The Time in Between by William Judd

New Book by William Judd: The Time In Between

Synopsis:  Fred Nash, an adolescent in the 1960’s, emerging from a repressive home life and seeking to recover from the loss of a first love, finds himself depressed and adrift.  Will he find a true path for himself, or will he succumb to chaos and despair in the midst of a decade of significant cultural change?

Reviews:

“This is a remarkable book by a first-time author.  It is a coming-of-age story with all the trials and tribulations that that entails.  But it is an evocative remembrance of the sixties.  Bill Judd captures the tone and feel of the time:  the expressions, the tastes, the opinions, the small town parochialism of middle America, as well as the worries and joys unique to teenagers in that time and place.”

Leslie Graitcer, former Executive Director, Bell South Foundation

“Bill Judd’s The Time in Between is a gripping coming of age story interweaving the turbulence of adolescence  with the social upheaval of the 1960’s.  Judd’s personalized approach to the narrative also touches religious and family themes in a thought-provoking page turner, immersing the reader in the travails and travels of the main character, Fred Nash.”

Tom Bartlett, editor, author of Songs from the Lifeboat

About the Author

William Judd has lived in Concord, NH, for 32 years.  There he and his wife have raised five children.  He is a retired high school English teacher and hospital nurse.  This is his first novel.

Let Us Pray: Free Online Conference for Women

Do you struggle with prayer? Is your prayer life stagnant and in need of some zeal? Do you just need some encouragement to pray? Yes, yes, and yes. Am I right?

We all need some extra help with prayer, and that’s why the Let Us Pray Conference for Catholic Women is here.

During the week of October 7th (The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary) and ending October 13 (Anniversary of the Miracle of Fatima) thousands of Catholic women will be gathered together online to spend time learning about prayer and actually praying.

Each day of this week-long conference, two 20-30 minute presentations will be available throughout the day to view for anyone who has signed up for the conference. An email reminder will be sent each day. Before viewing the presentation, women are asked to pray the short prayer provided on the web-page where the presentations are accessed. At the end of each presentation, women are asked to pray along with the presenter as he/she closes with prayer.

This free online conference is being brought to you by Heart Ridge Ministries. Formerly, Heart Ridge was Catholic Conference 4 Moms and Women producing similar yearly conferences, now available on Formed. Recently Heart Ridge Ministries has expanded beyond producing video programs for moms and women to developing an actual, physical conference and retreat center, with studio, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. For more information visit HeartRidgeMinistries.com.

Here are the presentations for the online “Let Us Pray” conference for Catholic women:

• Praying with Mindfulness, with Fr. Jeffrey Kirby, S.T.D.
• Praying like the Saints, with Michele Faehnle and Emily Jaminet​
• Praying in the Midst of Suffering, with Mary Lenaburg
• Praying with Your Temperament, with Stephanie Sanders
• Praying during the Mass, with Dr. Ed Sri
• Praying with Mary, with Dominican Nuns, Sr. Anna Sophia and Sr. Marie Celine
• Praying with Little Ones, with Katie Warner
• Praying while Fasting, with Ellen Gable Hrkach
• Praying with “Hands Full,” with a panel of busy moms (10+ kids each)
• Praying with Gratitude, with Dr. Susan Muto
• Praying with and for Our Children, with Dr. John and Claire Grabowski
• Praying the Rosary for Healing, with Fr. Dwight Longenecker

Although primarily for Catholic women, the conference is open to all. Women can sign up online.

Of particular interest to readers are the presentations specifically for mothers. One features a panel of mothers of large families — in fact, the average number of kids for these women is 9.3. They discuss how they make prayer a part of their busy homes. Katie Warner, author of many children’s books, talks about how to pray with your young children. She has wonderful examples and a fresh, positive attitude that can be encouraging for any family overrun by toddlers. And Dr. John and Claire Grabowski speak about praying with your children as they grow older. They show how that can look with teens and young adults at home.

Ideally, women can give 20-30 minutes a day during the week-long conference to listen and pray. If they want to give another 20 minutes, they can listen to the second presentation for that day.

But we all know that finding that time can be extremely difficult. Life happens. And even with the best intentions, presentations and prayers of the conference will be missed. However, not all is lost. God, the master of time, just wants a place in our hearts.

So even if you can’t “attend” the presentations or even pray the selected prayers — just seeing the reminder email and looking to God to give Him your busy day can be the most beautiful prayer of all.

