Tag Archives: redemption

The Blood Done Signed My Name Virtual Book Tour

Book_cover[1]

About The Book

Are the sins of the father and mother visited upon their sons and daughters?

Undoubtedly damaged, Honey Lamb, like many, is a descendant of an unfortunate legacy of molestation, addiction, murder and bad decisions. For as long as she could remember, she believed the unhappiness she experienced was somehow bequeathed to her. The blood that surged through her veins seemed to be tainted and she often wondered about the DNA she possessed. Experiencing more than her share of misery at the hands of her mother, an alcoholic; the source of all her woes, Honey believed she’d overcome her seemingly checkered path all by herself when she met and married, Mason; a man she loves beyond her own understanding. Unfortunately, unsettling memories emerge to crack the veneer of her seemingly happy existence. Feeling unable to escape what she believed to be her destiny, Honey makes a decision that may have ruined her life. Not realizing God places people in our lives for His purpose, she reluctantly embarks upon a journey that will open her heart to a divine inheritance. Will she accept what God has already given to her or will she shun the invitation of salvation and allow her familial carnal legacy to continue to the next generation? Will she come to understand that Jesus’ blood redeemed us from a self-defeating existence because He became the sinful inheritance for us while at the same time eradicating it forever, giving us a spiritual blood transfusion that would change us all?

 

Book Trailerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1umSjMGuUYI#!

This touching book trailer will move you to want to read this powerful story to  see how Honey overcomes her past and self-defeating existence by the aid of the Holy Spirt and the blood of Jesus that snatches her and so many of us out of darkness into His marvelous light , renews our hearts and minds and sets us free.

 

 

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About the Author

M. Ann Ricks, (Melissa Ann), is a Christian Fiction novelist residing in Bear, Delaware with her excellent husband and two awesome sons. She is a graduate of Rider University and formerly a national accounts insurance executive.

Using Jesus Christ as her example, as He shared many parables, she creates stories with fictional characters that contend with real life issues and inserts the Word of God to communicate the genuine and unfailing love of God while making it abundantly clear that Jesus is the ONLY answer. M. Ann is determined to tell the world how wonderfully awesome Jesus Christ is and can be in our lives if we just allow Him to be. She is honored to be used by God to spread His message with the stories she creates with the leading of the Holy Spirit, knowing that He will provide her with stories and the words that will lift up the name of Jesus as He promised that if He is lifted up, He will draw all men to Him.

M. Ann is also what one may consider a motivational/inspirational speaker but she prefers the term, “Godspirational” as one may only be truly inspired, transformed and receive true revelation when hearing the uncompromised word of God. M. Ann also continues to utilize her group insurance knowledge as a Benefits and Network Consultant. Lastly, M. Ann is a Group Fitness instructor as she is determined to keep her natural “temple” fit and ready for the Master’s use!

M. Ann is the author of Awesome Wonder: The Gift of Remembrance ,The Son. the much acclaimed, third novel, THE BLOOD DONE SIGNED MY NAME.

PROLOGUE

Northern Italy, 1918

He hadn’t washed in weeks. The countryside was crawling with “Kraut” and all he could do was think about the full lips that said his name with uninhibited desire. She made him feel invincible and he needed to believe he was. He would have done anything to have and to keep her.

Those eyes…

She moved over him like a cunning feline. Under her spell, he promised he would keep her brother Tanner quiet about everything. He had no idea how he was going to silence the man who had become his friend, but he wasn’t going to let anyone ruin their plans. As he walked back to camp after visiting a makeshift latrine, his thoughts took him back to their night together. Intoxicated by cheap wine, he’d agreed to the pact. She was beautiful, strong, and most of all, determined. He wanted to believe that they would have a good life once this useless war was over.

