Parson Place News and Views

Tag: Parson Place Press

  • In Pursuit of Happiness: A Great New Bible Study for Women

    JUST IN TIME FOR EASTER AND MOTHER’S DAY! What are Christian women doing with their freedom to pursue happiness? In her new study guide, In Pursuit of Happiness: Stewarding Freedom as a Modern Christian Woman, Laury L. Davis asks women to consider how they are handling this great stewardship. How is this blessing of freedom and opportunity affecting their marriages, homes and churches? In this 10-week Bible study she challenges women to evaluate their pursuits in light of God’s purposes.

    In Pursuit of HappinessLaury L. Davis grew up near the shores of Lake Erie in Madison, Ohio. She graduated from Cedarville University in southern Ohio with degrees in business and Bible. She has ministered as a women’s speaker, Sunday school teacher, Bible study leader, event coordinator and drama director.

     She currently lives with her husband and three children close to the banks of the Mississippi in the Memphis, Tennessee area. They are active members of a non-denominational church where she has had the opportunity to participate in three short-term mission trips to Asia. She has been published in a variety of print and online magazines and has two books for women translated and distributed in other countries. In Pursuit of Happiness: Stewarding Freedom as a Modern Christian Woman (ISBN 978-0-9888528-5-3) is available wherever books are sold.

    To schedule interviews or speaking engagements with Laury Davis, please send email to lauryldavis@yahoo.com. To obtain copies of In Pursuit of Happiness, simply order from such popular retailers as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-a-Million, and others by searching on the book’s ISBN: 978-0-9888528-5-3. You may also ask your local bookstore or library to order it from Ingram, Spring Arbor, or Baker and Taylor using the above ISBN or you may purchase it directly from the publisher’s online bookstore.

    Read my review on Goodreads, and then read my other reviews, too! Special group discount pricing available when you order five or more copies from the Parson Place Press Bookstore.

     

  • A Publishing Panacea Receives Favorable Mention from CSPA

    I want to take a moment to thank Sarah Bolme, the director of the Christian Small Publishers Association (CSPA) and the author of Your Guide to Marketing Books in the Christian Marketplace (now in its 3rd edition) for endorsing and featuring my latest book, A Publishing Panacea: How to Be Your Own Publisher in the Digital Age, in her blog Marketing Christian Books. Since the focus of her recent blog post which mentioned my book was about getting endorsements for your books, let me also take this opportunity to thank my fellow authors and independent publishers, John Kremer and Brian Jud, for taking time out of their very busy schedules to write an endorsement for my book. I heartily recommend all three of these renowned authors, independent publishers, and marketers for anything they’ve done professionally. All three offer tremendous support and profound insights into the mysterious world of writing, publishing, and marketing books — all at the same time!

    After you’ve spent a few hours reviewing what they have to offer, may I ever-so-humbly invite you to check out my latest book which these three have endorsed? Again, it’s called A Publishing Panacea: How to Be Your Own Publisher in the Digital Age, and it offers step-by-step assistance to all aspiring authors on how to become your own publisher. It’s also available in eBook for both Kindle and Nook. Now, here’s to your writing and publishing success!

    By the way, if you haven’t subscribed to the Parson Place News and Views blog yet, please take a moment to do so now so that you won’t miss another important post. Also, why not invite your other contacts to do the same? The subscription box is at the upper right corner of this screen. I hope to have you sign-up soon!

    Before you leave, will you also take a moment to write a brief comment here? I’d really appreciate your feedback!

  • Historical Christian Fiction for Readers Young and Old

    History Comes Alive in This Amazing True Story

    Adobe Photoshop PDFSeptember 3, 2013, Parson Place Press, Mobile, Alabama – How did approximately 600 people pack up their belongings and travel together for about 600 miles from colonial Virginia to the Kentucky frontier during the American Revolutionary War? This amazing true story is chronicled in a masterful blend of historical fiction in a setting of historical fact by veteran author Perry Thomas.

    Perry Thomas is the author of more than sixty books, written in two different languages and published under three different names. He has engaged in various forms of ministry in several parts of the world. For the writing of Pilgrims on the Wilderness Road, he did extensive research, making use of little-known primary sources. Other books of his authorship include From Slave to Governor: The Unlikely Life of Lott Cary; Good News from Indonesia: Heartwarming Stories from the Land of the Tsunami; and To Be the First: Adventures of Adoniram Judson. After three decades working with Christian print media in Southeast Asia, he and his wife now live in North Carolina. They have two sons and seven grandchildren. Find out more at www.perrythomasbooks.com.

    Copies of Pilgrims on the Wilderness Road may be purchased wherever books are sold, including Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Just search on ISBN 978-0-9888528-3-9 to find it. To invite Perry to speak at virtually any gathering, contact him via email to perry@perrythomasbooks.com.

