Biblical Origins Explained

How We Got the Bible Video Study Series
Author: Timothy Paul Jones PhD
Rose Publishing (2015)
Multiple Media Formats, including DVD and Powerpoint
Complete Kit ISBN: 9781628622072
DVD Only ISBN: 9781628622065
Reading and Study Level: Adult

If you've ever had questions on the origins of the Bible, this study is for you. Facts are presented in an interesting manner through video lecture and animations. The complete kit also includes a written reference manual, a series of powerpoint slides, and a fold-out timeline chart as well as the printed versions of the leader's guide and participant's guide to enhance the understanding of the presented material.  While the study guides and some other components of the kit are available separately, some material is reserved to, and available only in the deluxe kit.

This study reveals the long process used to preserve the contents of our Bible through the centuries. From memorized (oral) history as seen by eye witnesses to events which happened during the life of Jesus Christ to written written word decades after His crucifixion, and translations from several languages many centuries later. The study is informative, valuable and entertaining for people who question the origins of the Bible and for those interested in Christian history. While this study is aimed primarily at adults, those in the middle through late teen years might also find the material of interest.

Note that I was given free access to promotional materials and an excerpt of this six session video study by the publisher for the purpose of this review. Nevertheless, all opinions stated in the above review are my own and I have not received any financial compensation for this review.

This review has been posted, wholly or in part on the following sites Dragonviews, Amazon.com, Christian Book.com, and Rose Publishing

Dark Hunter Continues with: The Guardian

Today, I have a treat for you Dark Hunter fans... a short synopsis and the trailer for The Guardian, the newest installment of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series.

About The Guardian:

As a Dream-Hunter, Lydia has been charged with the most sacred and dangerous of missions. She’s to descend into the Nether Realm and find the missing god of dreams before he betrays the secrets that could kill all of them. What she never expects is to be taken prisoner by the Realm’s most vicious guardian.


Seth’s time is running out. If he can’t hand over the entrance to Olympus, his own life and those of his people will be forfeit. No matter the torture, Seth hasn’t been able to break the god in his custody. Then there’s the beautiful Dream-Hunter Lydia: She isn’t just guarding the gates of Olympus—she’s holding back one of the world’s darkest powers. If she fails, an ancient curse will haunt the earth once more and no one will be safe. But evil is always seductive...

And now, the trailer:



SHERRILYN KENNYON LINKS:


Websites:

Official Sanctuary and Sherrilyn Kenyon for more about SHERRILYN KENYON, THE GUARDIAN, and all of her novels.

To sign up and access an exclusive bonus scene from THE GUARDIAN, visit: Heroes and Heartbreakers

Guest Post - Halloween Books to Unleash Your Inner Kid

Today's post is by MJ Ware, Author of Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb.  Thanks, MJ for helping promote my blog. Lady D.

Even before publishing Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb (SZJMB), I wrote a lot of horror stories. However, since I write almost exclusively for kids and teens my stories aren't anything like your traditional, terrifying, horror stories. They're more blood and snot than blood and guts. With that in mind, I've compiled a list of great books to wake up your inner child, or maybe your inner young adult, this Halloween season.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan – I'm starting off with this one because, as a YA book it will appeal to more adults, plus it has zombies! Mary lives in the woods as part of a community surrounded by a fence that (usually) keeps the undead out. This one is really more of a romance novel with zombies. Still, it has great imagery which really makes it spooky.

The Witches by Roald Dahl – This book is definitely a kid's book, but it's so well written, anyone who loves books will enjoy it. And, compared to most of Dahl's other books, it’s pretty dark; in fact it's one of the 100 most banned children's books on account of the violence.

Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury – It doesn't get any more Halloween than this. It's a great story about a gang of guys (and one girl) who run into a haunted house while trick-or-treating. After you finish the book, check out the Emmy award winning cartoon version:



Coraline by Neil Gaiman – Gaiman is a master of scary books and Coraline is one of his best. Even if you've seen the movie, don't skip the book. It's a quick read at 35k (and it's one of those books that's hard to put down). Once you're finished, you might want to check out Gaiman's more adult themed The Grave Yard Book.

