Hello everyone! Today, I have a new sort of book review post! I’m reviewing a season of books! What is a season? Think of it like a film series, where there are multiple episodes in a season. Well, Perry Kirkpatrick has done just that, only with books! She is currently working on the second season! In today’s post, I will give you my review of season one! Let’s dive in!

The Accidental Cases of Emily Abbott (Season 1)
By Perry E. Kirkpatrick
4.5 Star Average
(2019)

He makes terrible coffee, but he sure is good in a car chase! Emily Abbott is working hard as a coffee barista in downtown Phoenix, keeping one eye on her tiny college fund and the other on the mysterious new guy with his profound lack of coffee-making skills. Just when she thinks they might be getting the hang of working together, she’s abruptly thrust into his world of espionage and danger.

Brent Peterson, aka Agent Nighthawk, needs her help protecting a defecting enemy spy and keeping the information he carries out of the wrong hands. But she’s just a barista—what can she do?

Much more than she thinks.

These books are so fun! I have been trying to find another series like it to satisfy my need for more, but alas! There are none! These books are so fun, witty, suspenseful, and just an easy, quick read! I loved them, and they are my, “I just need to relax” go-to books. Great to get out of a reading slump with, and I highly recommend reading them back to back!

Now, I do need to say, I don’t like how many times Brent and Emily are alone together. I do not endorse this in the least. Nothing happens, and there is only a hint that “someday” they might acknowledge that they might like each other. It’s more big brother, little sister, but I wouldn’t have written the series that way. I also don’t endorse girls having jobs outside their home or going to collage unless God leads you to do so. There’s to much of a push on that even in the Christian community. That said, they are super clean books! I’d recommend them for 16+ reading on their own, but little ones would probably really enjoy hearing them too!

I wish there were a stronger Christian message in these stories, but I do like how prayer is a natural impulse, and talking about God and faith are not awkward, just not very frequent.

Overall, these are just fun, clean mystery/spy reads the whole family can enjoy!

Episode 1 || Red Rover, Red Rover || 4 Stars

“Movie Stuff, Emily.” I love how many times Brent says this! 😊 I loved this book so much! Brent, Is my favorite character, and how clueless he is about coffee is just so funny! I love a good spy story, and when you mix it with Coffee and Russian agents... let’s just say, I found a series I knew I was going to love.

Not crazy over a rude customer’s actions or the fact that a guy and girl are alone together a lot, but it’s kept innocent, and I do like the story so much! Also not a fan of the Santa references, but it gets lost in the amazingness of the story 😉
 
Episode 2 || Plan to Fail || 4 Stars

I love the America v. Russia rivalry! With the rocky relationship the countries have had all through History, it makes it that much more fun! This book was even better than the last! I love the makeover session and all the talk about clothes and books. “I love business casual.” I do not agree with dating or lying for any reason, but other than that, I loved this book!
 
Episode 3 || Bad Things, Small Packages || 4 Stars

Just get’s Better and Better! This book had me on the edge of my seat! And I have no idea why I liked the cold aspect of the story so much...

Still not crazy over so much guy/girl alone time, and I don’t like Detective Lark. Just saying 😊 But Brent, Emily, and Asian Guy were excellent, as always!
 
Episode 4 || Tutor, Nanny Spit-Up, Spy || 4 Stars

This was Interesting! The kids, y’all! They were so adorable!  I wasn’t a fan of Romeo or the continued boy/girl spending so much time together. There is one scene that I would edit out a couple of things, but it was kept innocent. One of my favorite ones in the season!
 
Episode 5 || A Spying We Will Go || 4 Stars

These books are heart stoppers! They keep getting better and better! The spy aspects of this story were fantastic, and I hope we haven’t heard the last of...well, someone. Again, not a fan of the Boy/girl alone, but still, it was kept innocent. I love these so much! And the 10,000-conspiracy theory! LOVE IT!
 
Episode 6|| Once Upon a Dime || 5 Stars

This was so good! Probably one of my top favorites in this series! The political edge was tremendous, and as an election worker myself, I appreciate the spirit of kindness among those on opposite sides of a campaign. And this is getting more and more exciting! I can’t wait to read more!
 

Book one of season two is already out, but I’m going to wait and review the whole season together.  So please, if you like mystery and espionage, check out these books and support an Indie Author! They are so much fun!

That's it for now! Have a Blessed Week!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Hello all! Today I have a lovely writing book to share with you that I greatly enjoyed! I’ve wanted to read it for months now and finally got around to it! Before I get started, I should let you know the author generously gifted me a copy, requesting I review it, but there was no stipulation on it being a positive or negative review. All thoughts are my own and I am excited to share them with you!

