Aug 23, 2015 |
Aaron D. Gansky’s Hand of Adonai: The Book of Things to Come
It’s a bit surreal to announce, but Tuesday, Aaron D. Gansky’s newest book, Hand of Adonai: The Book of Things To Come is finally available.
The first in a series, Hand of Adonai is a Young Adult Fantasy novel that starts in North Chester, Minnesota and ends in Alrujah, a video game kingdom created by best friends Lauren Knowles and Oliver Shaw.
Don’t be fooled by the genre. This book has been read and enjoyed by all ages.
Being Aaron’s social media manager has its perks. I was also one of his beta readers. That just means a few pre-release books were printed for people like me to review and edit. Since I took the task while we were at Blue Ridge, I opted to make comments via stickie notes instead of a computer file.
My HoA Beta Notes
Don’t worry. Most of those are “Way to go, Gansky” cheers. I fell in love with Lauren and Oliver.
They’re not perfect characters. They have real struggles. Like weight gain and bullies and broken families and high school awkward genes. So they create a perfect world. Lauren writes out her ideas in her journals and Oliver transforms them into computer code that results in a game.
After a particularly hard day for both of them, they wake up. Or do they? Lauren doesn’t know if she’s dreaming or dead. Oliver doesn’t know what to do. Together, they play along with the game only to find there’s more to it than they invented.
Dark creatures like the Nar’esh and Beresus are not easy to conquer. And worse, Lauren and Oliver are in the roles of a Princess and a Monk ~ not easily deniable. Their traveling companions swear to protect them. But would they still, if they knew they were frauds? Or are they gods?
Soon they are joined by Erica Hall and Aiden Prince ~ the objects of their real-life affections. It’s hard enough to navigate through high school emotions in this world. Setting aside teen angst and popularity contests, the four must work together to return home from a place that shouldn’t even exist. Will the demon Belphegor win the game by destroying Alrujah?
I’ve been helping Aaron and his publisher spread the word on social media, and Tuesday, we’re having an online party! Starting at 6:30 pm (Pacific Time) you can join our Aaron D Gansky’s Hand of Adonai Launch Party event on Facebook where we’ll be interacting and sharing trivia questions. And if you can’t meet us on Facebook, at the same time we’ll be streaming live with his weekly Firsts in Fiction Podcast. This week’s theme is How to Launch a Book and I’ll be the guest caster.
Of course, what’s a party without presents?
What’s a party without presents?
As we talk about inspiration, social media, what it takes to write a book, and all things from first thought to final print, Aaron, Al, and I will be giving away copies of books, a packet or two of Magic: The Gathering cards, and I’m not sure what else.
If you’d like a preview of the book, you can view the Hand of Adonai pre-release with your BookGrabbr app (download it to your computer or smart phone).
If you like what you read, you can buy Hand of Adonai at Amazon. It’s now available both in print and Kindle editions.
So we hope you’ll join us for the fun. You can check in to either event (or both) ahead of time. In fact, we’d be super glad if you did, and share them with your peeps. Because what’s a party without guests, right?
And Frankly, My Dear . . . that’s all she wrote!
You may also enjoy reading:
MoJo Book Review and Giveaway: The Bargain by Aaron D. Gansky
“What’s the Word?” Wednesday: Aaron Gansky on Magic and Writing
Aug 19, 2015 |
I’ve been praying all wrong.
Last night God whispered through my shouts.
Last night I was holding on so tight, begging for resolution that didn’t come.
I asked Him, “Why?”
He pried my hands lose so He could hold them.
He said, “Stop limiting me.”
I said, “Why aren’t you fixing this? I mean, I’m trying to trust you and all, but why aren’t you fixing this?”
He said, “Who says I’m not?”
I stomped. I pointed. I whined.
I said, “Because it’s not fixed! I can see it’s not fixed. How am I supposed to trust you when you’re not fixing what you said you’d fix?”
He said, again, “Who said I’m not?”
I turned my back and hummphed at Him.
I said, “Because it’s not fixed.”
He said, “What does ‘fixed’ look like to you?”
So I told Him.
Then He said, “That’s different than what it looks like to Me.”
I said, “Yeah. Your ‘fix’ isn’t the same. So it’s not fixed!”
He said, “So you have a problem.”
I said, “Yes, I do.”
Then He asked, “And you also have the solution?”
I said, “Of course not. That’s why I’m coming to you.”
He said, “So you have a problem. And you don’t have a solution. but you ‘know’ my solution isn’t working because you can’t see the ‘fix’. Is that it?”
I got angry. “Yes! That’s it!”
He said, “So you know what ‘fixed’ looks like. And you’ve been asking me to ‘fix’ this problem according to your vision.”
I said, “Yup. That’s right. So here’s my problem. Fix it. Fix it this way.”
