Simon considers himself fortunate after securing the final room at the inn in Bethlehem. While eating his supper, he sees a younger man and his pregnant wife denied lodging at the door of the inn. Simon momentarily considers giving up his space, but he is weary from his travels as a spice merchant and turns away from the thought.
Over the ensuing years, Simon traverses the popular trade routes, and each time he passes Bethlehem, he is reminded of that evening and plagued by guilt.
In time, the Savior begins his ministry, and Simon begins the life-changing process of trying to understand and believe the teachings and miracles of this man called Jesus—said to be the promised Messiah.
The Last Man at the Inn is the story of a journey of conversion we all take in one form or another, told through the eyes and heart of a common man. It is written to affirm the believer, to lovingly beckon to the undecided, and to call out to those who may not even know they are looking for something—only that there is a space in their soul that somehow needs to be filled.
About the Author:
R. William Bennett grew up on the Jersey
shore and in Connecticut. He is the author
of the best-selling Christmas novella Jacob T. Marley
and the award-winning book The Christmas Gift. He works as
a division president of Franklin Covey. He and his wife
are the parents of four children, and they live
in the Southwest.
Advance Praise/Endorsements:
“Bennett (Jacob T. Marley) recreates the life
of the cross-carrying Simon of Cyrene in this enchanting historical…Simon
struggles to accept this new faith—until he is visited by the words of the Holy
Spirit. Now preaching Jesus’s message, he follows his family toward Jerusalem.
Fans of Mesu Andrews will love this earnest exploration of Simon of Cyrene’s
struggle with faith.”
-Publishers Weekly
“Not just a Christmas
book, The Last Man at the Inn is the story
of a man who is experiencing a crisis of faith and his path to
conversion. Beautifully told with a surprise ending.”
-Jason F. Wright, New
York Times best-selling author of Christmas
Jars
“Both riveting and poignant, this book
gives the reader a glimpse into what it might have been like to
live as one of the first Christians and followers of Jesus
Christ. The story left me pondering the path of
discipleship and gave me a deeper desire to stand more firmly as a witness of
Christ in my own life.”
-Emily Belle Freeman, author of A Christ-
Centered Christmas and A
Christ-Centered Easter
“The Last Man at the Inn is
a wonderful invitation to look at Christ’s birth, life, and death
through new eyes. I appreciate William Bennett’s timely reminder that true
disciples come to Christ and stay.”
Relatable, heartbreaking, and real, this is a story of resilience–the perfect novel for readers of powerful contemporary fiction like Girl in Pieces and Every Last Word.
Before, I was a million things. Now I’m only one. The Burned Girl.
Ava Lee has lost everything there is to lose: Her parents. Her best friend. Her home. Even her face. She doesn’t need a mirror to know what she looks like–she can see her reflection in the eyes of everyone around her.
A year after the fire that destroyed her world, her aunt and uncle have decided she should go back to high school. Be “normal” again. Whatever that is. Ava knows better. There is no normal for someone like her. And forget making friends–no one wants to be seen with the Burned Girl, now or ever.
But when Ava meets a fellow survivor named Piper, she begins to feel like maybe she doesn’t have to face the nightmare alone. Sarcastic and blunt, Piper isn’t afraid to push Ava out of her comfort zone. Piper introduces Ava to Asad, a boy who loves theater just as much as she does, and slowly, Ava tries to create a life again. Yet Piper is fighting her own battle, and soon Ava must decide if she’s going to fade back into her scars . . . or let the people by her side help her fly.
“A heartfelt and unflinching look at the reality of being a burn survivor and at the scars we all carry. This book is for everyone, burned or not, who has ever searched for a light in the darkness.” –Stephanie Nielson, New York Times bestselling author of Heaven Is Here and a burn survivor
Review
Scars Like Wings explores the life of a teen who has lost her family and 60% of her body to fire. Ava is at a particularly difficult time of life to be transitioning to a new school and family situation, her aunt and uncle as new guardians. Peers can be cruel and petty, until she meets both a boy and a girl who see beneath her skin to what really matters. I loved seeing the transformation which occurs with friendship and fun. Piper is just the right medicine, taking healing head on and laughing when she could be suffering. This book addresses grief, trauma and coming to be comfortable in one’s own space. Ava has a long road to travel and is bitter at first, but the author shows how one or two people can make a huge difference in each others’ lives.