Outlining Your Novel by K. M. Weiland
(2011)
5 Stars

Can Outlining Help You Write a Better Story?

Writers often look upon outlines with fear and trembling. But when properly understood and correctly wielded, the outline is one of the most powerful weapons in a writer’s arsenal.

Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success will:

•Help you choose the right type of outline for you
•Guide you in brainstorming plot ideas
•Aid you in discovering your characters
•Show you how to structure your scenes
•Explain how to format your finished outline
•Instruct you in how to use your outline
•Reveal the benefits
•Dispel the misconceptions

Includes exclusive interviews with ten respected authors, answering important questions about outlining.

Outlining can organize your writing and help you take your stories to the next level. Find out how!

This was an incredibly helpful writer’s guide. As a self-proclaimed “Plotser” (someone who plots and writes without one, half and half) this book has helped me see some corrections I need to make in my process. While I may never be able to plot a book fully, she had so many helpful tips and examples for making your book the best it can be! I plan to reference it often! Below I’ll share some samples of some fun tips! Even if you never intend to plot your novel, I recommend you give it a read. It’s worth your time, trust me. Now, I didn’t agree with all the works she chose to highlight for her examples, and if I remember correctly there were two bad words, so watch for that. Otherwise, this book is a gold mine!

|| If you’re a visual learner, you may find it useful to create folders of pictures related to your story. “Cast” your characters, scout likely settings, and collect pertinent props. By associating pictures with particular scenes, you not only give yourself extra details with which to flesh out the scene, you can also help yourself spot plot holes or inconsistencies. I began keeping a folder of story-related pictures while writing Dreamlander, and this practice has rapidly become one of the most useful (not to mention most fun) tools in my repertoire. When stuck on scenes, I will often surf the Internet for related pictures. More often than not, when I find a picture, I find my missing puzzle piece. ||

|| The story we put on the page will never be a perfect representation of the story in our imagination, so it’s little wonder we aren’t always aware of where our stories fall short. But here’s a little trick to narrow the gap between your idealization of your story and its printed reality: Write yourself the “perfect” review before your story ever hits paper. If you could have a professional reviewer read your idealized concept of your finished book and totally get it—completely understand everything you’re trying to say with your characters, plot, dialogue, and themes—what would he write about your story? Close your eyes for a moment, emotionally distance yourself from your story, and pretend you’re that reviewer. ||

|| Nothing wrong with those words (they’re the tools of our trade, after all), but give…focusing on the raw sensations {a try}. Close your eyes and visualize the scene you’re writing. What colors stand out? What can you smell? What does your body feel like? This is the best way I know to find those all-important “telling” details that bring a scene to life. ||

That’s it for now! Have a Blessed Week!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Hello Everyone! Today, I’m here with a review of a Indie book from the land Down Under! Let’s jump right in!

Jayne’s Endeavour
By Lauren Compton
(2020)
4.5 Stars

About the Book: Mysterious strangers, a Scripture verse, and a threat.

“Reids never give up.” The words once held so much truth. But at eighteen, Jayne Reid is beginning to wonder if she can live up to that standard.

When puzzling strangers appear and odd things start to happen, Jayne and her two younger sisters must find a solution—or lose everything.

What mystery lurks in the shadows of the Australian bush? Who is the man in town who thinks he can buy and bully anyone he wishes? And is it all somehow connected to their new farmhand?

Journey with Jayne as she struggles to change fear into boldness and boldness into a trusting relationship with her Heavenly Father. What adventure lies ahead?
 
Purchase Direct from Author: http://novelsthatencourage.com.au/index.php/shop/
Purchase from Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Jaynes-Endeavour-Joy-Lauren-Compton/dp/0994213964/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1589416095&sr=8-1
Purchase from The Book Depository: link isn’t available yet! ?
Add to Your Goodreads Shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49481568-jayne-s-endeavour
 
About the Author: Lauren Compton lives in Australia on a sheep farm—surrounded by mountains and plenty of Aussie wildlife! From a young age she has loved books and writing-related things (yep, that includes spending ages in the writing supplies department!). Now she has embarked on a mission to write books that both entertain AND encourage. Her desire is to weave stories that point readers to her Heavenly Father while at the same time being a whole lot of fun!
 
