by Lucy | Feb 25, 2013 | biblical counseling |
Hi, friend. I have the privilege of participating in THE MOSES QUILT blog tour, and you have a chance to win a copy of this novel. It sensitively handles interracial relations and prejudice. With a quilt.
And the story of freedom fighter and former slave Harriet Tubman within the story.
Award-winning author Kathi Macias has another extraordinary tale of hope.
An Interview with the Author
The Quilt Series sounds interesting, but what makes it unique or sets it apart from the many other quilt books that are so popular right now?
First, I must confess to NOT being a quilter. I’ve never even considered taking it up! Second, I love quilts and have always been fascinated by the stories behind them. I combined that fascination with my passion for writing issues-related fiction, and I ended up with a three-book series that is, for the most part, contemporary but told against historical backdrops.
Sounds interesting! Can you tell us a bit about each of the three books in the series?
Sure! Book one, The Moses Quilt, involves an interracial romance, where the couple works through their concerns and apprehensions as they learn the story of Harriet Tubman’s faith and courage as told through the patches of the Moses quilt that represents her life. Book two, The Doctor’s Christmas Quilt, deals with the topic of abortion told against the backdrop of the life of America’s first woman doctor, Elizabeth Blackwell, who was strongly pro-life. Book three, The Singing Quilt, deals with a young woman overcoming a physical disability; the background for that story is based on the “Queen of Gospel,” Fannie Crosby.
Was it difficult to do the research on these women, particularly Harriet Tubman? What did you learn about her in the process?
I knew more about Harriet Tubman than I did about Elizabeth Blackwell or Fannie Crosby, but I expanded my knowledge of each as I did the research. Harriet Tubman’s amazing faith and courage is what stood out most to me about her life.
Here was a woman born a slave, penniless for the majority of her life, and illiterate except for the scripture verses she had memorized (even if she couldn’t read them). Her prayer life was powerful, even as a child. After she escaped to the North and began making forays back into the South to help bring others out of slavery, friends would caution her against it. “Harriet, there’s a reward on your head—dead or alive. Aren’t you afraid?” She brushed off their fear and explained that she believed God had called her to help rescue her people; therefore, He would protect her. When her job was done, He would take her home to heaven, so what was there to fear?
Wow, what a dynamic woman of God! I also learned that her achievements went far beyond rescuing slaves, though that’s what she’s best known for. She also served as a spy for the Union Army, worked as a nurse, and opened a home for indigent elderly former slaves. She died there herself in her mid-nineties, and the entire town flew their flags at half-mast in her honor.
Tell us a little more about the contemporary story in The Moses Quilt.
The majority of the contemporary story is set just outside San Francisco. Mazie is white and deeply in love with Edward, an African-American lawyer who adores her and wants to marry her but tries to be respectful of her hesitation to make a commitment. What he doesn’t know is that Mazie is disturbed by what she considers secrets in her family’s past, secrets that begin to be unraveled as her great-grandmother, Mimi, tells her and Edward the story behind her Moses quilt, which she bought years earlier in Gee’s Bend, Alabama, a little town famous for its quilts. Edward thought he knew everything there was to know about Harriet Tubman, who had always been somewhat of a hero to him, but Mimi’s story opens up new avenues of discovery for both the young people in this relationship—and takes them straight back to the quilt’s origin in Gee’s Bend.
This sounds like more than just a “feel-good” story. Can it be used as a study book in some way?
Absolutely! As with nearly all my books we have free downloadable discussion questions at www.newhopedigital.com that will enable The Moses Quilt to be read as a study book for individuals or used as a discussion/study book for groups.
For more opportunities for free copies of THE MOSES QUILT by Kathi Macias, please follow this book tour on Facebook here. This blog host was given a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for posting the author’s interview on this blog. CSS Virtual Book Tours are managed by Christian Speakers Services.
About the Author
Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored nearly 40 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. Kathi is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences. She won the prestigious 2008 member of the year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) at the annual Golden Scrolls award banquet. Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband, Al.
by Lucy | Sep 21, 2012 | biblical counseling
The Deliver Giveaway Winner!
Congrats to Maxie, the winner of my latest giveaway: the novel The Deliverer by award-winning author Kathi Macias. Maxie’s name was drawn randomly. She and many others wrote heart-felt blog comments about human trafficking.
