Book #1: When I signed up to share this reveal, I didn’t put together a conversation with the director of Vox Dei a month earlier with this book. The title Little Girl Mended resonated with me. I consider myself mended from a childhood sexual abuse. Then I read the blurb:

No little girl should ever have to learn about sexual abuse at the hands of her father. But I did, and I survived. This is my story.

Little Girl Mended is both a story of abuse and a story of redemption, spanning more than fifty years. From the loss of innocence at age seven, through ten-plus years of abuse, forty-five years of silence, and finally—well into my fifties—coming to understand that healing is possible. My walk through recovery coincided with a deepening of my  relationship with Jesus Christ. Through that relationship I came to experience the Father’s love—a love I couldn’t fully understand while viewing everything through the distorted lens of incest.

In this first-person narrative, I examine painful memories and difficult emotions, allowing myself to feel for the first time in my life. As I grapple with shattering hurt and long-buried pain, I come to realize there can be no healing without surrender. It’s not in my strength that I find healing, but in my complete surrender to Jesus Christ.

The power found in the pages of Little Girl Mended is there for you, too—whatever the circumstances of your own life’s story. Come along and claim it.

Being an adult survivor of childhood abuse, I said, this is a must read for me. So, look for Little Girl Mended by Niki Krauss coming out soon from Vox Dei.

Book #2: The blurb for The Gates Manor Band by Jan Hemby pulled me in and said read. See for yourself.

Julia Burch is a typical 50 year old who is tired of her typical life. But that changes when she answers the phone to find it isn’t a person on the other end of the line, but a recording of a conversation that happened over 30 years ago.

A series of inexplicable events leaves Julia searching for answers – and forces her to face the source of her unhappiness. But this is only the beginning; there are others who desperately need what Julia has rediscovered. Prisoners to their past, they have lost hope for anything better, and for some, time is running out.

What follows is a journey that crosses social status, racial lines, and even time itself to unite a group of people called to an adventure that will surpass anything they could have imagined.

Add this title to your list.

Book #3: It wasn’t the blurb (although good) that got my attention for Wheelman by Brian L. Tucker, nor was it the cover, it was the excerpt. I’ll let you decide. I’ll show you the blurb and then the excerpt. I’m hoping to interview Brian on an upcoming #VoxDeiChat in January.

Teen Cy Vance wants to do one thing: D-R-I-V-E. Except he has nowhere to go and no way to get there. But when he’s given a note at church, he discovers his dad–one of the FBI’s Most Wanted–is alive and well in Mexico…and he wants Cy to meet him ASAP!

With the help of a best friend, Cy escapes Child Protective Services and flees to Mexico. What he doesn’t know is that his father is going to ask even more of him when they meet. How far will Cy go to help his family, and will it cost him his life?

RUNNING AWAY IS ESCAPE.

STAYING PUT IS UNTHINKABLE.

THE ROAD AHEAD IS ANYTHING BUT STRAIGHT…

So, what caught my attention? Three excerpts. I’ll share the most powerful one with you. I’m sure Wheelman will be on your to-be-read list as well.

The appearance of the outside of the bar fit its namesake. There weren’t adornments or décor to speak of, and the clientele walking into the swinging, saloon-style doors added to its appearance. Vance Sr. reached over to Cy’s shoulder and gave it a good shake. “We’re here now. No backing down.”

“Wouldn’t think of it.” Cy swallowed, feeling how dry his throat was for the first time. Please God.

Just then, two men exited the swinging doors: one noticeably older and grey-headed and walking with a limp, the other more robust and beak-nosed. The Franco father and son wasted no time in their assemblage of several seedy-looking thugs. A group of three sluggish, somnambulant girls were gathering around the corner. What in the world? The girls, who seemed drugged into submission, all stared dejectedly down at the cobblestone street and made eye contact with no one. The El Zorro clientele who passed the girls tried to grab their wrists and lead them back into the bar through the swinging doors. Each time this happened, father or son Franco walked up and shoved the patrons, yelling for them to back off.

