Noela Nancarrow reviews FLEE FROM EVIL by Connie Almony

Flee from Evil

Flee from Evil (Water’s Edge, Book 1)

by Connie Almony

Cracked Door Publishing – October 3, 2015

Reviewed by Noela Nancarrow

5 Stars *****

  

‘Flee from Evil’ is a story of second beginnings from shameful pasts that pulsates with breath-taking suspense and heart-wrenching experiences. In other words, it’s a read that’ll knock your socks off!

Vince Steegle is the beloved pastor of Water’s Edge Church in Maryland, a former drug-dealer who has been open about his former life to his congregation. Mostly. When Cassandra Whitaker walks into Vince’s church while he’s preaching, for the first time ever this man with the gift of speech, falters. She represents the one thing he can’t forgive himself for. And judging by her blazing eyes of hatred, she hasn’t forgiven him either. Is God able to break those shackles of pain and unforgiveness within Vince and Cassandra, and will He be able to utilize the evil that once permeated Vince’s life for something good?

The widowed and broke Cassandra has returned to her hometown along with her teenage daughter Sophie and autistic son Tibo, to live with her mother. Upon visiting her mother’s church, she finds herself face to face with the man she thinks of as the devil himself. But when evil once again enters into Cassandra’s world in an even more sinister form and turns it upside down, does she do the right thing in trusting Vince to use his underworld connections to save her child?

Author Connie Almony has masterfully weaved a powerful and gripping tale of heartbreak and hope with surprising twists and tense whispers of ‘oh no!’ Written with realism and sensitivity ensured I was either smiling, spellbound, or weeping, whilst fully resonating with the genuine and fractured characters. There was Tibo the autistic child who lived in his own world and reminded me of my son when he was younger; Lew, the lost and rough around the edges guy; teenager Sophie who’s only just discovering herself as a young woman; and the pastor who is so hopeless at being a handyman that his friends have emergency numbers on speed dial. There are gems of spiritual insights and nuggets of wisdom threaded throughout, such as the universal struggle with forgiveness. The reader also gains a perceptive glimpse into the man behind the pulpit and a mother of a child with a disability. And that’s just for starters. Connie does a stellar job of illustrating how God creates beauty from ugliness! Highly recommended!

David Crowder Acoustic - How He Loves - The Muse for the novel Flee from Evil.

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You may purchase 'FLEE FROM EVIL' here at a bargain price : Amazon

GIVEAWAY: Connie Amony is generously donating TWO books for giveaway!! Two blessed people who leave a comment below will have the choice of either a paperback OR e-book! (There will be a small delay in sending out the paperbacks.) To be eligible, please leave your email address for contact purposes should you win. Using (at) and (dot) will protect you against spammers.

Connie Almony's Interview by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Author Connie Almony

Connie, welcome to Overcoming With God.  We appreciate your willingness to share your testimony of overcoming with our readers. I have so enjoyed the privilege of getting to know you and becoming friends through our ACFW MidAtlantic Zone! You are such a sweetheart and have a heart of gold!

Thanks for having me.

Would you tell us about the most difficult thing in your life you have had to overcome, with God’s help? (transparency appreciated!)

I’d have to say the most striking thing He did was to prepare me to be the mother of a special-needs child. When I was in grad school, He gave me a dog with a major skin disorder that required I use natural therapies I would later need for my son. I remember saying this dog was an angel from God to teach me how to be a good mother, and then joke, “I guess He’s going to give me a high-maintenance child.” I didn’t realize how true that statement would become.

The other thing God did to prepare me was to show me a novel, Sir Gibbie, by George MacDonald, about a wonderful, compassionate mute boy who wordlessly changed lots of lives. Little did I know then He’d give me a son much like the Gibbie of the book. This helped me to appreciate my son for who he is rather than what he isn’t.

Lastly, He drew me to my current job, at a Christian counseling office, where my faith would be tried and strengthened in order to weather the coming storm. Being there, I had a group of solid Christians who would love, support and pray for me as I journey the challenges of motherhood.

Thank you, Jesus!

