BOOK REVIEW: SEVENTH DIMENSION - THE KING: A Young Adult Fantasy: “The Series Appeals to Old and Young Alike”

Having enjoyed the first novel in this series I was enthusiastic to read this book, the second novel in the series. I adore young adult novels (despite being far older than a young adult!) and this novel did not disappoint. The novel is a wonderful, and intriguing, mix of historical, spiritual, and supernatural, all merged into an imaginative story. 

The story moves at a fast and engaging pace, and the plot is full of adventure, fantasy, history, and interesting settings and characters. For those who have not read the first in the series, this novel can be read as a standalone, as the reader will have no trouble understanding what is going on (some parts at the beginning may be a little confusing, but if you persevere the story comes together). 

If you love fantasy novels and enjoy elements of time travel, history, and spirituality mixed into a coming-of-age, creative plot then I am sure you will also enjoy this novel.~Amazon Reviewer

Click here to purchase in Kindle, Nook, audio, and print version.

LATEST FROM LORILYN ROBERTS – Testimony of God’s Grace, Audio Books, Book Quotes, Book Reviews, and More

Two days before my 30^th birthday my ex-husband left me for another woman. The house was cold and empty and I thought I would never be happy again. I didn’t want to live anymore and seriously considered ending my life. 

However, life keeps moving forward just as God’s kingdom advances unceasingly. I now have two beautiful internationally adopted daughters, I work at home providing broadcast captioning for television, and I just published my ninth book as an indy author.

Never give up on your dreams—commit your ways to God and He will give you so much more. If anything, I believe we make God too small. We try to create Him in our image and then when our puny dreams aren’t answered, we’re disappointed. Maybe we ask with the wrong motives at times, but more often than not, God wants to give us something better.

Destroyed in the Earthquake, 2015 -Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nepal

Recently I took a mission trip to Nepal with my younger daughter, Joy. We delivered a hundred pounds of books to orphans. God renewed my spirit on the trip, giving me a more positive attitude toward life and hope that no matter how wicked the world seems, His kingdom is moving forward. The gates of Hell will not prevail.

God put writing on my heart at a very young age—but without great grace, we can’t have great redemption. God surely had a lot of grace He needed to pour into me. I was a wounded spirit.

The hard things in life God used to make me teachable. Only when I came to the end of myself did I realize God really is everything He claims to be—and much more. I am thankful for those dark, fearful, waters almost thirty years ago. Without them, God couldn’t give me the books He wants me to write today.

I am now working on the fifth book in the Seventh Dimension Series where all the events from the first four books will culminate in a dramatic ending to surprise and hopefully satisfy the reader’s desire for a good story.

The process of writing puts me in the seventh dimension – where God reveals Himself to me in ways I don’t understand. The mystery of God keeps me from making God too small. If we don’t have hope that God can give us our ultimate dreams, then we have made God a stingy God. My hope, satisfaction, and supreme joy are wrapped up in my Lord and Savior. If ever I start to doubt God’s grace, I’m the one who has moved, not God.

I returned to college at the ripe old age of fifty-five and received my Master of Arts in Creative Writing. In the last three years, I have won over twenty awards for my writing. My prayer now is to be able to write full time and make a living from my books. In the meantime, I’m thankful for all the opportunities we have to get our books into the hands of readers. Currently, I am working to get my books into libraries. If I am successful, I’ll share in a future blog post what I did. If I’m not successful, I’ll share anyway—no need for others to repeat my utter failures, but I am optimistic.

I hope you will check out my new website at http://LorilynRoberts.com.

Receive a free copy of my adoption memoir Children of Dreams by clicking here and signing up to receive my newsletter.

If you haven’t checked out my audiobooks, you can sample them on my website at http://LorilynRoberts.com

Enjoy this quote from my newest book Seventh Dimension – The City. 

“How far Lucifer had fallen—from the throne room of God to the bottomless pit. Once the most beautiful of God’s creation, now he embodied everything God hated—evil to the core.

