Date Published: Jan 5, 2021
Publisher: Lucid Books Publishing
History comes to amazing life in this narrative based on true events. It All Started in Africa takes young children on a journey through generations of African Americans over the course of history. Children will gain a better understanding of African American history as they engage with discussion questions. They will be challenged to make life better for themselves and for the people around them. Join in with exciting, interactive experience all the way to its surprising finale!
About the Author
Suzanne Bowman Williams enjoyed teaching elementary school students in Southern California for over 30 years. There she first presented It All Started in Africa. With a bachelor’s degree in literature and a master’s in counseling/psychology, she is passionate about encouraging, educating, and motivating children through the telling of stories. Suzanne currently lives in Central Arizona with her husband. This is her first children’s book.
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Erven Kimble has been happily married to Jacquelyn Kimble for over thirty-five years and is the father of five sons and one daughter and has seven grandchildren. They are both natives of Houston, Texas. Erven attended the University of Houston, where he majored in Electrical Engineering. He later received his Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Logos Christian College and Graduate School.
Erven worked in cooperate sales and marketing for over 25 years with major computer companies; he served as a community leader and activist for over 30 years. Erven accepted a huge pay cut when he left his corporate management position to answer the call of God on his life to serve as Senior Pastor at a church in the northeast suburbs of Atlanta for over 24 years, where he grew to love, nurture and help hundreds of congregates grow spiritually, emotionally, and relationally.
Erven is the founder and CEO of Life ANEW Global Ministries, which offers virtual training that helps believers learn how to live out the New Life found ‘in Christ’. He is an accomplished teacher, community leader and activist, a licensed Christian Counselor, Racial Unity Coach entrepreneur and now an author. In addition, he is an international business developer, helping Christian entrepreneurs gain success in the Health & Wellness industry.
Pastor Kimble also worked as a Development Director with a nonprofit ministry; a career move which eventually led him to attend a life-changing weekend Men’s Retreat. There, his encounter with the Holy Spirit led him to understand the racial bias that exists in the hearts of so many believers in the contemporary Church. Now, God has challenged him and placed him in a position to address the generational racial divide that exists within the Christian community.
Erven Kimble authored the book and founded a movement called “Giving Voice to Truth… God’s Heart For Racial Unity”. This represents many of Pastor Kimble’s personal experiences navigating the racial divide. It highlights many years of social and economic differences in the black community and the Voice of God calling for believers to genuinely demonstrate the love of Christ and the justice of God in obedience to His Word.
The practical applications of many of the principles discussed in this book are explored in the series of virtual meetings called “Truth Talks About Race!”. The purpose of these interactive sessions is to help make the ‘information’ create a ‘transformation’ within the individuals that participate.
To get more information and to register, go to: https://www.givingvoicetotruth.com/register.
When it comes to how our culture should address the issue of Race in America, the voice of God is deafeningly silent. Public dialogue continues without much or decisive input from the contemporary Christian community. In fact, the Body of Jesus Christ in America as a whole, is pretty much divided along racial lines. This is clearly reflected in the split within the contemporary church along political party lines and social policies. To be sure, there is preaching about how we ought to, or how we want to treat one another as children of God. Each voice declares that they are on the right side of history or the right side of the political spectrum; but what about being on the right side of God?
Get to Know the Author!
How did you come up with the ideas for this book?
To be honest, I didn’t start out with the idea of writing a book. The book’s content results from me being divinely guided to do a very close personal examination of my own biases and things that were in my past that the Lord was really prompting me to deal with. For me, it was a journey of chronicle devotional responses — some critical truths that I believe God was revealing to me that reflected His heart toward the condition of many believers in the Christian community who had not really dealt with the issue of race and racism on a personal level. I think we tend to compartmentalize our lives and separate our spiritual and Christian beliefs from our political, social, and civic activities to the point that we really lose perspective and think that our personal behavior is okay. As I continued to process all the information and research at my disposal, I began to share them with other people who encouraged me to put all that I was being led to understand about the issue of race and racism, as relating to the Christian worldview, in a book. So, my motivation came from those that encouraged me that the content of my thoughts needed to be made available to others with similar experiences.
What do you hope your readers will learn/discover from reading this book?