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  • Are Books Really Dead?

    Authors and publishers, take note. We all know that some have been pronouncing the death of reading books for quite some time now, but how true is that? Writers keep writing, publishers keep publishing, and retailers keep selling printed (and now digital) literature of all kinds. So, what’s the truth?

    According to The Barna Group’s latest survey about what Americans are reading, the answer to this question of “Is reading books dead?” is, “No.” However, I would like to qualify that “No” with a statement of my own: “Book reading is not dead, but the number of readers is definitely small compared to the general population.” Perhaps Mark Twain’s infamous comment about a rumor of his own death is apropos here (with a slight twist for application to the subject of reading books): “Rumors of the demise of reading are greatly exaggerated.”

    As a Christian researcher for decades, The Barna Group has analyzed just about everything from frequency of church attendance (or maybe infrequency would be a better description) to the moral decline of American culture and much more. Their latest research on Americans’ reading habits is interesting, but perhaps the one fact that caught my attention as a Christian minister is that a sizable number of non-Christians are reading the Bible, maybe even more so than nominal Christians. By “nominal” I mean the less committed ones. Furthermore, since this latest survey was conducted with a random selection of participants (with a few questions directed at ferreting out Christians within the selection), it seems to me it is skewed more toward non-Christians’ reading habits. Nevertheless, the results of the survey are certainly noteworthy, especially for an author-turned-independent-Christian-publisher like myself.

    If you’re an author, publisher, or retailer of printed and/or digital content (whether Christian or not), this research ought to give you some new ideas on how to make your profession more profitable. If you’d like to read Barna’s review of the results of their survey, just click on the following link: The Books Americans Are Reading–And What That Reveals About Us.

    Perhaps you might consider checking out some of my writings and publications (both for myself and for others) as well. You’ll find a list of my personally authored and published books at my author’s Website (be sure to scroll down to the “Works in Progress” heading for details about my current and upcoming writing projects, too). For a list of the books I’ve published for others (in addition to my own) check out The Parson Place Press Bookstore. Of course, all of these books — both mine and those I’ve published for other authors — may be purchased from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-a-Million, etc.

  • Be Your Own Publisher

    Are you tired of trying to get the attention of a publisher or literary agent? Have you ever wanted to be in control of both the writing and publishing processes? Well, in this wonderfully wild digital age, you can do just that! Want to know how? Well, let me tell you!

    I’m nearing completion of my latest writing project, and it’s a “how to” book about the ins and outs and the dos and don’ts of independent publishing in both print and eBook formats. I’m really excited at the possibilities of this project, and I’m strongly considering turning it into a full-length course for writers as well. What do you think of that idea? I welcome your comments. Meanwhile, stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks about this fantabulous plan! It’s gonna be grand!

     

  • Parson Place Press Releases Signs of the Time by Connie Bertelsen Young

    Parson Place Press is pleased to announce the release of its latest title, Signs of the Time, by Connie Bertelsen Young. This 216 page book is packed with both humor and spiritual insight simply using average signs we see everywhere.

    Reading signs is simple enough, but interpreting them is a different matter. Not so surprisingly, there can be more than one meaning to every sign. With perceptively keen insight, Connie Bertelsen Young opens up a whole new way of looking at common, everyday signs by applying Biblical truth to them. Signs like “Help Wanted,” “Soft Shoulder,” “Fragile,” and “Caution” take on an entirely different meaning when viewed from a Biblical perspective.  Each chapter ends with Seven SIGNificant Questions for reflection to encourage both individuals and groups to activate Scriptural teaching in their lives. After reading Connie’s inspiring insights, you will never read a sign the same way again.

    Get your copy now! Purchase wherever books are sold using ISBN 978-0-9888528-2-2. Coming soon in eBook for Kindle and Nook! To invite Connie to speak at virtually any gathering, contact her via email at valegal@juno.com.

     

  • Did You Know April is Poetry Celebration Month?

    Lifelines CoverAmong other observances, April has been declared Poetry Celebration Month. Although the month is nearly over now, it’s not too late to get in on the celebration. If you happen to appreciate inspirational Christian poetry, my new book, Lifelines (Parson Place Press, February 2013), may be just what you’re looking for. Lifelines includes poems about our Creator God and the world He created, including a few romantic love poems.

    Life is beautiful and precious. It comes in many forms — from plants and animals to people. Its ultimate source, however, is God. Lifelines reflects in a variety of poetic styles the deep and abiding love and respect that I have for God and all of His creation. Some of these poems are amusing and some are thought-provoking, but all are inspiring and sure to touch your heart in some way. Curl up in your favorite reading nook and enjoy these beautiful lifelines. You can get your copy now wherever books are sold. Just search on the book’s ISBN (978-0-9888528-0-8) to find and purchase it.

