"12 + Me" Receives "Very Entertaining" Review

In a review by Narita, blogger at The Old Crow's Empty Nest, "12 + Me" by Pat Likes received high marks. We provided a complimentary copy to Narita for her honest review, and we were pleased to see that she thought the book was "very entertaining" and that she "would be proud to give [it] as a gift to a young reader." We appreciate her honest comments. To read the entire review, click here.

"12 + Me" is written by Pat Likes, alias "Pike County Patsie", the youngest of the 13 Dunker children. In the book, she relives her growing-up years in a farm home just across the shining Mississippi from Mark Twain's Hannibal, MO.
 
You'll laugh and cry over the adventures and escapades of Pat's close-knit, fun-loving family. The book includes stories of Mom Dunker's "gentleman cow", Dad's Christmas gelatin, a mysterious corpse, a marauding tomcat called Slick Blue, sparrows in a brother's wedding bed, and much, much more.

From wild horseback rides to Model A Fords, homemade bread to "mouse pies", here are memories of the pleasures and hardships of country living you'll never forget.

Through tough times and good ones, life and love fill the Dunker home. Patsie's memories (and recipes) bring readers into the warm circle of her family's life in the 1930s and 1940s and underscore the values of hearth and home.

Christian Romance E-Book Perfect for Last-Minute Valentine's Gift

With only five days until Valentine's Day, finding that perfect gift for your sweetheart should be at the top of the to-do list. If your significant other enjoys reading, a great gift option is our newest e-book release available for the Nook and Kindle: When the Heart Soars Free. Pair it with a few chocolate-dipped strawberries and a bouquet of flowers, and you can't go wrong. Best of all, you don't have to pay for shipping, even if you choose to buy the paperback version.

When the Heart Soars Free is a the storybook romance of two ski experts who meet in a picturesque mountain wonderland. The two have everything going for them as their romance blossoms. But hidden past pain casts a disturbing shadow over their magical idyll. A shattering betrayal leaves their once-bright, shared future in ruins. You'll experience a tender search for restoration and healing in this heart-touching contemporary romance--a passionate story of conflict, loss, and faith. 

Although the book is fiction, it contains the struggles, fears, failure, and victories of countless real people. It's the kind of inspirational and unforgettable story that mothers can pass on to their daughters, pastors to their parishioners, counselors to their clients, and one friend to another to help them learn healthier ways to live. Its powerful imagery and suspenseful plot, with characters so authentically drawn that you expect them to walk into the room at any minute, sweep readers along from chapter to delightful chapter, leaving them profoundly sorry when the story ends. 

Reviews of Left Alive to Die, the story of Blue Angels Leader CAPT Harley Hall

Left Alive to Die is featured today on a blog tour sponsored by FIRST Wild Card Reviews. Please visit these blogs to read what they had to say about Susan Keen's Left Alive to Die. More links to be posted soon...

The Life and Times of a PWNMOM

A Glimpse of Our Life

Summit Book Reviews

Sunny Island Breezes
Christy's Book Blog

Author Discusses Jehovah's Witnesses on Crosspoint with Mark Taylor

A few weeks ago author Joe B. Hewitt (Rescuing Slaves of the Watchtower) talked with Mark Taylor on Crosspoint about the book and about Jehovah's Witnesses. You can now listen to the interview here.

In a spellbinding look at the Watchtower Society, Joe B. Hewitt, formerly a third-generation Jehovah's Witness who was indoctrinated by his mother and grandfather with Watchtower teachings, pulls back the curtain of mystery and exposes lies, the mind control, and the glaring contradictions of biblical truth behind the organization that has sent those smiling faces to your front door. His book contains heartbreaking stories of former adherents, including himself, who were betrayed by the JW's.

Joe says instead of evangelizing others, the Witnesses themselves need to be rescued from the cult-like organization. The book describes how people who know the real truth of Christ's love can rescue the Watchtower's slaves from intellectual and emotional bondage.

Formerly a third-generation Jehovah's Witness, Joe B. Hewitt has dedicated himself to exposing the Watchtower's false teachings and to help Jehovah's Witnesses ascend from mental bondage into Christian liberty.

Many Thanks Go Out to Veterans Today

As we celebrate Veterans Day and honor those who have served our country--as well as their families--let's also be sure to remember in particular the families of veterans who are no longer with us. Your sacrifices mean so much to us, and we are forever grateful.

