Contest Results

I'm here to announce the winner of the kindle copy of Counted Worthy by Leah E. Good!

And the winner is...... Anna Baber!!! Congratulations!! 

Her entry: 

"I will get him back.

But one sound could cost me everything.

I crawl on the thirsty ground, my dark fingerless hands scraping raw. My animal hide tunic clings to mingling sweat and blood. My eyes sting with dust as I watch the setting sun.

My limbs tremble with each silent movement. My bleeding legs quake as they push forward to gain an inch, knife-like grass cutting my face and arms.

Despite the burning sand I lie on, I feel a chill. 

I do not think I can make it.

I collapse.

Too exhausted even to cry my dry tears, I lay there, wondering if my heart still beat.

Then, the desperate cries of the Nyamwezi’s captives and the sound of their binding chains pierce my heart as they trudged through this forsaken land.

As strength surges through my veins, I know one thing even as it pulsed through my very heart, even as I dragged in one more racking breath.

I will get him back."

Second place goes to... Ruth Newton!!!

Her Entry:

One Word Could Cost Her Everything

There wasn’t any way around it. Usually I could come up with a compromise plan, some way to make the best out of a less than perfect situation. I couldn’t do that now.

I had read about this situation dozens of time. Dakota had even talked to me about it. What do you do, when the good of a few is weighed against the good of many? It’s easy enough to read about it and get upset when the hero decides to risk the lives of many by trying to save those close to him.

Yes or No.

One of those words was going to be my answer. Each of them represented two different things that could happen. And I had to choose which it would be.

“Take your time, Ms. Avery. Choose wisely.”

I knew that there was a slight possibility I could do what Nick wanted without causing something horrible to happen. Maybe I could get away with it, maybe I could protect my family and still warn the others in time.

I looked at the security feed playing on the computer screen. Tiry was holding Sean on her lap and letting him play with her necklace. The necklace I gave her for her birthday five years before.

Nick watched me from behind the desk. He seemed to be trying to read my face, trying to guess what I would say.

I could say ‘yes’, and help him get back into the system. Lives would be put at risk, people who were key players in the struggle could be killed. But my family would be safe. Nick wouldn’t lie about that, he wouldn’t hurt them if he didn’t need to.

Or I could say ‘no’. I didn’t even know how far he would go to make me do it. I didn’t know if someone else other than me could do it. The day of the speech was getting closer, and Nick needed to be ready for his plan at least two days before.  I didn’t have any rescue or escape plan. Nick wasn’t the one to be cruel, but he would hurt my sister or even Sean if he thought he had to.  I had seen what he had done to people before. Images of Will, shaking on the bed, suffering from the effect of whatever Nick has used on him, flashed through my mind.

I wanted so badly to make it where I could be the one who would be at risk. That way, nobody else would or could get hurt. I had to risk being responsible. I would have to be the one that lived with whatever decision I made.

I looked up at Nick. His feet were up on the desk, and he was running his hands through his light, blonde hair.

This is it. Right here, right now, I will have to take a risk. Strangely enough, I didn’t feel as panicked as I thought I should be. I knew that it was not in my hands anymore. The risk factor that Gabriel had talked about was in play. I can’t be strong without first trusting.

“Yes.” Nick swung his feet off the table in surprise.

“Really? That’s what you want to do?”

“I said yes.”

“Well, okay then. Let’s get started.”

As I walked out of the room, flanked by two security guards, I felt numb. What I was going to do wouldn’t be easy, but I knew I could do it. What would happen when I was finished? I didn’t know if it was selfish of me to feel that I wouldn’t be able to live with what I was about to do. But I had to risk it, I couldn’t let anything happen to Tiry and Sean.

Nick brought me into a large computer lab. The guard behind me shoved into a chair in front of one of the computers. As soon as I turned on the screen, I saw a file labeled “WinterToday.”

“Whenever you’re ready.” Nick said.

I put my hands on the keyboard. I had made the decision to take the risk. Now it was time to jump.

Thank you to everyone who entered! 

-Mikayla-

Counted Worthy Book Review

A little about the book:

"Heather Stone lives in fear of repeating the past, yet she continues doing the one thing that could trigger another disaster. When the police trace an illegal Bible to her house, Heather’s world begins to crumble. 

Her father’s life hangs in the balance. No one with the power to help knows or cares. If she tries to save him, she could lead her friends to their deaths. If she does nothing, her father’s fate is certain. Can she evade a hostile police force and win public sympathy before it’s too late?"

This is the story of one girl, her God and friend on a mission to free her father and

What I enjoyed:

          First, can I just say that the Cover is AWESOME! It is so modern and yet the whole theme is drawing us closer to our God who has been here since before time began!

          I loved the characters! They were so real and intriguing. They were godly, but not perfect. They had their faults and you could see them struggling to do the right thing and follow God not just their desires.

         Counted Worthy really focused on people helping people, something that I think really reflected the author, Leah.

         Leah's word usage is amazing, so many times I was wowed by how powerful an individual word or a sequence of words could be. Here is one of my favorite quotes that I think really characterizes Bryce:

 "'Follow me.' Bryce took off with a swaggering gate."

          Counted Worthy wasted no time in getting me on the edge of my seat. It did not take a super long time to introduce everyone (it really annoys me when authors do this). Somehow I felt as though I knew them as soon as I started reading. It was like a portrait painted with words was set before me.

