Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Christian Writer Conferences June - July 2012


JUNE CONFERENCES

June 1-2, 2012
AMERICAN CHRISTIAN WRITERS NORTH CAROLINA CONFERENCE
Charlotte, NC - Marriott Executive Park
ACWriters@aol.com // http://www.acwriters.com/

June 1-2, 2012
ARKANSAS WRITERS CONFERENCE
Holiday Inn Presidential, Little Rock, AR
http://www.arkansaswritersconference.org/

June 3 – June 6, 2012
A CONCENTRATED COURSE IN NONFICTION
Highlights for Children Foundation, Honesdale, PA
http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/content/concentrated-course-nonficti\
on


June 7 – June 10, 2012
YOUNG ADULT BOOT CAMP
Highlights for Children Foundation, Honesdale, PA
http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/content/young-adult-boot-camp

June 9, 2012
AMERICAN CHRISTIAN WRITERS OHIO CONFERENCE
Columbus, OH - Holiday Inn
ACWriters@aol.com // http://www.acwriters.com

June 9-14, 2012
SANTA BARBARA CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE
Santa Barbara, CA - Westmont College
http://www.sbwriters.com

June 10-13, 2012
WRITE THAT BOOK! WRITERS WORKSHOP
Glen Eyrie/Colorado Springs, CO - Glen Eyrie Christian ConferenceCenter
http://www.gleneyrie.org/writers

June 13-16, 2012
CEDAR FALLS CHRISTIAN WRITERS WORKSHOP
Cedar Falls, IA - Riverview Conference Center
http://www.shellybeachonline.com/conferences.php

June 14-16, 2012
WRITE! CANADA CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE
Guelph, Ontario, Canada - Guelph BibleConference Centre
http://www.writecanada.org/

June 14-17, 2012
WESLEYAN CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE
Middletown, CT - Wesleyan College
http://www.wesleyan.edu/writing/conference/
<http://www.wesleyan.edu/writing/conference/>

June 15-19, 2012
SOUTHEASTERN WRITERS ASSN CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE
St Simons Island, GA - Epworth-by-the-Sea Conference Center
http://southeasternwriters.com/events/

June 17 – June 24, 2012
WRITING FROM THE HEART
Highlights for Children Foundation, Honesdale, PA
http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/content/writing-heart-0

June 19-23, 2012
ST. DAVIDS CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE
Grove City, PA
http://stdavidswriters.com/ <http://stdavidswriters.com/>

June 22-23, 2012
AMERICAN CHRISTIAN WRITERS MICHIGAN CONFERENCE
Grand Rapids, MI
http://www.jameswatkins.com/acw/acwgrandrapids.htm

June 22-23, 2012
KENTUCKY WRITERS CONFERENCE
Grace Heartland Church, Elizabethtown, KY
http://kychristianwriters.com/kychristianwriters.com/Home.html

June 22-23, 2012
NORTH TEXAS CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE
Fort Worth, TX - Marriott CourtyardFort Worth Fossil Creek
http://www.ntchristianwriters.com/ 

June 22-24, 2012
CATHOLIC MEDIA CONVENTION
Indianapolis, IN
http://catholicpress.site-ym.com/?page=FutureConventions

June 24 – July 1, 2012
MASTER'S CLASS IN FICTION WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS
Highlights for Children Foundation, Honesdale, PA
http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/content/masters-class-fiction-writin\
g-children-and-young-adults-0



JULY CONFERENCES

July 8 – July 14, 2012
WHOLE NOVEL WORKSHOP: MIDDLE GRADE
Highlights for Children Foundation, Honesdale, PA
http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/content/whole-novel-workshop-middle-\grade

July 12-14, 2012
KARITOS CHRISTIAN ARTS CONFERENCE
Bolingbrook IL
www.karitos.com 

July 13-14, 2012
E. METRO ATLANTA CHRISTIAN WRITERS SEMINAR
Covington GA
www.emacw.org 

