Monday, June 8, 2026

"Psalms for the Sea, Volume IV: Operations" by David Reid Brown -- Author Interview

About the Book

Book: Psalms from the Sea, Volume IV: OPERATIONS

Author: David Reid Brown

Genre: Christian Devotional

Release Date: October, 2025

DID YOU KNOW? YOUR CHRISTIAN WALK HAS A LOT IN COMMON WITH THE LIFE OF A NAVY SAILOR!

Yes! It seems too hard to believe but it is true. Sailors experience hardship, trust, fatigue, worry, disappointment, joy–and so do you! A sailor’s life is filled with the common experiences you have every day of your Christian walk.

OPERATIONS is a compilation of over fifty devotional stories composed by DAVID REID BROWN while he served at sea. These stories present the life of sailors in a way that touches on topics that mirror your daily Christian walk. Each story concludes with a practical application section, relevant scripture, and prayer.

DAVID REID BROWN has first-hand knowledge in understanding the life of a Sailor because he lived it. As former Navy Chaplain, he also understands Biblical truth and how to identify spiritual principles and experiences that Christians and sailors share.

In this book, readers will be:

Surprised to learn the daily lives of Christians and Sailors are quite similar.
Inspired by sea stories that connect with Biblical truths.
Amazed by the selfless sacrifice of Sailors, Marines, and their families.

Still curious? Read this book and find out how God will meet your curiosity with a stronger faith in Him and a deeper admiration for the service of military members and their families.

Click here to get your copy!

Author Interview

Why did you choose to write about this topic?
First, I’d like to thank you for the opportunity to be featured on your blog.
I chose to write this book in dedication to all the sailors and families whom I have had the privilege
of serving as a U.S. Navy Chaplain. Operations is the fourth volume in the “Psalms From the Sea”
devotional series, and it tells the story of my first shipboard deployment, which started eight days
after 9/11 and concluded seven months later. The premise of the books is that there are striking
similarities between the experiences in the daily life of a Sailor and that of a Christian.

How do you balance writing time with other things?
I am a high school Government, Art, and Bible teacher who works the traditional forty-hour work
week. As you may be aware, a teacher’s work doesn’t end at 3:30 pm but extends into most
evenings with lesson planning and grading, with even the weekend open for more planning time.
Therefore, my writing takes place early mornings between 4 and 6 am and on weekends during the
school year. Summer is my “sweet spot”, when I have unrestricted time to write and engage in other
recreational activities. The bulk of my books is accelerated or completed during the summer. I have
two children who are young adults, and they do not require the attention that was required during
their school-aged and teenage years.

Was there anything you found particularly interesting while researching?
The whole Psalms From the Sea series is a non-fiction memoir that I experienced first-hand.
Everything about it was interesting! I distinctly remember how that peaceful morning of September
11, 2001, began, all to have it shattered by the terrorist attack. I remember having to report to my
ship at Norfolk Naval Base and being ordered to sail up to New York City to help with the relief
efforts. Deploying eight days later to Afghanistan—literally a half a world away from home.
Spending seven months overseas and returning home to a hero’s welcome. Yes, it was all very
interesting and quite an honor to serve our country at that critical time in our history.

Do you think reading helps you with writing?
I think it does. The influx of ideas and various approaches to writing only enhances your skill. The
more you read, the better you become at writing. Besides, there are always writers and authors
who are more skilled of present a different writing voice than you.

What is different about writing non-fiction vs fiction?
I admire fiction writers for their vivid imaginations that can devise characters, settings, plots, and
conclusions “out of thin air”. It is not my gift. Non-fiction stories have been my preference. However,
I am getting away from non-fiction to write poetry, which I love. I may return to more non-fiction
stories, though, in the future.
Thanks again!
Blessings, David Reid Brown

About the Author

David Reid Brown is a retired Navy Chaplain and currently serves as a high school Government, Bible, and Art teacher at Grace Christian School in Mechanicsville, VA. He has authored nine books: Spirit Soundings: A Chaplain’s Journal of Life at Sea (three volumes), Lost Summer, and Psalms from The Sea (four volumes), and a book of poetry, Sophia’s Songs. These inspirational stories were born out of his global seafaring experiences, spanning twenty-one years of peace, war, and three overseas deployments as well as his service as a Christian educator.

More from David

Did you know? The art on the front cover of my book, OPERATIONS, was designed and created by one of my Ninth Grade Art Students. Yes, it’s true. I recognized that this young artist had the technical skill and artistic flair to create the unique cover art required for this book when he was just in the sixth grade!

