MEET NEW AUTHOR JODI RULE-ROUSE

Good End of September morning to everyone! I’m so excited to introduce y’all to my long-time mentor, friend, sister in writing, and in Christ…JODI RULE-ROUSE!

 

                                                      

 

 

            I first met Jodie after the death of our daughter over twenty years ago when I signed on to become a GriefShare facilitator with Church Initiative. Jodi was charged with training a multitude of us grieving folks to help other grieving folks make it through the difficult journey of grief.

            But today I’m introducing you to Author Jodi Rule-Rouse and her eye-opening, spirit-stirring series.

            Book One: SATAN, THE REAL ENEMY

 

           

                                      

 

                       

            Book Two: GOD, JESUS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

 

 

 

            Book Three: LIES, PRIDE AND REPENTANCE

Book Four:  HEAVEN, THE BIGGEST BATTLE AND YOUR FINAL

                     DESTINATION…

And her new release featured today:  “UNDER ATTACK”  

 

 

                                           

 

            Welcome to the Diamond Mine, Jodi!

            Hello to everyone and thank you for having me.

 

            First off, please tell our readers a little bit about yourself, where you live, your family, and how you came to the know the Lord Jesus as your Savior. I know with that single question you could write another book, but give us the facts, LOL, just the facts!

            I believe it was on August 19, 1976, at my grandparent’s home alone watching a Billy Graham crusade being telecast on TV from San Diego, California. I was mesmerized by the words Pastor Graham spoke. He spoke of me being a sinner and needing a Savior. (Yes, he was speaking directly to me…one of my bosses at work and his wife gave me a Bible the year before. I believed they had been praying for me all along to accept Jesus Christ as my Savior) Thank goodness for people who pray. They will never know what their kindness and compassion have meant to me.

            Back to my story…That night I accepted Christ as my Savior. In my grandparent’s living room. I fell to the ground…broken. The Holy Spirit tugged at my heart and I chose not to resist. I knew then I needed a Savior. The room had no light on except the light from the TV. Suddenly, the entire room lit up. I felt a warm loving feeling come over me. It was a feeling I had never felt before…utter joy, peace, contentment and love. I knew the Holy Spirit was there and Jesus had come into my heart and would be with me for the rest of my life.

            In 1982 I met my second husband, Robert. While going to church I grew in God’s Word and realized I had never been baptized. In August of 1986, I was baptized and knew I had accepted Christ in my heart, but never made Him Lord of my life. And there is a big difference! I acknowledged and allowed Christ to have complete control of my life and my decisions as He molded and shaped me to be more like Him each day to become His servant. Now my significance comes through God and not from people or what this world thinks. Total freedom!

 

            When you were a grade school girl did you dream of becoming a writer, or what did you have in mind to do “when you grew up?”

 

            Never thought I would ever write anything. I went to a vocational school and received two degrees in secretarial and clerical. Didn’t know how God was going to use those skills for His glory, but every bit of what I learned He used at Church Initiative. In February of 2020 the Lord told me to write and what to write. He even gave me the following scripture from Jeremiah 30:2… “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you.’” And that is what I have done and am doing.

 

            What brought you to become involved with Church Initiative and GriefShare?

 

            In 1997 I suffered nine losses in seven months. After my dad died, I began to search for a biblically based and Christ centered grief program and found GriefShare. The Lord built our GriefShare group to be the largest in the nation and Church Initiative sought after me. God provided a wonderful leader to take over the ministry in Las Vegas and I headed for Wake Forest, North Carolina, where I worked with Church Initiative for over fifteen years training GriefShare facilitators all over the country and loving every leader I met.

 

            How did God let you know you were going to write that first book? Did you know from the beginning there would be five books…so far?

           

            Over the last six years, since living back in Las Vegas, I have been working with pastors, chaplains, and ministry leaders who were having problems in their lives and in their ministries. I began to use the spiritual weapons God gave me while working with GS leaders for Church Initiative.