Disability friendliness: Is this latest release available in audio format or do you have any other works available on audio?  Do your e-books have audio capability? Do you have any in large print? 

Yes, At the Edge of a Dark Forest is currently available in Large Print. I am looking into having an audio version done eventually.

At the Edge of a Dark Forest by Connie Almony

In this latest work, do you have any topics useful for bibliotherapy, or therapeutic influence through reading about a disorder or situation?

This novella deals with many issues surrounding the homecoming of a disabled veteran: Adjusting to life without limbs, alcoholism, dealing with flashbacks due to PTSD, and the pride that gets in the way of accepting the help one needs. It is a modern-day retelling of Beauty and the Beast. However, I’ve always been uncomfortable with the idea of a woman setting out to change a man with her love. Having counseled many abused women who dated projects rather than soul mates, I worry some could take this story as an encouragement to find a beast of a man and hope to change him. Because of my experience, I felt I needed to adjust the story, just a little bit, so now it’s not her love that makes him whole. I’d love to see a book club expound on that idea after reading this story!

Thank you, Connie, for agreeing to answer these questions.  Have a blessed day and keep on writing!!

Book Blurb:

At the Edge of a Dark Forest

Cole Harrison, a war veteran, wears his disfigurement like a barrier to those who might love him, shielding them from the ugliness inside. He agrees to try and potentially invest in, a prototype prosthetic with the goal of saving a hopeless man’s dreams.

Carly Rose contracts to live with Cole and train him to use his new limbs, only to discover the darkness that wars against the man he could become.

At the Edge of a Dark Forest is a modern-day retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Only it is not her love that will make him whole.

Author Bio:

Connie Almony is trained as a mental health therapist and likes to mix a little fun with the serious stuff of life. She was a 2012 semi-finalist in the Genesis Contest for Women’s Fiction and was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Winter 2012 WOW Flash Fiction Contest. Her newest release, At the Edge of a Dark Forest, is a modern-day re-telling of Beauty and the Beast about a war-vet, amputee struggling with PTSD.

You can find Connie on the web, writing book reviews for Jesus Freak Hideout, and hosting the following blogs: InfiniteCharacters.com and LivingtheBodyofChrist.Blogspot.com.

You can also meet her on the following social media outlets:

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest

Giveaway:  We are giving away two copies of Connie's book this week and a $10.00 Starbucks gift card.  We also have a giveaway from Connie, this week, of a $10 gift card to an online book seller such as Barnes and Noble. Follow Connie on Twitter/Pinterest/or Facebook and leave a comment or answer my Q to enter (and your email address.) Put T/P/FB for wherever you followed this lovely lady!  My question: Were you aware that this is Autism Awareness month?

Noela Nancarrow's First Review on OTT--Hunter's Prize by Marcia Gruver!

Hunter's Prize

Hunter's Prize by Marcia Gruver

Barbour Publishing, 2012

Reviewed by Noela Nancarrow

~5 stars *****

                                          This Is A Gem!

  

This is an intriguing and fascinating historical romance set in the early 1900's, beginning briefly in Pretoria, South Africa, and then travelling to Marshall, Texas where much of the story takes place. This story spotlights two swarthy, handsome, and sometimes cocky treasure hunters; a pretty, young woman leaving home for the first time to work as a governess in Marshall; an unusual and challenging boy of five years; and swindling ruthless villains who get more emboldened and dangerous as the story progresses. These and other various interesting and extremely likeable characters all possess incredible character depth in this story!

I loved experiencing the camaraderie and banter between Pearson Foster and best mate Theo, who are the story's treasure hunters. Pearson, having his heart set on searching for the shipwrecked steamer, Mittie Stephens, and her cargo of gold, ends up travelling to Caddo Lake with Theo to take up their search there.

Not long after arriving, Pearson first encountered Adelina (Addie) McRae upon her arrival in nearby Marshall with her mother, having just arrived there for the position of Cedric's (Ceddy's) governess. And from the very beginning the atmosphere between Pearson and Addie was electric! Addie found Pearson discomforting and yet intriguing, infuriating yet titillating, with odd hair yet handsome! I longed for more encounters between these two and I wasn't disappointed. The captivating and intense energy between these two leading characters continued throughout.