     

  • New Title Released by Parson Place Press

    Cover of Lessons from Bradley: Discovering God's Blessing in All ThingsLife can sometimes catch you off-guard and knock you to your knees with a forceful blow. For Heather Wanamaker and her husband, Scott, that blow came with the agonizing reality that their firstborn son, Bradley, was born with extreme oxygen deprivation, which resulted in cerebral palsy and severe impairments. Lessons from Bradley: Discovering God’s Blessing in All Things is Heather’s personal story of faith in God and triumph over trials and suffering through one of the greatest challenges of her life. Coping with tragedy, grief, and suffering of all kinds can jeopardize one’s hopes and dreams, marriage relationship, and faith in God. Read Heather’s story now to learn her secret to success in becoming an overcomer.

    Lessons from Bradley: Discovering God’s Blessing in All Things is currently available in the Parson Place Press Bookstore, Amazon.com, and BarnesandNoble.com with more to follow. Just search on the book’s ISBN (9780988852815) at any retailer you choose to purchase from your favorite bookstore. Purchase from the Parson Place Press Bookstore now and save 20% on S/H until 31 March 2013!

  • New Book Release: Lifelines by Michael L. White

    Cover of Book Titled LifelinesTo all my loyal readers, family, and friends, I’ve just released my latest book, Lifelines (a collection of my poetry), which I announced some months ago would be forthcoming! You can order it from any number of retailers from my author’s Website at http://books.parsonplace.com/, although because it’s “hot off the press” at the time of this writing (23 February 2013), it is not yet in stock by most of them. If you don’t want to wait, however, you can definitely order it from the publisher’s Web store right away. As an added bonus, enter promo code “SH25” to save 25% on the cost of your shipping/handling for each order you place through the Parson Place Press Bookstore until 15 March 2013. So, what are you waitin’ for?

    In any case, please help me spread the word. I look forward to being in contact with you again soon!

     

  • My 2012 Year-End Update

    I managed to do a little better with blogging more frequently in 2012 than I did in 2011, but I still have plenty of room for improvement. I’ll keep working at it in 2013. My goal is to work my way up to weekly blog entries by the end of 2013. We’ll see this time next year, Lord willin’, if I have reached my goal by then.

    In retrospect, this year was filled with both the joy of writing and publishing and with the disappointment of not being able to make a go of the new independent ministry that I felt toward the end of 2011 that God was leading me to set up. Although I managed to set up the name, bank account, and other legal and organizational aspects for the ministry, when I finally began conducting worship services, things just didn’t progress as well as I’d hoped and envisioned, so I discontinued the services. Without going into all the details (which are just too personally discouraging for me to share), I feel that God was not ready for me to begin just yet. As discouraging and disappointing as that fact is now, I am determined henceforth to wait patiently for God to instruct me further before I act on this dream again. I intend to begin an extended fast soon after the beginning of 2013 strictly for the purpose of drawing nearer to God, whether He reveals anything spectacular to me or not. I intend to make this about Him rather than about me. I will let you know what I learn from this experience after it is completed.

    As for my writing and publishing endeavors, I was able to finish writing and publish my third book, entitled Seven Keys to Effective Prayer, in March of this year. What a thrill it was to finally finish and release it for the reading public! I’m currently planning to test it with a new print on demand printing service and a whole new distribution service. I’m very pleased with the POD service, and if the distribution service works out well, I will start using this service for all of my other published titles, too.

    I also managed to publish two other titles in 2012 (one fiction and one nonfiction) by two different authors who are new to Parson Place Press (my independent Christian publishing company). I am already working on my next book, which will deal with the subject of God’s Plan of Salvation for humanity, though I still have plenty of work to do on it before it is finished. Because I’ve agreed to publish at least five other books by other authors (four of which are also new authors to Parson Place Press), plus I want to publish a small collection of my own poetry this year, I will have lots of work to do, so I hope I can make the time to finish writing my book about God’s Plan of Salvation, not to mention that I hope I have enough financial resources to keep my promises, too. Please say a prayer for me to accomplish all that God has planned for me in 2013, and specifically ask Him to help me keep my word.

    I have plans for one other important project in 2013 — to create a course about how to be your own publisher, but I want to keep the details about that one under wraps for now until I’m ready to unveil it. I hope it will be a grand success. Be sure to follow me on this blog and on my author site for details as I make them public. Incidentally, I’ve just (in the last week) moved my blog from being hosted on WordPress’ site to being hosted on my own site. If you’re interested, you can also connect with me on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/parsonplacepress) or follow me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/@parsonp) or “friend” me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/parsonplace).

    Well, that’s all I have for my review of 2012 and my preview of 2013. So, until next time, I want to wish you a very blessed and prosperous New Year in 2013. HAPPY NEW YEAR!