FOR OVER TWENTY-ONE YEARS, I have had the distinct privilege of serving thousands of sailors, Marines, and their families across the nation, upon every major ocean, as well as overseas. I am most proud to have shared a common bond of service, sacrifice, and devotion. OPERATIONS is my patriotic tribute to them.

Blog Stops

Simple Harvest Reads, May 29 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, May 30 (Author Interview)

Guild Master, May 31 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 31

Fiction Book Lover, June 1 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, June 2

The Bookish Ledger, June 3 (Author Interview)

Vicky Sluiter, June 4 (Author Interview)

For the Love of Literature, June 5 (Author Interview)

Tell Tale Book Reviews, June 6 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 7

Blossoms and Blessings, June 8 (Author Interview)

Stories By Gina, June 9 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, June 9

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, June 10 (Author Interview)

Books, Books, & More Books, June 11 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, David is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://gleam.io/UBDhA/psalms-from-the-sea-volume-iv-operations-celebration-tour-giveaway

Sunday, May 31, 2026

"Blaze of Honor" by D. M. Griffin -- Author Interview

About the Book

Book: BLAZE OF HONOR

Author: D.M. Griffin

Genre: Biblical Fiction

Release Date: May 12, 2026

A BLAZE OF HONOR WOULD EITHER CONSUME HIM OR ILLUMINATE THE PATH TO LOVE!

Joram couldn’t pinpoint the burning conviction in his heart, the reason honoring his father felt like the only path to a life that pleased God. He remembered the unheard prayers of a five-year-old whose mother betrayed the sanctity of family and knew well the bitterness in his father’s heart. Whatever the reason, Joram, a man of few words, lived an obedient life. He adopted his father’s wishes and desires as if they were born from his own heart, and with that came his father’s simmering bitterness and ingrained distrust of women.

Driven by a desire for Joram to achieve more than a shepherd’s humble existence, his father pressured him to excel academically, tirelessly seeking the approval of powerful figures. Joram’s life took a dramatic turn when he captured the attention of Parthia’s notorious bandit leaders.

Caught in a dizzying storm of politics and family vendettas, Joram reluctantly accepts a fake marriage, meant to bring a young woman to Jerusalem so she could marry another man. Knowing how his father felt about women, a view he adopted as his own, Joram wasn’t prepared for the transformation that would take place once he began playing the role of a husband for all the wrong reasons.

The treacherous journey, marked by near-death experiences, culminated with them arriving in Jerusalem amidst the vibrant Feast of Weeks. With his knowledge of God ringing hollow as a mere religious duty, Joram divorced his wife and surrendered her to another man, determined to honor his word. But when he stumbles upon the truth and feels the burning intensity of the Holy Spirit descend in a blaze of honor that illuminates far more than he could have ever imagined, Joram has to decide if he is willing to walk the path of love.

Click here to get your copy!

Author Interview

1. Do you consider yourself a plotter or a pantser (or a hybrid)?

 In every other aspect of my life, I am highly organized and detailed. When it comes to
writing, I would love to plot out entire novels before I begin writing. However, experience
has taught me that it ends up being a waste of time and causes me a lot of frustration. I like
sticking to a script, so to speak. But when I let the story flow and the inspiration loose, the
writing experience is so much richer. So, I would describe myself as a hybrid author. I have a
general idea of the entire story, but I only plot two or three chapters at a time so there is an
organic component to my plotting.

2. What is your favorite part about writing?
 My favorite part about writing is the way it impacts me, sometimes stretching my faith. I
become deeply invested in my characters and their journeys so much that they become
friends. The lessons they are learning are ones that I have either already learned or am still
working through. Writing can be very therapeutic. The process also keeps me connected to
God in inspirational ways as the stories reveal deeper truths in scripture I might have missed
on my own. I love when God surprises me with a plot twist I didn’t see coming or when I am
writing a scene that moves me to tears.

3. What is your writing space like?
 I don’t have a writing space, but hope one day I will. For now, I have a chair in the corner
and write with my computer on my lap. When the house is too loud, I go into the bedroom
and write on the bed, which isn’t always the most comfortable place to work. My dream
writing space would be a room with bookshelves and inspirational wall art. It would have a
nice desk with an ergonomic chair and a television so I could play YouTube ambient music
and scenes. Also, gotta have a fragrant candle and a place for tea.