Here’s a smattering:
“This subject matter is such that ‘many people are talking about it but nobody seems to do much about it.’ Is it because we are unbelieving that it could happen in our community or do we just cower in the presence of evil?” ~Darlene
“I appreciate so much the issues that Kathi tackles with such skill! I found it interesting that she always includes intercessors in her books. I didn’t realize that was planned for every book. When we read about these devastating things and think we can do nothing, we are wrong. We can intercede in prayer all the time!” ~Lanita
“As a teacher my heart pours out to innocent children and the sins they have to endure from others.” ~Deanna
” It breaks your heart to read of such evil, and, especially that so much of it goes on right around us, here in America. Kathi is a great author, and an inspiring person. May GOD continue to bless her and her work to try to right such horrible happenings. I pray that great things happen from from her caring, and writing these books. I now need to read her other books to this series!” ~Maxie
If you’d like to get a copy of Kathi’s book, visit your favorite Christian bookstore or bop over to Amazon and get the paperback or ebook delivered to your Kindle.
photo credit: Navy Blue Stripes via photo pin cc
With Joy Overflowing!
by Lucy | Sep 14, 2012 | emotions |
The Deliverer — A Book Review and Giveaway
Enter the giveaway for THE DELIVERER, a new novel by award-winning author Kathi Macias. See info below.
Sex trafficking of children breaks my heart and prompts me to action:
1. Learn about this horrific crime in other countries and in the United States. This is an informative site.
2. Pray. God sees. God knows. God heals. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
3. Get involved by donating money to organizations that help prevent child trafficking or free or counsel victims, or by raising funds, blogging to raise awareness, or whatever the Spirit leads you to do.
In the novel The Deliverer by Kathi Macias, the moving story cannot help but call readers to join the fight against human trafficking. Through the characters’ stories, you learn about this crime, and you want to pray and to make a difference in the lives of real children in bondage today. Even if human trafficking itself were fiction — and we all wish it were! — Kathi’s book has the components of stay-up-late-to-read story: suspense, action, and characters you care deeply about. It is a story of hope.
I highly recommend it.
ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:
To enter the giveaway for a free copy of this book (which I’ll mail to you), leave a comment at the bottom of this blog post AND send me a Contact message with your email address, which will be kelp confidential.
The giveaway is open through Wednesday, September 19. I’ll notify the winner by email.
With Joy Overflowing!
An Interview with Kathi
While this is the third and final book in the Freedom Series, I’m sure there are people who are just learning about it. Would you please share what prompted you to write these books on such topic as relevant and difficult as human trafficking?
I was finishing up my previous fiction series for New Hope Publishers (the Extreme Devotion Series, dealing with the persecuted Church around the world) when Andrea Mullins (the publisher at New Hope) asked me what topic I wanted to tackle next. We discussed a few possibilities, and then she suggested human trafficking. I was aware of it and thought it was terrible but had no idea how widespread it was. I agreed to do some preliminary research and get back to her. When I discovered there are more than 27 million people held in various forms of human trafficking (sexual slavery, forced labor or military conscription, involuntary donation of body parts/organs) and that many of them are children (including an estimated 100,000 to 300,000 MINORS held in sexual slavery in the US today!), I was horrified. I was also convinced that I had to do everything possible to help educate others about this widespread horror and to call them to join the fight. Not only have I now written/released the Freedom Series on human trafficking, but I’m speaking on it everywhere/every chance I get.
What was your original objective in writing these books, Deliver Me From Evil, Special Delivery, and The Deliverer? And, what are you hearing back from people who have read the books? How are they taking action?
Originally my plan was to see the books alert readers to this horrific crime and, hopefully, challenge them to get involved in fighting it some way. That seems to be happening, but on such a larger scope than I had imagined. The response from readers is overwhelming! Pastors have written to say they are challenging their entire church to get involved on some level, and I’m being invited to speak all over the country on this topic. I am thrilled to see the Light being shined in this terrible darkness at last! As for specific actions, pastors and civic leaders are inviting me (or others in this ministry) to come and speak to their congregations/groups to help educate them on this massive tragedy. Readers tell me they are posting about my books all over the net to help snag people’s attention. I’m getting invitations to speak on radio and TV as well. I’ve also been contacted by readers who are getting involved in setting up safe houses for rescued victims, which is a huge need. I was even contacted by the Department of Homeland Security and invited to participate in group conference calls on the topic. Overall, I’m thrilled at the way God is using these books to help sound the alarm and to “rescue the perishing.”
