This book is described as an Amish meets the wild-West piece of fiction and that is a true statement!
Emma Switzer’s family is transporting her out west to aid a relative. However, they never reach their destination due to the fact that their wagon and animals are stolen by robbers. In their search for help, the Switzer family prays that the Lord would make it abundantly clear as to who was supposed to help them. Luke Carson literally lands at their feet.
Excited to be leading his first cattle drive, Luke doesn't initially want to help this Amish family whose clothing and ideas are so far removed from his own. But his conscience gets the best of him and he finds himself intertwined with this family.
Little does he know, that later it is this family who will help him redeem his cattle drive . . . and he just might find a wife in the process.
Heart of the Country initially grabbed my attention. But towards the middle, my attention waned. In fact, I even switched to a different book for a few days.
I guess I thought the characters were behaving . . . out of character. Almost ridiculous.
This surprised me, because I have liked other Rene Gutteridge books.
Faith and Luke Carraway make a great married couple. Faith is a country girl who appreciates her new life filled with money. She loved her husband and faithfully supported him, despite not measuring up to Luke’s family standards.
Luke finds himself caught in a major financial scandal and he looks guilty.
At this point, I became frustrated with the novel.
Faith and Luke fight. This is the first time in the history of their marriage, despite all of the obstacles they had overcome -- that they fight.
And Faith walks out on Luke . . . in his hour of need. And he lets her!! They don’t speak for a long time. Not even one text message!
This just didn’t follow suit with how the characters had been developed up until this conflict. Then to top it all off . . . Faith entertains thoughts towards a man from her town, when she goes to hide while figuring out her feelings for her husband.
I don’t get it. I’m sorry . . . this is not a book I can recommend to you.
An Uncommon Grace by Serena Miller, is due to be released April 3, 2012. You will want to pre-order this novel. I had the fortunate blessing to read an advanced copy and thoroughly enjoyed this modern novel.
Former military nurse, Grace Conner, returns home from Afghanistan to rest and recover from her rewarding experience. But the life she returns to is radically different from her military days, as her grandmother lives smack dab in the middle of an Amish community.
Grace quickly becomes involved in the strict Amish community when she rushes to her neighbor’s house. She quickly puts her medical training into action after Levi Troyer discovers that his parents have been attacked by an intruder. Levi’s step-father dies but thanks to Grace, Levi’s mom survives.
This experience draws Grace and Levi towards each other as they take steps to discover who the murderer was and how Grace’s sister is even involved in this mess.
Will Levi leave his Amish community and be banned? Will Grace run away from love? You will have to read to find out!!!
652 pages of fun are found in the book Dawn Comes Early by Margaret Brownley.
Kate Tenney thought that her novelist days were over. This dime store novelist found herself rejected and marked as a “racy” author. In order to start fresh, she headed West, in an answer to an “heiress wanted” ad.
There was one tiny problem, actually two. Kate was supposed to know how to run a ranch! Additionally, should she be chosen as the future mistress of the working cattle ranch, Kate would never be allowed to marry!
Early on she discovers that this may pose a problem. Enter Luke Adams, who always seems to come to her rescue.
Find out what happens to the owner of the ranch and Kate! Be tickled with the fun ending!
Grab your copy of Dawn Comes Early in paperback or on your Kindle. (Have I mentioned how much I am loving having a Kindle?)
I was given this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Thanks Book Sneeze!
I have NEVER EVER been disappointed in a Cindy Woodsmall novel. She writes fabulous fiction that captures your heart and endears her characters to you.
The Scent of Cherry Blossoms really demonstrates the clash of cultures, or faiths. I had no idea how different the Amish faith is from the Mennonite faith . . . and the strict adherence to staying within your sect. However, this doesn't stop fictional characters, Annie Martin and Aden Zook.
Annie left home and a difficult relationship with her wavering mother, to spend time with her beloved grandfather. While living with her grandfather, a special childhood friendship blossoms when Annie offers to help out at the Zook family diner for a brief time.
In an effort to squelch the blossoming relationship between Annie and Aden, Annie’s grandfather forbids Aden to speak with Annie and threatens to take away the necessary monetary funds that keep the Zook’s diner running.
Bethany House has published a truly memorable “vacation read*.” The Rose of Winslow Street is a book that is fragrant as it teases you with smells of jasmine and rose buds, flowers that hold much meaning in the plot of this entertaining book.
Michael Dobrescu and his family move into an empty house in Colden, Massachusetts, thinking that the house is rightfully theirs even though they have never laid eyes on the home. let me mention that the family members are recent immigrants to America.
Libby Sawyer and her father are shocked to discover that the Dobrescu’s have moved in to their beloved house and seek help from the court of law. While they wait for a verdict, Libby reaches out to the family her father has evicted. In doing so, new feelings enter her heart.
The family’s become intertwined as they discover that inside the house is a clue to the future and the rightful owner.
You might be surprised by the ending of this novel, but you won’t be disappointed.
I lied to you. The title of this book is really You’re Already Amazing. But the font embedded in my blog doesn’t allow for apostrophes in the title.
Let me just start by saying that I felt valuable before I even broke the binding of this book open. My review copy came with a card . . . one from Holley (or someone posing as Holley – thanks Revell).
Of all of the reviews I have done from big publishers, I have NEVER had a personal touch such as this.
And the card has remained in my book serving as a bookmark.
You’re Already Amazing is a book written to be engaged with. You will need a pen because I anticipate that you will be underlining poignant thoughts and answering some soul searching questions provided by Holley.
I don’t really know where to begin. I am going to have to reread You’re Already Amazing to do the real work to begin to process and accept the title, you’re already amazing.
Really?
Perhaps God knew I was going to have a serious time accepting His quality work when He crafted me. And so, thanks to Holley, a simple Bible verse has become a powerful companion to my self-esteem,
I have filled him {her} with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts. Exodus 31:3
Though the verse was intended to describe God’s provision for the construction of the Temple, Holley remarks, “This verse reveals that God’s hand is in our skills, in the ordinary things we do. And they matter. A lot.”
Really?
I often feel a little unusual about being a blogger writer. The common response I get is, “How do you have time for that?” or “I don’t have time to read those blogs.” Thanks.
Imagine people’s reactions when I pull out my bag of essential oils . . . you would think I was pulling out the Ouija board or anointing people with dog poop. Hello! Essential oils are the first line of response God left on earth after prayer! I’m not practicing voodoo but instead using what God has shown me to bring health to others.
And that whole home birth thing . . .
So when I go to do somewhat normal things . . . like quilting . . . making yogurt . . . or sprouting grain . . . I think . . . why can’t I just be normal? Even the simple things I engage in seem different than the average mom.
But I can’t be normal. I have to be God’s normal. I am already amazing. Man, that feels kooky to write.
Do you know that you are amazing? It is so much easier for me to tell you that than for me to believe it myself. Do you believe it? Do you see that your unique strengths and skills are a valuable part of God’s creation?
Then, go and form a small group (Sarah has some great ideas on how to do this) and read through it again . . . but truly process it. Discuss. Be vulnerable with this small selection of ladies.
You’re Already Amazing can be purchased in paperback on Amazon for $11.19 or for your Kindle at a low low price at the time of this writing -- $3.99. (Remember Kindle books can be read on most any device these days . . . including your computer.)
Thanks Revell for sending me this book to read and review. I have been blessed by Holley’s words. I was not paid for this post and gave my honest opinion . . . it is a good book.
Had I known what this book was about . . . I would not have agreed to review this book. I was haunted by its words and the images it evoked in my overactive imagination. I should have read the other reviews more closely.
I can not handle books dealing with the occult, with a strong focus on evil. Though this book ends with evil being overcome . . . it left me feeling ill.
I know that there is a battle occurring on earth that we can’t see, as Scripture tells us so . . . and I don’t ignore that this war is waging . . . but I don’t like to read about it. It causes shadows to become monsters and for me to focus on evil rather than the truth and freedom found in God’s Word.
I read the beginning . . . . and had to stop before I reached the middle . . . and then picked up the last two chapters. I could not fall asleep with the little that I read.
If you have an imagination that naturally runs on steroids, DO NOT READ The Ride of a Lifetime. Don’t open your brain to the images contained in this book. However, if you can handle the type of fiction contained in this book . . . then you will probably enjoy this read. It is a Frank Peretti style book. (Which I can’t choose not to read anymore.)
Last night the Engineer and I had the privilege of viewing the new documentary Undefeated.
If you like football, you will really enjoy this docudrama which recently earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary. But even those who are indifferent to the gridiron will enjoy the life lessons in this true story. It is a heartwarming story depicting the human struggle to rise above seemingly impossible circumstances.
