Misty Arterburn – WordServe Water Cooler

Much has been happening this month at WordServe Literary . . . 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 Sarah Varland with Sharon Dunn for the release of Deadly Mountain Trap a 2-in-1 Love Inspired Suspense.

Caught in a killer’s sights

Mountain Captive by Sharon Dunn

Private investigator Jude Trainor won’t give up on finding a kidnapped little girl—even after the suspect runs him off a mountain road and sends bullets his way. But when Lacey Conrad steps in to help Jude, the criminal sets his sights on her. Can Jude and Lacey outlast a snowstorm and a person who will stop at nothing to cover his tracks?

Alaskan Mountain Murder by Sarah Varland

Searching for her missing aunt in remote Alaska, Cassie Hawkins and her little boy are thrust into a killer’s sights. Now their only safe harbor is Jake Stone, the man she loved and left…but never told about their son. With the mountain trails hiding deadly mysteries, can Jake guard the woman he’s always loved—and the child he didn’t know he had?

Congratulations to Stephen Arterburn and David Stoop on the June 8, 2021 release of The Soul of a Hero: Becoming the Man of Strength and Purpose You Were Created to Be.

If you are a man who is stuck and empty and ready for change, this is the book for you. If you are someone who would love to see the man in your life with the spark you used to see in his eyes, this book is a superb gift for him.

When people hear the word hero these days, the movie cliché of a superhero rescuing a desperate woman instantly comes to mind. But answering the call to be a godly hero is far from that mistaken scenario. The lives of too many guys are full of pain and frustration and an aimless desire to either medicate the pain or find another victim to rescue―the furthest thing from being a hero. The world needs men who are running on all cylinders, passionate about what they do. In The Soul of a Hero, bestselling authors and respected counselors Stephen Arterburn and David Stoop guide men to a better, hope-filled life by helping them rediscover their true God-given calling: to be a hero.

When men live into their true identity as heroes, temptations lose their allure and depression gives way to energy. Men who once felt as if their best years were behind them find a second wind to help them live every moment to its fullest. This book calls and equips men to become the heroes their wives, sons, daughters, friends, and coworkers want and need them to be.

In The Soul of a Hero, you will learn how to start from empty and transform yourself into a man who is thriving with purpose, joy, and true grit.

Congratulations to The Bachelorette, Desiree Hartsock with Autumn Krause and Zondervan for the June 22, 2021 release of The Road to Roses.

When Desiree Hartsock was offered the opportunity to star on The Bachelorette, she thought she was finally getting the life she always longed for. Yet her reality TV dreams gave way to rough roads of unexpected twists, public scrutiny, and rejection. Now for the first time, Desiree reveals in this rivetingly honest book how she found her resilience and love after all–and you can too.

Desiree Hartsock was living paycheck to paycheck and freshly–not to mention painfully–single when she first stepped onto the set of The Bachelor. Then when she was selected to star as The Bachelorette, she thought surely this turn of events promised a second chance.

Yet Desiree’s debut on the world stage also meant facing the critics, as viewers judged her every word and action. She was devastated when Brooks broke up with her and the entire world observed her humiliation. But what the world didn’t see was the comeback journey that followed. The Road to Roses reveals:

The emotional journey behind the events that played out on camera
The mindset changes that kept Desiree open to love and trust even after heartbreak, that ultimately led her to choosing her husband
And the off-camera journey of the lessons Desiree learned, like how to always fail forward, stay true to yourself, and trusting that despite the external pressures, God loves us just as we are

For anyone who is looking at the pieces of their lives and losing hope that they can be put back together again, The Road to Roses offers an authentic guide for finding your grit to keep going and make yourself proud no matter what pressures you face. Whether your heart has been broken, your dream has been put on hold, or your character is being put under pressure, following Desiree’s journey will give you courage to stay strong in your own.

Contracts

Kimberly Leto signed with Regnery for Fit God’s Way to be released September 2022.

Laurie Polich Short signed with Bethany for Faith, Doubt, and God’s Timing to be released January 2023.

