Happy #thrillerthursday! Your next Christian Thriller read is here and a giveaway question

Happy #thrillerthursday!

     Your next Christian Thriller read is here!

On My Bookshelf

Fear Has A Name 

Fans of Frank Peretti, Terri Blackstock, Ted Dekker, Joel Rosenberg, Lynette Eason, Susan Sleeman, Colleen Coble, and Christy Barritt will love Fear Has a Name from Creston Mapes.

The Author Review

Creston Mapes 

In this edition of Thrillers & Truth, I want to introduce you to award-winning and bestselling author Creston Mapes. 

 

Until next time as the story unfolds,

 

 

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Happy #ThrillerThursday! Books to enjoy & join my influencer team

Happy #thrillerthursday!

I have some book suggestions, an author review, and a request for you.

On My Bookshelf

Surrounded by Darkness 

Happy #thrillerthursday! Surrounded by Darkness is book #3 of the Windy Ridge series by Rachel Dylan. If you enjoy Frank Peretti, you might love Rachel’s series. It’s sooo good. This is my second time through books 1, 2, and now 3! I’m looking forward to book #4, , coming out on October 26, 2021. I preordered my copy today. If you haven’t read the Windy Ridge series yet, you can start .

Do you have a favorite series that you read over and over?

The Author Review

Rachel Dylan 

This week on the Author Review I want to introduce you to Rachel Dylan, an award-winning and bestselling author of legal thrillers and romantic suspense. To read more about Rachel and her books click the button below.

 

Would you like to join my team?

Releasing a new book is never a solo affair – and I need your help!

If you are a reader, book blogger, Instagrammer, influencer of any type and you love to read & review…especially if you would love to read & review my books…then I would love to work with you!

Team members do one or all of the following.

  • They enjoy reading Christian Suspense and Thrillers.
  • They receive an advanced copy of my books before the general public.
  • They post an honest review on launch day and share their reviews with me to be used for promotional purposes.
  • They post reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, Bookbub, and any other site they belong to.
  • They review my book on their blog if they have one.
  • They help promote my upcoming releases and sales.
  • They share book graphics on Instagram / Twitter / Pinterest / Bookbub / Facebook etc.

 

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Happy #ThrillerThursday! – 5 Benefits of Reading Fiction

If you’re reading my newsletter, then most likely you love to read fiction, but did you know how much more it is doing for you than entertainment. Not to minimize the fun factor, but I think it’s pretty cool to know how our brains love us for feeding it stories!

Check out these five benefits you’re getting every time you sit down with a book.

1. Mental Stimulation ·

A growing body of research shows that reading literally changes your mind.

Using MRI scans, researchers have discovered that reading involves a complex network of circuits and signals in the brain.

In one study conducted in 2013, researchers used functional MRI scans to measure the effect of reading a novel on the brain.

Participants read the novel Pompeii for nine days. The scans showed areas of their brain lit up as tension built in the story. During the reading period and for days after, brain connectivity increased.

Read more.

 

  1. Vocabulary Expansion

Researchers have found that students who read stories regularly have larger vocabularies than those who don’t read often.

Read more.

 

  1. Memory Improvement and Focus

Although research hasn’t proven that reading prevents mental disease, the National Institute of Aging recommends reading often as a way of keeping the mind engaged as one grows older.

Rush University Medical Center did a study. In 2013 and concluded that people who engage their minds with stimulating activities are less likely to develop plaques, lesions, and tau-protein tangles found in the brains of people with dementia.

Read more.

 

  1. Stress Reduction

In the Journal of College Teaching and Learning, one study conducted in 2009 discovered that thirty minutes of reading lowered blood pressure, heart rate, and psychological stress just as well as yoga and humor.

Read more.

 

  1. Analytical skills

Analytical skills are the ability to conceptualize and solve simple and complex problems using all information available to you. Reading a book is one way to improve analytical skills. Consider this. If the antagonist reveals his plan, our brains go to work for the protagonist, trying to find out how the hero will escape.

Read more.