After settling into the muddy trench, he saw something almost imperceptibly move. Italy could have been a beautiful place if it wasn’t for this God forsaken war, he thought, rubbing his eyes. He was unbelievably fatigued; so much so that foliage seemed to be moving by itself. He closedhis eyes and opened them again to focus. Was there someone or something out there? He couldn’t wait until he was back in the U. S. of A. More importantly, he couldn’t wait to be with her. He could still smell her. She was a vision… a sweet temptress

Book Reviewbanner-the-blood-done-signed-my-name

Are we more than conquerors over betrayal, rejection, hatred and “generational curses” through Jesus Christ whose blood redeemed us from the curse of the law and sins of the past? The Blood Done Signed My Name by M. Ann Ricks is an engaging and touching Christian fiction novel. It shows the  how the main character, Honey Lamb, struggles with her past and allows her actions to hurt  her present life and those who love her. We see how Honey learns to stop running from the Lord and the ugliness of her past to open her heart to the Lord to allow Him to forgive her, and to let the Lord ,with her willingness and obedience, break the curse of the sins of the past in her life. This is a moving and entertaining piece  based on the truth of God’s Word without being preachy, that shows the redeeming power and love of GOD  that allow us to be more than conquerors over adverse circumstances

Author  Websitehttp://www.mannricks.net/default.html

Email: Godsauthor@mannricks.net

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/M-Ann-Ricks-Literary-Creations-Author-Melissa-Ann-Ricks/33259926513

Book Orderinghttp://www.amazon.com/BLOOD-DONE-SIGNED-MY-NAME/dp/0615452736/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351943201&sr=1-1&keywords=m.ann+ricks

E-Book: http://www.amazon.com/BLOOD-DONE-SIGNED-NAME-ebook/dp/B0091XBCDQ/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1351943201&sr=1-1

 

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What Kind of Fool author Rhonda McKnight

 Book Review by Linda Fegins

I loved Rhonda McKnight’s An Inconvenient Friend with its memorable, real and relevant characters and its  underlying message about women friendships, trust, and redemption. I couldn’t wait for the sequel and I told everyone about the book. Read the review.  

Rhonda McKnight‘s pens a superb, well written sequel to  An Inconvenient Friend in What Kind of  Fool, that did not disappoint me at all. 

What Kind of Fool’s colorable characters with whom one can relate, along with the superb  storytelling skills of Rhonda McKnight, is an excellent up-shot to the first book. It will satisfy readers from the first page to the end of the story, which is really a new beginning for all souls involved. My favorite character, Samaria Jacobs, the  former“bad girl gold digger try to steal your husband” is now seeking the Lord and trying “hard to do right” and to turn from her cheating lifestyle , is back.  I like Samaria, not because of her ways, but for what she represents that God can do in one’s life when one has sinned and failed, even if one has to pay the consequences. Rhonda adroitly and realistically develops this character in the sequel, as she does with all of the characters. 

Greg Preston’s one too many affairs and his past affair with Samaria has cost him his marriage. Recognizing his past mistakes, He wants his beautiful, loving and saved wife, Angelina Preston back. How will Samaria change her life around when other past secrets are chasing her down?    Will she find true love and peace?  Will successful Angelina Preston go through with the divorce from her handsome surgeon husband Greg when she discovers some surprise news? Is  this Woman of God ignoring the voice of God?   Can Angelina find a way to forgive Samaria , when Samaria  has come to admire and respect Angelina and truly think of her  as a beautiful virtuous women who was the first woman to every truly show her love and real friendship? Will Greg finally admit his need for God?

 What Kind of Fool is a well written story that captures the reader’s attention and heart, with touches of dramatic twists and rich, but not preachy, bullions of Christian faith that shows how God can guide our steps if we seek Him and allow Him to do so.

No, Rhonda McKnight’s What Kind of Fool did not let me down. The entertaining novel’s message of redemption, forgiveness, faith, unconditional love,  and third and fourth chances, reminds us God has the answers. Each character learns of God’s forgiveness, unconditional love and  the ability to walk in the newness of life. This story is so good that I recommended it to my book club. I think it would be a great book to liven up a Women’s Ministry by looking into the lives of colorable  relevant characters. Meaningful biblical and life lessons could be garnered from this  engrossing story.