And there is an Encore Day at the conference end to catch any presentations you missed!

Please spread the word. Let’s flood the world with prayer.

Sign up for the free online conference for #Catholic women: Let us pray

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Learn more and sign up for the free “Let Us Pray” conference.

 

Coming Soon! Charlotte’s Honor in Spanish!

An Open Book #openbook Sept 2019

Today I am joining with Carolyn Astfalk and CatholicMom.com for An Open Book.  Here is what I’ve been reading and planning to read!

 

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Amazon Synopsis: Anna Karenina ( is a novel by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, published in serial installments from 1873 to 1877 in the periodical The Russian Messenger. Tolstoy clashed with editor Mikhail Katkov over political issues that arose in the final installment (Tolstoy’s negative views of Russian volunteers going to fight in Serbia); therefore, the novel’s first complete appearance was in book form in 1878. Widely regarded as a pinnacle in realist fiction, Tolstoy considered Anna Karenina his first true novel, after he came to consider War and Peace to be more than a novel. Fyodor Dostoyevsky declared it “flawless as a work of art.” His opinion was shared by Vladimir Nabokov, who especially admired “the flawless magic of Tolstoy’s style,” and by William Faulkner, who described the novel as “the best ever written.” The novel remains popular, as demonstrated by a 2007 Time poll of 125 contemporary authors in which Anna Karenina was voted the “greatest book ever written.”

My review: I just started reading this and I may be doing so for the next few months.  Review to come.

The Power of Forgiveness by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur

Amazon Synopsis: “The only way to peace is forgiveness.” -Pope Saint John Paul II

As Catholics, we know that God s forgiveness plants peace in our hearts. We also know that there s grace that flows from the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Even so, we often struggle to forgive those who have hurt us, so we don t experience the peace that forgiveness can bring.

The Power of Forgiveness includes reflections on the topic of forgiveness, inspirational stories of saints, simple prayers, and questions to help you meditate and pray. By opening ourselves to forgiving others, we participate in God’s mercy and begin the process of healing.   Part of the Companion in Faith series.

My review: Forgiving those who hurt us is not easy.  But when Jesus taught us the words to the Lord’s prayer, He said, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”  Jesus didn’t include any exceptions.  Therefore, we are called to forgive others, no matter how much or how deeply they hurt us.

The Power of Forgiveness is a terrific booklet with reflections on forgiveness, inspirational stories of saints, prayers, and questions that help the reader to pray and meditate on forgiveness and opening our hearts to God’s mercy. It is only through opening our hearts to God’s mercy that we ourselves can begin to heal.

Highly recommend.  5/5 stars.

The Father’s Son by Jim Sano (now available from FQP)

Amazon Synopsis: Despite a traumatic and difficult childhood, 39-year-old Boston sales executive, David Kelly, seems to have it all. While building a life of achievement, material success, and professional respect, an unexpected friendship with Tom Fitzpatrick starts him on an emotional and courageous journey that allows him to confront the truth of his past and the impact it has had on the relationships in his life. The Father’s Son is a highly engaging and masterfully written story that will make you think about faith, family, friendship, forgiveness, redemption, love, and truth, and may prove to profoundly impact how you look at life itself.

My review:  My review will be rather biased since I am publishing this book. But David Kelly’s story is a compelling one.  Highly recommend.

For Eden’s Sake by T.M. Gaouette

Goodreads Synopsis: Barely out of college, Isaac trades the quiet of his family ranch for the excitement of the big city with his dream job at an up-and-coming advertising agency. Until his perfect new world is shattered by bad choices, a pretty girl, a moment’s temptation—and a late night walk that quickly spirals out of control. Reeling with the horror of a mistake that can’t be undone, Isaac struggles to get his soul in order. Can he forgive himself? Can he make things right with God? What about Rebecca?

With both their lives desperately upended, and life-changing consequences no matter what they choose, Isaac must face his painful past, finding strength from God to do the right thing . . . and somehow convince Rebecca to do the same.

My review: What starts out as a careless night of drinking turns into a life-and-death situation. Isaac can’t undo his carelessness but he can do all in his power to prevent a young woman from making another mistake.  For Eden’s Sake is a well-written and compelling story about the consequences of sin and the grace of redemption. Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend! 4.5 out of 5 stars.