Undefeated is a story about the Manassas Tigers, an underprivileged football team from one of the roughest neighborhoods in Memphis. Operating on a shoe string budget and only 17 players on the roster, the Manassas program makes a dramatic turnaround at the hands of volunteer head coach, Bill Courtney.
Courtney was a man who believed in the young men of Manassas and was willing to sacrifice so much in his own life and family so that others could have a chance at a life full of opportunity.
What the Engineer and I appreciated most about this documentary was that the focus wasn’t necessarily on the X’s and O’s of football. Football was merely the backdrop by which these young men learned that character, hard work, discipline and commitment could open up doors of opportunity.
“Football doesn’t build character. It reveals character,” is a line that Coach Courtney drills into his players. The film closely tracks the character development of three players both on and off the field. The results are amazing as one player learns to control his anger after returning to the field from a year in juvie and two other players earn the right to go to college by hard work on the field and in the class room.
What will strike you about Coach Courtney is how much he sacrificed for these young men. Bill Courtney readily admits the toll his coaching took on his family and his business.
After growing up fatherless himself, Courtney devotes himself to serving as a surrogate father for many of the players. The movie reveals his internal struggle with the need he sees in the lives of the Manassas players and yet not wanting to be an absentee father in his own children’s lives.
Bill Courtney volunteered. He gave of himself and it COST him something… actually it cost him a lot. BUT he didn’t give so much of himself that it cost him his family.
I can’t help but wonder what would happen if only more of us were willing to give our lives for others and still love our families well the way Bill Courtney did.
First Date, by Kirsta McGee, was a sweet book. I “think” it is really a book for younger audience, though. Try – a teenage. However, I enjoyed this sweet vacation read.
Addy Davidson, self proclaimed book worm and honor student, is chosen to represent her school and Jesus, on a reality TV show. Teen girls from across the country are sent to live near a mansion and vie for the President’s son’s affections. Whoever wins the competition, will go to prom with the President’s son.
Addy makes a fool of herself, but redeems her actions and truly becomes a witness for the Lord as she reads her deceased mother’s journals. Addy is challenged to stand up for her faith, just as her martyred parents did many years ago.
Kathleen Y’Barbo has written a humorous book. A book that will keep you slightly on your toes and harrumphing over stubborn Charlotte Beck.
Filled with lots of drama, I’m not sure where to begin, so I shall allow the publisher to do the talking regarding this perfect vacation read:
Unlikely romance is sometimes just an inconvenient marriage away.
Charlotte Beck may be entering adulthood, but she can’t seem to keep to her stubborn, independent spirit from bucking social protocol. Fed up with her behavior, Charlotte’s father Daniel pressures her to settle into a nice marriage despite knowing she is set on going to college. Then Daniel sees Charlotte with the handsome but annoying English astronomer Alex Hambly, and everything changes.
Though Alex and Charlotte can barely stand one another, Daniel offers them a deal they can’t refuse: if they agree to marry, he will save Alex’s family from financial ruin and grant Charlotte the freedom to go to college. Reluctantly the couple agrees, but in private they plot to annul the marriage as soon as possible. But when Alex’s feelings change and he refuses to dissolve their contract, will Charlotte find a way out of her vows? Or will she discover that maybe this marriage isn’t so inconvenient after all?
It’s cute. It’s light. And it takes place in Colorado.
Thanks Blogging for Books! I was not paid for this post but received this fun book on my Kindle in exchange for an honest review.
But alas when I just looked The Mercy up . . . I discovered that it was the third book!
Gasp! I missed book #2 – The Judgement . . . which explains why not everything totaled up to me!
So . . . you can read The Mercy and still have a good read. I did.
What’s it about?
Rose Kauffman has reoccurring stirrings for the seemingly lost Nick Franco, the Bishop's foster son. Franco got out of dodge soon after his “brother” died in a freak accident. Because of Nick’s seemingly unruly behavior, his dad was silenced. However, like any good story . . . there is more to this story than most people know. Is Nick really rebellious? Rose continues to be Nick’s friend . . . but there is tension between his use of modern conveniences and his refusal to make amends.
But ya’ gotta know the whole story before you judge someone . . .
