The Grace of God by Tom Banwart #bookreview #christian #nonfiction #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

True Stories of Faith and Hope

Religion Christian Nonfiction

Date Published: August 11, 2026

Publisher: Clay Bridges Press Publishing

 

The power of prayer is undeniable. The Grace of God repeatedly illustrates how God equipped us to carry His message of love during one of our nation’s darkest times.

Fear had taken root in our hearts. Our ages and health conditions felt like real disadvantages. We found comfort in Christian music, so we shared it with our neighbors. Notecards to healthcare workers and elderly shut-ins were warmly received, so we continued writing them and encouraged others to do the same. Physical nourishment was needed as well, and God provided a way for us to help there too. We prayed over every idea, and in return, God blessed us with inspiration.

We learned that love is an action.

We learned that anyone can be the hands and feet of our Lord.

We witnessed evidence of God’s presence again and again.

 

Our hope is that these stories encourage you to persistently seek God through prayer. His grace is unending.

Review

A timely and deeply encouraging collection of true stories about faith, perseverance, and serving others during a period when fear and uncertainty touched nearly everyone. 

What stands out is the book's honest acknowledgment that the people involved had their own reasons to feel limited. Age and health concerns could have easily led them to withdraw, yet prayer helped shift their focus from what they couldn't do to what they could do.

The stories reinforce a beautiful Christian truth: hope doesn't have to remain something we simply hold onto for ourselves.

About the Author

Tom Banwart spent most of his life in northern Illinois and graduated summa cum laude from Trinity International University. A promising corporate career was cut short when chronic health issues led him into permanent long-term disability, reshaping both his priorities and his path.

Blessed with creative talents, Tom turned a simple woodburning hobby into a small business and embraced the role of “Mr. Mom” to his three sons, finding purpose and joy in the rhythms of family life.

Though he often sensed a calling to do God’s work, Tom pushed it aside for many years. That changed in 2020. As the pandemic altered daily life and stirred deep questions of faith, he found himself in honest, raw conversations with Christ—dialogues that became a spiritual lifeline. Those reflections and personal experiences evolved into writing, eventually forming the foundation of his first book.

Today, Tom continues to use his creativity and vulnerability to encourage others, sharing stories that point to God’s presence in every season, especially the difficult ones.

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Two Minds, One Rhythm by Edward Blackmon, Jr. & Barbara Blackmon #releaseday #newbooks #giveaway #nonfiction #rabtbooktours @BlackmonLawyers @RABTBookTours

 

A Story for a Fractured Nation, Healing America’s Divide Through the Redemptive Power of Shared Purpose

 

Nonfiction

Date Published: Coming OCT 6, 2026

Publisher: Elite Online Publishing

 

The day after Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election, a New York Times reporter called trial attorney Edward Blackmon, Jr. with one question:

What should the rest of America expect?

This book is their answer.

Mississippi gave Edward and Barbara Blackmon—and the generations before them—a vantage the rest of the nation is only now beginning to feel. What Americans are living through today is not a new reality improvised in real time. It is the same ancient machinery that has always been here.

They spent their lives inside a system built to contain them: segregated schools and courthouses, voting maps drawn to dilute Black power, courtrooms that treated justice as a privilege. Locked as a teenager in a Canton jail during the civil-rights struggle, Edward decided then to become a lawyer so the law could serve as a shield rather than a weapon. He served more than four decades in the Mississippi House of Representatives and helped redraw the state’s political maps, more than doubling Black representation. The National Law Journal twice named him one of the nation’s top ten litigators.

Barbara Blackmon broke barriers of her own. She earned her degree from Jackson State University at nineteen, an MBA from the University of Alabama, a law degree from the University of Mississippi, and an LL.M. in taxation from New York University. She became the first Black woman to represent Madison, Yazoo, and Holmes counties in the Mississippi Senate from a majority-white district, later won the Democratic nomination to run for lieutenant governor, and, with her husband, built a statewide law practice in Canton that took the fight from the Capitol floor to the courtroom.

