Red Ink

Red Ink – Book Three of Extreme Devotion Series
Written by Kathi Macias
Published at New Hope Publishers

About the book

A young Chinese woman, Zhen-Li—raised to observe the party line, including its one-child-per-family doctrine—falls in love with and marries a Christian, and adopts his faith. Though the couple downplays their Christianity in an effort to survive, Zhen-Li’s family is appalled, and she and her husband are ostracized. When she becomes pregnant for the second time and refuses to have an abortion, the persecution begins in earnest. Zhen-Li’s parents, under pressure from the government, pay to have Zhen-Li kidnapped and the baby aborted.

It is then Zhen-Li decides she must live up to her name—"Truth"—and take a firm stand for her faith, regardless of the consequences, and so she begins to regularly teach children about Zhu Yesu ("Lord Jesus") and to distribute Christian literature every chance she gets.

Based loosely on the life of Christian magazine editor Li Ying, currently serving a ten-year prison sentence in China, the story of Yang Zhen-Li tells the desperate tale of her incarceration and separation from her family, as she continues to minister to other prisoners, and even to her guards.

Who is Kathi Macias?

Kathi is a multi-award winning writer who has authored nearly 30 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, and recently 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, where the two of them spend their free time riding their Harley.

My Thoughts

Reading books that remind us of the persecution that Christians experience in China is always thought provoking I find.   This book is such a book.    Sometimes I find that Christianity in North America is too easy and we can easily get side-tracked.

I am enjoying reading this book as you get various stories at the same time.   At one point you are transported in China and enter the lives of Yang Zhen-Li and her family and then suddenly you follow prayer warriors in a retirement home in California.   At the same time, you get introduced to a young woman who gets in trouble and her grand-mother who is bitter to the bone about her family.  This was a nice mix of characters and events.  

When I read  how believers in China are treated, it breaks my heart.   And at the same time, I wonder how I would react in the same situation.   If we look in our hearts, would we stand for Jesus?   I hope that I would because He is precious to me.  

The events surrounding the young woman is quite disturbing but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised because it does exists in our dark world.   It is sad to realize that young ladies are lied to and used in such a way that they are degraded and abused.  

This novel is definitively thought provoking and will hopefully encourage you to pray regularly when the Spirit nudge you to do so – even when you don’t know the details of a situation.   After all, God is all knowing.  Ultimately, He knows the details and will do something about it.

Questions/Answers from Kathi Macias

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Red Ink is the third book in your four-book Extreme Devotion series. Each book is set in a different country, with the theme of first devotion and commitment to Christ above all else running through all four. How is Red Ink different, and who/what inspired you to write this book?

Red Ink is the only one of the four books that actually deals with someone being arrested and suffering specifically for her faith in Christ. The story is loosely based on my own personal heroine, Li Ying, who is currently serving a ten-year sentence in China for printing/distributing Christian materials, particularly to children. I pray for Li Ying daily, and I remind myself how very blessed I am to have the freedom to do what she did—without paying the price she now pays.

Can you give us a brief synopsis of this story?

A young Chinese woman, Zhen-Li—raised to observe the party line, including its one-child-per-family doctrine—falls in love with and marries a Christian, and adopts his faith. Though the couple downplays their Christianity in an effort to survive, Zhen-Li’s family is appalled, and she and her husband are ostracized. When she becomes pregnant for the second time and refuses to have an abortion, the persecution begins in earnest. Zhen-Li’s parents, under pressure from the government, pay to have Zhen-Li kidnapped and the baby aborted.

It is then Zhen-Li decides she must live up to her name—"Truth"—and take a firm stand for her faith, regardless of the consequences, and so she begins to regularly teach children about Zhu Yesu ("Lord Jesus") and to distribute Christian literature every chance she gets. Based loosely on the life of Christian magazine editor Li Ying, currently serving a ten-year prison sentence in China, the story of Yang Zhen-Li tells the desperate tale of her incarceration and separation from her family, as she continues to minister to other prisoners, and even to her guards, leading to a surprising conclusion that will both stun and challenge readers.

How did you get into writing? Has it always been your passion, or is it something you came to later in life?

I’ve always wanted to write, for as long as I can remember. I was an avid reader even before I started kindergarten. I wrote a short story in third grade that the teacher liked so much she showed it to the principal, and they decided to turn it into a play for the entire PTA. I was hooked! One day when I was about 13, I was walking home from school with my then boyfriend (now husband), Al, and I told him I’d be a writer some day. He often reminds me how blessed I am to have been able to do what I dreamed of all my life.