4. How long does it usually take you to write a book?
 It usually takes me ten days to two weeks to write a rough draft, then another ten days to edit
that draft. So, my first draft is done in about a month. Then I set the book aside for half a year
and revisit it for edits. Sometimes, I write books years in advance of when I plan to publish
them. Right now, I have eighteen books written that I have not yet published—including the
other three books in the Spirit Ignited Series. I also have two fantasy romance series and two
historical romance series on the way.

5. Do bits of yourself/friends show up in your characters?
 Bits of myself are in every novel, for sure. Aspects of friends and family also sneak in there.
I relied a lot on my experience as a mother to write sibling relationships since I do not have a
sibling. Several of my characters are tributes to friends and mentors I have had over the
years. While I don’t set out to put people I know in stories, every interaction I have with
someone tickles my author’s mind and plants seeds that sprout later in the pages of a book.

About the Author

D.M. (Demi) Griffin is the author of several novels and has won multiple literary awards. Her novels in The Encounter Series won various Independent Author awards in the category of Religious Fiction.

She writes Christian Fantasy, Biblical, and Historical Fiction. She currently resides in Northern California with her husband of over thirty years. She truly believes that a book that sits on a shelf unread is like a planted seed that never blossoms. Nothing delights her more than sharing a story.

More from D.M.

My inspiration for writing Blaze of Honor came from a simple lyric in a song. “Be careful, little eyes, what you see.” I had the idea of writing the Spirit Ignited Series rattling around in my head for five years. During my regular Bible reading plan, inspiration sucked me into the scene in Acts 2 when Peter preaches to a crowd on the day of Pentecost. I found myself wondering about the people described as coming from all over the empire. I wondered what had brought them there, and what they had heard. How could I not be fascinated when the church grew exponentially that day? So, the idea for Spirit Ignited grew. I wanted to write four novels about four men who had been in the crowd that day.

As excited as I was to begin writing those stories, other books crept into the queue before I fully developed the characters for Spirit Ignited. I was excited when the first ideas came back to me after five long years of waiting for these men to speak up and inspire me. What was even more challenging was that the stories were begging to be written in first-person from a single perspective. That was a daunting task since I had only written dual-perspective stories up until that point. And, truth be told, first-person isn’t my favorite.

But I obliged and found myself completely captivated by these men. Surprisingly enough, I did not write Blaze of Honor first. Though it is the first to be released in the series, it was the third book I wrote in the Spirit Ignited series.

After hearing the song lyric, I started to wonder about how parents, most specifically troubled marriages, affected children. Joram, a shy character, finally found his voice in my head, and together, we explored a life of unintended scars and how they shape a boy as he becomes a man.

The story’s themes of redemption, forgiveness, and grace underscore the main takeaway: honoring God through loving others. I yearn for readers to grasp this central truth, to feel the depth in the main character’s plight. The narrative delves into the heart of devotion, exploring how easily the concept of honoring God can become contorted in the labyrinth of the mind. After completing the first draft, the realization that this story, with its raw vulnerability, could only be told in the intimate voice of the first person hit me.

I truly hope readers will get as much out of it as I did when I wrote it. Stories that transform as well as entertain are my favorite kind of stories.

Blog Stops

Simple Harvest Reads, May 19 (Author Interview)

Lots of Helpers, May 20

Artistic Nobody, May 21 (Author Interview)

Guild Master, May 22 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, May 23

Fiction Book Lover, May 24 (Author Interview)

The Bookish Ledger, May 25 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 25

Vicky Sluiter, May 26 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 27

For the Love of Literature, May 28 (Author Interview)

Leslie’s Library Escape, May 29

Tell Tale Book Reviews, May 30 (Author Interview)

Blossoms and Blessings, May 31 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 31

Stories By Gina, June 1 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, D.M. is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://gleam.io/1iGOX/blaze-of-honor-celebration-tour-giveaway

Saturday, May 30, 2026

"Hadley the Hippo is What She Eats" by Kayla E. Green -- Author Interview

About the Book

Book: Hadley the Hippo is What She Eats

Author: Kayla E. Green

Genre: Children’s Illustrated Book

Release Date: February 10, 2026

Hadley the Hippo is hungry, and she won’t rest until she finds something to eat. But as she walks through her jungle home, she finds that the snacks in the jungle have an odd effect on her-they change her color! Still, Hadley munch, munch, munches her way through the greens, blue, purples, oranges, reds, and yellows of the jungle, hoping to finally satisfy the rumbling in her tummy. Along the way, she finds that it really does matter what you consume.

Click here to get your copy!