Two Minds, One Rhythm is the story of how two formidable minds learned to move together toward goals that serve humanity—and why we must unite now to heal a fractured nation before it is too late. This book does not stop at diagnosis. It offers a path forward: work, faith, education, and shared purpose. See the other side without surrendering yours. Rebuild trust. Choose courage over fear. The fractures can still be closed—not if we wait until the rest of the world finishes watching us come apart.

 

 

About the Author

 

EDWARD BLACKMON, JR.

Edward Blackmon, Jr. is a nationally recognized trial attorney, former Mississippi State Representative, and longtime advocate for voting rights and equal representation. A graduate of Tougaloo College and The George Washington University Law School, he co-founded Blackmon & Blackmon, PLLC, with his wife and law partner, Barbara, in Canton, Mississippi.

During four decades in the Mississippi House of Representatives, Edward helped lead legislative and judicial redistricting efforts that dramatically increased Black representation in the state legislature and judiciary. He broke at-large elections, drew maps that more than doubled Black representation, and created Mississippi’s first majority-Black judicial subdistricts. He won landmark verdicts—$177 million—and fifty criminal trials without a loss. Twice named one of the Nation's Top Ten Litigators by The National Law Journal, he has received numerous honors for his legal and public service, including the J. William Fulbright Distinguished Public Service Award and the National Black Caucus of State Legislators State Nation Builder Award.

Edward and Barbara married in 1986 and raised four children, two of whom now serve in the Mississippi Legislature.

 

 

BARBARA BLACKMON

Barbara Blackmon is a trailblazing attorney, former Mississippi State Senator, and Managing Partner of Blackmon & Blackmon, PLLC, the law firm she built with her husband, Edward. She holds degrees from Jackson State University, the University of Alabama, the University of Mississippi School of Law, and New York University, where she earned an LL.M. in Taxation.

In 1992, she became the first Black woman elected to represent Madison, Yazoo, and Holmes counties in the Mississippi State Senate—a majority-white district. She broke barriers as the first woman named Vice Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, the first woman and first Black senator to chair an Appropriations subcommittee, and the first woman from the Senate appointed to the Legislative Budget Committee. In 2003, she made history as the first Black Mississippian to win the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor.

An attorney, mentor, philanthropist, and lifelong advocate for education, Barbara has received numerous honors for her public service. Together, she and Edward have contributed more than $1.7 million to Tougaloo College and Jackson State University and supported scholarships for dozens of students.

Blackmon & Blackmon, PLLC

 

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Dies Irae by Autumn Montague #teaser #excerpt #comingsoon #vampire #mmromance #rabtbooktours @ChangelingPress @RABTBookTours

 

 

Gay Vampire Romantic Suspense

Date Published: October 9, 2026

Makoto and Will must accept their bond in order to stop a madman’s killing spree.

 

London, 1816. Someone is killing vampires and their Hosts, leaving brutalized bodies on display in the heart of London. Makoto Morinaga, minore and lead hunter for the Baron of Colbourne, must find and stop the madman. Yet the mission is in peril almost from the moment it starts. In despair over loving his master’s Host, he breaks his oath and finds himself bound through Compulsion to the last person he would choose as his Host -- the flamboyant young man who has spent years pining over their master. Makoto can ill afford this appalling distraction while he hunts for a monstrous killer.

Will Carter is an experienced Host who has offered up body and blood to vampires since reaching his majority. He spent years learning the duties of the Colbourne Host, only to have his dreams crumble when his master finds a man more perfect than Will. In his frustration, he taunts Colbourne’s lead hunter into committing a forbidden act. His punishment? Being bound to the last person he would ever wish to hold his contract -- Makoto Morinaga, a man whose body he knows well, but whose heart is a dark mystery and whose stoicism grates on Will’s every nerve.

An unexpected emotional connection heats their hearts even as their Host bond heats their bodies. Just as they begin to find common ground, the madman strikes again. Finding the madman’s lair might end the violence, but the price might destroy them both.

 

WARNING: Adult content, including references to physical violence and torture which may be triggers for some readers.

