Springing Back
I love this time of the year! Haven’t we had some beautiful sunny days? (Hope you have too if you’re not in the UK!) I love the feeling of hope, the warmth of the sun, watching new leaves unfurl.
Some of our garden plants have come in for a battering though. One has been eaten by slugs, another blasted by footballers (oops!) and my new anemone now has no flowers as they were picked off by our two-year-old grandson! 🙂
The plants should all recover though, which reminds me how we should keep on and not give up, no matter what obstacles hit. I’m on a learning curve with production of The City Kid – we have previously used a production company for our books, but to save costs I have undertaken to take on the process myself, and there’s plenty to learn! Sales for the last Beech Bank Girls book (A Time Remembered) we brought out last year haven’t been as high as I had hoped, either – I feel I should have done more to market it, because this is a really excellent book (if you would like to buy one or more copies for the girls in your life you can do so here or visit your local Christian bookshop). So many more girls need to hear the message of God’s love for them and this book would be such a help. Please do keep praying for all our projects, and that our books will reach the children who need them. Thank you!
Some Excellent News!
We are running out of stock of A Pennyworth of Peppermints! We could do a reprint if there was enough interest – would your church like to give them away to children after a holiday club or for Sunday School prizes in the summer? This book would be the perfect gift for 8-11s, boys and girls (grandparents love this story too as it was set in the Great War!), and can reach whole families. It’s a spy story set in Dorset – a group of children foil a dastardly plot. 🙂 There’s a wealth of interesting information about the war, some great characters and the children learn to trust in God. Let me know if you’re interested.
Books for Sunday School Prize Giving
Talking about prize giving, would you be kind enough to pass on info of our books to your Sunday School leaders – prize giving is coming up soon! If your church doesn’t usually give books, as one who knows the value of Christian stories to change lives (you must be or you wouldn’t be reading this!), could you take the bull by the horns and organise something yourself? Maybe you are where you are for such a time as this! If money is an issue, could you ask your congregation to sponsor one book each and pray for the child who will receive the one they have donated? Please contact me for quantity discounts, or if I can help in any other way.
The City Kid
Work on the paperback version of The City Kid is continuing. It’s so exciting seeing it come together, despite taking longer than anticipated. I needed some reviews for the back of the cover and sent off the manuscript to a handful of teenage boys. To encourage you, here is the first review I received back, from a seventeen-year-old lad:
“This book was thought provoking, because when it all went wrong for the main character and life didn’t work out how he expected it to, it was easy to relate, because this is how life really is.
When I started reading the book, I didn’t connect with the story until his life took a turn for the worse, and then I started to reflect.
A moment that particularly stood out was John’s re-occurring dream about being trapped in the mineshaft, but when he finds God his dream changes and he is gently lifted out into the light.
I felt that reading this book has strengthened my faith, as I have realised that I need to rely on God a bit more when life gets tough, and not to blame others for my own mistakes.” – Samuel.
Samuel’s mum told me, “I actually feel quite choked after talking to Sam about the book, as it has really seemed to help him at what is a quite difficult time in his own life.”
Life is tough for many teenagers. In the last few months our eighteen-year-old son has the stress of A levels looming up, has lost a friend to cancer and one of his peers committed suicide by hanging himself in a local park. Teenagers are victims of knife crime, bullying, gangs, have family issues, school issues, friend issues, exam issues – they need all the encouragement they can get. Temptations within and without are constant and many families are experiencing financial pressure, too.
Why not stop right now and pray for a teenage lad you know? They may look fine on the outside, but the Lord knows what pressures they are under. If you would like to pre-order one copy of The City Kid or a hundred, please let me know – it will help when ordering from the printers, and it means you won’t have to wait so long for your copies.
Write for a Reason
The next Write for a Reason course for Christians who write fiction for young people, starts next month. Click here for more info. Please do pass on the link to anyone you know who might be interested, as this is a good way to 1. Help budding authors 2. Make some money to help with book production. I know for sure that one previous student has a book published, another has gone on to produce a comic, another has just won a writing competition. And the course is lots of fun. 🙂
Let’s Pray for Our Government
Two issues concerning Christian freedom and young people make me feel like we really need to pray. The first is our government’s plans to register and monitor church youth work. You can read about it here from the Christian Institute.
The second concerns a father, from a Muslim background, who has been banned from taking his nine-year-old son to a church, after the child’s Muslim mother won a court order preventing the boy from attending. More information from Christian Concern here.
The Bible tells us to pray for those in positions of authority (1 Timothy 2:1-4): “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (NIV)
So let’s pray! Please do feel free to share the links.
Visit Your Bookshop!
This is Selena, the new manager of the Christian bookshop in Tonbridge, Kent, with a selection of our books – do pop in and say hello if you are in the area! The address is 9 Quarry Hill Parade, Tonbridge, TN9 2HR. This bookshop was in danger of closing when the previous owner retired, but CLC (Christian Literature Crusade) stepped in – they do need your support, though, too! They have a great selection of books, gifts and music.
Stop Press!
I have just heard that Kristofori in Croatia want to produce our second and third Beech Bank Girls books in Croatian! This is exciting news indeed. Thanks to all who pray!
Right, that really is it! Love to you all, and thanks for reading and supporting,
Janet