            God began having me write an outline and viola~ the book came together. It was all HIM!

            The responses have been amazing…shedding tears of joy many times when I hear how the books are being used to change people’s lives. These people are being healed in the name of Jesus Christ…and that is AMAZING!

            Now pastors, chaplains, counselors and leaders hand out my book, getting the message into the hands of those hurting. And some churches are using it as a Bible Study. When you read this book, Satan will NOT win. We have victory in Christ, but need to be reminded we are a sinful, broken person who needs a Warrior to fight our battles. And praise God…Jesus shows up!

 

            Now to your newest book in this series, UNDER ATTACK! What kind of responses have you had from this newest release?

            I have people who have been healed and are now telling others of this newest “UNDER ATTACK.” The book is so easy to use and is so friendly and scripture oriented. I’ve written “UNDER ATTACK” in a way that any person who has never read the Bible will know without a doubt who God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and Satan are.

 

            There are a number of soon-to-be authors reading this interview. What words of wisdom and encouragement would you give them, Jodi?

 

            The most important thing I feel is to make sure that any fear, shame, worry, guilt, bitterness, resentment, hurt and offenses are removed from your spirit. That is what “UNDER ATTACK” does. Once those things have been removed, it gives room for the Holy Spirit to flow through you. You will be able to clearly hear the Holy Spirit and begin to freely move with Him. Then and only then will you know what to write.

 

            I know we all feel Jesus is coming back—very soon—but ‘til that time, has The Lord given you any idea what’s next? Another book? I could only wish you were still available to train new GriefShare leaders…I don’t know what I would have done without the comfort and healing of my Lord Jesus during those wretched months of grieving…then your coming alongside and teaching me how to help others…and now I’m anxious to watch and see what He’s going to do with you and this marvelous series. Time indeed is short!

Christmas is coming…what better gift could we give our loved ones than a book from this series…or better yet…give ‘em the whole series!

           

            I have two more books the Lord has given me to write. One is called “BECOMING.” It helps the Christian to move from milk to meat. To become a fully devoted follower of Christ. To learn how to “work out your salvation.” The second book will be called “IF.” When I began to read the Bible, the word “IF” kept popping out to me. “If” you do this says God…then God will do this. I am excited to see what marvelous words He will have me place into the next two books.

 

            Thanks again for being with us today, Jodi! I love you and sure wish this could have been an “in person” interview. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to give you a hug! But for all you readers, Jodi has graciously offered to answer any questions you have for her.

Sooo, let’s do this…if you want to ask Jodi a question in our comments to this interview, I will place your name in the hat to receive a free, signed, copy of “UNDER ATTACK.”

            The winner will be announced in the comments on Tuesday evening, October 5^th. Have a blessed season of Thanksgiving and Christmas! See y’all in 2022!

                                                                                                                 DiAne

Interview with Brandy Heineman and GIVEAWAY!!!

Hi guys! V. Joy Palmer here! Since we are all friends here, you guys can call me Joy. ;) And since we are all friends, one of my favorite things to do is talk with my friends, family, the teens I mentor, and everyone else at coffee shops/bookstores. Books and yummy drinks are the perfect combination, after all. So, consider this our virtual coffee shop. I’ll wait a second for you to get your warm drink and a fuzzy blanket before we chant with today’s guest. ;)

Today, I’m super excited to introduce you to my sweet friend, Brandy Heineman!!! (Fun story, when Brandy and I met at the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference in 2016, we spent some lovely time chatting by the lobby fireplace surrounded by books. So, this virtual setting is highly appropriate. *grins* )

Photo credit: Copyright Emilie Hendryx of E. A. Creative Photography, 2014.

