All that's new from Dernier Publishing!

Welcome to the November 2013

Dernier Publishing

newsletter!

Death and life

What is your favourite season? Mine has to be spring, when bulbs start to push up through the ground, buds on trees begin to unfurl and the sun begins to get warmer – wonderful! But to get new life, there has to be a death first. Did you know that new buds growing on trees force the old leaves off? So, in our lives, all that is temporal is being gradually pushed out by the new life we have in Christ! How amazing is that! So let's embrace the winter, making the most of every opportunity we are given :-)

Why not take a few minutes to consider what the most important things in your life are . . . then consider what changes you might need to make, to make sure that your time and energy are focused on what really matters.

My second grandson!

May I introduce you to the newest little member of the family? He was born a little early and weighed just 5lb8oz (2kg). He is the sweetest, cutest, most precious little thing :-) You know, it's the quality of our relationships which make us rich or poor. So if you want to get rich quick, work on your relationships! I don't think the Beatles knew much about theology, but they got it right when they said that money can't buy love :-)

Christian Parenting Challenge

 If you knew you had a limited amount of time with your children, would you spend your time differently? My first husband died suddenly when our children were aged ten, fifteen and seventeen. My second husband's children only live with us for part of the time – the rest of the time they are with their mum. I have a friend whose son died in a tragic accident aged sixteen. Life can surprise and overtake us. Life is precious, but less than perfect.

Because our children grow up so quickly, I have set up a brand new Christian Parenting Challenge for those of us who would like to deepen our relationships with our children. Every day for 30 days, subscribers will receive an email with a challenge for that day. Challenges include things like listening to your child, creating something together, doing something for someone else together, the thorny issue of discipline and lots more . . .  Some of the challenges I did quite well when my children were 'children' (they're all grown up now!), some I really should have done a lot better, and many I never even thought of at the time. The thought behind writing the challenge was that perhaps I might be able to help others on their parenthood journey.

Christian Parenting Challenge is for mothers and fathers, for single parents, step-parents, and any other kind of parent. It's for those of you who have your children 24/7, those of you who have them at weekends, and those who only see them once a month. Whether you have the occasional nagging feeling that there could be more you can do to deepen your relationship with your child, or feel like you have hit rock bottom, please do consider joining us. You are assured of a warm welcome! You will find yourself doing all manner of simple but effective things to deepen your relationship with your children. And have lots of fun at the same time! Want to give it a go? Email me on Email Janet and I will add you to the list.

Christian Parenting Challenge is completely free

with absolutely no obligation :-)

Deepest Darkness in audio and on video!

 

I recently spent some time with author Denise Hayward recording 'Deepest Darkness' for audio and video! Many thanks to Sheila and Phil of PDT Media who are working on this project with us.

As you see, we had a lot of fun doing the recording! Will keep you posted as to when it will be available. You can listen to me reviewing Deepest Darkness on YouTube here: Deepest Darkness on YouTube :-)

Will keep you posted as to when the audio version will become available. If you would like to pre-order, let me know! It's a really gripping story, and Denise (did you know she is a trained actress?) is absolutely brilliant on camera - she kept us all spellbound!

Here's a bit about the story:

Abi suffers from terrible nightmares and her life is ruled by fear. She makes a new friend who shows her that true light shines, even in the deepest darkness of the rainforest at night! Abi gradually faces her fears and finds a new freedom. A thrilling, moving story for 8-11s.

“This is one of the best books I have read – EVER!” - Maddie

Books in schools

I heard recently from a teacher at a Christian school in Northern Ireland, whose students are enjoying studying 'London's Gone' as part of their literacy. If you are involved in any way in a school, either as a parent or governor or teacher, why not mention our books to the English or library staff? As you know, all our stories are wholesome and inspiring for children to read, as well as having the 'message in a story' :-)

Sharing the vision with your group?

Thanks to Nicolette Gunn and the lovely group of ladies at 'Gods's Oasis' at Emmanuel Church in Guildford who gave me such a warm welcome when I went to speak a couple of weeks ago. I love meeting our supporters and I'm only sorry I forgot to take some photos! If you would like me to come and share the Dernier vision with your church group, contact me at the usual address – I'm based in London but can do a bit of travelling :-)

Absence of Christmas

Have you noticed I haven't mentioned Christmas yet? I hope you are impressed! Actually, I haven't even started my Christmas shopping yet . . . the only thing I have is the Christmas pudding, which I won in a raffle! If you are looking for great Christmas presents for the 8-16s you love, though, you know where to find them : Dernier website or your local Christian bookshop! I will be in touch again soon!

