My Review of CWA's Video Service featuring Evonne Mandella

I have the privilege of being part of a very unique group of women called Christian Women Affiliate.  Within that group, I am also a part of the CWA's Review Crew. 

A few days ago, I got a wonderful opportunity to review the CWA Video Service featuring video guru Evonne Mandella. 

Photos courtesy of (Sura Nualpradid, moggara12, Stuart Miles) freedigitalphotos.net

This is my video!  Working with Evonne was SO easy.  When you check this out for yourself, you will see there is a form to fill out.  You basically tell Evonne what you want to say, and what graphics you want to include in your video.  She matches it up with music and other graphics that fit with your individual video. 

I filled out my form, and Evonne had the video to me the same day.  Now, I realize that because I'm doing a review the process was done more quickly.  However, I reviewed it several times, and then sent some things to Evonne for her to change.  She got THAT done right away, and the second time around it was PERFECT.  She is amazing.  I would HIGHLY recommend checking out CWA'S Video service featuring Evonne.  You won't be sorry!


How you can use your video:

• Add it to your websites right beside your buy now button.
• Authors, consider playing your video at book signings for a bigger visual impact.
• Add it to your Facebook fan page.
• Tweet out the video link to your twitter followers.
• Burn it onto a DVD for your publicist or sales rep to use at conferences.
• Play your video at speaking engagements.

Your video will include unlimited jpegs and the length is determined by you.

For Only $50 you will get:

• A custom made, high resolution video, specifically created with your taste and customer base in mind.
• We search through the highest quality of music in the industry to find just the right song to match your product.
  
• We provide high resolution video clips to further enhance to your product.
  
• Your own download mp4 version of the video to share, email, post to youtube, vimeo, whatever you like- it is yours.
  
• You will receive an embed code and link to your own personal video page. 

Note: When filling out the request form you will be asked to find graphics you would like used in your video. Please don't let that scare you. 
WWW.freedigitalphotos.net is the recommended place to find pictures. We'll even download them for you if you supply the link to that picture's page. We want this process to be fun and easy for you.

Apply Here!

Please allow 14 days (after payment is made) for

completion of your video.

Want even more exposure?
Pay $75 to have your video created and merged with your CWA Review Crew services*. 
Here’s what we need from you:

1. You agree that your product is intended for the Christian/ Family friendly market and will not be deemed purposefully offensive to those beliefs. It does not need to be a ‘Christian’ product. 
2. Completed payment

• Payment is determined by the amount of publicity we will be providing you in conjunction with the video. The cost is $75 with a crew and includes additional exposure through twitter, Facebook and your public page on CWAreviewcrew.com . The cost, for the video alone, is $50 and will require your efforts to get that video out there and seen by others. Remember, the video only benefits you if you have a wide range of viewers.
• You are responsible for supplying text & jpgs and any relevant website infor (urls etc) to include in your video. Videos are usually between 30 secs and 2 1/2 minutes. 

*Note: Crew costs are separate. See Crew prices and apply here.

Book Review: A Love Story by Samantha Ryan Chandler

I have to preface this review by saying this:  I have friends who are movie theater buffs.  They know movies.  They studied theater.  They know producing and editing and filming and all the ins and outs of shooting a movie.  When we watch a movie, they dissect it.  I on the other hand, just want to be entertained.  I don't care about the camera angle or the director's point of view.

With books, on the other hand, I have high expectations.  So many people "self-publish" a book filled with errors.  A published book should be virtually error free from misspellings, misplaced punctuation, and poor grammar.  It is impossible for me to overlook, and it becomes such a distraction that I can barely focus on the story.

That being said:  I read the book "A Love Story, How God Pursued Me and Found Me, An Impossibly True Story."  It is the auto-biography of Samantha Ryan Chandler.  She writes of her horrific upbringing in "Nowhere, Louisiana" with a satanic mother and a "former altar boy in the Catholic religion father."  I truly cannot imagine the horror and fear that this young child experienced at the hands of her mother.  She had a traumatic marriage lasting approximately 20 years, and seemed to never really catch a break.  The only highlights in Samantha's life were Jesus, her children, and her ministry, Childspring International.

Unfortunately, the book doesn't really tell a story.  I honestly don't know if I have the whole book.  The page count says 108, but my book goes only to page 90, and then there are 7 lined journal pages in the back.  There are 28 chapters (including the epilogue, and the two chapters following the epilogue) in those 90 pages.  Some chapters are a page and a half.  Some are one paragraph.  One chapter is 18 pages.

I wish I could tell you what I loved about this book.  I honestly do.  It's really hard to write a review like this.  But the book is filled with punctuation errors, grammatical errors, and spelling errors.  It is completely disjointed.  The "chapters" jump from one topic to another, then back to a period of her life decades before, then back to the present....  I simply didn't "get it."  It's almost as if it were missing pages, or put in the wrong order.  It truly confused me.

I know that I am, inasmuch as literature goes, like my friends are with movies.  I dissect more than the story.  I probably pay more attention to the minute details, but I try to be objective, and find the best parts.  All I really know about this book is that Samantha had a terrible childhood that no one should have to suffer, and a marriage to a man who was basically a thief and a liar.  But God stuck with her, and she with Him. She also does really wonderful work with children who need medical help and can't afford it (Childspring International).


