It’s a holiday month, but instead of the hurried rush (not to mention shopping for all those presents!) of Christmas, you get to spend time choosing the perfect book to give or keep yourself. Here are our in new books, authors and news . . . our highlights below include new releases, contracts signed, notable reviews and PR events, new authors to the agency and other news of note by clients and agents.
New Releases
Congratulations to Joan & Jeff Schultz and Core Media on the November release of Shattered Dreams.
Most people dream of living a normal life— with normal children, a normal job, not a lot of drama, and a bright and promising future. But what do you do when your dreams shatter and darkness comes to rob you of hope and joy?
In 1991, six years into marriage, Joan Schultz’s dreams shattered…for the first time. She and her husband, Jeff, learned that their four-month-old daughter had an intractable seizure disorder due to a malformed brain at conception. As the years progressed, all four members of her family faced life-altering situations and traumas.
With all the strain of living life with twists and bends hurled at her, she realized that her marriage was also ailing. She wondered why God, who has power to change circumstances, could allow life to come with such heartache, loss and pain. Joan reached for books of people’s personal stories of how they faced devastating difficulties. This helped Joan glean insight and inspiration, which gave her hope in God, and which she then applied to her own difficult situations. Other people’s stories inspired Joan. They helped her see not only their struggles and pain, but how they press on towrd God through it.
The story of Joan and Jeff Schultz and their two beautiful children, Ben and Hannah, will take you into their world of four separate, life-altering tragedies—intractable seizures, a life-and-death plane crash in the Alaska wilds, breast cancer, and a traumatic brain injury. You’ll travel along with them on their unique and gripping journey with each turn of the page. Together you will live through the sometimes heart-wrenching twists and turns that took surprising and unexpected paths. And all the while you will get to experience a beautiful faith dance—one that will change your life forever.
Congratulations to Ace Collins and Core Media on the November 1st release of The Last Imprint.
The Last Imprint is the story of an amazing gift that becomes a devastating curse. Dr. Maxine Factor is an imprint, a person who can view the past through the eyes of her ancestors. So, she can actually see history in the first person as it happened. That means Factor could learn the unvarnished truth about the past and know how much of our culture is based on fact and how much is tethered to myth. Because of that ability, she is being hunted by those who fear what she learns might shake the foundations of governments and religions. Set in locales across the globe, with a cast of characters that possess unchecked ambitions, unbounded fears, questionable motives, and deep flaws, this rapidly paced novel takes readers on a frantic life and death ride that doesn’t let up until the last page. The Last Imprint is more than an adventure novel, it’s a book that will leave readers wondering if the memories of past ancestors really are locked into their DNA waiting to be awakened. And if that’s true, could they or anyone else hold onto their sanity when the experiences of hundreds of others are haunting their every waking hour. Simply put, The Last Imprint is like nothing you’ve ever read.
Congratulations to Mike Acker and Wiley Publishing on the December 1st release of Speak with Confidence: Overcome Self-Doubt, Communicate Clearly, and Inspire Your Audience.
Build your communication confidence and master the ability to inspire your audience
In Speak with Confidence: Overcome Self-Doubt, Communicate Clearly, and Inspire Your Audience, keynote speaker, author, and executive communication coach Mike Acker delivers a practical and hands-on playbook to building the confidence you need to nail your next presentation, speech, virtual talk, or social media post. In this proven pathway to becoming a capable and confident speaker, you’ll discover how to combine your identity, message, and skills into one persuasive package.
The author explains how to uncover your identity, define your message, and develop your skills and techniques to become a master communicator. From overcoming imposter syndrome to eliminating a victim mentality, you’ll explore concrete methods for improving your presence and ability to take command of a room. You’ll also find:
- The elements of a confident message, including a personal investment in the topic you’re discussing
- Strategies for overcoming limiting beliefs that hold you back and artificially reduce your ability to lead
- Ways to understand your audience and learn to hone in on the place where your purpose intersects with your audience’s needs
An essential new strategy guide for anyone seeking to improve their ability to speak to a group, Speak with Confidence is the public speaking blueprint you’ve been waiting for.
Congratulations to Kara Powell with Kristel Acevedo and Brad M. Griffin and Wiley Publishing on the December 6th release of 3 Big Questions That Shape Your Future: A 60-Day Exploration of Who You Were Made to Be.
Sometimes life gives you way more questions than answers. And yet it seems like everyone expects you to just figure it all out! Whether you’re looking toward your future or wrestling to get through today, it doesn’t have to be so stressful. Just three big questions will help you find clarity about all the rest:
· Who am I?
· Where do I fit?
· What difference can I make?
This 60-day exploration breaks down those big questions into manageable pieces and helps you embrace God’s best answers for you. Backed by Scripture and informed by years of research with teens just like you, this book does more than help you figure out what to do with your life; it will help you understand what your life means to the world–no matter who your friends are, what career you end up with, what kind of family you come from or will have in the future, what obstacles you may face, or what doubts trouble you along the way.
YOU are one-of-a-kind, and you can find faithful answers to life’s biggest questions.
PERFECT FOR: Christmas gifts, teen birthday gifts, graduation gifts, promotion gifts, Confirmation gifts, Baptism gifts, teens exploring faith, teen small groups, mentoring teens, youth groups, small group Bible studies.
Contracts
Michael & Judy Phillips signed with Fidelis Publishing for the July 2024 release of Endangered Virtues and the Coming Ideological War.
Jessica Hooten-Wilson signed with Brazos for the January 2023 release of
The Making of Flannery O’Connor’s Why Do The Heathens Rage.
Gregory Royal Pratt signed with Chicago Review Press for the January 2024 release of The City is Up for Grabs.
Jamie Sumner signed with Simon & Schuster for the January 2024 release of A Fish Like Me.
New Clients
Twyla Franz, Anjanette Young, and Laura Hays Hoover recently signed with WordServe. Welcome!
What We’re Celebrating
Congratulations to Taylor Schumann. Her book When Thoughts and Prayers Aren’t Enough won a best cover award from the ECPA. Covers are judged by top designers in the industry for their merits in appropriateness for the market, level of conceptual thinking, and quality of execution.
Congratulations to Patricia Raybon. She received The Christy Award for first novel for her book All That is Secret. The Christy Award® was established in 1999 to acknowledge the value and impact of the novel of faith in contemporary culture.
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