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Searching for Maia, Book 2, The Peaks Saga

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Searching for Maia, A Peaks Saga, Book 2 by MF ErlerSearching for Maia (The Peaks Saga, Book 2)

[UPDATED AND REVISED 2018]

Ginna and Danny have been back from the future for almost four years, but things are falling apart for them again. Then time-travelers Jon and Jael arrive with a big surprise, taking them into their parallel universe and their own personal lives–where Jon, Jael, and Martina are out of choices. As they flee their homes on planet Terres, they are told to search for a mysterious planet called Maia. But no one seems to know where it is, or if it even exists.

As they travel through uncharted space, they encounter many ways of life, but none of them seems to provide any of the answers they seek. And they aren’t the only ones looking for it. The longer they search, the more they encounter mysterious dark forces and threats. As the truth of these forces and their schemes unfold, the trio falls into a deadly struggle for their very lives. They begin to wonder if their journey will ever reach an end, or if the journey itself is the only thing that is real.

* * *

“…a page turner!” —Judith Seidel

“I remember fondly reading The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe when I was in middle school. The Peaks at the Edge of the World has a similar mix of fantasy and adventure with a moral tale at its center. This is a book that’s appropriate for a younger audience than most sci fi/fantasy novels. Enjoy the read!” —Kathy Dunhoff, Zola Award-winning Women’s Fiction Writer

FIRESIDE PRESS- Self-Publishing Division of First Steps Publishing

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FIRESIDE PRESS, is the hybrid division of FSP, offering the same professional services. FIRESIDE PRESS titles are regularly reviewed by First Steps Publishing for new, talented authors. While there is no guarantee of the number of titles First Steps will sign each year, this is a way to get your foot in the door.

Fireside Press
Publishing with a Personal Touch

Publishing 12-24 titles/year.

OPEN SUBMISSIONS   FIRESIDE SUBMISSION FORM

We recognize there are talented writers who may not choose the route of traditional publishing. At FIRESIDE PRESS, we believe every author deserves professional quality services to help them reach their goal of publication – no matter the depth of their pocket book.

  1. An imprint of First Steps Publishing. When you choose FIRESIDE PRESS, you have the full First Steps Publishing family behind you. Books in the FIRESIDE PRESS division get the benefit of being included in all marketing with our parent company: catalog, newsletters, and more.
  2. First Steps Publishing regularly reviews FIRESIDE PRESS titles for new, talented authors.
  3. Receive professional services — editors, designers, formatters, marketers — to fit your budget.
  4. 50% royalties to the author. You only pay for the services you need. No hidden fees – ever.
  5. Option to pay over time. The cost of professional publishing can be a burden on pocketbooks. We offer packages to allow you to pay over 3-, 6-, and 12-month periods.
  6. One-on-one personal attention to help you wade through the publishing quagmire.
  7. Tutorials, training and workshops.
  8. FREE AGENT OPTION. For those wishing to self-publish without our imprint, we offer the same top design services to make your book a success.

Get the power of FIRESIDE publishing behind your book today.

Peaks at the Edge of the World ~ Finding the Light, Book 1 The Peaks Saga

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Peaks at the Edge of the World by MF ErlerPeaks at the Edge of the World: Finding the Light (The Peaks Saga, Book 1)

[UPDATED AND REVISED 2018]

On the distant planet of Terres, far in the future, a young boy, Jael, finds his family being torn apart by dark forces of the Galactic System. Raised by his mother, and older siblings, who believe in a distant ruler called the True King, he soon finds himself alone in a world that is falling apart.

Now he must put his trust in a stranger named Jon, who claims he has the ability to cut across space and time-by Crossing the GAP. Jael convinces Jon to take him across their planet toward the mountain peaks at the edge of their world in order to help him find his runaway sister, Martina. But Martina has become possessed by the dark forces of the Redlarks, people who live in the Wilds. Will Jon and Jael be able to release her, and escape to a better place?

This book asks “What if Christianity were to survive into the distant future?” Would this ancient religion have any meaning in a complex, future technology? What would life be like for a tiny remnant who are severely persecuted, and trying to cling to ‘Old Ways’?

* * *

“M.F. Erler is an intriguing story-teller. The Peaks at the Edge of the World was hard to put down. I had many sleepless nights because I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next!”

Press Release: Embrace the Humor of Mid-Life Revealed in White Chair Day

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How to Embrace the Humor of Mid-Life Revealed in White Chair Day, New Release from First Steps Publishing

Joni Jesme’s debut book uncovers the humor behind growing older and the need to embrace the journey into mid-life and beyond with a smile. Stemming from a green trash can lid verbally mistaken as a white chair, Jesme turned that White Chair Day incident into a compilation of 40 fully-illustrated true stories revealing the humorous side of life.