July 14, 2012
AMERICAN CHRISTIAN WRITERS ORLANDO CONFERENCE
Orlando FL
www.acwriters.com // acwriters@aol.com 
July 15-18, 2012
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN RETAIL SHOW
Orlando, FL
http://www.christianretailshow.com/

July 15 –22, 2012
MASTERS CLASS IN NONFICTION WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND YOUND ADULT
Highlights for Children Foundation, Honesdale, PA
http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/content/masters-class-nonfiction-wri\
ting-children-and-young-adults-0


July 20-21, 2012
AMERICAN CHRISTIAN WRITERS ATLANTA CONFERENCE
Atlanta GA
www.acwriters.com // acwriters@aol.com 

July 21, 2012
THE WRITERS' PLOT CONFERENCE
Furman University, Greenville, SC
http://www.anauthorworld.com/

July 20-22, 2012
SHE SPEAKS CONFERENCE
Concord NC
www.shespeaksconference.com //  <mailto:
office@proverbs31.org>

July 22-27, 2012
MONTROSE CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE
Montrose PA
www.montrosebible.org // mbc@montrosebible.org

July 26-28, 2012
MIDWEST WRITERS WORKSHOP
Muncie IN/Ball State University
www.midwestwriters.org // midwestwriters@yahoo.com

July 29-August 5, 2012
THE GLEN WORKSHOP WEST
Santa FE NM
www.imagejournal.org/page/events/the-glen-workshop //image@imagejournal.org

www.fliterary.com

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Interview with author Pamela S. Thibodeaux by Natalia Gortova


 http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--hV2x-TzJSc/T6svU_PD0rI/AAAAAAAAAH0/QFNFBTaVJII/s200/publicity+photo+small.jpg
  
1.       What made you become a writer? (I KNOW there are easier jobs out there!)

            PST: Unlike most, being a writer was not my lifelong ambition, nor something I aspired to do. As a child, my greatest desire was to be a wife and mother. Other than being a homemaker, I had no goals or dreams of a career or anything resembling one. I’ve always been an avid reader but one day after reading one-too-many disappointing books, I thought I could do better. I picked up a notebook and started penning stories. For eleven years I did this, although I told very few people. One day, after I purchased my first word processor, I printed out a story and let my mom, brothers and sister-in-law as well as a couple of friends read it. Their responses were what encouraged me to continue and become a writer.

"even a glimmer of light can overcome 
a lifetime of darkness" 

2.       Every author has a story of how they got to publication—what’s yours?

            PST: My journey is filled with potholes and nuggets of gold. My first publication was in the newsletter for the writers group I belonged to. Then I found out about sites that paid for those type of articles, and uploaded many to receive pennies - but hey, I was published and paid! My novel, Tempered Hearts came next and was E-published in 2000. Six months later, book 2 in the series, Tempered Dreams followed. Then I fell into a pothole -- pulling those two books and signing with an “up and coming” publishing company which never got off the ground. That decision cost me nearly 3 yrs out of my career. However the Tempered series was revived when I signed a contract for all 4. The first 2 were re-released in 2005, book 3 Tempered Fire in 2006 and Tempered Joy (book 4) in 2008. In 2006 I signed my novel The Inheritance with White Rose Publishing who subsequently accepted and published several short story/novellas also. In 2010 I signed my debut women’s fiction novel, The Visionary with Five Star Expressions. There are still potholes along this journey - rejections are more frequent, writing is sporadic, acceptance and publication takes longer, but those nuggets of gold make it all worthwhile.

3.       How would you describe your book – The Visionary?

            PST: The Visionary is a contemporary women’s fiction novel with true-to-life characters in real situations that meet a Supreme God who proves even a glimmer of light can overcome a lifetime of darkness. Written in an engaging style that mixes Truth with fiction and the ordinary with the supernatural, this book is sure to entertain while it enlightens.

