I wish I could write an unbiased review of this book, but I can’t.

Matthew Paul Turner is one of my best friends and a gifted writer and I only have glowing things to say about his newest release. In his last book, Churched, I think he found his voice, in his new book, Hear No Evil, I think he perfects it. Released last Tuesday, he already has readers talking, laughing, and creating playlists. Hear No Evil is his best work yet. (Yes, I know I said that about his last book, but he just keeps getting better as a writer and storyteller.)

Matthew grew up in a fundamentalist church filled with some crazy characters and he wrote about many of them in Churched. In Hear No Evil, the story continues as Matthew heads off to college–Belmont, in Nashville, TN–to become the Michael Jackson of Christian music. Yes, that really was his college plan. Fortunately, things turned out differently and now he writes full-time.

If you have more than a casual conversation with Matthew, he will tell you that he’s spent most of his life trying to overcome his fears. But you can’t tell that from his writing. He writes fearlessly of his past. I know many people (me included) who laugh out loud when they read some of the things Matthew encountered on his journey from extremely sheltered life to, well, conservatively sheltered life.

But when I read Matthew’s take on his childhood, I mostly just want to hug him for being brave enough to write about it and to do so in a way that is both gentle in his treatment of others and raw in honesty.

If you love Christian music or hate it, if you ever felt like living in the Christian bubble is a good idea for your family, or if you want to see why it takes Matthew two pages in his book to acknowledge me, you need to get a copy and read it.

Download the first chapter here.

Buy it from Amazon here.

After you’ve read it, come back and leave me a comment telling me your thoughts.

~Jennifer

While being interviewed by George Stephanopoulos she is thrown an incredible marketing challenge–George refuses to say the title of her book and won’t allow her to say it either.

As authors, we’re all faced with marketing trials. We don’t have the time, money, or marketing experience to do what we want to do. Our publisher didn’t support us in the way we thought they should have. Media isn’t interested. The reviews on Amazon aren’t good. There’s always an exscuse.

But if you watch this interview, I think you will see why this woman sells so many books. She doesn’t let anything become an obstacle, even the fact that she can’t say the title.

I really enjoyed watching her in this interview and I learned a couple of things that I can apply to my own marketing efforts.

1) Jackie is confident and proud of her work and it shows. No excuses. No apologies.

2) I think she gets this confidence from knowing who her audience is and why they like what she writes. And she continues to deliver new books into that sweet spot.

3) Her entire interview is aimed at her fan base. She doesn’t dwell on tangents, she keeps hitting on the things that she and her books are about. At the same time, she subconsciously draws in new readers and demographics. Listen to her talk about the next generation of readers who are now interested in her books. If you were in that generation and hadn’t read one of her books you’d want to pick one up and Jackie knows if you read one, you’ll buy more.

4) Throughout the interview she continues to pitch not only her new book, but also past books, and ancillary products like movies. This could become annoying. In fact, George (hard hitting interviewer that he is) calls her out on it. But she does it in such a way that it isn’t offensive. She uses her relational skills to charm George who eventually blushes and laughs every time she does it.

While we all have marketing challenges, for most of us, not being able to say the title of the book isn’t one of them. I’m not going to tell you the name of the book. You can find it yourself online if you’re interested. But I do hope you’ll watch the interview and learn from her masterful marketing and media skills and find ways to apply her best practices to your own obstacles.

What’s the most difficult book marketing challenge you’ve faced and how did you overcome it?

~Jennifer

Each book is for a different project but they each need to be read ASAP, which adds to the stress.

And it’s not like I waited–I just found out about all three books yesterday. One in the morning and two late yesterday afternoon. I got copies of two of the books late last night and the third book I own a copy of it already. (Except I am having trouble finding it. It’s not in the bookcase where I thought it was.)

So like I said, these aren’t going to get read by Friday. Skimmed perhaps but not read.

Which brings up another point, in addition to these books, I have three chapters that I need to read before tonight’s small group. (At least it’s a book I’ve read before so I can skim the chapters quickly). And a script to read (and more importantly–to memorize) before Sunday.

There are a couple of other books I need to read, also. My friend Mark released a new book (I blogged about it here). I can’t wait to read the final version. I read an early copy of the manuscript a few months ago (which is why it keeps getting pushed behind the urgent books), but I can’t wait to have the luxury to read the final version.

I also have a couple of books on my night stand that I need to read for some potential future projects.