I understand you’re running a special contest that has to do with this book. Can you tell us about it?

Actually, I’m running the same contest twice—two chances to win a free Kindle! To be eligible, follow these three steps:

• You have to read Red Ink and post reviews on Amazon, CBD, etc., and/or your personal blog;
• You must also be a follower of my Easy Writer blog (address below); and,
• Let me know via my website contact email: mailto:ezyrtr@ca.rr.com that you have met the requirements and want to be entered.

The first winner will be announced in early November; the second in mid-December, just in time for a last-minute Christmas gift.

In addition to writing, you are a popular speaker at women’s event, writers’ conferences, and various venues around the country. How can people find out more about you, your writing and speaking, sign up for your weekly devotional newsletter (in English or Spanish), and/or just view your many book videos, etc.?

They can find me at my website (http://www.kathimacias.com) or blog (http://kathieasywritermacias.blogspot.com). There is a “contact” button on my website if they’d like to send me a message. I always respond to all my emails!

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CONTEST

I’ve received an extra copy of Red Ink to give away. 

The contest is simple,  follow the steps below to get a chance to win.  Don’t forget to include your email address so I can contact you!

1) Tell me why you would like to receive this book.

This entry is mandatory before proceeding further.

More entries opportunity if you do the following…

2) Follow Canadianladybug Reviews! on Blogger and let me know about it.

3) Like Canadianladybug Reviews! on facebook and let me know about.

4) Follow me on twitter and leave me your twitter ID.

5) Blog about this contest and give me your link in a comment.

Don’t forget to include your email for each steps.   No email means I will have to pick someone else.    I need to be able to contact you if you win!   Random.org will be use to determine the winner.  You will have 48 hours to contact me and give me your mailing address so I can send it to  you!

Open to Canadian residents ONLY.   You must have a Canadian mailing address.

Deadline:   November 12, 2010.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided to me as a blog tour host by New Hope Publishers in exchange for posting this interview on my blog. Please visit Christian Speaker Services at www.ChristianSpeakerServices.com for more information about blog tour management services.

Red Ink is available everywhere even at Amazon.ca.

What the Bible is All About for Moms

What the Bible is all About for Moms
Written by Kathy Pride
Published at Regal
About the book
Renowned Bible teacher Henrietta Mears had a dream: to make the Bible accessible to everyone. What the Bible Is All About realizes her dream, and that book has become an essential companion for students of the Bible for more than 50 years. What the Bible Is All About for Moms is the second devotional based on Dr. Mears classic study guide. These 66 readings, one for each book of the Bible, will bring God's Word into the homes and hearts of moms of all ages. Each chapter includes mom-specific excerpts from Henrietta's original text, suggested Scripture reading for daily or weekly study, a devotional reading to connect the days verses to the everyday lives of mothers, a few ideas about applying God's Word to the reader's life and a suggested thought or question for further reflection. Moms are in the Bible from beginning to end, and now the Bible can be in the hearts and minds of moms!

Who is Kathy Pride?
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m trying to decide how to introduce myself… I have lots of energy (although I feel tired a lot), am decidedly middle aged (although I still seem to think I am in my twenties) and wage a losing battle with wanting to drop ten to fifteen pounds which have settled between my naval and my knees.

I worship at Community Mennonite Fellowship in Milton, Pennsylvania where I serve as the Director of the Missions/Outreach Ministry. I accepted Christ the very first day I showed up at this church on June 10, 2001 and am privileged to serve as part of the church with a group of people who walk the talk.

I grew up in New York City and now I live in a small town in Pennsylvania where I moved with my husband, Howie, in 1986. We chose Danville, PA because there is a large medical center and it is where my husband completed his residencies and now practices as a pediatric dermatologist.
Howie and I met at Brown University, where he graduated in 1980, and I graduated in 1982. I did not study English, journalism, or writing, (a question I am frequently asked) but majored in Health and Society. When we moved to Pennsylvania I continued my education, earning my BSN from Bloomsburg University and have spent over twenty years teaching huff and puff (childbirth education) classes.

We have four children, two big boys (OK, young men) in their twenties, and two daughters in elementary school. The quip is that we missed our generation completely, having our first two children as young fools, and our second two as old fogies. Our older daughter is Vietnamese, joining our family when she was five months old. Our other three children are birth children, our second son and second daughter red headed look a-likes.

