SANDSTONE CACTUS
Description: Years of working and waiting are finally being rewarded. A Navajo girl named Michelle earns a horse of her own. She eagerly anticipates leading her pinto filly home on the reservation. Instead, her father’s mistakes leave her family homeless. What will happen to her horse? What will happen to her? As Michelle’s entire life is thrown into turmoil, she struggles with the choice to persevere and grow or withdraw and wither.
Sandstone Cactus was my first full-length story. My family lived on campus at the Nazarene Indian Bible College in New Mexico for seven years. The majority of the students were Navajo. I loved playing with their children after school and in the summers. I learned so much about their culture, I couldn’t resist writing about it. The heartbreak Michelle faced when waiting for a horse of her own was very real for me. I’m crazy about horses and had to give up a mare and a filly when I was little. But more than that, at the time I wrote the story I was enduring years of waiting for a child of my own. I was discouraged and had to choose to persevere and grow.
Pages: 90
Paperback Price: $6.99
Ebook Price: $2.99
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THE VINE
Description: Plunge through a hole in a vine wall into a land based on John 15. The land is tended by a mysterious gardener and threatened by a deceptive crow. In this allegory, Bethany’s journey shows the relationship we can have with God (the Gardener) through Jesus (the Vine). The story also encompasses the life, death and resurrection of Christ to complete the journey of redeeming grace.
C.S. Lewis is one of my favorite authors. I love the deeper meaning behind The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I wanted to write a story for younger children that delved into a deeper level as well. The first house my husband and I bought together had a backyard surrounded by bushes and vines that were over eight feet high. In the summer the leaves were so dense I could imagine I was in a different world. I had a Pomeranian dog named Cherokee at the time that would yap at people on the other side of our bushes. She became one of the main characters in the book.
Pages: 130
Paperback Price: $7.99
Ebook Price: $2.99
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BRACELET BROUHAHA
Description: Six unusual charms dangle on a tarnished bracelet, rescued from inside kitchen pipes. Elizabeth, Grace, Cooper and Megan struggle to decipher their meaning. Their discovery connects them to a family in Afghanistan who desperately need help. A greedy man threatens to derail their efforts, but will he succeed? Experience the impact a group of kids can have when they refuse to quit.
The pipes under my kitchen sink are a constant source of irritation. My husband has tried to take them apart many times, but we need to just break down and call a plumber. I tried to imagine what could be stuck in the pipes that would cause problems. We never found a charm bracelet, but my kids would have loved solving the mystery behind it. In a way they did, as Elizabeth and Grace.
Pages: 76
Paperback Price: $6.99
Ebook Price: $2.99
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VOLE HOLES
Description: Someone is breaking glass on the trail each day. Mysterious holes are appearing that have surprising contents inside. A stranger is running around in a black hat and cape. Trouble is brewing and the Creekers want answers. They use night vision binoculars in their investigation, but discover looks can be deceiving. Character is determined by a person’s actions, not appearance.
Broken glass really did repeatedly appear on the trail behind our house. It gave my daughters and I flat tires on our bikes. The culprit was never found, so I wanted better results in a book. I decided to add another boy to The Creekers, so I based the new addition on one of my piano students. He occasionally wore a cape and hat to lessons. His creativity in attire and great personality earned him a spot in the Creeker team.
Pages: 68
Paperback Price: $6.99
Ebook Price: $2.99
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CREEK CREATURE
Run for your lives! Protect your pets! Guard your Oreos! A mysterious creature has claimed the creek as its home. It’s up to the Creekers to discover what it is and where it belongs. In the process, they stumble upon a family in a desperate situation after a job loss. The Creekers must learn to expect less so they can give more.
The economic downturn resulted in the loss of my husband’s job twice in one year. Paychecks stopped arriving, but bills did not. When jobs are scarce, the threat of losing everything is real. I wanted to encourage kids who are facing this uncertainty. I also wanted to remind children to expect less and be sensitive to the needs of others.
Pages: 65
Paperback Price: $6.99
Ebook Price: $2.99
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CRATE FATE
The Creekers think their 
Mystery Party plans are perfect. What could go wrong when their clues involve Morse code, cipher circles and riddles? Unfortunately, plans slip off track and soon someone is in real danger. Can the mystery guests solve all of the clues before it’s too late? Can you? The Creekers, especially Grace, learn skills to help them keep calm in a crisis.