None of this even takes into consideration books I read to improve my skills in writing, speaking, or marketing, or the books I need to read to know what’s current in the genres I write in.

And read a book for pleasure? Well that’s so far off the radar for me right now that I can’t even consider it.

I’m wondering if there is a way to cheat on my t0-read-list? Is there some type of shortcut that will give me the essence of a book in a tenth of the time it would take to read the whole thing? Surely there are people who know how to do this–college students come to mind.

So what do you do to cheat the reading you need to do?

Do you read only the first and last chapters?

Quickly skim each page?

Read the back cover and random pages inside?

Have you taken a speed-reading course that helps you to read more in less time?

I need your help! How do you cheat-read?

~Jennifer

Are you a Debbie Macomber fan?

Dyslexic and the mother of four children, Debbie started writing at her kitchen table using a rented typewriter. It took her five years to publisher her first book. But since then she has become a regular on every major bestseller list and has over 100 MILLION copies of her books in print.

As a marketer, I think we can all learn from Debbie’s personal approach. She maintains a list of fans (75,000 120,000 and growing) who’ve signed her guest book, attended her book signings, or otherwise personally corresponded with her and uses that list to correspond with them regularly.

I will be interviewing her at WATC-TV on Friday and I know there are a lot of her fans out there. (And a lot of authors who could benefit from her marketing wisdom.) If you could ask Debbie one question what would it be? Leave me a comment below and I’ll try to get an answer for you.

~Jennifer

PS. Wow! I got the numbers for this post from Debbie’s website and bio, but her publicist just emailed me and said the real numbers are actually higher. Can’t wait to meet her. She is obviously doing something right!

“You get what you deserve.”

“What goes around, comes around.”

“You reap what you sow.”

These statements are so common in our language we don’t spend a lot of time thinking about them. When we do it’s usually when we’re in the right and someone else is in the wrong and we’re hoping we both get what we deserve.

But what happens when we mess up? Do we still want to get what we deserve?

My good friend and co-author Mark Herringshaw has just released a new book called The Karma of Jesus. In the book, Mark uses a conversation he had with a spiritually curious young man to talk about these issues, ultimately pitting Karma against the Christian concept of Grace. Whichever side you fall on, you’ll enjoy eavesdropping on the thought-provoking discussion in the book.

Please buy a copy and read it, if not for yourself then so you can pass it on to someone else who is struggling to understand why good never seems like good enough.

I am so proud of you, Mark. The book is well-written, a quick read, and discusses a fascinating subject. Your friendship is all the proof I need that God has given me better than I deserve.

What about your life? Is your good ever good enough? And do you really want to get what you deserve?

~Jennifer

This week, a new book was released called “First Things First” by Kurt and Brenda Warner. I was fortunate enough to collaborate with them on the book.

It all happened very quickly. On a Thursday night in February, I got a call from my publisher asking if I thought I could write a book in a month. I told her it depended on the topic but I had previously done one in six weeks or so a few years back. Then she told me it would be with Kurt Warner and his wife Brenda. After five or seven more phone calls that night, including one with the Warners, I found out the next day that I was chosen to work with them on the book. Four days later I left for a week in Phoenix and spent six days interviewing the Warners and their kids. I returned to Atlanta and took the 569 pages of transcripts and in nineteen days helped them turn their words into a book.

We all know that what you hear in the media isn’t always the truth–especially when it comes to celebrities. This was also true in the case of the Warners–they’re even better in person than the media makes them out to be.

Here’s a video from Greta’s show that gives you a good feel for the book and for the couple.

Chances are you may think you know Kurt’s story, but you probably don’t know the true story. And most people have no idea of Brenda’s story which in many ways is more inspiring than Kurt’s. The Warners are really terrific parents and very intentional about the way they parent. And their kids? They’re pretty exceptional too.

So that’s my secret. When I disappeared earlier this spring, I was working on this book.

~Jennifer

If you’re in the East Cobb area tomorrow, stop into Sweet Spirit on Johnson Ferry Road. I’ll be signing books from 1:00-3:00 PM and would love to personalize one for your mom. The best news is Sweet Spirit is running a sale on the books, selling them for $9.99, which is the cheapest price I’ve ever seen for my books. So mom gets a present, and you get a great deal!

If you’re not local but you still want to be a part of the fun, my interview with John Young will be airing on his show, The John Young Show on WNIV radio at the same time. Through the magic of the Internet, you can listen live wherever you live . I think the show will also be repeated Sunday from 1:00 – 3:00.

