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Step Into The Light Podcast introduces listeners to people who have found their way out of the dark shadows of life and those who lead others on their journey from darkness.
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Latest Show
2024-12-26
Episode #272 - Featuring Antony Kolenc
Antony has won several book awards, is a columnist for Practical Homeschooling Magazine, and hosts The Shepherd’s Pie radio show and podcast. A previous guest on Step Into the Light, Antony returns today to discuss the sixth book in his teen historical fiction Harwood Mysteries series titled The Devil’s Ransom. Join us as Antony discusses The Harwood Mystery series, it's message for teens, and his plans for an innovative and intriguing adult series due to release next year.
Recent Shows
2024-12-12
Episode #271 - Featuring Pastor Joseph Misiaszek
TRUSTING GOD ONE STEP AT A TIME by SHERRY SHINDELAR 5/16/2025 8:10:00 PM BY Patti Shene
FEATURED BOOK: Texas Divided
AUTHOR: Sherry Shindelar
PUBLISHER: Wild Heart Books
GENRE: Christian Historical Romance
SERIES OR STAND ALONE: Lone Star RedemptionSeries
TARGET AGE: Women thirty and up
IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR SHERRY SHINDELAR TO THE OVER 50 WRITER. SHERRY TALKS ABOUT FACING HER FEARS OF A DAUNTING CHALLENGE.
TRUSTING GOD ONE STEP AT A TIME
by
Sherry Shindelar
In preparation for Texas Divided and the one to follow, my husband and I decided to go on a Wild West adventure. We traveled to Oklahoma and Texas for spring break 2024. The first stop was the National Cowboy Museum. The museum is home to rooms of beautiful Western art, a collection of John Wayne’s guns from all of his movies, exhibits on cowboys, the frontier West, and Native American art. The most practical part for me was a life-size Western town. I saw a fully-stocked general store, a bank, a livery stable, a hotel, a doctor’s office, a saloon, and much more.
From there, we drove to West Texas and toured several museums and forts (Contrary to popular opinion, most frontier forts of the era didn’t have walls around them).
However, the most adventuresome part of the trip was our time spent at the Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas Panhandle. It’s the second-largest canyon in the U.S. and is lined with colorful mesas, said to resemble Spanish skirts. It was a favorite haunt of the Comanche. My husband and I stayed in stone cabins built in the 1930’s by the CCC at the bottom of the canyon. The stars at night were phenomenal.
During the daytime, we went hiking. The first day was a long trail, so we asked the clerk in the park office to recommend an easier hike for the second day. Wow! Was she mistaken! The “short” trail that she directed us to take was steep, filled with rocks, and washed-out patches that sloped toward the edge of the canyon. I was ready to give up in the first five minutes, but my husband encouraged me to go on to the top of the mesa. (I should also mention that I'm afraid of heights.)
Several times during the hike, I wanted to turn around and go back, but as I looked at what lay behind me, it appeared scarier than what lay ahead. I trudged along wondering how I would be able to deal with my fear on the return trip.
But my husband helped me navigate through the challenge. He told me to keep my eyes on my feet, stay close to the side of the mesa not the edge, and follow him.
And that's what I did. I didn't look at the steep pathway with its serious descents and occasional gaps with no stable ground for a solid step, and I didn't dare glance anywhere near the edge. I focused on my feet, one step at a time, following behind my husband, walking where he walked, and holding onto him in the gaps.
My tension eased. I could do this!
You'd better believe I breathed a sigh of relief when we reached flat ground. But I was thankful I hadn't given up and that my husband had encouraged me to go on. The journey had been worth it once I'd put my fear behind me.
And I realized God had a message for me in this hike. My vacation half spent, I'd already begun to feel the weight of the workload and writing tasks (I was behind schedule in writing Texas Divided, and I was preparing to launch Texas Forsaken) that awaited me upon my return home. I'd been wondering how I was going to navigate all of the responsibilities of the next few weeks, the busiest time of my year, this year busier than ever before.
Suddenly, I knew. I could do it one step at a time, focusing on the next task, instead of worrying about a dozen others that lay ahead, trusting the Lord to see me through the maze and realizing I don't have to carry the burden alone.
Our seven days in Texas and Oklahoma were awesome. I’m still benefiting from the rich research I gathered, but as I look back on this trip, I realize that a year later, the lessons from the hike of taking it one step at time and trusting the Lord to see me through are still as pertinent and needed today as they were last March, except this year, I’m launching Texas Divided and writing Texas Reclaimed.
