Painting the Psalms by Cherie Burbach @cherieburbach #Christian #nonfiction

Painting the Psalms by Cherie Burbach, Christian/Nonfiction

Title: PAINTING THE PSALMS
Author: Cherie Burbach
Publisher: Bonjour Publishing
Pages: 104
Genre: Christian Nonfiction

In Painting the Psalms, artist Cherie Burbach shares original, mixed-media paintings that contain a positive, faith-filled message. Each painting contains inspiration from the Psalms in some way, through the imagery, words, or emotion contained within the verses. Cherie uses a variety of mediums and techniques to create art that is filled with depth and whimsy. It is her hope that this book will inspire you to look at the Psalms in a new way so you can celebrate your faith and believe in the message. Some of the paintings were created during Cherie’s popular “Painting the Psalms” series of ecourses, where she demonstrates step-by-step progress from start to finish, including all the small details that make mixed media paintings come alive with texture and color.

 

 

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I started painting early on in life, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I connected my love of art with the appreciation I had for the Psalms. The Psalms tell the story of God’s love in a different way than the other books of the Bible do and speaks directly to the heart. Combining the beauty in the words of the Psalms with art seemed like a long-overdue project for me.

The Psalms have influenced my art in many ways and in this book I share some of my favorite paintings and the emotion behind them. I have included verses that stood out to me and sometimes I’ve painted the image that the words call up for me while other times I’ve highlighted the words in the painting. It is my hope that this collection of art and my reflections bless and inspire you. 

 

Cherie Burbach is a poet, mixed media artist, and freelance writer. She has penned and contributed to articles for Readers Digest, Family Circle, About.com (NY Times), NBC/Universal, Match.com, Christianity Today, and more.

Cherie also likes to express herself with mixed media art, combining Bible verses and her own poetry with special papers, acrylics, oils, ink, and more. She includes book pages, music sheets, and other random things in her art to create something that celebrates a hopeful, faith-filled message.

Cherie has been especially inspired by the Psalms, and has created a series of ecourses called Painting the Psalms, which includes mixed media painting projects all inspired by the Psalms in some way.
Each project is diverse in terms supplies, technique, and composition.

She is also the author of Painting the Psalms, which is part art book, part devotional.
Website:    https://www.cherieburbach.com/
Twitter:     https://twitter.com/CherieBurbach
Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/CherieBurbach/

That'll Do Pippin! by Anne Kaufmann #children #picturebook @brownridgebooks

THAT'LL DO PIPPIN! by Anne Kaufmann

Title: THAT’LL DO PIPPIN!
Author: Anne Kaufmann
Publisher: Brownridge Publishing
Pages: 68
Genre: Children’s Picture Book

Pippin and Nigel are two charming puppy brothers who live on a wonderful farm. They are best buddies and do everything together. They are full of mischief, energy and fun! Pippin is the smaller puppy who wants with all his heart to be like his brother Nigel. Nigel is brave. Nigel is strong. Nigel is smart. One day, the puppies escape from their yard into the woods where they experience many adventures. Nigel is always there to help and protect Pippin. Then Pippin solves a dangerous problem all by himself and learns that it is okay just to be Pippin.

This story teaches young children the importance of believing in themselves and that they each have their own wonderful gifts and abilities.

 

 

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Nigel loved dirt. He loved mud. He loved holes. He showed Pippin how to dig. Dirt flew everywhere. Pippin and Nigel barked for joy.

 

One day Nigel found a small hole by the fence. Nigel and Pippin started digging. The

hole grew larger and larger.

