Huge news! My next book Surrender’s Strength (Truth from Taerna #3) is now available for preorder in EBOOK and SIGNED PAPERBACK! It will release on July 19, 2021!

So, click one of those links and preorder it today, and it will automatically appear on your Kindle on July 19, no further steps needed. Or, if you order the paperback, you’ll be the first one to receive your signed copy the moment it’s ready.

Today, to celebrate, I’m revealing it’s gorgeous cover!

If you’re new here, Surrender’s Strength is the third book in a clean Christian kingdom adventure series. Truth from Taerna is a six-book series born from a heart to communicate the truths of God’s kingdom—the spiritual realm hidden from our physical senses—in an engaging story format. Each book focuses on an aspect of spiritual truth that today’s church often downplays. My desire is to demonstrate how the powerful, life-changing truths of God’s kingdom could play out in a fictional setting. My goal is that God will use this series to reveal His kingdom to you as the reader. 

Each book can be read as a standalone. Each book follows a sibling of the family as they learn and grow closer to Adon Olam (a Biblical Hebrew name for God). These books have no violence, no magic, no language, and minimal squeaky clean romance. 

So – you can start the series right here with Book Three! But if you’d like to start at the beginning while you wait for release day, click here.

And now, on to Surrender’s Strength!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Her only ambition is keeping her old familiar identity. 

But she isn’t given that choice.

Ever since her mother’s death, all Laelara wants is to keep doing what she’s good at: managing the household. She definitely isn’t interested in higher education. When she’s sent to the city to further her schooling, Laelara finds herself caught up in a case of mistaken identity that seems like the perfect opportunity to avoid the despised Academy. Amid the whirlwind of new friends, new jobs, and the glitzy social life of the Palace District—particularly the trivia contests—her double life becomes more and more precarious. For the first time in her twenty years, everything spirals out of her careful control: her family’s security, her job, her friendships, and her very identity. With her lifelong purpose and identity stripped away, to what will Laelara surrender, and where will she find the strength to persevere?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Erika Mathews writes Christian living books, both fiction and non-fiction, that demonstrate the power of the kingdom of God through ordinary people, transforming daily life into His resting life. She’s a homeschool graduate with a Bachelor’s in Communications, a Master’s in Biblical Ministries, and a passion for sharing Jesus Christ and His truth. Outside of writing, she spends time with her husband Josh, mothers her little ones, reads, edits, enjoys the great Minnesota outdoors, plays piano and violin, makes heroic ventures into minimalism, clean eating, and gardening, and uses the Oxford comma. You can connect with Erika at restinglife.com.

AND NOW! THE COVER!!!
ISN’T IT GORGEOUS?

Design credit goes to Megan Mccullough.
As you might guess, candles play a role in this story. And more of it happens in the city than the previous books. Furthermore, much of it happens in winter.

If you haven’t discovered the world of Taerna yet, you can start with Promise’s Prayer.

Thank you so much for attending this reveal party. Watch my Instagram this month for celebrations, or hop over to restinglife.com/signup for all the updates plus a free short story. And don’t forget to preorder the EBOOK and SIGNED PAPERBACK!

 May the blessings of the Lord be upon you today!

Want to try stories (and a poem!) by thirteen Christian women that will inspire and challenge you in your walk with God? I’m blessed to have one of my stories as a part of this collection – and I so much enjoyed reading each of the other stories!

If you’ve read my Truth from Taerna books, you may be interested to hear that my story in this collection stars Carita’s parents! The collection releases on April 26, but it’s already on Amazon!

About the Book

He was willing to do anything.
Talk about anything, they said.
She hadn’t ever done anything.
You can do anything.

In this heartwarming collection, thirteen Christian authors weave tales both historical and contemporary in a variety of imaginative settings. Anything features characters stretched to their limits: a pencil and a crayon who are best friends, a Tea-Dragon with a mischievous and mysterious habit, a terminally ill child with a lovely wish. In these pages, you’ll discover an eccentric gentleman who never stops reading, a foster boy who makes up in appetite what he lacks in conversational skills, and a single mother with a fault-finding mother-in-law and five rambunctious children who haven’t learned respect for a living room.

Watch as a couple sacrificially prays for a lost and dying sister-in-law, a young lady tearfully talks her best friend through a coma, a courageous brother offers to lay down himself for others, a camera-shy teenager faces her greatest fear, and a music camp applicant struggles mightily with writing an interesting bio. Warmth, hope, and encouragement pervade the pages, echoing the theme of “anything” from a refreshing variety of angles both insightful and entertaining, spiritually profound and eternally valuable. These short pieces will delight and encourage the whole family.

