Inspirational Journeys: Stories that Matter

Inspirational Journeys: Stories that Matter

By Ann HarrisonArtsBooks
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Inspirational Journeys: Stories that Matter episodes

  • A Deep Dive into Historical Fiction with Marguerite Martin Gray
    I love to celebrate new book launches and champion the
    Celebrate Lit Publishing authors who’s work I’ve edited. Today’s episode is no
    exception! Join my special guest and me as we talk about her writing journey
    and celebrate her brand new novella.
    Marguerite
    Martin Gray is the author of the Revolutionary Faith series, Gardens in Time
    series, and Room for Love in the Suamalie Islands series. She enjoys
    researching and studying history. An avid traveler and reader, she teaches
    French and Spanish. She currently lives in North Louisiana with her husband and
    rescue pets. Her two adult children and two grandsons keep her up to date and
    young.
    Promise Me Christmas is a Christmas novella, companion to
    Revolutionary Faith Series, 1784 Charleston, SC
    Purchase link:
    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CBD4524R?crid=13Z6KSZ1AHDWG&keywords=promise+me+christmas&qid=1688802633&sprefix=promise+me+christma,aps,1631&sr=8-9&linkCode=sl1&tag=celelit-20&linkId=d1389c405b2ed09385eacf7f2deed398&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
     
    Connect with Marguerite at the following links:
    Newsletter:
    https://eepurl.com/gF-3I1
    Website/Blog:
    https://www.margueritemartingray.com
    BookBub:
    https://www.bookbub.com/authors/marguerite-martin-gray
    Facebook
    Reader Group:
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/1408197086342364
    Instagram:
    https://www.instagram.com/margueritemgray
     