4.       What kind of reader will like it?

            PST: From teens to seniors, people of all ages will not only enjoy, The Visionary, they will gain insight into the hideousness of child abuse and a deeper understanding of the ability of God to save and heal His children.

"Let me tell you - be careful what you pray!"

5.       Why write a book about child abuse?

            PST: Trust me, this was not my idea. When I started writing The Visionary I thought it would be my ‘light’ romance. After all, my books had dealt with issues like domestic violence (Tempered Dreams), widowhood & betrayal (The Inheritance), tragedy & grief (Tempered Joy). However when I shared the first couple of chapters with critique partners, they pointed out how close the twins were and suggested since these were m/f twins and I write inspirational, I needed to be careful with their relationship. Back in 1989 I recommitted my life to Christ and committed my writing to HIM - praying I never write “just another romance.” Let me tell you - be careful what you pray!
            After the comments about my twin characters being “too close” I began asking those questions....you know, the infamous what and why questions. What happened to or between them? Why did they cling so tightly to one another that no one else could get close? Then one day I walked out of my office to find my husband watching a popular TV talk show. On the stage a young man was crying and apologizing to his sisters because he couldn’t stop the abuse they suffered. He couldn’t protect them.
            I tell you every ounce of blood drained from my body and in that moment I knew what had happened to my characters. Of course I had no idea how to write such a story! So, I argued with God -- yeah, literally - for three days.
            At some point in every Christian’s life we hear and know the voice of God - whether audible or a distinct impression - we know what HE is asking or telling us. This was one of the times HIS voice was distinct, clear and very audible.... “Who are you writing for anyway?”
            I surrendered, repented and sat down to write.
            The Visionary was completed in four months, between Jan. & April (the busiest months of the year) while I held down 2 part time jobs as a book keeper and tax preparer!

"Of course I had no idea how to write such a story!" 

6.       What is the message you want readers to take away from your work?

            PST: That no matter what you’ve done or what you’ve suffered, the Blood of Jesus has the power to cleanse the ugliest of sinner and heal the most wounded of soul.

7.       What other books do you have out there for readers?

            PST: My 4 book Tempered series (Hearts, Dreams, Fire & Joy), my debut single title, The Inheritance and five short story/novella’s (A Hero for Jessica, Choices, Cathy’s Angel, Winter Madness & In His Sight).
            All except The Visionary are available for Kindle & Nook. Full length novels are also available in print through Amazon, my website and my BluJay store. I also contributed to anthologies such as The Dog Next Door, Deliver Me & Words to Write By.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NcIcsLEm_D0/T6syCiZeTZI/AAAAAAAAAIA/kObmv7fqPXM/s1600/the+visionary.jpg
  
8.       Where do you see your future as a writer taking you?

            PST: Currently I have 3 active WIP’s (one in submission, one I’m writing and one that needs fleshing out and character building to re-submit) and several other ideas that need to be developed including a 5th Tempered book, so I hope to continue to write and be published. I also own The Wordsmith Journal Magazine which keeps me busy and I hope to venture more into my speaking ministry as opportunities arise.
           
"...the Blood of Jesus has the power to cleanse the ugliest of sinner and heal the most wounded of soul."

Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.”
Website address: http://www.pamelathibodeaux.com  
Bayou Writers Group: http://bayouwritersgroup.com  

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Trailer Talk Tuesday with Kathi Macias


Howdy friends, Fliterary is pleased to bring you the latest edition of
Book Trailer Talk Tuesday!

Today's guest is Kathi Macias!  

Special Delivery: In book two of the Freedom Series, readers find Mara fighting against her attraction to Bible college student Jonathan Flannery even while wrestling with risking her own precarious safety to become involved in the rescue of another girl who is pregnant and desperately wants to escape her captors and save her own life, as well as her child’s. Halfway around the world in a brothel in Thailand, a young girl is rescued with the promise of being reunited with her younger sister who was adopted by an interracial couple in the States, friends of Jonathan’s family. Meanwhile, Jefe—Mara’s uncle, who held her as a sex slave in his brothel in San Diego for years—seeks revenge for Mara’s testimony that put him behind bars for life. Will his underworld connections be successful in kidnapping and killing the girl who believes she has finally won her freedom?