I hope the prospective readers of my book will complete the book and believe that enough was said for them to feel safe and personally examine themselves. The book is not designed to be a condemnation or an indictment against other people’s beliefs. Rather, it’s to set the stage for an honest reflection, accurate information, emotional strengthening, and self-awareness that enables the reader to come to grips with some hidden or unknown tendencies and biases, then admit them to oneself first. Also, I hope that enough factual, accurate, truthful, and biblical information is provided to prompt a transformation of sorts that would benefit them while engaging in meaningful conversations across the racial divide.
I also host a follow-up to the book called “True Talks About Race”. These are a series of virtual interracial Zoom discussions. They are interactive and allow individuals to really express themselves, hear others and get some insight and experience in conversations across the racial divide. These Zoom talks are scheduled and made available on my website: https://www.givingvoicetotruth.com/register
What inspired you to write this book?
The overwhelming need and the obvious turmoil in culture concerning racial division and the decisiveness of this divide played out day in and day out, from one new cycle to the next. It’s clear the culture is struggling with the issue of race and racism. We have discussed it for generations in our country and across the globe with no clear answers on how to address it. This is such a deep-rooted social issue, and tragically, the Christian community is deafeningly silent on it. It appears that there is no doubt the contemporary Christian mindset is just as divided as the culture and without clear spiritual input; hence the problem seems to continue on and on. I remember having seen the same thing in the 1960s when the civil rights movement was being birthed. I ultimately learned that the reconstruction era had similar kinds of division and strife, and of course, with the civil war, you had a nation divided. Here we are 150 years later with still the same problem. It seems to me that the emotional and spiritual approach has been overlooked and this book is here to help address that and hopefully have some impacts on how to deal with this problem.
Any advice to give to aspiring writers?
I guess my advice to aspiring writers would be to connect with their passion. To find out what motivates and shapes their personal interest and try to share that with someone. For me, it was an inspiration I didn’t even know I had. I didn’t start out wanting to be an author. The call and the moment and personal conviction of the moment required that I respond by documenting this issue passionately and in my heart believe it would be helpful and beneficial to others.
What’s next for you?
I’m focused on completing the task. I hope to inspire and move more people to engage this issue from the standpoint of facts, historical, emotional or spiritual context and make it visible on a large scale. I believe my faith in the Bible and the supernatural power of Jesus Christ can change individuals and cultures. So, I will be promoting my book and “Truth Talks About Race” via the virtual Zoom talks. I will continue to write content about the subject matter because I did not cover quite a few things in my book, so I will continue in follow-up writing to help people gain enough confidence and be equipped enough to have conversations and build relationships across the racial divide.
What was the most difficult aspect of writing this book?
The most difficult aspect of writing this book was harnessing all my spiritual inspirations and research together in a cohesive and professional way that befits an author. I’m an orator, a public speaker, and a preacher. Writing to speak to a crowd of any size is easy for me because speaking is a hobby to me. However, what is not easy for me is to professionally author a book that conveys a clear discussion on a complex subject throughout different areas of discussion. So, putting it all together, writing the content in a systematic and orderly fashion, and presenting ideas and streams of thought was difficult for me. I admire authors a whole lot more now than I did before I wrote my book.
Did you have to do any special research for your book?
Yes, I did and still do. I find myself doing lots of targeted research. I was immersed in all kinds of writings, articles, Ted talks, sermons, and books —historical and current events. I had to reeducate myself on European Colonialism and the history of Africans in North and South America, as well as in the world. I had to figure out the real truth that is often hidden. I had to look at the biblical history of Africans in the Bible and African civilizations. I investigated the history of the African continent, in the context of world history, and how African civilizations were unjustly and systematically left out of this human races’ narrative. Lots of research went into understanding the truth about the African diaspora throughout the whole world.
Why do you write? Is it something you’ve always done or always wanted to do? Or is it something that you started fairly recently?
I wrote my book because the subject matter of focus was so urgent, and the call or the motivation for me to get engaged in the conversation about race and racial disunity in the Christian community was so compelling. I felt like God had commissioned me to write this vision (this book) and make it a plan. So, for me, it was being obedient to the call. It was being obedient to the instructions to chronicle my thoughts and the passion that God had given me to speak the truth and help others connect with the truth and the facts about race and racism in the heart of individuals, including the Christian community, in such a way that brings about transformation and leads to the development of relationships across the racial divide. This was my first book. I never saw myself as an author or writing a book. I write sermons. I write speeches. I write articles, but I had never seen myself writing a book. However, I feel fortunate because it was absolutely necessary for me to do this.
