November News and Prayer requests from Dernier Publishing

Welcome to the November 2014

Dernier Publishing newsletter!

We are creators!

We are children of a creator God, and I’m a firm believer in being creative – it’s part of the awesome privilege we have of being made in His image. If we have been given a gift I believe we should use it to honour God who gave us this ability. Some people love creating a garden, others a website. Others love to sew, paint, stick, make things from wood, make music or delicious meals. Others love to write. All these things are wonderful gifts from God that we can use to serve others. But we have to learn our craft. If we want to produce pretty much anything of value, we need someone to show us how to do it, people to encourage us (even our first feeble efforts!) and we need to stick at it and not give up when the going gets tough. (The photo is of a friend from DR Congo – I showed her how to make English cakes!)

This isn't the first time I have mentioned Write for a Reason – a course I set up for Christian writers who write, or want to write, fiction for 8-14s. There are also lots of free writing tips on the Write for a Reason website! Why not take a look, or point a writer friend there? What greater joy could there be than for us to point the way to Jesus through our gift of writing? Jesus said that the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. We can be workers in this harvest with our writing. Books change lives . . . More details here: Write for a Reason

If you're not a writer, what is your creative gift? Are you using it to bless others? :-)

Sad figures

I found this statistic recently and jotted it down (sorry I have forgotten where I found it): “Between 1990 and 2020 the UK church is predicted to have lost 1.1 million children from congregations.” If true, this is an alarming statistic. 1.1 million children lost from church! Here's another really sad statistic tweeted by the NSPCC a couple of weeks ago: "We are receiving more calls than ever before to ChildLine from children who are feeling suicidal." Doesn't that make your heart ache?

Jesus said, “I will build my church.” Nothing will stand against him, but in some incredible way He wants us to do our bit.

Do you know a child who might be finding life tough? Could you buy them a Christian book? Or perhaps you could organise to buy books for all your Sunday School or Kids Club this Christmas – children who seem to be walking the right path also need encouragement to stay on it! Or could you offer two or three books as raffle prizes for a village or church Christmas fete, give gifts to neighbours' children, sponsored kids abroad . . . The message of Jesus brings hope, life and light, even in the deepest darkness. Let's spread that hope, light and life this Christmas, because we can, and because it is our responsibility to do so. Imagine a life changed, through a book you gave. That's awesome.

 

Fabulous initiative 1: please pray!

I had a lovely email from Mary Weeks Millard a few days ago. She says, “The churches in Weymouth are presenting an event called ‘Silent Night’ on Dec 4th; carols in the local football stadium to remember the WW1 Christmas Truce. Taking part will be a choir from years 5 and 6 in the local primary schools. At the moment 6 schools have opted to take part and the special school will also be taking about 6 children. It will be about another week before numbers of participants are known; it could be 100+. The Lord has really put it on my heart that it would be good to give each child taking part a copy of ‘A Pennyworth of Peppermints’. The celebration is right, the location and the also the age group of the children. I feel that I should go ahead in faith - the organizer, Rev. Anni Douglas is thrilled with the idea as is the choir mistress (who attends our church). I am hoping that maybe church members in the town would feel they could sponsor a book.”

Please do pray for this initiative and the children who will receive this book with its message of God's love and forgiveness. If you are organising an event and would like to buy a quantity of books please let me know; firstly as I can offer quantity discounts (as can most local Christian bookshops), and also so we can back you in prayer. I look forward to hearing from you!

Fabulous initiative 2: please pray!

A teacher at a local primary school is going to start up a book club at her school with books that have Christian characters! How wonderful is that! Please pray for new children to hear and respond to the good news of Jesus through these books. Thank you!

Christmas online catalogue

This is the link to our online Christmas catalogue:

Christmas Catalogue

Please do take a look yourself and forward it now to as many people you can think of who just might be interested, because it might be exactly what they are looking for, for a grandchild, nephew, niece, Sunday School or children's friends. Thank you very much for your help!

Next year

I have so many plans for next year, and want to make it the best ever, but I need your help. More than anything else I ask for your prayers for Dernier. I would like to bring out five books next year – some in paperback, some in digital format. More news in January in about that, but please would you start praying now, as I begin to get organised? I would appreciate that more than you know. If you join us on facebook, you can keep in touch with news as it happens: Dernier Publishing's Facebook Page. Hope to see you there!

