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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UNSTUCK: STEP INTO THE NEW by author Amy Robnik Joob the Podcast Interviewer for SUPPORT SOMEONE SATURDAY

10/19/2021

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This 40-day prayer journal did something amazing in my heart! These encouraging true stories are opening me where I’ve felt a bit narrower. I’m working my way through this more than a journal on prayer—which is awesome all by itself. Each day has a call to trust or believe or share community and so much more. Each day ends with a brief journal and prayer section for the reader to stop. Breathe and seize the moment of inspiration and invitation to know Him better. Allowing ourselves to be still and know that He is Lord over us if we pause and let Him lead.

As I read through these remarkable and specific days, there is a beautiful lifting and settling of my heart. Amy poured out her heart about her experiences as she encountered challenges and listened to Him in the middle of very different circumstances. So like our own lives, and always inspiring us to step higher and catch the view from these daily mountain tops! As I just wrote that last sentence, I glanced at Amy’s cover and noticed the mountains! How about that! 

And yes, I smiled!

Splendid encouragement from a lovely-hearted young woman of God. I was given a copy of this book for an honest review, and there you have it. Looks like I’ve opened my heart to you, dear reader! If you are searching to know the Lord and deepen your prayer perspective, then this is the book for you! I highly recommend this prayer journey of a journal! 

Questions for Amy:

Right now, which chapter in your prayer journal speaks to you and why?
Chapter 1, Believe In Miracles speaks to me right now. In my family right now we are believing for God to bring healing, restoration, new doors of opportunity and to do the impossible in our lives! ​

What do you like to drink or snack on when your write?
When I’m writing I try to focus more on drinks...like water, coffee, hot herbal tea, sparkling water (LaCroix Limoncello my favorite). For snacks, I grab fruit or chips & salsa. Very challenging to eat those while typing!   :)

Where do you like to write and dream with the Lord?
Lately, I’ve been getting up in the wee hours of the morning I’m going in the basement. Thankfully it is finished so it’s very cozy. It’s a great space to pray and hear from God and I’m not waking anyone up. During the day I like to go out on my patio and dream, journal, pray and hear from Him. 
 
Do you journal a lot? When did you start that?
​I do journal quite a bit. I actually journal out a lot of my prayers or write to God about challenges I’m facing. Sometimes, I write prayers of gratitude & record answered prayers. I also write out scriptures that speak to me about what me and my family are going through. I often insert our names into the Scriptures and pray them over my family & situation. 

I started journaling years ago when I first became a Christian - almost 30 years ago! Yikes!  :0

 
Do you have another book in the works? What can you tell us about it?
I have not started writing another book yet. I have thought about writing a book for special needs families. I want to write about our son Ashton’s Noonan Syndrome
and include the various areas he is affected. I also have a couple of other ideas in the works that I am praying over. 


What ministry for the Lord grips your heart right now?
Lately, the biggest things on my heart as far as ministry go are families and youth. I just see how modern-day society and all of its challenges are weighing heavy on families and on our young people. I am seeking God about ways I can be a part of the solution & help encourage & inspire Moms, Dads & their children living at home. 
 
Do you think your reader's voice matters when they leave a review on Amazon and other social media? Why?
I really think every voice matters. Whether you are are leaving a review on Amazon, another platform or sharing your story in any capacity, I think your voice matters and your story should be told. I think we should all find freedom & boldness to speak and share our faith openly too. This world needs the hope found in Jesus!
 
How do you want your readers to find you?
My readers can find me on my website at www.amyjoob.com, on Facebook at https://www.Facebook.com/AmyRobnikJoob, Instagram at @amyjoob1, or YouTube (Amy Joob). 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyhv00G4l8bFgmBK7Y0OA6w/
https://www.instagram.com/amyjoob1/
email  amyjoob@yahoo.com  

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A VIEW MOST GLORIOUS, American Wonders Collection, Book 3  by Award Winning Author, Regina Scott

10/8/2021

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Beautiful.
That is my one-word description of this third book of the AMERICAN WONDERS COLLECTION. I have so much to say about A VIEW MOST GLORIOUS! The characters are fresh and stunning. They are vibrant and well-rounded and quite different from one another. They are challenged emotionally, mentally, and physically by Mount Rainier and each other’s goals. Honestly, the way that Regina described the ascent and descent on Mount Rainier was so perfect—just as though she walked in Coraline Baxter’s boots. The hero, Nathan Hardee, is strong and complicated, as Coraline Baxter is determined and resourceful. The other various characters add so much to the interest and power of this tale.  

The descriptions mesh wonderfully with the challenges and emotional changes of the characters while moving the story along. This is a page-turner that you don’t want to miss. The experience of these written words has my stamp of excellence on every level.
I’ve longed to read VIEW MOST GLORIOUS, the third book of AMERICAN WONDERS COLLECTION from Revell. The covers are lovely--a delightful way to see some of America’s fabulous park areas through the exciting tales of relatable and inspiring characters.

