Timely Encouragement {Dust Treasure Hunt Results}

Hey, friends. So I went on a virtual treasure hunt last month in support of Kara Swanson's sophomore book, Dust, which is a Peter Pan retelling of sorts. The cover is absolutely gorgeous, and there were lots of interviews and fun blog articles along the way. The neat thing about this treasure hunt was that everyone who participated would win something. That's completely rare in anything other than peewee sports.

There was also a grand prize pack for the person who was first to put in the quote from Dust that was pieced together along the way with each blog article's clue.

Here's the announcement as delivered by Kara Swanson on her Instagram page:

Support Our Troops Reading Challenge

I have always admired the members of our military. They sacrifice their time, abilities, and sometimes their lives in order to preserve the freedoms we Americans enjoy.

Our reading challenge in May will be one way of thanking them for their service.

Latest News on Ashberry Lane Publishing

Another twist to the story of Ashberry Lane Publishing took place this last week. Here's the update as shared in the AL newsletter:

We are thrilled to report that WhiteFire Publishing has purchased Ashberry Lane. They will continue the publication of our backlist, as well as new releases, under the Ashberry Lane imprint. We are excited about this development, as we did not seek it out, but it was a gift from God.  See the press release below for more information.

Press Release Announcing the Sale

Cumberland, MD (16 April 2018) - WhiteFire Publishing today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Ashberry Lane Publishing. The acquisition, which is expected to close by June 2018, is subject to customary closing conditions.

WhiteFire Publishing is a leading small Christian publisher specializing in competitively priced e-books and print editions for authors such as Melody Carlson, Roseanna M. White, Dina Sleiman, and the late Golden Keyes Parsons. Since their founding in 2005, they’ve grown to a list of over 75 titles by over 25 authors, many of which have won various industry awards. With books across multiple genres and a young reader line to launch this summer, WhiteFire’s line embodies their motto of “Where Spirit Meets the Page.”

Change of Plans

I was going to talk about fitness goals today.

Friday night changed that.

As I was watching the Dallas Stars' penultimate game of the 2017-18 season, I was devastated to hear the news from Kathryn Tappen (sports hostess on NBCSN) that a semitruck and a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos, a Junior A hockey team, had crashed into one another in Saskatchewan, Canada. My immediate thoughts of shock turned into instant prayers for comfort and peace for the families of everyone involved.

The next day, I found out that fifteen people had lost their lives: ten players, the bus driver, the head coach, an assistant coach, a volunteer statistician, and a play-by-play broadcaster, all with the Humboldt Broncos.

My heart is broken for the lives lost, even as I wonder if they knew my Jesus.

I pray they did.

I pray that their souls were saved.

End of an Era

It’s time to say farewell.

This article is pretty tough to write, and I’m probably going to end up crying before I get halfway through—my eyes are pricked with tears right now, actually. Saying goodbye to good jobs and nice people is not an easy thing to do, but sometimes it becomes necessary.

Ashberry Lane Publishing is closing its doors.

This publishing company released twenty-four books in the past five years. Their books were nominated, became finalists, and won many awards in that brief time. The company was founded by the mother-daughter team of Sherrie Ashcraft and Christina Tarabochia, who also co-wrote Ashberry’s first book. They brought in a wonderful cover design artist, Nicole Miller, and several editors—Kristen Johnson, Tami Engle, Rachel Lulich, Amy Smith, and myself—to help the company’s books shine extra brightly out in the book market.

Young Adult Reading Challenge (April 2018)

Spring is here.

With this season comes new life. All around us we can see baby animals, new sprigs of plants, fresh growth on trees and rosebushes, and a crisp scent of hope in the air.

April's reading challenge ties into spring in this way:

Young adult books present coming-of-age stories in which young people must figure out how to adapt to living in a grown-up world. They're discovering how they want to spend the rest of their lives and learning a lot from the journey it takes to get there.

These books are typically geared towards folks between ages twelve and twenty-five, and they cover a variety of sub-genres such as romance, science fiction, fantasy, thriller, dystopian, utopian, and many others.

The challenge for this month is to read young adult books.

Need some suggestions?

Here are a few YA books on my radar: