Authors A-C

~Amanda Wen, ~Andrea Marino, ~Andrew Sternke, ~Angela Georgantas ~Angie K. Elliston, ~Angie Grigaliunas, ~Anne C. Miles, ~Annette Whipple, ~Auralee Arkinsly, ~Barbara M. Britton, ~Beth Alverez, ~Carla Marie Blake, ~Carol McClain, ~Charmayne Hafen, ~Cheryl C. Malandrinos, ~Christina Myers, ~Cindy Holt Miller, ~Courtney Reissig, ~Crystal Bowman

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Amanda Wen

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Book: Roots of Wood and Stone

Heart-Soul-Mind Article: A Faith Through the Ages

About the Author

Amanda Wen is an award-winning writer of inspirational romance and split-time women’s fiction. She has placed first in multiple contests, including the 2017 Indiana Golden Opportunity Contest, the 2017 Phoenix Rattler Contest, and the 2016 ACFW First Impressions Contest, among others. She was also a 2018 ACFW Genesis Contest finalist.

In addition to her writing, Amanda is an accomplished professional cellist and pianist who frequently performs with orchestras, chamber groups, and worship teams, as well as serving as a choral accompanist. A lifelong denizen of the flatlands, Amanda currently lives in Kansas with her husband, their three adorable and hilarious Wenlets, and a snuggly Siamese cat. Roots of Wood and Stone is her debut novel.

Connect with Amanda

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Andrea Marino

Electa — because everyone hobbles on heart-soul-mind.org

Genre: Fantasy

Book: The Hobble, from Ai to Bethel

Heart-Soul-Mind Article: Electa – Because Everyone Hobbles

About the Author: Andrea Marino is a Christian who is passionate about sharing God’s Good News about Jesus Christ. She seeks to encourage people to never lose hope. Coming from a place of fear and bondage, Andrea writes about her personal victory. The Hobble, from Ai to Bethel is a life and death story, encompassing one, young, down-on-her-luck woman’s encounter with the real-live Son of God. Struggling for over twenty years to give the concept of sin and death a more inviting understanding, Andrea hopes the reader will find a commonality in the fact that all people ‘hobble’ upon the earth before God and are in need of Him.

When not writing, Andrea loves spending time with her four children and four, young grandchildren, and enjoys cycling on the open roads with her husband.

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Andrew Sternke

Andrew Sternke: devotional author of The Narrow Way: One Year Practical Discipleship Devotional

Genre: Devotional

Book: The Narrow Way: One Year Practical Discipleship Devotional

Heart-Soul-Mind Article: The Living Word

About the Author: Andrew Sternke truly tries to live out what he feels is the life God asks him to live.  Andrew and his wife Audra are parents to five beautiful children ranging from 10 years old to 2 weeks old.  They live in South Dakota and are active in their church and community.  Andrew serves as Guest Service Coordinator at one of the three campuses at their church and continues to write devotionals for his team.  Andrew and Audra are marriage mentors for engaged couples and have led small groups for over a decade.  They strive to teach their children the value of serving free of self at home, at church, at school, and in the community.

When he’s not writing or serving in the church, Andrew enjoys fishing, reading, family bike rides and game nights, gardening, and woodworking.

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Angela Georgantas

Devotional Author Angela Georgantas

Genre: Devotionals

Book: Anchor Your Soul in Hope

Heart-Soul-Mind Article: Anchoring Your Soul

About the Author: Angela Georgantas is a high school English teacher, blogger, and author of one book in two forms.

“For most of my life,” she says, “I was a lukewarm Christian. About eight years ago, God woke me up to the times we are living in: the end times. He let me know it was time to go all-in for Jesus and He gave me a ministry in writing.”

Besides the books and blog, Angela also writes for tracts.com and creates lessons for her campus’ Warriors For Christ club.

Connect with Angela

Angie K. Elliston

Angie K. Elliston shares her memoir about her joys and struggles in adopting and raising 13 children.

Genre: Biography and Memoir

Book: Phoenix Bound

Heart-Soul-Mind Article: Addressing the Struggles of Adoption

About the Author and her Passion for Compassion: Angie K Elliston and her husband have been married for over 25 years and have adopted 13 children. At just 8 years old, Angie vowed to protect and love children who did not have anyone to love them. She went to college for Sociology with the expressed desire to be a Social Worker but decided not to go that route. Instead, she chose to be at home with her children. Soon after marrying, she and her husband began their arduous adoption journey chronicled in Phoenix Bound. Noticing a lack of resources for those in the adoption triad (the child, birth family, and adoptive family), Angie seeks to provide those resources.

Through the years, Angie and her husband have adopted 6 dogs, a pot-bellied pig, and a cat. They have also fostered many puppies, preparing them for loving homes.

Angie and her husband have a compassionate heart for people and animals, but most of all, a passion for justice and the hurting, which has led her to writing books.

Angie’s website, www.AngieKElliston.com, includes resources for everyone in the adoption triad as well as professionals, families, and friends of those in the adoption triad.

Connect with Angie

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Angie Grigaliunas

Fantasy Author Angie Grigaliunas shares about the gritty redemptive nature of her dystopian fantasy novels on Heart-Soul-Mind.org

Genre: Christian YA Fantasy, Fantasy

Published Books: The Purification Era Series:Sowing, Quelling

Work In Progress: A Bridge of Starlight Trilogy: Perception

Heart-Soul-Mind Article: The Gritty Business of Redemption with Angie Grigaliunas

About the Author: Angie Grigaliunas (grig-ah-LOO-nahs) is a part-time normal person and full-time author of fantasy/dystopian young adult books. And also some romance. (“She admits it! Murderer!”) She loves Jesus, the woods, and the stars, and has always wanted to be a superhero with a secret identity.

She has completed four books: one about elves that needs a massive revision before it ever sees the light of day, one that is part of her current story but also needs a massive revision to fit a new storyline, and the actual first and second books (Sowing and Quelling) in her dystopian fantasy series (The Purification Era).

When she’s not writing, she’s usually Facebooking – ack! – or thinking about story stuff. Or exercising. Or eating ice cream, because life is short and ice cream is delicious. Despite several of her writing friends claiming she’s Canadian, she is not; she lives in Ohio with her dear husband, their goofy dog, and their crazy cats.

Connect with Angie

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Anne C. Miles

Award-winning fantasy author Anne C. Miles

Genre: Fantasy

Book: Sorrowfish

Heart-Soul-Mind Article: Art, Music, and Conspiracies

About the Author: Anne C. Miles, an award-winning author, was born in Chicago Heights, Illinois in 1971. She successfully avoided writing fiction for years by blogging and extensive journaling. However, one day, she logged into a writing site and scribbled. She kept going, and now cannot stop. Her book, Sorrowfish, was named Best Fantasy of 2019 by Indies Today.

Anne was confirmed in the Anglican Church (ACNA, High Anglican) in 2016. She takes communion once a week. When Anne isn’t working or writing, she plays violin and spoils her grandchildren.

These days, she’s hard at work writing the next book of her series, The Call of the Lorica, and preparing to launch the audiobook version of Sorrowfish.

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Annette Whipple

Genre: Non-fiction Children’s Picture Books

Book/Series:

Heart-Soul-Mind Article: Indulging Curiosity

About the Author: Annette Whipple celebrates curiosity and inspires a sense of wonder while exciting readers about science and history. She’s the author of fact-filled children’s books including The Laura Ingalls Wilder Companion: A Chapter-by-Chapter Guide (Chicago Review Press) and The Truth About series (Reycraft Books) including Whooo Knew? The Truth About Owls and Scurry! The Truth About Spiders. Get to know Annette and explore her resources for writers at www.AnnetteWhipple.com.

Connect with Annette:

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Auralee Arkinsly

Children’s Picture Book Author Auralee Arkinsly

Genre: Children’s Picture Books, Gift Books

Books: Darling Hedgehog Goes Down a Foxhole, Before Long: Let’s Move

Heart-Soul-Mind Article: Writing with the Seriousness of Humor

About the Author: Auralee Arkinsly writes in good humor about serious subjects because kids of all ages can learn a lot from laughing. Since opposites exist, she believes children can learn to identify the nature of things and get out of a risky situation. “Good Laughter sparks the mind.” She reckons if she can save some from the bumps and bruises, then she has done a good day’s work.

Darling Hedgehog Goes Down a Foxhole is her first early reader chapter book full of lush illustrations, illustrations which she wooed from a highly gifted 9th grader by offering good trade in exchange for the artist’s first published works.

Find author’s bling/swag at BooksForBondingHearts.com

Connect with Auralee

Although Auralee isn’t on social media much, you can email her at AuraleeArkinsly@gmail.com, occasionally connect with her on Facebook and find out when she publishes a new book by “following” her author profile here:  https://www.amazon.com/Auralee-Arkinsly/e/B07PDTLPQQ/

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Barbara M. Britton

Biblical Fiction author Barbara M. Britton

Genre: Biblical Fiction

Books and Series:

Heart-Soul-Mind Article: Discovering Historic Sisters in the Bible

About the Author: Barbara M. Britton lives in Southeast Wisconsin and loves the snow—when it accumulates under three inches. She has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate.

Barb is published in Biblical fiction and enjoys bringing little-known Bible characters to light in her stories. Look for her to venture into Christian Historical fiction in 2020 with “Until June.”

Memberships include: the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Romance Writers of America, and Wisconsin Romance Writers of America.