OMG! I’m Having a White Chair Day
Or, When Mouth and Brain Take a Vacation
By Joni Jesme  |  978-1-937333-58-4 (pbk)  US$14.95  | 140 pg, Large print | Sale date: June 30, 2018

White Chair Day by Joni Jesme
Available Now

FALCON HEIGHTS, MN. — About a week before a milestone birthday, Joni drove coworkers out for lunch. On the way back to the office, they came across a very large green, plastic garbage can lid in the middle of the street. Startled by the object, Joni Jesme blurted, “Oh no! There’s a ‘white chair’ in the road!!”

Yes, she said white chair. Her coworkers burst into laughter. “Joni, where did you get white chair from?” They continued to laugh for several days.

Joni had reached the point in her life when the wrong words flew out of her mouth. “Where’s the whatchamacallit?” And when she tried to find the correct word, it inexplicably vanished. She’d stepped across the threshold into a new, and sometimes humorous part of life. [Cue: Rod Serling] “That’s the signpost up ahead—your next stop, the White Chair Day Zone!”

From that moment, whenever Joni had one of those head scratching moments, she would explain to those around her, “I’m just having a White Chair Day.” Surprisingly, others shared their stories with her and White Chair Days was born.

A funny thing happens on our way to growing older. You come into your White Chair Days after an amusing voyage through life’s milestones. When you look for and enjoy the humor as you transition from one phase of life to another, reaching your White Chair Days will defy expectations, and life will be anything but dull.

Adorned with endearing illustrations, “OMG! I’m having a White Chair Day”is sure to delight readers of all ages, particularly those who call green lids “white chairs” and thingamajigs “whatchamacallits.”

About the Author:

Joni Jesme is a mom, writer, and creative soul with wet feet, dirty hands, working on her fourth cup of coffee.  She is employed in the creative world of marketing.
WhiteChairDay.com | Twitter: @WhiteChairDay | Facebook:@WhiteChairDay

DOWNLOAD MEDIA KIT for WHITE CHAIR DAY by Joni Jesme:

For further information or interviews please contact us.

Joni Jesme Interview with Diana Pierce

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White Chair Day by Joni Jesme

OMG! I’m Having a White Chair Day
by Joni Jesme

Watch podcast interview of Joni Jesme on “What’s Next with Diana Pierce”

Joni Jesme’s debut book uncovers the humor behind growing older and the need to embrace the journey into mid-life and beyond with a smile. Stemming from a green trash can lid verbally mistaken as a white chair, Jesme turned that White Chair Day incident into a compilation of 40 fully-illustrated true stories revealing the humorous side of life.

As you grow older, have you found yourself having a “White Chair Day?”

That’s when you walk into a room, forget what you went to get, then sit down and then.. remember why you got up in the first place?

Author Joni Jesme calls that.. your “White Chair Day” journey and has devoted a book to her stories and a collection of her friend’s stories, too..

Joni’s book is available on Amazon and at Twin Cities selected bookstores. And, if you want to add to Joni’s second book, she is looking for your story at IHad@WhiteChairDay.com

“White Chair Day” by Joni Jesme

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White Chair Day by Joni Jesme
OMG! I’m Having a White Chair Day by Joni Jesme

OMG! I’m Having a White Chair Day 0r
Mouth and Brain Take a Vacation

A funny thing happened on my way to growing older. I came into my White Chair Days. One enters into the White Chair Day zone only after an amusing and sometimes painful voyage through life’s milestones. However, if you can appreciate the humor as you transition from one phase to another, your White Chair Days will defy expectations, and life will be anything but dull.

June 30, 2018
Paperback, Hardback, ebook
ISBN: 978-1-937333-44-7

ORDER First Steps Publishing Bookstore

 

 

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#1
Wrong Railing

Excerpt “White Chair Days” by Joni Jesme

 

Wrong Railing, excerpt White Chair Days by Joni Jesme

Jackie owned a brokerage agency, and my company worked with her not only as our agent of record but also as our benefits administrative representative. I looked forward to our meetings because Jackie always brought entertaining updates on her life—her husband, family, grandchildren, and the numerous house moves they made. Stories of her humorous escapades lightened the otherwise serious business discussions.

Work and leisure time took Jackie to many places. One day she traveled to Kalispell in northwest Montana for a client presentation. Kalispell has incomparable beauty and sits in the Flathead Valley in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. Arriving flights into Glacier Park International Airport unload passengers directly onto the tarmac where they are met with one of the most beautiful landing strip views in the country. Passengers are then taken by a shuttle to the small terminal.

Boarding the vehicle, Jackie took a seat near the rear exit door and immediately engaged in lively conversation with fellow travelers seated to her right as the remaining passengers made their way on board.