 

EXCERPT

 

Blood. Thickening blood, smoking and bubbling to a slow boil. The fire above it flickered in the shadows of the darkened alley. Postnato watched as the demon and its unholy servant writhed on the cobbles in purifying flame. Glee and eager satisfaction suffused him as he and his brother awaited the lethal culmination of their night’s work for the Inquisitio Sanguinis.

The demon’s mouth had pulled back from those inhuman fangs in a satisfying rictus of pain. The foul beast still struggled to free itself, despite sharpened stakes piercing shoulder and thigh, pinning it against the bloodied earth. The agonized contortions of the monster’s corrupt human slave had ceased, becoming the involuntary spasms of approaching death.

“Revertere ad inferos, Daemon,” Postnato whispered, condemning the beast to hell with a sneer. “Ad dominum tuum infernalis!”

Yes, back to Hell with you, back to your infernal master, he thought savagely.

The creature’s demonic struggles strengthened at the words, the frantic actions accompanied by a harsh croak of anguish. The renewal of its futile struggles only served to drive the stakes deeper into its flesh, and to fan the flames consuming it.

Postnato resumed his silence as Antenato raised a cautioning finger to his lips. He subsided with difficulty, impatient for the inhuman beast to surrender its last breath.

After another quarter hour, during which the human half of their quarry had become nothing but a flickering corpse-light, the demon gave a final shudder, slackening in approaching death at last.

With a grunt of satisfaction, Postnato bent for one of the buckets at his feet, waiting to douse the remaining flames after his brother had completed one more task, tearing a final, hoarse screech of pain along with the fangs from the dying beast. Antenato held his prize aloft, eyes aglow as their quarry expired. At this sign, Postnato heaved the contents of both pails over the corpses, smothering the fires with rotting offal gleaned from the butcher’s slop midden. The smoldering ruins sent up an instant reek, and he smiled in unison with his brother. This had not been their sacred mission, but chance had given them a demon and now there was one less to walk the earth.

Now to find the leader of these abominations.

* * *

About the Author

Autumn grew up loving history, mythology, and all things Japanese, not necessarily in that order. This eclectic love affair has bled over into her writing, and her stories are always well spiced with the taste of Japan, strange mythological beasties, or the lords and ladies of the ton. Sometimes all three, leading to dark desires and forbidden loves.

And after all, dangerous passions should lead to uninhibited love.

 

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The Glass Moth by D. Lieber #giveaway #dystopian #fantasy #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

 

Dystopian Fantasy

Date Published: 09-15-2026

Publisher: Ink & Magick

Her magic comes naturally. His is synthetic. Their different approaches could get one of them killed.

 

Wisconsin, 2050. Kallista Marquis doesn’t expect much anymore. When poor air quality and undrinkable water are everyday problems, the pessimistic gardener is just glad to have a roof over her head. But when a handsome glassblower informs her she’s a natural witch, she eagerly learns the illicit craft as she discovers her ability to finally impact the world.

Fort Meade. Evan Wells should be thrilled with his special assignment. Desperate to keep taking the wish-granting drug that makes him feel invincible, the Army specialist focuses on hunting down naturals and avoiding the snarky yet attractive private who hardly gives him a moment’s peace. But when his lack of progress again threatens a court-martial, his spiraling anxiety endangers more than he's willing to risk.

Trapped by the economic, governmental, and environmental pressures of their time, these opposing sides believe magic is the only glimmer of hope either of them has. But is that power worth it? Is it worth dying for? Is it worth killing for?

 

Uncertainty, love, secrets, and sorcery tangle the threads of fate in this slice-of-life dystopian fantasy.

 

 

About the Author

 

 D. Lieber writes character-driven stories for every mood. Her characters breathe as if they have souls, and her effortlessly immersive worlds hold inner harmonies that cleverly tie everything together.

Beyond her skeptic and slightly pessimistic mind, Lieber wants to believe. She is a romantic idealist at heart, always fighting to keep her feet on the ground and her head in the clouds. When she isn’t planning her next physical adventure, she’s recklessly jumping from one fictional world to another. Her love of reading led her to earn a Bachelor’s in English from Wright State University. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband (John) and cats (Yin and Nox). 