Find out more about Barb and her books on her website: www.barbarambritton.com

Follow Barb on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads and BookBub.

All her books can be ordered through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Google Play, Pelican Book Group, CBD, and other outlets. Libraries can order the books, too.

“Lioness: Mahlah’s Journey” on Amazon— the daughters of Zelophehad, Book One is a Carol Award Finalist—results in September!

Beth Alvarez

Beth Alvarez share about her latest fantasy book, To Steal the Crown, on Heart-Soul-Mind.org

Genre: Fantasy

Books: To Steal the World, To Steal the Crown

Heart-Soul-Mind Article: Welcome Wednesday: Venturing Out with Beth Alvarez

About the Author: Beth Alvarez is an Illinois native living in Memphis, Tennessee, along with her husband, daughter, a Siberian husky, and a very mean cat.

A visual arts major, she has worked as a freelance graphic designer. Against all advice, she makes her own book covers.

Reading The Hobbit when she was 8 years-old led Beth to fall in love with fantasy at an early age. She later developed a love for vampires and the supernatural, which is unsurprising, given she never outgrew the goth phase.

In her free time, Beth enjoys drawing, hitting the road in her beloved Mustang, sipping tea, sewing for her Asian ball-jointed dolls, and making her prior-Marine husband spar in the kitchen for sake of writing more convincing combat scenes.

Connect With Beth

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Carla Marie Blake

Genre: Poetry

Books: Learning Through Poetry, A,B,C Book of Inspirational Poetry for Everyday Life and Emotions

Heart-Soul-Mind Article: Everyday Poetry

About the Author

Carla Marie Blake was born in the small town of Easley, SC and currently resides in South Carolina today. Even though she was brought up in a small area, it hasn’t kept her from wanting to reach opportunities that seemed far beyond her grasp. 

She’s always loved to write, even from an early age. From writing poems in her diary to a song created from her heart, words became a piece of art to her. The words are her paint and the world before her is her empty canvas. Carla believes it is her duty to paint a portrait of this world. She finds herself surrounded by numerous stories that she still needs to create and tell. Her dream has always been to become a writer and a published author and now that she’s become the one thing she’s yearned to be, she feels she must fulfill the duties required to remain aligned with her purpose.

“I’m far from the finish line, but I’m determined to stay in the race until my task on earth is done. I thank God for everything he’s enabled me to accomplish and I’m grateful for everyone who continues to  support me.”

Connect with Carla

Carla loves it when readers contact her.

“Being connected to my readers is important to me,” she shared. “I want to know how I touched their lives and hear their stories.”

You can reach out to Carla through:

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Carol McClain

Award-Winning Women’s Fiction Author, Carol McClain

Genre: Christian Fiction

Book: The Perils of Cheryl, A New York Yankee on Stinking Creek, Yesterday’s Poison

Heart-Soul-Mind Article: Writing with the Humor of Life

About the Author

Carol McClain is the award-winning author of four novels. The New York Yankee on Stinking Creek is the first-place winner of The Dragonfly Book Award for best novel.

McClain writes novels about the redemption of the unredeemable. Even her most serious works are laced with humor. She is a consummate encourager, and no matter what your faith might look like, you will find compassion, humor and wisdom in her complexly layered, but ultimately readable work.

She is a past president of ACFW Knoxville and its current treasurer/secretary. She facilitates Postmark Writers, an offshoot of the LaFollette Art Group. She teaches online courses and is a clinical supervisor for WGU.

In addition to the above, she’s served on the Board of Connections to Recovery, an organization dedicated to keeping addicts sober. She’s mentored recovering addicts, and at one time, had been a foster mother–the complexity and difficulty of that calling proved she was better off writing about it than performing it.

(Is there nothing she can’t do? The answer? Sing. “Don’t ever ask me to sing,” she says.)

Aside from writing, she’s a skilled stained-glass artist, and a budding potter.

Carol lives in Tennessee with her husband, kitties, and Springer spaniel, and soon will own a passel of Nigerian Dwarf goats.

Connect with Carol

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Charmayne Hafen

MG and YA Fantasy Author Charmayne Hafen

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy and Young Adult Fantasy

Books: Land of Twilight Series: Journey to Twilight, Return to Twilight, Trouble in Twilight; YA Fantasy: Indebted: The Berkshire Dragon

Heart-Soul-Mind Article: Bolstering a Child’s Faith

About the Author:

Charmayne is a graduate of John Brown University where she majored in Journalism and Psychology. In 2016, she published her first book, The Land Of Twilight, which was selected as a winner in the category of Juvenile Fiction in the Winter 2017 NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards. Using knowledge and skills acquired from her MA in counseling, Charmayne wrote The Land Of Twilight series to help kids navigate the sometimes difficult waters of divorce. Her love of Celtic mythology also influenced the books. The first book in the series has been republished under a new title called Journey To Twilight. The second and third book, Return To Twilight and Trouble In Twilight, were published in 2020. Charmayne has also published Indebted: The Berkshire Dragon, a young adult fantasy and an allegorical statement about family relationships, friendship and the destructive consequences of giving allegiance to something or someone other than God.

