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An Encouraging Angel
Naomi’s Journey Into The Light follows a young woman, Naomi Larson, on a journey into faith and how it not only affects her life, but the lives of others. What was the inspiration for this story?
Actual events out of my own life provided the spark that led to this book. One such event occurred when I was only seven years old. Being diagnosed with polio, a deadly disease in the 1950s, the doctors delivered their dire prediction: I would only live two to three more years. While in the hospital I met my very own Sister Mary, just as in my book, who became an encouraging angel for me. Through prayer and faith, I’m still alive almost seventy years later. That ordeal in 1953 changed my life and later led to me to writing inspirational novels.
What is one piece of advice someone gave you that you will never forget?
My deeply religious grandmother advised me to never lose your faith in God and follow the path He lays out for you. I took that to heart. Something I’ve discovered on that path is that good books are truly mirrors of the soul of the authors.
How did writing Naomi’s Journey Into The Light affect you?
It’s been a humbling experience. Every day as I wrote this book, I felt connected to God on several levels as the story just flowed out of me. All through this process I was fully aware of the spiritual energy guiding me.
What do you hope readers will take away from your book?
To be open to the inspirational message that reaches into the heart throughout this story. To come to know how much God can be beautifully involved in our lives if we let Him in.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
Naomi Larson is about to enter the year that changed her life. Returning to her home town after many years, she encounters an old building that turns out to be a place of miracles. She is drawn into a world of meaningful dreams, life-changing visions and a guardian angel.
Reminiscent of the story of Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol and elements of It’s a Wonderful Life, Naomi’s journey becomes a soul stirring account as she discovers the Light of the World and just how much God is involved in our lives, if we let Him. Within the pages of this visionary novel you will discover an inspiring narrative that reaches into your heart.
The Eternal Hope Of An Author
To See God follows a Jewish family who, despite being separated by distance and religious beliefs, find a way to bond. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The novel is a sequel to The Flight of the Veil, the book in which the Greek Orthodox nun, Sister Theodora, is reunited with her older brother, Dr. Nicky Covo, after they were separated for 47 years by the Holocaust. The shock of their unexpected reunion – of Nicky, who believed his entire family died at Auschwitz after he’d left their family home to hide, and of his baby sister, then named Kal, who has no recollection for that long period of having been born into a Jewish family – puts all the characters in motion, and that’s where the prior novel ends. In particular, Sister Theodora has begun to recall her Jewish roots, including Talmudic stories taught to her by their father. So my principal motivation in writing To See God was to learn what happened next to these characters, whom I have grown to love over the 13 years I’ve been writing about them.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your story?
A desire to read the book again and to share it with their friends. Beyond that – the eternal hope of an author that he has created a compelling reading experience – I would be pleased if readers took from the story a renewed sense of the importance of family. That’s why I have intertwined so many other family sub-plots into the story of Nicky and Theodora. These include the relationship of Nicky’s adult son and daughter, Max and Kayla, who live together; that of Kayla and August, her son’s father, who struggle through a Family Court custody fight; that of Nicky and Helen, who must decide in their senior years whether to marry; and most importantly that of Theodora and Jackie, her grandnephew, whose religious beliefs seem inextricably in conflict – but maybe not.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I’ve already mentioned family, but equally important is the importance of faith to many of the characters in this book. And that presents its own set of conflicts, one of the most interesting of which, in my opinion, is the divergence between orthodox beliefs and new religious experiences not endorsed by orthodoxy. A central character is Abbess Fevronia, the leader of Sister Theodora’s monastery and someone who must try to bridge the growing gap between Greek Orthodox Christianity and what Sister Theodora – who has undoubtedly experienced miracles and might one day be deemed a saint – claims is a message from God. But religious conflicts surround others in the novel as well, e.g., Nicky, an atheist, and Helen, a deeply religious Jew.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’ve started a fourth book of this series, tentatively named Forgiveness, which would be a sequel to To See God. But I teach writing at American University during the fall and spring semesters, and I find it difficult to make much progress in my own writing when I’m more involved with my students’ lives and their writing. This coming summer I hope to complete a first draft of the novel, and then we’ll see where it goes from there. With luck, Forgiveness would be available in about two years.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon | Website
Sister Theodora, a devout Greek Orthodox nun who was born Jewish and saved from the Holocaust by the Virgin Mary, has a vision from God telling her that her Black seven-year-old grandnephew in America is the Second Coming of Jesus.
Theodora must travel to America, convinced she has a Divine mission to help young Jackie Covo-being raised in an Orthodox Jewish family-recognize who he really is.
Literary Titan Gold Book Award – Mar 2023
The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise, and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and writing talent of these brilliant authors.
Award Recipients
Rethink Your Financial Health AJ Uitvlugt
Off Kilter by M. Lee Musgrave
A Guide for Aging Heroes: Owning the Second Half of Life in 30 Days by Randolph Harrison
A Murder in Ashwood by Robert Brighton
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
Literary Titan Silver Book Award – Mar 2023
The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise, and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and writing talent of these brilliant authors.