One of our recently published book's, Left Alive to Die, is just one example of the ultimate sacrifice made by a man and his family to help protect and serve the US. for Mary Lou Hall and her children, Heather and Harley Stephen, their husband and dad, accomplished and decorated U.S. aviator Harley Hall, who unflinchingly signed on for last-gasp missions over Vietnam even in the war's waning seconds in 1973, disappeared after his shootdown--his whereabouts never pinpointed. For his loved ones and for all who still miss him urgently, the question lingers: where is Harley? how could he so utterly vanish? why did the U.S. not charge in and demand an accounting for this one who had such a brilliant future ahead as a military star? why was he left alive to die?

Susan Keen, whose physician husband once served alongside Harley as Hall commanded the celebrated Navy's Blue Angels flight-demonstration team, masterfully and heartwrenchingly profiles Harley, last American pilot shot down before the cease fire; chronicles jarring evidence indicating that Hall remained alive for years after his capture; and outlines our government's humiliating response to his wife's and others' pleas to garner attention for this compelling case.

No American can read Keen's shocking book without being moved to impassioned prayer for those such as Mary Lou who have no closure and whose lives forever are devastated by a war that many would like to believe never happened.

Susan Keen is a mother of two, teacher, reader, and world traveler. A native of Mississippi, she holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Mississippi College, Clinton, MS. She has written and published two cookbooks, was an interior designer, is a graduate of several French cooking schools, and is a gourmet cook. She and her husband, Jack Keen, M.D., live in Fort Worth and are active members of Travis Avenue Baptist Church.

CrossHouse Publishing Amicably Launches out on Its Own After Seven Years Under Hannibal Books' Wing

As book-publishing undergoes dramatic changes brought on by the technological revolution sweeping the world today, CrossHouse Publishing reflects the best of those trends. The small, independently-owned, Christian-oriented company is designed and fashioned to meet the headwinds facing the industry as a whole and to soar on the backs of the eagle-like new technology available today. 

On October 1, 2011, CrossHouse Publishing officially was spun off from its parent company, KLMK Communications, d.b.a. Hannibal Books, which birthed and nurtured the new company into maturity. Hannibal Books will continue in the path of traditional publishers while CrossHouse Publishing will move forward rapidly into the emerging book self-publishing culture.

Corporately small, agile, and flexible, CrossHouse is designed to provide personalized service to self-published authors who desire to drive their own books into success in the marketplace. This contrasts with larger self-publishing companies, which have in recent years created their own versions of CrossHouse and rely heavily on impersonal phone banks to market their products to authors using software-based products that often leave new authors frustrated and feeling cut off from the freedom they had been promised.

The new company, officially known as Cross Communciations, Inc., is headed by Dr. Katie Welch, a Phi Beta Kappa Baylor University graduate, who also holds a Ph.d. degree in linguistics from the University of Texas in Arlington. Prior to forming Cross Communciations, Inc., two months ago, Dr. Welch worked for KLMK Communications, Inc., nurturing and leading CrossHouse Publishing into maturity.

Louis Moore, owner of KLMK Communications, Inc., said, "We anticipate that under the new ownership arrangement the company will continue to flourish and grow as it has for the past seven years."

"CrossHouse personifies every positive trend emerging in the book-publishing world's crystal ball: self-publishing, in which authors have more control over their final product, a cafeteria approach to services loaded with special perks for authors, flexibility in structure, agility in performance, and already set up for and fully embracing the current trends in the industry. Besides all I have described, CrossHouse offers personalized, individualized service unlike what you would find in some of the larger, phone-bank, self-publishing operations out there today," Moore said.

Dr. Welch said CrossHouse will continue to place a "premium on individualized service and quality products". 

"To assure our authors of the quality of our service, we are a member of the Dallas Better Business Bureau," she said.

"We want our authors to have a positive first experience with the book-publishing industry. In fact, many of our authors return to do their second, third, or even eighth books with us."

"CrossHouse works with lay people, pastors, missionaries, women's ministry people, mom, dads, and anyone who wants to share their story," said Dr. Welch. She said the company's selection of authors has less to do with denominational labels and more to do with having an authentic, inspiring life message to share.

