IDEAS TO HELP YOU WRITE A REVIEW

By Ada Brownell

IF YOU ENJOYED FOLLOWING THE TRACKS, PLEASE WRITE A REVIEW AND POST IT ON AMAZON AND GOOD READS.

Questions to give you ideas for a review, or to discuss with your book club.

When you read my new non-fiction book, Following the Tracks: Life With the Railroad, what did you expect from such a book?

What caught your interest? The author, the topic, the location, the history, the characters, an expected theme?

How about the first scene? Was the telegraph operator fighting for his life in the first pages relevant to the book?

What did you think of the way telegraphers delivered urgent messages to engineers in the 1950s?

Why were changes necessary that took communication from telegraph to teletype, and then computers and Centralized Traffic Control?

 Why was it necessary to have an agent-telegrapher in depots in every little town and junction along the tracks, even after they quit selling passenger train tickets?

How does CTC work and why has it made so many changes in the railroad operations?

Why would readers cry, laugh, rejoice, and enjoy a book about railroad tracks, trains, and people? Would you still call the book “historical?” Why?

© Ada Brownell

Here’s what one of my endorsers wrote:

My family shared this story with the Brownells, as did many families along the tracks of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. As I read Ada’s book, I was moved to tears, laughter, and prayers as the memories and old stories came bubbling up from the past. But it was not only the past that grabbed my attention, it was the assurance that each of us had, has, and will have, the grace of God on our lives no matter what our circumstances. As we follow the tracks with a young bride through the mountains, into the desert, and then to the city, we find proofs that the choice to trust God is never a mistake.  Ada’s concise reporter style makes this an enjoyable, encouraging journey along the tracks.

--Lucretia Smith, Nurse, Educator, and Railroad Family

 You should be able to get the book here:

https://tinyurl.com/y9ky7vn5

Links don't seem to work. Search for

Following the Tracks By Ada Brownell on Amazon

 

  

How I Write Reviews

 How I write reviews

  By Ada Brownell

I’ve reviewed more than 60 books for authors who are members of American Christian Fiction Writers. Besides that, I wrote reviews for non-fiction Christian books for The Denver Post in the 1980s.

When I open a book to read, I usually look to see where it was published. Because I’m a writer, too, I am familiar with a few secular and most Christian publishers so that sometimes tells me what to expect. The publisher’s name often tells me the denomination represented; doctrines; and sometimes even the type of story or premise that will be inside the book’s cover.

Since independent publishing has gained more respect, I don’t frown on an author going with Amazon or other reputable print-on-demand publishers. But I won’t review one from a publisher I know scams authors and doesn’t bother with editing. We used to never review a book done by a “vanity” publisher and a few of those are still around preying on people.

I usually look at the summary, table of contents, and then I critique in my mind as I read. With fiction, I jump into the story and watch to see whether I like the lead character and whether the person has a worthy goal. The minor character doesn’t need to be likeable, but even if he is the villain he needs to be developed enough to make me either like him or hate him early. With non-fiction, I’m looking for a great premise and a fresh way of approaching a significant subject.

The core of my review revolves around whether it is squeaky clean (even non-fiction can have unsuitable language, goals or suggestions) and in fiction I want enough plot to keep me reading.

During the course of working through the book, I take notes, and if I own it, I’ll turn down pages and underline sections I like, don’t like, or don’t understand. Then I’ll make notes in the front of the book giving page numbers and a brief explanation for indexing purposes. If it’s not mine, I make notes on little piece of paper and insert where I have a comment.

Great writers keep me reaching for my pen to write down sentences and phrases I might want to quote in a review. I usually don’t use them because of space limitations, but I might share them with my writers’ group and further advertise a good book.

Yet, there is something else important to me. I’m not looking for perfection. I want to know what the writer did exceptionally well, and I usually find it if I like the book well enough to read it to the end. Most of my reviews are 5-star because I focus on the one thing I can rave about. I don’t review books I can’t give at least a 4-star rating.