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Truthful Lies & Bent Realities by Stephen Foehr #mystery #crime #thriller #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

A Truly Believed Love Story

 

Mystery, Thriller, Crime

Date Published: April 30, 2026

 

In a time when mythology as propaganda shapes the systems of society and government, two unlikely souls come together to question the reality of it all—what’s going wrong in the world, whether anything’s right, and their own perceptions of honesty, dishonesty, and who they are.

Chillee and Gordie meet in Big Town, where their connection flourishes despite the recognition that they could each be fatal to the identities they’ve created for themselves. Chillee is a realistic idealist, a problem solver who puts her faith in the truth. Gordie, too, is an idealist, but he thrives on uncertainty, posing as a criminal to bring justice to white-collar crimes. They vow to hold one another accountable, to push each other through the steps to being a better person—the best person they’re capable of being.

In Chillee’s neighboring hometown, a county commissioner’s election will determine the fate of the rural community—and unknowingly put relationships to the test. When her best friend Willi asks Chillee to help her run against her ex-husband, she returns to Colton Center with Gordie…who has his own motives in mind.

As the couple continues to work with and against each other, Chillee and Gordie begin to see the deepening cracks in the perceived rights and wrongs of their world. No matter the outcome of the election, life as they knew it may not be the life they continue to lead.

Truthful Lies and Bent Realities is a thought-provoking ride into learning to understand the self and challenge the mind to keep asking the existential questions: Who are we? Who do we think we are? Who do we want to be? And do those identities intersect in the right places?

About the Author

Stephen Foehr, author of 14 fiction and nonfiction books, began his career as a police reporter in Chicago. His nonfiction books examines the relationship between music and culture, autobiography of the blues Taj Mahal, and travel. His fiction deals with submission and how to resist.

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The Hawk's Lady by Colleen Shannon #historical #romance #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

Historical Romance

Date Published: July 4, 2026

A blond Barbary pirate captain of a xebec. . . Sinan Reis.

Who is he? Why did he desert his country?

His latest capture: a fine yacht. And its owner. . . Lady Victoria Grenville.

Who is she? Can an heiress to a fortune conform to harem life?

Amidst sea battles, kidnappings, and political menace from the Dey of Algiers, Sinan and Tory start as captor and captive. But their fierce battle of wills will transform them both.

Most importantly, if Tory can’t submit to him will he sell her at auction? Or can she escape before he does?

Kismet has other plans.

In 1799, Lady Victoria "Tory" Grenville, a willful English heiress, is captured at sea by Sinan Reis, a blond Barbary pirate captain secretly working for a cause he can't reveal. Aboard his xebec and within the walls of an Algiers harem, captor and captive wage a battle of wills that becomes a battle for the heart, set against real political intrigue between the new United States, the Dey of Algiers, and the warring Federalists and Democratic-Republicans of post-Revolutionary Philadelphia. Sweeping sea battles, kidnappings, and court machinations build to a richly satisfying historical romance grounded in meticulously researched 18th-century detail.

 

* New, expanded edition with a newly written epilogue extending the story into the events of 1814, bridging to the author's upcoming Regency-era trilogy.

* Bonus material: author's historical notes, a detailed bibliography/source list documenting the book's research, and a preview/teaser of Shannon's forthcoming "Fire, Wind and Earth" trilogy (Ashes, Burning Bright; Whirlwind, Burning Bright; Tiger, Burning Bright).

* Author Colleen Shannon was nominated by Romantic Times as Best New Historical Romance Author and has won/been nominated for multiple industry awards (including a Kiss Award) across an 18-novel career with over a million copies in print.

* Limited deluxe hardback printing released to mark the U.S. 250th anniversary with patriotic design features available on Colleen Shannon's author website.

The Hawk's Lady: a Deluxe 250th Anniversary Edition of Colleen Shannon's beloved 1989 Barbary Wars romance, now fully revised with new original content.

