position for a moment, and then push back to the starting position. Repeat 10 times.

Repeat for other leg.

Tips

1. The forward flexed knee should not extend past the forward foot.

2. Keep your upper body in line with your hips.

3. Learn proper technique before adding weight. 

About the Author

Kimberley Payne is a motivational speaker and author and writer on spiritual & physical fitness topics. Her devotional writings relate raising a family, pursuing a healthy lifestyle, and everyday experiences to building a relationship with God. Through her work, Kimberley hopes to inspire people to live healthier lives that glorify God. You can visit her website at www.kimberleypayne.com