YAHSHUA'S BRIDGE

Saturday evening I read the last word in this book. From Thursday on, I couldn't put it down. If you are interested in reading about the first Century Christians, you will love this book. Let me warn you, it is graphic. It didn't bother me, but I can read blood and guts. Can't stand to see it, but I can read it.

Sandi has a wonderful way of placing you in the middle of the scene. I could feel the lions and the gladiators as they attacked the characters. The book humbled me to think of the way early Christians were tormented and killed. We take our freedom of worship for granted. It was very dear to them.

While I was reading this, I wondered if I would deny Christ in order to live. I want to think I wouldn't, but if I were to face a lion or a gladiator, would my faith be strong enough? I loved the way Sandi included that part in her book.

She will probably tell you this is not a love story, but it is. It is filled with love, and hate. It is powerful in that way.

One thing the book impressed on me is how the Christians were persecuted all over the known world. I hadn't thought about that, but thought it was a Roman thing. The history in this book is so good and accurate. I'm not an expert on that time period, but I feel I have learned enough to see the correctness in Sandi's writing. I do recommend this book. If nothing else, it will make you appreciate your Christianity.

As far as I know, Sandi remains in Arizona receiving treatment for her cancer. The last I heard, she was very tired. Please remember her in prayers. This is going to be a trying time for her and her family. DeWard Publishing, the publisher of this book, is again setting aside $1 of each book sold for her use. The treatment is very expensive. She and her family have suffered much during the last year. Pray for her recovery, if it is God's will.

THANKSGIVING

I just finished writing my blog forchristiangirls.org. It was about Thanksgiving, so while I'm still in that frame of mind, I thought I would do this one.

What is your favorite thing about Thanksgiving? Mine is being with family. We will be with half of our family this year. Although, I'll miss my son and his family, I'm looking forward to spending time with my daughter's family and her husband's family. I'm not going for the food, it's all right, but I doubt if I'll eat as much as normal.

What do you remember about Thanksgiving as a child? It was the day we killed hogs. Oh, yes, we celebrated that way. Everyone got up early and worked until nightfall. Our meal was in the evening, and it was liver and lights. I've never found out what the lights were, but apparently they were part of the hog. They were boiled and a gravy added. The liver was always good, but I never ate the lights.

One thing that has stuck in my mind is the lard making. My grandmother had a large kitchen table and the men would bring out tubs of fat. She would cut it up in cubes to get ready to render. The kitchen floor had settled and went downhill. It would be so greasy by the end of the day that my sister and I would slide down it. My grandmother scolded us for that, but it was fun.

Turkey and dressing was not introduced to me until I went a full day in school. I loved it the first time I ate it, and I still do. Our son-in-law adds ham to our menu. but we still have all the trimmings. It's good when several people prepare different items. I always bring cranberries and dressing. This year I'm adding corn and pineapple casserole. Can't wait for Thursday to come.

Agents

Agents are a blessing and a curse. From my experience so far, they are a curse. I have not found one that  seems to be decent.
What do you look for in an agent? I look for someone honest. I know they're out there, but I seem to find the dishonest. One was sending me a contract, but I never received it. I seemed to fall through the cracks. Then I was promised a contract again, but it never materialized. Aren't we supposed to be honest in ACFW?
Then came the one who was flippant. I didn't like that at all. Why didn't they say, "At this time I can't take your book." That would have been better than the remark they made.
I hear other writers talk about their agents. I know there are wonderful agents that care about their clients. Maybe I'm not ready for an agent yet, but I have in mind what I want. Someone who cares about me and wants to see my business grow. Someone who will encourage me to do my best.
Why do I always find the ones who don't care? I seem to be drawn to the wrong agent. Years ago, my daughter and I did craft shows. We are tole painters, and I lov painting. At one show in Florida, we were in a mall that retired citizens frequented. I am one of those people now, but I don't think I'm as bad as these were. My daughter was going to get something to eat and was leaving me by myself at our booth. As she left, she said, "Mom, don't look up or speak to anyone. Just paint and don't pay attention to anyone who comes by." I tried, but a little ole man came by and kept watching me. Finally I looked up, and he asked me if I could paint his little doggie on his necktie.
When my daughter came back, she said, "I told you not to look up. You always draw these little ole people." She's right. I seem to have a feeling for those less fortunate than myself. I felt sorry for this man. He was alone, and his dog had died.
So, that must be the way I am with agents. Before I send another query out, I'm going to be sure this book is the best it can be. I saw this quote the other day. "When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal."