Right, lots to do, I'd better get on with it – may the Lord bless you and keep you.

Kindest regards,

Janet

PS Don't forget to check out our online catalogue :-) http://www.flipgorilla.com/p/23735439970010745/show

September news from Dernier Publishing

Welcome to the September 2014

Dernier Publishing newsletter!

Desperation v Expectation

I don't know about you, but it seems that desperation is all around us. At times the needs of this world seem overwhelming. Wars in Iraq, Syria and central Africa, terrorism in Nigeria; the fear of the ebola virus, wars and disasters and hunger and poverty; misery and the results of sin . . . all these are graphically portrayed on our TV screens 24/7. And it's often the pictures of the children in these desperate circumstances who break our hearts.

But we don't have to go so far away to hear of horrors. Girls as young as twelve are being given contraceptives without parents' knowledge . . . in Scotland. Fourteen-year-old Alice Gross is still missing at time of writing; a man has been held in custody on suspicion of her murder.

But even while all these terrible things are going on, there are three things that are sure:

1. Jesus is building his church. We can't see this kingdom, and we don't hear about it on the BBC or CNN . . . but this thrilling movement of the kingdom of God is growing in grace and faith and love and peace and joy, in praise and thanksgiving, in strength and in numbers. The kingdom of God may be unseen to human eyes, but it is there just the same. 'Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.' Hallelujah!
2. God's grace is never ending. His grace is always sufficient, whatever the circumstances. And we are all called to be a part of that grace, helping others in their time of need.
3. God is on the throne. In the end He will bring all things to himself. The old will pass away and the new will come. There will be justice, and mercy, and every tear will be wiped away.

So let's keep looking up with expectation when looking around brings distress. And do our bit to bring light and life and peace and faith as we await the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Come, Lord Jesus!

It's not Christmas yet!

Well you hardly need me to tell you that. :-) But as the shops are beginning to stock Christmas cards, chocolates and mince pies . . . and just in case you are starting to think about planning your toddler group Christmas activities, I wanted to tell you about author Vickie Howie, with whom I recently judged a competition for the Association of Christian Writers! Vickie gives talks and workshops on storytelling, putting on a nativity play and using drama to tell a Bible story. If that's something you might be interested in, do take a look at her website: http://www.vickihowie.co.uk She also has some lovely Christmas books for small children!

A Pennyworth of Peppermints for Torch Trust

Thrilling news – Torch Trust have taken on A Pennyworth of Peppermints! They will be bringing out this lovely story in large print, in braille and on their 'daisy', which is an audio version. If you know any children who have visual impairment, do get in touch with the Torch Trust and see if they might be able to help you. Torch Trust have Deepest Darkness and the Beech Bank Girls already in their collection.

Another boon for children with even slightly impaired vision is the increasing availability of ebooks. Several of our books are now on kindle, including our new Beech Bank Girls, A Time Remembered. The font size can be enlarged . . . this also helps children with dyslexia. If you go to the Amazon store and type in Dernier Publishing in the search feature, our books will pop up. Pass it on! We are delighted to be part of something to help children who might otherwise miss out.

We are also delighted that our ebooks can be downloaded instantly all over the world, which means that they are available to children who, again, might not have the opportunity to read physical Christian books. They can even be read on computers and phones. Do you know anyone abroad . . . perhaps missionaries or workers abroad who might like to download our books for their children? Do tell them about us!

And please pray for all these projects – the potential to touch lives is enormous, one precious life at a time. Be assured that your prayers are making a difference to children all over the world, so don't stop!

P.S. If you have downloaded any of our books from Amazon, please do leave a review, it helps our ratings! Thank you very much.

The Write for a Reason* Course begins today!

I hope I will be running the course again, so if you have missed the deadline this time round, don't worry, there will be another opportunity! If you would like to sign up to receive details of the next course, or to receive absolutely free no obligation writing tips, let me know! You can read more about the course here: www.write-for-a-reason.com :-)

With many thanks once more for your enormously valued support,

Janet

*Write for a Reason is a seven week online course for writers who want to learn more about writing fiction  for older children from a Christian perspective. It covers such essentials as creating engaging characters, planning and plotting, how to use dialogue to move your story forward, perspective, description, and much more.

Blooming June!

Welcome to the June 2014

Dernier Publishing newsletter!

Plant seeds, or weeds will grow!

