Two FREE books today and tomorrow

 

December 22 and 23, get these two books.

At Amazon

At Amazon

FREE today! December 8th and 9th!

 I Walked with Jesus 1 and 2 will be FREE on December 8th and 9th!

At Amazon
Currently #33 in Inspirational Religious Fiction

At Amazon

December 15 AND 16, the next weekend, get The Human Bean and Mooseberry Mooseberry Gooseberry Pie!

At Amazon

At Amazon

December 22 AND 23 the weekend following, get The Parables of Virginia Bean (Conquering Your Goliaths, The Feast, and The Gift all in one book). 

At Amazon

If you didn't get your hands on the individual stories I had free in November, now's your chance!

Finally, on December 23, Get the Conquering Your Goliaths Guidebook!

 

At Amazon

By now, you've probably read all three Virginia Bean stories and have a desire to work through some Goliaths in your own life.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

See new book trailers for Conquering Your Goliaths and The Feast!

 

Ready...set...FREE!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I have four FREE books slotted for the end of November beginning on the 24th, Black Friday. They are

Conquering Your Goliaths - 24th

The Feast - 25th

 

The Gift - 26th

and Enlightened - 27th!

CYBER MONDAY FEEL GOOD DEAL!

Today is Cyber Monday, and you know what that means! A FREE gift for you!

For the first time, get all three Parables in one place. That's Conquering Your Goliaths, The Feast, and The Gift!

Get the book HERE!

CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Joy from the Parable series by Yours Truly

Tell me a little about yourself (where you live, who you are, what you look like, what you hope to achieve, etc.)

My name is Joy and I live with my mother. We live anywhere we can find, and sometimes I am able to spend a few nights at a homeless shelter for teens. My father is no longer in the picture, and that's fine with me, though at least with him, we had a place to live. My greatest hope is to find a better life for myself and my mother - even though she has given up all hope and I'm carrying the burden for both of us.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

My spare time is plentiful. Mother and I walk the streets and make infrequent visits to see Virginia and Richard at Just Desserts. I wish for a job, for a way out, but so far, all we really have is each other.

What is your favorite color and why?

I love pink. Actually, I love any color besides black.

What is your favorite food? Why is it your favorite?

That's easy. Cupcakes. They make them at Just Desserts and once I've saved up, my mother takes me over there for a special treat. Each cupcake is always served with a glittering ring on top - but the first ring was my favorite. I can't tell you why, you'll just have to read the series. It starts with Conquering Your Goliaths: A Parable of the Five Stones, next you'll want to read The Feast: A Parable of the Ring, and finally, you'll want to get your hands on, The Gift: A Parable of the Key.

What would you say is your biggest quirk?

I keep thinking that my mom's going to change, but I'm not sure if this is a quirk. Perhaps liking cupcakes so much is a quirk, but I think there's something else to liking them that I just haven't figured out yet.

What is it about your antagonist that irks you the most, and why? Share a line in the book where this irk is manifested.

My antagonist is the whole world and not anyone in particular, though my mother comes at a quick second, and my father definitely would if he was still around. Let's see, if it wasn't for my mother being addicted to drugs maybe she'd be able to get a job and then we could rent a place. I'm old enough to work but it's hard to get a job when you're homeless. I have high hopes that one day Virginia or Richard will ask me. I know I can work hard, I just worry what will happen to mother if I go to work. Will she be able to work with me?

Joy peered behind her mother like a small child. But she wasn't a small child. What was the woman doing to her only daughter? Whatever it was, she wouldn't stand for it.

"We have a right to our privacy!" the woman screamed, taking her daughter by the hair and pulling her in front of her.

"I'm so..." Joy began.

"Don't you go apologizing!"

"We're... in... their...house," Joy stammered.

Grace glared at Virginia. "It doesn't matter," she wheezed, letting go of her daughter's hair and taking her daughter by the hand. "I suppose you want us to leave."

Virginia was dumb struck. What could she possibly say to this woman? Do? And then the words came:

"We will not allow drugs in this house! I don't care if it's booze or needles!"

Joy blinked her large green eyes. "I told you, I told you they'd find out!"

Grace scowled. "I told you to be quiet."

Joy laughed. But it was a sickly laugh, almost as if she couldn't believe what her mother had told her to do.

What or who means the most to you in your life? What, if anything, would you do to keep him/her/it in your life?

God means the most to me. Perhaps you don't believe me, but my grandmother always told me to remember who I was, and I know that I'm more than a homeless girl trying to take care of her mother. I have a spirit and I know God is my father. I also love Virginia and Richard. They continue to help me and I'm happy they are in my life.