“A snake-like tail protruded from his torso. The dragon’s grotesqueness was magnified when he occasionally shapeshifted into the golden angel as God made him in the beginning, if only for a fleeting moment, long enough to remember the magnificent splendor he once had. Now a fallen angel, he was the devil.”

PRESS RELEASE: SEVENTH DIMENSION YOUNG ADULT SERIES: “Wins 18th Book Award”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Lorilyn Roberts, 352-359-XXXX 

authorLorilynRoberts@gmail.com

Seventh Dimension Series Wins Eighteenth Award

 

Seventh Dimension – The City, Book 4, wins Silver in the 2016 Literary ClassicsAwards for Young Adult Faith-Based Fiction

GAINESVILLE, FL — July 14, 2016 —The Seventh Dimension Series brings together historical, contemporary, prophetic, and multicultural elements into an apocalyptic classic for today’s readers.

As the world teeters on the brink of war, The Seventh Dimension Series casts Yeshua front and center in a provocative battle between good and evil.

“When I began writing Seventh Dimension – The City, Book 4, I asked God to show me the conflict between good and evil,” says Lorilyn Roberts, “and God opened my eyes to unbelievable horror. Yeshua is the only way, the only truth, and the only answer to today’s problems in an increasingly hostile world.”

Seventh Dimension – The Castle, Book 3 was an awards finalist in the prestigious Foreword Reviews 2015 INDIEFAB Book Awards for Religious Fiction, and Literary Classics recommends The City… for home and school libraries.”

The Door Book 1, $14.95, ISBN 978-0-9891426-0-1; The King Book 2, $14.95, ISBN 978-0-9965322-3-5; The Castle Book 3, $14.95, ISBN 978-0-9965322-1-1; and The City Book 4, $14.95, ISBN 978-0-9965322-4-2 (The Mashiach, Book 5 will be released in 2017) are published through Lightning Source/Ingram as well as CreateSpace. For more information, visit http://LorilynRoberts.com.

Roberts is available for phone interviews, speaking engagements, and personal appearances.

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CONTACT: Lorilyn Roberts, authorLorilynRoberts@gmail.com, 352-359-XXXX

BOOK MARKETING: “Has Your Experience with CreateSpace Been a Positive One?” By Lorilyn Roberts

Recently, I received this question from William Burt, a YA Christian fantasy author, and a member of the John 3:16 Marketing Network.

I’m curious: Has your experience with CreateSpace been a positive one? New authors are asking for recommendations.

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My initial reaction was another question: Do you need to have an account with CreateSpace if you load your book at this new Ingram Spark website:  http://www.ingramspark.com/

I’m in the process of helping a traditionally published author make the transition to indie, and since this is a new Ingram/Spark website, I’m looking into this as I write.

This is a complicated question — short answer, yes, I have been happy with CreateSpace. But Lightning Source is of higher quality, and if you can get author copies as cheaply through Ingram Spark as you can through CreateSpace (at the above website), you may not need to publish through CreateSpace.

My books are on Lighting Source through a different platform, much less user-friendly, the original site, so that’s why I have my books on CreateSpace — it’s free and convenient.

The one time I had issues with CreateSpace, they made it right.  I had ordered 30 books for an event, and two days before the event and long after they promised delivery, I called them because I hadn’t received the shipment. They sent those books out expedited free of charge through a different printer.  They have more than one printer.

I eventually received the first shipment and CreateSpace gave the books to me for free.  Sometimes a book isn’t printed properly, but in my opinion, having grown up in a family business that published maps, I know that is to be expected. There will be some that need to be thrown out.  When I was a child, that was one of my jobs, to cull out those that had any kind of issue — and CreateSpace will reship those books for free. I’ve done this in the past.

Also, I saw on one website where authors were complaining that CreateSpace wasn’t free and they would try to sell you all their other products — covers, editing, et cetera.  That’s YOUR CHOICE.  I felt like that was misleading and unfair.  

 

The site where the article was posted was also a competitor, and they had stirred up the fires to generate more business for themselves—what I consider very deceptive advertising. Authors had simply jumped on the bandwagon with complaints, some of which were unfair. I have nothing to gain or lose with this statement. This is my opinion based on years of being an indie author and having published my books with multiple publishers. 