Back at the ranch, Rose's older sister, Hen, is living in her parents' Dawdi Haus. Rose is married to an Englisher who finds himself in a horrible car accident, leaving him in need of constant care. This is truly an example how God can use something bad for His good (yes, I know it is just a fictional story.)
Buy it in hardback or on Kindle! You won’t be disappointed!
Thanks Bethany House! I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Journey to Christmas is a 4 session “Holy Land Study Experience.” In this movie the viewer follows five very diverse people as they experience the Hold Land for the first time.
Why?
It is all to discover the meaning of Christmas. Bible scholar, Nizar Shaheen, teaches these travelers, answering their questions as they travel through beautiful scenery.
In it you will witness transformation. Perhaps in the travelers on film or in your heart. But not all will be changed, so don’t expect an entirely happy ending.
Each session comes with discussion material in PDF format. The Journey to Christmas would work well for Advent activities . . . a year from now.
{insert sheepish grin}
As with anything, if you choose to view this documentary, compare it to Scripture to make sure it lines up. Does it cause you to think upon Christ, to dwell upon that which is pleasing and perfect? I only offer you that caution if you choose to base your Advent celebrations upon this film.
Thanks Tyndale House! I received this DVD in exchange for an honest opinion.
My friend Emily got me hooked on Cindy Woodsmall. I *heart* her books. They are just sweet . . . feel good stories. Totally luxurious to read . . . uplifting.
When you read them it is like taking a lavender scented bubble bath in the midst of chaos. Heavenly.
When the Soul Mends is the most recent novel I have read by Woodsmall, and is noted for making it to the New York Times Bestseller list. It is the third book in the Sisters of the Quilt series.
Main character, Hannah, returns to her hometown after receiving a phone call from her slightly misguided sister, Sarah. Entering this world, after living as an Englisher for several years proves difficult. But her love for her sister and making sure that Sarah receives proper medical help compels Hannah to defy cold shoulders from the community.
This Christmas, I received a Kindle Fire. It has been a handy little gadget, providing hours of entertainment during my month of sickness.
(I discovered I have bronchitis, by the way.)
The one thing that I have had some difficulty finding (on my Kindle) are free children’s books. So I was super excited to review Three Cups by Tony Townsley with Mark St. Germain via my Kindle . . . thanks Book Sneeze! (By the way, the book was only free because I am reviewing it.)
I’m embarrassed to say that we have yet to do much instruction with the children on the concept of tithing, saving, and spending. So this book was a welcome introduction into the world of Godly finances.
The concept is simple. It introduces the idea of a weekly allowance followed by placing three cups out with a label on each cup: give, save, spend. The allowance is divided right away . . . making sure that your child learns to give back first.
Of course, it could be expanded upon . . . but that is what Dave Ramsey is for. {Smiles.}
So, if you want to dip your feet into this VERY important idol topic I highly recommend this book. You don’t have to view it on Kindle . . . it does come in hardback.
Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin was quite a book to read. Parts of it made me mad!
Main character, Alice Grace Ripley, likes to read books. (I don’t know anyone like that do you?) Her avid book reading destroys her relationship with her boyfriend, and even infringes on reality.
When Alice loses her job as a librarian, she rashly decides to travel to Kentucky to deliver five boxes of donated books to a coal-mining town . . . that is a little off its rocker. She becomes imbedded into this ludicrous culture . . . and essentially held hostage.
Filled with adventure and unrealistic suspense, I did enjoy Wonderland Creek.
As the sun approached the horizon, I found myself sidestepping a nervous dog, jumping over a rather inconvenient bean bag housing one Ezra traveling towards the sickness that had already overcome Asher, and a pile of dirty dishes lining up to enter the dishwasher.
Meanwhile, Gabe talked for attention and grabbed his fourth pair of pants for the day.
Thankfully, my little girl slept.
The kitchen? I wondered how . . . how would it get clean? The ladies were each bringing their favorite treat. And I had the counter covered in Christmas Spirit Sugar Scrub
Tonight was supposed to be a party. A Christmas party . . . and I with no cheer.
I was still stinky from my workout at the gym. My hair was two days old. Dinner hadn’t even made it to the checklist. There were supplements to be administered; herbals to be prepared; and essential oils that must be anointed upon ailing loved ones.
I still had to call someone and apologize.
Quite truthfully, I thought to myself, is this what Christmas is about this year?
Business? Sickness? Hosting? Cooking? Baking?