Blurb for Texas Divided
He thought he was rescuing her from the Comanche. Now the Civil War soldier must prove he isn't the villain she thinks he is.
Driven by the looming expectation of becoming a suffocatingly proper lady, Morning Fawn is determined to escape the confines of her uncle’s plantation and return to her adoptive Comanche tribe. But with each failed attempt, her hopes dwindle, and she wonders if she'll ever find her way back home or if that world is forever lost to her.
Devon Reynolds, disillusioned by the price of affluence and the horrors of war, leaves his privileged life to join the Texas Rangers and later the cavalry. In the military service, he finds purpose . . . until he loses his wife during childbirth while he is away. In an attempt to redeem himself, he takes one last fateful mission to rescue Morning Fawn from the Comanche. But the results force him to question the righteousness of his actions and the cause he serves.
When Devon returns to Texas as a Yankee spy, his path crosses with Morning Fawn once more. Determined to save her from the prison of her uncle's house and to recover Texas from the Confederacy, Devon is drawn to her fierce spirit and unwavering resolve. But can two wounded souls, each fighting their own battles, find solace and love amidst the chaos of war?
Originally from Tennessee, Sherry Shindelar loves to take her readers into the past. A romantic at heart, she is an avid student of the Civil War and the Old West. She fell in love with writing when she was nine years old dreaming up stories while playing on her swing set. Decades later, she is living out her dream of writing stories from her heart and sharing them with the world. When she isn’t busy writing, she is an English professor, working to pass on her love of writing to her students. Sherry is an award-winning writer: 2023 ACFW Genesis finalist, 2021 & 2023 Maggie finalist, and 2022 Crown finalist. She currently resides in Minnesota with her husband of forty years. She has three grown children and three grandchildren
A PLEASANT SURPRISE by BETTIE BOSWELL 5/13/2025 1:20:00 AM BY Patti Shene
FEATURED BOOK: Hidden Witness
AUTHOR: Bettie Boswell
PUBLISHER: Mt. Zion Ridge Press
GENRE: Christian Romantic Suspense
SERIES OR STAND ALONE: Book 2 in Forest Glen Suspense Series
TARGET AGE: Christian Adult
IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR BETTIE BOSWELL TO PATTI’S PORCH. BETTIE TALKS ABOUT HER LATEST NOVEL AND HOW HER CHARACTERS TIE IN TO HER OWN LIFE EXPERIENCES.
A PLEASANT SURPRISE
by
Bettie Boswell
My newest book, Hidden Witness, is a Christian Romantic Suspense, but I like to think of it as a book that surprised me by taking me on a journey to the past. The far west tip of the state of Virginia is comprised of Lee County. It was there that I got my first public school position as an elementary music teacher. I served four elementary schools that were as far apart as forty-five minutes. I often drove during my lunch, so I left a cheese and bread sandwich sitting on my dashboard when I arrived at my first school. By lunchtime, surprise, I had a toasted cheese sandwich to enjoy as I drove between schools.
With that in mind, I made my heroine, Winifred Grimsley also known as Miss Freddie, a traveling art teacher in that county. I named her after two art teachers I had during my life as a student. They were Miss Grimm and Miss Winnie. Those two women had a surprising influence on my life that left a lasting impact, enabling me to do illustration for children's books. Because of that interest of mine I decided that Miss Freddie the art teacher would also illustrate children's books to supplement her career. She uses the pen name of Winnie Gee.
One day, Miss Freddie is surprised to see federal agents at her door. The senior agent gives her quite a shock. He is an old boyfriend from her much younger past, one that she has been running from because of a criminal's threats. Now that she's been discovered they will have to face what happened long ago. Their reunion-romance amidst a suspenseful journey will bring many surprises and twists.
Surprises can bring joy, sadness, or a multitude of other emotions. God is always there. He is the great I Am, the unchanging God. The Hebrews thought they knew His plan, but then He surprised them by sending Jesus to the world. They had hoped for a military king to rid them of Roman rulers. Instead, they got Jesus who lived as a simple teacher, one who ultimately gave His life as the sacrifice for the sins of those who believe. When the women went to the tomb, they were surprised to find it empty. Even his disciples had their doubts until Jesus revealed his hands and side.