My writing journey started in 2002 when we were in the midst of struggles with our son and I felt compelled to share a hand of hope and healing to other families who were struggling with substance abuse. The directive to share was very clear, as if I had heard an audible voice. I ended up writing the book I needed to read Winning the Drug War at Home. And that was the beginning of my writing life, which I love and find myself knee-deep in it.

What else can I tell you about myself? In an attempt to get rid of those nagging extra ten pounds I love to exercise but need a goal to keep me motivated. So my husband and I recently decided to join the world of short distance triathlons. I used to be quite competitive (swam at the National Level) but now my goal is simply to finish.

I love to travel and we have gone to Honduras on Medical Mission trips. Recently I did a high ropes course, and all I have to say is it really is a good thing I only had a vague idea of what I was getting myself into. I have never participated in sky diving (although our son Matt has; he also went down in a cage to visit with sharks and want to get his Avalanche certification…) but I have gone paragliding in the Swiss Alps.

An Interview with Kathy Pride
First, a little bit about me and how this book came to be…

So, let’s chat. I love chatting! And meeting new people, especially moms.
I am a mom, I have a mom, and I have worked with moms for years as a childbirth educator. And my writing style is much like my teaching style, telling things like they are with truth, humor and transparency.
I hated it when the instructor told me in Lamaze class that the contractions wouldn’t hurt. That was simply not true. And I vowed then and there that everything I did in life had to be truthful, but that sometimes the truth hurts so humor tempers lots.

Anyway, I have four kids, two adult sons, 28 and 25 and two younger daughters, eleven and thirteen, and for those who wonder about the gap, our third child was actually the only one truly, truly planned for the time she arrived, as she was adopted and brought home from Vietnam at five months of age.

My husband and I have been married for almost thirty years and met in college and have hung in and on ever since. We live in a small town in Central PA where he is a physician and I spend most of my time after three pm in the car.

The opportunity to write this book came to be as a result of a totally divine happenstance conversation I had with editor extraordinaire and grace dispenser Kim Bangs who invited me to submit a concept sheet and then proposal for this book.

Well, what about that soft spot for moms?

Moms have a tough job, don’t you think?

We do have the Bible, and not to minimize that as an instruction manual in right living by any stretch of the imagination, but it tends to come in after friends and family and all their free advice, that can be pretty costly…

So the question arose, how can we take Biblical wisdom and stories, role models and examples, and weave them into relevant (and funny) stories to encourage moms? I know I need encouragement! Everyone else’s kids may be perfect, but mine are NOT. And, shocker, neither am I. But guess what? Neither were many of the moms, ok, all of the moms in the Bible. Remember, Jesus has the corner on the market in the perfection department, so God has provided lots of examples of moms and how they dealt with different situations, similar to what current day moms deal with. Truly, there is nothing new under the sun. But, the story of the Bible is one of redemption, and moms need to remember that.

So, the opening story for Genesis, is titled, “E is for Eve and Epidurals.”

So, tell us a little bit about how the book is laid out, and who is Henrietta Mears?

The book is inspired by the writing of Henrietta Mears, renowned Bible Teacher from Hollywood Presbyterian Church in the 1940’s and on. She believed in making the Bible accessible to everyone, and wrote her hallmark publication, What the Bible is All About, and was the founder of Gospel Light Publishing, Regal’s (the publisher of this book) parent company. So Regal has now published two devotionals inspired by her writing.

The book is comprised of 66 chapters, one for each book of the Bible, each one bit sized for busy moms.
Each chapter starts off with a brief section entitled “Snapshot from Henrietta” which serves as a basic overview for that particular book of the Bible. It is then followed by selected Scriptures, also inspired by the writing of Miss Mears, with one specific Scripture from among her selections highlighted. This Scripture is one that has particular relevance to moms.

A short one sentence synopsis precedes each story under the heading, “Momento” and then is followed by the story under the heading, “Mama Mia” which focuses on a mom or mom theme.

Each story is followed by an encouragement, “Lightening the Mother Load” and then closes with questions for reflection under “Musings for Moms.”

