Did God Forsake His Son? –from Seed of God, Jesus Christ, by Kenneth McRae

It comes up in Christian circles. Did God turn away from His Son, Jesus . . . prompting Christ to call out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In Seed of God, Jesus Christ, McRae reminds us that Jesus frequently pointed to old testament scripture to reveal who he was. This line does just that, and is a great example of why continuing to study our faith is important.

A common characteristic of non-Christians is that they haven’t been presented with the historical evidence of Christ. They haven’t followed the generational timeline and prophecies of his arrival; they haven’t reviewed the historical evidence of His life or they haven’t drawn the connection between the prophecies, the evidence of divinity, and the unwavering faith–even to the death—held by those who witnessed his miracles and resurrection. Seed of God, Jesus Christ is a well-researched summary that lays it all out. He also digs into some theology, such as the frequently asked question “Why would God allow this struggle to exist, for bad things to happen at all?” Finally, he offers the challenge: “it is not the knowledge of God [Christ] which saves—it is the acceptance of God [Christ] and His ways into our hearts and minds” — so how are you going to apply it to your life? I don’t read too many books on apologetics, but I enjoyed this by McRae. You can learn more about Kenneth McRae on his GoodReads page.

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Save the Date!

Thank you Pleasant Hill Library in Hastings, MN for hosting an Author Talk with Kennedy and me on May 29! If you’re able to make it, we’d love to see you there–and we’d love to have you spread the word! (Plus, if you order a copy of Suddenly Rural Girl from our website, we can deliver a signed copy to you at the event!)

“we can detect counterfeits” –from Seed of God, Jesus Christ, by Kenneth McRae

The phrase encourages us to do more than offer a cursory look at Christianity, and McRae draws an effective parallel between the coins and bills in our pockets and faith. Our currency has tell-tale signs of legitimacy and detectable signs of being fakes. Watch for counterfeits.

A common characteristic of non-Christians is that they haven’t been presented with the historical evidence of Christ. They haven’t followed the generational timeline and prophecies of his arrival; they haven’t reviewed the historical evidence of His life or they haven’t drawn the connection between the prophecies, the evidence of divinity, and the unwavering faith–even to the death—held by those who witnessed his miracles and resurrection. Seed of God, Jesus Christ is a well-researched summary that lays it all out. He also digs into some theology, such as the frequently asked question “Why would God allow this struggle to exist, for bad things to happen at all?” Finally, he offers the challenge: “it is not the knowledge of God [Christ] which saves—it is the acceptance of God [Christ] and His ways into our hearts and minds” — so how are you going to apply it to your life? I don’t read too many books on apologetics, but I enjoyed this by McRae. You can learn more about Kenneth McRae on his GoodReads page.

I regularly share well-written lines and passages from the books I’m reading. If you’d like to receive them regularly, just enter your email below, and click subscribe!

“You three…are uniquely talented.” from The Red Texts Club, by Andrea VanRyken

This stood out to me due to its positivity. The speaker compliments the individual and the collective. In a sci-fi book addressing depression, its an important thing to include. In life, it’s even more important. Take time to compliment individuals and teams on their successes–no matter how small.

The Red Texts Club digs deeply and creatively into the teenage mind—more specifically the minds of teens dealing with depression. I struggled a little with some repetitive descriptive phrases, but overall enjoyed the read. Andrea VanRyken creates a diverse cast of colorful, talented, yet insecure teens that converge in a sci-fi world designed by and fitting for a person experiencing depression: bland landscape, murky shadows, faceless monsters, and more. The author also ties in characters that teens are bound to love, a curious puzzle-solver, a talented gamer, and a handsome athlete, all whom excel at something, but still question their worth. It featured kid-sized horror coupled with big-time creativity, and the story cleverly addresses depression, a real-life issues facing many of our young people today. (If that’s doesn’t describe most teens—and many adults—I don’t know what does.) You can learn more about Andrea and her work in GoodReads.

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We “devour” books. Do we “eat” them? from Boys Life, by Robert McCammon (6)

The thesaurus is an important tool for writers. Some have one in their brain, some in book format, and some rely on the online versions. This quote stuck out because we often hear of people devouring or inhaling books . . . it may be the first time I heard about them being eaten . .. but meaning the same thing. The added connection with candies from the 1960s is just an extra spoonful of gravy.

It’s early in the year, but Boys Life will undoubtedly be one of my favorite 2024 reads–I’m surprised I hadn’t come across it before, as it was published in 1991. Robert McCammon weaves mystery, magic, and murder creatively in this 1960s era Americana novel. He also packs his imaginative tale with some fun descriptive language. If you’ve not read any Boys Life, or if you’ve got a teen or young adult who likes a surreal mystery with fun characters, I’d definitely recommend this novel Check it out in GoodReads!

