Angela Cathro's
I Know Why the Tattered Torn and Bruised Are Beautiful

From a very young age, I always knew deep in my soul that I was destined to do something extraordinary. The irony with that is, I was born into such unusual circumstances in the United Kingdom. After being born, I was taken from my birth mother and siblings, all of us split up into foster homes. I was blessed to be put in a very loving foster family. However, I couldn’t escape the unanswered questions as to why I was separated from my birth family. This led me into feelings of extreme insecurities, loneliness, and a life of battling depression. 

While a confused adolescent, I reached out to my birth family, who were now living in America, and I moved to Texas to live with my birth mother and brothers. I broke my foster family’s heart when I left them. After moving to Texas at fifteen years old, I suffered mental abuse from my birth mother as I ministered her through cancer. Following her death a year later, I remained in Texas after becoming involved in church and becoming a Christian. God's presence was so overwhelming and real, and I felt Him leading me to remain in the States rather than returning to England where my foster family was begging for my return. 
    
As I grew into a young woman, I found God continually providing for me through jobs and friends. Despite bad choices, such as marrying too early and suffering additional domestic abuse, then dancing in a gentleman’s club to survive economically, God kept fighting for me by sending me friends who constantly spoke words of affirmation into my life, that He had plans for me, that my life had a purpose. Over time, I left the clubs and rededicated my life to God who has opened doors for me as a writer. In my book, I reveal the private details of my life. My hope is that in doing so, I will empower other women. I do know why the tattered, torn, and bruised are beautiful, and after you read my book, so will you.

I believe the reason I was put on this earth was to show people that no matter how bad life seems, God will come through for you on His time, you just have to trust Him! You will discover in reading my story that the fact I am even still here today is a miracle in itself. Now, as a thirty-four year old woman, I am finally at peace with who I am. I know now, that I am a child of God, with an incredible big heart who loves life and loves to laugh. I have my amazing friends who are now my family. And now, I want to be an example of God’s love in helping others and treating them with the love and respect we all deserve. 

Life is very short my friends. It may seem forever at times, but it isn’t. During the rest of my time here, I am out to do my part in this world to help people value, love, and respect themselves. We are on this planet for a short stop, and then we will move forward to eternity. I am able and ready to live life to it's fullest and no longer ignore God's calling in my life. So my gift for the world as of now, is my story. It is my honor and pleasure to share this book with you. 

If at any time, you would like to contact me, I would love to hear from you! Please email me at Angcath7@aol.com

You can find Angela's book on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and Books-A-Million. To purchase a signed copy of her memoir, I Know Why the Tattered, Torn, and Bruised Are Beautiful or to order the book in bulk, we encourage you to contact the author.



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Shannon Seiver
I am just “One Woman”…

…but I also happen to be a mother, a daughter, a Texas gal, an ex-wife, a cat person, a geek, an addict, a lover, a fighter, and one great big, passionate soul seeking a simple life full of comfort, liveliness, and inspiration. In my 30+ years, I have been unbelievably blessed in seeing and truly experiencing SO many things. On a daily basis, I find myself enraptured by the quirkiness and depth within us all. We really are amazing creatures and have so much to share with one another, learning just waiting to be taught…if we would all just slow down, pay attention, and listen.

I was born to a very loving, and OCD, workaholic mother and gypsy song-man father. A combination that would yield a spunky daughter with a sense of responsibility, order, and a free spirit longing to see it ALL…hence, the tumultuous battle within my own body most days.

I spent my childhood playing with my menagerie of furry best friends, my imagination running wild amidst the outskirts of a warm San Antonio sky, chasing lightning bugs, falling asleep listening to crickets outside my open window, watching my Dad shine as he performed on stage, and trying to grow up as fast as I could.

Early in life, however, I discovered a secret. My own personal therapist- leather bound, full of emptiness begging to be filled, and, lurking in me, a gift of expression. I can recall my first heartache and the tears falling across the smudging ink as my fingers feverishly flew page by page. And in the end, I had this creation that said everything my heart couldn’t understand and a truth that my eyes didn’t want to see. And yet, I felt better. This was my gift and my savior over many years. It has seen me through broken hearts, friends lost and found, abandonment, births, deaths, betrayal, and finding myself…several times. My dear, sweet friend- my journal.

So, I’ve put together this collection of some of my favorites thus far to share with you in hopes that perhaps my words will bring some level of comfort to you and your life. Perhaps you’ve been here, or there, too. I once heard a line in a movie that resonated so profoundly within me…”An artist is someone who takes what’s in their head, places it in their heart, and expresses it in a way that touches another’s soul.”

I hope this “art”, which decorates my soul, finds you and reaches out to yours. If you would like to contact me, I would love to hear from you! Please email me at sseiver@hotmail.com

You can find Shannon's book on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and Books-A-Million. To purchase a signed copy of her book, or to order the book in bulk, we encourage you to contact the author.



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James Russell Lingerfelt

What if your old college roommate called, raving about a book someone sent her, calling it the most beautiful book she’s ever read? “But,” she said, “it’s about you.” The author is your college ex.

In The Mason Jar, Clayton Fincannon is a Tennessee farm boy raised at the feet of his grandfather. He and his grandfather leave letters for each other in a Mason jar on his grandfather’s desk; letters of counsel and affirmation. When Clayton attends college in Southern California, he meets and falls in love with a dark, debutante, named Savannah. However, when an unmentioned past resurrects in her life and she vanishes, Clayton is left with unanswered questions.

Clayton goes on to serve as a missionary in Africa, while he and his grandfather continue their tradition of writing letters. When Clayton returns home five years later to bury his grandfather, he searches for answers pertaining to Savannah’s disappearance. Little does Clayton know, the answers await him in the missing Mason jar.

A story about a girl who vanished, a former love who wrote a book about her, and a reunion they never imagined.

Written for all audiences, The Mason Jar brings hope to people who have experienced disappointment in life due to separation from loved ones. Written in the fresh, romantic tones of Nicholas Sparks, The Mason Jar interweaves the imagery of Thoreau with the adventures and climatic family struggles common to Dances with Wolves, A River Runs Through It, and Legends of the Fall.

Visit Lingerfelt's author page at www.jamesrussell.org. You may order this book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Books-A-Million.





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