The question I asked when I first finished Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ was, Where has this book been all my life? I can’t believe it took me until my late twenties to read this famous literary classic by Lew Wallace. My earliest exposure to the story was in elementary school when my homeschooling … Continue reading Book Review: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace
Author: Melissa J. Troutman
A Christian Writer’s Mission Statement
Dear fellow creative, Not long after last year's ACFW VA Royal Writers Conference, I read Ezekiel 13 in my morning devotions. This passage held the verse that has since formed my mission statement as a Christian writer. Context: Ezekiel was a prophet to God's people, the Israelites (Jews), during their exile in the land of … Continue reading A Christian Writer’s Mission Statement
Book Review: The Rested Soul by Tessa Afshar
I first learned of Tessa Afshar and her award-winning biblical fiction novels when I heard her speak at a writer’s meeting a few years ago. I appreciated her workshop, and her books sounded intriguing (plus one of my writer friends is a big fan), so I started following Tessa on social media and receiving her … Continue reading Book Review: The Rested Soul by Tessa Afshar
Book Review: The Secret of Stardust by Heather L.L. FitzGerald (The Tethered World Chronicles #4)
If you’re looking for a fun but deep YA adventure, with some of the most creative writing on my radar to date, look no farther than The Secret of Stardust by Heather L.L. FitzGerald. It’s the next generation of The Tethered World Chronicles—same world, second verse, a little bit deeper and with story problems a … Continue reading Book Review: The Secret of Stardust by Heather L.L. FitzGerald (The Tethered World Chronicles #4)
Book Review: The Genesis Tree by Heather L.L. FitzGerald (The Tethered World Chronicles #3)
Heather FitzGerald has demonstrated herself to be a bold writer in the realm of Christian fantasy, and in this final installment of her Tethered World trilogy, The Genesis Tree, she writes her boldest story yet. (See my reviews of book #1, The Tethered World, and book #2, The Flaming Sword.) The beginning could have been … Continue reading Book Review: The Genesis Tree by Heather L.L. FitzGerald (The Tethered World Chronicles #3)
Book Review: Carver of Souls by J. J. Fischer (Soul Mark Duology #2)
Happy Book Birthday, J. J Fischer! Pirates of the Caribbean meets Francine River’s Redeeming Love in Carver of Souls, the second installment of J. J. Fischer’s Soul Mark Duology that releases TODAY. (See my review of the first book, The Soul Mark.) THIS BOOK picks up right where the first one left off, continuing the … Continue reading Book Review: Carver of Souls by J. J. Fischer (Soul Mark Duology #2)
Meet the Project: KJ Book 2
Four years ago, in 2020, I first posted about my four-book YA fantasy series. My last update was in 2021, and a lot has happened since then. I finished revisions of book one, KJ, in November of 2022, at a whopping 178,000 words, and have since been sharing it with beta readers and collecting feedback … Continue reading Meet the Project: KJ Book 2
Book Review: The Flaming Sword by Heather L.L. FitzGerald (The Tethered World Chronicles #2)
Sadie thought life couldn’t change any more than it did in The Tethered World, when she found out about her family’s ties with a secret world and ended up leading her siblings to that same world in order to rescue their parents. She was wrong. In the first few pages of The Flaming Sword, she … Continue reading Book Review: The Flaming Sword by Heather L.L. FitzGerald (The Tethered World Chronicles #2)
2023: A Year of Turnips and Horseshoes
(Never mind it took me this long to finish my reflections on last year. Just pretend you're reading this post at the end of 2023 or in early January of 2024.) The blacksmith at the Rock Ledge Ranch in CO Springs Dreams of the Past “Taran wanted to make a sword; but Coll, charged with … Continue reading 2023: A Year of Turnips and Horseshoes
Book Review: The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
Some books are good the way pizza is good, offering a nice (or shocking or spicy) experience that pleases the senses. Some books are good the way a narrator is good, displaying a high level of skill that appeals to the intelligent mind. And some books are good the way Scripture is good, portraying a … Continue reading Book Review: The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
Melissa J. Troutman 