In five words, describe your book.
Transformative Truth About America’s Racism!
Name 3 authors you would love to collaborate with
Tony Evans, Crawford Loriz, Andy Stanley
Among all the books you have read, which has significantly contributed to your writing style?
I cannot really say any books I have read contributed to my writing style. I suppose I never thought of myself as a professional writer.
JUST FOR FUN
Coffee or tea?
I am a coffee drinker myself. I prefer it black with no sugar. But in some cultures, this presents a bit of a problem, as it did when I was in Puerto Rico, where black coffee (without cream) is thought to be demon-possessed.
Lights on / lights off?
I do not require a lot of sleep. So, whether the light or TV is on or off when I’m about to sleep doesn’t really matter.
What are three things you never leave home without?
My visa card, some cash, and, sad to say, my cell phone.
Sleep in or get up early?
I tend to go to bed late, like way after midnight, so getting up early is not my thing if I don’t have to.
Three celebrity crushes you admire?
I only had one. That was Annette Funicello with The Mickey Mouse mouseketeers in the 50s.
I’m excited to announce that my young adult action and adventure novel, The Gladiator and the Guard, is now available on Amazon, iTunes, and Audible!
The Gladiator and the Guard is book two, continuing the story of Steene, Ellie, and enslaved martial artist Bensin that began in The Collar and the Cavvarach. Here are the blurbs for both books:
The Collar and the Cavvarach
Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is desperate to see his little sister freed. But only victory in the Krillonian Empire’s most prestigious tournament will allow him to secretly arrange for Ellie’s escape. Dangerous people are closing in on her, however, and Bensin is running out of time. With his one hope fading quickly away, how can Bensin save Ellie from a life of slavery and abuse?
(For a fun tour of the world this story is set in, click here.)
The Gladiator and the Guard
Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is just one victory away from freedom. But after he is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he is condemned to the violent life and early death of a gladiator. While his loved ones seek desperately for a way to rescue him, Bensin struggles to stay alive and forge an identity in an environment designed to strip it from him. When he infuriates the authorities with his choices, he knows he is running out of time. Can he stand against the cruelty of the arena system and seize his freedom before that system crushes him?
The Collar and the Cavvarach is already an audiobook, recorded by the talented Joseph Baltz in 2020. (See it here on Amazon and here on Audible!) I’m excited that book 2 is about to join it, with book 3 coming later in 2021. Want to listen to previews of either book? Just click on the links below!
(Warning: if you haven’t read or listened to The Collar and the Cavvarach yet, you may want to wait till you’ve finished that one before listening to the second preview, as it does contain spoilers for the first book.)
Click the play button below to listen to part of the first scene of The Collar and the Cavvarach!
Click the play button below to listen to the whole first chapter of The Gladiator and the Guard!
Download The Gladiator and the Guard from Amazon here!
Download The Gladiator and the Guard from Audible here!
I’d love to hear what you think of either audio sample! Please do leave a reply and let me know! Meanwhile, want to make sure you get notified when new books are available? Click here to join my author email list and be among the first to know about all my new projects!
YA Fantasy
Published: August 2020, 2nd Edition
Publisher: Thunderfly Productions
When one camp rule is broken, five teenagers embark on a mysterious journey full of magic, romance, and true friendship…
High school senior Whitnee has spent six years rebuilding her identity after her father’s mysterious disappearance left her with more questions than answers. With her two best friends, Morgan and Caleb, she returns as a mentor to the summer camp of her childhood. Nestled in the Texas hill country, Camp Fusion is everything Whitnee remembers—except for the haunting visions that only she can see. One fateful night, Whitnee and her friends embark on a magical voyage where unexpected adventure and heart-stopping romance collide—a journey that might unlock the dark, complicated mysteries of Whitnee’s family history. But will she find the answers she is looking for?
“Kevin, how badly are you hurt?” I knelt down beside him.
“Aw, it’s just my leg. I cut it pretty bad when that stupid bug showed up. Good thing Caleb found me,” he muttered. And, sure enough, there was a nasty cut along the side of his right leg. Blood had dripped down and soaked into his sock and shoe. It looked deep enough to need stitches.
“We need a doctor or something,” Caleb finally stated seriously, looking to Gabriel. “He can’t walk on his leg, and he’s losing blood.”
“Oh, come on, Caleb. It’s not a big deal,” Kevin complained.