I take my notes, sit down to the computer and make myself think about the story and start writing. It’s amazing how fast it usually flows because I narrowed my focus. I never reveal important twists or the ending in a fiction book and no reviewer should.

The important thing is to sit down and write the review. Anybody can do it. Truth is, all you need to do is say, “I enjoyed it!”

I rarely write a review now since I’m cutting back on writing because of my age. Yet I still read, and read, and read.

Here’s my new book, Following the Tracks on my Amazon Author page. https://www.amazon.com/Ada-Brownell/e/B001KJ2C06

 Among others, The Lady Fugitive,  an historical novel; Imagine the Future You,  a motivational Bible study; Joe the Dreamer: The Castle and the Catapult, a suspense novel for middle school up; Confessions of a Pentecostal; and Swallowed by LIFE: Mysteries of Death, Resurrection and the Eternal, a popular Bible study. Purchase the books on Ada’s author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KJ2C06

Ada’s blog: http://www.inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com

HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILDREN GET TO HEAVEN

By Ada Brownell

One of the first things I learned about parenting was that as a child of God, I didn’t have to do it by myself.

God calls others to help. Ephesians 4:10-12 says, “⁰He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fulfill all things.¹¹ And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”

Our children had great pastors, youth pastors, Sunday school teachers, evangelists, as well as great Christian friends who influenced them in the choice to give their lives and talents to Christ.

To help your children make the choice to “go to heaven” here are a few things my husband and I did when they were young.

·       Attend a full gospel church where the gospel is preached and rightly divided. Full gospel churches usually teach salvation comes only when we believe Jesus died for our sins, and resurrected on the third day. Full gospel churches believe in the divine inspiration of the Bible as God’s Word, the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of supernatural speaking in other tongues. They also believe in Divine Healing, the Catching away of the church in the rapture, and the Second Coming of Jesus.

·        Scriptures for you to share: “If thou will confess the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9). “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Another: “But you will receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you. And you shall be witnesses unto me …” (Acts 1:8). “And while they watched, he was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight. .. While they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel who also said, ‘This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:9-11).

·       Become a student of the Word of God, the Bible yourself. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. (2 Timothy 2:15-16).

·       Teach them to become students of the Word. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16)

Hopefully your church has programs for youth like Royal Rangers, Missionettes, Bible Quiz, Talent contests, and services where young people can use their talents and ministries.

·       Watch who their heroes are. Expose them to great people—Bible characters and adults as well as teens who are living for God.

·       Go to missions services. When they’re just forming opinions and finding people to “worship” let them know the difference between fantasy, fiction, reality, and history. They may adore Spiderman and Star Wars characters, but they should understand they don’t exist, and when God enabled David to kill Goliath, David wasn’t a vegetable from Veggie Tales, he was a real person who lived, loved God and did great things in His name.

The three young Hebrews who survived the fiery furnace after refusing to bow down to the king, were real people like you, but God was there to protect them.

* Teach your children God loved them from the beginning of their lives. “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb” (Jeremiah 1:5).

However, when Jesus was born as a baby in Bethlehem, he was different from any other baby because he is God’s son. Jesus was in heaven before he came to earth. Jesus was there when the world and people were created. Jesus, God’s only Son; and the Holy Spirit were there in the beginning. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:26).

 Buy them great books that support your values, and if your child is in a public school, survey assigned books, which sometimes can be X-rated and ask for a substitute. If your student is required to study propaganda and false doctrine, survey it and teach your child why you don’t believe that. Don’t be afraid to approach a teacher, a principal or a superintendent of schools with your protests, and do it in writing. Yet be Christ-like not only as a witness to the educator, but also to your child.

Always ask for them to be excused from sex education classes, but teach them from the curriculum of a Christian School. Ask homeschoolers and Christian school workers for recommendations. Abeka has online Christian texts.

WILL YOUR CHILDREN GO TO HEAVEN?

