The penitent thief, you may recall, was one of the criminals who was executed alongside Jesus on Good Friday. All we’re really told is that he was sorry for his crimes and that Jesus promised that he would be beside him in paradise. This novel begins at the moment that promise is fulfilled.
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All Things New: Inspiring Stories from Matt McChlery
I’ve met Matt in the flesh once at a Christian writers’ conference last year, been on his podcast and have the privilege of being a member of the Association of Christian Writers alongside him. When he asked me to be part of his blog tour for “All Things New”, I knew it would be a fascinating read, and so it’s proved to be.
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From Earth to Heaven
Sophia writes exclusively Christian content and this book is no exception. Described as Christian romantic fiction, it follows the story of Alade and Bridget, two young people about to get married. We begin on their wedding day in 1957, in a church in Benin, Nigeria.
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Finding Truth and Identity: A Review of “Like Him” by Julia Stevens
Julia’s book, “Like Him”, is a collection of poems, inspirational stories and prayers intended to bring Christian believers closer to Jesus and to understand their true identity in Him. Each chapter heading reflects her faith journey, beginning with, “Where I’ve Been”. She introduces us to her eighteen-year-old self, shy, suffering from OCD and consumed with anxiety.
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Sourcing the Good Stuff: Poppy Denby and the Crystal Crypt
Ruth interviews Poppy Denby Investigates creator, Fiona Veitch Smith, regarding Poppy’s sixth adventure, The Crystal Crypt. We also find out how Ruth has been enabling her parent’s addiction. To what, find out here in Sourcing the Good Stuff: Poppy Denby and the Crystal Crypt.
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All Aboard for a Murder or Two: The Shetland Sea Murders by Marsali Taylor
The Shetland Sea Murders is the ninth in the series of Shetland Sailing Mysteries by Marsali Taylor. The protagonist is feisty Cass Lynch who sails her beloved boat Khalida around Shetland, stumbling across mystery and murder along the way. The author weaves dialect and local landmarks into her prose and helpfully includes an index at the end for soothmoothers (those not from Shetland).
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Terrific Tartan Noir: Unravelling
If like me, you’re a fan of the genre known as Tartan Noir (think Ann Cleeves’ Shetland series, Wendy H Jones’ DI Shona McKenzie books and anything by Val McDermid) you’ll be delighted to hear that Scottish author Helen Forbes has just brought out her third novel.
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Scent of Water: One woman's journey through grief
Ruth Leigh reviews Penelope Swithinban’s Scent of Water. “I was delighted to be asked to review Penelope Swithinbank’s new book, “Scent of Water” which sprang from a traumatic loss of her own, that of her beloved mother in an accident. Penelope understands what it’s like”.
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Leah + Rachel + Jacob + Esau (Gamora + Nebula)
This week on Big Words and Made Up Stories, I’m reviewing an excellent new novel by Amanda Bedzrah. “Leah: Unnoticed, Unwanted, Unloved” is the story of two sisters, the daughters of Laban, a somewhat unprincipled chap with an eye to the main chance. The story appears in the book of Genesis, and for the purposes of this review, I’m using the Message translation.
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Two by Two: A Review of “Not Knowing but Still Going” by Jocelyn-Anne Harvey
The author, Jocelyn-Anne Harvey (an Instant Apostle stablemate) first got an inkling that she might like to write about Noah and his family when a cargo ship capsized out to sea and more than 2,000 tons of wood were washed up on Worthing beach, near her home. I was captivated from the off when I read her description of the event.
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A chat with Joy Margetts
For the first time ever, I’m interviewing another writer, a fellow Instant Apostle stablemate. Her first novel, The Healing, the story of a medieval monk and a disillusioned nobleman, comes out on 23rd April. I caught up with Joy last week to ask her some questions.
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