As usual, some great things have been happening this month at WordServe Literary!
On the final post of each month you’ll find a list of Water Cooler contributors’ recently released books along with a recap of WordServe client news.
New Releases
Congratulations to author Angela Ruth Strong and Mountain Brook Ink on the new release, A Caffeine Conundrum.
Solving a murder mystery is harder when you don’t trust your partner…or their taste in beverages.
Sassy city girl Tandy Brandt moves to the small town of Grace Springs to start a coffee shop, never imagining she’ll be competing with local beauty queen Marissa Alexander and her dream of running a tea house. Unfortunately, the current store owner dies before selling the location to either of them, and they both become murder suspects.
The unlikely pair team up in an attempt to discover the real killer, though with the secrets in Tandy’s past, and Marissa’s infamous clumsiness, they could be their own worst enemies. Despite their differences, they follow clues to question a sweet, apple pie baking antique store owner, a GQ Santa in the retirement center, and a hipster millionaire with no social skills. Will they be able to figure out whodunit and prove their innocence before one of them goes to jail…or worse?
Congratulations to Patricia Lee and Mountain Brook Ink of the release of A Kite on the Wind (Mended Hearts Book #3).
Is Love Strong Enough to Overcome the Walls They Hide Behind? Left waiting at the altar, Claire Simpson has buried her past and moved on, carving out a life for herself as a teacher on the Oregon coast. When her former fiancé appears, he threatens to unravel the peaceful independence she has worked so hard to achieve after their relationship failed.
Montgomery Chandler has moved to NOAA headquarters in Newport, Oregon to make new, happier memories for his children after his wife died of a lingering illness. Their home in Seattle held nothing but the whispers of their earlier lives. Starting over will help all of them heal, but Monty is resolved not to risk love again. When the handsome widower enrolls his hurting children at the school where Claire teaches, her determination to remain uninvolved vanishes at the whim of a snowstorm. This family needs her expertise. Can she help them without losing her heart?
New release from Stephen Arterburn…100 Days of Character Daily Devotional.
Your character matters to God, and this daily devotional equips you to develop godly character, resist common pitfalls, and overcome temptations—one day at a time. With topics from maintaining integrity to growing in faithfulness, each of the 100 devotions provides a short reflection, a key Bible verse, an inspiring quote, and a prayer that will root your character in God’s Word and show you the importance of building up your character and passing it on to the next generation.
Stephen Arterburn of New Life Ministries shows how to walk in integrity, stay rooted in Scripture, and set an example for the next generation in this 100-day devotional, which features:
- Daily devotions on 100 character-building topics
- Thought-provoking personal questions and practical applications
- Powerful prayers inspired by Scripture
- 5-minute devotions with further study options
Each day your character is tried and tested. How will you respond? Each day your character is tried and tested. How will you act when no one is watching? There are no shortcuts to building character. It’s a life-long journey. It’s a daily decision. It’s what you do when no one is looking. It’s how you act when trials come.
Congratulations to Debora M. Coty for her new release, Too Blessed to Be Stressed…Inspiration for Every Day Devotional Journal.
Ready to be rescued from the joy-sucking dully-funks?
The Too Blessed to be Stressed devotional offers up a daily dose of devotions (and humor) for a woman’s heart.
Thousands of women have had the pleasure of reading the wit- and near-wisdom-filled books from beloved inspirational humorist, Debora M. Coty. Her best selling Too Blessed to be Stressed has become a perennial favorite.
Now, be ready to be rescued from the joy-sucking dully-funks…
In this all-new 365-day devotional featuring just-right-sized, truth-filled readings (gift-wrapped in humor) for your heart. The Too Blessed to be Stressed daily devotional touches on everyday life topics like relationships, love, boundaries, hope, brokenness, and praise, while helping you to arrive at healing, refreshment, and revitalization of spirit, body, and faith. Read on, and be blessed!
Congratulations to Mary Davis and Love Inspired for the release of Courting Her Podigal Heart.
Mother-to-Be’s Amish Homecoming
A Prodigal Daughters story
Pregnant and alone, Dori Bontrager is sure her Amish kin won’t welcome her—or the child she’s carrying—into the community. And she’s determined that her return won’t be permanent. As soon as she finds work, she’ll leave again. But with her childhood friend Eli Hochstetler insisting she and her baby belong here, will Dori’s path lead back to the Englisher world…or into Eli’s arms?
Congratulations to Bob Welch with Dick Fosbury and Skyhorse Publishing for the release of The Wizard of Foz: Dick Fosbury’s One-Man High-Jump Revolution.
In 1968, perhaps the finest US Olympic men’s track-and-field team ever stirred the world in unprecedented ways, among them the victory stand black rights protest by Tommie Smith and John Carlos in Mexico City. But in competition no single athlete mirrored the free-thinking ’60s better than Dick Fosbury, a failed prep high jumper who invented an offbeat style that ultimately won him a gold medal and revolutionized the event. No jumpers today use any other style than his.
Yet few know the struggles Fosbury endured to achieve his success, as he and Bob Welch recount in The Wizard of Foz. From the tragic death of a younger brother to nearly dying himself, from flunking out of college to nearly being drafted, Fosbury cleared far more obstacles than a high-jump bar. And even when he had seemingly made the US Olympic Team, he faced a “redo” that nobody saw coming.
This book tells a story of loss, survival, and triumph, twined in a person (Fosbury), a time (the ’60s), and a place (a fantasy-like Olympic Trials venue high in the Sierra Nevada) clearly made for each other. It is a story of a young man who refused to listen to those who laughed at him, those who doubted him, and those who tried to make him someone he was not.
Contracts
Linda Clare signed with Harvest House for Prayers for Parents and Prodigals to be released Spring 2020.
Kate Crocco signed with Baker Publishing Group for Thinking Like A Boss to be released Fall 2019.
John Strege signed with Kregel for Heaven’s Snowflake: The True Story of the First Frozen Embryo Adoption to be released Fall 2019.
New Clients
Clint Perry and Henry Harrison signed with WordServe in October. Welcome!
What We’re Celebrating
November 1st marks WordServe Literary’s 15th year serving authors and helping to publish great books. When I left the previous agency I’d been at for nearly ten years, I hoped we could build a stable of authors who would take seriously their calling to help change the world, one book at a time. I’m so grateful for Sarah, Nick, and Keely for serving their own authors amongst the 180+ authors currently in the agency. With nearly $20 million in contract value, and about 750 books published, we’re ready to see what the next 15 years brings! Happy Birthday to us!
WordServe Water Cooler 