While reading fiction for fun is the main reason I sit down with a good book, I’m thankful for the covert benefits happening for me without any extra effort.

On my bookshelf

This week I’m reading The Revealing, by Bill Myers, book #5 of the Harbingers series.

Brenda and the team find themselves in Rome trying to retrieve the mystical spear Hitler once owned–the very spear that pierced Christ’s side. Their search will take them from hidden chambers inside the Vatican to the catacombs of Rome to a mysterious seaside cave with unexpected powers. But what they seek is more perilous than they know.

These books are for all ages. I really enjoyed this book and am anxious to get on to the next. Hope you do too!!!

Cindy Hunt

After reading the first four in this series I pre-ordered the next in the series. I felt like a kid waiting for Christmas! Well written with an edge-of-your-seat plot, and THAT is putting it mildly.

Kindle Customer

Until next time, as the story unfolds,

 

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I can’t do this without you …

 

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Thriller Thursday: Netflix’s Stranger Things

The Stranger Things crew filmed a scene for season 4 in my hometown in July 2021.

Happy #thrillerthursday!

If you enjoy reading thrillers, you might follow the Netflix show Stranger Things as I do.

My favorite character is Gaten Matarazzo. In the first season, he was such a cute little kid, beaming with confidence that I couldn’t help but feel drawn to him. In an early episode of season one, Dustin fends off some classmates who are taunting him. “I told you a million times my teeth are coming in. It’s called cleidocranial dysplasia.”

I’d never heard of this birth defect. I got curious and Googled it. Cleidocranial dysplasia is a rare genetic disorder that affects the growth of teeth and bones.

Matarazzo has said that because of the condition he was born without collar bones and has more teeth than the average person, although they don’t grow properly.

 

I suppose the second reason he is my favorite is the courageous and positive attitude with which he approaches life, considering the condition he deals with.

Last week, the Stranger Things crew filmed a scene for season four in my hometown. Gaten Matarazzo stopped by Schroeder’s New Deli in downtown Rome, Ga. The folks there described him as “a super cool, super nice dude.”

The location of the scene was a beautiful, historic Victorian home. What you will see when the episode airs will not seem so beautiful. Here’s what it looked like during their filming.

If you’d like to see pictures of Gaten at Schroeder’s, click the button below.

Sharing stories with each other…

 

As promised, here’s a list of books you might enjoy.

 

1. Trial & Tribulations: Windy Ridge Legal Thriller Series, Book 1, by Rachel Dylan.

 

If you like Frank Peretti’s supernatural style then you’ll love Rachel’s series.

 

High-powered attorney Olivia Murray faces the biggest test of her career when she is assigned to represent Astral Tech, a New Age tech company, in a lawsuit filed by its biggest competitor. While Olivia is accustomed to hard fights in the courtroom, she arrives in Windy Ridge and discovers there is much more to this case than the legal claims—forces of darkness are at work.

Windy Ridge quickly turns from a quiet Chicago suburb to a spiritual battleground, and Olivia must rely on her faith to defend against legal and spiritual attacks. Although they are enemies in the courtroom, Olivia finds a friend and unlikely ally in opposing counsel, Grant Baxter. Once a skeptic about faith, he ultimately comes to her aid when she needs it most.

The battle between evil forces heats up in and out of the courtroom, pushing Olivia to the breaking point. Will she be able to help good triumph over evil, or will the town of Windy Ridge be torn apart?

 

2. Dangerous Illusions (Code of Honor Book #1), by Irene Hannon.

 

I loved this story. She kept me guessing until the very end.

 

Trish Bailey is on overload, trying to deal with a demanding job, an ailing mother, and a healing heart. When a series of unsettling memory lapses leads to a tragic death—and puts Trish under police scrutiny—her world is once again thrown into turmoil.

 

Detective Colin Flynn isn’t certain what to think of the facts he uncovers during his investigation. Did Trish simply make a terrible mistake or is there more to the case than meets the eye? As he searches for answers, disturbing information emerges—and if the forces at work are as evil as he suspects, the situation isn’t just dangerous . . . it’s deadly.

