Top 100 Women of the Bible, A Book Review

Barbour Publishing

I had the opportunity a few years ago to purchace a Choice Books paperback titled The Top 100 Women of the Bible (Top 100 Series). I must say that I have never been so encouraged by a “list” of something I’ve read. From Abigail to Zipporah, Pamela McQuade inspires us with a sumary of the women’s lives and then guides the reader into why the women made the choices they did and how this affects our walk with God today.

Although the book was awesome, I must admit that each woman had some connection to a man. There was no way you could mention a female without mentioning what she done for Paul or how she won a battle with a man at her side, but this doesn’t detract from the awesomeness in which God placed in her. The bible is filled with mostly men writing the Gospels and making sacrifices unto God, but the women clearly had duties such as Judge, Queen, Mother, Wife, or business owner. How encouraging!

My personal favorites were: Ruth, Esther, the Proverbs 31 Woman, and Deborah the judge and prohphetess.

Want a quote from the book?

“Why did Jael suddenly become so vicious?  We can only guess.”(From the Top 100 Women of the Bible, published by barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission)

Details:

The Top 100 Women of the Bible

Pamela McQuade

Barbour Publishing(2007)

ISBN: 978-59789-669-6

Price: $9.99(On Amazon for $4.99 right now)

Creating and Writing a Good Blog Like a Blogging Guru: Part 1

Recently I posted an article on how to earn from your blog like a guru. (Part 2 coming up this week) Do I earn money from my blog? Obviously not. I write about writing, books, and how to write. Many people like to create blogs but I am not sure if everyone loves to read and my fan base I can count on one hand.

Yet I have been watching the videos, reading forums, and have many gurus on my mailing list who swear up and down they make  six figures a year doing what I do. it gets stressful sometimes because I love to journal, I enjoy blogging, but just to get feedback every blue or red moon would be awesome. I think I would faint if I suddenly had 1,000 readers one day.

Is it about the money? Read my article to find out. Money does make the world go ’round. I need it to eat and to have shelter over my head, but again, I doubt it registers as a worry over anyone’s radar as they casually glance my post and click somewhere else.

Hey, I do it too.

E.J. Smith

Angel Study and Review Blog Series Concludes with Wendy Alec’s ‘Son of Perdition’

There will be a movie out soon according Wendy Alec’s website. A double Woot! From me. Secondly, I finished her book, Son of Perdition which is Book 3 in the Chronicles of Brothers series. The book was fast paced,eye opening and evokes all kinds of emotions in you. She is a great storyteller and thats what matters.

Here’s a snippet of the review:

The end of days has begun and Lucifer has a plan to clone himself and unleash his son of perdition. Meanwhile the brothers Jason, Adrian, and Nick De Vere uncover some skeletons in the closet of their family history. It all ties into what Yehovah has in store for the Race of Men and the ultimate Judgment to come upon the Fallen as well.

Warning! This Christian Fiction while profound, brilliant, and creative, had one or two words many Christians may feel are vulgar-but it is on a minor level.

Son of Perdition has no problem grabbing hold of your attention and demand that you jet through the pages. Just don’t go too fast or you’ll miss golden nuggets of information (and somewhat complex historical economical situations) they really do matter. Secondly, the characters Wendy has created with her brilliant mind are three dimensional and respond well to their environment. Even while reading a few tears were shed because two beloved characters pass away and it seemed unpredictable.

Continue reading on Examiner.com The De Vere brothers and lucifer return in SOP, a fast paced read – Norfolk Christian fiction | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/christian-fiction-in-norfolk/the-de-vere-brothers-and-lucifer-return-sop-a-fast-paced-read-review#ixzz1NKPLpaRX

June 2011 Blog Book Giveaway: I’m Cleaning Out My Closet

Thanks to everyone who actually reads this blog and to those who have entered my previous blog book giveaways. In June I have some brand new books, and semi-new books that I will be giving away. Everything from gentle Amish romances to suspense filled stories from Christian and Secular writers.

Oh, this WILL be good.

I will post pictures of these books right here on my blog for you to see once I compile the ones I am giving away. I have not decided if there will be two or three giveaways, a set of books, or individual- not sure. But for now, tell your family, friends, and coworkers that  The Write Web will be giving away an awesome stack of books this June to hit your Summer off right!

Ciao,

E.J. Smith

Larry Brooks Show Us How to Engineer a Story Using the 6 Core Competencies

Writers Digest Books

 

*Book received for my unbiased review from Book Sneeze

 

Upon receiving Story Engineering in my hands, I quickly skimmed the front and back cover and thought tomyself: “Oh no. Not another book rehashing and microwaving old concepts to help me become a better writer.

 

But I was wrong…very wrong.

 

Larry Brooks explains to us that creating a work of fiction involves more than just art and raw talent. It is a skill. Like architecture. Just as there is a blueprint for construction of a building, you need to have these 6 Core Competencies under your belt, whether you outline a story first, or not(more on that later).