Other Dates / Signings:

May 13 – A book signing in The Bookmark at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, GA
May 23 – A book signing at the Lindale Barnes and Noble in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

I’d love to see you at one of these!

Book signings are great if there are a lot of people, but they’re complete torture if it’s a beautiful day outside and no one is hanging out in the book store. I begin to feel useless and to redeem myself, I soon ask if I can help dust shelves or something just so I feel like I am contributing. If you’re in the area for any of these, please come by and say hello so that I won’t have to direct people to the bathrooms and the cookbooks (usually not in the same place).

And to all you mothers–Happy Mother’s Day!

Do you have any special plans for the weekend?

~Jennifer

First a few disclaimers:

• Matthew is a good friend of mine. That means I feel more liberty than usual to really critique his book.

• I am listed in the book as endorsing it. That’s because despite #1 above, I really, really liked it. In fact, I still remember where I was sitting when he read the first excerpt to me over the phone and how I laughed out loud and thought about it for days. I also fondly remember getting a copy of the manuscript via email and staying up much later than I should have to read it and then resisting every urge I had to email it to all of my friends. (I didn’t.)

• In reciprocity for being able to give away a free copy of Matthew’s book Churched I am supposed to review it (good or bad) on my blog. But I am not going to. So many people have already reviewed it that frankly, I am not sure I have anything original to say in review. In fact, I’d rather encourage you to go to his blog and read the reviews that have been done by others or go to Amazon and read the reviews there.  (And while you’re there, why not just buy a copy?)

Instead of adding to the extensive list of positive reviews, I am going to tell you why I think this book is important, not only for Christians to read, but also for Christians and non-Christians to read together.

Top Ten Reasons Why Churched is an Important Book:

10. While on one hand this book could be considered a critique of fundamentalism, it doesn’t read that way. It is told from the voice of Matthew as a child, his fears and his fantasies, and so instead of a tone it draws you into the world he experienced and allows you to make your own judgment. Why can’t all critiques do that?

9. We are all characters in his story . Somewhere in this book you will find yourself at your worst and at your best. The book holds a mirror up to our actions and as we see ourself in it forces us to decide who we really want to be.

8. The book will encourages examination and discussion about how our religious upbringing influences our current spiritual life . Sometimes it is good, sometimes, not so good.

7.  Matthew has lots of great stories that lend themselves to questions like, “Has that ever happened to you?” or “What would you have done in that situation.” This makes it perfect for use in a book club or reading group where there are mixed religious backgrounds.

6. Since the voice is that of a child I found myself not arguing about what was right and wrong, rather stepping back and going, “Oh, so that’s how that’s perceived.” This easily opens up dialog for what works and what doesn’t work inside the church . Imagine if we could do that with our political beliefs?

5. The book is a study on how humor–real laugh out loud humor–can be combined with a tenderness that makes you hurt. As someone who can easily put up defenses, Turner uses his humor like a spear, penetrating past the outside layers to make me feel something on the inside.

4. Despite Turner’s obvious wounds, inflicted not only by well-meaning pastor and teachers, but also his parents, Turner isn’t bitter. Matthew’s writing resonates with hope that gives other wounded spirits a way to love and forgive those who’ve hurt them in the name of God.

3. Churched gives you permission to not only look at your past, but to share it with others. That’s why I think this book is especially helpful when read with a group. (Rumor has it Turner is developing a study guide to help with this, check his blog for more information.)

2. While you may not have experienced the Barbie burnings or Satan boxing matches at your church, his outlandish (but true) stories help you to examine your own outlandish (but true) church experiences and perhaps even make sense of them.

And the number one reason why I think this book is important,

1. Turner models a safe way of talking about the good and bad of his own story, what it means to be Churched, and what needs to change. There is no finger-pointing and no recipe of easy answers. Only an invitation to think about your own journey.

With a list of how important I think a book like this is, I run the risk of making it sound boring, I promise you it isn’t. It is a collection of stories that once you start reading you enjoy in just a few hours. But since so many others have commented on how funny the book is and quoted excerpts, I didn’t want you to overlook the potential for a book like this to start a conversation with someone who had a different upbringing than you.

Leave a comment below telling me why you deserve to win Churched, but in the meantime just go ahead and buy a copy because after you read it, I promise you’ll want to share it with someone you know.

~Jennifer