I also absolutely adored Ceddy, Addie's young charge, an unusual boy who was orphaned from his missionary parents and now living with his Aunt Priscilla in Marshall. He is actually autistic but because Autism wasn't a diagnosed condition back then, Ceddy was frightening at times, and his confronting behavior difficult for people to understand and accept. Having an autistic child myself, I was so impressed at how Marcia managed to portray this little autistic boy so insightfully and realistically. And I deeply felt little Ceddy's engulfing fear each time he saw or encountered the villains Denny and Charlie, as they attempted to get to him and his own personal secret treasure.

Hunter's Prize also explores the theme of communication... or lack thereof, and the resulting consequences. But then there's also a gentle but compelling message about finding your way back to God after a terrible tragedy and learning to trust in Him again.

This book is the third in the Backwoods Brides series, but can very much be read as a stand-alone book... although I hasten to add, you'd really be doing yourself a dis-service to miss out on Marcia's other two brilliant stories in the series! Marcia Gruver tells a story that keeps you reading, and even when you're not, it will cause you to think about it... until you give in and pick it up again!!

Marcia's books are available online at Lifeway, CBD, and in Christian book stores as well as other book stores such as Barnes and Noble.

GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment and your email to be entered in this week's contest. Drawing will be late Saturday, your choice of Marcia's books and choice of format*. Void where prohibited by law. *International winners will only receive the book in ebook format, not as a paperback.  (Extra bonus count will be done for everyone who also left a comment on Noela's post from this Monday--so if you leave a comment on all three Gruver posts from Sunday/Tuesday/Wednesday this week you will count as 4 entries not 3!)

Guest post - Noela Nancarrow Shares: Nathan's ASD Overcoming Testimony

Noela Nancarrow

INTRODUCING NOELA NANCARROW--Our newest contributor, from Australia.

Please welcome Noela with all of us here at Overcoming Through Time - With God's Help


In her recently released book ‘Hunter’s Prize’, Marcia Gruver writes about the difficulties a young Autistic boy called Ceddy faced, as well as the challenges it presented to those who cared for him. I have experienced some of those challenges myself with my son Nathan who was diagnosed with Asperger’s (a higher functioning type of Autism) when he was four years old. And it’s with much gratitude of God’s love and grace that I can share that he is now a 17 year old boy who has largely overcome the many obstacles and challenges from having Asperger’s Syndrome. He will be finishing High School soon with mostly A’s and numerous awards from over the years; has almost completed a 20 day Work Experience this year at a local Timber Sheeting store, proving that he can work hard and responsibly; and now has his Learner’s License and will be learning to drive soon. All are huge achievements for Nathan – and things that were too hard for us to even imagine when he was younger.

Hunter's Prize

Like Ceddy, Nathan had many obsessions during his younger years. As a baby, he was obsessed with cars, white goods, vacuum cleaners, and irons! So utterly entranced by cars, he would frequently watch them out the window. Or he would want to sit in our car or stand up on the seat holding the steering wheel, while it was in the driveway… for hours!! The clothes iron… would evoke widened eyes and cause his whole body to literally tremble with excitement whenever he saw it. Who knew an iron could produce such pleasure?!

But those obsessions weren’t particularly what I would call challenges… nor these ones when he was a toddler… that is, unless you would call it a challenge if you weren’t allowed to sit on your own lounge chair… because it was a ‘car park for a Shopping Centre’ or have to side-step a hall-way full of F1 toy cars on their ‘starting grid’, every day! Or side step his emptied Piggy Bank, with all of his coins spread out in an intricate and symmetrical pattern for him to count!