 

Knowing the 6 core competencies may actually help you get published, and if not, you still have more leverage than a writer who fails to implement all 6.

 

The 6 core Competencies:

1. Concept

2. Character

3. Theme

4. Story Structure

5. Scene Execution

6. Writing Voice

Okay so in his book there were a couple of highlights I highly regarded. for instance: Should a writer just “pants it” or outline a story before writing the draft? “To write a successful story, you can’t wing it and expect to get to the Promised Land”(Brooks, 2011, p.225). Either way you write you need have some basic principles of story structure in your mind. So organic writing is good but you will have to write more drafts than if you planned out your writing first.

Secondly, Books talks about Writing Voice. I so loved this chapter because I am tired of Self Righteous Writing dronies crying out: “Stephenie Meyers can’t write! Her style is whack or Dan Brown can’t write and James Patterson is not using good terms” or whatever. Brooks however tells us that those people are good storytellers. Leave the grammar, syntax and other stuff to editors, because if you can write good words but there is no story, you will NOT be published anyway.

Having said all of this, the downside to The 6 Core Competencies is that I wish it were more organized in the beginning. Just give me a good beat sheet and do not run all over the place with Plot Points and Milestone, Brooks! Love the book, but wanted a bit more simplicity. I felt like I was getting a Masters in Writing(which I guess isn’t bad).

Book Details:

Publisher: Writer’s Digest(2011)

ISBN: 978-1-58297-998-4

Price: $17.99

Tracking an Author Continues: Dessen’s New Book and the Author Who Connects

Sarah Dessen Talks About Her New Book, “What Happened to Goodbye”

 

I am always fascinated with author’s stories about how they came to be these weavers of their own imaginations and how they manage to pull us into their character’s world. What is even more fascinating is how much fiction is actually nonfiction for most writers(but I doubt they’d say that).

For example, I’ve read 2 of Dessen’s books: Just Listen and The Truth About Forever, which I highly recommend you read – and it appears that some of the places in her book actually exist, further more the teens go through agaonizing reality. We’ve all been dumped, dooped, and discouraged beyond belief as a teen. Some still are in their 20s, 30s, and 40s+, yet I digress…

What happens to the author who resonates so well with reality, that people pick up his or her books? They become icons thats what. I know some authors may say, “Thats not true! I’ve never been an icon and I published  X amount of books.” My question then is: “Weren’t you published though? Don’t you have a fan base? Have you been writing ever since? Then you are doing well and people love what you do.

Don’t get me wrong. Writing has to be first and foremost a passion. Just like basketball. Or football. Or gardening. This is something you must do and it is a serious mandate TO DO before you leave this life. Yet to have a cult following and getting paid for it are added bonuses for sure.

What drew me to love Dessen’s, Stephenie Meyers’s , and Octavia Butler’s works are that they created a world in which things can/have happened and made me “feel” for the character. Amazing huh? Dessen’s books take you back to when you were a teen and you root seriously for the heroine. Stephenie Meyer wrote a coming of age book complete with “new -girl -has -to transfer- to- school -and -has -divorced -parents mode”(with some vamp action in it), and Octavia Butler, rest her soul, has written dystopian and speculative novels about every ethnicity in the world but you love or hate her characters because they seem so real.

So, back to my question: What happens when the author connects so well to the audience?

We adore them because they just seem to understand-literary- oops I mean literally

The Write Web Asks: Do You Need Books/Textbooks Under $35?

I decided we all need a little help affording some books, so if you need them I found some thats dirt cheap I can sale to you. Go to “Connect with E.J” tab to contact me about these books. 

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*Textbooks available including price and ISBN.(Books are either in good/okay condition or brand new and sold as is).

1. The Little Brown Handbook(9th Edition)-$10.00-ISBN: 0-321-10350-5

2. Thinking Mathematically(2008)-$29.00-ISBN: 0-13-175204-9

3.The World Today(3rd Edition)-$5.00-ISBN: 978-0470-89887-1 *Warning! This book was purchased with a few torn pages.

4. College World Atlas(2007)- $15.00-ISBN: 978-0-471-74117-6

Please email if you are interested in either of these books. Include in the subject line BOOKS. Pictures can be found on amazon by looking up the ISBN, pictures were too large to upload.

Book Review of ‘The Alarmists’ and Blogging Changes

Bethany House

Recently I did a post about my thoughts on The Alarmists, and to tell the truth, I don’t think I enjoyed it as much because it isn’t a genre I particularly like. This does not detract from the fact that others may enjoy it immensly, yet for me all the political and military jargon could have been placed elswhere. Sorry, Don Hoesel. You are still a very good and detailed writer in my opinion.

Next, I know I do Rank My Reviews on here but because of the wonkiness with WordPress’s iframe exclusive system you may vote on my Christian Fiction Examiner Page- Anywhere you see  the Rank My Review.

*Book given for my unbiased review by Bethany House