          This book is truly about normal Christians doing hard things in a time of persecution. Counted Worthy is true to it's title and helps readers to see what doing REALLY hard things looks like. The devoted Christians refused to give up their faith or to give up on others despite the earthly consequences because they looked forward to the heavenly ones.
          I really appreciated that Bryce and Heathers relationship did not develop into a romance. I much preferred the hinting that something might happen in the future. Bryce and Heather had the sweetest and most self sacrificing love for each other, just as a sister and brother or best friends might have.  I also loved the fact that Bryce was always trying to protect Heather.

  Here is a moving quote from Heather:

"Out of habit, I started coming up with blessings. I had been able to runaway when the cop shot me with his electrically charged water gun. Dad was still alive. Even if they killed him, I knew he would go to heaven. I had a brother-friend in Bryce and a grandma-ally in Miss Lucy."

           There are so many other things I liked/loved/enjoyed about Counted Worthy. I sincerely hope

Leah will write more in the future and I look forward to her next book combining her passion of Orphans and writing.

What I didn't like as much:

Ummmm... There was really nothing I didn't like! Believe me I really tried to find SOMETHING I didn't like, but was quite unsuccessful. :)

Who I'd recommend this book to:
Families, Teens, Adults, kids... anyone could read this book! It is a thrilling story that I guarantee will keep you gripped the entire time! I am 14 and I sware I barely breathed through the whole thing!

     

A bit about the Author:

The author of Counted Worthy, Leah E. Good says, 

"My relationship with Jesus is the most important part of my life. Though many people think of Him as a crutch to get through life, I think of Him more as a jet pack. I can truly say He has given me life, and life more abundant. Because of my great friendship with my Savior, I want to serve Him in every area of my life." 

"Books have been a favorite part of my life for as long as I can remember."

Visit her on her Facebook, her Blog, her Google Plus Account, Goodreads and even her Twitter!
Don't forget to check out her Writing Curriculum or her blog about Teens Interceding For Orphans!

You can also see this review on Amazon, Goodreads, and Dancing In His Reign. :)

Interview with Leah Good

Today I have an interview with Leah Good!! =D

Why did you decide to be an author?

They say that true authors write because they can't not write. Which is largely true for me. I also feel like writing is one of the primary skills God gave me an aptitude for. If God gives a talent, it's because He wants it to be used. So I'm trying to do just that.

What's your favorite book and why?

Not a fair question. Even excluding my own books and the Bible, it's not a fair question. ;) Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, Safely Home, and A Little Princess are all very high on my list. Safely Home is one of the most powerful pieces of fiction I've ever read. It follows the journeys of two men who were once college roommates. One is a successful American businessman, the other returned to China and has sacrificed everything for his Christian faith. It's a more intense book--I'd suggest readers under thirteen ask a parent to pre-read it--but a very powerful one.

Who's your favorite author?

Another hard one. I love the character development of Jill Williamson, the plots of Jerry B. Jenkins, and the humor of John Flanagan.

Can you tell us anything about the book you're working on now?

I'm currently working on the sequel to Counted Worthy. I can tell you that it begins around nine months after Counted Worthy ends and will probably involve a lot more traveling for Heather. My brother has been helping me to better develop the technology of the story world, because this book is promising to be a lot more complex in those details than Counted Worthywas.

What were the best and worst parts of writing Counted Worthy?

Counted Worthy was an exciting book for me because I could tell my writing had gone up a notch. Things read better. The story also communicated an important message more powerfully than any of my previous manuscripts. That was really exciting. So those were the best parts. Recognizing improvements. The worst part was "post-production." Editing Counted Worthy took forever and got to be very tedious. I'm so happy it's over and am hoping editing the next book goes much more smoothly!

What is your favorite genre?

Well, for most of my life the answer to this question has been historical fiction. Right now, though, it's probably dystopian. I'm not normally one to follow trends, but I love the flexibility and power dystopian novels have to communicate a message without becoming preachy. It's a genre Christian writers could do a lot with.

Do you do any research for your books? If you do, what are your main sources?

My previous (unpublished) manuscripts were historical fiction. I did a ton of research for those. My favorite sources were the "Writer's Guide to Everyday Life" series. I started writing Counted Worthy because I wanted a break from the intense research required for historicals. What little research was necessary for Counted Worthy, I did through Google and Pinterest searches.

What do you like most about writing?

Sharing my stories with readers. It's incredibly exciting to hear that someone was drawn into the story or was challenged to serve God better because of a characters struggle to do the same. Allowing others to read something I've put so many hours into is always a little scary, but writing wouldn't have much point if I never shared it.

Thanks so much for having me here on Future Homeschool Authors! It was great to be here. :)

-Mikayla-

February Contest

For this month we will be giving away a kindle copy of Counted Worthy!!!

For Februarys Contest and give away, in honor of Counted Worthy, I would like you all to write a story about risk. Write a short story about someone who is willing to sacrifice themselves for their cause, their beliefs, or someone they love. This story can be anywhere from 150 to 500 words, give or take. 

Also in honor of Counted Worthy make your title or tagline be "One __________ could cost him/her everything."

The contest starts February 4th and ends February 22nd. First place wins Counted Worthy! second and third place get posted on the blog. When you are done please email your entries to futurehomeschoolauthors@gmail.com. Look for the upcoming review on this inspirational book!