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury – Okay, Bradbury is one of my favorite authors, so he's allowed two books on the list. Something Wicked This Way Comes, is much darker than The Halloween Tree, having deeper and more serious themes. It was published as an adult book, but really, it's a coming of age story that resonates with young and old alike.

Welcome to Horrorland by R.L. Stine – What list of scary books would be complete without something from the Goosebumps series? Obviously, this one's light reading and only for readers who enjoy kidlit. With its fast action and short chapters it's also a great choice for that reluctant reader in your life.

About the author:

M.J.A. Ware, known as M.J. to his friends, lives in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains with his wife and two daughters. He wrote Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb because he felt there was a need for a zombie book with a broader appeal than just hard-core horror fans. A book that would not only appeal to both adults and teens, but would be teen safe.

When not writing about aliens, monsters and ghosts, he runs a company where he designs award winning video arcades. He’s currently polishing his latest novel, Girls Bite, a paranormal vampire story told from a guy's perspective.

Find SZJMB at: Amazon (print and ebook) Barnes & Noble  SmashWords  Apple

Win a Free ebook copy SZJMB. Enter by 10/31. Winner chosen at random and will be announced on or around 11/1.



Note from Lady D: If you like guest posts, comment here on the blog. I'll try to arrange more such posts according to the feedback I receive from you readers. Commenting is welcome and, at the moment, unmoderated.

The Newest Dark Hunter Novel Has Been Released: Retribution

RETRIBUTION:

"...Harm no human…

A hired gunslinger, William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave. He believed that every life had a price. Until the day when he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunters, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he’d spend eternity protecting the humans he’d once considered prey.

Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised on one belief- Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. While protecting her adoptive race, she has spent her life eliminating the Dark-Hunters..."     

See the trailer.  If the video embedded below won't work for you, there's a direct link to Youtube following the embedded version.  There are also - included below for your pleasure - links to the author and publisher websites, where you will find excerpts from the book.

TRAILER URL:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_5-t69aOko


Sherrilyn Kennyon's website about Retribution containing excerpts:

http://www.sherrilynkenyon.com/book/retribution/


Macmillan's Sherrilyn Kenyon website:

http://us.macmillan.com/author/sherrilynkenyon


And now, the exciting part:  Somehow, I wound up with two finished copies of the hardcover edition of Retribution... That being the case, there will naturally be a review coming from me.  But I only need one copy of the book for that purpose. I've decided that the best thing to do is to give away the extra copy to one lucky reader.  My financial status demands that I restrict the entries to those with a United States mailing address; sorry about that folks...

To enter the contest, comment on this entry.  You do not need to post your mailing address, just a valid email where I can contact the winner.  You do need to be 18 or older as of September 1, 2011. I will choose the lucky person at the end of August, 2011 via random.org. from all entries received before Midnight Central Time, at the end of this month.  No comments posted on or after September 1, 2011 will count as an entry into this drawing.  The winner will need to have a valid mailing address within the United States, which I will use to send the book.

Mt. TBR Keeps Growing

Click above photo to see larger version...If you are an author, publicist, publisher, etc. who has asked me to review a book, please be patient. The stack above, shown in no particular order represents promised reviews and borrowed books which need to be sent on their way.  My Kindle tops the stack to represent the ebooks I promised to review, followed by my Molskine notebook to represent that there are multiple eBooks waiting in line... the rest, well, those books are real... and I will get to the reviews as soon as I possibly can.  Thank you for understanding.

Addendum: May 17, 2012  While the books shown above have been read and mostly reviewed, the stack by my bed side is still every bit as large, just with different content... The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get.

For Fans of the Dark Hunter Series

On September 7, 2010, St. Martin's Press is releasing Sherrilyn Kenyon's No Mercy. This will be a must read for fans of the Dark Hunter series as well as for fans of the author... and honestly, it looks too good for me to pass up, even though this would be the first book I've read from this author. What can I say?  I'm a fool for books, especially those that draw me in with a great story synopsis before I've even seen the covers of the book...