Brandy Heineman writes dual timeline novels from a Christian world view. Her passion for genealogy occasional inspires hare-brained schemes like a five-county research trip in a rented Mustang, but she usually sticks to sharing vignettes and research tidbits on her blog. Her debut novel, Whispers in the Branches, was a 2014 ACFW Genesis finalist and released the following year from Elk Lake Publishing. She currently serves as the Vice President of the ACFW North Georgia chapter, and she is represented by Jim Hart of Hartline Literary Agency.

Brandy and her husband, Michael, reside in the metro Atlanta area with their two demanding yet hilarious kitties. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, or at brandyheineman.com.

 INTERVIEW

 
So, would you order coffee, tea, or hot chocolate in our virtual coffee shop? Something else altogether? This is possibly the most important question…
 
Mmm! One tall cinnamon dolce latte, please!
 
So, so good! I approve. : )  Now, our second most important question of the day, if you could order anything in the world, what would it be?

Well, I’m using an app called Duolingo to learn Norwegian for book research, and it’s giving me a culture-crush on Norway. So I think I’d have to add a couple slices of brunost (brown cheese) to my order. Not sure how well it’ll go with my latte, but apparently it’s the most beloved of snack foods over there! I’m told it’s a caramel-y, sweet/savory, non-cheese-tasting food, and eventually I’m going to have to try it.
 
And, a related fun fact: Ikke alle brunoster er brune! ;)
 
Gesundheit. ; )  I love cheese! Although, the brown color might give me pause… And I’m over it.
Where is your favorite place to write? And why is that your favorite place to write?

Oh, this is a tough one because I’m always changing my mind. The couch! My desk! Moe’s! The library! I do need quiet to get much accomplished, though (or in the case of Moe’s, a dull roar that I can tune out completely). Most of the time, I end up at the dining room table because I like to have lots of space, and because that’s one spot where my kitty doesn’t try to sit on my wrists while I type.
 

Oh, man! I feel your pain! Maybe we should start a support group for writers with pets. Which brings me to my next question, do you have an odd habit that is only explained by your bookish, writer tendencies?

I don’t know how odd this is, but I hate reading back cover blurbs. I can’t always get around them, of course, but with books I already know I’m going to read, either those by favorite authors or those in series I follow, I avoid the blurbs like the spoiler-laced scourges that they are.
 
Also, I got tired of alphabetical shelves and organized my books by color a while back. So that’s fun.
 

Not too weird. ; ) I dislike it when blurbs are nothing but spoilers. *growls through clenched teeth*  And I love your color coordinated shelves. They are so pretty! So, what inspired you to write Whispers in the Branches?

Whispers in the Branches is my genealogy-inspired love letter to my family, and the original seed of the idea came from a letter written by my great-grandmother. She lamented, once upon a time, that if anyone knew about not getting what they wanted, it was her.
 
That line affected me deeply. I knew something of her story—she had given up my grandfather for an in-family adoption in the Twenties, but never had any more children after her eventual marriage. I wanted to write, not specifically about her situation, but about that condition of desperately wanting something that you can never have, but somehow still getting what you need.

A love letter to your family… <3 Can you tell us what led to you writing in this genre?

I’m not sure, because I was well and truly committed to the dual-timeline format long before I realized it had an actual name! Timeslip sometimes involves a fantasy component of literal time travel, and sometimes transports the reader to the past through diaries, memories, and other narrative techniques. I have a soft spot for these kinds of stories, maybe because nostalgia is so intoxicating. (Laughs.) I love genealogy, antiques, and stories of times gone by. Sometimes the past feels so close. And it’s far too easy to get stuck there.
 
It can be fun to engage with the past… but as much as I enjoy it, I have to consider whether it’s a distraction to more forward-facing experiences of connection. I’m pretty sure Jeremiah 17:8 (”For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green”) is not about ancestral roots but spiritual ones. I want to write stories that peer into the past, find what’s painful and broken there, and hand it over to the Lord to do what only He can with it.

