BOOK REVIEW BY LORILYN ROBERTS: "The Gift of Fate," by Valerie King - Mysterious and Hauntingly Beautiful

The Gift of Fate
by Valerie King

“What if you had the ability to know your fate?” That question lingered in my mind as I read The Gift of Fate. It challenged me to think, if I did, how would I live my life differently?  By the end of the book, my whole being had embraced the question in this hauntingly beautiful story which seemed more real than imagined.

If you like a story that asks profound questions, you won’t be disappointed.  The Gift of Fate is mysterious and thought-provoking. Teenagers face life and death choices and the story threads passion and love into a surprise ending. Well-written from the first person point of view, you won’t be able to put this book down. I read it in two sittings.

Want a fantasy book that doesn’t cross the line of Christian values?  Make sure you read The Gift of Fate. A book that makes me ponder deep questions long after I have finished reading it is a book that I must recommend and share with others.

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Valerie has always possessed a vivid imagination and a mind full of stories waiting to be told. As life moves forward, her pen has finally hit paper and incandescent sagas are being written. Her passion has transformed itself into the Fatum book series, along with a number of short stories. May you find a fable of deceit or perhaps a love story to fill your heart. Welcome to her journey…
Valerie lives with her husband and their three children in Dallas, TX.

GUEST POST BY CHRISTIAN PASTOR BOB SAFFRIN

 

Today I received this email from a reader of my book Children of Dreams. I was moved because it was written by a Christian pastor, Bob Saffrin, who just recently returned from India. So many children, so many needs. What we could do if more Christian families would choose adoption, or even sponsor a child internationally.

Lorilyn,

I read your book Children of Dreams on the 20+ hour plane ride to India. I thought it would be a book that appealed more to women but I wanted to read it because I am trying to read stuff that will help me be a better author. 

I was surprised. I think it is the best book I have read for as long as I can remember! I was so touched by your struggles to have a family and how well you related it all to God’s own efforts to have a family. Mercy is not my giftedness but I have been on many trips with “moms” who cry over little naked village children with no hope and no future. They cry as we get into our rented SUV and drive off, leaving them behind. 

This year I met a 12-year-old boy who worked in a brickyard making bricks by hand by filling a wooden mold with mud. He had no family, his mother just dropped him off there when he was 5 because she couldn’t feed him. I asked him how much money he made. He said he had to make 1000 bricks a day. It took him 12 hours, 7 days a week and he made 5 rupees a day (10c), and they also gave him rice. This boy was a virtual slave and I stood there and there was nothing I could do. I made friends with him, had him teach me how to make bricks, and introduced him to Jesus but in the end, I got in the car and drove away. 

I was touched as I read your book to hear of two little girls who God rescued from the darkness and the hopelessness. I wish every woman that is considering an abortion could read your book.  I’m so glad that in your book you recognized that they truly are children of dreams but they aren’t your dreams, they are God’s. You just got to go along for the ride. Little by little I’m learning to let go of my dreams and connect with God’s dreams for my life.

Some of the cultural issues you dealt with in Nepal reminded me of India. In India, unless you are in a major city there is no such thing as TP. If you ask they don’t even know what you are talking about. When I meet with new team members for India I usually tell them they can bring their own or I will have it for sale for $1.00 a sheet. It seems that God has given you and me a similar call to adventure. By the way, I looked at your Facebook photos because I wanted to see Manisha and Joy and I discovered that you and I share the same birthday – Oct 17^th. J

BOOK REVIEW: “Children of Dreams,” Five Stars from Amazon Review/Author Katherine Harms: “Finding Fulfillment”

Here is a review that Katherine Harms posted last week that I loved. Yes, some reviews impact authors more than others; when they hit that nerve within us that speaks to the heart of what we have written.  *~*~*~* I think everyone I know has asked at some time, “Why am I here?” Lorilyn Roberts asks that question, too, and she answers it in Children of Dreams. Acting on her faith that God never abandons someone who is following his call, Lorilyn wades through, works around, or climbs over obstacles spread over half a world. Having traveled in a few third-world countries myself, I recognized some of the bureaucratic nightmares that stalked her effort to adopt two little girls and fulfill her dream and calling to be a mother.  Many people would have been stopped in their tracks by the initial processes and endless forms required for an international adoption. Many, many people would have wilted in Nepal as soon as they discovered they should have brought a carton of toilet paper with them. Not many single women would have braved what passes for a mountain highway in Nepal on a tiny scooter navigating past barricades and stone-throwing rebels for love of a baby. Many people would have given up on the whole thing as promise after promise was broken in Viet Nam before Lorilyn finally held her new baby in her arms. A chronicle of faith in action, Lorilyn’s path was as convoluted and full of tears as the path of the Israelites to the promised land. She, too, discovered that God has his own way of shining light into dark days and ultimately giving his children more than they even hope for. This book is worth much more than the time you will spend reading it. Don't miss Children of Dreams. To purchase click here

