By Benjamin H. Liles
I not only want to continually seek after God through Jesus Christ, but to also fulfill Christ's commandment to love others as much as He loved me. This is just one of the things I desire to work on. I won't go into a great deal of sermonizing, but to give an overall view of what I want to accomplish on my website.
1) Keep this site relevant and up to date. I have a tendency to put off and not do what I enjoy, which is to write and design. I've always enjoyed writing content as well as programming. I am looking into ways to make the flow, look, and feel appealing.
2) Enjoying what I love. I always loved the art of writing, even though from time to time I get frustrated and quit. I am working on powering through and simply getting my ideas down. It means making sure I hit certain deadlines I want to meet, feeling I have actually finished something.
3) Book Reviews. This is one of the few things I have found enjoyment in. I have a few authors I enjoy reading: Terri Blackstock, Davis Bunn, Thomas Locke (Davis Bunn's pseudonym), Gilbert Morris, and James Scott Bell. Every time I read one of their books I say to myself, "I want to be able to do what they do." I figure reviewing their books and remaining active doing so will keep my own writing fresh.
4) Inspire and encourage others to follow their dreams. There are numerous people who feel and believe they can't do what they love. Yes, it would be great to earn a living doing what you love. I'm one of them. The purpose, however, is to keep doing what you love regardless of a paycheck. In time that happens. I find inspiration and encouragement from a myriad of people. Of the many I can choose from I want to mention just a couple: Daymond John, Robert Herjavec, Davis Bunn, and Terri Blackstock. Passion is what drives writers and entrepreneurs alike in feeling and being fulfilled. How's that for uplifting?
The last thing I want to accomplish is to be content and joyful no matter what the cost is. We all sacrifice something for the greater good. I'm no different. I hope this blesses and encourages others to finding what they are good at and to do well.
The Fragment Review
By Benjamin H. Liles
It is 1923, after the events of World War I in which Paris is rebuilding. Muriel Ross is Tom Bryant's personal aide in helping to bolster their walk of faith. Charles Fouchet is a war veteran sworn to protect Muriel Ross and Tom Bryant no matter the cost.
Muriel Ross, a young woman in the employ of the Smithsonian Institute, is being hosted by U.S. Sentaor Tom Bryant in Paris. Her expertise in reliquaries, ancient artifacts, is of import to him. She is also an avid photographer who loves taking pictures of real life. And it is this reason the Caliph in Constantinople needs her help in making sure their reliquary is in fact the right one.
The Fragment is fraught from start to finish with high stakes, non-stop action mixed with heart pounding action. It is the second book by Davis Bunn following his previous book The Pilgrim.
I give this book a five star rating due to the fact it's well written, and it's based on actual history of the Ottoman Empire.
Davis Bunn has authored books with sales over seven million copies translated into twenty languages for twenty-four years. Bunn's book Lion of Babylon was named Best Book of the year in 2011. The follow up, Rare Earth, won Bunn his fourth Christy Award for Excellence in Fiction in 2013.
Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy of this book from Franciscan Media l in exchange for my honest review.
Writer's Block
By Benjamin H. Liles
As a writer I feel it is my duty to keep writing even when I don't feel I have anything to write about. And that's the big thing about having writer's block. I have it all the time and find it always hard to even feel like writing. If you want a few tips to conquering this I suggest a few things you can do:
* Take it slow and easy. Not everything needs to be done right away. Writing is a process. It takes time and patience to do so. I really should take my own advice here. While I believe I ought to have a dealine it's not always the end of the world if I go past it.
* Don't give up or give in. We all have our weak points. It's okay to take time off, to clear the head. However, it's always a good idea to brainstorm ideas and keep writing even if it's hard to do.
* Write on themes or topics. For a couple of months now I have enjoyed reading and writing reviews. It's a great stress reliever. In fact, I have two authors I absolutely enjoy reading: Davis Bunn and Terri Blackstock. I look forward to being able to read their books when I have the time, even if I can't give a review of their past books.
While it may not be an easy thing to do in moving past writer's block, it's always best to keep on writing, keep your head high and look at the fact that in the end you accomplish something. That end result is knowing you have written something.
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