One of the more interesting, creative genres emerging in the writing world is being labeled “Visionary Fiction.” Jacob Nordby is part of the vanguard of authors presenting New Thought philosophy in the fictional fashion.  The Divine Arsonist : A Tale of Awakening is a sort of modern Pilgram’s Progress, featuring an American business man, Jacob, and his spiritual journey.

Jacob is a hard-driving type-A personality, reaching for the American Dream. He has it all–the growing business, the pretty wife, two great kids, a few extra pounds, and a growing sense of dissatisfaction. Enter Lucius, a mysterious messenger, challenging Jacob to meet him next week at his Idaho cabin. His life will be irrevocably changed. The choice is his.

Driven by inner guidance and a need to find Who You Really Are, Jacob takes the challenge. What unfolds is a mystical journey that strips him bare, literally and figuratively. His metaphysical experiences are the stuff dreams are made of. The guides he meets all have lessons to teach. He emerges from the harrowing, sometimes blissful, experience transformed.

Jacob Nordby is a gifted writer. He tackles difficult scenes–dream sequences, pedantic conversations, revelations–with a deft touch. He is especially adroit  at description. He uses fresh analogies. The hills of Idaho come alive. Astral projection, doomsday visions, and other-worldly adventures are easily imagined. Even though much of the journey is supernatural, his main character remains very human.

The reader senses the real story is about to unfold as the new Jacob re-enters society with a greater awareness of what is really important in life. What sort of impact will the enlightened Jacob have on the people and planet? Perhaps, in a few years another installment of Jacob’s life will make for fascinating reading.

As value systems change and global awareness increases in the area of spirituality without religion, books like The Divine Arsonist will influence the world, one reader at a time. If there is hope for the world, it is in young people with vision, like Jacob Nordby.

Read more about Jacob Nordby at Your Awakened Self.

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 1st Place Winner E-Festival of Words

Religion & Spiritualitiy

 From Scared to Sacred: Lessons in Learning to Dance with Life.

Therapist Carol Woodliff demonstrates what can happen when  “still small voice” whispers turn into full-blown lessons for abundant living.   Using an interesting mix of channelled information and  memoir, Woodliff provides an uplifting and entertaining guide to positive living.

Carol Woodliff is a shaman, healer, and hypnotherapist who has crossed my path in writing circles. Over the past couple of years I’ve come to “know” her through the social media. If I had to use one word to describe both her book and Carol Woodliff, the person, I would choose “authentic.” She has an authentic desire to help people heal and grow; she has an authentic hunger for personal spiritual growth. She doesn’t use hype or sell CD’s on how to become a guru in twelve easy steps. No, Carol, has experienced life-changing communications and used them to change her life. Her book offers spititual wisdom and encouragement.

From www.CarolWoodliff.com:

“In From Scared to Scared, I share the beautiful poetic lessons from that Voice and honest personal essays reflecting on living that wisdom.  It is a journey that is funny, touching, mystical and grounded in the question, “How do we live those spirit teachings and be compassionate with our human self at the same time?”

• Have you ever felt the whispers of your heart and then felt they just weren’t practical?
• Have you ever thought, “The spiritual teachings by many New Age writers sound really good but how do I actually live them?”
• Have you ever longed for a real discussion about how we love being human and be our highest spiritual self at the same time?

I did and this is what I share with you in From Scared to Sacred.  It is just a small transposition that changes the word scared to sacred. It is similar small shifts in our consciousness that allow us to move from living ruled by our fears, to living in sacred connection to our highest and most authentic spirit.  I invite you to join me in this exploration and listen to the whispers within your own heart.”

“Life isn’t a test. It is an opportunity for our spirits to experience our humanness in this wonderful dance we call life!”

This is a great book to use as a daily devotional, taking a chapter a day to get off to a good start.

Learn more at www.CarolWoodliff.com. You’ll be glad you did!

Dana Taylor

Between making up stories about Spiderman and dinosaurs with my grandson, I was able to read some books by writers who have aroused my curiosity as we’ve rubbed elbows on the web. Interestingly, three men with seemingly very different books all penned life-affirming messages in their unique ways. Here’s a little snapshot of each work:

VOYAGE OF PURPOSE by David Bennett is so much more than a NDE (near death experience) recap, although going to the Light, the Life Review and all that jazz is always fascinating. Bennett lives in a place of high spiritual awareness as a result of extreme challenges. The book chronicles his journey through a disjointed childhood, his workaholic engineer days, the NDE experience that changed everything and the excruciating cancer that sharpened all his spiritual sensibilities.  He’s a man living out his Purpose and shining the Light for others to follow.

I may be the only person in America who has read DREAM ANGEL, written by my new Aussie Friend, Pat Ritter. A few weeks ago I received a personal message from Mr. Ritter via Facebook introducing himself as a fellow author from Downunder who has enjoyed my books. I decided to return the favor and see what this fellow was all about. The cover of the book is quite misleading. A Noir-type detective theme with a Columbo cover might be more appropriate, for Mr. Ritter is a retired Australian detective. This autobiography depicts a gentlemen of quality who devoted himself to others through the various avenues of police work that presented itself over the course of forty years. You can almost hear the Aussie lilt as his life unfolds with a sense of destiny underlying it all. The devotion to his work and family shines through. Dream Angel tells the story of a life well-lived.

Finally, DROP OUT by Neil D. Ostroff capped off my male-author reading adventures. Neil has dropped by the Indie Romance Author thread at Kindle Boards to promote his book and piqued my curiosity. A romance that begins in the disaster of the World Trade Center? The opening of this novella is riveting and disturbing as the author takes us inside the burning, imploding buildings. His vivid portrayal of the chaos and incredulity of those moments will not soon be forgotten. The story centers on Nathan and the two women who touch his soul. This is a short piece and can be heart-wrenching at times. Ultimately, Nathan has to choose between embracing life or continuing a living death.

All of these books have spiritual underpinnings to challenge readers to look deeper into their own lives. Are you embracing life or just letting it pass on by? I recommend all of them for entertainment and life-affirming inspiration.