However, every morning for the past two weeks I am reminded that it is not.
My morning mug tells me otherwise. Love came down.
And my afternoon mug seeks to remind me. Love came down.
I desperately want to grasp this concept. A baby. A beating heart.
A living person. Not just a person . . . but God!
God! God . . . I shout.
But I’m struggling to hear.
Jackie Kendall and Debby Jones write in their book, Lady in Waiting,
Too many women have been involved in a form of religious worship, but have never had a vital, growing relationship with Jesus.
I am stuck right there. At some point . . . somewhere between summer and fall, my interaction with Jesus became religious, rather than a relationship. I became a Pharisee . . . bent on rules and doing the right thing.
Keeping up appearances.
But when you are FORCED to consider who Christ is . . . when you are surrounded by Him in your home and even on the radio . . . I consider those words this season.
Love came down.
Though one popular song artist has changed the lyrics to an old Christmas hymn, I know that there is power behind the real words.
The Word. It’s not just a book. It has the ability to know our hearts . . . transform our hearts.
So each morning, I am drawn to Him. This Jesus. This man that an ENTIRE day is celebrated. More than a day. A month. Though we see evidence of a morphed holiday . . . tinsel, presents, Santa and his elves, cute reindeer . . .
The fact remains.
Without Jesus . . . no one . . . no one would be celebrating Christmas. Black Friday wouldn’t exist, nor would Cyber Monday.
It is because of Him. Love came down.
People have tried to change how that Love is expressed. But when it comes down to it . . .
It is Jesus.
Lord Jesus . . . fill me with that wonder and awe of you. God, draw me back to you. Help me defy the pull at my apron strings, my mental to-do list, my tiredness, my lack of desire to serve . . . wake me up physically and spiritually of a morning. As you grew from a baby to a man . . . Lord God . . . grow my faith.
Lord, come down into my heart. I’m trying to build a crèche for you.
*****Let me invite you to enter to win a $35 gift certificate to be used at the Dayspring Store? *****
Mandatory (pick one):
Where is your heart this Christmas? (Besides in your chest.) or
DaySpring has sent me this product for free to review and that all opinions stated are my own. I will notify winner via email on December 26th. You will have 24 hours to respond. Coupon will be valid until the end of December for anything in the DaySpring Store.
FYI: There will be an “after Christmas” sale at the Dayspring Store.
If you need a fabulous vacation read or a great gift idea, I highly recommend The Christmas Singing by Cindy Woodsmall. I think I read this book in slightly less than 24 hours.
Yes. It was a weekend, ok?
A sweet story. And it takes place in winter . . . I heart winter stories.
Three years later, a fire destroys her cake baking kitchen. Mattie is forced to move back home while she recuperates. This move causes her to collide with her former beau, causing conflicting feelings.
To read more, head on over to Amazon (this would fit in your stocking!)
A special thanks to Waterbrook Press for sending me a copy of The Christmas Singing to review for free. I was not paid for this post nor do I have to return the book.
The book arrived in our mailbox. Like any other day, I had to sneak out the front door and hope that I had been quiet enough to allow me access to the mailbox without its seven year old guard alerted to my momentary disappearance.
I failed.
He, being Asher, arrived seconds before me and captured the contents in the tube.
Little did I know, that my husband lives a similar life to main character of The Tehran Initiative, David Shirazi. An undercover secret life. Though the Engineer doesn’t work for the government, he is a secret book stealer. Well trained. Swift. Removing the book from my possession before I realized it was missing.
And that, friends, should tell you how riveting this novel is. I liked The Twelfth Iman . . . but The Tehran Initiative is the better story of the two. However, don’t miss the prior Joel Rosenberg books. (I’ll list them at the end.)
If you are reading from my feed, click here to view the video trailer.
I am going to deviate from how I normally handle a review and share with you how Joel Rosenberg answered some very interesting questions. (Thanks Tyndale!) Why am I doing this? Why devote so much blog space . . . so many words?
Because.
Because it is crucial for you to attempt to catch a glimpse of what our future holds. Joel Rosenberg has written a series of books that are fiction. Yes, fiction. But fiction can take us to an uncomfortable and scary place from the location of our safe home.
I encourage you to read his books . . . especially Rosenberg’s nonfiction work. Then, compare it to what the Bible actually says.