Website: www.NovelsThatEncourage.com.au
Blog: http://novelsthatencourage.com.au/index.php/blog/
Email: lauren@novelsthatencourage.com.au
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19591537.Lauren_Compton
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B088NC286W?ref_=pe_1724030_132998540
Newsletter Signup: http://novelsthatencourage.com.au/index.php/subscribe/
 
My Review: This book was an enjoyable, light read. The Christian themes were weaved into the story in a lovely way and the sister relationships were beautiful! I sympathized with Jayne’s reactions to a specific woman, but I am so glad she handled herself in a mature Christ-like way. And I loved her relationship with all her dear older friends! The Australian touches were so natural. I loved how the Kangaroos were written into the story like there was nothing unusual about it, just like a rabbit for North American’s! And the Irish roots were a favorite element for me as well.

I had pegged a few characters from the get go, but was pleased that I had and not annoyed. It was light on action, but the climax was well executed.

My one caution is that there is a scene that get’s a bit detailed about a hard delivery of a baby lamb. While it didn’t bother me, I would probably leave out a couple details reading it to younger children. It is well written and interesting, just not what a little reader would enjoy. It’d recommend the book for 14+ if reading on their own, but younger children would definitely enjoy having it read to them!
 
Jayne’s Endeavour Blog Tour Schedule
 
Monday 25th May
Abby Rose @ Photos by Abby Rose  |Review

Tuesday 26th May
Leona @ Great Books for God’s Girls |Review and Excerpt

Wednesday 27th May
Becky @ Blossoms and Blessings | Review and Exclusive Giveaway
Erika @ Resting Life | Review and Excerpt

Thursday 28th May
Katja @ Old-Fashioned Book Love |Review
Malachi @ Brainstorms with Rain |Book Spotlight

Monday 1st June—Release Day!!
Kaitlyn @ Maidens for Modesty |Review and Guest Post
Lauren @ Novels That Encourage |Release Day Post

Tuesday 2nd June
Rebekah @ Read Another Page |Review and Author Interview

Wednesday 3rd June
Kassie @ Soldier Girl Stories |Review and Exclusive Giveaway
Esther @ Purposeful Learning |Book Spotlight, Recipe

Thursday 4th June
Amanda @ With a Joyful Noise | Book Spotlight, Guest Post

Monday 8th June
Ryana Lynn @ Life of Heritage |Review, Author Interview, Exclusive Giveaway

Tuesday 9th June
Michaela @ Tangled Up in Writing |Review and Book Spotlight
Abigail @ Read, Review, Rejoice | Book Spotlight and Guest Post

Wednesday 10th June
Sydney @ Singing Librarian Books | Review, Excerpt, Author Interview

Thursday 11th June
Tara @ Tower in the Plains | Review and Recipe
Laura @ Beautiful Things |Book Spotlight
Lauren @ Novels That Encourage |Tour Wrap Up
 
And now for our Interview and Giveaway!

What inspired you to write JE?
I guess this kind of has two answers! :D What inspired me to try writing a novel in the first place was my love for reading and the lack of God-honouring, exciting, well-written books! But the actual inspiration for Jayne’s Endeavour came after I’d finished watching Little Women. I loved certain aspects of the film (the historical setting and the endearing family relationships), but I didn’t like some of the other things as much. And so my idea was born! I wanted to write a story that captured what I loved in Little Women without including what I didn’t find as enjoyable!

What lessons do you hope for readers to learn from JE?
That God truly is their heavenly Father, who will never leave them or forsake them. And my prayer is that as Jayne learns to look to her heavenly Father more, so will my readers!

What is your favorite part of writing?
Hmm . . . I think that each stage of writing has its fun aspects, but I love the feeling when all the different plot threads start coming together! It’s so, so satisfying (and relieving!).

What made you want to start writing?
:D I think I already kind of answered that in the first question! Oops! Anyway . . . I guess I’ve always loved writing-related things (though contrary to other authors, I never really spent time coming up with stories when I was little). But my love for writing still goes back to when I was just learning to write my letters! Plus I’ve always had a love for pens, notebooks, letter writing, keeping a diary, etc :P So I guess my love for reading and my natural enjoyment of writing and words (coupled with the lack of good books) led me to start on my own endeavour—that of writing novels! :D

Which character do you think you related to most?
Jayne! Mum told me that she can see little parts of me in Jayne (even though I really tried not to base any of my characters on myself!). I guess as authors, we write from our own experiences—what we have learned and struggled with ourselves. It’s really been a blessing to see how God uses the trials in my own life to add more depth to my writing. As Anita Dittman says, “We serve a great, big God!”