Award Recipients
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
There Is More Going On
The Genesis 6 Project follows a group of military and Indian Affairs agents who are assigned the task of tracking down a dangerous enemy. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration for this story is twofold, the rumored involvement of the US military encounter with a Nephilim in early 2000 in Kandahar Afghanistan. The second is the interest in the topic of nephilims, and wanted to craft something for the modern day.
Which character in the novel do you feel you relate to more and why?
I related to Ironhorse. He tries to do the right thing, open minded about the paranormal, even with a skeptical eye.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The biggest theme is that perhaps, there is more going on in our world then we realize, and that there are probably competing factions around the world who want to suppress information and others who will use it to their advantage.
What is the next book that you are working on and when is that book due out?
I am working on an outline for a sequel to this novel. Dr. Mullins has been busy!
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
Archaeological evidence suggests their adversary is an aged old enemy of the Crow people, with a link to the infamous fallen Watchers described in the book of Genesis. While the hunt ensues, multiple groups battle for final control of the biblical Nephilim and the potential for super soldier applications.
Ironhorse and his team face a final showdown after the military is thwarted, to try and stop the carnage. What if the creature escapes to the highlands in its quest to bring his kind back for the end of times? Who is the mysterious outside group involved? So much is hanging in the balance with their final confrontation!
How My Imagination Works
In Once To Die, a homeless man, a burned-out priest, and a young wanderer must navigate a mind-bending supernatural world to find salvation and forgiveness. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I never quite know where the inspiration for a story comes from. I am the type of writer people refer to as a “gardener.” In other words, I don’t rely heavily on outlines or predetermined structure. I start with an idea for a story, but it grows organically and rarely ends up being what I envisioned. In this case, I set out to write a story about time travel. My vision was of a simple plot, a straightforward sci-fi story, with no spiritual overtones or themes. Once I got into the writing, the characters took over, and I ended up with a story that is completely void of time travel and is engorged with spiritual questions and conundrums woven and tangled through a plot that is quite complex. It is strange, how that happens.
There are several characters in the book who struggle with issues of faith and spirituality. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
I don’t define or create my characters; I discover them. That is how my imagination works. The characters reveal themselves to me gradually as the story unfolds, and life experience feeds imagination. I once saw a young homeless man pushing a cart, heavily laden, but he had a cool air about him. He wore dark shades, and carried himself with a lot of respect and dignity, in spite of his obvious struggles. He would sometimes park his cart and sit beside a busy street in a lawn chair to eat lunch out of a bag. I found myself wondering who he was, what was his life like, and what was his back story. Over a period of six years, in my imagination, Perry introduced himself to me, told me his story, and I wrote it down.
As for the spiritual themes, someone once told me that after the age of twenty-five, all big questions are spiritual questions. I believe that is true. I think we all wonder about and search for the deeper meanings of life, and ask questions about why we are here, what is our purpose, and how do we fit into the vast context of the universe. Those questions to me, are the most interesting questions there are, so I spend a lot of time pondering them. I suppose that is how the spiritual themes find their way into my stories. Those are the questions I grapple with in my own life.
The book deals with some heavy topics, such as homelessness, drug addiction, and gang violence. What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
If a writer is honest at all, his or her own life struggles will show up in the stories. My mom is very religious, and my dad was more worldly. My mom took us to daily Mass, and my Dad arranged for us to play music in the local bars for his friends. I became an altar boy at age seven, and a bar band musician at age eight.
As a young child, I learned about the gritty, sometimes ugly truth of adult behavior, including substance abuse, domestic abuse, bare knuckle violence, adultery, and white-collar crime. I also learned there exists a very high and mysterious spirituality that transcends all of that. As early as I can remember, I experienced the world as a complex weave of darkness and light, ugliness, and beauty.
My teens were a mess, and I was lost for about a decade. I had more than one close brush with death myself, and seven of my friends did not survive their twenties. I lost friends to car crashes, suicides, and gun violence. Crimes like rape and murder touched people close to me, and substance abuse was all around me. I was a music major in college and a road musician for about two years after college. The combination of those experiences created in me a lot of internal tension and raised a lot of questions about the beauty and horror of life and death.
After much exploration and searching, I ended up back in the church of my youth at the age of twenty-two. Yet, because of my background, I continued to perform music for money throughout my thirties. After that, I worked on staff at my local parish for twelve years, and in that role, had a lot of experiences trying to help homeless people. I acquired a strong empathy for how difficult their lives can be.
When you read this series, you can recognize those real-life influences. As a child I recognized in life a complex struggle between darkness and light, and I suppose I still see life that way today. I find it fascinating to explore deep questions, and that always leads to an encounter with supernatural realities. The story I’m telling with this series is fictional, but the evil and holiness I am writing about are very much real.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Once To Die is the first book in a series titled The Other Side Of Dead. Books one, two, and three are set to roll out at one-month intervals beginning in March of 2023. Books four, five and six are at various stages of evolution. Currently book four is in that fascinating place where the story has taken on a life of its own, and I’m having a lot of fun with it. I think it may be the strongest of the books so far, and it is due to publish in June of 2023.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Perry is homeless, and desperate to get off the streets, after losing his best friend Bobby to gang violence. When Perry witnesses a drug deal, he finds his own life in peril.