The company publishes trade books, fiction, non-fiction, devotionals, Bible-study materials, children's books, poetry books, and e-books.

For more information on CrossHouse Publishing, contact Dr. Welch at CrossHouse Publishing, 2844 S. FM 549, Rockwall, TX 75032, or by email at katie@crosshousepublishing.org, or by calling 1-877-212-0933.

Today is National POW/MIA Recognition Day

2011 National POW/MIA Recognition Day poster

Traditionally observed on the third Friday in September, National POW/MIA Recognition Day is set aside to honor prisoners of war and remember those still missing in action. An overview of this day can be found at the VFWLady blog.

Recently, Hannibal Books released Left Alive to Die, a compelling story of one such American who was missing in action and then assumed a prisoner of war: legendary naval aviator CAPT Harley Hall. To read more about this book, visit the previous entry that summarized the book.

New Book Recounts Dramatic POW/MIA Story

On September 16, 2011, the nation will honor the more than 83,000 Americans who are missing from World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War and the 1991 Gulf War, as well as the countless American men and women who were captured as prisoners of war.

A new book, Left Alive to Die, tells the story of one such American: legendary naval aviator CAPT Harley Hall. Flying a crucial mission hours before the 1973 Vietnam War cease-fire, CAPT Hall was shot down above the Cua Viet River. Hall’s wingman and other squadron members watched while he safely parachuted to the ground. They were unaware that was the last time they would see or hear from Hall again.

At age 32 Hall was the youngest person in the Navy at that time with the rank of commander. In 1969 he achieved his lifelong dream as he became commanding officer of the Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy Precision Demonstration squadron. Not only was he an outstanding military officer, Hall was also a dedicated husband and father, an inspirational leader, a loving friend and a man of faith.

Left Alive to Die is written by Susan Keen, the wife of Jack Keen, M.D., LCDR, the U.S. Navy flight surgeon responsible for providing care to CAPT Hall’s Blue Angels team and the families. The book is a dramatic retelling of the romance of Mary Lou Marino and Hall, their marriage and life together and the tragedy of Hall’s disappearance. Readers will be captivated by details of Hall’s Navy experience, Mary Lou’s courageous life as a military wife and her years of searching for answers about Hall’s whereabouts.

In many ways Hall is a symbol of numerous Americans who may have been left alive in Vietnam as their government, according to this book, turned its back on them and left them in captivity. Mary Lou’s frustration over the lack of help is evident as the author describes Mary Lou’s efforts to persuade the government to pay attention to what she believed was overwhelming evidence that many men and women were still POW’s long after the formal war ended.

Susan Keen  is a mother of two, teacher, reader and world traveler. A native of Mississippi, she holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Mississippi College, Clinton, MS. She has written and published two cookbooks, was an interior designer, is a graduate of several French cooking schools and is a gourmet cook. She and her husband, Jack Keen, M.D., live in Fort Worth and are active members of Travis Avenue Baptist Church.

Read more about the book here.

Author Joe Hewitt Talks About Former Life as a Jehovah's Witness

On an August 3 interview with Pastor Brad Brannon on KKMS, Joe B. Hewitt discussed his book Rescuing Slaves of the Watchtower. He talked about details of the Watchtower Society, his former life as a Jehovah's Witness, and how to share the Good News of Christ with a Jehovah's Witness. Listen to the interview at KKMS (view the archives if not on the main page).

Blogger Discusses New Hannibal Book and Says We Are All Slaves to Something

In a straightforward review of Rescuing Slaves of the Watchtower, one blogger notes from the book and from the Bible that we are all slaves to something. She quotes Romans 7:14, "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin." To read more of the review at A "Peace" of Mind, click here.

New Review of "The Man in the Green Jeep"

Check out a review of The Man in the Green Jeep on This Mom's Delight blog. We appreciate her honest review of the book.

The Man in the Green Jeep is the story of Chico, a young boy living in a poor, rural community in Honduras. A huge rain destroys the corn crop and washes away the road into town, so no supply trucks can enter. Then the chickens die. Other kids' families are in the same situation. Missionary author Viola Palmer gives a captivating glance into children's lives and culture in Central America. Enter the world of Chico and his friends, Rafael, Jose, Marvin, and Calvin, the "bully-turned-nice", and their experiences. Learn about missions through the work of "the man in the green Jeep.