 

Anne Kaufmann is both the illustrator and author of the Pippin and Nigel adventure series for young children. She is the also the author of “Glenn Gould: Sketches of Solitude.” Anne is a former teacher librarian. She studied English Literature at Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Toronto. Her passions include music, books, animals and creating nature journals. She has shared her life with dogs, horses, cats and birds.A nature lover, she spends many hours exploring the forests north of her home and walking her dogs, Indy, Maya and Pippin. She loves spending time with her horse, Aria. Some of her favourite childhood memories include summers at her cottage on Lake Simcoe, settling back on the family couch reading while listening to her dad’s weekly String Quartet group, playing with her dogs and wishing for a horse. She is currently working on the third book of the Pippin and Nigel Adventure series and  a historical fiction novel on the great Canadian horse and Kentucky Derby winner, Northern Dancer. She lives in Ontario, Canada.

Dreams That Never Were by Greg Messel @gregmessel #historical #fiction

DREAMS THAT NEVER WERE by Greg Messel, Historical Fiction

Title: DREAMS THAT NEVER WERE
Author: Greg Messel
Publisher: Sunbreaks Publishing
Pages: 296
Genre: Historical Fiction

“Some men see things as they are and say, ‘Why? I dream of things that never were and say, ‘Why not?" -- Robert F. Kennedy

June 5, 1968:  Senator Robert F. Kennedy, then a candidate for President and victorious in the California primary, was mortally wounded by assassin Sirhan Sirhan as he exited the ballroom at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.  Innocent bystanders were also wounded, including young and idealistic Alex Hurley, a San Francisco reporter.

Swept up in the turbulent events of 1968, Alex is captivated both by the Presidential race and by Vietnam, where he had recently been a war correspondent.  His time in Vietnam had cost him his marriage and bitterly separated him from his own family.

Recovering from his wounds—physical and emotional—a new and surprising love restores his hope.
Part political thriller, part romance, Alex Hurley’s story in “Dreams That Never Were,” captures the turmoil of the day, set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War and America's wrenching response to it. This novel is the latest historical fiction from award winning author Greg Messel.

 

 

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Sirhan Sirhan shot Robert F. Kennedy in the kitchen pantry of the Ambassador Hotel. Kennedy was leaving a victory party after winning the California Primary in June of 1968. Sirhan continued to fire his gun as the crowd tried to subdue him. Five additional people were wounded by the stray bullets. I have one of those wounded be my fictional character, Alex Hurley. This excerpt is when Alex wakes up in the hospital and is unaware of what has occurred. Here’s the excerpt: 

I heard unfamiliar voices talking.

“He’s starting to open his eyes,” someone said.

“That’s a great sign,” commented another.

I detected a pain in my side, just below my rib cage. I tried to open my eyes, but they seemed to be glued shut. The voices resumed—talking about me as if I wasn’t there. Finally, I blinked my eyes, trying to focus, and soon realized  I was in a hospital bed. Standing by me, with concerned looks etched on their faces, was an odd collection of people from my life. 

Through my bleary eyes, I saw my ex-wife Brenda; John Greer, my photographer pal from San Francisco; and Darlene Harvey, the reporter from the Los Angeles Times, I’d been admiring from afar since I had arrived in Southern California. 

Brenda moved forward and tenderly gripped my hand in a way that she had not done for a long time. 

“How are you, Alex?” she asked softly. 

I gave a weak shake of my head. “I dunno. What happened?” 

“Don’t you remember, mate?” John jumped in. 

“Remember what?” I mumbled blankly, as my weak voice tailed off into nothing.

“He’s still coming out of the drugs. Give him a minute,” Brenda pleaded. “They’ve been keeping him kind of doped up since the surgery. This is the first time I’ve been able to talk to him.”

“Surgery?” I asked. 

Brenda shushed me and gently ran her long, slender fingers through my hair. “Take it easy. Don't try to talk right now. Take your time. Then we’ll help you understand what happened.”

I groggily attempted to get my bearings. “We were at the hotel. Everyone was celebrating Bobby’s victory. I was following him out of the ballroom, and there was like a riot. I was suddenly on the floor and couldn’t get up. It was strange. All of these people kept stepping on me—on my arm and on my legs.” 

I glanced at my right hand which was heavily bandaged. “I got knocked down. I’m sorry. Everything is a little hazy. I’m having trouble getting my brain to work.”

