New Release- Mommy Minds

Check out the link down below to find my new Christian fiction book, Mommy Minds! 

Available as an ebook, and the print book to be released soon on Amazon! 

Synopsis:

Five women from different walks of life. Five storms they must overcome. One important goal.

 When Missy Jenkins finds out her coworker Chloe is expecting her first baby and a midwife plans to deliver, she's reminded of her secret past. The days behind Missy are something she wishes to hide from the world forever.

 The Sunflower Restaurant and Bakery, tucked away in a small mountain town, is rated one of the best in the country. There, Missy encounters the owner Marsha, and a mysterious male customer who both aggravates and amazes her. Marsha takes Missy under her wing, treating her like a daughter, something Missy never had.

 When Missy's new friend Marsha is presented with a scary adventure out of the country, she must choose between staying with the business she's spent most of her life building, or leave the only home she's ever known. With a new visitor in town, Marsha sees a plan unfold that could only be the work of the Master Craftsman.

https://www.amazon.com/Mommy-Minds-S-S-Zemke-ebook/dp/B0D53WMY4Y/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PV60LBGDL5RS&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.EsGT1DrrVyeawf8Pyun9QquBkyqZ-BkvJWjXra-6oVc1qFKVFZSk73l35p3qvgsTrYel8DJ3PHEdQ21FAoS3KMP4rlwqtUZI3Vyf7HHtDHbNbb9gMKCFI6gCiyZp57G1ligZ3O-ciMKU4oCa9NmidakYVwdnzgX1oWimr5s8K_xE5Cp98XcOC3JVV9Zvv0uOfA-cWGl4qT6kWNfnzDdAgbB1KmWUbYvUy7mR3HxICl0.IZc84O8JtSNJPLLhRv_0IdJSNxGcrFOunpzx5EUBOug&dib_tag=se&keywords=mommy+minds&qid=1726492692&sprefix=mommy+minds%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1

Children's Picture Book Blurbs

Writing Process:

Some of the ideas I've had for children's picture books are listed below. Some have been written.

Now if only I could find an illustrator who had time... :) I am definitely not one.

-The Birthday Disguise: Timothy didn't expect a game of hide-and-seek before his brother's birthday party to spiral into disaster. When Timothy finds his brother Ben stuck in his hiding spot, he devises a plan. Disguising himself as his brother, Timothy joins the party outside and pretends to be Ben.  But when his identity is revealed and the ruse feeds his jealousy, he must learn the importance of being himself.

 

-The Outdoor Competition: When T.J. and his dad get into a fight, it leaves T.J. angry and confused. Adding to his frustration, he is scheduled to be his dad’s partner for the Father and Son Outdoor Competition. For the event, each team is given three surprise problems to solve. T.J. is ready to walk away when it gets hard. But when one of the puzzles involves building a contraption to get across a river before dark, T.J. must learn to work with his dad, or risk losing him as his best friend.   

 

-Road Trip Blues:  Michelle is super excited to go on a road trip with her family. But when the car breaks down along the way, Michelle is severely disappointed. Her snobby cousin Chase and his family rescue them and extend an invitation to stay the night, making matters even worse. Michelle must learn to adjust to her attitude, or risk having the worst trip of her life.

 

-The Crushed Tunnel: Doug and his friends raid the craft box and work together to build the perfect tunnel for all their adventures. But when their creation is accidentally left out in the rain, it gets destroyed. Doug must find a way to fix it or lose his position as the President of their club, The Mighty Warriors.

 

What are some ideas you've had for writing? Or great picture books you enjoy? Would love to hear from you in the comments!

Children's Book Review: A Chocolate Moose for Dinner

 

Children’s Book Review-

“A Chocolate Moose for Dinner” By: Fred Gwynne

If you’re wanting a good laugh, you should read this picture book.  

Written in 1976, some modern readers may think this children’s book is very much outdated with the puns it mentions, but for my kids and I, this book is hilarious, entertaining, and educational.

The book was written by Fred Gwynne, a famous film and television actor. Some remember him from the show “The Munsters.”

The book starts with, “mommy says she had a chocolate moose for dinner last night.” It shows an illustration of a moose sitting at the dinner table with a little girl. This made me laugh, and I explained to my kids how chocolate mousse is also a dessert, but the daughter thought her parents were talking about an actual moose.

There are many teaching and vocabulary moments throughout the book, such as “gorilla war, pray on other animals, the arms race, airplane hangers, under toe, and a tortoise with hair” to name a few. Of course, they all have a double meaning.