All the Links

Buy on Amazon Kindle

Buy a paperback

Buy on Kobo

Buy on Apple Books

Buy on Barnes & Noble

Add to Goodreads

About the Authors

Rebekah Morris is a homeschool graduate, an enthusiastic freelance author, and a passionate writing teacher. Her books include, among others, Home Fires of the Great War, The Unexpected Request, Gift from the Storm, and her best-selling Triple Creek Ranch series. Some of her favorite pastimes, when she isn’t writing, include reading and coming up with dramatic and original things to do. The Show-Me state is where she calls home.
Connect with Rebekah: readanotherpage.com
 
An avid reader and incurable story-spinner, Angie Thompson also enjoys volunteering in her church’s children’s program and starting (but not always finishing) various kinds of craft projects. She currently lives in central Virginia near most of her incredible family, including two parents, six brothers, one sister, and five siblings-in-law—plus four nieces, six nephews, and several assorted pets!
Connect with Angie: quietwaterspress.com/music
 
Jaybird Summers lives in a rural town in Southern Tennessee. She enjoys reading, baking, and writing stories that bring joy to others. When not spending time with her friends or reading, she is most likely to be found in her tree where she comes up with all her good (and sometimes not so good) ideas!
Connect with Jaybird: instagram.com/DreamyJaybirdCustoms
 
Jae Fisher currently lives in Upstate South Carolina with her family. She likes to read and write in her free time. She hopes to publish her novel series, The Dares Chronicles.
Connect with Jae: instagram.com/the_sapphire_writer
 
Courtenay Burden is a homeschool graduate, an unconquerable bookworm, and a Victorian enthusiast. She is passionate about good and great literature—writing that embodies both literary and spiritual excellence. She believes that good and great books are a powerful tool in Christ’s kingdom and she seeks to use that tool for His glory in her vintage-style fiction.
Connect with Courtenay: sawpublishing.com

Tiffany Michele fell in love with the written word at a young age. Following God and this passion, the next thing she knew she was writing a book! And another and another. Working from home in the lovely state of Oklahoma, Tiffany is surrounded by three dogs, a flock of chickens, and a small pride of cats. She can be found writing or doing some form of art with a dog at her feet and a blanket or two on her lap.
Connect with Tiffany: TiffanyMichele.com
 
Brianna Burden is a homeschool graduate, graphic designer, part-time teacher, and on-the-side writer. She loves all things musical, and her hobbies focus themselves around friends, singing, chocolate, and creating beautiful things. You’re sure to find a smile on her face if all her hobbies have a chance to converge in one event!
Connect with Brianna: sawpublishing.com
 
Chelsea Burden is a homeschool graduate, a first-generation Anabaptist, and a passionate word-lover who enjoys dabbling in etymology (not entomology!) and routinely adds bona fide words to spellcheck. She loves books, people, and Jesus—and chickadees, hymns, snowflakes, and having a good time with friends. She lives in Canada and spends her days writing and doing whatever else comes to hand in her three-generational home.
Connect with Chelsea: sawpublishing.com
 
Hannah Foster has enjoyed journaling and blogging since her teen years and discovered a love for penning her own stories in her mid-twenties. Hannah’s desire is that the words she writes would bring hope, joy, and light in a dark world. If you don’t find her reading or writing, you will probably find Hannah in the kitchen baking.
Connect with Hannah: instagram.com/coffeebooksandteatime

Sarah Susanna Rhomberg is a young writer who lives in Europe and is fluent in both English and German. When not writing, you will often find her reading or working on the organization of a camp for children—always with a mug of herbal tea at hand. Sarah wants to live her life for Christ and writes to glorify Him.
Connect with Sarah: sarahsusannarhomberg.mailchimpsites.com
 
Erika Mathews writes Christian living books, both fiction and non-fiction, that demonstrate the power of God in ordinary people, transforming daily life into His resting life. The author of the kingdom adventure fiction series Truth from Taerna, she’s passionate about encouraging others to intimately know Jesus. She enjoys playing with her children, editing, anything outdoors, being organized, autumn, apple crisp, and sunrises.
Connect with Erika: restinglife.com
 
Born and raised in Texas, Andrea Renee Cox turned her fascination with reading into a career of two varieties: writing and editing. Her articles have been published on her blog, Writing to Inspire, and My Book Therapy’s Weekly Spark, and she’s copyedited for award-winning authors and several publishing companies. Additional short stories may be found on her website.
Connect with Andrea: writingtoinspire.blogspot.com.
 
Mary Polyakov is an extroverted book devourer whose childhood adventures in milking goats, growing whatever fit in a handy container, picking nettles, getting lost in forests and books, and exploring with her siblings gave her a love of story and adventure, which led to a combination of the two. She strives to write what honors God and celebrates the things about sibling relationships and friendship that build up instead of tear down.
Connect with Mary: instagram.com/ive_seen_a_new_world

Surrender’s Strength is ready for beta readers! Apply here. The book will be sent immediately and you will have a month to read it and send me your feedback and thoughts.

Surrender’s Strength is also getting a cover reveal this month! JOIN HERE and be the first to see the cover!

I’m about to place an order for paperback copies of Victory’s Voice. If you would like a signed copy, please let me know so I know how many to order! Comment, message me, or order on restinglife.com/buy.

PS – it’s great springtime reading! It’s a springtime story that includes a Resurrection Festival.