***

Deliver Me From Evil: Book one of the Freedom Series introduces readers to Mara, an eighteen-year-old girl who has been enslaved for nearly ten years, having been sold by her parents in Mexico and then smuggled across the border into San Diego where she was forced into sexual slavery. Readers will also meet 18-year-old, Bible-college-bound Jonathan and his 16-year-old sister, Leah, whose paths cross Mara’s and who become involved in her dramatic rescue. Interwoven between the stories of Mara, Jonathan, and Leah is the heartbreaking story of another young woman in captivity in the Golden Triangle of Thailand, whose past life mysteriously connects to the young people in San Diego.

***

A Christmas Journey Home: During Isabella Alcantara’s seventh month of pregnancy, her parents and siblings are murdered in gang- and drug-related violence, simply because their home was targeted by mistake. Isabella knows she was spared only because she now lives in a different location, but she knows too that the same thing could easily happen to her and her husband, Francisco. When her grandfather offers to hire a “coyote” to bring them across the border to America, she agrees. But Francisco and Isabella are abandoned by the coyote and left to die. Francisco then valiantly sacrifices himself to get Isabella to safety. Homeless, nearly penniless, pregnant, and alone, Isabella determines to find a way to honor her promise to her beloved husband. Living on one of the smaller spreads along the Arizona border, Miriam Nelson becomes furious with God and turns from her faith when her border patrol agent husband, David, is killed in a skirmish with drug smugglers. Though her mother and young son do their best to woo her back from the anger and bitterness that have overtaken her, they make little headway. Two widows—one driven by fear and a promise, the other by bitterness and revenge—must make their journeys along different pathways, but with the same destination: a barn full of animals that stands waiting for them on Christmas Eve. Forced to face their personal demons, Isabella and Miriam soon discover a common yearning that will bind them together in a most miraculous way.

***

People of the Book: In book four of the Extreme Devotion Series, eighteen-year-old Farah, who lives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, wants nothing more than to develop a deeper devotion to her Muslim faith. Then the prophet Isa—Jesus—appears to her in a dream and calls her to Himself. Her older brother, Kareem, who has never liked Farah, actively seeks to expose her for the sham he believes she is. At the same time, Farah’s 17-year-old cousin, Nura, begins frequenting an online chat room where former Muslims discuss their new Christian faith. While there, Nura meets an American girl of Muslim ancestry—now a devout Christian named Sara. However, Sara has problems of her own due to her 15-year-old brother Emir’s involvement with a gang. The three girls’ lives dovetail until each finds herself at a place where her faith is put to the test. Will they remain faithful to the end? Will God protect and keep them safe in the midst of persecution and treachery? Or will they be required to pay the ultimate price for their faith?

***

Red Ink: Chosen “Novel of the Year” by Golden Scroll Awards, book three of the Extreme Devotion Series, tells of a young Chinese woman, Zhen-Li, raised to observe the party line, including its one-child-per-family doctrine, who falls in love with and marries a Christian, and adopts his faith. Though the couple downplays their Christianity in an effort to survive, Zhen-Li's family is appalled, and she and her husband are ostracized. When she becomes pregnant for the second time and refuses to have an abortion, the persecution begins in earnest. Zhen-Lis parents, under pressure from the government, pay to have Zhen-Li kidnapped and the baby aborted. It is then Zhen-Li decides she must live up to her name Truth and take a firm stand for her faith, regardless of the consequences, and so she begins to regularly teach children about Zhu Yesu Lord Jesus and to distribute Christian literature every chance she gets. Based loosely on the life of Christian magazine editor Li Ying, currently serving a ten-year prison sentence in China, the story of Yang Zhen-Li tells the desperate tale of her incarceration and separation from her family, as she continues to minister to other prisoners, and even to her guards.