What one thing would you like readers to know about you that may not be spelled out in the book in which you inhabit?

I know that I can have a better life. Sure, it's hard now, but I have this feeling that God is leading me along somehow. How else would I have ever met Virginia and Richard?

If you could tell your writer (creator) anything about yourself that might turn the direction of the plot, what would it be?

Sometimes I get tired of waiting for my mother to be like she used to be. I get short tempered with her (at least in my mind). I'm tired of taking care of her. I have sometimes thought to just leave her and find my own way, but I just can't do that. If someone is sick do you just leave them at the side of the road because you don't like what they're doing? My mother was good once. Maybe she will be good again.

Ask me any question. I've always wanted to know what a character thinks about writers like myself. I'll answer the question at the end of this interview.

Why do characters have to go through so much bad stuff? Why couldn't you have made things just a little easier on me?

Great question, Joy. You know, life isn't always about what you want, and sometimes it's worse than you could ever imagine, but that's how life is. That's why the stones and what they represent are so important - Listening, Trust, Optimism, Tenacity and Constancy, aren't just fun words to memorize, they are new ways of living and remaining close to God.

This is one thing I know for sure because I created all of my endings; they are always hopeful. You will get through this hard time. You will. And you will just love the ending (and the new beginning) I have given you.

***

Thanks, Joy!

Learn more about Joy and the author,

yours truly,

Kathryn Elizabeth Jones

by clicking on the social media tags on the front page

WINNERS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN FOR Conquering Your Goliaths and The Feast

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED! AND CONGRATS TO THE WINNERS!

If you haven't read Conquering Your Goliaths: A Parable of the Five Stones or The Feast: A Parable of the Ring, you may just want to enter one or both of these contests. Amazon will ship the books to the winners.

You can find the contests by clicking the links below:

https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/b9f4a95b9c5fbb74

https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/32bf973ad4cc3557 

Both of these contests are in preparation for the release of my upcoming book, The Gift: A Parable of the Key, to be released on September 1, 2015. ENTER TODAY!!

Writing Christian Fiction

For all of the time I spend writing Christian fiction, I don't believe I've ever spoken about it specifically, and I think it's about time.

As with all fiction, the characters, setting, dialogue and so forth must be well-written; this is a given for any fiction, but there are some things to remember when writing Christian fiction. Here is a short list of a few things I try to remember when I'm writing Christian fiction:

The main character must grow and change, but this growth needs to have some sort of spiritual hook. This means the character may have a difficult time praying to God or going to church or living a Christ centered life away from it.

And while Christian fiction may delve into heavy topics such as spousal abuse, childhood neglect, or drinking problems, etc., the language expressing the difficulties must be handled with kid gloves. The topic itself must not be explicit, rather inferred, and this creates some difficulty for authors who want to share the truth of it.

Christian fiction can include scripture, but the scriptures used shouldn't be too heavy handed; you don't want any preaching felt in your book, rather, you want the reader to feel hopeful for the main character as well as guilt-free concerning his/her own life.

Again, that doesn't mean that heavy topics can't be discussed in your book, but that you watch out when it comes to pointing your finger at the reader. Yes, this can happen even in a fiction book because, in Christian fiction, elements of truth and doctrine are sprinkled throughout, and you don't want the reader tossing your book aside because you've been too heavy handed.

Christian fiction can include romance and mystery, but again, the romance and mystery is written to reflect the Christian attitudes of the main character. Christian fiction is not main stream fiction for good reason.

The person picking up your book expects it to be clean and inspirational. They expect to be taken on a journey of faith, and to grow their own faith in the process. No pulling is required. Like a shepherd who leads the sheep, the reader expects to follow behind the Master.

BOOK SIGNING LAST DAY! Boutique!

Yes, I'm scheduled for another book signing!

If you missed it yesterday, there's still TODAY! 

This one will be at the Kearns Senior Center, 4851 West 4715 South from 9 a.m to 4 p.m. on Thursday, December 4 and Friday, December 5.

There will also be some terrific booths selling handcrafted boutique items.

BOOK 2

BOOK 1

Book 1

Book 2
NEWLY RELEASED!

FOR AUTHORS

LAST DAY of the Simple Treasures Show!

Just a quick note about the Simple Treasures Gift Show!


https://www.facebook.com/simpletreasuresboutique

My biggest seller?

I have only one copy left of "Scrambled," book 1 in the Susan Cramer Mystery Series, and only 8 copies left of book 2, "Sunny Side- Up." 

Nancy Peterson, the narrator of Conquering Your Goliaths and The Feast will be here today, so stop on by for one of my inspirational reads. 