We planned an elaborate detective party for my daughter’s ninth birthday. My imagination ran wild with the idea of party plans taking a turn for the worse. I also wanted to present ideas on how to keep calm in a crisis. I introduced a new character based on a sweet girl named Macie Martin, as part of my Build-a-Character service.
Pages: 61
Paperback Price: $6.99
Ebook Price: $2.99
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MY LIFE WITH JESUS
Description:
My Life with Jesus is a 365-day hardcover devotional book for kids in which each week focuses on one passage of Scripture, centered on the life and ministry of Jesus. Kids get to explore the way, truth, and life of Jesus from birth to the coming of the Holy Spirit. Readers will discover what it means to jump in to the middle of God’s love and live life with Jesus.
Based in the Wesleyan tradition, the beginning of the book provides a brief introduction to John Wesley and his twenty-two Holy Club Questions. Round out each day with these Holy Qs that guide and inspire, rewritten in kid-friendly language to provide encouragement and self-reflection for readers.
My Life with Jesus was created to equip kids to explore the Bible and allow them to gain context and depth as they dig deep into God’s Word. This book is designed for elementary-aged readers to use on their own, but it also works great as a family devotional. Included are special weeks that explore Advent and Lent. The daily devotions are numbered, rather than dated, so kids don’t feel the pressure to catch up to the date if they miss a few days.
I was thrilled to be asked to collaborate with three outstanding writers for this project. When my kids were younger, I was continually searching for a good devotional book written for kids. This is what I was looking for! Find out more about this devotional from fellow writer Kyle Tyler here: https://www.thefoundrycommunity.com/our-brand-new-kids-devotional-my-life-with-jesus/
Pages: 384
Hardback Price: $16.99
Click here to buy it from The Foundry Publishing
THE YELLOWHORSE DISCOVERY
Description: The father of Aaron and Jodi Yellowhorse moved his family from the Navajo Reservation to the Nazarene Indian Bible College to attend classes. When a Work & Witness team arrived to build a home for the family, Aaron and Jodi met Brandon, who helped them discover that Jesus is for kids too.
I originally wrote this story as a writing sample for Beacon Hill Press. They decided to not only accept me as a writer, but to publish the sample as one of their children’s missionary books. The story is a fictional account based on my experiences living on campus at the Nazarene Indian Bible College in New Mexico.
Beacon Hill Press
MUSIC TO GOD’S EARS
description: Santiago is a talented musician in Guatemala, but his saxophone is falling apart. During a Work and Witness team meeting, Lauren sees a picture of Santiago with his broken saxophone. She decides to give him her long-awaited instrument. Her dad delivers the saxophone and several other instruments while serving as part of the Work and Witness team. Santiago is thrilled with the saxophone, but is confused by the words to the song (“Oh, How I Love Jesus”) that Lauren included in the saxophone case. In his search for the song’s meaning, he gains far more than just a saxophone.
My husband and I traveled to Guatemala to serve with Heart to Heart International. A team member delivered several refurbished instruments to students at a school in San Pedro. A young boy played his saxophone for us, delighted to have an instrument that was not falling apart.
Beacon Hill Press
TORNADO ALLEY
Description: This story features a fictional family thrown into the rubble of reality during the F5 tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma in May 2013. Justin is a student in Plaza Towers Elementary. He prays for God to protect them from the tornado. He is confused when the tornado still strikes. His confusion grows as his subsequent prayers for help seem unanswered. A teen-led team from Kansas gathers supplies and hurries to their aid. Justin discovers that God was with him, helping the entire time.
We were all concerned when we heard about the destructive tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma. I was especially touched when I heard about the terror it inflicted on students at two elementary schools. A teen girl from our church, Abby Felter, had ties to Oklahoma, and immediately took action. She asked people to donate supplies for the victims, which her family would then transport in a box truck. Before she knew it, she had three box trucks filled with needed supplies and a team eager to deliver them to those in need.