 

About the Author

Colleen Shannon grew up in Midland, Texas where the skies are as limitless as the tales told by its many colorful residents, dreamers and entrepreneurs all, with some scoundrels sprinkled in. Colleen grew up reading and writing stories of every kind. She wrote her first short story at eight, began a novel at 14 and read authors like Ayn Rand and Clive Cussler at 13. After college when she married and expected her first child, she used a scrap computer assembled by her engineer husband, to write her first novel, Wild Heart Tamed (not posted digitally because she considers it a learning experience).

She sold it herself to Berkley in less than a year, and at the age of 26 began a new career and never looked back. The strength of her first book led to her nomination by Romantic Times as Best New Historical Author. She went on to win and/or be nominated for many other awards, including a Kiss Award for all three heroes of her Fairy Tale trilogy written for Dorchester Books. One of her six completed scripts is a modern, very different version to her Georgian England set beauty and the beast novel The Gentle Beast. It has not been shown as it needs heavy revisions but she moves easily between scripts and novels, including original screenplays like Full Circle, currently revised after two Blacklist evaluations. In the last two years, she has become one of Film Freeways’ top winning screenwriters internationally, per Film Freeway management.

Her 18 single title releases have appeared on many bestseller lists; she has well over a million books in print. Colleen’s recent works include thrillers and screenplays that combine her favorite novel story elements: romance, suspense, history and action. Most recently, she published three Kensington Lyrical Press romantic suspense. The first in the series, Foster Justice, was released in December 2014 and ranked #1 on Amazon’s Western Romance list. Colleen converted the story to a novel from the original script version she wrote at UCLA’s Advanced Professional Screenwriting program.

Colleen Shannon graduated cum laude from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in Archaeology and more recently earned her Master’s in Real Estate Development from the University of Southern California. She currently lives in Austin, Texas.

 

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The Baal of Shangisha by O Mez #bookreview #middlegrade #fantasy #adventure #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTorus

 

Middle-grade fantasy Adventure, fantasy

Date Published: January 6, 2026

Publisher: MindStir Media

 

 

One boy. One impossible dream. One journey that could change his world forever.

When a mysterious force hurls young Chetanna into the home of an enigmatic old bird, he arrives carrying an extraordinary dream: to bring peace to the wicked and divided world around him.

Even Chetanna is unsure such peace is possible.

But when his mother tells him of a distant land of possibilities—a place where hidden answers may be found—Chetanna finally sees a path forward. As darkness spreads across the island he calls home, he begins a dangerous quest armed with only a slingshot, a mysterious name whispered by his mother, and the ancient power of the Eight.

Chetanna believes that courage, hope, and determination will be enough to complete his mission.

He is wrong.

Halfway through the journey, betrayal changes everything. The companions he trusted most abandon him, convinced that the quest is doomed. Left for dead and stranded in an unforgiving wilderness, Chetanna loses nearly everything he depended upon.

He should turn back.

He should surrender.

Instead, he holds tightly to the one thing no enemy can take from him: his dream of creating a better world.

Driven by resilience, courage, kindness, and an unshakable belief in what might still be possible, Chetanna presses forward. But when he finally reaches the legendary land he has risked everything to find, a devastating truth awaits—one powerful enough to destroy his mission and shatter everything he believes.

The Baal of Shangisha is a lyrical middle-grade fantasy adventure filled with mystery, ancient power, dangerous choices, unexpected betrayal, and unforgettable lessons about hope, sacrifice, selflessness, and perseverance.

Perfect for readers who enjoy:

• Courageous young heroes and epic quests

• Magical lands inspired by rich cultural traditions

• Fantasy adventures filled with danger and discovery

• Stories about friendship, betrayal, and forgiveness

• Meaningful lessons about resilience, love, kindness, and hope

• Young characters who discover that even the smallest voice can inspire extraordinary change

Blending atmospheric storytelling, African cultural echoes, and timeless themes, O. Mez delivers a powerful debut novel for young readers who believe that courage is not the absence of fear—but the decision to keep moving forward.

How far would you go to save your world when everyone else has stopped believing?