    Visit
    www.everyday-excellence.com and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get
    10% off any
    product on the site.
    Subscribe to
    the 540 Writers Community for free, if you need some writing accountability,
    and you want  to participate inwriting
    workshops. Visit:
    https://540writerscommunity.com/
    to sign up for
    the newsletter and search for 540 writers community on Facebook.
    30 min
  • Multifaceted Author Karl Beckstrand Discusses his Writing and Publishing Journey
    In today’s
    episode, my special guest and I talk about his writing and publishing journey.
    College media instructor Karl W.
    Beckstrand is the best-selling author/illustrator of twenty-seven
    multicultural/multilingual books (65 e-books—reviews by Publisher’s Weekly,
    Kirkus, The Horn Book, and School Library Journal). Raised in San Jose, California,
    he has lived abroad, earned a B.A. in journalism, an M.A. in conflict
    resolution, and a broadcast & film certificate. His western novel, To
    Swallow the Earth, won a 2016 International Book Award. Beckstrand loves
    volleyball and singing (in rock bands or choirs). His Y.A. stories, e-book
    mysteries, biographies, Spanish/bilingual books, wordless and STEM books
    feature diverse characters—and usually end with a twist. See: Amazon,
    Apple/iBooks, Baker & Taylor, Barnes & Noble, Follett, Ingram, Target,
    Walmart, and PremioBooks.com
    Connect with Karl at the following
    links:
    https://premiobooks.com/book-author-visits
    https://www.facebook.com/KarlBeckstrand.AuthorSpeaker
    https://www.instagram.com/karlbeckstrand/
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlbeckstrand/
    https://www.pinterest.com/karlbx/
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnBDasodvKjUEC_0X4yLpFg
    https://twitter.com/PremioBooks
    Visit www.everyday-excellence.com
    and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get
    10% off any
    product on the site.
    Subscribe to
    the 540 Writers Community for free, if you need some writing accountability,
    and you want  to participate inwriting
    workshops. Visit:
    https://540writerscommunity.com/
    to sign up for
    the newsletter and search for 540 writers community on Facebook.
    10 min
  • Writing Encouragement for Writers of All Ages with Shanti Hershenson
    Today’s episode is a special one for two reasons. My special
    guest is not only a children’s book author, she’s a teen author with a birthday
    coming up in two weeks.
    Shanti Hershenson’s first two novellas
    were published when she was in the sixth grade, although her writing journey
    started long before then. Ever since she could hold a pencil, marker, or
    crayon, she was creating stories. They started from pictures, mere scribbles,
    and eventually, turned into captivating tales. She lives in California with her
    parents, sister, and furry friends. Besides writing, she enjoys skateboarding,
    Beyblading, free-running, falconry, and of course, reading. She writes in a
    variety of genres, including Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Historical Fiction,
    although she mostly sticks to Sci-Fi. She advocates for anti-bullying, and you
    may find her at open mic-nights, performing her spoken word poem Needles &
    Thorns, which is about the struggle of bullying in middle schools.
    Shanti’s featured book is entitled: Helipads in Heaven.
    World-renowned author Dillon Hershkop has everything she wants in life,
    but getting there hasn’t been easy. Now thirty years old, she has achieved
    almost everything she dreamed of as a young girl: A dazzling career, a devoted
    fan base, and a picture-perfect family—but despite all of this, she is also
    painstakingly bored.That is why, when Dillon receives the
    opportunity to become the test subject for a time-traveling experiment hosted
    by JPL’s brand new Center for Experimental Science, she seizes the opportunity
    to explore La Cañada—and the places she grew up around—without any immediate
    reservations. In exchange, she can write a brand new memoir both about time
    travel and the nearly forgotten experiences that shaped her into the talented
    woman she is today. That is, if she returns.Dillon is soon thrown head-first as an adult
    spectator into the complicated world of her ten-year-old self—fondly nicknamed Goose—from
    her love of helicopters, writing, and all things Elton John, to her unreceptive
    fourth-grade teacher, Ms. Vincent, her sourly judgemental classmates, and the
    missed opportunities of a fourth-grade writer with a smothered voice.As she observes the childhood she does not
    entirely remember, she begins to realize that there are reasons for the holes
    in her memories—things she must not remember, because if she does, it may
    become impossible to stand back and watch the oil of her bottled-up trauma be
    poured into a fire from a distance. And if she goes against the direct orders
    of the laboratory, the effects of tampering with a nearly unknown science may
    permanently disrupt the fabrics of time, space, and Dillon’s existence.From the teenage author of You Won’t Know Her
    Name, Helipads in Heaven is a deep and heartwarming
    adventure of time travel, childhood ambitions, and at the core, a love letter
    to unique children and those who dare to dream.
    Purchase link:
    https://www.amazon.com/Helipads-Heaven-Shanti-Hershenson-ebook/dp/B0C97X49B6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2E564HUJXFRRD&keywords=Helipads+in+Heaven+by+Shanti+Hershenson&qid=1696259960&sprefix=helipads+in+heaven+by+shanti+hershenson%2Caps%2C91&sr=8-1
    Connect
    with Shanti at the following links:
    https://www.shantihershenson.com/
    https://www.instagram.com/shantihershenson/?hl=en
    https://www.pinterest.com/shantihershenson/
    https://www.tiktok.com/@shantiwhowrites
    https://twitter.com/ShantiHersh
    28 min
  • The Joy of Writing Educational and Entertaining Chapterbooks with Tonya Ellis
    My special
    guest and I have a fun and exciting conversation about our love of writing
    children’s books. Even though today’s episode is audio only for the most part,
    I get so excited to show off a new toy I made, that I forget that I don’t have
    my camera on, and turn it on for a brief second.so if you’re listening on
    YouTube, please disregard my split second video shot. For those of you
    listening, I’ll share the picture of the crocheted ice cream I talked about as
    part of the show notes blogpost on my site.
    TONYA DUNCAN
    ELLIS is author of the award-winning, 13-book, SOPHIE
    WASHINGTON children’s chapter series and THEY BUILT ME FOR FREEDOM
    (HarperCollins, Balzer + Bray, 2024). She is a member of the Society of
    Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the Authors Guild, and the
    Brown Bookshelf’s Highlights Foundation-sponsored Amplify Black Stories
    storyteller cohort. Tonya has spoken and taught at writing conferences at the
    Highlights Foundation and for SCBWI in New York City and for SCBWI Houston and
    Austin, TX chapters. A former journalist and freelance magazine writer, she
    holds a BA degree in French from Centre College of Kentucky and an MBA degree
    from Washington University in St. Louis. Tonya is represented by Sara Megibow
    of kt Literary. She
    lives in Houston, Texas and is married with three children.
    There are 13 books in the SOPHIE WASHINGTON chapter
    series geared toward kids ages 8 to 12. African American preteen Sophie
    Washington and her friends deal with common tween issues like fighting off
    bullies, squabbling with siblings, managing social media and video games,
    getting schoolwork done, fitting in, and puppy love, with a Texas-twist. Sophie
    lives in the suburbs of Houston, Texas and sees alligators on neighborhood bike
    rides, goes muttin’ bustin’ at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and
    experiences flooding and hurricanes, which makes for all kinds of exciting
    adventures. Books in the Sophie Washington series include Sophie
    Washington: Queen of the Bee, Sophie Washington: The Snitch, Sophie Washington:
    Things You Didn’t Know About Sophie, Sophie Washington: The Gamer, Sophie Washington: Hurricane, Sophie
    Washington: Mission: Costa Rica, Sophie Washington: Secret Santa, Sophie
    Washington: Code One, Sophie Washington: Mismatch, Sophie
    Washington: My BFF, Sophie Washington: Class Retreat, Sophie
    Washington: Lemonade Day, and Sophie Washington: Treasure
    Beach. 
    Connect with
    Tonya at the following links:
    Website: www.tonyaduncanellis.com
    Facebook:
    https://www.facebook.com/tonyaellisbooks/
    Instagram:
    https://www.instagram.com/tonyaellisbooks/
    YouTube:
    https://www.youtube.com/@tonyaellisbooks
     