I am always surprised when I finish a new book and often wonder how I accomplished a volume with so many words, a well-crafted story, a spiritual theme, and something pleasant to read. Praying for God's strength and wisdom gives me surprising words and adventures for my characters, often influenced by the life God has given me. I also feel thankful to those people who taught or encouraged me along the way. Looking back I can appreciate those teachers, parents, friends, and even those who told me I couldn't, because guess what... Surprise! I did it, with God's help and the positive influence of the others.
Allow yourself to be surprised by God's provision in your life!
About Hidden Witness:
After hiding for decades, Winifred Grimsley faces the past when her former boyfriend appears at her door as a federal agent looking for her testimony. She ran to protect him in the past. Now trouble is at her doorstep as they find themselves on the run from her former employer. As a young woman Winifred, also known as Miss Freddie, worked for MAX Enterprises as a secretary while waiting for a career in art education. She met and fell in love with a young police officer named Kent Russell. During that time, she befriended the boss's young daughter and discovered a sinister side to the company. Max Whitney, her boss, asked her to participate in hacking other companies. When she refused, Max threatened Kent's life if Freddie told her policeman boyfriend about his request. Freddie left town after striking a deal with Max in order to save Kent. As part of the conditions, she left Kent without an explanation. That deal allowed her to travel to Europe for more art training. Finally, she found the opportunity to work as an art teacher in rural Lee County, Virginia. Max and his evil choices no longer controlled her. Life was pleasant until Max sent her a strange package. Months later, Max's daughter shows up at her door with Federal Agent Graham to find out what that package contained.
When Kent Russell sees the name of the woman who'd broken his heart on his agent's contact list, he wants to confront her. He leaves his desk job, heading up a local Ohio federal branch, and travels to Virginia to investigate this woman from his past. He'd tried to forget her. It took over a year for him to start over with a woman who wouldn't run away. Kent had a wonderful wife who left him only when cancer claimed her. His loving spouse had been faithful and loving. Freddie was another matter. She'd left him without an explanation. Anger fills his heart as he knocks on her door to demand answers. Is the woman still hiding secrets from him? Does he dare trust her when he has to face some of his own inadequacies? When he is on the brink of finding out the truth, their reunion is shattered by the threats of two members of the cybercriminal ring centered on MAX Enterprises. They claim Freddie may have another secret and they will go to any length to find it. Even threaten Kent's grandchildren.
Bettie Boswell always loved to read and create stories for family and friends. In 2016 she began writing and illustrating stories to share with the world. She is now an author/illustrator of both children and Christian adult fiction and non-fiction books. Her efforts include contributions to educational works, leveled readers, magazine articles, and devotional and short story anthologies. Bettie has two grown sons, one daughter-in-law, three grandchildren, and a busy minister husband.
BOOK SELLING BEYOND AMAZON by JEAN ALFIERI 5/4/2025 5:25:00 PM BY Patti Shene
FEATURED BOOK: 21 Ways to Weather the Loss of Your Pet
IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR JEAN ALFIERI TO THE OVER 50 WRITER. JEAN OFFERS UNIQUE TIPS TO SELL BOOKS.
BOOK SELLING BEYOND AMAZON
by
Jean Alfieri
Amazon was supposed to be the secret to author success. All we had to do was publish our book on KDP, rub our hands together, and presto – our book would be a best seller.
That didn’t happen. And if you’re looking for another quick and easy trick to sales stardom, you can stop reading. There isn’t one – but there are many other ways to get your book into the hands of your readers and the experience you create can be so much fun.
If you’re ready to dig in and get busy promoting and selling your book, read on.
It starts with pre-launch
Build excitement on your social media platforms.
Utilize your street team. Spread the word.
Consider both an on-line and live launch party.
Make sure your live book launch is unique
A coffee shop or book store is great but can you match the theme of your book to a place?
A friend, whose story was set on an airplane, held her book launch inside an airplane hanger at a private airport.
I had a launch party (for my book about shelter dogs) at the Humane Society.
Find Your People
My best audience is beer-drinking dog lovers. So, you’ll find me at events that support local animal rescues.
Speaking events are a great way to mingle with your people. What new information and insights can you offer them? Be sure to mention your book and, if possible, have it for sale at the back of the room.
