MillerWords is proud to announce the first new release of this holiday season!
The Journey from Death into Life
by Freida Edwards
About the book: Nothing can prepare you for the profound grief and sorrow you will feel at the loss of a loved one. Only God can provide the help, comfort, and strength needed to recover and feel whole again. Through his serene words of consolation and reassurance, a spectacular transformation from heartbreak to peace and tranquility can heal your soul and change your life completely.
The Castle in the Sun series started with Love's Sweetest Revenge. Author Flora Reigada has promised more stories from that universe, which finds some of it's roots in the real world historical city of St. Augustine, FL.
The second story in her series, Love's Sweetest Obsession, is coming March 1st to all eBook formats and today we are proud to present the cover reveal!
About the Book: Picking up from the events of Love's Sweetest Revenge, Liz and Carlos seem to have a bright future ahead of them. However, Liz's Ex, Steve, has plans of his own that send the couple back to the Castle in the Sun. A Victorian restoration, a motorcycle gang and a hurricane are soon in the mix. But how does a tiny acorn figure into the plot and lead to a big surprise? Find out in Love's Sweetest Obsession!
About the Author: Flora Reigada is an award-winning journalist and novelist. She and husband, Dan, have been a reporter/photographer team for several newspapers, including the Florida Today and currently, Senior Life of Brevard County, Florida. Interesting places they have explored in pursuit of a story include a castle, the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida. They also toured Titusville, Florida's historic, Vassar B. Carlton Courthouse, climbing a hidden stairway, to a long-forgotten jail. Flora has also written for Guideposts magazine, Decision magazine, the Upper Room daily devotional and more. She and Dan are proud parents and grandparents. The couple has traveled throughout the beautiful British Isles and visited Spain, where they stayed in a castle on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Flora invites you to visit her webpage: http://florareigada.blogspot.com/
The
Rebel Series: Stories of Adventure, Mystery, and Romance
The Rebel Series
is a mixture of romance and adventure. Each book, set
in the late 1700s, is a love story with mystery and intrigue as a young
couple and their rebel friends strive to help their country. For those who
enjoy strong women characters, all three books have this in common. They are
independent women who have an opinion and are not afraid to express it. The
heroes in this series are rebels with a sense of justice. They are chivalrous and
their feelings run deep for the women they’re in love with. Young and old alike
can enjoy the romance in this series.
In The Rebels of
Cordovia, Robin’s Rebels realize they must fight against the tyranny of a
wicked king and help the people survive this oppression. In the small country
of Cordovia, groups of rebels begin springing up, but its Robin’s Rebels who
get the attention of the king.
In this battle for freedom, a tender love story begins to
blossom. Daniel, a rogue and a leader of the Freemen, doesn’t realize that the
sweet feminine woman he has met and is falling for happens to be the leader of
Robin’s Rebels. Realizing the importance of uniting all the rebel groups,
Daniel tries to recruit Robin’s Rebels but they refuse. Now he has to find a way
to convince them. When he finds out the leader is actually a woman, what will
his reaction be?
“I so enjoyed
this fun book! It has adventure, romance, a little mystery, and action.
No boring moments here. Placed back in the days of wicked and oppressive
kings, the rebels work together for the freedoms of the common people.
Will they succeed against the governing forces? The romance is sweet
and the action is plenty.”--Sunnie
Reivews
In The Highwayman of
Cordovia, the people enjoy their new-found liberty but all is not well. One
year after Cordovia gains its freedom, a group of powerful men plan to take
over the small country and replace the leader with a king.
With the help of a bold highwayman and a pastor’s daughter,
they try to save their country from being taken over by a power-hungry leader.
As they strive to stop the Kingmen and thwart their plans, Christine finds
herself falling in love with Austin Knight. The only problem with their
relationship is that she thinks he is her knight in shining armor instead of a
highwayman. If she finds out his trade, what will her reaction be? As a
pastor’s daughter, will love override her values?
“Christine and Austin’s story is truly amazing. When Austin
and Christine meet again, the feelings they had as kids is still there.
Christine is truly a remarkable person. When Austin starts to protect her,
their relationship starts to grow. The characters in this book will have you on
the edge of your seat, waiting to see what happens next. God is working
throughout this whole book. You won't be able to stop reading it.” --Debbie
Jamieson
The last book in this series, The Fox of Cordovia, has adventure and mystery
along with a “second-chance” love story.
In this swashbuckling romance, a sinister plot has just been uncovered
and its up to a former patriot and a young nurse to discover who is behind it.
Caroline is engaged to the future mayor of Laketown, a man of influence and
greatly respected. But all that changes when she overhears a conspiracy behind
closed doors. After being discovered, she runs for her life. Caroline needs to
report her findings, but whom can she trust? When she asks Jesse Conover for
help, the adventure begins.