No, the greater difficulties that Nathan’s Asperger’s presented to us was the anxiety and stress that he would go through when trying to make sense of a world, that was not only confusing but filled with too much noise, too many smells, too many new changes and way too many people! In short, Nathan’s Asperger’s caused him to frequently have a ‘sensory overload’. These challenges were highlighted more so when he went to school. In the early years, any change to his routine made him anxious and upset. The noise in the classroom was a problem often and he sometimes resorted to hiding under his desk when it all became too much. Once he refused to go into the School Hall because of a smell (that only he could smell!) and many, many more instances such as these plagued his early learning years.

At home, his sensory problems were evident in his growing list of strong aversions to foods, and even simple things like cleaning his teeth or washing his hair were a source of stress for him.

One of his ‘obsessions’ was swinging on a strong rope tied to a large Torelliana tree in our backyard, but this particular activity was actually very therapeutic for him after a stressful day at school.

We are so grateful that we’ve been able to raise him up in a godly home… because he was then covered by prayer, God’s grace, and so much love! And those things, as we’ve found from experience, were the best foundation a child with Asperger’s could ever have! Through God’s amazing grace and abundant blessings, he was blessed with the best teacher for every year of his primary school years. Along with a parent’s guidance, school plays an extremely important part in these kids’ lives. And Nathan’s teachers all loved, understood and accepted him, while helping him to excel even more.

And over time through God’s help, both at school and at home, he’s grown more confident and less anxious every single year.  He may not be the most social person but he knows how to talk to both friends and adults well. I’m just amazed really, every time I look at him and see how far he’s come. He is now very strong emotionally and has developed an amazing sense of empathy, which is something Autistic people can be greatly lacking in. He makes me laugh every single day, and he can never do enough to help. He’s even incredibly chivalrous! In short, Nathan is my hero… but one I’m forever indebted to God for.

By Noela Nancarrow, Guest contributor

This was supposed to be Noela Nancarrow's first post with us as a guest.  But while we have been waiting for this guest post, we have gotten to know Noela pretty well and she is now an official member of the Overcoming Through Time - With God's Help team. Help us welcome Noela to the blog as a contributor!!!

GIVEAWAY: We have a giveaway box of treats this week including angels (e.g., a little white teddy bear angel with gold trim, angel ornament, and angel mantel sitter, Earl Gray tea packets, and some other goodies!)

Carrie Fancett Pagels - Overcoming ASD One Step at a Time

The Bus Ride in Charlottesville

We’d made it through five years, numerous doctors, over three years of occupational and speech therapies, diagnosis of ASD, special education pre-school program, and medication to manage the severe tantrums. And we had a new normal—absent the screaming melt downs and bizarre behaviors. Then Sissy went to college.  Some setbacks. But that was about to be remedied—Sweetie Boy and I made a road trip to the college. My little fellow sat in the back of the van, watched videos, talked with Mommy, and even stopped to go to a fast food restaurant on the way. Whew! Was breathing a sigh of relief.

We parked and found our way to the International dorm, where our then 18-year-old daughter stayed her first year at the University of Virginia.  So far so good.  She suggested we try a couple of kid-friendly activities in downtown Charlottesville and said there was excellent bus transportation.  So we walked to the corner and got on the bus.  Which was crowded. And loud. And strange. Sweetie Boy clung to the two of us.  We got to our stop and walked to the Children’s Museum, which he enjoyed. Then went to get something to eat.  By now Sweetie Boy was getting tired and not so sweet.  Time to head out.

Return trip, crowded, loud, strange, slightly smelly, and loaded with people who stared at my little guy whenever he did anything slightly different from what five-year-old boys were supposed to do on a bus. My daughter became silent. Honestly, I don’t even remember what all of his odd behaviors were back then, but probably some repetitive stereotypic behavior was happening.  And I kept thinking—he’s been doing so well! Our new normal, though, wasn’t good enough for this college town crowd. We got off the bus discouraged and went to get our van.

Except that as I approached the van, someone else’s car was hanging off of it in the garage, literally.  A teen driver pulled in too close and got his vehicle hung up on mine.  So I have a five-year-old child with ASD who has just had a trying day and who has to be watched unceasingly who is in a garage with all these cars going through and a police officer trying to get things straight.  I was ticked.  Someone’s split second decision to pull into a too tight space was now about to blow the top off the rocket that had a slow burn going all day.  I sent Sweetie Boy outside with his sister and urged her to not take her eyes off of him for a second (he was a runner). Two hours later we finally hit the road.