***

More Than Conquerors: In this second book of the Extreme Devotion Series, with violent crime on the rise and the political climate changing throughout certain parts of Mexico, the opportunity for open Christian witness, particularly in some areas of Chiapas State, is rapidly decreasing. Hector Rodriguez pastors a small church in the tourist-popular border town of Tijuana. He also routinely carries Bibles deeper into the hostile areas of Mexico, where he ministers despite increasing difficulty and persecution. Hectors mother accompanied him on one of those trips and felt God called her to stay in the little village of San Juan Chamula, where she uses the Scriptures to teach reading to the families who are open to it. In retaliation for Hectors bringing the Bibles into areas hostile to Christians and in an effort to dissuade him from continuing to expand his ministry there, Hectors mother is murdered. Hector must decide if he will continue his work despite his worries about protecting his wife and children.


***

No Greater Love: In this opening book of the Extreme Devotion Series, we find forbidden romance, an unlikely martyr, and an even more unlikely hero. Orphaned four years earlier when their parents, active in the African National Congress ANC movement against Apartheid, were murdered, 16-year-old Chioma and her 15-year-old brother Masozi now live and work on an Afrikaner family’s farm. When Chioma and Andrew, the farm owner’s son, find themselves attracted to one another, tragedy revisits their lives. Chioma escapes to join an ANC rebel band in her effort to survive and gain revenge for her family and culture. When cultures clash in life-or-death struggles, Chioma must choose between violence and revenge or forgiveness and selfless love. Loosely based on historical events and set near Pretoria, South Africa, in the violent upheaval prior to ANC leader Nelson Mandela’s release from prison in 1990 and his ascendance to the presidency of South Africa, this story of forbidden romance produces an unlikely martyr who is replaced by one even more unlikely.

“…Kathi Macias has created a sweeping epic about a land alien to too many, but more important is the crucial nature of the story and its monumental implications. You’ll feel as if you were there.” —Jerry B. Jenkins, bestselling author of the Left Behind series.


***

Mothers of the Bible Speak to Mothers of Today: Challenges that mothers face day in and day out are not unique to this time, and modern-day moms have much wisdom to gain from true examples recorded in Scripture. In this beautifully designed hardback gift/study book, readers meet ordinary women of their day who, by God’s incomparable grace, were used for extraordinary purposes. Readers will journey through the lives of such mothers—like Eve, Sarah, Hannah, Elizabeth, Salome, Mary, and others. Exploring heart issues like fear, discontentment, grief, and gratitude, readers will discover solutions through biblical models of prayer, sacrifice, and faithfulness. Each chapter ends with personal application and prayer.


***

BEYOND ME: Living a You-First Life in a Me-First World: In this excellent discipleship resource and individual/group study book, readers will find ten chapters of thought-provoking text that helps them see clearly the distinction between their ever-increasing clash of cultures—the clash between life and death or, in other words, you and me. Written in a warm, personal, and easy-to-read-and-understand style, Beyond Me is an invitation to pursue true discipleship. In poignant, humorous, but always vulnerable and meaningful examples, readers will learn from current, historical, and biblically documented insights and teachings to support this call to walk in the footsteps of Jesus.

***

THE TRAIN-OF-THOUGHT WRITING METHOD: Practical, User-Friendly Help for Beginning Writers: If you want to know how best to put your thoughts and dreams into a clear, compelling, readable manuscript, this is the must-have book for you!

“My first published article came as a result of what I learned using Kathi Macias’ train-of-thought method!”

—Julie Carobini
Author of more than 100 published articles and several award-winning novels

“I’ve just finished my second complete novel written using the Train of Thought method. That stuff really works!”