“I loved this book. It is
full of adventure, drama, intrigue and suspense. We've got kidnapping plots,
pirate ships, daring rescues and romance. The author weaves an exciting tale
and a sweet romance together in a way that will appeal to all readers.” --Inishowen
Cailín
About the Author: Linda Weaver Clarke is the author
of historical
romances, a mystery/adventure
series, a romantic cozy mystery series, and a children’s book. All her books
are family friendly. Read sample chapters and buy her book at http://www.lindaweaverclarke.com.
MillerWords author Flora Reigada continues our Friday series on unique writing habits.
Flora is the author of the "How-To" devotional Where Your Heart Meets God's and the Christian-inspired romantic thriller Love's Sweetest Revenge. This thriller is the first book in her Castle in the Sun series. She is currently at work putting the finishing touches on book two.
In Flora's guest post, Meet a Hero, she reveals her unusual writing habit is that her characters come to life for her and that leads to interesting situations. Check out this one:
Sometimes I talk about the characters in my books as if they were real. I never knew how real, until the day my husband, Dan and I went to the local (VFW) Veterans of Foreign Wars post.
As a reporter/photographer team for Senior Life newspaper in Brevard County, Florida, we were gathering information for a story about Memorial Day events. I couldn't resist telling the VFW members about Jack Martin, a fellow veteran. Jack exists, for me, in the pages of my book. He is one of the four central characters I brought to life.
Others include Liz, an accomplished artist and Carlos, Jack's brother, an international linguist and Presidential aide. There is also Rosa. Don't let her pretty face and small size fool you. She's an expert markswoman. She is also Jack's love interest, as Liz is Carlos'.
The guys at the VFW listened as I rambled on about Jack. Enlisting in the United States Army after high school, he served fifteen years and had risen to the rank of Master Sergeant. Now a civilian in his mid-thirties, he had served several tours of duty in Middle East hot spots. That's where the vehicle he was driving with fellow service members struck an IED. (Improvised Explosive Device) As the senior enlisted man and trained in first aid, Jack tended to the others' wounds. Securing a tourniquet around what was left of a young soldier's leg, he saved his life. In the aftermath of a suicide bombing, Jack had also comforted a 20 year-old soldier who bled out in his arms. But Jack had been in kill or be killed situations and he had prevailed.
Rosa is just tough enough for Jack, but tender enough too. She holds him when he awakens from nightmares about his troops being ambushed and blood on his hands.
In addition to being a tall, handsome much-decorated veteran, Jack is a motorcycle enthusiast, a hardworking bartender and the fiercely protective father of a teenage daughter. He can fix or build just about anything.
"We want to meet him," the VFW members told me. "Tell him to come here. We'll help him with his (PTSD) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. We understand."
My eyes widened in surprise. Without intending to do so, I had convinced them Jack was real.
But in a sense, he is. More than in my story, we can see him in the faces of 540,000+ veterans whom Wounded Warrior Homes said have been diagnosed with PTSD.
"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can be described as a mental health condition that's triggered by a trauma, whether experiencing or seeing it. The symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, depression and confusion," the organization states on their website.
The soldiers at the VFW wanted to meet Jack and I hope you will too—and the other characters as well, in the pages of Love's Sweetest Revenge.
A brand new 5 star review came in for Murray Pura's semi-autobiographical, award-winning novel. The Amazon reviewer is petting a tiger in his profile picture, so it seems like a good idea to listen to what he says. That is amazing!
Review: Zo is one of the many inspiring historical fiction works by Canadian author Murray Pura. The two poems: “My destiny” by Taras Shevchenko and “The Moon” by poet Andrii Chornavka set the tone for the entire book.
The story is set in the year 1911. The protagonist, Andrew Chornavka, is a monk. Interestingly, the author first introduces him as “Zoya’s brother.” Although the book is entirely written through Andrew Chornavka’s point of view, the book is about his sister Zoya.
The book starts off in the United States of America as Andrew Chornavka is being questioned in a monastery by an officer. The animosity that Andrew Chornavka feels, during that enquiry, is unmistakable. The officer asks Andrew Chornavka a number of questions about his sister Zoya and the readers are taken on an adventure down memory lane. This book is unlike any usual historical fiction. With descriptive scenes and strong characters, it successfully holds the reader’s attention until the end.
The book moves at a fast pace and every chapter leaves the reader wanting more. Strong characters and interesting plots leave the reader wanting more. The characters also show interesting contradictions. A good example is Andrew Chornavka’s character. Despite being a monk, he is described as someone who is “easily provoked to violence, sarcastic and spiteful.” Zoya’s character sketch is also equally captivating. Every chapter, without fail, excites and piques the curiosity and attention of the readers.
What I loved most about this book was author Murray Pura’s writing style. It is very elegant and expressive, almost poetic. His words linger with you even after you have turned the page. Murray Pura tastefully and gracefully describes a tumultuous time not only in Zoya and Andrew Chornavka’s life but also for the rest of the world. With eloquent linguistics, the author accurately sets the tone and articulately recounts events and emotion.