“SOCIALISM IS A PHILOSOPHY OF FAILURE” – Quote by WINSTON CHURCHILL: Christian Blogger Lorilyn Roberts

“Socialism is a philosophy of failure,

the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy,

its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.”

-- Winston Churchill

These are possibly the 5 best sentences you'll ever read:

Unfortunately, most voters don't know this.

(I don’t know who to credit for the following, but it’s too well said not to repeat)

1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity, by legislating the wealth out of prosperity.

2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.

5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them; and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation.

Can you think of any reason for not sharing this?

Neither could I...

GUEST POST BY DEBORAH MALONE: A Cozy Mystery, “Death in Dahlonega”

When I offered to host Deborah Malone on my blog and she told me her novel was a “cozy mystery,” I wondered if I was the only person who had never heard that phrase. It reminded me of the Star Trek episode from “The Trouble With Tribbles,” where it seemed everyone knew what a tribble was but Captain Kirk.

If it’s a new term for you also, here is a definition from  http://www.cozy-mystery.com/Definition-of-a-Cozy-Mystery.html:

“The crime-solver in a cozy mystery is usually a woman who is an amateur sleuth. Almost always, she has a college degree, whether she is using it or not. Her education and life’s experiences have provided her with certain skills that she will utilize in order to solve all the crimes that are “thrown her way.” The cozy mystery heroine is usually a very intuitive, bright woman….”

Well, I guess that “intuitive” part means I will never make it as an amateur sleuth – I am not very observant. But at least in books, you can become who you aren’t in real life and enjoy being someone else. Is that not part of the joy of reading good books?

Here is a short interview with Debbie about her new book, Death in Dahlonega.

LORILYN: TELL ME ABOUT YOUR LATEST RELEASE.

DEBBIE: Death in Dahlonega is my debut cozy mystery. It is based on two friends who find themselves in a bit of a scrape. Trixie is a magazine writer and she is on assignment in Dahlonega, Georgia, and her friend Dee Dee has tagged along. Dee Dee owns an antique shop and this will be the perfect place for her to shop for antiques and other goodies. The girls are watching a film at the gold museum when Dee Dee has to go to the bathroom - this is not unusual for Dee Dee. While she is nosing around in the rooms she happens upon a dead body. She automatically pulls out the pickaxe and winds up being the main person of interest. The handsome sheriff is ready to retire and run for mayor, so Trixie doesn't think he's trying very hard to find the real killer. So she and Dee Dee take matters in their own hands. The question is will they find the real killer before Dee Dee ends up in the slammer?

I am working on my next two releases with Trixie and Dee Dee. The first one is Murder in Marietta and the second one is Terror in Tybee Island.

LORILYN: HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU SPEND IN RESEARCH BEFORE YOU WRITE A STORY?

DEBBIE: I like to visit the area and take lots of pictures as well as interview people that are familiar with the area. Then I continue to do research throughout the whole book to keep it fresh in my mind. I don't really know how much time, but it is a good bit. Research is imperative.

LORILYN: WHAT IS THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM YOUR RESEARCH?

Well, I don't know about what I learned, but I do have a funny story. When I went to the gold museum and talked with the real ranger about taking pics/interviewing them etc. for the book she hurriedly called her boss and then preceded to tell me I couldn't write about their security system. Of course, I didn't know about their security system so it was funny for me. I really don't think she knew what a cozy mystery was.

DEBBIE: HOW DO YOU LIKE TO SPEND YOUR TIME WHEN YOU'RE NOT WRITING?

Now that I've been published, I don't have as much time to do other things, but I like to take photographs. I'm enjoying meeting people through my marketing of Death in Dahlonega.

LORILYN: HOW CAN READERS CONTACT YOU AND/OR LEARN MORE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR WRITING?

DEBBIE: You can contact me by going to my website deborah-malone.com. I would love to hear from my readers and if anyone wants a signed copy I’d be glad to do that, and my email is debbiejeanm@gmail.com.  Thank you for having me on your blog!