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Author life, Fun for kids, middle grade, new book, new release, Parent and Child Connection, Promoting Literacy

Soledad and the Curse of the Phoenix

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Big announcement!

The moment I have been waiting for has finally arrived! I am so excited and very overjoyed to announce that I will have a middle grade novel published by Chicken Scratch Books on November 4, 2025.

Here is the cover art created by a talented artist named Timothy James Hantula. I Absolutely love how he depicted the main character!

It is a lower middle grade fantasy adventure story based in a Mesoamerican-like imaginative world of my own creation that builds hope and courage rising from destruction. I can’t wait to share more about his upcoming release in the weeks ahead.

Here is the back cover blurb:

Soledad is a victim of the Phoenix’s evil plagues, just like the rest of her former village. But she’s also different. She’s hiding with her mother’s flute, which the Phoenix is determined to find.

After a friend’s betrayal, she flees along a new path, high into the mountains, where she discovers the truth about what has really happened to her people. She realizes her knowledge, together with the power of the water and the magic of the flute, can help them all.

But this realization brings a whole new danger. Before she can unite her people and face the Phoenix, Soledad will have to find the strength to forgive and learn again how to trust.

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Look for the book at this site. I think you can even pre-order it!

Will you celebrate with me today? I’m definitely counting down the days until its launch. If you would like to help me on my launch team, don’t hesitate to contact me!

Book Review and Author Interviews, Fun for kids, Giveaway, Prize winner

And the winner of the Sassi Book Bundle is…

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Angela Degroot is the winner!

Congratulations! I know you will love having these books in your home library.

Thank you to everyone who entered! Congratulations to Laura once again on this beautiful book.

And thank you to Worthy Books for donating a copy of Faithful Feet.

(I’m hoping to have several more giveaways in the coming months).

Stay tuned, and keep spending quality time with your kids. Books are great discussion starters and a wonderful way to build together time!

See you next time!

#mindybakerbooks #giveawaywinner #faithfulfeet #worthybooks #laurasassi #christianbooks #kidlit

Book Review and Author Interviews, Fun for kids, Giveaway, Kid Ministry, My Faith

Five Fun Facts about FAITHFUL FEET with Author Laura Sassi

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Today I have a treat for you! Author Laura Sassi has stopped by to share Five Fun Facts about her new release from Worthy Kids entitled Faithful Feet! Thanks for being here, Laura. What are your facts?

Thanks for having me on your blog, Mindy! Here are the facts I thought of to share with your readers.

Fact One: This is my first book with Worthy Kids and my eleventh book overall. It’s the 10th that rhymes, the 5th to include references to specific Bible verses, and the first to be illustrated by an Italian ( and beautifully)!  You can learn more about illustrator Emanuel Di Donna here.  (https://thebrightagency.com/uk/childrens-illustration/artists/emanuela-di-donna)

Fact Two: Faithful Feet is inspired by a favorite Bible verse of mine from the Old Testament.  From Isaiah 52:7, it reads, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news…”  That image of feet running to tell of God’s amazing grace captured my imagination and I ran with it! 

Fact Three: The opening of the book which begins “Feet are funny don’t you think?” was originally just a silly poem I wrote as a warm-up exercise to get my ideas flowing one morning several years ago. It remained unexplored in my writer’s notebook until one day, as I was looking through that old notebook, I spotted it. With the verse above (see Fact Two) already on my heart, I knew when I saw the poem that I had the opening for my book. 

Fact Four: I had fun brainstorming which Bible characters’ feet to include in this rhyming narrative. I was striving to get a mix of male, female, young, old etc. I also wanted the feet to be hairy, smooth, dusty and so on, in keeping with that opening verse. Whose feet did I finally pick? Noah’s, Daniel’s, David’s, Mary’s and, of course, Jesus’s feet!  I also included the feet of those who followed Jesus to listen and be healed, as well as the feet of the women who ran to tell the good news of Jesus’ resurrection that first Easter morning.

Fact Five: This book isn’t really about feet! As I explain in the “Author’s Note” at the beginning of the book, I think feet are a wonderful visual reminder and metaphor for what God desires most from us—that we actively trust, love, and walk with Him spiritually. So even though I use feet to tell this story, the book is really about actively loving and trusting God and letting His love flow through us to others.