By Ada Brownell

When I became a parent of a darling little boy, two big goals crossed my mind—I wanted my child to be healthy physically, and even when he was tiny, I wanted him to know God loves him, and to love the Lord back so he can make heaven his home.

Later, I would be the mother of five sweet adorable children and wanted the same goals for all of them. Praise the Lord all five our children, their spouses, and I pray their children all have repented of their sins and made Jesus Lord of their lives.

What a comfort it has been when cancer stole away our oldest daughter, Carolyn, she was serving the Lord and she went to heaven talking to her Savior and singing praises to him in her heart.

I was fortunate enough to grow up in a full gospel church that had Bible preaching pastors who knew how to rightly divide “the Word of truth,” and other teachers did the same.

It was in the Beginners’ class where any child under school age could come, that I began to learn about God. “Sister McPherson” was my teacher, and right off, I knew a secret. We sang “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so,” and that was good news to me. The teacher also talked about God’s love and she was so excited about it.

You see, I barged into my family, becoming the fifth girl and eighth child and my siblings weren’t excited about another baby. They’d been beat up by the Kansas Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, and my oldest sister, Marjorie, was so mad about bringing another kid into the house she wouldn’t even look at me for a week.

Later, the family told me about it and thought it was funny. I didn’t. I always felt I didn’t deserve to be there. So someone loving me warmed me all over, and I loved Jesus right off.

Then something happened to our family. They had just moved to Colorado, and Marjorie’s new friend invited her to the little white church on a corner in the middle of Fruita. Marjorie accepted Jesus as her Savior, and changed into the most joyful, loving person in the family. My mom and the older children knew about Jesus, but they went further than that and invited the Lord into their lives. Our house was full of love and joyful singing about the Lord and his love.

I understood before long that when you live for Jesus you’ll live forever. I also discovered by listening to preaching that when I asked Jesus, he saved me from my sins, hell and Satan’s devices. I knew at an early age, "For God so loved the world that he that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16).

So I wanted my children to know God the way I did. As the other children were born, they also filled our house with joy and music. Yet I knew going to heaven doesn’t happen just because you go to church and have a Christian family. God expected each of us to decide ourselves to give our lives to Christ. He doesn’t force us. I can’t force it on my children. They must make their own decision. Anyone who listened to Billy Graham knows you “make a decision to follow Jesus” and then when you repent and accept him as Savior, you’re born again—a new creation in Christ Jesus!

Do your children understand salvation—how you are saved from sin, hell, and given eternal life? Ask them! God has no grandchildren. He’s merciful and loving, but will He reward your sons and daughters for rebellion, and refusing to obey His word? Ignoring His knock on their heart’s door, or slamming the door in His face?

Yes there is grace. Grace is what Jesus thought about when He willingly went to the cross, suffered unbearable pain, embarrassment, and agony of rejection by the people he came to save from hell and death. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

 But the same Lord who provided a way of escape from death and judgment, also said, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life: And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works .And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:12,15).
Yet it is not our works on earth that save us. It is work of loving God, accepting Jesus as our Savior, turning from sin, and to living for Jesus.

Titus 3:5

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.

No matter how much they’ve gone to church, we need to tell our children and grandchildren Jesus is the only way to Heaven, and when we accept Him as Lord, our name is written down in Glory--in the Book of Life.

NEXT ON THIS BLOG, I'LL HAVE A LIST OF THINGS TO DO AND TELL YOUR CHILDREN SO HOPEFULLY THEY'LL CHOOSE TO FOLLOW JESUS AND GO TO LIVE IN THE PLACE JESUS PREPARES FOR THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO ACCEPT HIS SACRIFICE. WHEN HE LEFT EARTH HE SAID, "I GO TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU...I WILL COME AGAIN AND RECEIVE YOU TO MYSELF, THAT WHERE I AM, THERE YOU MAY BE ALSO" --(John 14:2,3).