One of my favorite puns is the one that states, “mommy says after she and daddy argue they always kiss and make up.” The illustration shows the little girl watching her mom and dad sit in front of a mirror and powdering their faces with makeup.  😊

The downside: some of the pictures might be confusing at first or even a little scary for some more sensitive kids. The “scary” part isn’t that bad, but just a bunch of arms sticking up on the ground for the arms race part. Also, there's a part that shows Santa Clause having claws.

For the confusing parts, a parent will need to explain the double meanings for a lot of the puns, but the kids will learn a lot from it.

Overall, I’d give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Peace Like a River

 I had the opportunity to hear Granger Smith speak this last week. He was a country music singer-songwriter and radio host and now travels around the country speaking about Christ. 

The message I heard was so powerful. He lost one of his kids when the child was only three. He talked about how much pain he went through, and how one night, he decided he was ready to take his own life. But something stopped him.  Shortly after, he was able to find peace. Not peace as the world gives, but peace that Christ gives, which surpasses all understanding.

He started his sermon with talking about Horatio Spafford, the man who wrote "It is Well with my Soul." This man had lost several of his children, and endured many other things, but still described the peace that had given to him from the Lord. 

This was one of the best sermons I've ever heard. 

Here's the lyrics Horatio Spafford wrote:

When peace like a river, attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul

It is well
With my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come
Let this blest assurance control
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate
And hath shed His own blood for my soul

It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, o my soul!

It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul

It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul.

 

 

Book Review-Son of Truth

 

Book Review-

As a parent who reads a lot of children's books, I have to say, Brave Books are definitely some of my favorite!

This one in particular is about standing by truth. I have yet to read all the Brave Books, but out of the 13 I've read, this one is my favorite so far.

Valor the Tiger is attending an academy where he's learning to be a warrior. His dream is to become the next Top Commander. The students there know him as Arthur's son, the Top Commander who retired, but who mentors a lot of the warriors at the academy. Many of them don't know that Valor's biological father is Black Heart, an enemy of Freedom Island. 

At a meeting, one of the leaders of the school says they must find Black Heart's son and force him to leave the academy, as he could join forces with Black Heart if chosen to be Top Commander. When Valor is chosen to be the next Top Commander as he's always dreamed, he chooses to tell the truth about his past and who his father really is. He watches as they give the position away to someone else.

I love how this shows him giving up his dream and standing by the principles he had been taught growing up.

This books teaches children to stand up for truth, even when it's hard.  

Other Brave Books I've read talk about things such as our constitutional rights and help explain concepts that may normally be hard for children to understand.

 

The Loony Bride and Other Short Stories

 

 

My book of short stories is now available as an eBook on Barnes and Noble, Apple, and other platforms! Print copies are available as well on Barnes and Noble.

Buy here from Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-loony-bride-and-other-short-stories-ss-zemke/1145657785;jsessionid=BF0FBBF1DA9A4521961273A4C044E69C.prodny_store02-atgap14?ean=2940180133090

Synopsis:

When newly married Allison is admitted to the hospital and a doctor suspects schizophrenia, her family feels there is much more to the story than meets the eye. Could Allison just be a loony bride? Or does her new mysterious friend in town have something to do with her peculiar behavior?

This short story collection has twelve tales. A few include a bride going crazy, an outlaw with a rolling pin, and a mysterious piano hidden in the woods.

66 pages of adventure in three sections: crazy tales, stories from the 1800s, and 3-minute flash fiction.

Coveting and Identity

 

 

 

You Version is an app I love using to read devotionals of any kind. There's categories such as devos for married couples, kids, some Bible reading plans, and just about any topic you can think of. If you don't have this on your phone, it's something you should definitely get!

This morning I stumbled on some nuggets of wisdom I wanted to share. 

One devotional from Mood Publishers says, "Coveting is more than merely wanting something, pursuing someone, or aspiring to some position; it is deeper than that. It crosses into an obsessive craving and unquenchable thirst to just "having to have" the object of our desire. It leads some to pine away in self-pity and others to fanatically chase after their preoccupation.

Either way, coveting is a fixation to capture what we do not have. It is based on the addictive illusion that if we have the object of our desire, we will be satisfied. But as poets have written and rock stars have sung, the satisfaction doesn't dawn. The fulfillment doesn't last. The mirage of arriving is never realized. 

Solomon reflects upon his life of hankering and asks:

"What has a man from the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity." -Eccl. 2:22-23

So many times I've been reminded of this: our identity does not come from the things we own or anything we have. It comes from having that relationship with Christ, and what he says about us.