This is the second book with CIA operative David Shirazi. Where does the story pick up from your previous bestseller The Twelfth Imam?
A:The Tehran Initiative begins about sixty seconds after The Twelfth Imam leaves off. I’ve tried to create a near seamless connection between the two. And there’s another book coming, The Damascus Countdown. {Insert: YAHOOOO!!!!}
You started writing The Tehran Initiative when the Arab Spring began earlier this year. Did events impact your writing or the storyline?
A:Actually, I was well into writing The Tehran Initiative when the “Arab Spring” began and it was a little eerie because the novel opens with the assassination of the President Egypt and Egypt descending into chaos after the leader’s fall. Fortunately, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak wasn’t killed, but he certainly fell quickly and somewhat unexpectedly and Egypt is still reeling from the aftermath. The novel really focuses a great deal on the intense desire amongst many Muslims in the Middle East and North Africa to build a global Islamic empire, or a “caliphate.” And that’s certainly a growing theme among the Islamists in the region this year.
Perhaps what struck me most curious since the publication of The Twelfth Imam and while I was researching and writing The Tehran Initiative is that the so-called Supreme Leader of Iran, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has began speaking more publicly about the coming of the Twelfth Imam. He used to be silent, or nearly so, on this subject. He let President Ahmadinejad do all the public talking about Shia End Times theology. But Khamenei has become more bold over the past year or so. He has told people that he has met personally with the Twelfth Imam, though we don’t know what he meant. Did he meet with a flesh and blood person? Did he see a dream? Or a vision? We don’t know. But Khamenei has also asserted that he is the personal representative on earth of the Twelfth Imam, as well as the so-called Prophet Muhammad.
These developments – along with his support for Iran’s aggressive nuclear development program – suggest Khamenei senses the time is very short before some claiming to be the Twelfth Imam emerges publicly. In part, that’s why the Iranian government released the pseudo-documentary film in early 2011 called, “The Coming Is Near,” about all the geopolitical signs that they believe are indicators that the Mahdi’s arrival is increasingly close at hand.
Whether it will really happen or not remains to be seen. But the Iranian leadership is certainly convinced. Most of them, anyway. And, of course, the Bible tells us in Matthew chapter twenty-four to expect false prophets and false messiahs in the last days. So we can’t rule out the possibility that we’ll actually as false messiah emerge from the Shia world.
You’ve earned a reputation of writing stories that seemed ripped from tomorrow’s headlines. What is going on in The Tehran Initiative that we can see unfolding in the news?
A:I think the biggest parallel between The Tehran Initiative and current events is the growing sense amongst Shia Muslim leaders – particularly in Iran – that the Twelfth Imam is coming any moment, coupled with Iran’s feverish efforts to build nuclear weapons, and the Israelis’ growing isolation in the world and feeling that they may have to hit Iran all by themselves.
Did you see Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s apocalyptic address at the U.N. in September, or read the full text? You should. It’s instructive. Ahmadinejad is not a world leader worthy of the world stage. He is the evil leader of an Iranian death cult. A recent U.N. report indicates he is making progress in building nuclear weapons. He is calling for the arrival of the Twelfth Imam and wiping Israel “off the map.” He aspires to be a mass murderer beyond the scale of Adolf Hitler. He deserves to be in prison, or an insane asylum. His U.N. speech was further proof, if more was needed.
Like Hitler’s speeches in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s, Ahmadinejad isn’t hiding what he believes. He’s pretty clear. He denied the Holocaust. He blasted the U.S. for bringing Osama Bin Laden to justice. He blamed the terrorist attacks 9/11 on the U.S. government. He insisted that his so-called messiah known as “Imam al-Mahdi” or the Twelfth Imam is coming soon. He insisted Jesus Christ will come with the Mahdi to take over the world. He called for a one-world government when he called for “the shared and collective management of the world.”
Consider these excerpts: “This movement is certainly on its rightful path creation, ensuring a promising future for humanity. A future that will be built when humanity initiates to trend the path of the divine prophets and the righteous under the leadership of Imam al-Mahdi, the Ultimate Savior of mankind and the inheritor to all divine messengers and leaders and to the pure generation of our great Prophet. The creation of a supreme and ideal society with the arrival of a perfect human being who is a true and sincere lover of all human beings, is the guaranteed promise of Allah. He will come alongside with Jesus Christ to lead the freedom and justice lovers to eradicate tyranny and discrimination, and promote knowledge, peace, justice freedom and love across the world. He will present to every single individual all the beauties of the world and all good things which bring happiness for humankind.”