And He said, “I’ve been trying to fix it. But you’re asking for the wrong solution.”
I said, “I’m confused.”
And I’m pretty sure He laughed. Gently, but He laughed.
“I know,” He said. “You have a problem, and you think you also have the solution. But you can’t have both. One precludes the other.”
Of course, I wanted to be snippy and say, “Oh, God. You just think you know everything don’t you?”
But of course, He does.
And I don’t.
So I stepped back.
And He was right.
My prayers aren’t answered because they’re the wrong prayers. They’re not answered, because I’m not giving Him the chance.
If I have the solution, I no longer have the problem. If I have the problem, obviously my solution doesn’t work.
I have to take myself out of the Solution Box.
And a funny thing happens when I do.
It gives God room to fill it.
HIS way.
And let’s face it.
Dad’s way is best.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
“As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.” (Ecclesiastes 11:5)
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:19)
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)
The Bending Tree
And Frankly, My Dear . . . that’s all she wrote.
Aug 9, 2015 |
Remember when I went to Blue Ridge and so many crazy awesome writing-editing connection things happened? And how I drank lots of sweet tea?
Sweet Tea at Blue Ridge
And remember how, before I went, I was big on collecting pennies and coins in my jar?
My Penny Jar
And you know how I have a writer’s mind so I link cause-and-effect like other people don’t? Well . . .
Say hello to my new “jar”.
Sweet Savings
Every time I drop a coin or bill into my Sweet Savings bottle, it’s a reminder of what I’m striving for. And the fact that it’s a much bigger container than the little jar is an indicator of just how big my dreams are.
But wait . . . there’s more.
I’d not found pennies on the sidewalk for quite a while. At least a month. And y’all know how I feel about pennies, right? They’re the essential building block for life.
The Penny Parable, available at Amazon
So I’m starting to feel a little let down, you know? A little ignored by God. Oh, stop! You say. Not finding a penny does not equate being abandoned by God. I know that.
Don’t you think I know that?
And yet . . . as I’m sipping my sweet tea, and missing my Blue Ridge peeps, and wondering why I’m not finding pennies, God creeps into my psyche. You know how He does. That still, small voice that hijacks your thought process and turns you on your heels because you secretly asked Him to even though you’re not sure want to admit it.
So the prayer-conversation went something like this:
ME: Go away.
GOD: Is that really what you want?
ME: Yes. Maybe. No. I don’t know. I’m mad at you. Go away so it’s easier for me to be mad at you.
GOD: Why are you mad at me?
ME: Because I miss my people. And I have unfulfilled dreams. And you haven’t given me teddy bears or pennies for a really long time. I miss that.
GOD: You know why I used to give you teddy bears and pennies?
ME: Because you loved me. And you know I collect teddy bears and pennies. They used to call me the ‘Teddy Bear Rescue Mission’ because I’d find so many abandoned teddy bears on the roadside. I’d take them home and fix them up. And I still have them. And the pennies state right there ‘In God We Trust’. And when I needed to remember to trust You, You’d give me a penny. Or more. And You haven’t lately. Nothing. At all.
GOD: I don’t give you pennies as often because you already know to trust me. You still trust me. You don’t need the reminder.
ME: I know. But it’s still nice to be told You’re thinking of me.
GOD: I’m always thinking of you. And I don’t give you teddy bears any more because you don’t need them. The bears I used to give you were for comfort and security. You’re growing up nicely and don’t need that any more.
ME: I know, but . . .
GOD: But you still want them. I understand. And when you appreciate those gifts as gifts I’ll let you find them again. But right now, you want them for the wrong reasons. Right now, you want them so you don’t feel alone.
ME: Yes.
GOD: But you’re not alone. And you know that.
ME: Yes.
GOD: I have something better for you to collect: People.
ME: People?
GOD: People. Every person you know is worth treasuring. Some are more valuable than others, and some are older than others. But every one is a treasure.
ME: I’m a people-collector?
GOD: Yes.
ME: So you’re telling me I don’t need pennies or teddy bears, but I do need people. And these coins are symbolic of the people in my life. Past, present, and future. The people I interact with are important. They are my fun, my security, my soft hugs, my reprimands, my world.
GOD: Yes.
ME: You know, when you put it that way, my treasures far outweigh what’s contained in this bottle. There’s family, writers, church, the day job, Facebook peeps, supporters.
GOD: I know.
[Insert seriously long pause as I contemplate the need to recognize the value in others, and the necessity of showing others how valuable they are to me.]
ME: Hey, God?
GOD: Yes, Child?
ME: Will you be my first penny?
GOD: I thought you’d never ask.
Remember the Value of Your People
And Frankly, My Dear . . . that’s all she wrote!
You may also enjoy reading:
Invisible Person in a Sea of People: Robin H. and the 99-Cent Sin
Filigree Frosting
Stop Fighting and Be Still.