Carissa Shillito signed with B&H/Lifeway for Innis and Ernest to be released November 2022.

Cara Whitney signed with Thomas Nelson for Country Soul: Inspiring Devotions From the Horse Farm to be released late 2021.

New Clients

Romona Robinson, Debra Adamson, Natalie Runion, Elizabeth Felicetti, and Marvin Truhe recently signed with WordServe. Welcome!

New Releases

Buses Congratulations to Charles Person with Richard Rooker for the April 27, 2021 release of Buses Are A Comin’: Memoir of a Freedom Rider.

A firsthand exploration of the cost of boarding the bus of change to move America forward―written by one of the Civil Rights Movement’s pioneers.

At 18, Charles Person was the youngest of the original Freedom Riders, key figures in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement who left Washington, D.C. by bus in 1961, headed for New Orleans. This purposeful mix of black and white, male and female activists―including future Congressman John Lewis, Congress of Racial Equality Director James Farmer, Reverend Benjamin Elton Cox, journalist and pacifist James Peck, and CORE field secretary Genevieve Hughes―set out to discover whether America would abide by a Supreme Court decision that ruled segregation unconstitutional in bus depots, waiting areas, restaurants, and restrooms nationwide.

Two buses proceeded through Virginia, North and South Carolina, to Georgia where they were greeted by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and finally to Alabama. There, the Freedom Riders found their answer: No. Southern states would continue to disregard federal law and use violence to enforce racial segregation. One bus was burned to a shell, its riders narrowly escaping; the second, which Charles rode, was set upon by a mob that beat several riders nearly to death.

Buses Are a Comin’ provides a front-row view of the struggle to belong in America, as Charles Person accompanies his colleagues off the bus, into the station, into the mob, and into history to help defeat segregation’s violent grip on African American lives. It is also a challenge from a teenager of a previous era to the young people of today: become agents of transformation. Stand firm. Create a more just and moral country where students have a voice, youth can make a difference, and everyone belongs.

Congratulations to Bob Welch for the release of Saving My Enemy: How Two WWII Soldiers Fought Against Each Other and Later Forged a Friendship That Saved Their Lives.

“A quintessential tale. Once read, never to be forgotten.” —Erik Jendersen, lead writer of Band of Brothers on HBO

Saving My Enemy is a “Band of Brothers” sequel like no other.

Don Malarkey grew up scrappy and happy in Astoria, Oregon—jumping off roofs, playing pranks, a free-range American.

Fritz Engelbert’s German boyhood couldn’t have been more different. Regimented and indoctrinated by the Hitler Youth, he was introspective and a loner.

Both men fought in the Battle of the Bulge, the horrific climax of World War II in Europe. A paratrooper in the U.S. Army, Malarkey served a longer continuous stretch on the bloody front lines than any man in Easy Company. Engelbert, though he never killed an enemy soldier, spent decades wracked by guilt over his participation in the Nazi war effort.

On the sixtieth anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Bulge, these two survivors met. Malarkey was a celebrity, having been featured in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, while Engelbert had passed the years in the obscurity of a remote German village.

But both men were still scarred— haunted—by nightmares of war. And finally, after they met, they were able to save each other’s lives.

Saving My Enemy is the unforgettable true story of two soldiers on opposing sides who became brothers in arms.

One man Congratulations to Ron Archer and Mike Yorkey for the release of The Power of One Man: How God Uses Men Like You to Change the World.

What can one man do?

History is filled with world-changing events that turned on the hinge of a single person taking action. Their decisions and words shaped the world later generations came to inhabit.

In The Power of One Man, author Ron Archer examines biblical figures who changed the world in which they lived, then applies those lessons to the challenges men face today—deftly weaving the narrative with stories of both failure and success in his own life in a way that is not only educational, but inspirational. Most of the social problems in our culture stem from an epidemic of fatherlessness. But as Ron’s own life demonstrates, God has a plan to redeem and restore those areas by redeeming and restoring men themselves—one individual at a time.