A Fire in Ember

I loved A Fire In Ember by DiAnn Mills. It came out early in the year, and I hadn't had a chance to read it until lately. I will always pick up a book by DiAnn because she is a wonderful writer and a great friend.

This an interesting book and has many twists and turns. It starts with a young boy about to be hung. Is it a boy or a girl? That is the first twist.

There is so much about the west and Colorado in the book that I read it quickly. This book comes after A Woman Called Sage. I loved that book. Some of the characters are the same.

You know, things go on in this world that I have never thought of. DiAnn has a way with "What if?" That's one thing she has stressed in all of the classes I have attended that she taught. What if someone was trying to buy all the ranches in the area? What if a family wanted to hold on to their land? What if a father was killed and a teenager had to grow up fast? I love the "What iifs?"

There are plenty in this book. From a family who is bent to kill and has no religious training to a girl trying to get out of that mess. Very well worth reading.

This is short. I'm heading out to start some Christmas shopping, then to spend some time with our daughter and her family. Have a good week-end.

Lone Star Trail

Monday I said I would let you know what I read while I recovered from surgery. I enjoyed reading Lone Star Trail by Darlene Franklin. Darlene had sent it to me before I entered the hospital, and I was so glad to have something to read when I got home, as if my shelves were bare. No such luck.

This book is the first in the Morgan Family Series. It was definitely a good first book for a series. I'm afraid I read it after I read Captive Trail by Susan Page Davis, but it didn't take me long to get in the grove of this book.

It's the story of German immigrants wanting to start a New Germany in Texas. I knew some of them settled in Texas, but this book tells of the problems they had in a new country. It tells of the hatred the people had against the German's. The love story is so good. It shows how you can overlook something for the one you love. Sometimes we don't pick our love, it happens and that's what I gained from this book.

I enjoyed it so much. I enjoy Darlene's writing. She is a very good author. To insert the story about the Morgan horses was priceless. There will be a total of six of the Morgan Family Series. I know the rest of them will be just as good as these two I have read.

A Wonderful Week-end

On Monday it's good to look back on the week-end and think, "Boy, I had a wonderful week-end." Well, I can rightly say that today! I did have a wonderful week-end.

Our week-end started on Friday. My nephew and his wife from Scotland arrived at our house. This was their first time to see it after we moved. Jon and Arlene Galloway live in East Kilbride, Scotland, which is outside of Glasgow. We had not seen Jon in two years and it had been three years since we had seen Arlene.

If you can understand fast Scottish, you're all right. It had been a while since we had had that opportunity, and most of the time, I just nodded. Our son and his family came to supper on Friday night and our daughter and granddaughter came up from Nashville on Saturday.

The best part of the week-end was family. I love having my family around. This was such a special week-end with everyone getting to visit, even if I couldn't understand part of what they said. Everyone enjoyed the difference in words. A stove is a cooker. Arlene and I have very similar refrigerators, which surprised me. American appliances are popular there. It felt empty when everyone left Saturday afternoon.

Saturday night we went to the Senior Banquet at church. It was so good. We have some very talented young folks, and it was good to get to see them perform. The church does this every year, and it is so enjoyable. This is such an active church. Something is going on all the time. I love it, and I'm so thankful God put us here. We had never been is a congregation this active. My daughter says she can't come up to see us, because we are always doing something at church.

