Susan Marlene
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Timeless Significance for Everyday


Short stories and also devotions that mix historical quotes and contemporary musings, as well as
​author interviews and book reviews.
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QUINN'S PROMISE ROCK Written by Christie Thomas & Illustrated by Sydney Hanson

4/17/2019

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“NO MATTER WHERE, GOD IS ALWAYS THERE! What a great theme for a children’s book!  I went to a conference and found this treasure of a story for my granddaughter! Aria is five and was very enthused about this story. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to finish this read for we ran out of time. We will get together soon to do so. I must admit that I couldn’t stay away, and took to the pages after she’d left. I learned about owls as the characters interacted in a very pleasing way.

The illustrations by Sydney Hanson were perfect visuals for the characters and setting. This is the first young children’s storybook that I’ve ever reviewed and the reason that I’d decided to do so was because of the timeless message of His being with us always! Children encounter such fear-filled thoughts and television shows. Ugly, gruesome characters bombard their tender imaginations. I found Christie to be a sensitive and intuitive story teller. This is a story that will soothe an anxious child. I will not tell you how this tale plays out and I hope that you are curious enough to purchase this treasure for the children in your life! This would make a fine gift for Easter or birthday or even a summer visit to the beach. This is highly recommended! Excuse me as I go and experience Quinn’s adventure once more! 

QUESTIONS FOR CHRISTIE:

Christie, how long have you had children’s stories running around your imagination? (I’m so glad you did!)
I used to tell stories all the time as a kid, but didn't write a single story for nearly 20 years as I pursued a science degree, children's ministry, and family. I wanted to write again, but felt stuck, until this little owl character popped into my life.

You and the Sydney have merged your talents together perfectly! How did you find one another? I actually don't know Sydney, the publisher found her! She's so incredible.

Did you ever get lost as a child? (I almost did!)
I do remember getting lost on a bike ride once. I had been pokey and gotten left behind, so I rode around and prayed until I found a street I knew. Afterward I actually found it a very empowering experience, because I realized that I'd always eventually find my way, and that I was never truly alone.

How does story come to you?
Stories come to me slowly. I get the seed of an idea in my head, but I have to sit down and start writing in order to actually figure out where the story goes.

I like the child-scriptures listed in the parents notes! Do you have a website where children and their parents can visit you and keep connected?
My website is christiethomaswriter.com, where I write to encourage and equip parents to nurture the hope of Christ in the home.

What other books do you have available?
I also have a simple (and fun) Bible study book for preschoolers, as well as another Quinn story coming out in August! 7)
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Where can you be found on social media?
I'm christiethomasauthor on Facebook and christie.thomas.writer on Instagram. I should have tried harder to get them the same, haha!

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PRELUDE for a LORD by Camille Elliot

4/14/2019

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Bath, England—1810

Alethea Sutherton is so very strong and talented, but in a way that is not acceptable for Regency ladies. Violin playing by a woman is forbidden, yet her love and passion for this music as well as the precious gifting of the instrument by a loving friend hold her captive to the strings. Her brother passed away before the beginning of the story and her cousin inherits to become the new Earl of Trittonstone.

Miss Alethea is displaced. No hearth, no home, except for the hospitality of her Aunt Ebena in Bath. Lord Bayard Terralton, the brooding hero, arrives in Bath too. He is also musically inclined and part of a quartet made up of his friends. Terralton is war-wounded and struggling, yet protective and worthy of his place in this story.

This is a novel well-paced and doused in mystery that kept me guessing about who could be making this heroine’s life miserable! There is much to relate to as this tail unfolds: abandonment; divided families; being yourself in the midst of pressure from others; bulling and more. I enjoyed the characters and their personalities. Margaret Garen, Mr. Golding and Miss Clare Tarralton were every bit perfectly placed! Lord Ian Wynnman, Lord Ravenhurst and so many others kept me entertained! This is a highly recommended novel. And I hope that you give this author a try.

Unfortunately, I was unable to interview Camille Elliot, who by the way is also know as Camy Tang. She writes other genre besides Regency. If you would like to find her online, I can offer some social media addresses for your convenience:
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https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCamilleElliot/
https://twitter.com/camytang
https://camytang.com/
https://camilleelliot.com/


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    Susan Marlene is the author of Sisters & Friends, HEARTS FOREVER FAITHFUL and SHORT STORIES, Some Fanciful, Some True, A Collection from Various Time Periods & Adventurous Tales, as well as ​Splashes of Hope, A Trio of Short Stories.

    She has published in these venues also. 

    www.ChristianDevotions.us and in Splickety Love Magazine, The Novice, and  newspapers. She writes devotions, fiction, and nonfiction. She is a member and co-founder of Pens of Praise Christian Writers 
    Group.  She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW).

    ​She speaks at writers' groups and prepares devotions and teachings often for Pens of Praise Christian Writers,  and was a former member of Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild. She is a wife, mother, grandmother, and Alternative Education Teacher’s Aide. She loves  antiques and misses  her Leonberger, but loves her Boxer who fills their lives with love and laughter. Her cat was the queen of the household and is also dearly missed. 

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"Hope" is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all,​  by Emily Dickinson


susan@susanmarlene.com

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  • GLIMPSING HISTORICAL TIMES