Elk Lake Committed to ‘Publishing the Positive’

Posted on by October 21, 2016
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Deb’s Dozen: Elk Lake Committed to ‘Publishing the Positive.’ Publisher Focuses on Inspirational Books

PLYMOUTH, Mass. (October 20, 2016)—Elk Lake Publishing, Inc. announces the acquisition of the assets of Elk Lake Publishing from the Book Club Network, Inc. and looks forward to its future “Publishing the Positive.”

An independent, royalty-paying publisher, Elk Lake offers over 100 books by more than 70 authors in a wide-range of categories. With fiction titles for everyone from children to tweens to young adults and adults, in genres such as mystery, romance, historical, science fiction, and fantasy, plus select nonfiction offerings, Elk Lake is committed to publishing books that point people to Jesus Christ.

Elk Lake’s publisher and editor-in-chief, Deb Haggerty, provides established authors the writing environment they need to flourish, while successfully launching new writers as well.

“We exist to captivate our readers and carry them to places of escape, encouragement, education, and entertainment—to broaden their horizons and urge them to new heights. More than anything else, we want to point people to Jesus Christ,” Haggerty said.

Elk Lake has a broad stable of highly respected authors, such as Andrew (Ace) Collins, Rebecca Price Janney, Kathy Macias, Mike Lynch, and Randall Arthur, as well is its newest authors, Aaron Gansky, Anne Baxter Campbell, and Kerstin Lindquist of QVC fame.

Elk Lake’s upcoming releases include: Pursuing Gold: A Novel of the Civil War—Cynthia L. Simmons; Weighed Down: A Love Story Worth Lifting Up—Laurie Boulden; Tomodachi: Yesterday’s Enemy—Zillah Williams; Miracle on Maple Street—Linda Wood Rondeau; The Lost Generation: A Novel of World War I—Erica Hogan; and Forgotten Road—a Randall Arthur rerelease.

Deb HaggertyDeb Haggerty, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, is a published author, management consultant, and professional speaker. After thirteen years with AT&T, she left to start Positive Connections® (www.PositiveConnect.com) in 1985, which specializes in employee relations and communication. A 16-year-plus breast cancer survivor, she encourages women to take control of their health care and provides resources for them and those who walk with them on their journeys through her website www.PositiveHope.com. For over 30 years, she’s written about her experiences, has been published in over 20 books and has over 50 articles to her credit. She has spoken throughout the US and has been on the staff at several writers’ conferences, including the Glorieta Christian Writers’ Conference, CLASSeminars, and the Florida Christian Writers’ Conference.

Elk Lake Publishing, Inc., is an independent, royalty-paying Christian publisher whose motto is “Publishing the Positive.” Find Elk Lake online at Elk Lake Publishing Inc and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ElkLakePublishingInc. For interview, Contact Deb at 508-746-1734 or Deb@ElkLakePublishingInc.com.

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Mystery-Suspense To The Nth Degree

Posted on by August 14, 2016
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Deb’s Dozen: A Hung Man, A Restaurant Fire, Shots Fired. Who Wants Daniel Dead?

Without Warning is the second in the Elite Guardians mystery-suspense series by Lynette Eason. I’m really starting to hate this woman—I pick up one of her books and I can’t put the book down until I’m finished. Without Warning is definitely one of those page-turners that will keep you up all night if you start reading late in the day.

Daniel Matthews, a restauranteur, is working late one night when he hears a strange “chink-chink” sound. Following the sound to the cellar under his restaurant, he sees an open door and the taillights of a car driving off. The car’s too far away to read the license plate, so Daniel turns around and, to his horror, sees a body hanging from a chain fastened over one of the beams—“chink-chink” as the body sways and turns. Worse, Daniel recognizes the body as the chef he recently fired.

Doing his duty, he calls the police and soon cars with lights flashing are at the scene. Katie Singleton, a partner in Elite Guardians, notices the lights and realizes they’re in front of the restaurant owned by the uncle of one of her self-defense students, Riley. Riley has been living with Daniel since her parents were both killed by a drunk driver.