Oh, Brandy, that is beautiful! I’m a huge fan of Timeslip Fiction for all of those reasons! What message do you hope to convey to your readers with your stories?

That with God, you can overcome the past and find real connection!

Well said! Can you tell us a little about your next project?

Absolutely! I’m finishing up my next full-length novel, a romantic mystery called Like Honey for the Bones. For those who don’t share my aversion to blurbs, here’s what it’s about!
 

The sooner Solveig Borja can settle her grandfather’s estate and forget her hometown forever, the better—but old grudges against her run deeper that she suspects. At least Kyle, her grandfather’s new assistant, has turned out to be a friend…

 

Kyle Benton thinks he’s finally outrun his past, until the detective’s bombshell shatters his illusions. He tries to set a trap for his old foe, but ensnares Solveig in his deadly game in the process.

 

Then a map from her grandfather’s papers leads Solveig to a grisly discovery deep in the Shenandoah Valley, and Kyle can’t refuse her plea for help. Together they piece together clues in the cold case of the century— but the noose is tightening around them, and neither one can guess who is holding the rope.

Oh. My. Gosh. That sounds amazing! When it’s time to put endorsements and launch teams together, contact me first!!! This next question is near and dear to my heart. What is your favorite Bible verse or story that inspires you on a soul level?

I love Jesus’ words in Matthew 13:51-52. In the preceding passages, Jesus tells several parables. Afterwards, when speaking with His disciples, He asks—
 
"Have you understood all these things?" They said to Him, "Yes." And Jesus said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old."
 
A scribe wasn’t so much as writer as a lowly clerk. However, a head of household is a position of authority. I love these verses because it seems to me that Jesus was telling them that once you understand the stories of the Word, you can bring treasure out of them.

 

I love what God has shown you! Inspiring to every writer, no matter where they are at in their journey. *wipes away tears* Ahem, so, what are you currently reading?

I put some thought into my current picks, mainly because I just read a classic that I didn’t like at all, and now I need literary first aid! I decided on Almost Like Being in Love by Beth Vogt and Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire. I’m not too deep into either one yet, but I’m looking forward to changing that on the weekend!

Those sound like great reads! I can’t believe they are not on my TBR pile already. *hangs head* I will remedy that! ; )

Thank you for joining us today, Brandy!

Thank you so much, Joy!

GIVEAWAY!!!

 Brandy has generously offered to give away one eBook copy of her novel, Whispers in the Branches!

Tending a void in her heart that demands to be filled, Abby Wells uproots her life in Ohio to move into the ancestral home in Georgia. Now that her mom is gone, it's her best chance to connect with the last of her family, and she can't deny the pull of the supposedly haunted house. The seductive comfort of believing that ghosts could be real drives her search, but Aunt Ruby's plans for Abby don't include revealing secrets kept for seventy years. Oh, there's dirty laundry she'd like to air—just not her own.

Indulging in the attentions of the house's handsome caretaker helps numb her pain, but Abby's ex-boyfriend won't let go of the past. He hounds her about his new found religion in hopes of reconciling, but why reach for him or the God who couldn't or wouldn't spare her mom? In the stillness of the old house, the spirit world feels so close she can almost touch it.

But she doesn't know yet that there's more than one way to be haunted.

This giveaway is open worldwide! It will close on February 22, at 12 A.M. because Rafflecopter says.  ; ) Enter using the handy Rafflecopter here ~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by my writerly, bookish friends! <3 See you next time!

Hugs,

V. Joy Palmer

Traveling thru Time with Danele Rotharmel (Giveaway)

Hello, everyone! I have a special guest this week…Danele Rotharmel. I know you’re going to love her as much as I do.

I remember the day I met Danele. We joked around and chatted on Facebook and before we knew it, an hour had disappeared. It was like I’d found a long lost sister. She has a contagious sense of humor. You can literally feel her love for life the second she opens her mouth! Without further ado, let me introduce you to Prism’s Danele Rotharmel.