"Live fast, fight hard and if you have to die then take as many of your enemies with you as you can. That is the Amazon credo and it was one Samia lived and died by. Now in contemporary New Orleans, the immortal Amazon warrior is about to learn that there's a worse evil coming to slaughter mankind than she's ever faced before....."
 


Read the synopsis of No Mercy and much more on Sherrilyn Kenyon website:
http://were-hunter.com/
If you can't see the embedded trailer above, you should be able to see it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=067W4Kvqa4g

Still Sucks To Be Me Launch Contest - (Now Over)

Oh Coolness! Kimberly Pauley's new book is coming out on May 11 and you can win a copy! That's right, You can win a copy of Still Sucks To Be Me, signed by the author. But that's not all.  Kim has put together prize packages containing both of her fantastic books and other cool stuff. See the details and enter the contest on Kim's author website: http://www.kimberlypauley.com/2010/05/03/still-sucks-to-be-me-launch-including-epic-contest/.  Don't forget to come back here and read my review of Still Sucks To Be Me, which I expect to post on Sunday May 9th... but I'm not going to commit to an exact posting time.

Sucks to Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (maybe)
By Kimberly Pauley
Mirrorstone (26 Aug 2008) Hardcover, 294 pages
Mirrorstone (11 Aug 2009) Paperback, 304 pages
Mirrorstone (26 Jan 2010) Kindle edition
Rated 5 Stars

"...I'll have to say, my only regret is that it had to end... Who would have known that a vampire story doesn't have to be scary?Yes, Sucks to Be Me is a vampire story, but nothing like you've ever read before... so throw all your old notions and pre-conceived ideas about vampires out the window because that's not what you'll find in Kim's new book. What you will find is a barrel of fun... vampire style." Read the rest of my review of Sucks To Be Me

Still Sucks to Be Me: The All-true Confessions of Mina Smith, Teen Vampire
By Kimberly Pauley
Mirrorstone (11 May, 2010), Hardcover, 384 pages

Coming soon... and every bit as good as her first book. Kimberly Pauley has done it again... and yes, I can say that because I'm one of the lucky recipients of an advance copy, which arrived in my possession on May 6 and which I've almost finished reading already. Kimberly writes in a fast, easy-breezy style that will charm you and keep you turning the pages to see what happens next. Aimed at the young adult market, Mrs. Pauley's books also appeal to the teens inside the adults we've become. 

Sucks To Be Me Launch Party (Now Over)

Sucks to Be Me
The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (Maybe)
by Kimberly Pauley
Sucks to Be Me Launch Party
Hardcover: 294 pages
Publisher: Mirrorstone (August 26, 2008)

Hey, Ya'all!  My good friend, Kimberly Pauley just published her new book, Sucks to Be Me. Sure, it's a vampire story, but nothing like you've ever read before... so throw all your old notions and pre-conceived ideas about vampires out the window because that's not what you'll find in Kim's new book. What I'm sure you will find, is a barrel of fun... vampire style.

Like the snail I can sometimes be, I haven't read Sucks to Be Me yet, but at least I do have a copy in my possession.  It looks like Sucks to Be Me is next on my to be read list, and there WILL be a review here someday... hopefully soon.  In the meantime, why not join the party on Kim's website. There are tons of cool prizes to be had by some lucky grand prize winner, and there are other, smaller prizes too that you can enter to win. 

What you need to know:
September 11th will be the final entry day for the grand prize pack. The grand prize contest closes on September 21st.

So yeah, why are ya'all hangin' out here with me when Kim has something much better going on at her place?  Oh, and, if you're still here reading this... you can get an extra entry into the drawing for that big prize package Kim is giving away... just tell her you read my blog and point back to this entry. Now, on with ya! Click the link to Kim's site at the top of this entry and join the fun!