Content: the first chapter has the most content for parents pre-reading. Some mentions of adults sexual relations and tension. Bullying triggers.
About the Author
Erin Stewart is the author of SCARS LIKE WINGS, her debut novel. Erin is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern and a BYU undergraduate who works as a freelance writer and editor, as well as a weekly columnist in Salt Lake City.
Erin lives in Utah
with her husband and three children. She is represented by the amazing Brianne
Johnson of Writers House.
Title: ACADEMY OF THE ELITES (Untamed Magic #1) Author: Alexis Calder Pub. Date: October 1, 2019 Publisher: Alexis Calder Formats: Paperback, eBook Pages: 139 Find it: Goodreads, Amazon
Upcoming Release Dates for Academy of Elites: Untamed Magic: October 1, 2019 Broken Magic: November 2019 Fated Magic: December 2019
About Alexis:
Alexis Calder writes sassy heroines and sexy heroes with a sprinkle of sarcasm. She lives in the Rockies and drinks far too much coffee and just the right amount of wine. Facebook | Amazon Author Page | BookBub | Goodreads
Giveaway Details: 1 winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card, International.
Harbor for the Nightingale is the highly anticipated fourth
installment in the popular award-winning Stranje House YA series! #1
New York Times best-selling author Meg Cabot calls this romantic
Regency adventure series “completely original and totally
engrossing.”
“Enticing from the first sentence.”
—New York Times Sunday Book Review on A School for Unusual Girls
“Baldwin has a winning series here: her
characters are intriguing and fully rendered.” —Booklist, on Refuge
for Masterminds
It’s 1814. In this alternate history, Napoleon has forced Europe to its knees, and now he plots to seize control of Britain.
Maya brings the mystery of India with her…
With her friends’ lives in deadly peril, Miss Maya Barrington, one of Miss Stranje’s unusual girls, must serve as a double agent. To do so, she gains entry into Napoleon’s duplicitous game on the arm of the enigmatic Lord Kinsworth. She can read almost everyone; not so with this young rascal. Quick with a jest and armed with lethal charm, Kinsworth remains just beyond her reach. Can she trust him?
With Britain’s future at risk and those she loves in deadly peril, Maya questions everything she thought she understood about life, love, and loyalty.
Fans of genre-blending, romance, and action will love this speculative history Regency-era novel filled with spunky heroines, handsome young lords, and dastardly villains–fourth in the Stranje House series. Don’t miss the first three books: A School for Unusual Girls, Exile for Dreamers, and Refuge for Masterminds
“An outstanding alternative history series entry and a must-have for teen libraries.” —School Library Journal on Refuge for Masterminds
“This alternative history series will appeal to fans of Gail Carriger’s works and The Cecelia and Kate novels by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer.” —School Library Journal on A School for Unusual Girls
I’ve never read any other books in this series and I must say I am intrigued after picking up book 4! The world is at war and the Strange House girls are called in to help with their unique abilities. From page one, the plot move along at an active pace, the characters vibrant. Maya and Ben have a Romeo, Juliet duet which showcases their ability to push and pull the best from each other. They navigate the stormy relationship between London and the rest of the world, as other look down on their match. Clean, historic romance with a touch of the supernatural. Can not wait to read the rest of these!
It’s 1814. Napoleon has escaped his imprisonment on Elba. Britain is at war on four fronts. And at Stranje House, a School for Unusual Girls, five young ladies are secretly being trained for a world of spies, diplomacy, and war…
Napoleon’s invasion of England is underway and someone at Stranje House is sneaking information to his spies. Lady Jane Moore is determined to find out who it is. If anyone can discover the traitor, it is Jane—for, according to headmistress Emma Stranje, Lady Jane is a mastermind.
Jane doesn’t consider herself a mastermind. It’s just that she tends to grasp the facts of a situation quickly, and by doing so, she’s able to devise and implement a sensible course of action. Is Jane enough of a mastermind to save the brash young American inventor Alexander Sinclair, her friends at Stranje House, and possibly England itself?