Begin Chetanna’s unforgettable journey in The Baal of Shangisha today.

Review

Adventure, mystery, and powerful life lessons come together beautifully in O. Mez’s The Baal of Shangisha. Chetanna’s journey is not simply about reaching a legendary destination; it is also about learning what it takes to hold on to a dream when everything seems to be working against him. 

The combination of a determined young hero, an unforgiving wilderness, and mysterious ancient forces creates an engaging fantasy experience. 

About the Author

 O. Mez is a Nigerian-born author whose storytelling is shaped by the rich oral traditions, cultural rhythms, and imaginative tales that surrounded him while growing up. Inspired by stories passed down through generations, he writes lyrical, atmospheric fantasy that explores courage, resilience, hope, and the quiet strength of those who dare to believe in a better world.

Now based in Colorado, Mez brings together African cultural echoes, timeless life lessons, and immersive fantasy adventure to create meaningful stories for young readers. His debut middle-grade fantasy novel, The Baal of Shangisha, follows a young hero on a dangerous quest filled with mystery, betrayal, ancient power, and the unshakable determination to change his world.

Through his writing, Mez hopes to encourage children to embrace kindness, perseverance, selflessness, and the belief that even the smallest voice can make a lasting difference.

When he is not writing, he enjoys watching football, spending time with his wife and daughters, and reading stories about forgotten lands, brave souls, and extraordinary journeys.

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Debt Reckoning - Teetering on the Brink by Jack Meyer #bookreview #audiobook #politicalthriller #thriller #rabtbooktours @jackmeyerauthor @RABTBookTours

 

Political Thriller

Date Published: August 13, 2026

Run Time: 10 hours 17 minutes

What if the greatest threat to America wasn't war, terrorism, or China...but the trillions of dollars of debt we've pretended doesn't exist?

 

U.S. Senator Rick Taylor has been warning anyone who'll listen: the national debt is no longer a spreadsheet problem-it's a ticking bomb. But in Washington, truth is toxic. Colleagues dismiss him, constituents scream about "cuts to my benefits," and the media paints him as the villain who wants to gut Social Security.

Then the blackmail begins.

A shadowy network led by a ruthless operator making huge profits from unchecked government spending will stop at nothing to silence anyone who threatens the status quo. After Taylor's wife is targeted in a terrifying swatting attack and a sniper's bullet nearly ends Taylor's life, the message is clear. Shut up... or die.

Review

Debt Reckoning: Teetering on the Brink takes a complicated and often frustrating subject, the national debt. While doing this, it turns it into the driving force behind a tense political thriller. Jack Meyer does a good job of showing how an issue that can seem like nothing more than numbers on a government report can have enormous consequences.

This is a thought-provoking thriller for readers who enjoy political intrigue with a financial and economic dimension. It raises uncomfortable questions about debt, political incentives, and what happens when telling an inconvenient truth threatens people who benefit from the status quo.

 

About the Author

 

 Jack was introduced to thrillers when Tom Clancy's The Hunt for Red October was published. However, for most of his life, he was a reader rather than an author. During the 2000 Presidential election as he watched TV coverage of the Florida recount with 'dimpled chads' and 'hanging chads,' he thought an election conspiracy would be a great basis for a thriller. It wasn't until 2020 when he retired from his career, which included management positions in corporate America and small business ownership as well as a brief stint in ministry, that he sat down to write Wayward Patriot: Preserving the Vote.

His unique approach to political thrillers rips headlines from the news and weaves them through a thrilling tale of patriotism, political corruption and crisis. He says, "when I see some major new issue or technology in the news I want to learn more about it. I enjoy sharing what I learn with others by wrapping a story around it that will engage and entertain readers."

He and his wife, Barbara, have three grown children and seven grandchildren and divide their time between Colorado Springs and Tucson.

 

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Crows Calling by Bruce McConnell #giveaway #fiction #ecofiction #literary #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

An Inspiring Journey into our Better Natures

Literary/Eco-Fiction

Date Published: 10-01-2025

Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press

Earth’s animals are fed up with humanity’s mindless damage to our common home. Will a young girl and her family heed their call?