 My book club will be reading What Kind of Fool and I hope others will enjoy reading the book this summer as it make for great discussion. I read this book months ago. However,I could never quite eloquently pen the essence of the book the way I  think it deserved. I still haven’t, but you will rave about this book.

http://youtu.be/m2R4qaN8Tpk  – Book Trailer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rhonda McKnight is the owner of Legacy Editing, a free-lance editing service for fiction writers and Urban Christian Fiction Today, a popular Internet site that highlights African-American Christian fiction. She’s the vice-president of Faith Based Fiction Writers of Atlanta. When she’s not editing projects, teaching workshops about writing or penning her next novel, she spends time with her family. Originally from a small, coastal town in New Jersey, she’s called Atlanta, Georgia home for twelve years. Visit the author online at http://www.RhondaMcKnight.

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Mylow Young Virtual Book Tour-Against the Gates of Hell

Interview with author Mylow Young  by Linda Fegins

What inspired you to write Against the Gates of Hell book?

I was inspired to write this book because in the beginning I thought there was no hope for me. After going through rehab and discovering who I am in Christ and how God didn’t condemn me, that He loved me through and in an in spite of my addiction, I began to see that there was in fact hope! The Lord spoke to my heart about the hopelessness I had experienced and that there are countless, precious people that Jesus died for who are still living in that hopelessness. I wanted them to see, experience and live the same hope and freedom I have found! “That” was my inspiration!

Who are your favorite authors and why?

Believe it or not I am not an avid reader… not at all. But over the years there is one who really speaks to my heart and I see him as someone who really got to know the heart of the Father and that is Watchman Nee. He speaks always of the spirit in man/woman and how God wants so much to break through our outer man to get to the “innermost” man… our spirit… where we can really hear God speak!

As a black Christian male author do you believe you added a different perspective for your readers than other authors? Tell us why you were able to do that?

Yes, I think I bring to the table a sense of raw deal, the “real” deal… no sugar added! There are others who have a whole lot to say also, but I feel that with the gift that God has given me, I bring you “into” the story where you can live in it as I share it with you. I want to bring the story of addiction… particularly… to the forefront from the perspective of the addict. Not in a feel “sorry for me” way but in a way that would give the reader, the family members and friend an up close look at what their loved one is or has been dealing with as well as getting the addict/former addict to see what he has or is putting his loved ones through.  

About the Author

MYLOW YOUNG is a native of Philadelphia and has struggled with drug addiction for more than half of his life. After several stays at Bethel Colony of Mercy and even serving in that same ministry, consistency in his life was not to be found. After totally surrendering his life to Jesus Christ and discovering his identity in Christ, he has found newness of life. Mylow and his wife Sondra attend The Connection of Statesville Church where Mylow serves as a Deacon. Mylow is available for speaking engagements at your church, youth group, Sunday school service or recovery group and can be contacted at gaitsofhell1@gmail.com.

MYLOW YOUNG is a graduate of University City High School in Philadelphia and attended the Basic Bible Institute of Pennsylvania. He is a licensed minister and deacon at the Connection Church in Statesville, N.C. where he currently resides with his wife Sondra. For more information visit: mylowyoung.com.

 

About the Book

He had always looked down on those who partook and pedaled drugs which claimed the lives of many in the streets.  Now Kerby Wilson finds himself held captive by his own pride and going down a very desperate path of his own.  Distraught over the death of his parents and, the murder of a fellow police officer, Kerby alienates those closest to him, pushing them away—his wife, brother, police force buddies and old friends. As the bottom falls out of his life and darkness consumes his soul, his life is spent seeking an elusive state of peace.

Junior, Kerby’s identical twin brother is angry with Kerby for turning on his family, friends, and the police force and for going down this destructive path. As his heart hardens and he is caught up in his own battle of resentment and bitterness, he tries to shut Kerby out. But Rene, his God-fearing wife won’t allow that to happen. Instead she continually appeals to his conscience, reminding him of God’s unfailing love and Kerby’s need for his help.

After Kerby’s latest antics, Junior and the rest of their family and friends are challenged to push past their struggles with Kerby’s addiction to help him.  Will Kerby accept the help of his family and friends? Will he stop running and turn to the only one who can save him and give him the power to stand against the gates of hell?