A School for Unusual Girls is the first captivating
installment in the Stranje House series for young adults by award-winning
author Kathleen Baldwin. #1 New York Times bestselling author
Meg Cabot calls this romantic Regency adventure “completely original and
totally engrossing.”
Tess can’t run far enough or fast enough to escape the prophetic dreams that haunt her. Dreams bring nothing but death and grief, and Tess refuses to accept that she may be destined for the same madness that destroyed her mother. Until her disturbing dreams become the only means of saving Lord Ravencross, the man she loves, and her friends at Stranje House from Lady Daneska and her lover, the Ghost-agent of Napoleon, who has escaped from Elba. Can the young ladies of Stranje House prevail once more? Or is England destined to fall into the hands of the power-mad dictator?
“Enticing from the first sentence.” –New York Times Book Review
A School for Unusual Girls is a great next read for fans of Gail Carriger’s
Finishing School series and Robin LaFevers’ His Fair Assassin series.
Title: A SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS (Stranje
House #1)
It’s 1814. Napoleon is exiled on Elba. Europe is in shambles. Britain is at war on four fronts. And Stranje House, a School for Unusual Girls, has become one of Regency England’s dark little secrets. The daughters of the beau monde who don’t fit high society’s constrictive mold are banished to Stranje House to be reformed into marriageable young ladies. Or so their parents think. In truth, Headmistress Emma Stranje, the original unusual girl, has plans for the young ladies—plans that entangle the girls in the dangerous world of spies, diplomacy, and war.
After accidentally setting her father’s stables on fire while performing a scientific experiment, Miss Georgiana Fitzwilliam is sent to Stranje House. But Georgie has no intention of being turned into a simpering, pudding-headed, marriageable miss. She plans to escape as soon as possible—until she meets Lord Sebastian Wyatt. Thrust together in a desperate mission to invent a new invisible ink for the English war effort, Georgie and Sebastian must find a way to work together without losing their heads—or their hearts…
About Kathleen:
Award-winning author, Kathleen Baldwin, loves
adventure in books and in real life. She taught rock climbing in the Rockies,
survival camped in the desert, was stalked by a mountain lion, lost an argument
with a rattlesnake, enjoyed way too many classes in college, fell in love at
least a dozen times, and married her very own hero. Together they’ve raised
four free-spirited adventurous children.
SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS is her first
historical romance for Young Adults. Awarded 2016 Spirit of Texas, it is also a
Junior Library Guild selection. Publisher’s Lunch listed it in 2015 YA
BookBuzz. Scholastic licensed it for book fairs. Ian Bryce, producer of
Spiderman, Saving Private Ryan, and other notable films optioned the series for
film.
#1 New York Times bestselling author Meg
Cabot calls Kathleen’s romantic Regency adventure, “completely original and
totally engrossing.”
With only six ingredients or less per recipe, making dinner has never been easier.
Six Sisters’ Stuff is one of the most popular blogs for quick and easy cooking and entertaining at home for families. In their eighth cookbook, they tackle how to master meals for any cook with any skill level with more than 100 easy recipes made with incredible flavor combinations from just six ingredients or less.
From beginning cooks learning the basics to busy parents looking to save time in the kitchen, this cookbook is loaded with entrees, side dishes, and desserts. Whether it’s a one-pot wings dish or a no-bake peanut butter bar this cookbook is a fool-proof solution to meal planning and features “Kid Favorites” recipes.
This cookbook has user friendly easy recipes! I typically shy away from cookbooks or recipes which are complicated, so this was right up our ally. There are slow cooker dinners which have little prep and few steps but still look mouthwatering. We are going to try the Fall- Apart Slow Cooker Roast and Slow Cooker Ritz Chicken. Comfort foods for Fall.
My daughter and a friend attended the Six Sisters’ launch party last week. She is a fan! The contributors are down to earth and personable. Our only wish? More desserts!!
Contributor Bios
The Six Sisters—Camille, Kristen, Elyse, Stephanie, Lauren, and Kendra—started their blog in 2011 as a way to keep in touch after they moved out of their house and started lives and families on their own. In just a few years, their blog has become one of the top blog sites for women, with millions of visitors each month enjoying the Sisters’ family stories, recipes, and tips for running a home. The sisters live in California, Texas, and Utah.
