WordServe September News 2023

While many people love fall to watch the leaves change colors, enjoy cooler temperatures and participate in exciting events, fall is also a wonderful time to read a good book. 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 Bill Myers and Fidelis Publishing for the September 13th release of Insight: Rendezvous with God Volume Four: A Novel.

Just as our hapless hero finally gets use to Jesus’ s many surprise visits, the stakes are raised even higher when his ex begs to move into his house with her latest boyfriend. Then, of course, there are the other women in his life— an uber-religious conservative and a jaded ex-Christian. All this as, barely knowing the Bible himself, he is roped into teaching a Bible study to rival gang members at the local prison. And yet, somehow, amidst the drama, comedy and surprising turn of events, he stumbles into the maturity God has always hoped for him.

Congratulations to Katie Powner and Bethany House Publishing for the September 26th release of Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass.

For the first time in his life, Pete has everything to lose.

After years of drifting, fifty-year-old Pete Ryman has settled down with his potbellied pig, Pearl, in the small Montana town of Sleeping Grass–a place he never expected to see again. It’s not the life he dreamed of, but there aren’t many prospects for a high-school dropout like him.

Elderly widow Wilma Jacobsen carries a burden of guilt over her part in events that led to Pete leaving Sleeping Grass decades ago. Now that he’s back, she’s been praying for the chance to make things right, but she never expected God’s answer to leave her flat on her face–literally–and up to her ears in meddling.

When the younger sister Pete was separated from as a child shows up in Sleeping Grass with her eleven-year-old son, Pete is forced to face a past he buried long ago, and Wilma discovers her long-awaited chance at redemption may come at a higher cost than she’s willing to pay.

Congratulations to Sarah E Frazer and B & H Books for the October 17th release of I Didn’t Sign Up for This: How to Rest in God’s Goodness When Your Story Shifts.

This wasn’t part of the plan. The story wasn’t supposed to go this way. I didn’t sign up for this. If you’ve ever had these thoughts, chances are that your story has shifted in some unexpected way. Perhaps it’s even turned totally upside down, and you’re wondering how in the world to move forward.

You’re not alone. As author Sarah Frazer journeys with you through the story of Moses, you’ll find that even a hero of God’s people faced all sorts of confusing and painful plot twists too. Moses didn’t settle in the Promised Land, but He met the Lord of Promise. His legacy reminds us that even with a life crushed with disappointment, God’s plan goes forth, God’s presence provides, God’s promises are personal, and God’s purpose is never thwarted. As you journey through his life in these pages, you’ll discover:

how life’s plot twists and interruptions are actually the ways God is working
how God uses the darkest circumstances to proclaim His sovereign goodness
how to number your days rightly, recognize God’s hand in each branch of your path, and cultivate a heart of wisdom and trust
how to say goodbye to disillusionment and instead invite God’s plan, presence, promises, and purpose back into your heart

Friend, let God pick you up and show you how to grow through whatever detour, setback, heartache, or disappointment life has thrown at you. Like Moses, you may not have signed up for the path you’re on, but God can—and will—see you through it.

Contracts

Meryl Ashley Cantley Herr signed with InterVarsity Press for the January 2025 release of When Work Hurts.

Carrie Rogers-Whitehead signed with Rowman & Littlefield for the May 2025 release of Technology for Littles: Helping Young Children Navigate the Internet Responsibly.

Israel Del Toro, Jr. signed a Film Option Agreement with Corner Creek Media for his book A Patriot’s Promise.

New Clients

Matthew Burdette, Dr. Shawn Horn, Al Ross, and Meadow Rue Merrill recently signed with WordServe. Welcome!