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Memoirs of a Mediocre Teacher (a review)

Over the past few years, I’ve enjoyed reading novels by local authors more and more. William Kent Krueger remains my favorite modern Minnesota writer, but I met Blair Clinton at a recent writer’s festival, and he’s the kind of guy you want teaching your kids reading. Funny, humble, and passionate about his work. We also shared stories from our days in the classroom and our individual journeys to publishing our first novels. He’s a good guy.

Blair Clinton’s Memoir of a Mediocre Teacher was a walk through memory lane for this former teacher.  From the stick-in-the-mud-soon-to-be-retired colleagues to the young and enthusiastic newbies in the class next door, I saw faces and classrooms from my past life in K-12 education.  It was a casual and pleasant read–good for teachers just getting started . . . and for those who might enjoy a reminder of what that life was like.  

It’s good to support writers (and teachers) like Blair!

A Review of The Manic Mission, by C.J. Simone

I struggle with book and movies that depict bad thing happening to children. The Shack comes to mind. Yet sometimes the very real and very painful is what ultimately forces a character to make the right decisions. C.J. Simone took that route with this YA novel, and she rightly includes trigger warnings, because she deals with difficult, but real issues, such as child/sex trafficking, sexual assault, suicidal ideation, and more.

As a reader, you’re invited into the minds of multiple “manic” characters who are each dealing with mental health issues. At times, it’s beautiful: Simone’ description of passionate musicians on stage is fantastic. At times it’s repetitive: I found myself wishing the characters and author would avoid making the same destructive decisions again and again–though perhaps that goes with the diagnosis. Though told from multiple perspectives, we follow Gabe, “a chiseled Italian boy with the smooth skin and blue eyes” who “was placed on earth to both delight and torment girls.” And he does, with his good looks, incredible talents, and a pronounced bipolar disorder. Gabe wrestles with demons, and no one knows how to help him, or what’s behind his psychosis. On stage, though, “he transforms into someone great, and yet the emotion in his voice tells of vulnerability… and isn’t that as appealing as the greatness?”

The novel spends considerable time describing the various characters’ destructive passions, so I can’t recommend the book for Middle Grade or timid YA or Adult readers, but Simone also weaves in a touch of Christianity through an innocent neighbor girl, Claire, whose quiet faith offers a touch of inspiration for the reader and more, eventually, to Gabe.

It’s edgy.

Still, for readers interested in tough topics that eventually offer a glimmer of hope, Simone is a talented author, her descriptive style is engaging, and her psychotic characters have depth and are believable. These are difficult issues to write about, but CJ Simone does it well by creating nuanced characters who go through some hard things. And “Going through the hard things, it’s not all bad, not if you turn it around. If it’s why you help someone.”

The Manic Mission is a creative and dark psychological thriller, and is one in CJ Simone’s “Children of the Mob” series. You can learn more about Simone and her work in GoodReads.

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“I’m Marilyn…” from The Red Texts Club, by Andrea VanRyken

Villains, throughout history, have been depicted as having a physical appearance that is unnerving. I enjoyed VanRynken’s description of Marilyn, whose face adjusted unnaturally, like tectonic plates, even while she smiled. It also sets the stage for the shiftiness of the character later.

The Red Texts Club digs deeply and creatively into the teenage mind—more specifically the minds of teens dealing with depression. I struggled a little with some repetitive descriptive phrases, but overall enjoyed the read. Andrea VanRyken creates a diverse cast of colorful, talented, yet insecure teens that converge in a sci-fi world designed by and fitting for a person experiencing depression: bland landscape, murky shadows, faceless monsters, and more. The author also ties in characters that teens are bound to love, a curious puzzle-solver, a talented gamer, and a handsome athlete, all whom excel at something, but still question their worth. It featured kid-sized horror coupled with big-time creativity, and the story cleverly addresses depression, a real-life issues facing many of our young people today. (If that’s doesn’t describe most teens—and many adults—I don’t know what does.) You can learn more about Andrea and her work in GoodReads.

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A Sweet and Effervescent Tale for Cowgirls

I’m from rural America and am partial to westerns, cowboys, and dialogue as cut and dried as jerky. A hint of romance can be nice, too. I got a taste of that right away in A Cowboy’s Heart with well-written lines like “The simple cadence of a horse’s steady gait soothed Anna’s soul like an age-old lullaby,” and “…your church ladies have been stuffin’ me with enough casserole to spackle a barn!”