Cy was about to ask how long they would wait, when a nondescript Ford Fiesta crept up to the bar’s entrance on Hidalgo, lights off—stopping just short of the girls. The elder Franco spat some words at the girls. They held hands, Cy noticed. He watched as they stooped to get inside the compact car, and he saw that each face looked younger than him. He started to get out of the Camaro, but felt his dad’s hand.

“Just another minute,” he said.

“If we wait another minute, we’ll miss them,” Cy urged.

“Patience and hastiness were never friends. Just count to sixty. Breathe. And start again.”

“What?”

“Just count.”

The Fiesta’s door shut, with the girls inside, and the driver looked around calmly, unwilling to step out himself. Cy couldn’t make out the man’s face. Being the chauffeur in a sex trafficking ring didn’t appear to weigh too much on his conscience though, as he casually held onto the steering wheel, giving some demands to the Franco men through the window. Cy counted six heads duck into the Fiesta. The car weighed down with its new load. Cy heard a click sound, looked over and saw the passenger seat empty. His dad held his index finger to his lips outside the car’s window. Just as the man inside the Fiesta started to shift his car into drive, Cy saw his father running into the Fiesta’s path. How could he be so fast?!

“Let go of the girls!” Teddy shouted in English and waved his arms at the Fiesta, the Franco men beside it. No one moved. He reached into his pocket and pulled a .38 pistol out, pointing it straight at the men. Cy felt shock—fear, even—as the gun remained steady in his father’s hand. Both Franco men, and their thugs, ran from the alley to the side of the bar, to its safe illumination. The driver lifted his hands from the wheel, as Teddy approached. He kept his stainless steel pistol pointed squarely at the car. He only had time to open the door and pull three of the young ladies from the car, when the driver thrashed the car into gear and sped off recklessly, with three occupants still in the backseat.

What do you think? Ready for these three books? I sure am. So, how do you contact these amazing authors? Here is their info:

Contact Brian L. Tucker

Website, Facebook, Twitter

About Jan Hemby

Facebook, Twitter

Contact Niki Krauss

Website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads

All three are available for personal appearances and interviews; contact Becki Brannen to schedule.

Becki Brannen
Book Marketing Manager
Booktrope Publishing
becki.brannen@booktrope.com

All three books are available internationally – please contact us directly if you do not see it on your preferred book purchase website.

Discounts or customized editions may be available for educational and other groups based on bulk purchase. For further information please contact vox.dei@booktrope.com.

ABOUT VOX DEI

Our name rhymes with Fox Day. We’re an imprint of Booktrope, a new type of publishing company founded in 2011 in Seattle, WA that’s pioneering a model called team publishing. Our mission at VoxDei is to provide books for a primarily Christian audience that edify and entertain, encourage, and inspire. While Christian themes are woven throughout our fiction, our purpose is not to preach a sermon but rather provide a quality alternative to the secular market for entertainment. Our non-fiction titles are intended to help readers explore the Bible in a more personal way and grow in their walk with Christ, while being informal in voice and approach. Whether fiction or non, our goal is to shine the light and love that is central to the Christian faith into a dark and messy world. Learn more at voxdeipublishing.com.

Blurb:
Teenage slave girl Faru’s life has been turned upside down when she discovers she’s been traded to a new master, forcing her to leave all she‘s ever known. Upon her arrival, Faru meets a friend, Cailean, who helps her adjust to life in the strange location. Life settles into a new pattern, and romance blossoms between the young friends. But as soon as they plan to get married, another proposal comes about – one that cannot be ignored. Being a slave means not always marrying who you love.
On a daring journey to heal her heart, Faru encounters the Existing One. Will she trust Him and do His bidding even if what He requests is so hard?
Follow Faru’s tale in author Kandi J Wyatt’s retelling of a Biblical story found in the Old Testament book of Genesis, showing that when things don’t make sense, God will guide the way.

Enjoy this excerpt from chapter two:

FARU HAD RETURNED to her duties in the kitchen. Each day she
oversaw the plating and delivery of the queen’s evening meal. It was with
a jolt of surprise that she heard her mistress’s voice call out her name.

“Thank the gods, Faru,” the tall, fair queen exclaimed. “I’ve found
you.”

“Milady?” Faru drug the word out a bit with apprehension. In all
her life in the castle, she had never seen the queen concern herself with
dinner preparations; she doubted today was any different.