Beacon Hill Press
BITE OF THE COBRA
Description: Ten-year-old Rahul was bitten by a cobra. After receiving special herbs from a mantrik and antivenin at a hospital in Mumbai, his legs remained paralyzed. While begging on a street corner, Rahul heard about Jesus. Despite threats from Hindu neighbors, Rahul and his family attended a JESUS Film showing. They not only found spiritual healing, Rahul was physically healed.
Staff from the JESUS Film Harvest Partners asked me to write for them on a volunteer basis. What a privilege to support such a life-changing ministry. They gave me access to all of their field reports to include in my writing. One of the accounts was about a little boy in Mumbai who was paralyzed until he accepted Jesus after watching the JESUS Film. I asked the staff if I could write a children’s missionary book about the story. Not only did they give me their approval, they allowed me to interview Hermann Gschwandtner, an expert on India who happened to be back in the United States for the week.
Beacon Hill Press
BLINDSIDED
Description: Nine-year-old Mei wondered why her eyes hurt and her vision was blurry. After a near bicycle accident, a doctor’s visit revealed an unexpected diagnosis of glaucoma. Mei received a laser treatment at Heart to Heart’s visiting Mobile Eye Clinic, but another surgery was needed to prevent Mei from going blind. A surprise trip to the United States not only brought healing to Mei’s eyes, but to her heart as well.
An editor from Beacon Hill Press asked if I would consider writing another children’s missionary book. I was thrilled and began to think about past trips to other countries. One of my favorite trips was to China with Heart to Heart. Volunteer eye doctors are deployed through Heart to Heart to teach classes on eye surgeries. Heart to Heart also has a Mobile Eye Clinic stationed in China. Because of religious restrictions, my story takes place in an Asian country and witnessing was not done in relation to Heart to Heart.
Beacon Hill Press
EGGS TASTE BETTER THAN CATERPILLARS
Description: Kagiso, a girl in Zambia, and her family do not have enough food to eat. They are surviving on a meager crop and caterpillars. Kagiso fears that if they don’t find food soon, her father will hunt giraffes. Her focus is changed by a family in the United States. Instead of gathering things they don’t need, the family learns to provide for others. They join others in donating to Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, which provides chickens and other animals for ongoing food sources.
One of my daughters went through a phase where she was obsessed with giraffes. I combined her obsession with a positive experience my family and I had donating to Nazarene Compassionate Ministries. Our contribution provided livestock to people in Africa.
Beacon Hill Press
THE THANKSGIVING SURPRISE
Description: Mateo and his family are struggling. Mateo’s mother works two minimum wage jobs and is trying to raise her children (including a child with special needs) without her husband. The stress and lack of money weighs heavily on Mateo. He tries to control his emotions at school, but often fails. He needs help and hope and does not know where to turn. An act of generosity from Olathe College Church families stirs his curiosity and leads him to hear about Jesus.
While teaching at Havencroft Elementary, I was surprised how many of our students relied on the free meal program. Many were hungry over the weekend or during the evenings. Our church delivers Thanksgiving meals to many students from Havencroft, so my family and I enjoy being part of this ministry.
Beacon Hill Press
FLAT BROTHER
Description: Two eight-year-old boys, one from the United States, one from Nicaragua, are introduced through a child sponsorship program. They begin writing each other, and experience God’s love through the program’s far-reaching impact. This story is fiction based on facts about child sponsorship program through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries and Feed the Hungry.
My family and I attended a Warren Barfield concert. During intermission, representatives from Feed the Hungry asked the crowd to consider sponsoring children. Warren informed us that his family had a sponsor child posted on their refrigerator, and referred to him as their flat brother. My family decided to sponsor a little boy from Nicaragua. His picture and frequent artwork are featured on our own refrigerator. The term “flat brother” stuck in my brain and inspired this story. The book is written under my pseudonym, Genelle Cope.
Beacon Hill Press
BEWARE OF THE BLUE-RINGED OCTOPUS
Description: A young boy in Papua New Guinea is bitten by a blue-ringed octopus while spear fishing in the Bismark Sea. Nursing students perform CPR as they rush him to the Nazarene Mission Hospital in Kudjip. Even an intrusion by a machete-weilding man can not deter God’s plan to provide physical and spiritual healing. This story is fiction based on facts about the Nazarene Mission Hospital, the Nazarene College of Nursing, and the Dooley family.