—Rick Austinson


***

My Son, John: Murder. Could there be a more chilling word? Could it be any more horrible than to have a loved one killed, brutally and heartlessly, without obvious reason or motive? When Liz Peterson’s elderly mother is found viciously beaten to death in her home, Liz and her husband, Charles, along with their grown son, John, and teenage daughter, Sarah, are horrified beyond words. Their previously predictable, respectable lives seem to have vanished without a trace, as they struggle to make sense of a senseless act. And then a second blow—more devastating, if possible, than the first—rocks them to their core. John is arrested for his grandmother’s murder. As what’s left of the Peterson family begins to crumble under the weight of loss and accusation, the Petersons’ longstanding Christian faith is put to the test in a way they could never have imagined, and unconditional love is stretched to its limits. Will family ties and relationships withstand such a crushing blow, or will evil succeed in dividing and conquering this once close and inseparable family?

***

How Can I Run a Tight Ship When I’m Surrounded by Loose Cannons? The perfect woman—excellent wife, cherished mother, impeccable housekeeper,thriving entrepreneur—all rolled into one. The Proverbs 31 woman looms large for Christian women today. Getting it all together. Keeping everything under control. Running a tight ship. But despite our best efforts it seems there are always loose cannons rolling around the deck. With humor and relevance, Kathi Macias shares her journey and struggle with Proverbs 31, ultimately discovered that there is natural progression of growing in grace. The course of our lives and growth in grace may very well lead to a different destination than originally planned. But in the process, we can finally relinquish the dream of perfection and give up trying to control every aspect of our lives—all those loose cannons that threaten the tight ship we are determined to run, but can’t—and instead learn to trust the Captain of our ship to steer us safely home.

***

Valeria’s Cross (co-authored with Susan Wales): In the 3rd century, pampered Roman princess Valeria falls in love with Mauritius, captain of the Theban Legion. She sends him off to battle, where he suffers under the schemes of a notorious pagan general with an ambition for power and a lust for Valeria. In a scene based on true events, the evil Galerius kills Mauritius and his entire legion for their Christian faith. And in a shocking turn of events, the grieving Valeria is forced to become Galerius’ wife against her will. Never has a marriage been set up for such failure. Valeria loathes her new husband, but he seems to undergo a change of heart, adopting a child for her and giving her power and authority, and even love. She struggles with the commitment she knows she must keep, and the love she knows she will never find again.


Visit Kathi Macias at www.kathimacias.com/

The History of a Book Hoarder

The History of a Book Hoarder


I will always be poor. Even if I make the bestseller list and win a Pulitzer. Even if I supplemented income by becoming a Mary Kay dealer. My money will be spent on books.

I must have books. It’s a thing with me.

A year or two ago, an offer from Amazon drifted in my inbox. Every Penguin Classic ever published, delivered on a pallet, to my door, for under $10,000. My finger hovered over the 1-click purchase button. I broke out in a cold sweat. Oh, how beautiful, to have my 900 square foot apartment I share with a wife, two children and nine bookshelves, filled with the words of the greatest geniuses in literary lore.

A small bit of doubt lingered.

What would I tell my wife when the freight truck pulled up? That Alexi Sherman, author of The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, says to ‘read 1000 pages for every 1 page that you write?’

Or perhaps Walt Disney, who said, ‘There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island.’

Maybe. Just maybe. My pulse quickened.

There was room on my credit card. I’d just paid off the last book binge.

Confucius said you ‘cannot open a book without learning something.’ I could tell her I would be a full pallet smarter.

My finger dropped. Yes. It was coming.

Then the guilt. How to tell her? She loved books, collected them, both of us reading every second we could. Even going out on reading dates. She would understand. She would be excited.

Then an email popped up in my inbox from Amazon. I’d ordered two?

Really?

I checked my order.

Nope, I’d ordered one.

“Honey?” My wife’s voice coming from the bedroom, sounded pale and frightened.

I rushed in, saw her laying on the bed, her forehead broken out in a cold sweat. Her iPad clutched in her hands.

“I did a bad thing,” she said.

We talked, canceled our orders, and bought kindles instead.

And we’ve been happy with that decision.

But I will always be poor. I will, until I die, continue to hoard books. I may have to become a Mary Kay dealer after all and include a free foot scrub with every purchase of my soon-to-be-published book.