Katie pulls up to the site and is welcomed in by a detective she’s worked with in the past, Quinn Holcombe. He updates her on what they’ve found so far. As they’re talking, an officer rushes up to tell Quinn one of Daniel’s other restaurants is on fire. Katie volunteers to drive Daniel there. And they’re off—off to solve the mystery of why. Why Daniel’s restaurants? Who is out to ruin him? And when shots are fired, the question becomes who wants to kill him?

I loved Katie and Daniel and Riley and Quinn. Lynette Eason has the talent of making characters come to life on the pages of her novels with very few descriptive words. I was drawn in and caring for Katie and Daniel by the end of the first chapter. And Riley captivated me as Eason painted the picture of an above average high school senior, who is quite mature and astute, yet still a teenager at heart. The other partners in Elite Guardians play a role in the book too, but only Olivia and Haley seem to come to life in this book. Olivia was the heroine in the first book in the series, Always Watching.

You’ll want to buy both books in the series, but be prepared to be glued to the pages as you read them! Five stars again, Lynette!

Without WarningLynette Eason is an award-winning author with multiple mystery-suspense books under her belt. She’s written three other series: Deadly Reunions, Hidden Identity, and Women of Justice. Lynette lives in South Carolina. Her website is www.LynetteEason.com

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, gave me a copy of Without Warning in exchange for my unbiased review.

Don’t Go to Bed Angry-Stay Up and Fight

Posted on by August 7, 2016
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Deb’s Dozen: Rules for Conflict: Don’t Go to Bed Angry. Stay Up and Fight!

Ron and Deb DeArmond have written a practical guide for communication between spouses in Don’t Go to Bed Angry: Stay Up and Fight. Much of what they say is not new, but Ron and Deb have so formatted their book, the advice makes perfect sense. I especially like the wrap up to each chapter: “Put on the Gloves”–what did you learn? “He said/She said”–how did each partner view the material? “God said”–what does Scripture teach?

The DeArmonds address communication in nine areas: Burdens, Baggage, Bridges, Barriers, Boundaries, and Blessings. As they speak to each topic, they relate stories of how they handled the different areas–demonstrating that all of us slip and fall–but more importantly, how we can get back up and move forward positively.

The two sections that impacted me most were those of communication and communication traps. Communication is defined as “transmission of a message so that both parties have a shared understanding of what’s been said.” The most important part of that definition is “shared understanding.” I can think of many times when my husband and I have had hurt feelings or conflicts because each drew a very different understanding from the conversation.

The chapter on communication traps was the second most important for me. I know at various times in our marriage, I have fallen into each one of them: Silence, Sulking, Sarcasm, and Sound. The DeArmonds define each one and teach very clearly how and why they are so dangerous. My husband and I are both experts (to our detriment) in Sarcasm–I can’t tell you how many times we’ve walked away from a discussion hurt, angry, and sullen. If we’d followed the DeArmond’s suggestions, we could have escaped those traps and spoken with each other successfully.

In addition to the excellent advice and counsel in the chapters, Ron and Deb add three appendices which summarize the book: Scriptures and Intentions, chapter by chapter; The Rules; and an excerpt from Got Vision.

The result is a concise, well-written handbook on how two people can best get along when they’re married to each other. In fact, the rules can apply to any two individuals who are close and want to build an excellent relationship. Four stars!

How to Fight as CouplesRon and Deb DeArmond have been together for more than forty years. Deb is a sought-after speaker and executive coach, and Ron is currently the director of men’s ministry at Catch the Fire/DFW. When I interviewed them last June, they told me they met in high school and married when they were nineteen. After three or four years, they asked their moms, “Why did you let us get married?” They came from opposite backgrounds–Deb from an Ozzie and Harriet lifestyle and Ron from a family filled with lots of conflict. As a result, the two of them had no pattern for successful fighting.

They said they quickly learned the most important question to ask was, “Do you want to win–or do you want us to learn to listen to each other and learn to love each other?” Their discoveries led them to share their “Tools and Rules” with us, giving us options for speaking and conflict resolution in a positive fashion.

Abingdon Press gave me an Advanced Reader’s Copy of Don’t Go To Bed Angry in exchange for my unbiased review.