 

Purchase the Book Online at:

Amazon.com

BarnesandNoble.com

 

BOOK TRAILER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40d_A4dJv_o 

 

View the blog tour schedule at: 

http://www.tywebbin.com/blog-tours/authors-on-tour/2012-tours/

 

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Marlene Banks Virtual Book Tour- Ruth’s Redemption

How did you start out your writing   career?

I’ve written for fun since childhood; very early before I could even write cursive. I printed out little stories. I only took writing serious about fifteen years ago. That’s when I started pursuing it as something I wanted to do professionally. So I wrote and wrote and wrote some more. Stories spilled out of me like water. I knew then it’s was GOD’s will for me to write. After I got saved it became something I did more often. Then after I got Baptized it really took off. I was not formally trained so I learned as I went and am still learning.

What inspired you to write a   historical piece?

I love writing romance and I’m a very lightweight history buff. As I get older I find my interest in past events growing. A marriage of the two genres seemed like a perfect match and a new area for me too stretch my writing ability. This is my first Historical Romance.

What was your most difficult scene to   write?

With a slave era story there are many difficult scenes emotionally but two difficult scenes to craft technically and emotionally were Ruth’s first encounter with Jasper in the barn and Mara’s attack by the slave catcher. As an African American female those kind of scenarios assaulted my sensibilities on all fronts. It was taxing and draining just to write so I can only imagine what it would be like to actually experience it. Much of the raw emotion and description in the original manuscript was edited out. I tried to do it tastefully but keep the real horror of the situation out front. It was a tough job to balance the trauma and vulgar violence with delicate wording.

Can you give us one do and one don’t   for those aspiring to be a writer?  

Do keep writing because practice makes perfect…or at the least you get a whole lot better. Write, write and write some more. 

Don’t give up because  you get rejected over and over. Hang in there.

Which character did you have the most   fun writing about? 

Naomi, she was a lot of older sisters I knew and loved in my own life rolled up into one character. She was full of love, wisdom and common sense. She was Godly and strong. She was also outspoken, meddlesome and sassy.

Have you had a “Wow” moment since you have   been an author? What made it a “Wow” moment for you?  

My “Wow” moment was getting my first contract from Lift Every Voice Books/Moody. I was stunned and thrilled and “Wow was just the feeling I had. I couldn’t believe it that after years of trying it had actually happened. All I could think and say was “Wow! Thank you, Jesus!”

What did you hope to accomplish with   this book?

Tell an engaging and thought provoking story that showed the power of GOD in everyday living and the desperation that fueled slave revolts. Show the human side of events that historical accounts my not consider and give a good romantic fix to romance lovers.

What’s playing on your CD while you’re writing?

Nothing, I write in total quiet so the story come alive in my head without distraction as much s possible. Occasionally I play some music relevant to a story if I need it to help me get into the mood.

If you had the opportunity to talk with three writers, who would you choose and why?

Alex Haley because I thought Roots was Phenomenal. It’s one of my favorite stories and movie. I actually met him in college after he wrote the book but a few years prior to the movie release. If he were alive I’d like a redo. 

Francine Rivers because she is one of my favorite Christian writers.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle because I absolutely adore Sherlock Holmes stories. He created a timeless character that still fascinates. 

What was the best advice you’d ever gotten about the publishing industry? The worst?

Get thick skinned if you want to be a writer is the best advice. Everybody’s a critic. 

Don’t write Christian fiction and African American relevant novels was the worst.

What is something readers would be surprised you do?

Once I get into a story I can write twelve to sixteen hours a day non stop if given the time.

What are your favorite resources on  the net.

I have no favorites. I goggle and whatever comes up I check it out. There are so many out there now and new ones popping up all the time.

About the Book       

Set in the 1800s, Ruth’s Redemption, depicts slave life in the south.  Bo, the main character who was educated while a slave is a freedman who now owns a farm and  buys slaves for the purpose of giving them their freedom. Bo is also a widower whose life is destined to changed when he meets the stubborn, proud and hard-hearted 20 year old slave girl, Ruth.