Peter Leavell is the winner of the Christian Writer’s Guild’s best first novel 2012 for Gideon’s Call. His historical fiction, about a slave learning to use his newfound freedom to help the nation, will be available for purchase in the fall of this year. He lives in Boise, Idaho with his wife, two children, and hoards of books.

Visit Peter @ http://peterleavell.com/


Friday, May 11, 2012

Book Review by Natalia Gortova -- Tamed




 Today I get to introduce you to the lovely Sarah Witenhafer. Here's the blurb on her first book, Tamed.


Reign Phillips has just earned her PhD in ancient languages when her Professor returns from Greece with treasure for the University of New Mexico; fifty-six mummified remains and a puzzling sealed gold casket that doesn’t seem to fit any time period.

Accompanying him is the man responsible for brokering the deal with the university, Damon Sarantos. Unknown to anyone, Damon himself had buried the casket almost two thousand years before.

A little more or less than human, Damon Sarantos avoids people, not wanting to strengthen their evil desires with his presence. But Reign is a woman he wants close. As she decodes the mysterious writing on an ancient casket, Damon must work to gain her trust and win her heart. Can he be the man she wants him to be? Or will they be eternally separated by his partly demonic nature?

The casket holds the answer, but opening it will bring peace… or a darkness that will engulf the world.

Now let's meet the woman behind this exciting paranormal romance novel:

1. Every author has a story of how they got to publication—what’s yours?

My personal story, like my novel, is one big romance. My husband and I had already been through 3 years of a grueling trial when we lost our business, our savings, our church folded, and our friends left town. I was at my end and all I could see ahead was losing my marriage and my faith. But I had this story running through my head about grace. I started writing it – cos I had nothin else to do – and then my husband got interested in what I was doing. He fell in love with the story and became my first fan. Through the time he invested in the book, our marriage started improving and then I started realizing God was working all along through my trials. I started seeing Him loving me through my husband and learned that incredibly powerful lesson others have testified to: I wasn’t holding on to God. He was holding on to me. By the time the book was done both my faith and my marriage were much stronger.

2. How would you describe your book, Tamed?

A mixture of everything I love – action, history, romance, suspense, the supernatural, and God’s grace. Kinda like HBO’s Rome, meets Laura Croft in C.S. Lewis’s library.

3. What kind of reader would like it?

Smart, romantic fools who aren’t afraid of a vivid imagination. Haha. I wrote it for women ages 17 – 40, but I’ve been shocked by the wide range of readers I have. I get letters from teen girls and boys to senior men and women. I have a lot of male fans. They like reading about Damon’s years as a Roman Centurion and I think they like that he’s a man’s man. But then again, every man has said they really fell in love with Reign! That always cracks me up.

4. What other books (if any) do you have out there for readers?

The sequel to Tamed is out. Anointed follows Damon back to Greece, back to the family he left 2000 years before. He has lots of struggles trying to navigate his way back into the clan. Let’s just say his family has issues.





5. What made you become a writer? (I KNOW there are easier jobs out there!)

This question makes me laugh. I had a pastor ask me if I had ever thought I would be a novelist. I blinked. Up until that moment I had never thought of myself as a novelist! All I know is the story makes me want to write. In fact, I can’t wait to get done here so I can get back to writing a scene in my third book, Deception’s Tower. Raheil is such a devil.

6. What is the message you want readers to take away from your work?

It’s simple. God is beautiful – and His love makes us beautiful.

Wow, thank you so much for being here today, Sarah.

Sarah would love to connect with you. You can follow her on twitter @SarahWitenhafer, Facebook, or on her blog SarahWitenhafer.com.



Natalie Gortova is a British ex-pat, wife, mom of two, writer and Christian. ACFW member, but started with the Christian Writers Guild. I write Inspirational Romantic Suspense. Currently seeking publication. Visit Natalia @  nataliagortova.blogspot.com