Elizabeth Black is the headmistress of a girls’ school in 1865 Victorian London. She is also a well-respected author of “silver-fork” novels, stories written both for and about the upper-class ladies of Victorian society. But by night, she writes very different kinds of stories—the Penny Dreadfuls that are all the rage among the working-class men. Under the pseudonym Mr. King, Elizabeth has written about dashing heroes fighting supernatural threats, intelligent detectives solving grisly murders, and dangerous outlaws romancing helpless women. They contain all the adventure and mystery that her real life lacks.
Fletcher Walker began life as a street urchin, but is now the most successful author in the Penny Dreadful market, that is until Mr. King started taking all of his readers. No one knows who King is, including Fletcher’s fellow members of the Dread Penny Society, a fraternity of authors dedicated to secretly fighting for the social and political causes of their working-class readers. The group knows King could be an asset with his obvious monetary success, or he could be the group’s undoing as King’s readership continues to cut into their profits.
Determined to find the elusive Mr. King, Fletcher approaches Miss Black. As a fellow-author, she is well-known among the high-class writers; perhaps she could be persuaded to make some inquiries as to Mr. King’s whereabouts? Elizabeth agrees to help Fletcher, if only to insure her secret identity is never discovered. What neither author anticipated was the instant attraction, even though their social positions dictate the impossibility of a relationship.
For the first time Elizabeth experiences the thrill of a cat-and-mouse adventure reminiscent of one of her own novels as she tries to throw Fletcher off her scent. But the more time they spend together, the more she loses her heart. Its upper-class against working-class, author against author where readers, reputations, and romance are all on the line.
About the Author
Sarah M. Eden is a USA Today Bestselling author of witty and charming historical romances, including Foreword Review’s 2013 “IndieFab Book of the Year” gold medal winner for Best Romance, Longing for Home, as well as 2014 Whitney Award winner for “Best Novel of the Year,” Longing for Home: Hope Springs. Combining her obsession with history and affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting witty characters and heartfelt romances set against rich historical backdrops. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library. Sarah lives with her husband, kids, and mischievous dog in the shadow of a snow-capped mountain she has never attempted to ski.
A traitor with a deadly plan. Two agents sent to expose his identity before he strikes. But danger is closer than they think . . .
Lord Christian Wolverton―known as Wolf in a covert group operating during the war against Napoleon―has been called home from his military duties. For the moment, his family responsibilities require him to suspend his more clandestine activities. But information falls into his hands that a traitor will soon try to tip the scales back into French favor and Christian doesn’t have much time to stop it from happening.
Going to the one person who can help him, the powerful Duke of Huntingdon, Christian comes face to face with Lady Alice. She’s a beautiful member of the ton with a very big secret―she’s also a trained agent and already on the case. Forced to partner with her to lure the traitor out of hiding, Christian wants to quickly close the case himself, before Lady Alice is more closely involved. But Lady Alice has ideas of her own and she’s going to prove her theories correct―with or without him.
Danger is closer than they think, however, and it’s a race against time to expose the traitor’s identity before British lives are endangered. Both Christian and Alice have strong opinions on who he is, but which one will be proven right and can they catch him before it’s too late?
Author Bio
Julie Coulter Bellon is the author of nearly two dozen romantic suspense books. Her book All Fall Down won the RONE award for Best Suspense, Pocket Full of Posies won a RONE Honorable Mention for Best Suspense and The Captain was a RONE award finalist for Best Suspense. Most recently, her books The Capture and Second Look were both Whitney finalists for Best Suspense/Mystery.
Julie loves to travel and her favorite cities she’s visited so far are probably Athens, Paris, Ottawa, and London. In her free time she loves to read, write, teach, watch HawaiiFive-O, and eat Canadian chocolate. Not necessarily in that order.