Though most world leaders do not appear to understand what Ahmadinejad is really saying, students of Shia Islamic eschatology or End Times theology do. The Iranian leader believes the end of the world as we have known it is increasingly close at hand. He believes the time for establishing an Islamic caliphate or global government ruled by the Mahdi is rapidly approaching. What’s more, he believes that the way to hasten the coming of the Twelfth Imam is to acquire nuclear weapons and use them to annihilate the United States, which he calls the “Great Satan” and Israel, which he calls the “Little Satan.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu understands what Ahmadinejad means. So do some of his top military advisors. That’s why they believe Iran is in the eye of a gathering storm in the Middle East, and that the chance of a major war is growing.“Iran has not abandoned its nuclear program. The opposite is true; it continues full steam ahead,” warned Israeli Defense Forces Home Front Command Chief Major General Eyal Eisenberg in a speech earlier this month. Also noting recent uprisings in the Arab world and growing tensions with Turkey, Eisenberg said, “This leads us to the conclusion that…the likelihood of an all-out war is increasingly growing.”
To me, all this feels ripped from the pages of The Tehran Initiative. Unfortunately, it’s all true.
Readers seem to get very attached to your characters. What goes into creating the characters in your novels? A: It’s the Colonel’s secret recipe of seven herbs and spices. I could tell you, but then I’d have to….well, never mind….no comment to that one.
What experiences in your real life do you draw from to piece together these novels that incorporate geo-politics, espionage, romance, and Bible prophecy? A:Someone once told me, “Write where you live in your head.” For some reason, that advice resonated with me and stuck. I’m fascinated with politics, prophecy and the Middle East. Living in Washington, D.C. and working in and around the political world for the past two decades has certainly helped provide context for me to write political thrillers. I think traveling extensively throughout the Middle East and North Africa has been helpful, too. Somehow, it’s all worked together in a way some people find as interesting as I do.
You often incorporate Old Testament prophecy in your books. What scriptures do you draw from for this book and why? A:There’s no question that I am absolutely intrigued by Bible prophecy, and I like to start with an End Times prophecy – or a group of last days prophecies – and ask, “What if these were to happen in my lifetime? What would it look like? What would it feel like? How might such prophecies realistically be set into motion, and what might be the implications of their fulfillment?” That’s how I approach writing these books. But I don’t think of it like writing a fantasy novel or science fiction. I’m genuinely trying to imagine how it could really play out? I’m not saying these prophecies will necessarily come to pass the way I envision them, but they are interest to war game and see what happens. And given what’s happening in the real world today, I think readers are as curious as I am, and somehow my plots don’t feel that far-fetched.
You’ve been successful with your non-fiction books Epicenter and Inside the Revolution and you have a large following reading your analysis of Middle East events on your blog and e-newsletter “Flash Traffic.” Why do you continue to choose writing novels about the Middle East?
A:What could be more interesting? Presidents and presidential candidates constantly focus on the Middle East. Prime Ministers do. Kings do. Generals do. The media does. The economists do.
The fact is, the eyes of the nations are riveted on Israel and her neighbors, the epicenter of the momentous events that are shaking our world and shaping our future. The stakes are very high. There is lots of uncertainty. It’s mysterious and dangerous and complex – it has all the elements of riveting political thrillers. And the Bible says the Middle East will become even more dramatic until the very return of Jesus Christ. Why write about anything else?
You’ve watched the trailer. You read the interview. But what is the book about?
David Shirazi. The book follows this CIA operative around the world as he seeks to find information that will essentially save the world from an all out war . . . of nuclear proportions. We watch a showdown between Iran and Israel, while the United States looks on more or less. Nominal Muslim, David Shirazi, must diligently work towards peace while his mother dies in a hospital and his blast-from-the-past girlfriend discovers his true identity. While David seeks to keep his alias Reba Tabrizi, he discovers a new identity in Christ. But how does one be a spy and yet follow Christ?
This blog post is part of a Blog Tour with Tyndale. I was not paid for this post and have freely expressed my opinion. I’m a fan of Joel Rosenberg’s and was super excited to be a part of this particular blog tour!
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Bethany House has published a truly memorable “vacation read*.” 