Renee: Hi, Danele, welcome to the Diamond Mine. I’m so excited that you’re here. Time Tsunami, your debut novel, is an awesome book! Congratulations on its outstanding success. What’s so unique or special about it…from your point of view?

Danele: When I wrote Time Tsunami, I wasn’t seeking publication. I was writing to distract myself from physical pain. I was extremely ill and in the middle of a seven-year period of quarantine. I needed a way to entertain myself—so I wrote. I would laugh like crazy over my funny scenes, and shiver when I wrote my scary ones. I lived Time Tsunami with my characters, and when I was through, I’d written a book that made me proud. Time Tsunami is a “clean” book that focuses on beautiful themes like self-sacrifice, love, and friendship. It’s a story about overcoming the odds. I’d like to think that my book has something for everyone. It’s full of suspense, romance, and humor. There are plot twists to keep you guessing, action to keep you on the edge of your seat, religious discussions to make you think, and funny scenes to make you laugh. Throw in a few time travel twists, and you have a unique book that’s designed to entertain.

Renee: What about your characters? For our writers out there…how do you make them “real?”

Danele: When I was in quarantine, my characters were very important to me—in a real way, they were my friends. As the long days of my quarantine stretched, I enjoyed analyzing my characters and discovering their strengths and weaknesses. I worked hard to give them backstories to explain their quirks and behavior. I came to love my characters, and I treated them with respect. I let them evolve and grow. Just like real people, my characters have victories, but they also have failures—and it’s how they handle their failures that determines the caliber of their personalities.

Renee: Is writing easy or hard for you, Danele? What about editing?

Danele: For the most part, writing is easy. It’s like flying. I love it!!! I enjoy editing too, but I’m such a perfectionist that editing my work can take forever. Sometimes it takes me an hour to edit each page. That’s because I read each sentence hundreds of times. I analyze the language, the punctuation, and the flow. For me, five hours of excruciating work can mean five complete pages. When you read my novels, you’re looking at literally hundreds of hours of work. I want to be proud of each and every sentence. I want to do a good job.

Renee: What’s your biggest challenge as an author?

Danele: Time. When I was in quarantine, the pace of my life was extremely slow. The days stretched on forever. There was all the time in the world for writing. But now that I’m starting to reclaim my life, I find that days are zipping by so quickly that I don’t know where the hours have gone. Sometimes I find it hard to squeeze all of my tasks into a single day—but I suppose that’s true for everyone. There’s a talent to managing time—I’m just a bit rusty.

Renee: I can relate to that one! I don’t know if I can help you or not, Danele. All I can say is…get a planner, but don’t forget to make time for God, you, your family, and rest. LOL Oh, and practice how to say the word “no.” That’s my advice on “time.” So…now that you’re a published author, do you have any advice for the new writer?

Danele: Pray about everything. Dedicate your work to the Lord from the very beginning. God gave you your talent—use it to glorify Him. Never compromise. Never write a single sentence that you would be ashamed to read directly to Jesus.

Renee: Very good advice…even for the best-selling author. Thank you, Danele. Let’s switch topics from writing now to something a bit more personal. I know you’ve experienced a great deal of trial and pain in your life. Is there a special quote or verse which comes to mind in times of need or adversity?

Danele: I love Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” When I was in quarantine, I would quote Philippians 4:13 as I went through each day. When I was in pain, knowing that I could do ALL things—even survive—was important to me. A special comfort comes when you know that Christ’s help makes everything attainable, doable, survivable, and reachable.

Renee: Our God is an awesome God, isn’t He? I have one last question for you. As most people know, I’m from Wyoming. I love to spend time in this rugged but beautiful land. I call it God’s country for I experience the glory and peace of God here in many ways. Do you have a cherished “spot?” If so, where and why.