Author Exposes Another Reason Jehovah's Witnesses Can Be Excommunicated

A new book, Rescuing Slaves of the Watchtower, examines this issue and more as they are presented from the perspective of Joe B. Hewitt, an ex-Jehovah’s Witness who, at age 10, was so deeply controlled by the Watchtower that he was going door to door and standing on street corners to distribute the organization’s literature.

Joe B. Hewitt has dedicated himself to exposing the Watchtower’s false teachings and to helping Jehovah’s Witnesses ascend from mental bondage into Christian liberty. He has served as a pastor, evangelist and missionary, and has received a bachelor of divinity and a master of arts in biblical studies. His first book, I Was Raised a Jehovah’s Witness, sold 45,000 copies in the English edition and was also translated and published in Chinese. 

Book about Jehovah's Witnesses Featured on Blog Tour

Last week Joe Hewitt's book Rescuing Slaves of the Watchtower: How to lead Jehovah's Witness prisoners into the light of Christ, was reviewed on numerous blogs. Though its members represent one of the fastest-growing religions in the world, the Jehovah’s Witnesses remain one of the most enigmatic and puzzling groups to many people today. In this spellbinding look at the Watchtower Society, Joe B. Hewitt, formerly a third-generation Jehovah’s Witness who was indoctrinated by his mother and grandfather with Watchtower teachings, pulls back the curtain of mystery and exposes lies, the mind control, and the glaring contradictions of biblical truth behind the organization that has sent those smiling faces to your front door.

Please visit these blogs to read reviews of the book.

Sunny Island Breezes

Growing for Christ 

One Desert Rose's Blog 

Christy's Book Blog 

Quiverfull Family

Vic's Media Room

One Blessed Mamma

Maureen's Musings

Cafe Lily

Homeschool & Family

Author Discusses One Reason Jehovah's Witnesses Can Be Excommunicated

A new book, Rescuing Slaves of the Watchtower, examines this issue and more as they are presented from the perspective of Joe B. Hewitt, an ex-Jehovah’s Witness who, at age 10, was so deeply controlled by the Watchtower that he was going door to door and standing on street corners to distribute the organization’s literature.

Joe B. Hewitt has dedicated himself to exposing the Watchtower’s false teachings and to helping Jehovah’s Witnesses ascend from mental bondage into Christian liberty. He has served as a pastor, evangelist and missionary, and has received a bachelor of divinity and a master of arts in biblical studies. His first book, I Was Raised a Jehovah’s Witness, sold 45,000 copies in the English edition and was also translated and published in Chinese.

The Little Brown-Haired Girl Series Expands with Two New Books

In the second book of the Little Brown-Haired Girl series, the Little Brown-Haired Girl once again is playing outside in her neighborhood--only this time she "forgets" her shoes. When she enters the garage to look for a ball, she is greeted by a very unpleasant visitor! OUCH! Through this unfortunate encounter the Little Brown-Haired Girl realizes the importance of listening to and obeying her parents.

In the third book of the Little Brown-Haired Girl series, the Little Brown-Haired Girl invites her friend Nan over to play in her new sandbox. Everything is going great until the Little Brown-Haired Girl finds herself covered in sand. It's in her eyes, her mouth--everywhere! Even worse, her friend Nan is to blame for this mess . . . or is she?

These two join the first book, The Little Brown-Haired Girl and the Secret-Tree Club. They are illustrated by Nathaniel Platts and are written by Kay Moore, who feels fortunate to live in her "growing-up" neighborhood where she daily can walk by the site of the sandbox and bug-bite incidents and still can climb in her special tree.

New Book Exposes Jehovah's Witness' Beliefs, Explains How to Help Watchtower Victims

Though its members represent one of the fastest-growing religions in the world, the Jehovah's Witnesses remain one of the most enigmatic and puzzling groups to many people today. Few people never have been visited by a "Witness", but what exactly do these determined people actually believe? What makes them so different from other Christian denominations?

In this spellbinding look at the Watchtower Society, Joe B. Hewitt, formerly a third-generation Jehovah's Witness who was indoctrinated by his mother and grandfather with Watchtower teachings, pulls back the curtain of mystery and exposes lies, the mind control, and the glaring contradictions of biblical truth behind the organization that has sent those smiling faces to your front door. Rescuing Slaves of the Watchtower contains heartbreaking stories of former adherents, including himself, who were betrayed by the JW's.