With many thanks for your support as always,

Janet

P.S. Don't forget to join the Christian Parenting Challenge! 

Email Janet

Author profile, Gareth Rowe

Gareth is our latest author; his first novel for young people, The Only Way,  was released earlier this year. I asked Gareth to write a little bit about himself, which I am delighted to reproduce here:

 “I grew up on the ragged edges of a big city. It was a place where the houses, shops and warehouses merged into scrubby and unloved wasteland. It was a place where those who knew where to look could find the crumbling remains of factories and air raid shelters, ancient oak trees to climb, wild blackberry bushes big enough to crawl inside and ancient churches where the gravestones seemed to whisper secrets from a different age. It was a place through which there ran an old canal where the waterlilies grew and the swans came to give birth to their young each summer. When I was younger I wanted to follow the canal out of the city and far away into the countryside. I wanted to have adventures and to write stories about them. I still do. When I grew up I really did leave the city. For a while I lived in a castle surrounded by a deep river; later I lived on a farm in the hills; now I live in a little brick house with a yellow door and fruit trees in the garden. I’ve been a banker, a shelf stacker, an accountant and a teacher but my real vocation is to sit at the window and watch the rain fall from the heavens and water the garden.

I grew up in Bootle on Merseyside in the 1970s and 80s. We had no money but lots of love and freedom. I was a devotee of Enid Blyton and rather fond of Asterix. I tended to get whatever books I could find in the local jumble sale so it was a bit hit and miss. I was an only child but had lots of cousins who were good substitutes for brothers and sisters. I was not from a church family but God came knocking pretty early on in my life. I never felt at home in the city and the family holidays we had in the mountains of North Wales were sublime moments of joy followed by devastation as the city closed in on me on my return. This idea of the natural world as a pointer to the divine runs throughout the book [The Only Way] but rather than following a quest up into the mountains we see nature breaking out in the city: in Lily’s garden, in the waterlilies on the canal, in the flower growing in the cracked pavement.

I decided to become a writer at whatever age it was that I read my first Enid Blyton book. Once the decision was made I was content and so felt no compulsion to do anything about it – like actually put pen to paper. Eventually I began to write poetry as a teenager and have continued to do so ever since. In 1999 I began the MA in Creative Writing at Northumbria University and started to think about writing prose (mainly because it was impossible to fulfil the word count with poetry). I started with short stories, moved on to a turgid and dull campus novel and ended up trying to write fiction for young teenagers. 'The Only Way' is my first published novel.

I become a Christian something like this: during the summer holidays one year I went to a group called CCC (Children’s Christian Something?) at the local church; I’ve no idea how or why. Later a friend who was in the Boy’s Brigade made it sound cool so I joined and started going to church. Skip a few years and I’m at a Billy Graham Crusade at Anfield: Mission England (was that ‘82? – if so I’d be nine). Anyway that’s when I made the BIG DECISION and dedicated myself to Christ. Afterwards I carried on with church, BB, Truth, Beauty and God until I left home and went to university.

By the time I left home, a) I was pretty unconvinced about all this religion business and soon started using the A-word (agnosticism) b) I can actually remember making the decision to ‘try life without God for a while’. Of course now I realise that it is logically inconsistent to try to dump a god who (probably) doesn’t exist – but I’m making no pretence to logic here. Anyway I’d have probably found the idea of being strictly logical suspect and un-artistic. Needless to say, university (Durham by the way) wasn’t much fun. I wandered around In Despair for three years while friends and family concluded I had gone mad. Somehow I got both a degree and a job in accountancy but things continued to get worse. After a couple more years I decided to go back to God.

The next decade was much more fun. Externally it involved getting married, having children, becoming a teacher, regular communion, prayer and reading the scriptures. Internally it was a reorientation away from self and towards God. Unfortunately it is a process which is nowhere near complete: if embodied existence is a process of turning bits of clay into gods – I’m at the stage of being rather like the character Morph from the 1980s TV show ‘Take Hart’.

I’m married to Sue who looks after our two daughters, Rebecca aged six and Isobel aged two. The only thing Becky likes more than school is playing schools: because then she gets to be the teacher! Isobel has just started playgroup and for her the main attraction is the endless supply of paints coupled with the lack of parents hovering around protecting the walls from her artistic endeavors.