If you’d like to be the first to hear about Julie’s new projects and receive a free book, you can sign up to be part of her VIP Readers Group at juliebellon.com
Winter 1839. LIBERTY, MISSOURI. Local jailer, Samuel Tillery (Jasen Wade) is tasked with watching Missouri’s most wanted men as they await their upcoming hearing. Caught between the local Missourians’ increased drive to remove the prisoners, and the prisoners’ desperate efforts to survive, Tillery is pushed beyond what any lawman can endure. Based on actual recorded accounts, Out of Liberty is an intense, evocative western, with an outcome you have to see to believe. The movie truly allows the viewer to experience a difficult time in Missouri’s history and allows us to have more empathy towards those who endured it!
1. Where did the concept come from for Out of Liberty?
I love a good Western, and I’ve wanted to do one for a while. The events at Liberty Jail involve a triangle of conflict between the jailer, the mob and the prisoners. It seemed like an intriguing plot to explore. Amidst some of the better known occurances were attempted jailbreaks, repeated appeals to the legal system and an impromptu court hearing. With 1830’s Missouri as a setting, it’s the perfect backdrop for a powerful western.
2. What were some high points during the creative process?
Working in independent film is extremely difficult. It requires a lot of talented, passionate creative individuals to make things come together. Stephen Dethloff brought in the first several drafts of the script, and it was a high point to see that there was a cinematic story in Liberty Jail. Then, to be able to cast Jasen Wade, Brandon Ray Olive and Corbin Allred (who came back to acting after a 5 year hiatus just for this role) was a dream come true. Another high point was getting to see the set of the jail. We built 2 different sets, to cover interiors and exteriors. To step onto each set after they were completely prepped for filming made everything feel real.
3. What was your favorite scene on set?
The entire shoot was extremely cold, and the pressure to get everything just right probably impeded me from being able to feel like I had a favorite scene during the shoot. But now that the film is done, I can look back at some of the scenes and more accurately choose favorites. There’s a lot of recorded stories about the friendship between Joseph (Brandon Ray Olive) and Porter (Corbin Allred.) The scenes in which we tried to portray that friendship have become some of my favorites. Also, the jailer, Samuel Tillery (Jasen Wade) has a classic western stand-off with one of the characters. I’ve loved that scene from the moment it was in the script, through the final edit.
4. Any learning moments you want to share?
Any film presents opportunities for learning moments. Whether in the research phase, fundraising phase, production, post, or distribution, I’m always learning more and more about the process. One lesson that relates specifically to OUT OF LIBERTY was learning to respect the humanness of whom the story is about. Often I read historical accounts, but fail to recognize that they are written about real people, who deal with the same human hopes, dreams, faith and fears that I go through. So I learned to not only show their actions, but to help the audience understand the human emotion that was driving their actions. So in a moment of weakness, when Sydney Rigdon (Brock Roberts) doesn’t live up to my expectations, appreciating his humanness helps me to be more understanding of his actions.
5. What is the inspiration behind the story?
OUT OF LIBERTY is based on the true events that happened at Liberty Jail in 1839. Mob rule and public opinion collided with religious liberties and expressions of faith. It lead to a conflict that escalated beyond what either side wanted. Today, with ever-present social media and opinionated commentators stirring up reactions and attacks toward any differing belief, the similarities felt very relevant. Fortunately, we see in both cases, that principled individuals, dedicated to the good of society, can make a difference.
6. What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers?
Stop aspiring, start doing. We need great storytellers!
7. If you had to summarize the film in one line what would it be?
OUT OF LIBERTY is a western drama about a jailer caught between his civic job to keep Missouris’s most wanted men held for trial, and his personal duty to protect them from those who want them dead.
8. What do you hope people take away from this film?
When audiences go to the theater to see OUT OF LIBERTY, I hope they come away thinking “Wow, that was an awesome film! Let’s see it again.” It’s really a cool story, and to see it in theaters brings it to life in a way that no other format can.
9. What most surprised you in the making of this film?
One of the surprises along they way was how dedicated and committed the cast and crew were to telling this story. One example of this is with the character of Caleb Baldwin played by Adam Johnson. I’ve been friends with Adam Johnson for years, and have loved watching him in everything from CHARLY to The Outpost on The CW. He was gracious enough to come do this movie as a favor for me. I anticipated he would show up, deliver a good performance, keep the set fun, and be on to the next project. But Adam surprised me. He brought a performance that gave a level of humanity and depth that turned Caleb Baldwin into a real person for me. It was humbling, inspiring, and it has stuck with me. Every actor gave their all, and it shows on screen. It was really quite a nice surprise to have that caliber of talent on this film.