 

Any parent of a special needs child should be able to relate to what I am talking about. It’s that reminder that all the improvement isn’t good enough for the world. That problems are still there. But sometimes we need that reminder so we don’t have expectations that are too high.  I needed that reminder then as we began our new school year and adjusted to changes at home.

What about you?  Do you have a loved one with special needs?  How do others react when your loved one doesn’t behave according to their expectations?

Isolation and Loneliness and the “Good Intentions” of Others

Why the Internet and Email Can Minister to Parents of Autistic Children

Mini Rant by Carrie Fancett Pagels, Ph.D.

The "doctor" is in today! Carrie gets up on her psychologist's and parent's perch.

Just read an announcement in our local paper for a two month course for parents of children with autism.  FREE.  Great, right?  Maybe.  I read on.  This course was reported by parents WHO HAD ATTENDED it in another locale to have been extremely helpful to them. (Translation - Those who managed to get to the meeting to actually finish the course, which could have been - how many???)

Here is how I KNEW this was planned by someone who has NO CLUE what parents of autistic children deal with every night:

1)      It is planned in the early evening (SO, the parents will do any homework they have and get to any doctor’s appointments they have prior to that time.  AND they will have put a meal on the table and fed their kids and gathered them up to go.) OOPSIES – hmm, some could stay home with the other parent but YIKES the other parent has divorced the caretaking parent (high rate of divorce among parents of autistic children as Dr. Doom once explained to me in an almost cheerful voice.) Let us assume there was no divorce.  Depending upon the age of the child, and severity of the condition, if the caregiving parent leaves the autistic child might become quite agitated and engage in activities that range from mildly annoying to severely destructive. 

2)      On a school weeknight, not that weekend would be any better, but IF the children are coming THEN you have a commute to and from the meeting, missing homework, and returning home to get ready for a bedtime that is now LATE.  Oh, but that is not the primary thing. AUTISTIC CHILDREN CRAVE ROUTINE. You have just disrupted their routine.  Therefore they will be up later and may not sleep well.  In some cases with agitated children they may require medication to help them settle to sleep.  In which case they will likely be groggy in the morning.

3)       I won’t even go there.  So many things are wrong with this scenario that I am having a hard time imagining who could manage this.  Perhaps someone with an entire support system of extended family members that the child is accustomed to doing the caretaking, where the child’s issues are milder, where the school system is completely supportive, etc., etc.

In our week with Vannetta Chapman, I reviewed her recent release “Falling to Pieces: A Quilt Shop Murder Mystery” in which the heroine, Callie, is a lonely young woman. She is taken in by a trio of warm-hearted Amish quilters with their own issues.  One of the women has a child with a rare disease. She is fortunate to live in a very supportive community lessening the potential impact upon her in terms of loneliness.  Still, Vannetta catches the nuances of this mother’s pain.  These women agree to use the internet to help sell their quilts which will pay for medical bills as well. 

The web can be a support system for parents of children with autism as well.  If a child is having meltdowns, one cannot take her or him out in public to do the most basic of tasks.  If the child’s odd behaviors are not so bad, can the parent deal with the looks and comments of strangers when the child displays these out in public. When the routine required to keep order in the household precludes attending spontaneous gatherings with friends, the social invitations dwindle to nothing.  One huge benefit of the internet is that the isolated parent of a child with ASD can connect with other parents for support even if they cannot leave the living room. 

When other moms are running off to get their nails done or attending such meetings as mentioned above, the mothers of a child with ASD may be just grateful to step outside the house, alone, to get a breath of fresh air.  Can you be a breath of fresh air to a parent of a child with ASD?  Offer to do something for them or come alongside of them during this difficult season of their lives.  And don’t invite them to do something that is untenable to do – like attend a couple of months’ worth of group meetings on a weeknight away from their homes towing their special needs child along with them. Well meaning, maybe, ill-informed - definitely.