Farmers markets offer so much more that fruits and veggies. It can also be an interesting place to find your book. Christmas (and other seasonal/holiday) festivals can help you gain a new audience.
Your local indy bookstore. If you’re indy published you may not be able to sell in the big box stores, but you can ask for space on the shelf of your friendly neighborhood shop.
Church groups can be a huge support. (Just be sure your theme / genre is appropriate.)
Consider expanding your reach by participating in multi-author works like anthologies. Contribute an article to a magazine or newspaper. The more your name is seen, the broader the exposure you’ll gain for your book(s).
Blog interviews are a great way to make connections AND to introduce yourself to a new audience.
Utilize your newsletter. Have you run a book special? Be sure to let your subscribers know. Even better, tell them first.
Get more reviews. Remember those subscribers who follow you? Ask them to provide a review. Reviews are an author’s best friend and many readers will help if you ask. Be sure to thank them when they do.
Video a short reading. Pick a chilling or pivotal or emotional charged scene from your book and read it to your audience on FB Live or record it and share on other SM platforms. You might hook them into a sale.
Is there an open-mic reading night at a nearby coffee shop or bookstore? You can offer an excerpt from your book and network with other writers.
Get a sales table at book festivals and conferences. The options are vast. You can find smaller community college venues and large convention center venues. Try both and discover where you’re most comfortable.
In all this, consider your budget. Some events are less expensive to attend than others. You may not be able to do it all, but you can explore. Most of all, have fun and SELL, SELL, SELL!
All of these ideas involve mingling with the public so here are a couple things to make the experience a great one.
STEP ONE – Prepare.
Create an opening. It can be as simple as, “Do you like to read?”
If the answer is “No,” then let’s not waste their time (or ours). It’s nothing personal, and you’d rather be chatting with someone who reads!
I’m a children’s author and it’s my book covers that slow people down as they pass my table, so I ask, “Can I tell you about my often mischievous and always adorable rescue pug, Zuggy?”
Describe your book.
Keep it short and sweet – three sentences or less. This way your potential reader knows whether to invest the time to learn more or step away. (It’s okay. Not everyone is a fit and you’d rather get to your ideal reader.)
I have multiple books so I find out the age of their kids or what genre they enjoy so I can steer them in the right direction.
Let the magic happen. No one will love your book(s) more than you. If the person you’re speaking with is interested, provide them some of the backstory or what inspired you to write it. Be sure to sign the copy they purchase. This makes is extra special.
Blurb for21 Ways to Weather the Loss of Your Pet
21 Ways to Weather the Loss of Your Pet is an idea guide of activities to honor and remember your pet. It allows space to grieve, express gratitude and celebrate the life you shared. There are basic and more advanced projects, as well as mindset words to help on your journey of healing. It also includes tips to consider your physical, mental, and emotional health.
Jean Alfieri is an author, speaker, and dog fan. In researching her newest book, 21 Ways to Weather the Loss of Your Pet, she became a certified grief coach for pet loss. After decades of adopting senior shelter dogs, she shares what she’s learned in this guide.
Jean and her husband joke that although they pay the mortgage of their home in Colorado, it’s really the dogs’ house! Find out more at DogAuthor.com
FEATURED BOOK: Texas Divided
AUTHOR: Sherry Shindelar
PUBLISHER: Wild Heart Books
GENRE: Christian Historical Romance
SERIES OR STAND ALONE: Lone Star Redemption Series
TARGET AGE: Women thirty and up
IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR SHERRY SHINDELAR TO THE OVER 50 WRITER. SHERRY TALKS ABOUT FACING HER FEARS OF A DAUNTING CHALLENGE.
TRUSTING GOD ONE STEP AT A TIME
by
Sherry Shindelar
In preparation for Texas Divided and the one to follow, my husband and I decided to go on a Wild West adventure. We traveled to Oklahoma and Texas for spring break 2024. The first stop was the National Cowboy Museum. The museum is home to rooms of beautiful Western art, a collection of John Wayne’s guns from all of his movies, exhibits on cowboys, the frontier West, and Native American art. The most practical part for me was a life-size Western town. I saw a fully-stocked general store, a bank, a livery stable, a hotel, a doctor’s office, a saloon, and much more.
From there, we drove to West Texas and toured several museums and forts (Contrary to popular opinion, most frontier forts of the era didn’t have walls around them).