Rested up and ready for a new day!

Kathryn

AUDIO PREVIEW: Conquering Your Goliaths and The Feast!

If you haven't had the chance to listen to a preview of...

Conquering Your Goliaths: A Parable of the Five Stones

And 

The Feast: A Parable of the Ring

NOW IS THE TIME!

CLICK HERE: 

Don't forget to visit me at my booth this Saturday the 8th at the Simple Treasures Gift Show to listen in LIVE to Nancy Peterson reading my books!

LAST DAY! Conquering Your Goliaths .99 cents, The Feast FREE

Today's the day!

Get Conquering Your Goliaths: A Parable of the Five Stones for .99 cents in eBook format, and/or The Feast: A Parable of the Ring for FREE in eBook format! Through August 9, 2014 ONLY!

Audio is also available for $6.08! at Amazon Or FREE with Audible Trial! Listen to a FREE clip from book!
Or purchase at iTunes or Audible!

Conquering Your Goliaths Book Trailer

The Feast Book Trailer

Today's the Last Day for the FREE eBook!

Freedom is such an important thing. Freedom to choose, freedom from oppression, freedom to speak your mind...

Freedom to give away FREE books!

If you haven't yet seen the great deal going on with my book, Conquering Your Goliaths: A Parable of the Five Stones, NOW is the time to check in and get it!

The eBook is FREE through the 5th!

Once you've read the book I would really appreciate a review! You may also be interested in reading book two, The Feast: A Parable of the Ring.

Conquering Your Goliaths: Audio Preview

As a bit of a preview. I'd like to share with you a portion of the audio version of Conquering Your Goliaths: A Parable of the Five Stones, to be released in October of this year. Click here to hear a short clip.

Nancy Peterson does a beautiful job of not only portraying God, but the tender, learning feelings of Virginia.

I will also release the audio of The Feast: A Parable of the Ring, at about the same time.

Expect The Gift: A Parable of the Key, the last book in the parable series to be released October 2015. It's in the works!

BLACK FRIDAY DEAL! FAVORITE BOOKS FOR 1.99!

Price will be back to $3.99 later today...

Get them while you can!

Purchase an eBook of :

EARLY on BLACK FRIDAY

and get your choice(s) for

$1.99!

By the end of the day, each of these books will be back to their regular eBook price!

Here are the links!!

Scrambled
A River of Stones
Conquering Your Goliaths
The Feast

HAPPY HALLOWEEN: SOME TREATS!



Photo by: lobo235, courtesy of Flickr

Watch a short video!

Find out who won the Fear Not contest:

 

http://idea-creations.blogspot.com/2013/10/book-giveaway.html

BOOK GIVEAWAY WINNER!!

Fear Not Blog Hop

THE WINNER OF THE FEAR NOT BLOG HOP HALLOWEEN CONTEST IS....

DRUMROLL PLEASE... Litany!

This is her entry:

Have Halleluiah House where it will be a maze of angels, different people from the bible like Esther, Ruth, David in the lions den, Jonah in the whale, etc. And at the end of the maze you enter into a Holy Ghost Party where you just relax and have people dressed as angels(they can be servers, DJ) and have fun so they won't miss out on events but it just will be in uplifting God.

I chose this entry because it was not only creative but carried on with the theme of "Fear Not" in a most unusual but inspiring way. Congratulations, Litany!

The Feast: A Parable of the Ring: (book 2)

 

A GRAND PRIZE, as well as other additional book prizes (including mine) will be given at the site hosting the Fear Not Blog Hop.

http://fearnotbloghop.weebly.com/
Win $95 and other book prizes!

DON'T MISS OUT!

 

 

 

 

THE FEAST: REVIEWS

If you haven't picked up a copy of The Feast yet, these two reviews (my first complete reviews in the realm of Amazon) should help you decide.

As an author, you are always looking for great reviews that reveal your book in a unique way, and such was the case with the review by Warren Thurston of Australia. You are also happy to see a review that your book has changed some ones life: such was the case with the review by Mike Nach, a writer and reviewer I met at a recent conference.

And so I place them before you today.

Amazon link

Kathryn Elizabeth Jones has created an amazing book about marriage, commitment and God. Virginia and Richard Green live in a childless union. They tried for five years to bring a child into the world, now all between them has broken down.

In the beginning the couple felt a strong commitment to each other as the flood of love washed over them. They thought their love for each other and for God would carry them through all of life's troubles. But doubt had crept in about their love and of God's commitment to them.