Author Interview

Do you consider yourself a plotter or a pantser (or a hybrid)?
I would say I am a hybrid of a plotter and pantser. The more I write, the more I rely on
outlining before drafting. However, I have found my characters often like to make things difficult
by changing the outline without consulting with me first!
Do you have a way to keep track of your story ideas?
This is a great question! I love the Google Keep app on my phone. I keep various notes
to keep track of current projects I’m drafting with personal timeline goals, editing deadlines, and
new story ideas.
What is your writing space like?
I do not have a designated writing space. As a full-time parent, a lot of my writing is done
on my phone as I’m able to get words down here and there. I also have a rolling table and a
lapboard to be able to work on my laptop after bedtime in my house. I would love to have a
designated office/library complete with a bookshelf and rolling ladder one day!
Where do you get your ideas for your books?
God has called me to create and share stories as a means of both worship and testimony,
and, sometimes, inspiration strikes me seemingly out of nowhere. However, Hadley the Hippo’s
story was first planted as a seed within my heart through the lessons on consumption found in 1
John 2:16. After my first appearance on the 5-Minute Parenting Podcast, the seed was watered as
I talked more about the concept of “we are what we eat.” Then, when my little girl was born, I
lovingly called her my “hungry hippo.” I wanted to write books that she could enjoy sooner
rather than later and the first draft of Hadley the Hippo is What She Eats was soon after written!

Do bits of yourself/friends show up in your characters?
I think it’s easy to unintentionally leave “crumbs” of oneself and one’s experiences with others
while crafting the “recipe” for characters so it’s easy as an author for me to relate. Speaking of, I
partnered with StoryCrumbs to create an exclusive cookie mix inspired by Hadley the Hippo. It
was Cheesecake Funfetti. The bright colors fit with Hadley 's changing colors and the sweet
cheesecake fit her curiosity. Like Hadley, I would describe myself as curious. And bubbly and
bright!

About the Author

Kayla E. Green is an award-winning author and poet who writes to remind others—and herself—that light always prevails over darkness. When she isn’t writing, reading, or spending time with her family, she loves singing loudly and off-key to KLove Radio and pretending she’s a unicorn. Fittingly, her YA debut fantasy novel is titled The Goodness of Unicorns.

More from Kayla

I wrote Hadley the Hippo is What She Eats to provide a fun story to engage small learners. Through the hippo’s journey through the jungle where her color changes based on what she eats, pre-K and primary students can learn about both fruits and colors. But, what’s more, the back of the book contains a note to parents/teachers with activities to discuss the importance of consumption—what we listen to on the radio, watch on TV and online, and read impacts our minds and hearts. Approaching this lesson in an age-appropriate way is important for providing a foundational framework for discernment later in life.

As a former elementary school librarian and classroom teacher turned full-time mother, I know firsthand how play and learning go hand in hand. This principle applies to foundational skills for understanding biblical teachings, character development, math, literacy, and, well, a lot of things! Playing games with your learners can help reinforce that learning is fun–not only is there a game involved, but your learner will get to spend time with YOU!

As a part of the book tour, I’m so excited to share 3 learning games with you! These games are designed with minimal materials but maximum fun. PLUS, they can be modified for various age groups. Find these 3 learning games to play with littles at home here in this online slideshow:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGL0GUW9TM/zHX6mL4Sp2gt06-apfjdMA/view?utm_content=DAGL0GUW9TM&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h3c4b129030

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 19

Simple Harvest Reads, May 20 (Author Interview)

The Bookish Ledger, May 21 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, May 21

Guild Master, May 22 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, May 23

Fiction Book Lover, May 24 (Author Interview)

History, Hope & Happily Ever After, May 25 (Author Interview)

For the Love of Literature, May 26 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, May 27

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, May 28 (Author Interview)

Tell Tale Book Reviews, May 29 (Author Interview)

Mrs. Ryan Moser’s Book and Movie Reviews, May 29

Blossoms and Blessings, May 30 (Author Interview)

Vicky Sluiter, May 31

Artistic Nobody, June 1

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kayla is giving away the grand prize of a copy of the book, the companion coloring book, a special cookie mix from Story Crumbs inspired by Hadley, and a $20 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://gleam.io/efZJQ/hadley-the-hippo-is-what-she-eats-celebration-tour-giveaway

Wednesday, May 27, 2026

"All That Glows" by Lauren Smyth -- Book Spotlight

About the Book

Book: All That Glows

Author: Lauren Smyth

Genre: YA Dystopian Science Fiction

Release Date: May 12, 2026

The apocalypse didn’t take everyone. It just took us.