However, the most adventuresome part of the trip was our time spent at the Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas Panhandle. It’s the second-largest canyon in the U.S. and is lined with colorful mesas, said to resemble Spanish skirts. It was a favorite haunt of the Comanche. My husband and I stayed in stone cabins built in the 1930’s by the CCC at the bottom of the canyon. The stars at night were phenomenal.
During the daytime, we went hiking. The first day was a long trail, so we asked the clerk in the park office to recommend an easier hike for the second day. Wow! Was she mistaken! The “short” trail that she directed us to take was steep, filled with rocks, and washed-out patches that sloped toward the edge of the canyon. I was ready to give up in the first five minutes, but my husband encouraged me to go on to the top of the mesa. (I should also mention that I'm afraid of heights.)
Several times during the hike, I wanted to turn around and go back, but as I looked at what lay behind me, it appeared scarier than what lay ahead. I trudged along wondering how I would be able to deal with my fear on the return trip.
But my husband helped me navigate through the challenge. He told me to keep my eyes on my feet, stay close to the side of the mesa not the edge, and follow him.
And that's what I did. I didn't look at the steep pathway with its serious descents and occasional gaps with no stable ground for a solid step, and I didn't dare glance anywhere near the edge. I focused on my feet, one step at a time, following behind my husband, walking where he walked, and holding onto him in the gaps.
My tension eased. I could do this!
You'd better believe I breathed a sigh of relief when we reached flat ground. But I was thankful I hadn't given up and that my husband had encouraged me to go on. The journey had been worth it once I'd put my fear behind me.
And I realized God had a message for me in this hike. My vacation half spent, I'd already begun to feel the weight of the workload and writing tasks (I was behind schedule in writing Texas Divided, and I was preparing to launch Texas Forsaken) that awaited me upon my return home. I'd been wondering how I was going to navigate all of the responsibilities of the next few weeks, the busiest time of my year, this year busier than ever before.
Suddenly, I knew. I could do it one step at a time, focusing on the next task, instead of worrying about a dozen others that lay ahead, trusting the Lord to see me through the maze and realizing I don't have to carry the burden alone.
Our seven days in Texas and Oklahoma were awesome. I’m still benefiting from the rich research I gathered, but as I look back on this trip, I realize that a year later, the lessons from the hike of taking it one step at time and trusting the Lord to see me through are still as pertinent and needed today as they were last March, except this year, I’m launching Texas Divided and writing Texas Reclaimed.
Blurb for Texas Divided
He thought he was rescuing her from the Comanche. Now the Civil War soldier must prove he isn't the villain she thinks he is.
Driven by the looming expectation of becoming a suffocatingly proper lady, Morning Fawn is determined to escape the confines of her uncle’s plantation and return to her adoptive Comanche tribe. But with each failed attempt, her hopes dwindle, and she wonders if she'll ever find her way back home or if that world is forever lost to her.
Devon Reynolds, disillusioned by the price of affluence and the horrors of war, leaves his privileged life to join the Texas Rangers and later the cavalry. In the military service, he finds purpose . . . until he loses his wife during childbirth while he is away. In an attempt to redeem himself, he takes one last fateful mission to rescue Morning Fawn from the Comanche. But the results force him to question the righteousness of his actions and the cause he serves.
When Devon returns to Texas as a Yankee spy, his path crosses with Morning Fawn once more. Determined to save her from the prison of her uncle's house and to recover Texas from the Confederacy, Devon is drawn to her fierce spirit and unwavering resolve. But can two wounded souls, each fighting their own battles, find solace and love amidst the chaos of war?
Buy Links:
Amazon
B&N
Originally from Tennessee, Sherry Shindelar loves to take her readers into the past. A romantic at heart, she is an avid student of the Civil War and the Old West. She fell in love with writing when she was nine years old dreaming up stories while playing on her swing set. Decades later, she is living out her dream of writing stories from her heart and sharing them with the world. When she isn’t busy writing, she is an English professor, working to pass on her love of writing to her students. Sherry is an award-winning writer: 2023 ACFW Genesis finalist, 2021 & 2023 Maggie finalist, and 2022 Crown finalist. She currently resides in Minnesota with her husband of forty years. She has three grown children and three grandchildren
Connect with Sherry:
Instagram: sherryshindelarauthor
FB Author Sherry Shindelar Author
Goodreads author page
Bookbub author page