Ten-year-old Luz sets out on an overnight camping trip, accompanied by her spiritual mentor. Peering through a canopy of California redwoods, Luz witnesses a council of animals confronting the menace of climate change. Led by a lustrous—and talkative—American Crow named Koro, the animals weigh their options. Some, like Koro, want to collaborate with humans. Others doubt humanity’s good intentions. The conversation compels young Luz, innately in tune with the natural world, to fight passionately in its defense.

At once a work of fact-based activism and a moving coming-of-age, Crows Calling immerses the reader in a richly-drawn family and community who, despite their differences, decide to dedicate their lives to the care of Grandmother Earth. They are not alone. Rather, they are accompanied by a colorful cast of savvy planimals—bears, coyotes, trees, and even chickens—with long memories and ancient ways of healing. However, some damage cannot be undone. Natural disasters, public apathy, and greed threaten everything that Luz and her friends are working for. Can the cross-species alliance find unity and resolve the climate crisis?

About the Author

Bruce McConnell is an agile and accomplished shapeshifter, having flourished as a poet, roofer, artist-blacksmith, mechanical engineer, tenor, business consultant, national security official, non-profit executive, and peacemaker. A collection of his poems, Living from Here, was published by Anvil Press (US). He recently moved to Ashland Oregon to feel closer to his relatives in the natural world. Crows Calling is his first novel. He is working on a second novel set in Southern Oregon.

A leading player on global peace and security issues at the intersection of governments, business and civil society for over thirty years, McConnell is the former President and CEO of the EastWest Institute. He serves on the board of The Stimson Center, in support of peace, security, justice, and prosperity for all living beings.

From 2009 to 2013, McConnell served in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he was Deputy Under Secretary for Cybersecurity. He was a member of the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team. From 2000-2008, he created, built and sold two consultancies that provided strategic advice to clients in the technology, business and government sectors. In 1999-2000, McConnell led the International Y2K Cooperation Center, which was sponsored by the United Nations and the World Bank.

McConnell holds a Master of Public Administration from the Evans School for Public Policy at the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Sciences from Stanford University. He serves as a business advisor to various technology companies.

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Winning the Wrong Game by Josh Wintermute #bookreview #christian #nonfiction #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

 

When the Life You’ve Built Still Isn’t Enough and How to Restore What Actually Matters

 

Christian Living / Religion / Nonfiction

Date Published: August 4, 2026

Publisher: Lucid Books Publishing

 

You’ve worked hard, built a good life, and achieved what you set out to accomplish. So why does something still feel off?

On the surface, everything looks right. But underneath, something is beginning to crack—and no amount of success, performance, or achievement seems to fix it.

Josh Wintermute knows that feeling well. After walking through physical, mental, financial, and spiritual struggles, he came to a life-changing realization: the problem wasn’t just the circumstances—it was the foundation.

In this honest and practical book, Josh walks you through the three foundational areas every life is built on—your heart, your home, and your culture. He helps you uncover what’s broken beneath the surface, do the hard work of restoration, and rebuild on what truly matters.

You are not as stuck as you think.

You are not as alone as you feel.

And you are going to make it.

Review

Winning the Wrong Game by Josh Wintermute is the kind of book that makes you stop and take an honest look at your life. It asks an uncomfortable but important question: What if you achieve everything you thought you wanted, only to discover that it isn't what you actually needed?

What I appreciated most is that this isn't simply a book about identifying what's wrong. It is about restoration. The message is challenging without being hopeless, reminding readers that being stuck doesn't mean being beyond repair. The Christian perspective is woven naturally into the discussion, giving the book both spiritual depth and practical relevance.

About the Author

Author Josh Wintermute is a life builder and founder of Quiet Winters, helping leaders build their lives on a solid foundation. With over 20 years of pastoral ministry, Josh has walked with hundreds of people through life’s ups and downs and has a deep desire to see people heal and grow through the challenges we face in life. Josh has been married for over 25 years, has three sons, and lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

 

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