I have never paid a dime to CreateSpace to publish my books, and I have nine books published through them. Those extra paid services are there for those who need them.  AND — I have republished the same book through CreateSpace when I have found mistakes or done revisions, and I have never been charged for those updates. 

That is VERY DIFFERENT from Lightning Source or any POD publisher. There is a fee for everything. I would recommend new authors learn the ropes with CreateSpace (for free), and then once they know what they are doing, add on Ingram Spark. Why? You will never get your books into bookstores and libraries in any significant way without returnability. CreateSpace doesn’t give you that.

Also, one final comment on CreateSpace: Your books are almost immediately available through CreateSpace once they have been vetted. That process might take a couple of days. You can also use their online program to check your book before giving the final approval to CreateSpace — for things like margin placement, and you can start the process over as many times as you need FOR FREE until you get it right. CreateSpace gives you a free template to use, and they have phone support FOR FREE.

I don’t think you will find any publisher that gives you this level of support FOR FREE. 

Great question, William. If you have more questions, send them my way, and I will try to answer them through blog posts.

To learn more about Lorilyn Roberts, the founder of the John 3:16 Marketing Network, visit LorilynRoberts.com

BOOK REVIEW: “Seventh Dimension – The City: A Young Adult Fantasy,” Five Stars from Readers’ Favorite Reviewer Emily-Jane Hills Orford

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers’ Favorite

“Time is an illusion until God’s appointed time.” This is oft repeated, stressed, in fact, in Lorilyn Roberts’ aspiring young adult novel, Seventh Dimension: The City. And what is the seventh dimension? Mathematically, it is quite beyond our simple expectations, but if we think in God’s perspective, it is all consuming, everything and beyond. 

Shale and Daniel are off on another adventure, one that takes them into the realms beyond this world: the underworld and Hades. Evil forces are set upon luring the young couple from their blossoming faith in the Messiah, King Yeshua. Shale has spoken out about her faith at school, to her mother and her friends, even to her father, Brutus, and his frighteningly mystical wife, Scylla. 

Not all have listened, but when she’s sent on a treacherous mission across the ocean to Israel to find the scrolls she had buried in another time, another dimension, she continues to share her belief even when she feels her own faith challenged. 

It is a difficult time with her home country of the United States blacked out by some mysterious force, and the world and within Israel erupting in chaos. 

But once she meets her old friend, Daniel, whom she met previously in another time, another dimension, she is set on her course to follow him and find his father who is being held captive somewhere in Nepal. To what end? Well, that’s the adventure and it’s a real end-of-the-world thriller with all the evil forces rising up. Armageddon is nigh, but will evil prevail?

Lorilyn Roberts captures the reader’s attention from the very first line and carries the excitement to a compelling climax and resolution. Her sense of adventure parallels the adventure of learning and accepting our Messiah, in living our faith to its fullest. 

The story is one of a series, but it can and does stand alone as a powerful witness to the supremacy of our living God. An exciting read, but also a deeply emotional and thought-provoking one.

To learn more or to purchase, click here.

GUEST APPEARANCE ON CAROLE BROWN'S BLOG Stitches Thru Time: A Visit with YA Author Lorilyn Roberts: Her books ...

Please visit Carole Brown’s blog where she is featuring me today. If you leave a comment, you might win a signed copy of Seventh Dimension - The City: A Young Adult Fantasy, Book 5 in the Seventh Dimension Series.

Stitches Thru Time: A Visit with YA Author Lorilyn Roberts: Her books ...: It's with real pleasure I introduce and welcome Lorilyn Roberts today as our guest. Her books are delightful young adult and award winni...

BOOK REVIEW: “Seventh Dimension – The City: A Young Adult Fantasy”: Five Stars from Literary Classics Awards

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Eighteen-year-old Shale's name is discovered on an ancient scroll which dates back over 2,000 years. The Illuminati are determined to get their hands on the two remaining scrolls to ensure no-one learns about the truths which lie behind these documents. Shale, and her friend Daniel, risk all to ensure the scrolls won't get into the wrong hands. As the two travel through time and space they encounter the forces of good and evil as ancient prophecies of the end-times unfold.