I enjoy walking in the countryside, reading and staring out of the window. Recently I bought a dilapidated piano which I sometimes abuse frightfully in the name of making a joyful sound. In the last year I have taught in high school and prison and I am now back at university studying to work with people with learning disabilities.

'The Only Way' is for the dissatisfied, dispossessed Children of God. It is for those stuck in dull uninspiring urban wildernesses of high rise flats and endless expanses of concrete. It is for those who feel disconnected from parents, from friends, from everything. They should read it because it doesn’t shrink from admitting how awful the world can seem. They should read it because it shows that no matter how bad it seems, new life is always waiting to burst forth the moment it is given the chance. They should read it because it shows the power of love to conquer the darkness in which we sometimes find ourselves.”

'The Only Way', for young people 12+, is available from your local bookshop, online bookstores and direct from our website. As with all our books, you can read the first chapter online: www.dernierpublishing.com/theonlyway.php

Dernier Publishing Books for 8-11s

Here are all our current titles for 8-11s, to encourage and inspire these precious children in their faith and show non-church kids what they are missing :-)  We are passionate about our books and the difference they can make in children's lives. Think how you have been influenced by something you have read . . . our children so badly need to read books that will influence them for good.

To help you choose, follow the links below each book to read the first chapters online. All our books are available from your local Christian bookshop or to order from our website if you don't have a bookshop near you!

Deepest Darkness by Denise Hayward

Ten-year-old Abi suffers from terrible nightmares and her life is ruled by fear. On holiday in Canada, she makes a new friend who shows her that true light shines, even if the deepest darkness. Facing her fears one by one, Abi opens up her life to the light and finds a freedom that she never thought possible. A gripping, sensitive story with action in the Canadian rainforest, including meeting a bear at night! Perfect to give to any child  you know who suffers from fear - or indeed for any 8-11-year-old who enjoys curling up with a good book.

Some reviews: 
“This is a brilliant story all about a girl called Abi. She's got a fear of everything, but a trip to Canada brings a new friend and some important answers. This is one of the best books I've read – EVER!” - Maddie

“It is a fantastic adventure and God is really real.” - Natalie

“I enjoyed the story very much. I felt for Abi and all the characters, and was really excited while reading the book.” - Polina

ISBN 978 0 9536963 5 2 / £5.99

http://www.dernierpublishing.com/deepestdarkness.php 

The Birthday Shoes by Mary Weeks Millard

All Emily Jane wants for her birthday is a pair of fashionable boots, but instead she is given old-fashioned, fake crocodile-skin shoes. Alone in her bedroom, Emily Jane tries on the hated shoes. She hopes they might not fit, but discovers instead that they hold an amazing secret! Join her as she goes on a series of adventures, making friends and some exciting discoveries about God along the way.

This is currently one of our best selling books and it really is a fun story, but with an important message woven in. Emily Jane comes from a Christian home, but discovers that she needs to make a commitment to follow Jesus for herself. If you know girls who know all the Bible stories, this could be just the ideal gift. Equally, those with no church background would find out what it really means to be a Christian.

Some reviews: 

“My favourite part was when Emily Jane put on her shoes for the first time and ended up in Africa. It made me feel like I was there!” - Susanna

“A very interesting story. It shows how if you ask God for something then he will answer.” - Rebekkah

“I really liked the parts when Emily Jane puts on her shoes and goes to different places in Africa. I liked these parts because it felt really magical!” - Bethany

http://www.dernierpublishing.com/birthdayshoes.php
ISBN 9780 9536963 8 3 / £5.99

 

I Want to Be an Airline Pilot by Mary Weeks Millard

Shema, an eight-year-old Rwandan goatherd from a child-led family, has many adventures, including a goat eating his only T-shirt, a frightening visit to a medicine man and a dangerously close brush with a spitting black cobra! Through them all, little by little, Shema learns about “Mister God” and discovers that although he is an orphan, he has a Father in heaven who cares for him. A victorious, heart-warming story, with lovely background to life in rural Rwanda.

We have had some amazing responses from both children and adults who have read this book - it really is an exciting and touching story. The sequel, Living in Hope, is due for release very soon and is every bit as good!