Ruth has known nothing but harshness and brutality since being seperated from her mother at age thirteen. Purchased and sold primarily for breeding and the enlargemnt of her master’s slave stock, Ruth struggles to understand the way of her new master. Bo is unlike any master she has known and what she experiences in his care will leave her forever changed. A gripping pre-Civil War slave era novel, Ruth’s Redemption is a story of forgiveness, acceptance and redemption. Set against the backdrop of the Nat Turner Rebellion in Tidewater, Virginia, this novel shines the light of God’s unconditional love in the darkness of the evils of hatred and acts of inhumanity.

 

About the Author 

Marlene Banks is a Philadelphia, PA native.  She attended Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA and has an Associate’s Degree in Theology from the Rhema Bible Institute in Keysville, VA.  She is the director of ministry at Lifeline Mission of the Gospel.  Through her writing ministry, Marlene’s desire is to promote the gospel and serve the needs of her community.

Book Review by Linda Fegins

 RUTH’S REDEMPTION is a compelling historical love story set in 1830s Virginia that grabbed me from the beginning until the very end despite the fact it’s a slave era story. A lover of history, yet I did not want to read about slavery at this time. But Ruth’s Redemption is not just another story of the evils of slavery, but is one of forgiveness, redemption and wholeness. It is a well crafted story about Ruth, a young female slave who is defiant and bitter from the abuses of her slave existence. Ruth’s strong, yet poignant character, arrested me as I saw the development of her character when her liberator, Bo who later becomes her husband, helps free her from the physical and emotional bondages of her past. Her life becomes entangled when she’s purchased by a free black man named Bo. Bo is an educated man of strong faith in Christ. Ruth wants no part of Bo’s faith and yearns to be free from slavery and men who have misused her. Ruth learns to love Bo, but still cannot trust a God who allowed blacks to be treated with such degradation as she cannot see that God is the one who made it possible for her freedom through Bo. Banks does a great  job of portraying the conflict Ruth has about believing in Jesus and putting her faith in God and loving a saved man of God Bo. However, she discovers and embraces freedom from sin, slavery and her past and learns to trust God for her redemption. My only concern is that as the reader I would have seen a clearer demarcation of when Ruth accepted Bo’s God as her God and Savior.

 Book Trailer
 

Visit the author online at:

www.marlenebanks.com

http://www.ruthsredemption.com

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An Inconvenient Friend AUTHOR: Rhonda McKnight

Book Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF0QwyVY8Lo

ABOUT THE BOOK

In Secrets and Lies, Samaria Jacobs tried to seduce Dr. Jonah Morgan. Now she’s back in An Inconvenient Friend. Her creed is “If at first you don’t succeed, try…try…again.” 

Samaria Jacobs has her sights set on Gregory Preston. A successful surgeon, he has just the bankroll she needs to keep her in the lifestyle that her credit card debt has helped her grow accustomed to. Samaria joins New Mercies Christian Church to get close to Gregory’s wife. If she gets to know Angelina Preston, she can become like her in more than just looks, and really work her way into Greg’s heart. 

Angelina Preston’s life is filled with a successful career and busy ministry work, but something’s just not right with her marriage. Late nights, early meetings, lipstick- and perfume-stained shirts have her suspicious that Greg is doing a little more operating than she’d like. But does she have the strength to confront the only man she’s ever loved and risk losing him to the other woman

 Just when Samaria thinks she’s got it all figured out, she finds herself drawn to Angelina’s kindness. Will she be able to carry out her plan after she finds herself yearning for the one thing she’s never had . . . the friendship of a woman?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rhonda McKnight is the owner of Legacy Editing, a free-lance editing service for fiction writers and Urban Christian Fiction Today, a popular Internet site that highlights African-American Christian fiction. She’s the vice-president of Faith Based Fiction Writers of Atlanta. When she’s not editing projects, teaching workshops about writing or penning her next novel, she spends time with her family. Originally from a small, coastal town in New Jersey, she’s called Atlanta, Georgia home for twelve years. Visit the author online at http://www.RhondaMcKnight.net.

 Book Review by Linda Fegins

       First I must confess that I was not  excited about reading this book. Oh , another cheating husband and a women fighting for her husband. Same oh song.