The three people hovering over me could not have been more different—two beautiful women and John, with his long black hair pulled back in a ponytail and a scruffy beard covering his face. The trio exchanged concerned glances, whispered, and nodded at one another. I started to shift in my bed and was met with a jolts of pain in my side and my leg. 

Brenda attempted to lighten the mood. “I was afraid you’d wake up in your hospital bed, see your ex-wife standing over you, and think you’d died and gone to hell.”

I gave her a weak smile, while the others chuckled to break the tension. 

Brenda was trying to make sure my re-entry was a slow descent, but that strategy was quickly dashed when John started blurting out all the details of the last 14 hours. “Take it easy, Alexander. You’ve had surgery. You were shot, man. They removed the bullet. The doc says you’re going to be fine. Some people from San Francisco are on their way down here, including our boss. Everyone’s been worried about you after they saw the news.”

“The news? I was shot?”

Brenda glared at John. “Way to go slow, John. Senator Kennedy was shot. You and some other people were also wounded by the assassin.”

“No, no, no!” I yelled. “Bobby was shot? No, not this time! This wasn’t supposed to happen! Assassin? Is Senator Kennedy going to be all right?” 

John moved closer. “Bobby’s just down the hall. He’s still alive, but he’s not doing very well.”

“Not doing very well?” I snapped with rapidly accelerating alarm.

John blundered ahead. “This place is like a fortress. It was hard to get in here especially onto this floor. Cops are everywhere.”

“Maybe we should go,” Darlene said shooting a glance at John. “We’ll come back later, Alex. We just had to see you. We were so worried.” 

“No, no, don’t leave right now,” I pleaded. I repeated what I had been told to try to take in the enormity of the news. “Senator Kennedy was shot. How could… how did it happen?”

Brenda nodded to John and Darlene. “I’ll stay with him. I know you must be very busy.”

Darlene leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. She was dabbing tears from her eyes. “It’s been a long night. We’re all living in a nightmare. I’m so sorry, Alexander. It’s good to see you awake.”

Darlene grabbed John by the elbow and pushed him towards the door. John flashed a peace sign. “Peace, my brother. I’ll see you a little later. Take it easy and get better. I’ve got to call San Francisco. Everyone’s anxious to hear about you.”

 

Greg Messel grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and lives on the Puget Sound in Edmonds, Washington, with his wife, Jean DeFond. Dreams That Never Were is his 11^th novel and is a historical fiction account of a young reporter caught up in the events surrounding the assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. Greg has also written a series of mystery novels set in San Francisco in the 1950s. He has lived in Oregon, Washington, California, Wyoming and Utah and has always loved writing, including stints as a reporter, columnist and news editor for a daily newspaper. Greg won a Wyoming Press Association Award as a colunist and has contributed articles to various magazines.

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Off Shore Secrets by Maya Berger @maya_berger #chicklit

OFF SHORE SECRETS by Maya Berger, ChickLit, 252 pp.

Title: OFF SHORE SECRETS
Author: Maya Berger
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 252
Genre: Chick Lit

Single again, Maya and her bestie, Una, make plans to sail around the beautiful Adriatic Coast on board a luxury yacht. Fun in the sun with friends is just what these two need this summer.
Maya shouldn’t be attracted to Adrian—the cocky, handsome Spaniard on board—especially when after a passionate night, he calls out another girl’s name in his sleep.

Una, who is supposed to be in a long distance relationship, hooks up with a stranger and sneaks him on board. The next day, the stranger is gone and so is some very expensive jewelry. When Una goes missing too, Maya wants to help her, but what is Una’s involvement?

And who is the mysterious girl Adrian mumbles about in his sleep? Perhaps it is something to do with Una’s secretive and reckless behavior. Maya has a lot of questions, but no one seems ready to give her the answers.

ORDER YOUR COPY:

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“Finally, I can’t believe we have started our adventure!” Maya was driving with Una next to her and Daria lounging in the backseat. She had positioned herself in the middle of the backseat so she could push her head forward to be almost in line with theirs.