To end all this week-end up, my husband preached at a small congregation last night. I enjoyed it so much. Everyone was so nice and friendly. I'm anxious to go back next month and worship with them.

The week-end was wonderful, but I was so tired. I slept yesterday afternoon from 1:30 to 4:00. That's a long afternoon nap for me. I'll be so glad when I stop sleeping so much. Wednesday I hope to tell you about some books I read while I was recovering. Have a wonderful day.

Yahshua's Bridge

Here's the back cover and picture of Sandi Rog's latest release, Yahshua's Bridge. It was released on November 1, 2011. If you remember, Sandi's first book was also released on November 1, 2010, and that was the day she found out she had T-Cell Lymphoma. She has struggled this past year with chemo, radiation, and stem cell transplant. The cancer is sneaky, and it returned in the early fall. She has had radiation and tried an alternate treatment. The treatment seems to be helping her. I talked to her recently and she sounded so strong, much better than before.

With Yahshua's Bridge released, she has much to look forward to. DeWard Publishing is continue to put $1.00 of each sale of the book into a fund to help Sandi and her family. If you order from them during November, you will receive free shipping. That's a good deal with Christmas on it's way. I've already ordered mine, and I'm looking forward to reading the book. Continue to remember Sandi in your prayers. She's a wonderful, strong Christian. Her family is one in a million. They are behind her all the way. Read about her journey at sandirog.blogspot.com.

An amethyst stone draws him to his past. An elusive maiden draws him to his future.

Alexander is born into slavery under an abusive master: a master of his own flesh and blood . . . a man he will never call Father. Determined to break away from his master’s hold, Alexander devises a plan to purchase his freedom. But what’s he to do when he finds himself shipped off in shackles to Egypt, disappearing from the lives of everyone he knows and loves?

Here are a few endorsements for YAHSHUA’S BRIDGE:

Sandi Rog has done it again. With Yahshua’s Bridge, the sequel to the enjoyable and award-winning The Master’s Wall, Rog proves that her first effort was no fluke: This lady knows how to spin a page-turning adventure that is at once heartwrenching and uplifting. Yahshua’s Bridge has that rare and immensely satisfying quality of being a wonderful story, brilliantly told. ~Robert Liparulo, author of The 13th Tribe, Comes a Horseman and The Dreamhouse Kings

Sandi Rog's novels are sneaky good. She has an excellent understanding of the first century and is able to convey the details of New Testament culture without making it feel like a history lesson. Like her debut novel, Yahshua's Bridge is complex without being confusing and teaches truth without being preachy. With a story that hooks you and encourages you in your own life, Yahshua's Bridge is a fast but engaging read that is sure to please any lover of historical or Biblical fiction. -Alison Strobel, author of Composing Ameliaand many others

In Yahshua’s Bridge I found an amazing novel full of romance and intrigue just as I’ve come to expect from Sandi Rog. Beyond that, I found an epic struggle of good versus evil played out against a backdrop of martyrs, coliseums, and gladiators. This book illustrated to me more than any other novel the fact that life is but a pale illusion and the glorious reality awaiting us in eternity far supersedes any temporary pain or struggles we might face on this earth.  ~ Dina Sleiman, author of Dance of the Dandelion

Yahshua's Bridge is a powerful story about forgiveness and loyalty to the Christian faith. I loved the theme that God loves us enough to allow whatever is necessary to bring about our spiritual good and to produce healing in our lives. Sometimes what He allows makes no sense to us at the time. 

Yahshua's Bridge reminded me of Francine Rivers's Mark of the Lion trilogy in that it was also set during the first century when Christianity was still growing, and when gladiators fought to the death for mere entertainment of Roman citizens. Sandi Rog draws you into the story so deeply that you feel each character's pain and you hurt along with them. Well-written and fast paced, Yahshua's Bridge has the potential to heal hearts and touch many lives because it doesn't soft-step or minimize human suffering. The greater the darkness was, the more the light of Christ shone in this book. I loved it! ~Michelle Sutton, author of over a dozen inspirational novels.