Full of life, Jackie’s conversations are always an enjoyable experience. She’s animated and does as much speaking with her hands as she does with her mouth. Hand gestures punctuate expressions, and the inflections in her voice bring a story to life.

As the shuttle started to move, Jackie continued her conversation—her right-hand gesturing along with the conversation while she instinctively grabbed the railing to the left of her seat.

As the shuttle lumbered toward the terminal, she felt the railing shift. She gripped a little tighter while continuing her lively conversation. When it moved again, she clutched even tighter. All of a sudden, she felt the rail swing away, jerking her abruptly to the left. She looked over to see what was going on.

To her horror, the railing she’d been clinging to was not a handrail at all but the leg of a very slender man standing beside her!

When Mountains Don’t Move by Diana Weinberger

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When Mountains Don't Move ~ A True Story of Faith Under Fire by Diana Weinberger

When Mountains Don’t Move ~
A True Story of Faith Under Fire

FOREWORD by Mark Hubbell, Northwest Area Director, Prison Fellowship
– – –
Betrayal, the barrel of a gun, and a jail cell. A true story fraught with drama, wrapped in humor, and filled with the miraculous intervention of God.

Because she refused to testify against her husband for actions she had already forgiven, Diana Weinberger, a former missionary, was incarcerated in an Idaho jail — a jail in which she had volunteered for a year in prison ministry!

Diana’s marriage was on the rocks. Years of wandering from her Christian roots had led this former YWAM missionary down paths she would later regret. She and her husband, both successful career professionals, divided their time between the world of work and the world of play — a world of bikers and wild parties. By day, Diana was a respected court reporter, her husband, Larry, the owner of a flourishing dental laboratory. But weekends had them on the road with questionable companions and too much alcohol. Lonely and desperate, Diana made a choice one night that would haunt her and lead to catastrophe a decade later.

Now she found herself in a courtroom on the other side of the bench from where she had tapped out court proceedings, and then in a cell within the very facility where she had led women’s Bible studies. She would not testify against Larry when he was arrested for domestic violence, and, to her dismay she learned that “spousal privilege” did not necessarily apply in this case.

Her career and her ministry were in jeopardy, as well as her personal safety behind bars. Would God bring good from the choice she had made from her conscience? Would her forgiving heart win mercy for herself, her husband and her future?

Join Diana as she struggles through the dark days that led to incarceration and redemption. Follow her as she learns that God can turn the direst circumstances to His glory.

March 2018
Paperback, ebook
ISBN: 978-1-937333-51-5

ORDER First Steps Publishing Bookstore

 

 

REVIEWS:

Living for Christ is not easy. In a world that pursues other values, following Christ requires one to make difficult choices. Diana’s story is a very candid account of an early life devoted to Christ, poor choices, and then the courage to stand with Christ while under tremendous pressure.  This book will prompt the reader to ask, “Could I do that?” and to ponder what is truly important in life. WHEN MOUNTAIN’S DON’T MOVE is a thrilling account of redemption and purpose.  It will inspire and challenge readers to live a life of courageous faith! —MARK HUBBELL, Northwest Area Director, Prison Fellowship

This book was hard to put down. It made me cry sometimes and laugh other times. I don’t remember another book that ever affected me like that. Diana has a gift with words. I could feel her feelings. I would highly recommend this book!  — SHIRLEY ALONZO, Legal Secretary

An intriguing and riveting real-life account of Diana’s roller coaster journey through a nightmare of circumstances and choices. Diana’s ability to paint a picture of her experience in prison had me feeling as though I were right there with her, in the jail cell. Her recorded thoughts are raw and transparent. It left me amazed at God’s faithfulness and power to change the human heart and bring His children through unbelievable trials. —MICHAEL HENDRICKS, Pastor, The Life Church, Hailey, Idaho

What a triumphant story of redemption and God’s intervention. I am deeply touched by the way Diana reveals God’s character in so many facets, His mercy, His tenderness, His ability to answer prayer and to know your every need even before you ask. I believe that people who read this book will find themselves touched and challenged to walk with God in their own lives, and perhaps to remember Hebrews 13:3, “Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself…” — FAY WILLIAMS, Currently with Youth With A Mission, former M/V Anastasis Leader, Diana’s Discipleship Training School Leader aboard the Anastasis in 1981

Diana writes with candid honesty about her journey through life–the good, the bad, and the ugly. This is a story of grace, of how someone can turn their life around by being real, by persevering, and by taking the time to listen, obey, and walk in humility with God. Diana demonstrates both the courage to do what is right, and the willingness to count the cost. This is a great read that I’m sure will be a blessing in your life. I know that it has blessed and challenged mine!  — MARIE TYLANDER PEREZ, Former Activities Department Head, M/V Anastasis