Ever since the rain turned green, Kyrie’s world has been bathed in glowing dust. She packs it into old mascara tubes and sells it as makeup alongside dried cacti, threadbare blankets, and long-expired canned food. There’s not much else to do when everyone outside Kyrie’s small town in the Mojave Desert died from the plague-bearing rain ten years ago.

Everyone—except the man in the rubber mask.

He’s on the dangerous side of the fence, huffing infected air like it’s nothing, babbling to Kyrie about college and umbrellas and yogurt and everything else that disappeared the day it rained. He doesn’t seem to know that the world ended, and he has no explanation for how he survived the apocalypse. But Kyrie doesn’t believe in ghosts.

She can’t trust him, but he’s right about one thing: Towns without secrets aren’t surrounded by chain-link fences. And chain-link fences won’t keep out the plague forever.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Lauren Smyth is an economics journalist at World News Group. Since signing her first publishing contract at age thirteen, she has written five young adult novels, coded two narrative video games, and started a blog enjoyed by readers and writers around the world. When she’s not in the broadcast studio, you’ll find her crafting episodes of her Grammar Minute writing podcast or training for her next trail run.

More from Lauren

You’d think the apocalypse already happened in Mojave, CA.

Toxic dust could invade your lungs and kill you. Owls burrowed in the ground for lack of trees. Bobcats mated and had their kittens on neighborhood roofs, and every so often, a jet screamed overhead with a thunderclap in its wake.

I arrived in the middle of the night, and when I woke up, I was in a world different from any I had ever known. As a military kid, I had eaten fresh Belgian waffles, stood drenched in Ohio rain, and fallen asleep to Las Vegas lights. But I had never seen a place so unearthly, or so tantalizingly mysterious, as Edwards Air Force Base. I stood at the window and goggled at the scenery for a while. And then I began to make it my own.

One of the first things Edwards AFB taught me was how to write. That was a byproduct of my decision, at a mature eight years old, to become a detective.

My friends and I climbed into a ditch and found a broken arrow, half the feathers ripped away, the point still intact. An assassination attempt, of course. Old golf balls buried in the dirt—secret messages to a dangerous enemy. The allure of jets overhead, of opaque military acronyms, of drab camouflage and deadly temperatures and rumors of drug lords and cowboys and sand sharks wandering the desert, gave wings to our imaginations.

The first story I wrote was a collection of “clues” we’d gathered, an attempt to frame them all into a narrative that explained how the base was going to be attacked and how we—well-prepared with our military IDs and iPods—would save everyone. I started writing in a notebook with a hot pink cover, and a hundred more notebooks kept up the thread. The story wasn’t yet a book. But it was my first attempt at weaving a story greater than anything I had experienced.

Fourteen years have passed. All That Glows is my fifth book. It’s based on everything that came before it—most importantly, on Mojave and Edwards AFB and all the time I spent trying to tease out the desert’s mystery. It captures what I felt when I was there: small, under the broad desert sky and the huge airplanes; large, compared to the tarantulas that scuttled past my boots in the dust; melancholy, when I thought of how far away the rest of the world was; determined and thrilled, as I dove into the adventure I was living and the ones I hadn’t lived yet.

In All That Glows, you’ll poke your finger on cacti needles and get your shoes tangled in grabby creosote. You’ll experience the blazing daytime heat, the tumbleweeds, the bland architecture, and the rest of Edwards AFB’s unusual scenery, all set in fictional towns. You’ll count the desert stars and shiver in the cold twilight wind. You’ll have a mystery of your own to solve, and if you can stick it out to the end, you’ll have befriended a dry-humored, scrappy cast of characters.

Here’s the first line from one of those old notebooks: “When can we go outside, Mom?”

And here’s the first paragraph of All That Glows: “On the night the world ended, raindrops stained our roof tiles green. I was the first to notice when I went outside to dump the dishwater.”

A lot has changed, but the sense of adventure Mojave taught me hasn’t. If anything, since then, the mystery from back then has only heightened. Maybe the golf balls weren’t a secret message, but maybe a new kind of missile was tested while I was there. Maybe the broken arrow was just a kid playing in his backyard, but maybe one of those jets flew faster than sound seven times over.

I won’t ever know. I only have my memories. But I can imagine the battles and the sacrifice and the bravery. And so, if you’ll join me for this expedition, I’ll show you what my mind’s eye saw when I looked out across the desert.