Joe says instead of evangelizing others, the Witnesses themselves need to be rescued from the cult-like organization. The book describes how people who know the real truth of Christ's love can rescue the Watchtower's slaves from intellectual and emotional bondage.

Bob Dean, executive director of the Dallas Baptist Association, says, "Rescuing Slaves of the Watchtower is a compelling personal story and a well-researched documentary of what really goes on in the Watchtower Society. Joe Hewitt, a former Jehovah Witness, writes with insight in how to communicate freedom in Christ to prisoners of the Watchtower. You will find this book to be an inspiring story but also a great resource of historical facts and biblical truth concerning Jehovah Witnesses."

Formerly a third-generation Jehovah's Witness, Joe B. Hewitt has dedicated himself to exposing the Watchtower's false teachings and to help Jehovah's Witnesses ascend from mental bondage into Christian liberty.

E-Books Published Through Hannibal and CrossHouse Help Authors Reach a Broader Audience

In another exciting expansion Hannibal Books and CrossHouse Publishing have begun to release their books in digital versions available through Amazon's Kindle and Barnes & Noble's Nook, as well as many other popular e-reader applications.   

Throughout the past few years the digital book industry has exploded. According to the Association of American Publishers, the industry's national trade organization, growth still is occurring at an incredible rate. The AAP's report states that digital formats of books saw revenue gains of 145.7 percent in March 2011 versus March 2010.  

We saw this as another fantastic opportunity for authors to reach an even broader spectrum of readers. As soon as its print version is released, every new book will be available as an e-book. Then throughout the next year we will release all previously published books in digital formats. Browse the Hannibal books and CrossHouse books currently available on Amazon's Kindle. 

Recent industry reports also indicate that this growth does not mean print books are obsolete. Bowker, the global leader in bibliographic information, released its annual report that states that in 2010, traditional U.S. print titles increased output by five percent after a four-percent increase the previous year. Even more encouraging is the 169-percent increase from 2009 to 2010 in the non-traditional print sector of self-publishing and micro-niche publications.  

Great opportunities abound in the publishing world. We are thrilled to be able to offer our authors and their readers greater variety along with our traditional print offerings.

"Sharing Your Faith With Muslims" Receives Honest Reviews

In a time when the Middle East is under such turmoil and Christians are being persecuted in that region seemingly more than in years' past (or at least the persecution is more publicized than in the past), Christians in the U.S. can have a mix of emotions regarding Muslims. In Wade Akins' new book, Sharing Your Faith With Muslims, he explains how Christians should relate to Muslims--with love and respect--and how Christians should understand at least the basics of the Islam faith to better discuss Christ with Muslims. View or purchase the book here, or read the bloggers' reviews below.

A Life Better Than I Deserve
Radiant Light
Vic's Media Room
Blogs of Books

Portales News-Tribune: Couple Recalls Outreach Ministry in Brazil

Alisa Boswell with the Portales News-Tribune wonderfully told the story of Hannibal Book's authors Joe and Leona Tarry, who recently published the book, The Marvel of It All.

Raising three children and going to work every day was part of Joe and Leona Tarry’s everyday life, just like anybody else. But the routine was also adventures and miracles.

Leona, previously known as Leona Isbell, grew up in Portales where she attended Portales High School and met her husband, a Lovington native who studied history and religion at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales. After Joe’s college graduation, the couple spent three years attending seminary school and pastoring a Baptist church in California then left for Brazil in 1965. (read more...)

As New Year Rolls Around, Peter Lumpkins' 'Alcohol Today' Still Relevant

Should believers bring on the booze? Is the moderate use of alcohol for recreational purposes a way Christians can reach today’s culture? Some believers in this postmodern era of indulgence say an attack on the prevalence of social drinking amounts to legalism worthy of the Pharisees.

Dealing with one of the most debated issues in Christendom today, Peter Lumpkins explores the various views on drinking beverage alcohol. In Alcohol Today: Abstinence in an Age of Indulgence, he dissects them with a surgeon's precision and then stitches them together to form a devastating argument against any recreational use of this mind-altering drug.

As seen in this recent article by the Associated Baptist Press, the topic is still a controversial one. You can read more about Peter and his book at Hannibal's website or at the author's site, Alcohol Today.