It seems there is always someone in your books who is an intercessor. Why is that important for you to include?
This is vital to me, and as you said, I almost always include an intercessor in my novels. I know there were intercessors in my own life who prayed me through some incredibly dangerous and difficult times, and I appreciate those heroes of the faith more than I can express. Highlighting their importance in my books accomplishes two things: it enables me to honor those faithful intercessors who often get no recognition in this world, and it also calls others to get involved in intercession as well.
You write books as you often call them, parables with a purpose, on topics such as human trafficking, the persecuted church, illegal immigration, and your Christmas 2012 book is about homelessness. Some might call you an advocate. Why is it important for Christians, and the church as a whole, to discuss these issues?
You’re right that I call my novels “parables with purpose,” because I believe Jesus is our example and that’s what He told to His followers—parables with purpose. He didn’t just tell them “nice stories” to entertain them. He told stories that would grab them right where they lived, and then challenge them to change their hearts, their minds, and their lives. The Church has always been at the forefront of serious social change, leading the charge to abolish slavery for instance, and leading the charge on these other issues is right where the Church needs to be now. The first step is to discuss the issues, to make people aware of them, and then to call them to action. I believe gripping fiction is one of the most effective ways to do that.
Will you give us a glimpse, a taste of things to come — without getting too far ahead — of what’s in store for your next series and books on the horizon?
In addition to the 2012 Christmas novel, Unexpected Christmas Hero, dealing with homelessness in America, I will be releasing a new series starting in January. The first of the three novels is called The Moses Quilt, and it deals with a contemporary interracial romance, set against the background of a quilt that tells the story of the courageous, faith-filled woman known as Harriet Tubman. A contemporary novel dealing with the issue of abortion will follow, with the first woman doctor in America, Elizabeth Blackwell, as our backdrop heroine. The final book will be built around the much beloved Fanny Crosby, as we deal with the issue of people with disabilities. That series is from New Hope Publishers, but I also have a book releasing in the Spring of 2013 from B&H Publishers called Last Chance for Justice. It’s part of the multi-author Bloomfield Series, and I’m very excited about it.
You also write a devotional blog. Can you tell us what the focus is and where we can find it?
I started writing a weekly devotional several years ago, in response to a request from the then newly formed group CAN (Christian Authors Network). I sent it out as a group email and had about 40 recipients then. The devotional mailing quickly grew and expanded beyond the CAN group, with countless readers signing up to receive it. I also started posting it each week on my devotional blog (http://kathimacias.com/category/devotional-2/), which is part of my primary website (www.kathimacias.com), where you will also find my “Easy Writer” blog, which is more writing-related. (You can also sign up there to receive the weekly devotional in your inbox.) Over the years the devotional has been picked up by Crosswalk, Black Christian News, Latino Christian News (I offer it in Spanish as well as English), Believe.com, Christians in Recovery, etc., so the readership has mushroomed beyond anything I ever imagined. God is amazing, isn’t He?
Finally, we know you as an award-winning author, but you also enjoy speaking for women’s events, and other groups, as well. On what areas or topics do you focus your speaking presentations? How can a church or group find out more about having you speak for their event?
I speak on various topics, including the issues I address in my books, but on other topics too. One of my most requested topics is “When Passion and Purpose Collide.” That, along with several other popular topics, can be found in the speaking section of my website (http://kathimacias.com/speaking/). To see my current speaking schedule and/or to explore the possibility of having me come and speak, just go to http://kathimacias.com/speaking/speaking-schedule/ and click on the Christian Speakers Services button to make contact. You can also see some of my speaking endorsements at http://kathimacias.com/speaking/endorsements/.
For more opportunities for free copies of The Deliverer by Kathi Macias, please visit Facebook.com/CSSVBT.KathiMacias.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for posting the author’s interview and/or book review on my blog. This blog tour is managed by Christian Speakers Services (http://ChristianSpeakersServices.com).
by Lucy | Mar 21, 2012 | biblical counseling |
My author friend Kathi Macias writes another compelling and important novel on a horrific crisis worldwide: human trafficking. Do you dare read it? Do you dare not to?
Kathi Macias has done it again. Another compelling and important novel on a horrific crisis worldwide (including the United States): human trafficking. Her novel, Special Delivery, is the second of three in a series that shines light in the darkness of this crime, too evil to imagine.
May our great God bless the children and young people–both male and female–enslaved in human trafficking, specifically sex slavery, as well as people like Kathi who keep us aware of it. Let us pray for these modern-day slaves’ rescue and recovery. May He also bless our enemies as He sees fit, for Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43,44).
God hates evil. Yet by His grace, He brings many blessings in this life to unbelievers in order to bring them to repentance and to everlasting life through Jesus Christ. (By the way, I’m giving away professionally designed t-shirts with the words “Save the Girls” to the first ten folks to comment here on this blog post.)
An Interview with Kathi Macias
Q: Special Delivery is book two in the Freedom (human trafficking) series. For anyone who may not have read book one, Deliver Me From Evil, can you fill us in on the focus of the series in general, and Special Delivery in particular?
Kathi: The Freedom series is a three-book fiction series built around the horrifying topic of human trafficking. People often ask me why I decided to write about such a dark topic. First, I explain that I’m not writing about a dark topic; I’m writing about the Light that shines in that darkness. And second, I believe the Church should be at the forefront of the modern-day abolition movement to set the captives (modern-day slaves) free.
The three books in this series specifically follows the life of a young woman named Mara, who was sold into sexual slavery by her own parents in Mexico, and then smuggled across the border into San Diego by her uncle who then served as her pimp. A strong sub-plot throughout the series tells of two sisters in the Golden Triangle of Thailand, Chanthra and Lawan, who are also trapped in a brothel. Finally, a teenage girl named Francesca, kidnapped in Juarez, Mexico, and forced into prostitution, is introduced in book two. Special Delivery picks up two years after book one, Deliver Me From Evil, ends, and continues with the stories of Mara and Lawan, as well as others carried over from book one. Mara hopes she is finally free to pursue her own life because she was rescued from the brothel and her testimony helped lock up her uncle for life. But the man has underground connections and is driven by revenge to reach out from behind bars and deliver the ultimate punishment to his niece.
Q: This isn’t the first fiction series you’ve written on nationwide and even worldwide social issues, the one previous to this being the persecuted Church. What draws you to these difficult topics?
Kathi:As a Christian, I believe I am compelled to use my God-given gifts to honor God in all I do—and that includes exposing the deeds of darkness, calling sinners to repentance, and taking a stand for righteousness by doing all I can to help rescue those who are suffering. I dare not turn my back on “the least of these.” I also believe that God placed this sort of burden on my heart even before I became a Christian at the age of 26. I’ve always been a champion of the underdog, a “soap-box” preacher, if you will. When I met Jesus, I simply redirected that passion toward His people, realizing I couldn’t effect real change in my own strength anyway.
Q: With your obvious passion to right social and moral wrongs through the power of the Gospel, how did writing and speaking enter into that?
Kathi: I’ve known I wanted to be a writer since I was a child—never wanted to do anything else. When I was a teenager I told my then boyfriend (now husband) that I was going to be a writer one day. What a blessing that God allowed me to fulfill that dream!
After becoming a believer and growing in my faith, it was natural to take my passion to fight for others and incorporate it into my writing. Speaking, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. I was terrified of public speaking when I was young, and the day I received Christ I made a “bargain” with God, promising to do anything He asked of me—so long as it didn’t include public speaking. (Does God have a sense of humor or what?) Now, when I stand in front of audiences where I believe God has called me to speak (and actually find myself enjoying it!), I tell my listeners that if God has called them to do something and they feel it’s impossible, they can consider me their “visual aid” that NOTHING is impossible with God IF we will simply take that first step of obedience and let Him fulfill His purpose in and through us.
Q: With the topics of the worldwide persecuted Church and human trafficking under your belt, what other issues are you dealing with in your writing?
Kathi: My Christmas 2011 book, A Christmas Journey Home, dealt with the immigration/border problem, and my Christmas 2012 novel, Unexpected Christmas Hero, will be about homelessness in America. The next issues-related fiction series I have on tap—which I am just starting to write, by the way—is called the “Patches of Courage” series and will begin releasing in late January 2013. Book one is The Moses Quilt, based on the life of Harriet Tubman, and will be followed by The Christmas Quilt and The Impossible Quilt. This series of books will highlight historical American women whose Christian faith enabled them to walk in great courage and make a difference in the lives of countless people.