What can God do with just one man? Anything He wants to—if you let Him.

Grace Filled Congratulations to Laurie Polich Short and Harvest House for the May 4, 2021 release of Grace-Filled Step Parenting: Help and Hope for This Unique and Loving Role.

Stepparenting Is Hard…but It Can Also Be Richly Rewarding

Stepparenting can sometimes feel like an overwhelming and thankless challenge. Loving and caring for children who aren’t biologically yours means having to earn trust, establish authority, and often put your own needs aside in favor of your stepchild’s well-being or a birth parent’s wishes.

But here’s the good news: With some expert guidance and God’s help, you can have tremendous influence in your stepchild’s life and grow in your faith along the way.

Seasoned stepmom Laurie Polich Short understands and empathizes with the difficult job you face. Drawing on extensive research, biblical teaching, and her own real-life experience (including an insightful chapter cowritten with her stepson, Jordan), Laurie provides practical and spiritual advice to help you fully embrace and succeed in your role as stepparent.

Whether you are about to become a stepparent or are further along on your journey, this compassionate and insightful resource offers the hope, help, and encouragement you’ve been looking for.

Congratulations to Russ Masterson and Scotty Smith for the May 4, 2021 release of Searching for Grace: A Weary Leader, a Wise Mentor, and Seven Healing Conversations for a Parched Soul.

“Searching for Grace invites you into the kind of relationship that we all long for deep in our hearts. The relationship between Scotty and Russ is scary, vulnerable, painful, but gorgeously loving and drenched in grace.” ―Paul David Tripp, author of New Morning Mercies

Anxious? Burnt out? Weary? Why is it so hard for our souls to find rest?
In Searching for Grace, Russ and his mentor, Scotty Smith, explore the contours of their lives and why embracing God’s grace unreservedly is so difficult for many of us. Their honest conversations offer priceless lessons for parched souls everywhere.

Many of us feel anxious and unfulfilled by our everyday existence, yet deeply long for a purposeful, meaningful, and peace-filled life. That tension creates a background buzz of profound discontentment behind everything we do. There is a better way. Searching for Grace reveals the conversations between Russ and Scotty that transformed Russ’s life forever, helping him identify the mindsets that contributed to his restlessness. Straight from his little black journal, Russ shares the seven life-giving principles he learned from Scotty that unleashed him to a refreshingly new life, radically built on God’s grace.

Congratulations to Steve Poe for the May 18, 2021 release of Creatures of Habit: Breaking the Habits Holding You Back from God’s Best.

Beloved pastor Steve Poe helps Christians identify and break free from the destructive patterns that are keeping them from the joy-filled, flourishing life Jesus promised.

We all have both good and bad habits in our life. Creatures of Habit reveals how to remove bad habits and replace them with godly ones. But it’s not a matter of working hard, of “pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps.” That approach simply doesn’t work. True transformation is God’s work–our job is to listen, obey, and put into practice what he’s already directing us to do.

Steve Poe has pastored large, growing churches for more than thirty-four years, and during that time he has counseled hundreds of people. He’s seen that poor choices often become bad habits that in turn cause people a lot of problems. Hundreds of things can become a bad habit in our lives, but Poe focuses on the most common, among them:

anger,
lust,
worry,
cynicism,
pride,
self-centeredness, and
greed.

Each chapter provides insights, biblical examples, and tangible tools that will help you break the bad habits that can become spiritual strongholds in your life.

Congratulations Ron Archer with Mike Yorkey for the

Contracts

Christopher L. Davis signed with Zondervan for the Hope Fully book and Video Study to be release in October 2022.

Colin Cahoon signed with WordServe Publishers/Valor Press Imprint for Mended Wings to be released in late summer 2021.

Tracie Miles signed with David C. Cook Publishing for Living Unbroken Small Group Study Guide to be released May 2022.

Amanda Anderson signed with RightNow Media for a Video On-Demand Bible Study May 1, 2021-April 30, 2024.

New Clients

Cathey Nickell, Kevin Ford recently signed with WordServe. Welcome!