“Gabriel, can we just give him some of that pure Water? Won’t that heal it?” I prompted. Gabriel turned and faced me then with an expression I was starting to interpret as annoyance.
“Why do you not listen to me? I explained that the pure Water is not what heals. Only a Hydrodorian, someone who is gifted with the life force of Water, can use it to heal a wound. Except—” He paused and thought for a moment. “You are not a Hydro, yet you were able to heal yourself. Perhaps you can do it again for him.” He gestured to Kevin.
“You did what?” Caleb piped up, looking to me for an explanation. I didn’t have the patience. Gabriel was already moving purposefully away from the group.
“I have to go to my tent and get more Water. Wait here,” he called back.
“I’ll go with you.” I raced to match his stride and called back to Morgan to explain everything to Caleb and Kevin. “We’ll be right back,” I promised, purposely ignoring Caleb’s protests. I wanted a minute alone with Gabriel anyway. “Could you slow down? My legs aren’t quite as long as yours.” He slowed so I could come alongside him, and we darted under the darkening canopy of trees. He was right. The sun was already setting, and I had no idea where we would go or what we would do once it was completely dark.
When we were out of sight from the group, I grabbed his muscled forearm and made him stop and look at me. In an exasperated and slightly shaky voice, I said, “You have got to do a better job explaining what is happening to me. I just shot a freaking tornado out of the palm of my hand! My eyes are changing colors and my body is doing weird things and I may be confused, but I’m not stupid. You’re not telling me everything. I want to know what it is you’re hiding.” I stared up at him fiercely.
His gorgeous face hardened into stone. “I am uncertain of your meaning.”
“Okay, well, let’s start with this: why is the ‘Attendant to the Guardian’ out here on this deserted beach at the exact same time when we drop out of the sky?”
“I was having a swim,” he stated with a shrug.
“You said people didn’t come to this beach because they believe it’s haunted. Seems a little far-fetched to me that you would choose the place where ‘Travelers tend to arrive’ for your private little swim.” Why was he lying?
“What is your point?” he questioned me back, his face showing no sign of breaking. He crossed his arms over his chest.
I refused to be intimidated by him. “My point is that you seemed to know I was coming. You also changed completely when you found out I brought friends. I want to know why.” I glared at him, and he glared back at me, his hazel eyes alight with frustration.
“You would do best to stop asking such questions. If I had not helped, you would have already died on this Island—twice. Surely I have earned some kind of trust for that.” His voice was low and dangerous. He had saved me—and I supposed if he ultimately meant me harm, he wouldn’t have taken the time.
“Fine,” I conceded. “You don’t have to tell me now, but eventually, I will find out what you’re hiding.”
He laughed then, a dark and humorless laugh. “You speak like a true Aero already.” Then he came intimidatingly close, which nearly took my breath away. He met my eyes and whispered, “You do not know what I am capable of. I have little faith that you understand what you yourself are capable of here.”
“I have a feeling you don’t know that either,” I shot back in a low voice, trying not to flinch from his closeness. “And I think that scares you. I’ve been paying attention to everything you’ve said so far. And you’re just as confused as I am.” He slowly pulled away at that. I could tell that even though he might have been expecting my arrival, he was not expecting me to produce that whirlwind or be able to heal myself. I was confused by what was happening with my body and with these abilities. And if these abilities were normal here on this island, and yet Gabriel was baffled by me, then something very strange was going on, indeed.
“You are in a precarious position, Little Traveler, and you better learn the rules quickly if you want to survive here.” Then he turned and headed further into the jungle as if the matter were settled. I noticed the symbol on his shoulder again.
As I trudged behind him, I narrowed my eyes and asked, “What tribe did you say you were from again?”
“The Pyradora Tribe.”
“And you have what power?” At this question, he glanced back at me. His eyes were lit from inside, and for the first time, he looked a little dangerous.
“Fire.”
That shut me up for a little while.
About The Author
Krissi still goes to camp every summer with the teens of Fusion Student Ministries. Like her fictional heroine, Krissi is also a gray-eyed Aerodorian from Texas with a ridiculous fish phobia. She adores her youth pastor husband, two sons, and two Yorkies. When she’s not busy throwing dance parties, both in her living room for her boys and at school for her junior high prep students, she daydreams about and writes down fantastical adventures. She has a hard time not hugging during a pandemic, so you can send her virtual hugs on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Visit KrissiDallas.com for all the fun.
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