What lessons has God taught you through this book?
Through the writing process, I’ve been really aware of God’s faithfulness and in awe of the fact that He cares about us and every detail of our lives! When I first started writing Jayne’s Endeavour, I really couldn’t do it! Not only from a writing perspective, but more so from a physical perspective. I had a back injury and could barely stand or sit for over a year (and that was only the start of a long journey to recovery). But you know what?! God is bigger than our struggles and far stronger than all our weaknesses. This book is a testament to that!

Any advice for writers?
Ask God to guide your words and plot lines! Never seek to write what will gain man’s favour. Put God first and leave the rest in His hands.

Invest in continuing to hone your writing skills. There are online courses out there to help with all different aspects of writing. Signing up for a course and getting feedback really encourages you to digger deeper! It’s well worth the monetary and time investment.

And lastly, be open to constructive criticism and do your best, always seeking to improve.

Final thoughts?
Thanks so much for having me on your blog for the interview (and asking such thought provoking questions), Ryana Lynn! It’s been fun answering them, and humbling too, as I reflected on the journey that led up to release day! :D

“He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.” Deuteronomy 32:4 

And now for the giveaway! This is just for y'all! It runs from today to the 11th, so hurry  and enter!

Hello and welcome back to Life of Heritage Corner. I hope each of you is having a blessed Memorial Day. It’s definitely gonna be different, not going to the parade, but my family is amazing, making sure I have an awesome Memorial Day Birthday!

And as you can see from the title…A SONG OF HOME IS HERE!!!

*cough*

Well, not exactly.

Let me explain.

So, the original plan was to release A Song of Home on Memorial Day. My timeline was perfect. Everything was falling into place. Then I got sick for three days with allergies. Three days that would have ensured that this book was already at the press by now. So, yeah, my timetable was upset.

I also got the opportunity to visit with my sister’s family over the past week. I was able to get progress done on my final polishing edits while there, thank God, but who wants to stay on a laptop all day when you have adorable little people asking you to play with them, hold them and randomly telling you they love you? Not me! I had a blast, loving on my littles and helping my sister and just getting an overall change of pace. It’s actually helped my editing.

So, one of the things I got finished while there was the cover for A Song of Home. The little tweaks to the back cover and all. Would you like to see it?

While I know a lot of authors have more glamorous covers, I have to admit, I really like the look of this cover. My sister was a huge help and my mom helped me settle on the right plantation house picture. Thanks, y’all!

Above, I mentioned something about a blog tour…

Yes, I decided to do one. And yes, I realize this is in the middle of a series…actually past the middle, but who’s counting? Anyway, some lovely friends of mine talked me into going ahead with it, so over the next five days, I will be posting their links here along with some something about A Song of Home here on the blog. Oh and did I mention there is a giveaway? One recipient will be gifted a set of all four of the books in The Battle for Heritage Series in eBook format! International friends are welcome! You can enter here!

So that wraps it up for the day!
Have a lovely day in the Lord!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

PS. In Honor of this Most Blessed Holiday (that came about because of Southern Ladies following the War Between the States) I have linked my previous Memorial Day post below! Don’t forget to thank a Veteran!

Happy Memorial Day! (2018)

Hello! I know it’s been a while since I posted, and I’m sure you are wondering where I’ve been. I have an explanation coming soon, but I wanted to pop in with a quick review for a book that just released by an author I really enjoy!

A Touch of Purple Paint by Hailey Rose
April 2020
5 Stars
Click here to Purchase!

About the Book: Seven-year-old Harper’s biggest concern isn’t that she has cancer. Or even that her diseased leg was just amputated. She’s worried about getting well enough to see the purple bedroom her daddy painted for her birthday—the birthday she spent undergoing chemo.
Chad Bailey is more than content with the world-traveling plans he and his wife have in place. What started out as posting their travel vlogs on YouTube for their niece, Harper, to watch during her chemo treatments exploded into an immensely popular channel—and it’s still growing.
When a single phone call changes everything for both Chad and Harper, YouTube is the last thing on his mind as he faces the biggest decision of his life.
With their world full of questions and pain, can a little purple paint mend the fragments of their lives?
 
My Review: Once Again, Hailey has delighted me with her ability to capture the emotions of an intense medical sequence. This book was real and raw and so heart-tugging. The theme and lesson were not done in a way that feels like you’re beat over the head with it. It was real and honest. The characters weren’t perfect, but they were relatable and well written. I would recommend it as a family read, 14 and up if read alone.
My only complaint was that it was not King James. (Also note: there were references to a movie with magic and a mention of girls wearing shorts; also refers to social media) Beautiful story, even though it was sooooo sad. Read it. Because, purple paint, obviously 💜
 
I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!

Have a blessed day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22
Emojis from Emoji One!