     
    Visit
    www.everyday-excellence.com and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get
    10% off any product on the site.
    Subscribe to
    the 540 Writers Community for free, if you need some writing accountability,
    and you want  to participate inwriting
    workshops. Visit:
    https://540writerscommunity.com/
    to sign up for
    the newsletter and search for 540 writers community on Facebook.
    26 min
  • Forward by Fire with Pastor Writer Austin Moore
    The only way
    to move forward in God’s calling for your life is by faith. That’s what Austin
    moore and I talk about in this week’s episode, as we celebrate his debut novel.
    Austin Moore is a lead pastor who lives with his wife and
    four children in Southeast Georgia. He has spent most of his life in full-time
    church ministry while writing worship music. His ministry experience and a
    newfound passion have led him to creative writing to tell the story of God’s
    life-changing power in a new way.
    Austin’s debut novel is entitled Forward by Fire.
    All is lost as James’ car hurtles upside down through the
    air…
    …until he invokes the name of God.
    He wakes up in a bizarre new world, but is it a dream? A
    delusion? The afterlife?
    His estranged daughter Mary appears in the haze of the
    forest, but she’s apprehended by a strange dark force and taken away. James
    feels just as powerless to reach her as always.
    Whether this world is real or not, he’s got to try to find
    her, and his only hope is a map with mind-bending supernatural power.
    Can a man who’s never believed in the unseen step into the
    unknown?
    Would he relive the pain of the past and face a mysterious
    evil to save Mary and fix what’s broken between them?
    “What kind of father wouldn’t try?”
    James is no man of faith, but faith is the only way
    forward…
    …and souls are on the line.
    Purchase link:
    https://www.amazon.com/Forward-Fire-Austin-Moore-ebook/dp/B0C6H4VF1C?ref_=ast_author_mpb&_encoding=UTF8&tag=revaustinmoor-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=c03b8f56fb9b44fd7fae49bec8944ce3&camp=1789&creative=9325
    Connect with Austin at the following links:
    https://austinmoore.net/
    https://www.facebook.com/austinmoorebooks
    https://www.instagram.com/rev.austinmoore
    Visit
    www.everyday-excellence.com and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get
    10% off any product on the site.
    Subscribe to
    the 540 Writers Community for free, if you need some writing accountability,
    and you want  to participate inwriting
    workshops. Visit:
    https://540writerscommunity.com/
    to sign up for
    the newsletter and search for 540 writers community on Facebook.
    29 min
  • Streamline Your Author Platform to Align with Your Writing
    What types of
    books do you write? Does your author platform align with your writing? That’s
    what I’ll be talking about in this weeks episode. I also share some changes
    coming to the podcast and my YouTube channel and give you some encouragement
    and prayers to help you move forward with streamlining your platform and becoming
    an expert in the gifts God has given you in your calling to write.
    Visit
    www.everyday-excellence.com and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get
    10% off any product on the site.
    Subscribe to
    the 540 Writers Community for free, if you need some writing accountability,
    and you want  to participate inwriting
    workshops. Visit:
    https://540writerscommunity.com/
    to sign up for
    the newsletter and search for 540 writers community on Facebook.
    12 min
  • Joan Patterson Discusses her Faith in God and her Service Dogs
    What would you do if you crossed paths with a service dog
    handler? In today’s episode, Joan Patterson and I discuss the different between
    a service dog and a guide dog. We discuss her latest book and her writing. Sit
    back and enjoy our inspiring and informative conversation.
    Career educator, author, and speaker Joan Patterson received
    a Bachelor of Science in education and business and an associate degree in
    Bible from Liberty University. More than three decades of multiple sclerosis
    (MS) have confined Joan to a wheelchair, from which she communicates
    passionately the life lessons God has taught her through service dog companions
    Faith and Giles. Joan has spoken to churches, women’s groups, children’s
    groups, civic groups, schools, nursing homes and professional groups.
    Joan’s memoire is entitled: A Matter of Faith,
    Surviving Life’s Crises with Four Wheels, Four Paws, and a Loving God.
     