The City, the fourth book in the Seventh Dimension Series, is an exciting page-turner which will keep readers engaged from beginning to end. Fans of author Lorilyn Roberts’ work will continue to be enthralled by this intense supernatural thriller in which religion and science go head to head. The City is recommended for home and school libraries and has earned the Literary Classics Seal of Approval.

Seventh Dimension - The City is a silver medalist in the Literary Classics Awards for 2016. 

The City, Click here to learn more and/or order. 

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CREATIVE WRITING INSIGHTS: “How To Write A Memoir In Twelve Easy Steps,” by Lorilyn Roberts

trip to Disney with my daughters

All of us have lived through dramatic times of ecstasy and pain. For the sensitive and sensate person, memories of these events are etched in the psyche and have molded us into who we are. A memoir is a way to touch at the heart of those feelings and allow them to be shared with others.

A memoir is different from an autobiography because it takes a “snapshot” of certain events in a person's life. A memoir tends to read more like a novel. Usually a memoir is written in more colorful language than an autobiography and only relevant information is included—not everything about a person's life should be shared. How do I get started, you may ask? Here are twelve steps I followed in writing my adoption memoir Children of Dreams.

1. A memoir should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. There should be a problem, a conflict, and a resolution. 

2. It might be helpful to pull out old pictures, diaries, and objects to bring to memory the experiences you are writing.  If possible, go to the scene and relive the events in your mind.

3. Allow your feelings to flow freely from your mind and heart—they may be painful, terrifying, hurtful, crazy, or not understood, but to write a good memoir, you must bring the buried nemeses to the surface and write with passion.

4. Listen to music that will transport you from your surroundings to the time and place of the memoir. I like classical music, but anything that stirs your emotions and allows your mind to be absorbed back into that moment will work.

5. Don't do any major editing until you've written all that you can remember. Worry later about clean-up. If you edit too soon, you may change something that is important.

6. Expect to feel like you are going crazy. Your feelings may create powerful emotions that are buried deep, but when you write those hidden passions and distorted thoughts on paper, it can be cathartic. The story may even write itself and come to a resolution you never thought possible. 

7. Make sure you validate facts. A memoir is based on truth, so dates, times, names, people, and sequence of events are important. Otherwise, your credibility may come into question if something you have written is shown not to be true. It may be necessary to change names or locations, and this is acceptable provided you put a disclaimer at the beginning.

8. A good memoir is rich in color—metaphors, similes, descriptions, dialogue, and feelings will make your memoir come alive.

9. After you've written around one hundred pages, take some time to reflect on what you have said. Then put it aside for a few days, don't look at it, and come back and re‑read it. It will be easier to spot things that need to be revised or rewritten. Save deletions for later.

Vietnam when I adopted Joy from my Memoir Children of Dreams

10.  Be kind to yourself. Writing a memoir is a very personal, gut-wrenching journey.

11. After you have written the rough draft and edited it as much as you can, including deletions, give your memoir to some trusted friends for feedback. You may see a pattern in their comments, and that's a good indication of what needs further revision. Don't be shy and seek a professional editor if needed.  

12. Never give up. Never, never give up. Need I say it again? Never, never, never give up. 

Why Write a Memoir?

First, the memories are important to you. The intimate details will soon be forgotten if they are not written down. The memoir validates your experience and gives meaning to your life. Your memories become a treasured journey for others to learn from and enjoy.

A memoir can be a gift to your children, your parents, your friends, your country, and the world. Only you can tell the story that you've been given, and other people's lives will be enriched. Most of all, if you're like me, you will be set free from the past and empowered to write your next story.

You will be changed and healed in ways that would not have been possible without writing your story. Having gone through the journey twice, you will be wiser. Perhaps you will touch others in a way you couldn’t have imagined because the “gestalt” of your experience is universal. Most importantly, you will have accomplished what you set out to do, and that is to write your memoir.   

I say it again, never give up. It will be worth it when you have finished.

You can purchase the new audiobook of my adoption memoir Children of Dreams by clicking here.