My oldest daughter, Hannah, was intrigued with the blue-ringed octopus for many years. While researching the creature, I discovered one of the few places they resided was in the Bismark Sea. Many years ago, I was a camp counselor with Gail Dooley. She became a missionary in Papua New Guinea, serving at the Nazarene Mission Hospital in Kudjip. Combining the octopus and the hospital was an interesting adventure.
Beacon Hill Press
THE MYSTERY OF THE ORANGE WRISTBANDS
Description: A young family is evicted from their apartment so they cram their belongings into their car and drive toward family. The car breaks down in Indianapolis, and the family finds shelter in an abandoned house. The children, Liam and Emma, watch teams from One Heart Many Hands serve in the neighborhood. One team is cleaning trash off the streets. Liam and Emma follow the team all of the way to Shepherd Community Church, where they find hope and help. This is a fictional account of the true story of teams serving in Indianapolis through One Heart Many Hands and the Shepherd Community Church.
My husband and I were teen mentors while our daughters were in high school. Our teen group joined One Heart Many Hands for a summer project serving in Indianapolis. Groups from all over the United States joined together to help in various ways–including assisting the Shepherd Community Church. All of the participants wore orange wristbands.
Beacon Hill Press
MALIKE’S MOTORCYCLE MIRACLE
Description: This story is fiction based on facts about JESUS Film Harvest Partners and their collaboration with the Christian Motorcyclists Association. The story is set in an obscure village in Ghana. Malike and his father, Bediako are recruited to help stop the JESUS Film showing in their village. They throw rocks at the equipment, but Bediako winds up injured instead and is transformed by the movie’s message. Malike is grateful for the change in his father, but fears that it will be temporary if Bediako’s many questions remain unanswered. Malike travels two days in search of the pastor who showed the JESUS Film. Malike’s long journey is nearly disastrous until he discovers his motorcycle miracle.
I was privileged to work for JESUS Film Harvest Partners for a summer. I am so impressed by the impact the organization has around the world. The more I learned about their new collaboration with the Christian Motorcyclissts Association, the more I wanted to share their story with others. I gathered information from true stories to create a story for young readers.
Nazarene Publishing House
ALEX AND THE WALKING TACOS
Description: Alex is a young boy headed down the wrong path, due largely to the frustration he feels over his father losing his job and leaving home to find work. Alex is hungry and gets caught stealing money from a neighbor. Eventually his life is changed when a bus from Mission Southside serves walking tacos to his trailer park and he meets his new friend Manuel. Alex volunteers with Mission Southside and learns about Jesus.
This is the second book I wrote under my pseudonym. During Spring Break, my family and I helped serve walking tacos in the Mission Southside bus. We soon discovered serving food met much more than physical needs. It was a mental encouragement and also opened the door to curiousity about Jesus.
Nazarene Publishing House
MAHALIA AND THE TERRIBLE TYPHOON
Description: Students in the United States prepare Crisis Care Kits. Meanwhile in the Philippines, a young girl and her brother are helping grandparents board up windows to prepare for a typhoon. The storm hits quicker than expected, so they endure the storm with their grandparents. When they return home, their home is destroyed and their family is missing. The Crisis Care Kits provide relief and evidence that God cares for them. This story is fiction based on facts about Nazarene Com-passionate Ministries, Crisis Care Kits, and typhoon Manghkut in the Philippines.
My family and I have helped assemble Crisis Care Kits, even when there was not a crisis taking place. We were informed how having kits prepared in advance can safe precious time when a disaster strikes. Videos and news reports on the typhoon Manghkut inspired me to tell their story.
Nazarene Publishing House
MASKS OF MERCY
Description: Continual changes make the world a confusing place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ashley and her twin brother and sister try to adjust, but helplessness creeps in. Ashley learns how to make reusable cloth masks and commits to making 100 of them for the Masks of Mercy ministry. The sense of helplessness is replaced with a sense of purpose as Ashley and her siblings become the hands and feet of Christ, working with others to make a difference.
During the beginning of the pandemic, masks were hard to find. LeEtta Felter and Cynthia Riley worked with Dr. Gary Morsch to design a reusable cloth mask. Many people were recruited to start sewing the masks–myself included. We wound up creating and donating nearly 40,000 masks to our community and beyond.
Nazarene Publishing House