10. What scene was the most difficult to film?
Each scene had its own set of challenges, but for this project I’d have to say the first day of shooting was the hardest. The film is dedicated to my mother-in-law, who unexpectedly passed away only two days before filming began. With this personal tragedy very much on my mind, it was difficult to try to focus on the film. I was grateful to be surrounded by a supportive cast and crew, and a wonderful family. One message of the film deals with enduring extremely difficult circumstances, so that inspired me throughout the shoot.
11. What other films have you directed?
OUT OF LIBERTY is my fourth feature film. Other features I’ve written and directed are THE SARATOV APPROACH, FREETOWN and SCOUT CAMP.
12. How long did it take to film your movie?
We filmed OUT OF LIBERTY in November, 2018.
One fun story – I was holding auditions, and was surprised when Jasen Wade showed up to audition. We had never worked together, and it was an honor to have him audition. He read for a role and did a great job. But I felt I should ask him to read the part of the jailer, Samuel Tillery. He looked a little disheartened, but agreed to read for the part. He was perfect for it! About a week later, we offered him the part and he graciously accepted. I asked him to make some time for a call so that we could discuss his approach to the character. As we discussed the character, he paused for a minute, then said “Wait a minute… I’m just playing the jailer, right?” He was shocked to find out that the jailer was the protagonist of the film. He was expecting it to be just a small supporting role.
Hazel Hughes has spent her life believing she is a Medium—someone who can talk to ghosts. But as of yet, that skill has remained frustratingly elusive. She is also suffering from a reoccurring childhood dream of someone who looks almost exactly like Hazel, but this dream version of herself is slowly going mad.
Sam MacInnes is a talented surgeon who runs in the highest social circles thanks to his family’s position and history. When Sam hires Hazel to assist him with his medical practice, he is immediately drawn to her intelligence, wit, and beauty.
Their potential relationship is derailed one evening when a mysterious count arrives in London and reveals to Hazel the truth about her past: she was abducted at birth and her twin sister has fallen dangerously ill.
Hazel agrees to travel to Romania with Count Petrescu in order to save her sister, and Sam insists on accompanying her. The count has secrets, though, and the journey grows more sinister with every mile that draws Hazel closer to her homeland. Even as her feelings for Sam become deeper and more complicated, she fears she might not survive the quest to save her sister with her heart intact, not to mention her life. She must learn to draw on gifts she doesn’t know she has if they are going to ever return home again.
Hazel and Sam must fight their way past dark magic, clockwork beasts, and their own insecurities as they try to reach her sister in the impenetrable Coppergate Tower before time runs out.
About the Author
Nancy Campbell Allen is the author of 14 published novels and several novellas, which encompass a variety of genres from contemporary romantic suspense to historical fiction. Her Civil War series, Faith of our Fathers, won the Utah Best of State award in 2005 and two of her historicals featuring Isabelle Webb, Pinkerton spy, were finalists for the Whitney Award. Her steampunk novel, Beauty and the Clockwork Beast, was released August, 2016, through Shadow Mountain. She served on the 2015 LDStorymakers Conference Committee and currently serves as the contest coordinator for The Teen Writers Conference. She has presented at numerous conferences and events since her initial publication in 1999.
Her formal schooling includes a B.S. in Elementary Education from Weber State University and she has worked as a ghost writer and freelance editor, contributing to the releases, We Knew Howard Hughes, by Jim Whetton, and My Life Encapsulated, by Kenneth Brailsford.
Her agent is Pamela Howell of D4EO Literary Agency.
Nancy loves to read, write, travel and research, and enjoys spending time laughing with family and friends. She and her husband have three children, and she lives in Ogden, Utah with her family and one very large Siberian Husky named Thor.
Every year Amazon hosts Prime Day for its members. This year, the sale lasts two days. We have shopped it for a couple of years now and are familiar with what is and is not a good deal. Here’s what we get. Order through ebates for an additional savings. (ad)