Tell us a little about the stories; some of these titles make me laugh.
I am so glad they make you laugh. Every mom who has gone through labor can relate to labor pain. Well, it says there right in the Bible, women will experience pain in childbirth, so E is for Eve (the grande dame mama) and epidurals…

Then there are others, like, “Bath”-Is That for Bathing or Bathsheba? (Being noticed and admired…); “White Teeth and Plastic Surgery” (paying attention to appearances); “Mean Girls 101” (raising great daughters); and “Too Much Idling Will Ruin Your Engine” (Gossiping).

But the stories are relevant, honest, and will result in many nods of recognition. I am simply the scribe (oh, and experiencer of most of the stories, which are all true, although some names have been changed….)

But aren’t Moms too busy to read?

I will be the first mom to admit that we are busy…and I often fall asleep at night, sometimes drooling, while trying to read. But these chapters are bite sized, uplifting and include lots of Scripture, and can be read on the go. They are great for the car or purse. Plus, with the Bible overview, if you have friends who don’t think the Bible is particularly relevant, or not for them, this is perfect to introduce them to the Bible as the real deal!

Is this for all moms, or just young moms?

The challenges that moms face are really universal throughout their lifetime. It may be a different story, but ultimately it is the same script. It may be sleepless nights with a colicky baby, but problems and not understanding what is wrong continues with your kids through a lifetime (sorry, if you have young kids you probably didn’t just want to read this…)

It includes single moms, young moms, older moms, and moms who aren’t yet moms. There are struggles in yearning to be a mom and God’s answers and timing that are also written about with bittersweet honesty.

Have you had experience with tough times in parenting?

Absolutely. But because God is in the grand business of redemption, while it doesn’t condone wrongs, He will use mistakes to help us reach out to others. I have experienced crisis pregnancy, pregnancy loss, infertility, adoption and motherhood as a young fool, and older fogie…remember, we have seventeen years between number one and four. Our adult sons have had struggles (one son’s struggle with substance abuse is what paved the way to my relationship with Christ) and just real life issues, which would make it into my annual Christmas letter, and is why I no longer write one (no, I write a book instead…)

How has this book been redemptive to you?

That’s a great question, because the first draft of this manuscript was, well, a little let’s just say, sharp (ok, downright caustic in some places) and that showed me, through the eyes of another, that I still had significant healing to go through in my relationship with my own mother. And it is amazing how God has accomplished that, through allowing me to write, re write and then learn from Him through the writing of this book.

What kind of feedback have you had so far?

You know, it’s been really encouraging. Moms are relieved that they are not alone, that there is someone else who will acknowledge that they don’t have it all together (and don’t drive a clean car, either…) I have had so many women remark that they felt like I was just chatting with them over coffee, that the stories are so real to life. And that’s what we need isn’t it? Encouragement from others that we journey through life together, God loves us, will redeem our mistakes, and then enable us to share with the next sojourner on the journey of life.

What else would you like to share?

I would love for people to join the conversation, come stop by for a visit at my web site: http://www.kathypride.com/, also known as The Mennonite Diva. Friend me on Facebook, although there I listed my “full” name for some unknown reason, Katherine Pride (so formal) follow my blog on the home page of my website, and just hang out.

Wait just one minute…did you say Mennonite Diva? Tell me about that.

Sure. First of all, my message of encouragement to women is that they all need to release their Inner Diva’s. They are Divinely Chosen, Inspiring, Valued and Amazing. I worship at a Mennonite Church where I also serve as the Outreach and Missions Director, and I love pink and having fun. So please drop by!

My Thoughts
I see this book as a companion of the original What the Bible is All About.   Why?   Simply because I consider it more like a devotional that goes along with the original book written by Henrietta Mears. 
What the Bible is All About for Mom’s gives a snapshot of what Mrs. Mears has written in the original book and then you get a devotion with questions that will make you think and ponder on what you have read.  

I enjoyed reading the devotions of the books of the bible that I selected and look forward to pursue my discoveries in this book.   I am fortunate to have the original book from Mrs. Mears as well so I can take both and discover the Bible through a different way.

Getting to know your Bible from cover to cover should be a priority for every mom.   After all, how can you encourage your children to discover God’s Word when you yourself don’t take the time to do so?   Reading on a daily basis will show them that getting to know God is a priority.   This book will help you to discover how it can be applied in your life while you do through the devotional part of it.  

This review was possible because I received a copy of What the Bible is All About for Mom’s from Christian Speaker Services.

What the Bible is All About for Mom’s is available everywhere even at amazon.ca.