Presenting Angela Benson & Sins of the Father Blog Tour

Angela Benson's numerous novels include the Christy-Award-nominated Awakening Mercy, the Essence-bestselling The Amen Sisters, and Up Pops the Devil. Currently an associate professor at The University of Alabama, she lives in Northport, AL.

Angela stops by Tia's Pen during her Sins of the Father Blog Tour to share a bit of encouragement.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. -- Romans 8:28, New Living Translation

This verse from Paul's letter eto the church at Rome has always been one of my favorites. It's an all-purpose verse that I can bring to remembrance when I'm in need of comfort and encouragement. It's also a verse that I oten share with others when they need encouragement.

I see this verse at work in the life of Abraham Martin, one of the main characters in Sins of the Father. Abraham made wrong choices in his life that negatviely affected him and those he loved. And though he tried to make things right, he was unable to set them back the way they were supposed to be.

The essence of Romans 8:28 is that even though we can't always make our wrongs right, if we trust God, He can use our wrongs to bring about good things in us. In Abraham's case, God taught him that the money he valued so much meant very little compared to the love and life of his family.

Abraham is not alone in making a mess of his life and the lives of those he loves. Many of us are in that situation now. Like Abraham, we have to try and make amends. And like Abraham, we have to accept that our efforts might not yield the results we want. Our comfort is in the knowledge that God will use our mess to teach us a lesson that will make our lives richer and our futures brighter.

Prayer: Father God, I've strayed from the path you planned for me and I want to get back on track. Give me the courage to make amends and the strength to accept the consequences of my actions. I thank you that even though I went wrong, the legacy of my wrongs will be a renewed experience of you, your love, and your forgiveness.

ABOUT THE BOOK: Successful media mogul Abraham Martin has great wealth, an elegant wife, Saralyn, and a rebellious son, Isaac. He also has a secret: a second family that no one knows about. Now, after thirty years -- driven by the urging of his long dormant conscience -- Abraham is determined to do the righth thing by finally bringing his illegitimate children into light...and into the family fold.

But beautiful, manipulative Saralyn will never accept the proof of her husband's indiscretions. Isaac the heir, shaken by his father's revelations, will fight mercilessly when his world is threatened, and may lose everything that matters as a result. And while Abraham's forgotten daughter, Deborah, is open to the undreamed-of possibilities suddenly awaiting her son Michael, cannot forgive the man who cruelly abandoned them to near poverty. And he's driven by one desire: revenge!

Angela Benson's Sins of the Father is a powerful story of a house bitterly divided -- a rich, multilayered family saga of betrayal and redemption, rage and compassion, faith, forgiveness, and ultimately, love.

Follow the blog tour at: http://bitly.com/SinsoftheFather.

For more information abot Angela, visit her at http://www.angelabenson.com/.

Maurice Gray: Taking Ownership

Content provided by Linda Beed

As writers we set our focus on goals that we believe are attainable, we then set out to construct a plan to bring our aspiration to fruition. If we are not careful, without knowing it we allow the process of writing, publishing and promoting to own us rather than taking ownership of the ministry tool it was meant to be.

As an independent publisher Maurice learned early on that the process of writing and publishing a book could not be done in a vacuum; nor would it be without those casting doubt on his choice of independence.

Negative remarks increased as he remained faithful to the decision he made in a world where having the term self-published attached to your work automatically categorized you as a literary pariah. In the midst of it all Maurice pressed through connecting with seasoned authors and industry professionals for the purpose of being mentored.

What is admirable about Maurice’ journey through the highs and lows of the business is that he never believed that he could not publish his work. He did not believe that he could do it alone. He did not believe that he should continue to grow in skill and knowledge. Most of all he did not believe that he should keep pearls of wisdom passed on to him, to himself.

Through his naturally giving nature author Maurice Gray has found a happy balance between publishing and giving back. Maurice has been the quiet force that has nurtured many novice authors toward publication excellence. His calm demeanor, penchant for humor and fund of knowledge for both the editorial and business side of the craft has been invaluable to many.

To date Maurice has published two novels (To Whom Much Is Given and All Things Work Together) through his publishing company. His third novel – Female Problems releases in 2010. Known to lend a hand to others Maurice has contributed to two successful anthologies (Traveling Mercies in Blessed Assurance [2005]). His current entry is Long Term in the June 2009 The Soul of a Man release from Peace in the Storm Publishing. He is also the ‘as told to’ co-author of Livingston Lee’s – I Really Didn't Mean To Get HIV.

Determination to fulfill the vision he saw many years ago has kept him going. Rather than allowing publishing to own him, Maurice has taken ownership of his literary talents. That ownership has turned into a gift that others benefit from opening as often as possible.

You can connect with Maurice on the web at:

Writevision2000@yahoo.com

www.mauricemgrayjr.com