 

Bestselling and award-winning author Irene Hannon also writes in the romance genre.

 

3. Pelican Point: A Hope Harbor Novel, by Irene Hannon

 

A crumbling lighthouse is not part of the inheritance Army doctor Ben Garrison expects to claim when he journeys to Hope Harbor. Fresh out of the service, he wants only to unload the tower of bricks, decompress from years of treating battlefield trauma, and prepare to launch his civilian career.

 

Hope Harbor Herald editor Marci Weber has other ideas. She may not be a Hope Harbor native, but the small Oregon seaside town has become home—and she’s determined to save the Pelican Point landmark.

 

Sparks fly as the two go head to head over the fate of the lighthouse. But when they start to cooperate, a different kind of fire ignites. And as they work together, might Hope Harbor heal the hearts of these two romance-wary souls?

 

Irene Hannon is the featured author this week on Author Review. Click the button to read more about Irene.

Until next time, as the story unfolds,

 

If you enjoyed this issue of Thrillers & Truth, please share it with others.

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I can’t do this without you …

 

If you are one of those beautiful people who love helping authors spread the word about their books, then please join my influencer team and get a copy of my book before it goes on sale.

Add your name to the list below.

Thrillers & Truth Thursday

Happy #thrillerthursday!

This month has been interesting, to say the least. I wrote to you last week about the adventure of having my grandchildren here for a couple of weeks. While I miss them being here, it’s been a delightful week getting things back to normal. On the home front, I’m not sure if I told you we got a puppy in February. He gives the best hugs, all 60 pounds of himself. His name is Tobin and we love him! He’s kind, has a gentle heart, and is a bit of a clown sometimes.

 

What I’m working on…

Writing the first drafts of my novel was a pleasure. Capturing my imagination wherever it led was an exhilarating experience.

I also enjoyed organizing everything that ended up on the page.

Now, I’m revising so I can bring the story into sharp focus so that it will be enjoyable for you to read.

Getting into the nitty-gritty is fun in a new way, and thanks to my editor, I’m learning so much under her tutelage.

For now, I can’t give you a reliable estimate or even a close guestimate when you can expect to see preorders go on sale, but as soon as I have that date, I will let you know.

If you are one of those beautiful people who love helping authors spread the word about their books, then please join my influencer team and get a copy of my book before it goes on sale.

Sharing stories with each other…

When a friend recommends a book to me, I’m pretty sure I will enjoy the story. So, I thought it would be nice for us to share books with each other. Hit reply to this email and share the name of a book you love. Include the author’s name and I’ll compile a list to share with everyone next week.

On my bookshelf

Here’s a book that I enjoyed last week.

The Sentinels, by Angela Hunt. More on that story below. If you want to learn about Angela and her books click here.

The Sentinel is episode three of the Harbingers series. The episodes are not as long as a novel, more like novellas, written by different authors, but well connected. Here’s what I know so far…

In book one, The Call, by Bill Meyers, Brenda, a tattoo artist, sees images of the future and paints what she sees. Three other strangers with special abilities join Brenda to help a young student at the mysterious Institute for Advanced Psychic Studies. Daniel’s gifts are supposedly being honed to assist world leaders, but it turns out there are some very disturbing strings attached. 

In episode two, The Haunted, by Frank Peretti,  a professor who is an atheist and ex-priest, teams up with the four Harbingers to confront a supernatural mystery, a case of murder, and an exploration into the darkness of the human heart, all centering on a mysterious house that can appear and disappear at certain times.

 

In episode three, The Sentinels, by Angela Hunt, Andi, the professor’s brilliant, but geeky assistant, has troubled dreams of thousands of animals around the world mysteriously dying. When her dreams become a reality, Andi discovers a pattern among the deaths. But her theory doesn’t bode well for humankind—and the team could soon face an even greater disaster.

 

I started episode four last night, The Girl, by Alton Gansky. Nothing to report yet. Here’s a link where you can check out all twenty episodes.

Have you read any of the Harbingers episodes? What did you think?

 

Happy Reading!

See you next time as the story unfolds,

 

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