Some reviews: 

“A thrilling adventure story about three orphans' dreams coming true when their prayers were answered.” - Jonathan

“I give this book 10/10.” - Ellie

“I think this book is very good, it made me feel happy, sad and really excited; I think the most interesting part is when Shema killed the black cobra. It was also very moving when in the book Ishimwe starts to cry because her parents died. I really enjoyed this book, it is one of my favourites.” - Kemi

ISBN 978 0 9536963 6 9 / £5.99

 

http://www.dernierpublishing.com/airlinepilot.php

 

Living in Hope by Mary Weeks Millard 

 

Please find more information about this sequel to I Want to Be an Airline Pilot in an earlier blog, entitled "Books for autumn release".  It is another really inspiring and encouraging story from Mary! Both of these books can be enjoyed by church or non-church kids, but one thing they have in common is the theme of triumph over adversity, of God caring for children in need, so if you were looking for a book for a child from a broken home, these might just fit the bill. Read the first chapter of Living in Hope here:

http://www.dernierpublishing.com/coming_soon.php

The Treasure Hunt by J.M. Evans. 

For 8-11-year-old boys and girls.

Ravi, Debbie, Joel and Lance's first exciting mystery adventure. Who is in the back of the white lorry and why are they there? Prayer, faith and their Bible knowledge all help, but when the case takes an unexpected turn, the friends also need to be courageous and obedient. Will they find out what is going on and find the real treasure?

'The best book I've ever read!' - Emily 'Brilliant!' - Ben

'I really like The Treasure Hunt because I enjoy mystery books but mystery books that are still to do with God and Christians. I like the characters and how they often pray in some of the chapters.' - Emma

ISBN 9780953696314 94pp £4.99

http://www.dernierpublishing.com/treasurehunt.php

These two mystery adventure stories feature four young friends from a church youth club, who discover that God does use children as well as adults. They also learn the importance of prayer and obedience, and the relevance of the Bible today. Fun, cringe-free stories that show that it's great to be a Christian!

Mystery in the Snow by J.M. Evans

Not long after solving their first mystery (The Treasure Hunt), Ravi, Debbie, Lance and Joel find themselves with another problem; Ravi's shed has been burgled. Can they find out who did it? The plot thickens as an old lady's handbag goes missing, then a cat disappears. Can all these things be connected? Join the Christian friends as they find answers in unexpected places.

Some reviews: 

“I loved reading Mystery in the Snow. I especially liked it when they kept finding more and more evidence. It was so exciting that I couldn’t put it down! It’s one of my favourite books ever. I think it’s good because it shows you that when you pray to God amazing things can happen and that we can pray any time, anywhere and in any situation.” - Lydia

“I would definitely recommend it.” - Joshua

“I like mystery and Christian books and found this one very exciting, adventurous and mysterious.” - Emma

ISBN 978 0 9536963 3 8 / £5.99

http://www.dernierpublishing.com/mysteryinthesnow.php

Riots in the City

Terrible news about the riots in London and elsewhere in the UK, and especially shocking that so many children are involved. Watching the news, seeing cars and buildings burn, hearing eye-witness accounts, seeing the gangs of hooded youths on our streets - it is difficult to believe that this is really happening so close to home. We live near London and have friends who are bus drivers and work in Lewisham, Peckam and neighbouring areas; one of the shops I was in on Saturday, in Orpington, was looted last night. It is both sobering and a bit frightening. And the end is not yet in sight.

"I see violence and riots in the city, surrounding it day and night, filling it with crime and trouble. There is destruction everywhere, the streets are full of oppression and fraud." BBC news bulletin? Nope, words from Psalm 55 (Good News Bible). Human nature hasn't changed over the centuries, but neither has God. The message of good news is the same too - we need to reach out to our young people while they are young, so at least they know there is a choice to be made. How can they know if they have not heard?

We can all be youth workers - if we can do nothing else, we can at least buy children we know a Christian book or a DVD, or a leaflet explaining the gospel – NOW while there is still time. Or else they will grow up and be influenced by what they see around them . . . most of which is far from godly. We are privileged in this country to have a vast selection of Bibles, books and Christian literature which can sow seeds, even change lives. Well, no, that's not true, only God can change lives, but he often does use the written word to touch hearts. Try our website, www.dernierpublishing.com for books for 8-16s, or visit your local Christian bookshop for lots more choice for every age group. Jesus told stories - why not give kids a good story which points the way to God? We can no longer be complacent, we need to pray for our young people, and we need to act too - we all need to do our bit, build our part of the wall, one brick at a time.




In our novel 'London's Gone', London is bombed by terrorists. There are riots in the cities and three young people have to make their way to safety, one of whom is a Christian. Have you read it? It's kind of topical. For young people 12+, but you might find it challenging too. Available from your Christian bookshop, if you have one - if not, available from our website. Not sure? Read the first chapter on online. http://www.dernierpublishing.com/londonsgone.php