Both Richard and Virginia thought that God had abandoned them. Why? Neither could fathom the reason. What they didn't realize was they had cut themselves off from God. Wrapped in their perceived pursuit of happiness, they had unknowingly ex-communicated themselves from their creator. But God had not abandoned the couple and through patience and love, guides them back to him and their true selves.

Readers of this book will have no trouble in empathizing with Virginia and Richard. The characters have all the positive and negative characteristics of the human condition. Kathryn Elizabeth Jones shows a valued insight into what makes a successful marriage. Her writing style is easy to follow and a joy to explore her view of the world through the books characters.

The Feast is a book that manages to both instruct and entertain. I found the book thought provoking and a pleasure to read. I thoroughly recommend it to all those readers looking for a book of quality, one that is worth the effort to purchase and read.

The guide at the end of the book is an excellent reference that contains a wealth of wisdom.

Too many books today are poorly written in the telling style and lack substance. The Feast is not one of those. It's a book which I'm sure makes the author proud and is a worthwhile addition to the works of Kathryn Elizabeth Jones.

W.A. Thurston

In Kathryn's earlier book "In Conquering Your Goliaths & Parable of the Five Stones", Ms. Virginia Bean comes in contact with God and the five stones-Listening, Trust, Optimism, Tenacity and Constancy. These stones helped her to learn about herself, her relationship with God and others.
In this book, we learn that she and her husband of five years, Richard, are drifting apart. Reason-they are childless! These nagging problems have made Virginia dejected and lose her faith in God and the five stones.

But, God works in mysterious ways! Very soon, He, a little child and a cupcake with a ring on it manifest to play an important role in their lives. How? Read the book!

I must confess that this book has renewed my faith in God. We must accept what He has store for us to find peace in our life. I have read the last chapter "The Feast- A Spiritual Guide" over and over again. It contains advice which is applicable for everyone.
Thanks, Kathryn, for this wonderful book!

Mike Nach

You can purchase The Feast: A Parable of the Ring, through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, but you can also get the book from me. Same price, and you'll also receive an autographed copy.

If you can't make it to my signing on Saturday, take a peek at my book online. After you've read The Feast, I would love to hear from you.

7 Things You Can Do For a Successful Book Signing

Since I'm preparing for my book signing on Saturday, my mind has been on how to best make it successful.

And I've come to the conclusion that:

1. People like to be spoiled. Don't just sign your book, give a free gift to go along with your book.

2. Make sure you have plenty of food and that you give yourself plenty of time to put it all together. I will be cooking my heart and soul out the Friday before, and frosting the cupcakes the morning of the signing. We've decided on Sprite with raspberry sherbet for the drink, and that's going to take some continuous scooping the day of the event.

3. Get help from friends and family members. You need to be focused on greeting your friends and family; get others to focus on the food and prizes.

4. Yes prizes! I have decided to do a few fun prizes during the signing, and will be giving away t-shirts and other cupcake related fun. You don't need to spend a lot on the prizes, but keep in mind your book's theme as you decide on what to get. Some of my prizes are donated, others were purchased at Michael's and the Dollar Store.

5. Don't give away your book as a prize; you want your visitors to purchase a copy. But you can give your visitors a discount on the book if you'd like. I'm doing a discount on Conquering Your Goliaths and The Feast. If the reader buys one of each they save $2. And make sure you have plenty of cash on hand to work out transactions.

6. Keep it light. It's important that your visitors feel comfortable and not pressured into buying your book. If you make it fun, and make it about them more than about you, you will see success. (Besides, they are probably coming to your signing anyway because they want to purchase a book).

7. One more thing. Send out invitations! I used VistaPrint to put together my postcards, and mailed them so that folks would get them a week before the event. It's a good idea to talk about your event on your blog, on Facebook and on other social media networks, but it's also nice to give the personal touch. Add your phone number to the card and make sure you keep a tally of those who say they are coming. You will never get a call from everyone, but you should get a good idea of how many to plan on. If you send out 200 invites you should get a pretty good crowd. Even 100 invites is good; remember the more you send out, the more visitors you'll get.

And don't forget to have fun.

 

FREE eBOOK of THE FEAST (Last Day!)

Scrambling a bit in your marriage?

Wondering if the power of the five stones: listening, trust, optimism, tenacity and constancy really work in something as huge as never being able to have a child?

Then you'll want to get your hands on The Feast: A Parable of the Ring!

Today through Saturday, get the eBook FREE!

If you're interested in reviewing this book, I would greatly appreciate it. Contact me at: Kathy@ariverofstones.com is you're interested. Thank you!

Get it here

Get my book today, after that the price returns to $3.99 for the eBook.