Learn more about the book, including how to get the free activity kit, over at my website:  https://laurasassitales.wordpress.com/books/faithful-feet/

I loved hearing these facts! In case you didn’t know I am hosting a SASSI BOOK BUNDLE GIVEAWAY over the next few days (January 9-11). You can enter to win Faithful Feet, and two of my favorite of Laura’s other titles. I will announce the winners on my blog and Instagram account on January 12th.

Here is the link to enter!

Thank you for having me as your guest, Mindy!

It is always a treat to have you visit my blog! Best wishes on a wonderful new title.

Buy the book Faithful Feet

CONTEST DETAILS:

This giveaway is running from January 9-11, 2025.

To enter, click the link above and provide your first name and email.

This contest is open to residents in the continental United States with a USA postal mailing address.

One winner will be announced on Instagram and my website on January 12, 2025.

There is ONE PRIZE BUNDLE valued at $36.

Worthy Books will mail you the book Faithful Feet. Mindy Baker will mail you the other two books (My Tender Heart Devotions and Bunny Finds Easter).

By entering, you are consenting to receive occasional content from Mindy Baker. You may unsubscribe at any time.




Book Review and Author Interviews, Devotional, family devotions, Kid Ministry

5 Fun Facts from Laura Sassi about her latest release!

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Hey everyone! I have a special treat for you today! My friend Laura Sassi just released the third book in her TENDER HEART SERIES and she is here today to give us the inside scoop!

Here are 5 fun facts about her lastest release entitled MY TENDER HEART DEVOTIONS!

My Tender Heart Devotions: Five Fun Facts

Fact #1:  I originally pitched My Tender Heart Devotions as a collection of 40 devotions. As I was writing it, however, the ideas kept flowing so I asked the team at Paraclete if we could expand it to 50. My editor said yes. Then I thought, why stop at 50? Why not make it 52 so that there could be one devotional for each week of the year?  The team at Paraclete Press thought that was a great idea and so that’s why there are 52 in the final printed version.

Fact #2: This is the third in the My Tender Heart series.  Expanding on the format of the first two books, My Tender Heart Bible and My Tender Heart Prayer Book, the devotional combines fun rhyming poems, scripture, short Biblically-grounded messages and Heart Moments of response to plant seeds of faith in tender hearts. I hope and pray this newest installment nurtures a new generation that loves digging into God’s word, connecting with Him through prayer, and responding by sharing God’s love with others. 

Fact #3: Illustrator Sandra Eide and I both love dogs (and cats and bunnies and hamsters)!  One of neat little details you will notice in this book and the other two in the series is that Sandra has included adorable dogs on many spreads. There’s even a canine cutie on the cover of the book (along with a cute kitten).  As you read this book along with the other two, see how many dogs you can spot.  And if you follow us on our socials you will quickly notice that we both like to post about our cute pooches, too.  Woof! Woof!

Fact #4: This is my first book that includes an index! Because this book contains 52 devotions spanning 112 pages, I decided that a topical index might be helpful so parents, teachers, children’s ministry folk so they can more can quickly and easily find the devotion that fits the need of the moment. The index includes topics like forgiveness, patience, serving others, praising God and more.

Fact #5: There are many ways parents, pastors and teachers can use this sweet devotional to grow their children’s faith.  Because there are 52 weeks in a year, a family or class can read and reflect on one each week during a family/class Bible study time.  A children’s pastor can use selections from the book as the spark for a children’s message during a church service. But my favorite way might just be at night, as the cozy wrap up to story time so that a child’s day concludes with sweet thoughts of God’s love and a bedtime prayer.  

THANKS, LAURA!!

I received a beautiful copy in the mail and I think it is one of the best new resources I have seen in a long time written to help you impart spiritual truth to your toddler or pre-school child! Each devotion has a simple poem, a vers, a kid-friendly lesson, and a heart moment. Its engaging lessons and charming rhyme are perfect of little hearts! You will definitely want to invest in this resource for your family!

You can order the book using this link: MY TENDER HEART DEVOTIONS

Find out more about Laura Sassi at her website: LAURA SASSI TALES

#mytenderheart #familyresources #devotions #familydevotions #preschool #paraclete