Father John is exhausted. Burned out after fifteen years of ministry, he seeks a sign that he is on the right path. At the driest point of his spiritual life, a beautiful woman is tempting him. He knows he is a soul in danger. When a murder victim shows up begging for help, he fears all hell is breaking loose.
A young man wanders an existential maze between heaven and hell, good and evil. He darts between worlds involuntarily, terrifying a Catholic priest, a college professor, and a world-famous musician. Evil wants him, and time is running out.
Mind-bending events erupt to threaten the spiritual foundations of both the living and the dead. Life, sanity, and salvation hang in the balance. With the veil between here and there in tatters, the very fabric of the universe seems to be unraveling.
Buy Once To Die for a thrilling adventure of faith and supernatural forgiveness.
To See God
In To See God, Bruce J. Berger enlightens the reader on the journey of spirituality, understanding God, and following religion. The author uses tales that believers can relate to sharing the message of a loving God, living righteously, and following the same steps as Christ did when he was on earth.
The tales in the book, the characters that the author uses as a reference, and the lessons at the end of every discussion are some of the notable elements in this book. Bruce J. Berger writes in an easy to comprehend manner. Reading this book gives one a sense of belonging. As a reader, you feel good about being a child of God and even feel better knowing that higher powers are looking over you.
The author tells the story of Jewish siblings and family who, despite being disconnected by distance, time, and religious beliefs, have a way of bonding at some point. The story reads like a surreal novel, with mystery and complex elements. The mixed mystery and suspense in the pages make for an exciting read. Bruce J. Berger’s manner of combining the different storylines into a larger overall plot was expertly done.
In the main story, a lady by the name of Theodora gets a vision that her grand-nephew, who is in the United States of America, is likely the second coming of Jesus. Now, Theodora is a staunch Greek Orthodox nun who has gone through interesting experiences herself. However, one of the most notable moments in her life was when she was saved from the holocaust by the Virgin Mary. Theodora is in a country miles away from her grand-nephew, and following her journey was enchanting.
Bruce J. Berger writes to help readers build their faith. Amazingly, such a sacred and educational book was written not just for believers but also for readers that are questioning their spirituality. The author has a talent for conveying love, sanctity, and religion. As a reader, you are able to engage with the author through his words.
I like that as you read the book, you are able to ask multiple theological questions and get answers from the book. This is a thought-provoking book that will leave readers reflecting on family, and religious paths, balancing life’s experiences, dealing with personal challenges, and learning about God and spiritual life. To See God is a captivating addition to the Forgiveness and Faith Novel series.
Pages: 302 | ASIN : B0BNVQ7XQW
Naomi’s Journey Into the Light
Naomi’s Journey Into the Light is a story about Naomi Larson, a woman whose life encounters are both intriguing and inspiring. Naomi may seem like the typical girl next door, but her life is a testimony that God exists and loves his people. The author starts the book on a relatively sad note as the reader is introduced to 18-year-old Naomi, who has just learned that her mother is fatally ill. Now, this would be distressing for any child. However, mothers are pillars in most homes, and for Naomi, her mother being sick and possibly having a short time to live frightened her. It was unfortunate that her mother later passed on, but in her passing, Naomi came to understand some things that she was previously oblivious to.
Author Sam Rawlins writes about Naomi in the most natural way. As a reader, you feel you have met Naomi or can relate to some of her stories. Naomi’s life was not extraordinary life, but she was different. A lot of things happened after the loss of her mother. She encountered challenges, met good friends, met people who appeared to be guardian angels, and even found her path to God. Naomi also worked as a chaplain assistant in a hospice, which revealed to her the true purpose she had on this earth, among other things. Through Naomi’s story, Sam Rawlins can show readers how to realize their true purpose on earth, the journey of faith, and why religion is crucial for everyone.
As the author narrates Naomi’s and other peoples’ tales, the reader can pick lifetime lessons, notes on spirituality, and how to lead a righteous life. I especially like Sam Rawlins’s writing style, as he is charming and entertaining. Even as he writes about God, faith, hope, and being Christ’s soldiers, the author incorporates light moments in the text to make the reading exciting. Through the book, one realizes that we have often encountered God differently. You have probably met God through your work, at school, and in different seasons in your life, but you have no idea when it happened. I appreciate the author for making us reflect on our daily encounters and helping Christians strengthen their faith in God through the sacred text in his book. Every chapter in the book has a crucial lesson on finding the light and becoming a true child of God. Like Naomi, most Christians go through experiences that they may not fully comprehend at first but understand in the future.
Naomi’s Journey Into the Light is an inspirational book that takes readers on a spiritual journey. This well-written book will be an excellent read for believers aiming to live fulfilling lives, those facing obstacles, Christians battling spiritual wars, and those wanting to do missionary work. Sam Rawlins is a fantastic author with gems on spirituality, believing, and being God’s servants.
Pages: 176 | ASIN : B0B2374T8L
LITERARY TITAN 