New Catholic Teen Book! Ashes: Visible and Invisible

 Today I am thrilled to be hosting the blog tour for the new book from Catholic Teen Books: Ashes: Visible and Invisible. 

I'm always impressed by the way the Catholic Teen Books writers are able to put together a collection of stories around a given themes. Ashes: Visible and Invisible features the liturgical season of Lent.The authors offer enjoyable stories in a variety of genres guaranteed to appeal to a wide range of teens and adults. 

Enter to win a soft cover copy of Catholic Teen Books' Lenten Anthology, Ashes: Visible and Invisible; Lent: One Day at a Time for Catholic Teens by Katie Prejean McGrady and Tommy McGrady (Ave Maria Press); Lenten socks; handmade Rosary; and Saint John Bosco prayer card.

In Finishing the Journey, Leslea Wahl writes a contemporary tale about a teen attending a Confirmation retreat, but it is an unexpected encounter with an older man that will enliven her faith.

Cynthia Toney offers a historical story in Follow Me. Vince is trying to escape the dark elements that took his father's life. 

In Take Up Your Cross written by Marie Keiser features a young man illegally practicing the Catholic faith. Will he risk it all to share that faith?

 Carolyn Astfalk tells of a young man considering being a kidney donor in the contemporary story A Big Ask. 

In Lent Royal and Ancient, set in the Middle Ages, Amanda Lauer portrays a young woman struggling to forgive her mother.

Ellen Gable tells of Lexie, the oldest daughter in a growing family who deeply feels the burden of caring for her siblings when her mother must go on bed rest for her pregnancy, in No Greater Love. 

Corinna Turner paints a dystopian portrait of young men experiencing the protection of the Eucharist at a time when their faith is underground in A Very Jurassic Lent. 

In Lucy and the Forsaken Path, Antony Kolenc takes readers back to 1185. Lucy is almost 13 and determined to prove to her father that she is trustworthy.

Bread Alone by T.M. Gaouette is a contemporary tale about a young man trying to make a fresh start with the help of an unexpected friend. 

Prepare the Way by Theresa Linden is set in Biblical times and features a young man's encounter with John the Baptist. 

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Please visit the other stops on the blog tour:

Jan 25  Ellen Gable                            Plot Line and Sinker                                                    

Jan 26  Barb S.                                   Franciscan Mom

Jan 28  Carolyn Astfalk                     My Scribbler’s Heart Blog

Jan 29  Amanda Lauer                       Blog

Jan 30   Marie Keiser                         Enjoying Womanhood

Jan 31  Barb S                                    CatholicMom.com

Feb 1   Corinna Turner                      Unseen Books

Feb 2   Catholic 365                          Catholic 365

Feb 3   Victoria Ryan                         Victoria Ryan Books

Feb 4   Mary Jo Thayer                     Blog

Feb 5   Theresa Linden                       Theresa Linden

Feb 6   Catholic Teen Books              Catholic Teen Books

Let Go of Your Fear

 

I’ve been worried a lot lately. While thankfully I’m not in the midst of a storm at the moment, I can see the storm clouds forming on the horizon and I’m scared of what is coming. With so many unknowns, I don’t know how to plan. Many things are completely out of my control, but I want to make good decisions about the things I do have some control over. Yes, I’ve been taking everything to God in prayer, but God (at least for the moment) is choosing to be silent. I’ve been through other storms in life. I know God is with me. I know He will help me get through whatever is coming. But I’m still scared.

That’s why I pulled Let Go of Your Fear: Choosing to Trust Jesus in Life’s Stormy Times out of my to-be-read pile. Gary Zimak offers in-depth reflections on two times in Scripture when Jesus and the Apostles face literal stormy weather: Mark 4:35-41 and Matthew 14:22-33. Zimak is prone to worry himself, so he understands that some of us are more likely to be anxious than others. He doesn’t casually brush away fear with a pithy, “If you pray and have faith, you shouldn’t worry.” He acknowledges that we can intellectually know that we shouldn’t be afraid and that we should put our trust in God, and yet our hearts can still be afraid. However, faith in God should help lessen our fear.

Zimak invites us to ask, “What is the Lord trying to teach me?” when the storm rages around us, Often, one of the lessons is that we need to surrender to Jesus, to give up that control that we like to hold onto so tightly. Zimak also reminds readers that at times when Jesus is silent, He is usually working on something. We are often impatient and think that if God is silent, He doesn’t care. We want God to act right now in the way we want Him too. We need to exercise the virtue of patience. God will act when the time is right in the way He wants to. Sometimes, Jesus doesn’t solve our problems, but simply offers us a sense of peace as we make our way through them.

The storms we experience in life are allowed by God to benefit us in some way. We can usually only see this in hindsight when we look at the big picture. In some cases, I think we may only be able to fully appreciate this in the light of eternity.  

However, if you are going through a storm right now or if, like me, you see one coming, I highly recommend reading and praying with Let Go of Your Fear: Choosing to Trust Jesus in Life’s Stormy Times. Zimak’s reflections and prayers offer a light in the storm. I especially appreciated this prayer from page 131:

Dear Jesus, when things are going wrong, my first reaction is to hide in my bed and pull the covers up over my head. I know that it’s not the best thing to do, but it’s what seems to make the most sense. Grant me the strength to follow you, even when it means taking a risk and stepping out of the boat. I am always safest when I’m with you, Lord. Help me to remember that, especially when I start to panic. Amen.

New Catholic Fiction! Summer at West Castle

 Today I'm happy to take part in the blog tour for Summer at West Castle, the follow up to Theresa Linden's Anyone but Him. 

 

College student Caitlyn Summer arrives at the Wests’ castle-like house to fill in for their live-in maid. After a recent decision blows her vision of the future, this ideal job and the peaceful surroundings are just what she needs to seek God’s will for her life. That is, until Jarret West, not wanting a repeat of past mistakes, backs out of a summer-long field study overseas and returns home. The two have never gotten along, and unforgettable baggage from the past makes it hard even to be cordial. While Jarret’s faults convince Caitlyn he hasn’t changed, she forces herself to offer kindness. Her act of mercy puts them on an unexpected path where Caitlyn is challenged to look beneath the surface and Jarret struggles to trust that God wills good for him.

 

Author Bio: Theresa Linden is the author of award-winning Catholic fiction. One of her great joys is to bring elements of faith to life through a story. She has over a dozen published books, three of which won awards from the Catholic Press Association. Her articles and interviews can be found on various radio shows and magazines, including EWTN’s The Good Fight, The National Catholic Register, Catholic Digest, Catholic Teacher, and Catholic Mom. She is a member of the Catholic Writers Guild and CatholicTeenBooks.com. A wife, homeschooling mom, and Secular Franciscan, she resides in northeast Ohio with her husband and family.