Here is the information on the book should you desire to purchase it:

ISBN: 978-1-6150-7761-8 | List Price: Hard $22/ Soft $10/ Kindle $5.99 |Format:Hardbound,Softcover or Kindle | Page Count: 108

"The tale of Samantha Ryan Chandler's life is evocatively portrayed in her book: A Love Story, How God Pursued Me and Found Me. It tells of a life that is as disturbing and unsettling as it is uplifting and, in the end, gratifying. How "A girl from Nowhere, Louisiana" finds her way from such humble beginnings to live and walk amongst presidents and the supremely rich, only to find her trust and faith betrayed by those that she loved and trusted the most. She would be tested to the point where she began to doubt her own sanity and, at the moment of her greatest desperation and doubt, she was found by God and brought back from the brink of hopeless despair. Blessed with an almost unquenchable optimism and a unique sense of humor, she relates the story of a life that will speak to those who have encountered abuse, unfairness and anguish. Her love for her children and her faith in God carried her through a crucible of fire and in the end, made her a better, stronger person, ready to carry on with a life that is again filled with love, joy and laughter. A Love Story, How God Pursued Me and Found Me will both inspire you and touch your heart.
 
A Love Story...How God Pursued Me and Found Me was runnerup in the 2012 National Indie Book Excellence Awards and now carries a sticker on hardbound copies. Samantha Ryan Chandler is also a Contributing Author for Southern Writers Magazine." (copied from the information page on the CWA Review website)

To see Samantha online, she is on twitter as SammieChandler.  
Samantha in also on LinkedIn:  SamanthaRyanChandler
And she has a website at  http://wwwSamanthaRyanChandler.com

 I received a free copy of this book to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew.

Crowned By The King

I had the incredible opportunity to be part of an amazing ministry called "Crowned By The King" through Christian Women Affiliate.  I received a beautiful necklace....2 actually.  The way this ministry works is that you wear this necklace, and wait for an opportunity to give it away.  That's right, give it away.

The idea is that the crown reminds us that we are daughters of the King...crowned by Him, precious to Him, loved by Him, and important to Him.

When I was presented with this opportunity, the Lord immediately brought a friend of mine to mind. This is a friend I've never met in person, but is a sister in the Lord, and someone I cherish. My friend has had a very difficult year.  So difficult that she took a break from social media, and I didn't hear from her for a while.  Well, she's "back" and I'm so thankful she is!

There are different ways you can give away your crown.  One is to wear it all the time, and if someone compliments your beautiful necklace, and you feel prompted by the Lord, you give them the necklace, and tell them about the love of Christ!  You don't have to be an evangelist, you can use jewelry to spread the love of Jesus!  How cool is that?

The second way is the "need" opportunity.  Maybe you go to the same restaurant for breakfast every Saturday, and one day your normal server seems down.  Give them the necklace, and tell them about what it represents.

The third way, (and this is what I did, since I'm pretty much home-bound,) is to send it to a friend or family member that God lays on your heart.  I sent the necklace to my friend with a note telling her not only how much I care about her, but how precious she is to Our King.

This was her response:

"How can I begin to tell you what a blessing you are to me.  I so needed the message in the package you sent.  I needed the strength and the encouragement and the love that came in the mail....  I needed to know that you cared and that God cared enough to touch your heart for me.  He is amazing...and my Heavenly Father is still there for me.  I needed the reminder of His love.  It is easy to be too hard on myself through all this.  Just wanted you to know that I wore your necklace to church today and got lots of amazing comments on it.  Some day I will tell you my story, but for now, it is enough to know that you are there and that you care.  I hope it is enough for you to know that I do know God lives and that I know He loves each and every one of us.  We are truly His children.  

Thank you Kerri, you are an answer to prayer."

What an honor to be used as such a blessing to another.

I would SO encourage you to check this ministry out.  You can find them on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/crownedbytheking.

I am planning on buying more necklaces to send to some other friends and family, and I will treasure the one I have, and have a spare in my purse every time I go out!

 I received a free copy of this product to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew.

"Peaceful Passage" by Kim West, Ph D.: A Review

I just finished the book Peaceful Passage, a moving exemplar of how wonderful an at-home, end-of-life journey can be.  Kim wrote this book after her own personal end-of-life journey with her mother, who was diagnosed with both brain and pancreatic cancer at the age of 78.

This book really took me by surprise.  It is very direct, straight-forward, and has innumerable tips, suggestions, directions, and guides for how to deal with the end of a loved one’s life.  I wanted to review this book because I have a chronic illness, and I was very interested in the kind of advice a “healthy” person would give.

I found the first two chapters incredibly informative for me personally.   I took notes, made comments about what I’M going to do right now, like establish medical power of attorney, legal power of attorney, make a will and name an executor of the will…. It was astounding how practical and logical Ms. West lays out exactly what is needed.  It's a wonderful "how-to" for things that you may never think of when "the time" comes.

The author also talks about the importance of following your loved ones' wishes about their end-of-life experience.  Some of this book was difficult for me because I want exactly the opposite of what Kim's mom wanted.  She wanted to die at home, and I want to be in a hospital, or hospice, with no pain, even if that means being completely out of it.

There was one thing about this book that I had an even more difficult time with.  There were several typos in the book, especially in the first 39 pages, and as a "grammar freak," it was extremely bothersome.  Having said that, I am so glad I continued on with this book.  The amount of information for someone who wants to die at home is amazing, from the big, important decisions, to the little tips like layering the bed with more than one sheet, in case there's an accident in the middle of the night.  I would definitely recommend this for anyone who wishes to have this particular end-of-life journey with their loved one, or their own journey.

If you would like to purchase Peaceful Passage, it is available on Amazon.com, or you can go to http://www.peaceful-passage.com/order.html for the best price.

You can check out Kim West on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/peacefulpassage,

or her own website at http://www.peaceful-passage.com/ 

About the Author:
"Kim West holds a PhD in Clinical Pastoral Counseling an dan M.Div. in Counseling and Family.  Peaceful Passage represents a merging of her years of life and counseling experience with new skills acquired as the primary caregiver during her mother's final journey." -from the back cover









 I received a free copy of this book/Ebook/Product to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew.