Monthly Archives: January 2012

Reporter and News Anchor is Week 4′s “In His Very Steps” Hero of the Week


Friend and brother-in-Christ Thomas Smith

A former newspaper reporter and TV news producer, Thomas Smith, is is this week’s winner of In His Very Steps. I’ve only known Thom for a short period of time, but he has quickly become a friend and a mentor. Thom is an award winning writer, playwright, and essayist. His work has been published in numerous magazines, books, anthologies, and newspapers. His poetry was featured on Mrs. Cox’s bulletin board when he was in the third grade (the elementary school equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize), and he is a three-time American Christian Writers Association Writer of the Year. For his invaluable assistance in helping me encourage people to walk in the very steps of Jesus, Thom is this week’s In His Very Steps Hero.

I need YOU too. It is extremely difficult to be successful as a Christian author. But I’m claiming the promise of Jesus in Matthew 19:26 and I would ask you do the same with me, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

I’m continuing to give away a copy of my book EVERY WEEK this year. I hope you will find it in your heart to help.

Because I Love Him and You,


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Social Activist Wins Week 3′s “In His Very Steps” Giveaway


Thank you, Nona.

Social Activist, Nona Ellington of Houston, Texas is this week’s winner of my debut novel, In His Very Steps. According to Nona’s website, Eagles Restoration Ministries, she is not only helping to promote my book, she is healing those who are hurt. This vibrant young woman has dedicated her life to individuals affected by abortion, divorce, incarcerated women, and more. It is a privilege to recognize her as this week’s In His Very Steps Hero.

I need YOU too. It is extremely difficult to be successful as a Christian author. But I’m claiming the promise of Jesus in Matthew 19:26 and I would ask you do the same with me, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

I’m continuing to give away a copy of my book EVERY WEEK this year. I hope you will find it in your heart to help.

Because I Love Him and You,


eReaders: Libraries and More in Your Hands


Long before the advent of the first Amazon Kindle in 2007, organizers of the 1971 Gutenberg Project recognized the need to digitize the written works of authors. Moreover, the 1989 book by acclaimed sci-fi author Ben Bova, Cyperbooks, raised eyebrows and started people talking about the future of reading.

The era of the hand-held e-reader began with 1993 Apple Newton and the 1999 Rocket eBook (the first portable reader). Portable Digital Assistants or PDAs soon followed that were software application based more than book readers. That same software was also modified for use on laptops and tablet PCs.

True competition Apple’s Newton didn’t surface until Sony introduced it’s Libre device in 2004. The result was widespread industry acceptance that eReader devices were here to stay — but any Star Trek could have told they would. In fact, the popularity Sony’s device appears to have lit a fire in Amazon’s executives who released its Kindle in 2007. Mega-bookseller Barnes & Noble followed with their own device, the Nook, in 2009. Following the earlier trend of software following electronics, the release of Apple’s iPad in 2010 may ensure that reading will never be the same again.

With this brief history in mind, let me compare four widely available eReaders for your consideration: the Kindle Fire, the Nook Color, the Nook Tablet, and one you may not know about, the Kobo Vox.

Kindle Fire

Price: $199

Screen: 7-in.color touchscreen

Operating system: Customized Android OS

Available Library: Books, movies, TV shows, songs, magazines and newspapers

Book lending: Yes

Apps/games: Thousands of Kindle-optimized Android apps and games

Battery life: 8 hours reading or 7.5 hours during video playback

Storage: 8 GB plus cloud storage (about 6000 books, 80 applications, 10 movies, or 600 songs)

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Texas-bell Wins Week 2 Giveaway


It has been said that everything is bigger in Texas. That may or may not be true, but this week’s winner of an autographed copy of my debut novel, In His Very Steps went to great lengths to help me help me spread the news about the book.

Thanks to Lanette Wilpitz for helping promot IHVS book one.

Lanette Wilpitz of Arlington, Texas — Pastor’s Kid, wife, and mother of two boys, is week two’s winner for her volunteer effort to promote my book to her friends and acquaintances. Amazingly, Lanette published a brief but flattering review of IHVS on the Facebook fan page for WoMen’s Literary Cafe, shared at least one Facebook post on her personal page, and even went so far as to post a flattering 5-star review on Amazon.com (http://goo.gl/qdU0N).

Speaking from my heart, I need YOU to me reach people who would benefit from reading my book; fellow Christians like yourself who are willing to talk about the book, offer one as a gift to members of your church, sharing stories about the book’s impact on your when you read it, share stories and Tweets, and more. Best of all, even a little act can made a big impact.

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