Q: Where can people find out about you and your books, speaking, and appearances?
Kathi: They can go directly to my website or my Easy Writer blog. I’m also on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google, and various other social sites. Would love to hear from all of you!
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for posting the author’s interview on my blog. This blog tour is managed by Christian Speakers Services.
With Joy Overflowing!
by Lucy | Oct 14, 2011 | relationships |
Desperate circumstances knit women together: One an illegal immigrant. The other, a widow of a border patrol agent. Two women, a baby, and Christmastime.
Desperate circumstances knit women together. . .despite their differences.
One an illegal immigrant. The other, a widow of a border patrol agent.
Homeless, penniless, and pregnant, Isabella Alcantara–a character in Kathi Macias’ novel A Christmas Journey Home–determines to find a way to honor her promise to her beloved husband.
Living on a ranch along the Arizona border, Miriam Nelson becomes furious with God. Her mother and young son try to help her find her faith.
Two widows—one driven by fear and a promise, the other by bitterness and revenge—discover that a beautiful common yearning on Christmas Eve in a barn full of animals and a miracle. Here’s an interview with the novelist.
An Interview with Kathi Macias
Q. How did you come up with the idea for A Christmas Journey Home?
A. I knew I wanted to do a Christmas book. (It is the first of what would become an annual event that my publisher and I were discussing.) I also knew that despite the lighter tone required in a Christmas book, I had to stick to my “brand” as closely as possible: hence, an “issues-related” Christmas novel, dealing with the issues related to illegal immigration.
Q. What was your favorite scene to write in A Christmas Journey Home?
A. I loved writing this entire book, but I think I liked the scenes with Isabella’s old abuelo best, as the grandfather reminded me of my own grandpa and even my dad, both of whom I loved dearly. I love incorporating at least one elderly saint in each of my books. I also brought in a little boy because children can add such a delightful element to any story, and six-year-old Davey certainly does that in A Christmas Journey Home.
Q. What was the most difficult scene, and why?
A. The toughest scene had to be when Francisco and Isabella thought they were finally on the verge of being able to get away from the migrant camp and find a small home of their own, where their baby could be born in relative comfort and safety. If you’ve read the book, you know that isn’t at all what happens. But this heartbreaking scene had to take place to bring the story to its miraculous conclusion.
Q. What is there about you, apart from writing, that many people don’t know?
A. My “road name” is “Easy Writer” because my husband and I were Harley riders for many years.
Q. Who are some of your favorite writers, and are you an avid reader?
A. Absolutely I’m an avid reader. I have always loved books, reading, and words and been fascinated by them. When I ran out of books as I child, I started writing my own. Voila! Look what came of that! As for favorite writers, that’s tough, but here are just a few: Brock and Bodie Thoene, Francine Rivers, Patti Lacy, Athol Dickson, Jim Rubart, and Alan Paton, who wrote my favorite all-time fiction book, Cry the Beloved Country. That book changed my life and inspired my novel set in South Africa in 1989, No Greater Love. I also enjoy reading Brennan Manning, Jennifer Kennedy Dean, Oswald Chambers, and Max Lucado for nonfiction.
Q. What’s on the horizon for you now, so far as future book projects?
A. I am currently finishing up the final book of the three-installment Freedom series (Deliver Me From Evil, Special Delivery, and The Deliverer). Then I will jump into my Christmas 2012 novel (working title is A Home For Christmas) and a novel called Last Chance for Justice, which is part of the multi-author Bloomfield Series with another publisher. After that I hope to get going on a new fiction series, which is still in the discussion/planning stages with my publisher and agent. So life is busy, but most contracts coming my way seem to be fiction right now. I am also keeping busy with very occasional editing projects and some speaking/teaching around the country.
Q. Where can we find out more about you, The Freedom Series, and keep up with your to-be-released books?
A. Please feel free to visit my website at www.KathiMacias.com.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for posting the author’s interview on my blog. This blog tour is managed by Christian Speakers Services (ChristianSpeakersServices.com).
You Are Blessed!