       Not so. OMG! From the first  two pages (really first) ,Rhonda McKnight and her character Samaria and the Women’s Bible Study group  had me.  I read the first page and the half of the second page again.  I wrote on the page great opening.   Throughout the book  you see McKnight’s writing skill and grace with a jazzy style. This story  was  more than just about a  cheating husband and a scheming un-churched  woman who dared to go to the same church as the wife, sit in the wife’s  Women’s Bible Study  class and befriend her  so that she could become her clone and steal her husband. Scandalous!  This is a fresh creative story by Rhonda McKnight.

 The heart of the story is about women friendships, trust,  redemption and  how even in the midst of mess God can use it to make a change in a heart for His Glory. You walk with the characters as they address issues of disappointment ,  betrayal ,forgiveness, low self-esteem  and overcoming patterns of  living a negative lifestyle and mindset. The characters were  memorable , real and well-developed. 

 I can’t wait for the sequel.   How will Samaria change her life around and can she help her mother?  Will she find love and peace?  Will successful Angelina leave her handsome surgeon husband?    Can Angelina find a way to forgive Samaria who has come to admire and respect her and truly think of her  as a beautiful virtuous women who was the first woman to every truly show her love and real friendship?

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“The Lovechild” by Ashea S. Goldson

DSC00713[1]Lovechild[1]
What can separate us from the love of God? The Word of God tells us nothing. However, sometimes a person may have a hard time believing this and feel unlovable, unloved, rejected and bitter. It doesn’t matter that on the outside people see you as successful, physically beautiful and from a great family that seemed like a pillar of the community. Yet , it was a family with secrets.

In The Lovechild, Makaeli Hunt, a successful fashion designer, has been driven far away from home by her family’s dysfunction. While living in Italy, trying to heal the wounds of yesterday, ambition becomes her comforter. When a family emergency forces her to return to her home, in seven life altering days, amidst memories of a tumultuous past,will one revealed secret drive her away from her family and God forever? Or will she discover what it means to be God’s lovechild?

The Lovechild gracefully and beautifully shows us, without being preachy, how the love of God can work through and in our lives to overcome the pain and ugliness of the past. It reminds us that we must forgive or else unforgiveness can kill your soul. Nothing can separate us from the love of God if we seek Him. My favorite character was Mrs. Pearl – someone God sent into Makaeli’s life as a child to encourage, love and that told her about Jesus, even though she turned her back on Him for a long time. Mrs. Pearl indeed was a pearl full of wisdom and love. She’s was a source of escape for Makaeli as a youth, who loved her when she felt abandoned, and made God’s love and wisdom real.

Dealing with issues of racism, depression, self-esteem, drug addiction, mental illness, verbal and physical abuse,The Lovechild is a story of redemption and re-dedication, confirming our victory in Jesus Christ.

Meet Ashea Goldson, author of The Lovechild
Ashea Goldson, originally born in Brooklyn, NewYork is a wife of twenty three years, a mother of two daughters, a grandmother of one, a graduate of Fordham University, a writer, a poet, a publisher, a reviewer, an internet radio host, an educator, and a co-founder of a Christian preparatory school. Active in the ministry, she is a dedicated member of World Changers Church International for many years. She has a lifetime of experience with writing which ranges from being published in local newspapers, magazines, and online publications to full length books.
Her first Christian fiction novel is The Lovechild, published by Urban Christian Publishers in 2008. Ashea’s short story entitled “The Kit Cat Trial” will be released in an anthology named Pets Across America in September 2009. Her second Christian fiction novel, Joy Comes In The Morning, will be released in July 2010, also by Urban Christian Publishers. She has recently released a non-fiction title, Resurrecting Vision: 45 steps To Digging Up Your Destiny And Seeing It Through God’s Eyes through her own publishing company.
Calling herself a kingdom writer, and passionate about this calling, she is currently working on her third novel, random poems, several short stories, a children’s book, and is organizing a literacy group for youth in her community. During her relaxation time she can be found hanging out with her family, snuggled up to a good book, or listening to gospel music.

Book Review by Linda Fegins

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