Their trip to Krk was supposed to be a short one—only two hours or three if the traffic was bad—and they planned to be in Malinska by noon. They had a friend there who had offered them a room to sleep, but they didn’t plan to stay in Malinska for more than one night. It was a place that was getting wilder and bigger by the minute, and it didn’t really have a charming old center like some of the other towns and villages on the coast of the Adriatic Sea did.

“Can we stop so I can smoke a cigarette?” Though Una smoked in her car, Maya didn’t allow it as she didn’t want her car to constantly smell of smoke—she didn’t consider herself a real smoker anyway. She smoked when she drank and these days, though she went out a lot and consequently smoked almost every day, it wasn’t the same in the winter when she didn't go out as often. She could go for days without smoking and wouldn’t miss it.

“We’re almost there. Can’t you endure just a bit longer without the cigarette?” Maya asked imploringly.

“Why? We’re on holiday, why should I have to endure anything? Let’s stop and have a coffee and a smoke.” Una was persistent, and Maya gave up and pulled off at the nearest gas station.

Una and Daria sat on bar stools, drank their coffee, and smoked while Maya ate the croissant she bought at the café. It was filled with peach jam and still warm, and Maya thought she was eating one of the best croissants she’d ever had.

“Have you heard from Helena yet? Are they on their way?” Daria was curiously peering at Maya and Una while simultaneously stirring her coffee. “Who’s on the boat?” She raised her eyebrows and continued, “I can’t wait to embark it. We had the greatest time last year, didn’t we?”

“We did,” Maya confirmed, looking at Una for consent. She looked like she was enjoying her second cigarette and was blowing out a cloud of smoke, which made Maya feel sick.

 “I last heard from her a week ago, and they weren’t on their way yet,” Una informed them while Maya waved away the cloud of smoke. “But we still have like five or six days before our meeting in Split.”

While Una was talking, Maya wondered how come she was bothered by the smoke of the cigarette. She knew that a few hours later when they would drink alcohol, she’d be ready to smoke, too. Then she remembered that Helena called her two days ago and left a message on her secretary, so she shared her intel. “She said they’re on their way and that we’ll see each other soon.”

“Why didn’t you call her back?” Daria insisted. When she wanted to know something, she didn’t let it go. “Now we don’t know who’s on the boat.”

 “Why do you care anyway? It’s Juan’s boat, he can invite whoever he wants, and we have to be okay with it, right? I hope you don’t make some drama again this year; I wish for a less turbulent holiday,” Una snapped.

Daria’s face contorted with offense, and she looked like she was ready to launch a stream of words at Una. Before things could get awkward between her friends, Maya stepped in. “All right, that’s enough. Last year was last year. I don’t know who’s going to be on the yacht, but isn’t that what makes everything more interesting and appealing?” This was enough to make everyone quiet and relaxed again. Still, it reminded Maya what a peculiar character Daria was and wondered if they made the right choice by inviting her on the trip again after the last one ended in disaster. Although Una was too harsh with Daria, it was only because Daria could drive them both crazy. The best explanation was that they invited her because she was fun to be around—most of the time—and she was always keen for any kind of action—dancing, flirting, drinking, playing games, you name it, she was for it.

 

Maya Berger is the author of a memoir focusing on women’s personal growth called Luna Tree and its sequel In the Pursuit of Change. She took a break from writing about life and personal growth to write adventure stories about two young women just out of university trying to make important decisions in their life like who to date, who to socialise with, how to travel with no money and how to act in potentially dangerous situations. The most important lessons they learn are how to depend on each other and rely on themselves.

Maya is a 44-year-old living in Zagreb, Croatia with her husband and their three-year- old daughter. She is a marketing graduate, pilates instructor, she promotes Croatia as a tourist destination and she loves to read and write.

Website: www.mayabergerauthor.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/maya___berger
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MayaBergerTheAuthor/