 

If we don't plant seeds, weeds will grow on their own, with absolutely no effort on our part. All we need to do for weeds to take over is . . . nothing.

Planting seeds, of course, takes time and effort, and there's always the risk that all might be wasted; that they won't come up. We may also have to wait ages to see any signs of life. And we may have to keep watering and weeding with just the hope that one day the seeds will grow into beautiful flowers.

But there will be a reward for those who bother. OK, so not all the seeds we sow are likely to come up. But we must not give up. The law of probability (and the book of Ecclesiastes!) tells us that the more seeds we sow, the more we are likely to reap. We do not know which seeds will grow and which will not, so the thing is to sow, and sow, and keep on sowing, as much as we can, as long as we can.

See these beautiful poppies? My daughter gave me a packet of seeds last year. I prepared the ground, sowed them, and waited. Now I am reaping the rewards! Suppose I hadn't bothered? I would have a patch of weeds instead. The seeds could easily have stayed in the packet, forgotten in a drawer. I would never have had the pleasure of these beautiful blooms – and I would never have known what I was missing.

Our books are a bit like seeds. Some will bear fruit, some may not. We might see the results, or we might send them out to bloom elsewhere. Some might bear fruit that will change whole families, and their seeds will grow seeds that will go on spreading and blooming, year after year!

The consequences could be eternal. The question is, will we bother? If we don't, we will never know what we are missing.

Dare you take the Christian Parenting Challenge?

 

Thank you to all who have prayed for the Christian Parenting Challenge, and for those who have sent in reviews. Much appreciated! If you're not sure what it's all about, you can watch this little clip: http://youtu.be/pRKLtU_KYWo (YouTube)

Or you can buy the kindle book from Amazon here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christian-Parenting-Challenge-challenges-relationship-ebook/dp/B00JOFPABQ

The ebook version hasn't quite made it to our website yet, but it will soon! We are hoping that sales of this resource will help to fund more books, so we all win!

Here are a couple of reviews: “This is an EXCELLENT resource, and I would be happy to recommend it to families.” - Lucy

''I loved the parenting challenge. I am a mum of three and I homeschool my children so we spend a lot of time together. However, it is easy to get wrapped up in the day to day routines, 'to do' lists, appointments and schedules. I found the parenting challenge helped remind me of the value of doing simple small things to show my family how much I love them. To stop and take time to do things that create memories, bring smiles and connect us on a deeper level. I shared it with my friends and through Sunday school too. '' - Michelle

Bookshop Corner!

Many thanks once again to everyone who has prayed for the distribution of our books to Christian bookshops. I am delighted to tell you that we now have a solution . . . Hughes and Coleman are going to be representing us within the wholesale trade. Norman Nibloe from Tonbridge Christian Book Centre, recommended them to me. He assured me that they are lovely people with a real ministry motive. Four reps will be taking our books to shops all around the UK and Ireland from 1^st July. I hope to be able to give you some photos in due course! Please pray for the smooth taking over of operations, which we trust will be beneficial to all . . . truly we are stronger when we work together.

Spreading wings

I have made a few contacts recently which might make possible the availability of our books in Asia, Africa and the US. This is a breathtaking vision – but we have a big God for whom nothing is impossible! Please do pray for all these various contacts . . . please pray for wisdom in making decisions, and above all that many, many more children will be able to receive the 'message in a story', wherever they live in the world.

Camps, clubs, Sunday schools and kids clubs

Sending good Christian books home with children is akin to sending a good nourishing meal! Of course, cost is a factor, but still, could you find out if your church or organisation would like to give out our books as gifts, prizes and presentations? The potential is enormous. Please do forward our online catalogue to as many people as you can!

http://www.flipgorilla.com/p/23023990364721927/show

Incidentally, we do quantity discounts for schools, charities and churches - contact me for more info!

Running out of room but I must just tell you . . .

 

A Pennyworth of Peppermints is selling well! Schools are beginning to take it up as a class reader, with its topical content (WWI) – please keep praying, as I know you do, for all the children who read our books, that the Lord will open hearts and minds. Some children who read this book might never hear the gospel another way. We have had some wonderful reviews of this story – pop over to our facebook page (www.facebook.com/DernierPublishing) where you can keep in touch daily!

With grateful thanks for your support,

Janet

P.S. Don't forget to forward the catalogue to all your friends!http://www.flipgorilla.com/p/23023990364721927/show