Danele: My cherished spot is an isolated lake behind my house. I love strolling around it, basking in its beauty. When I was in quarantine, the lake was my place of escape. When my “cabin fever” would become too hard to handle, that’s where I’d go. On the shores of the lake, I’d feel peace seeping back into my soul. I loved watching the dragonflies, and the frogs, and the hawks. I loved hearing the wind whispering in the leaves. I loved seeing the waves lapping against the bank. That little lake is beautiful to me—it’s the place that epitomizes peace.

Renee: I would love to see your lake. I bet it’s absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing your writing, your story, and your heart with us. You are one amazing lady, and author!

Danele: Thank you so much for having me on the Diamond Mine, Renee! I’ve really enjoyed chatting with you and your readers!

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GIVEAWAY

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If you love Danele as much as I do, don’t miss your chance to win a copy of her new release Time Tsunami. But Danele is AMAZING and is giving away an AWESOME giveaway PRIZE on the Diamond Mine!

Answer this question and you will be entered to win this FABULOUS PRIZE!

“If you could travel back through time, where would you go?”

(One winner will be selected by random draw from comments on 3/23/2016. Minimum of 5 comments required to validate contest. Valid entries include comment and email address.)

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GIVEAWAY

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About the Book, Time Tsunami, The Time Counselor Chronicles Book One :

To stop a cruel serial killer, she must travel twenty-four years into the past…

Gil Montgomery, a cadet in the Temporal Counseling Program, can’t wait to pass her field exam and become a professional time surfer. The TEMCO program targets death-row offenders for time-based counseling while they’re children.  For her exam, Gil will travel twenty-four years into the past to counsel ten-year-old Danny Winston before he murders his abusive babysitter, Rick Olsen.  Preventing the stabbing should stop the chain of events leading to Danny’s eventual execution.

Gil’s assignment seems simple until her adviser, Dr. William Ableman, learns that Rick is a serial killer targeting Danny’s mother.  If Gil stays and protects the Winstons, she might not survive.  William wants the woman he loves to be pulled from the field, but if Gil fails to complete her assignment, it will unleash a Time Tsunami and destroy the timeline.

As TEMCO undergoes an emergency lockdown, and Gil’s fellow cadets try to figure out what’s happening, Gil and William learn the importance of faith and the price of true love. Everyone’s fate is resting in Gil’s hands, but does she have the strength she needs to defeat a ruthless serial killer intent on annihilating everyone in his path? Will she return from the deadly mission?

Time Tsunami is a fast-moving thriller with time travel twists that keep the reader guessing until the very last page.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/234DFBS

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/time-tsunami-danele-j-rotharmel/1123153640?ean=2940152530919

Prism Book Group: http://www.prismbookgroup.com/timetsunami.html

About the Author, Danele Rotharmel:

Danele Rotharmel grew up with a love of the literary word, and by age five, she knew she wanted to be a writer. However, her life took an unexpected turn when a mysterious illness brought her close to death. Eventually, she learned that a low-level carbon monoxide leak from a faulty furnace in her home was slowly poisoning her. This poisoning triggered severe Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and partial amnesia.

During this time, the hardest thing she faced was a crisis of faith. She had to quit her job and stop going to church. She couldn’t write, couldn’t drive, and could barely remember who she was. To say she was upset with the Lord was an understatement. She began reexamining her faith in light of her illness, and eventually, she came to the firm conclusion that God is real, God is good, God is interested and involved, and God is trustworthy regardless of tragedy.

When her illness became even more severe, she was put into quarantine and could only talk to friends and extended family through the glass of a window. This quarantine lasted for seven years. During this time, she wrote the first six books in The Time Counselor Chronicles.

Danele currently lives in Colorado where she continues to write. Although her journey back to health was long and difficult, it provided her with the opportunity to grow closer to God and to write her books. For that, she is forever thankful.

Danele’s Blog: https://dragonflydanele.wordpress.com/

Blog’s Welcome Page: https://dragonflydanele.wordpress.com/welcome/