    In this unique memoir, Joan Patterson chronicles her
    experiences as the human half of an extraordinary homosapien -canine
    partnership. Adventures ranging from quirky, hilarious, poignant, challenging,
    but never dull offer fresh perspective on how to survive life’s relentless
    crises and develop a closer relationship with God. Joan’s hope and prayer in
    introducing readers to her delightful, devoted canine partner is that each will
    walk away from these pages with renewed faith and a deeper understanding of a
    loving heavenly Father who is always there to help his children in time of
    need.
    Purchase link:
    https://www.amazon.com/s?k=a+matter+of+faith+joan+patterson&crid=TSNQ5LALAV5K&sprefix=a+matter+of+faith%2Caps%2C97&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_4_17
    Visit Joan’s website at:
    https://joanpatterson.org/
    Listen to Joan’s interview with Patti Shene on her radio
    show called Step Into the Light by clicking the following link and clicking the
    play button on the first episode:
    https://pattishene.com/stepintothelightradioshow
    Visit www.everyday-excellence.com
    and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get 10% off any product on the
    site.
    Subscribe to
    the 540 Writers Community for free, if you need some writing accountability,
    and you want  to participate inwriting
    workshops. Visit:
    https://beckyantkowiak.com/join-the-540-writers-community/
    to sign up for
    the newsletter and search for 540 writers community on Facebook.
    41 min
  • Connect your Craft to your Writing WWJ Writing Conference encore Presentation
    Here’s a sneak
    peek at the fourth annual WWJ writing conference which was streamed live on YouTube
    on Saturday August 19, 2023. My presentation is entitled Connect your Craft
    with your Writing. If you enjoy this presentation, click the play list link below
    to see the rest of the conference.
    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsc18KIWy0rvL_3AU23UVJcNiYT4JGKNS
    Visit
    www.everyday-excellence.com and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get
    10% off any product on the site.
    Subscribe to
    the 540 Writers Community for free, if you need some writing accountability,
    and you want  to participate inwriting
    workshops. Visit:
    https://beckyantkowiak.com/join-the-540-writers-community/
    to sign up for
    the newsletter and search for 540 writers community on Facebook.
    31 min
  • Surround Yourself with a Team of Prayer Warriors
    Seeking first
    the kingdom of God is important if we want to align with God and follow His
    plan for our lives., I encourage you to surround yourself with a
    team of prayer warriors. The passages of scripture I reference throughout today’s
    episode include: John 15:4–5; Matthew 6:33; and Matthew 6:5–12. I read these
    verses from the King James Version of the Bible.
    My challenge to you is this: Seak first the Kingdom of God, invite
    your family, friends, church members, email subscribers and people in your
    writing community to be a member of your prayer team, according to God’s will,
    and pray for one another. Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three
    are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
    Visit
    www.everyday-excellence.com and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get
    10% off any product on the site.
    Subscribe to
    the 540 Writers Community for free, if you need some writing accountability,
    and you want  to participate inwriting
    workshops. Visit:
    https://beckyantkowiak.com/join-the-540-writers-community/
    to sign up for
    the newsletter and search for 540 writers community on Facebook.
    If you missed the Writing Warriors for Jesus 4th annual
    writing conference, you can watch the replays here:
    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsc18KIWy0rvL_3AU23UVJcNiYT4JGKNS
    24 min
  • Takeaways and Updates from the Write His Answer Conference
    In this return
    episode from my short hiatus, I share my takeaways and some exciting updates that
    I received while attending the write His answer virtual writing conference. Stick
    around to the end, because I encourage you, dear listeners and viewers, to
    attend a conference either by paying for it yourself, or applying for Cecil Murphy
     scholarships whenever possible.
    Visit
    www.everyday-excellence.com and use promo code Inspirational Journeys to get
    10% off any product on the site.
    Subscribe to
    the 540 Writers Community for free, if you need some writing accountability,
    and you want  to participate inwriting
    workshops. Visit:
    https://beckyantkowiak.com/join-the-540-writers-community/
    to sign up for
    the newsletter and search for 540 writers community on Facebook.
    The Write His
    Answer virtual writers conference kicks off tomorrow August 9th, and
    runs through Saturday August 12. There’s still time to register if you wish to
    attend live, and scholarships are available. To learn more and register for
    this fabulous lineup of workshops, continuing sessions, learning labs,
    roundtable discussions, breakouts and more, visit the Write His Answer
    conference website at:
    https://colorado.writehisanswer.com
    Mark your
    calendars for August 19 from 9 a.m. to5 p.m. for the 2023 WWJ writing
    conference, which will be live streamed on YouTube. If you can’t watch the
    conference live, you can go back and watch the videos in the playlist any time
    after the live event by visiting:
    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsc18KIWy0rvL_3AU23UVJcNiYT4JGKNS
    15 min

About Inspirational Journeys: Stories that Matter

From the publisher's feed

Welcome to Inspirational Journeys, stories that matter ! Listen as I speak with K-12 authors about their writing process, how they found illustrators if needed, and speak with K-12 editors, agents, and publishers as they share tips for up and coming K-12 authors. Listen as I share editing tips and strategies, and platform building advice I learn throughout my author and editing journey, champion authors whose work I've edited, and give authors with disabilities a platform to share their writing journeys.