VIEW MOST GLORIOUS is a satisfying and beautifully written, and insightful novel that I was sent a free copy of for an honest review. This is my favorite series by Regina, and that is saying a lot. This is a writer that I respect, admire, and enjoy. I’m honored to share her newly published novel, and this story was an experience for me. I’m too cowardly to climb such a mountain, but to experience this challenge through the eyes of Regina’s characters was absolutely rewarding, refreshing, and satisfying! Hint, hint- this series or this novel would make a wonderful Christmas, birthday, or just because gift to those you love! The stories in this AMERICAN WONDERS COLLECTION are stand-alone novels as well as being part of a series. How did you come up with the hero, Nathan Hardee’s background?

I knew who Coraline, my heroine, was—a strong young lady who is determined to make her own way in the world. She was going to need a guide to climb the mountain, so the hero had to be skilled in living in the wilderness. But I also wanted someone who could appreciate the lifestyle she lives. It’s easy to look at someone who is born into wealth and think they have it made. Cora has always been at the mercy of others. He understands that. 

QUESTIONS FOR REGINA:

How did you come up with Coraline Baxter’s Achilles heel, her mother?
Because Cora has chosen to walk a path few ladies trod in those days (although there were some!), I wanted someone close to her to be a contrast. Her mother is what many women aspired to be in the late 1800s. She wields her power quietly, in Society and through her husband. She’s buried two husbands before this one, so she knows how to keep that power too. But it’s not the kind of power Cora wants.

Have you climbed Mount Rainier? Your descriptions of the characters’ ascent and descent, their reactions and the views were so specific. I loved this!
While I have hiked all over that mountain, I have never reached the summit. I considered trying it in the leadup to the book’s publication, but the amount of preparation would have been too much with family and writing, especially with the coronavirus. I’m afraid I’m not in Cora’s shape, LOL. However, there is a marvelous book by Aubrey Haines, a former park ranger, called “Mountain Fever.” He has gathered first-hand accounts of those who climbed Rainier in the early days. The details, combined with my own experiences on the mountain, helped me imagine what it might have been like for Cora.

Will you write any additional AMERICAN WONDERS COLLECTION novels? If not, what is your next novel to be published?  
At the moment, this book is the last one planned in the American Wonders Collection. In January, I will be returning to my beloved Regency period with the release of Never Pursue a Prince, a follow-on to my bestselling Fortune’s Brides series. Can the daughter of a duke give her heart to a prince in disguise when she and her sisters vow to be wed by harvest time?

 
You can find Regina Scott at:
​

www.https://www.reginascott.com

https://www.facebook.com/authorreginascott

https://www.pinterest.com/reginascottpins/_created/


Other book reviews and author interviews for AMERICAN WONDERS COLLECTION series by Regina Scott! 

NOTHING SHORT OF WONDEROUS (11/8/2020
http://www.susanmarlene.com/book-review--author-interview/archives/11-2020
​
A DISTANCE TOO GRAND  (10/4/2019
​http://www.susanmarlene.com/book-review--author-interview/archives/10-2019
​
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BEYOND the MASK a Burns Family Studios Production

10/3/2021

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BEYOND THE MASK is a go-to movie for me! The Burns Family Studios formed an excellent fiction film inspired by actual historical happenings. I love the storyline, characters, and Ben Franklin’s inventions! This is a clean, family-friendly adventure that I find so pleasing! The film also includes exciting scenes with the East Indian Company! If you watch this movie, I’d love to hear what you enjoyed most about this film.
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My hopes are high that The Burns Family Studio will release a new film every bit as good as BEYOND THE MASK!  
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PREPARE HIM ROOM, A Daily Advent Devotional by Susie Larson

10/3/2021

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This advent devotional is like none I’ve read. Susie Larson inspires hope as she refers to Chapters in Luke except for the last devotion, which uses the book of John. Other scriptures are mentioned as well as excellent quotes.

This book has touched my heart in a deep and abiding way. The prayers Susie places at the end of each devotion and the “Look Up” section, which inspires a decision from the reader to fast from negative attitudes, is powerful. I actually bought several for Christmas gifts because I believe in how inspiring and encouraging this devotional is. This is written to be an advent devotional, and on that point, I disagree.

Yes, it is very inspiring at advent, but oh, this is one to read and reread all year long for the depth and joy of relationship with our Lord are firmly secured within its pages!

Thank you, Susie Larson for your heart for Jesus and the truth and healing that oneness with Him brings! I've been given this book for an honest review and I'm happy to say that I highly recommend this devotion and feel honored to be included in the review process. 


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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