Most of the time, a good book comes down to three significant components - 1) a gripping plot, 2) Strong characters and 3) meaningful relationships between the characters. ‘Zo’ has an abundance of all these three components. This is one of those books that you won’t want to put down until you finish it. It is a book that makes you feel, and the feeling stays with you even after you finish reading it. You feel love when there is love and loss where there is loss and this feeling is guaranteed to resonate within you.
If you love historical fiction and stories about the Second World War period, this one story that you will get swept up into. ‘Zo’ by Murray Pura is the book for you. The relationships and plots are compelling; the storytelling is smooth and enlightening. ‘Zo’ will make you want to stay up late or stay in on a Saturday night just to read “one more chapter”. After reading ‘Zo’, I am definitely intrigued and interested to read other works by Murray Pura. ‘Zo’ is truly a great read and I promise you won’t regret it!
zo is available on all major eBook platforms and your favorite paperback sellers. You can see the review on Amazon here:
We'll be running a short series of guest posts with a fun theme! Our guests have been asked to share an unusual or unique writing habit.
The first of this series comes from the best-selling author of The Southern Belle Breakfast Club,
Phyllis f. McManus.
During the past several months, I have experienced quite a few health problems. I didn’t feel like sitting at my computer to work on my next book. Instead, every time a thought popped in my mind about a character or a plot, I would write it on a sticky note and place it in a basket. While sitting in a doctor’s office, the hospital, or just resting I continued this pattern. I made sure I always carried a little notebook with me at all times to jot down any thoughts that might enter my mind.
When I felt better I went to the basket and pulled out the notes. I was surprised when I saw I had hundreds of pieces of paper filled with words. I took each note out and decided where it would fit best in my book. Then I placed each one in folders labeled as Chapter 1, Chapter 2 and etc… When I was able to start working on my book, I got the folder that said Chapter 1 and placed each sticky note on my easel. Right before my eyes was a complete chapter, and all I had to do was connect them all together. It was like putting a puzzle together, piece by piece. The words seemed to flow and before I knew it, I had finished.
This is how my new book, “The Problem with Pearls” was written. Yes, to some of my author friends this sounded very strange, but it worked for me. It was so much fun I have decided to do my next book in just this same way. As a matter of fact, I have my basket sitting right beside my desk just waiting for me to get started on book number ten.
About the author: Phyllis f. McManus was born in Monroe, North Carolina. She started writing as a form of therapy when she lost her parents in a car accident in 2002. She loves to write from her heart and this shows in her characters. She won 1st place nationwide in the Union County Writer's Club poetry competition in 2008 with the poem, "The Edge of Darkness." This is a poem focusing on Alzheimer's, which her Mother had to live with. She also won an award with her short story, "Mama's Memory Box," in 2011. She won first place in fiction short stories for "The Special Gift" in 2015, sponsored by the Union County Writers Club. She is currently doing public speaking about her journey of writing. Her new book, "Do I Know Me?", has been added in the Sneak Previews in the Southern Writers Magazine for January and February, 2016 issues. Also, "Southern Secrets," her sequel to "The Southern Belle Breakfast Club" has been placed in the Must Read section of Southern Writers Magazine as well. Her readers that follower her in her journey calls themselves her "bookies." They make sure they give her encouragement and motivation when she gets writers block.
Be sure to follow our blog for the next guest post. There is a form at the right of this page for the MillerWords newsletter where you can get a free novel just for signing up. Also, "like" us on Facebook for other fun like monthly eBook giveaways! www.FB.com/MillerWords
Originally published in 2008, Murray Pura is reviving one of his personal favorites.
zo is the first story in Pura's series: Saint Zoya's Dance. This novel happened to be a finalist for the prestigious Kobzar Literary Award of Toronto in 2010. The series continues with the white birds of morning (coming soon to MillerWords) and beautiful skin.
About the book: Andrew Chornavka took on the Trappist’s cowl and disappeared from the 21st century in order to forget the century before.
Yet even at the secluded monastery in America the past finds him. A delegation from the Vatican arrives with questions about his youngest sister, Zoya, who is, to Andrew’s shock, a candidate for sainthood. Reluctant, hostile, wanting only to be left alone to his dairy herd and gardens and prayers, Andrew eventually begins to talk.
The talk takes him where he does not wish to go, makes alive again what he had hoped was dead and buried, and makes real what had long ago been lost. He knows what he has to tell is no more than a story about a family that tried to stay together, and keep love strong, when everything on earth tried to rip that love apart. Yet he also knows the archbishop wants a story about an angel who walked with God.
But Andrew did not experience a world of angels and miracles and fairy tales. And neither did his sister Zo.
Or did she?
Available in all eBook formats on January 12, 2018
and paperback soon after.
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