But A Cowboy’s Heart became less a western and more an ornamental love story for romantics as the story progressed–though it did happen to be set on the range. Contrasting the familiar small town America setting, Nwaocha’s third person narration is eloquent and flowery, an example of which is captured in the emotions of our protagonist after she touches her love interest’s hand: “Anna realized a delicious chill had blossomed outward from that momentary point of contact. Spreading beckoning tendrils of electric awareness along her nerve endings until her entire body felt effervescent, buoyant, gloriously unshackled from its earthly confines.” The writing itself is passionate and effervescent, which suits our sweet, educated, and reluctant protagonist well. She’s not alone, either. Gabe soon befriends her and reflects on Anna’s beauty: “Why Miss Anna…I daresay the good Lord’s radiant glory outshone itself somethin’ fierce when your chapter in this world’s great book unfurled…any paltry words I could put together wouldn’t begin to capture the vision here before me.”

For folks looking for a classic gun slinging western, A Cowboy’s Heart isn’t it. For those interested in a well written Christian romance with vivid descriptions and emotionally rich language, this short story is an engaging read. It’s clean, too. So, if you’re after a love story where hearts beat like the rhythm of hoofbeats on the trail–where two souls find their destinies intertwined amidst the encircling dust and romantic dreams of the Wild Midwest, this may be the short story for you! (I liked it enough to read a few more of Nwaocha’s short stories, too. Seen and Known and Loves, Lattes, & Second Chances were also engaging tales and shared similar narrative styles with pairings of new sweet and passionate characters.)

I’m frequently reading and writing. Sometimes I share a blog posts about it! If you’re interested in keeping up with what’s new in my literary world, be sure to subscribe, below. And if you’re looking for a great YA Contemporary Christian Fiction novel, you can order your copy of Suddenly Rural Girl on our website, or Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com and more!

“…his true nature deep in his eyes…” from Boys Life, by Robert McCammon (14)

Sometimes a character is hideous, and we immediately recognize the danger–Dracula, zombies, werewolves, Hal from Space Odyssey, or even Biff Tannen from Back to the Future. At other times, we catch a flicker of evil, and that subtle flash can be as terrifying as the more overt villains. Here’s another quote from Boys Life, which effectively does the latter.

It’s early in the year, but Boys Life will undoubtedly be one of my favorite 2024 reads–I’m surprised I hadn’t come across it before, as it was published in 1991. Robert McCammon weaves mystery, magic, and murder creatively in this 1960s era Americana novel. He also packs his imaginative tale with some fun descriptive language. If you’ve not read any Boys Life, or if you’ve got a teen or young adult who likes a surreal mystery with fun characters, I’d definitely recommend this novel Check it out in GoodReads!

I regularly share well-written lines and passages from the books I’m reading. If you’d like to receive them regularly, just enter your email below, and click subscribe!

“Something dangerous lurked…” from The Red Texts Club, by Andrea VanRyken

Sometimes not giving detailed descriptions is more powerful than spelling-things-out too clearly. I liked this vague illustration of danger, just out of sight, leaving the reader’s imagination to fill in the rest.

The Red Texts Club digs deeply and creatively into the teenage mind—more specifically the minds of teens dealing with depression. I struggled a little with some repetitive descriptive phrases, but overall enjoyed the read. Andrea VanRyken creates a diverse cast of colorful, talented, yet insecure teens that converge in a sci-fi world designed by and fitting for a person experiencing depression: bland landscape, murky shadows, faceless monsters, and more. The author also ties in characters that teens are bound to love, a curious puzzle-solver, a talented gamer, and a handsome athlete, all whom excel at something, but still question their worth. It featured kid-sized horror coupled with big-time creativity, and the story cleverly addresses depression, a real-life issues facing many of our young people today. (If that’s doesn’t describe most teens—and many adults—I don’t know what does.) You can learn more about Andrea and her work in GoodReads.

I regularly share well-written lines and passages from the books I’m reading. If you’d like to receive them regularly, just enter your email below, and click subscribe!

“I had never seen a black Jesus before…” from Boys Life, by Robert McCammon (13)

Let’s return to another from McCammon. When did you see something that challenged your view of the world? This description is a simple and powerful reminder that most of us have preconceived ideas that need some light.

It’s early in the year, but Boys Life will undoubtedly be one of my favorite 2024 reads–I’m surprised I hadn’t come across it before, as it was published in 1991. Robert McCammon weaves mystery, magic, and murder creatively in this 1960s era Americana novel. He also packs his imaginative tale with some fun descriptive language. If you’ve not read any Boys Life, or if you’ve got a teen or young adult who likes a surreal mystery with fun characters, I’d definitely recommend this novel Check it out in GoodReads!

I regularly share well-written lines and passages from the books I’m reading. If you’d like to receive them regularly, just enter your email below, and click subscribe!