Even in the surroundings of the hot, sweaty kitchen, the queen seemed
to preside with the dignity of her position. She moved with a lithe grace
that Faru had always admired. Yet, underneath that poise, Faru saw an
uneasiness that was unusual.

“Faru, come with me,” the queen commanded, in a voice that was
not to be questioned.

The prep cook just shrugged and called to another servant to take
Faru’s place. Faru turned and followed her mistress, a fear beginning
to settle in her stomach. She knew better than to ask any questions.

The queen’s steps tapped a staccato on the stone floor. Her skirts
swished as they brushed past servants, potted plants, and other decorations
in the hallways. From past experience, Faru knew that her mistress’s
anger was much like a volcano. It could erupt at any moment, and it
didn’t matter who was at the receiving end of her wrath.

As they rounded a corner, a drapery swished past the queen. With
precise movements, she ripped it down. Dreading what she was about
to do, Faru opened her mouth.

“Your majesty?”

With a frustrated sigh, the queen turned around, her blonde hair
swinging behind her.

“Faru.” Her voice came out soft compared to her movements. “It is
nothing that you did.”

Faru raised a delicate eyebrow, her dark eyes pleading for more
information.

“No, young one. It was my lord.”

Faru nodded understanding. The royals were known for their spats.
The queen pulled Faru into an alcove where they were out of the
way of castle life. She laid a shaky hand on her servant. Faru’s initial
reaction was to move away, but the tenderness in her mistress’s touch
surprised her.

“When I first came to Suden, it was your grandfather who took
care of me. He watched over me like my father had. Because of your
grandfather’s kindness to me, I gave your father his position among
my servants, and then you have been my personal servant.”

Faru stood quietly, shocked at the queens actions. Never had she seen
her mistress in such a state. Her emotions must have been showing on her
face, for her mistress seemed to draw herself together and straightened to
her full height.

“I may have to live with his decisions,” she said, as if talking to herself,
“but I will not lower my position by groveling at his feet.” With a visible
effort, she continued, “Faru, you have been traded to a foreigner in
exchange for his cousin.” The contempt showed through the queen’s voice
as she said the word cousin. “She will come be my newest rival, and you
shall go serve the foreigner.”

With that, she headed out of the nook and motioned for Faru to
follow. Taking a deep breath, Faru tried to gather in what she had just
learned and at the same time walk humbly behind her mistress. They
passed through the stone hallways without seeing the light and shadows
playing along the walls, hangings, and suits of armor. It wasn’t until the
hallway opened into a wide atrium that the words the queen had spoken
finally made sense to Faru.

However, I can’t stop being mom. Seven o’clock each morning, I have left and gone south past the high school to drop my eighteen-year-old off at work in a field where he is changing irrigation pipe. My thirteen-year-old earned a part in the local adult theater group’s Christmas play which means extra trips north throughout the week.

I have been so busy with school and family that several book events have fell to the side. Wednesday while at school, I had a moment to check email and saw a Twitter notice of a blog post. It was my post on Vox Dei’s webpage! I had forgotten it was to air that day. As my eighteen-year-old says, “Face palm!” The next day, I had another similar experience. I checked email just before lunch during my prep period and found a Twitter announcement of my cover reveal for The One Who Sees Me. How could I have forgotten that! I knew I needed to get a better grip on my calendar.

Saturday loomed big in my vision. I had to be ready for the book signing and release party of Dragon’s Future. My husband and eighteen-year-old would be off at a men’s retreat which left my nineteen-year-old and thirteen-year-old at home.

Grandprize packet of swag and a signed book went to a high school senior.

My thirteen-year-old and I enjoyed the Cranberry Parade at the local festival, and then we headed to the art gallery and used book store which was hosting the signing. After frantically trying to find parking, I was able to elicit help from some friends to carry books and supplies to the gallery. My three hours were fun and profitable. Many came through to purchase books, and I even met a journalist for the local paper who wants to do an author interview. We’ll see what happens.

In the meantime, I am ready for another week of school. I will try my hardest to be better at budgeting my time between family, school, and author work. It is a challenge this year, but it can be done.