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Aliens & Strangers
"Aliens and Strangers
I was ill; I couldn't work, and yet I felt God had called me to some kind of evangelism! Learning to rest in him, trusting him to do his work in and through me, the story of 13-year-old Jane popped into my mind and within six months was accepted for publication. Miserable at school, with few friends, Jane's only love is writing science fiction. But fantasy begins to look like reality... are really aliens on earth, trying to break up families? And is Jane's family next? Jane discovers there's only one person she can turn to - but will He help her? So it's a book about finding Jesus, presented in a ‘real' way."
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Rollercoaster Time
"Rollercoaster Time
The second in the Jane series, won the CBC Gold Award for Published Children's Books 1998. Jane's life feels like a rollercoaster, and she wants to know what the future holds. What are God's promises? Instead of being full of anxiety, she has to learn to trust Him. Again, it's a novel dealing with being ‘real' about following Jesus. This is a book that subtly warns against the dangers of the occult, trying to find out about the future through astrology etc - written from experience by someone who was ‘into' the bad stuff before they found Jesus in reality (I didn't become a Christian till I was in my twenties)!"
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Something to Shout About
"Something to Shout About
The final and probably most humorous book in the Jane series! Getting involved in saving an old church, Jane meets some amazing and quirky characters and learns something important about listening to God. She's still writing her sci-fi stories but understanding more about God's work done in his power. People have asked if Jane is ‘me' when I was young, but she's not (although I've drawn on some of my experiences - yes, I wrote sci-fi and had a character called Sandra Richmond!); however, I've learned the same kind of lessons as an adult and have hoped to share what I've found out with young people. Families might fall apart, and life might seem to, but once you've got Jesus, you're not alone any more - the message of the Jane books."
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A Different Life
A Different Life -
Here we meet teenage Sammy, who lives with her mum (a single parent) and isn't having a very happy life. Her mum's a Christian, Sammy isn't, and all she wants to do is grow up. But her mum won't let her! She needs a different life - and a nice boyfriend. She has her eye on the gorgeous Luce... but things don't work out. But then she finds out that the new and exciting different life she'd been striving for does turn up after all - in the shape of Jesus! This is a story about finding Jesus for yourself, and what it really means to become a Christian. Funny, real, and relevant.
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This New Life
"This New Life
It's not easy, following Jesus. How are you meant to deal with difficult people? The awful Stacy turns up in Sammy's life, and our heroine soon finds herself in the middle of a testing time. For a start, Sammy's got her eye on a nice boy, but Stacy ruins that budding friendship. Sammy finds out that living God's way is more than words. You've got to do it as well! Following Jesus through the hard stuff can be tough; we have to learn to trust Him, and trust that He will give us His power to live for Him. It's a book that again deals with the reality of living for Christ."
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It's My Life
It's My Life:
Sammy has found love! But a holiday with her strange aunt, moody cousin and the obnoxious little Augusta is enough to try anyone's patience - and Sammy loses sight of what it means to be loyal. She knows she's not perfect, and she gets it wrong; but God is always faithful and loving to her, working everything out in her life. It's her life, but it's God's as well... The book includes the death of one of the characters, showing that for the Christian, there's fullness of life beyond anything we could ever imagine. In this series (and in the Jane series) I hope I've shared something of what I've learned as I've walked (and stumbled!) along with Jesus, something that can encourage young people to meet Him personally and be challenged to follow Him. That's my heart's desire.
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A Life Worth Living
A life worth living:
‘Saying no to sex and beating the bully' sums up the story! Sammy's friend, Amanda - not a Christian - is tempted to sleep with her boyfriend. Sammy shares her own beliefs with her friend. But Sammy's Christianity is making her a target for bullies at a school; living for Jesus is really challenging. I really wanted to write a book that dealt, in reality, with the issue of bullying, and with the Christian view of sex. Saying no to sex isn't a popular option these days, and yet God wants us to live like this if we aren't married. That's a huge challenge when you're an adult, let alone when you're a teenager in today's climate. So in this book I've tried to put across how God wants us to live, without being ‘preachy' or ‘starchy'.
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