When she’s not writing, Charmayne is doing something fun outside like skiing or teaching her nine year-old niece how to rollerblade. She’s also Vice President of the small company owned by her husband, John, which performs quality assurance testing on fuels. Charmayne runs counseling groups for adults and a therapeutic photography group for teens. She and John live in Colorado with their Chihuahua, Frida.

Connect with Charmayne

Learn More About the Books

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Cheryl C. Malandrinos

Genre: Children’s Chapter Books, Children’s Picture Books

Books: A Christmas Kindness, Little Shepherd, Macaroni and Cheese for Thanksgiving, Amos Faces His Bully

Heart-Soul-Mind Article: Spreading Kindness

About the Author: Cheryl C. Malandrinos is a freelance writer and editor. She is the author of four children’s books including, A Christmas Kindness, released by 4RV Publishing. A member of SCBWI, she is blogger and book reviewer. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two daughters. She also has a son who is married.

Connect with Cheryl

Visit Cheryl online at:

Purchase the Books

Purchase A Christmas Kindness from the following online retailers:

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Christina Myers

Children’s Picture Book Author Christina Myers shares about her newest book, The Little Boy Who Wouldn’t Eat Cheesecake

Genre: Children’s Picture Book

Book: The Little Boy Who Wouldn’t Eat Cheesecake

Heart-Soul-Mind Article: Challenging Preconceived Notions

About the Author: Christina Myers is a Southern blogger, screenwriter, and speaker with a background in voice-over work and acting. She enjoys sharing good news, creative interests, and encouraging words at humbleandbold.com. She has taught children for many years and lives in the suburbs of Atlanta with her husband and their two sons.

Connect with Christina

Cindy Holt Miller

Genre: Children’s Chapter Books

Book: Zechariah Park: The Tale Spinner

Heart-Soul-Mind Article: Inspiring Change

About the Author: Cindy is a wife, mother and nana who has enjoyed making up tales since she was a little girl and now, as an author, she gets to share those tales with children of all ages everywhere.

After spending thirty years as an elementary school teacher and administrator, she has a heart for sharing Biblical principles, in a fun and easily relatable way, with the next generation.

While in college, a professor issued a challenge to his students that Cindy has never forgotten.  “Are you going to isolate your children or insulate them?” 

Our children today are living in a world that is difficult in which to grow up.  She believes if we insulate our kids with truth, and model how to live out that truth, our children can change the culture around them instead of the culture changing our children. 

Zechariah Park is Cindy’s dream to assist in insulating our children by helping them hide God’s Word in their hearts. 

Cindy lives in central Indiana, United States, with her husband, Kevin.  They love to spend time with family and escape to a beach whenever possible.

Connect with Cindy

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Courtney Reissig

Devotional author Courtney Reissig shares about her latest book, Teach Me to Feel: Worshiping Through the Psalms in Every Season of Life, on Heart-Soul-Mind.org

Genre: Christian Living and Devotional

Book: Teach Me to Feel: Worshiping Though the Psalms in Every Season of Life

Heart-Soul-Mind Article: Welcome Wednesday: Teach Me to Feel with Courtney Reissig

About the Author: Courtney Reissig is a writer and Bible teacher living in Little Rock, Arkansas. She is the proud mom of four sons, happy wife to Daniel, and author of three books.

When she is not writing or wrangling kids, she enjoys running and a relaxing Friday night. Her family belongs to Immanuel Baptist Church.

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Crystal Bowman

Award-winning author Crystal Bowman

Genre: Children’s Picture Books

Books: My Arms Will Hold you Tight, M is For Manger, My Mama and Me

Heart-Soul-Mind Article: A Huggable Story

About the Author: Crystal Bowman is a bestselling, award-winning author of more than 100 books for children, four nonfiction books for women, and contributor to numerous compilations books. She is also a speaker, lyricist, freelance editor, and a regular contributor to Clubhouse Jr. Magazine. She and her daughter, Teri McKinley, are the creators and co-authors of Our Daily Bread for Kids, Our Daily Bread for Preschoolers, Our Daily Bread for Little Hearts, M is For Manger, and My Mama and Me.

Crystal enjoys teaching workshops at writers conference to help aspiring authors learn more about writing for children. She writes for numerous major publishing houses and enjoys mentoring writers who write for children ages 0-10.  She and her husband enjoy seven huggable grandkids.

Connect with Crystal