Novelist
Some of you have been asking about audio versions of my books, and I’m happy to announce that they are becoming available. The first two books in my Tribulation Series, Saints and Sinners, can now be found at Amazon, Audible and Itunes. Audio for the third and final book in that series, Martyrs, should be available later in October. Happy listening!
I’m so pleased to announce the release of the final book in my Tribulation series, Martyrs, on August 30… this Monday! Paperbacks should be available about two weeks later. Thank you for joining me on this grand adventure… I hope you’ve enjoyed the series so far. Also, thank you for your kind reviews. They are such a blessing and encouragement. May God richly bless you as you follow Him!
The first time I had to seriously ponder evacuating was when I was 17 years old and our region had a bad wildfire season. Our schools closed due to high winds and power outages. As a high school senior at the time, I remember looking around my bedroom and thinking about what I’d want to take if we had to flee. Maybe I even packed some things; I don’t recall exactly. What I remember more is the feeling of danger creeping closer and threatening our home and lives.
Lately, I’ve given more thought to evacuation preparations because we’ve had multiple regional wildfires and heavy smoke. Sometimes the smoke (from fires too far away to be a threat to us) is so thick that if a new fire did start in our local area, we wouldn’t be able to see it due to the heavy, horrible gagging haze. A threatening fire might not be reported promptly, because its plume would be difficult to spot as it blended and mingled with the rest of the smoke. We’d smell it, of course, but we get pretty accustomed to smelling smoke around here during fire season – so that wouldn’t trigger any immediate alarm.
We’d know we had a big problem if we were able to see trees on fire, and by that time, the danger could be on top of us.
As a result of these issues and concerns, I’ve re-organized our evacuation checklist. (You do have a checklist, don’t you?) Previously, I had a list or two of things I definitely wanted to take if we had to flee a fire (or whatever) – but I assumed we would have an hour or so to pack up, which might be true if local firefighters were aware of the threatening fire and put out pre-evacuation alerts. But sometimes people only have minutes to escape with their lives (like those dear Canadians in Lytton, British Columbia, whose village was destroyed last month).
Our new evacuation checklists have been prioritized according to the amount of time we expect to have to pack up. For example, if we have less than five minutes, we grab our keys (to the house and multiple vehicles that we intend to drive), purse/wallet, glasses, cell phone and pets. Those items are at the top of our list. If we have ten minutes, we continue down the list to things like laptop computers and prescription medications. Our list is organized with the most critical items at the top, and the less critical items at the bottom – so depending on the time available to evacuate, we now have an organized, prioritized plan.
If we have plenty of time, we can take extra clothes, toiletries and motorcycles. But not unless we’ve already packed and/or relocated more important items. I’d encourage all of you to give some extra thought to your evacuation plans this year, and ask God to help you prioritize your lists. Hopefully, you’ll never need those lists, but if you do, you’ll sure be glad you have them.
Blessings and peace to you all,
Jamie
Courage… what is it, and why do we need it?
Wikipedia (not always a great reference, but let’s go with it) defines courage as: “Courage is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation.”
Courage is not a lack of fear. It’s self-control in the face of possibly terrifying situations. It’s a choice to act rightly in spite of one’s fears, rather than giving in to our natural instincts of self-preservation.
We need to develop strong convictions and courage, because the time is coming when we will surely need them. Thankfully, we don’t have to rely on our own resources. God has already given us a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).
In addition, if we wait on God and put our hope in Him, He will strengthen our hearts:
“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” (Psalms 27:14)
“Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.” (Psalms 31:24)
What is the opposite of courage? Cowardice. It’s letting our fears control our actions, and failing to do the right thing because we’re afraid of the pain or consequences we will face for being courageous.
Why does it matter? Because cowards are despised on earth, and then barred from Heaven:
“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8 (NKJV)
Beginning today, let’s all work on developing our courage. We can begin by putting our hope in God, waiting on Him, and asking Him to strengthen our hearts.
May God bless you as you pursue Him!
Jamie
Hey, everyone! I’m happy to announce that my new book, SINNERS, the second novel in my Tribulation Series, is coming out early… on April 28th. And yes, the paperbacks are ready also. I hope you’re enjoying this new series. Many blessings to you all! 🙂
Jamie
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Hey, y’all! Just a quick update on the status of my new Tribulation series… the first book, Saints, has been out for two months now. Thank you for the kind reviews!
The second book, Sinners, is in its final editing/revision stage. It was set for release at the end of May, but we might move that up to the end of April. I’ll let you know here and in my newsletter.
The third book, Martyrs, is underway. I’m very pleased with the opening chapters so far. I hope you’re enjoying this series, and I hope you’ll stick with me as we see where it goes!
May you all have a blessed and joyous Holy Week and Easter.
Jamie
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
The form you have selected does not exist.
I’m delighted to introduce my new Tribulation Series with the launch of the first book, SAINTS, this week.
As tribulation engulfs the world, Grace Winslow does her best to prepare for the inevitable persecution. When she gets word that government agents are arresting the remaining Christians, she’s ready to run. Or so she thought.
Grace flees to the mountains with her aunt, intending to join a small group of Christians who would face imprisonment or death at home. But as troubles grow into conflicts, living with strangers in a survival crisis proves far more difficult than she’d imagined.
The newest member of the group, Maxwell Flynn, finds himself both captivated and repelled by Grace. But he doesn’t have much time for her – he’s focused on protecting his little brother, an unusual boy with a devotion to God… and a strong tendency toward accidents.
Their daring escape is full of perils. Will the new group be captured or succumb to the wilderness? Can they find a way to carve out a tenuous existence in the dangerous new world?
SAINTS is the first book in the suspense-filled, post-apocalyptic TRIBULATION series. Like all books by Jamie Lee Grey, it’s a faith-based, clean read. Join the adventure today!
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Dear friends,
What a year this has been! Our nation, and the whole world, began to feel the trouble and turmoil of the “beginning of sorrows” Jesus spoke of in Matthew chapter 24. The world is changing, and not for the better. Difficulty lies ahead. While Christians will experience suffering, we have nothing to fear, because His perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).
As a new year dawns, with all its unknowns, let’s take our guidance and encouragement from Philippians chapter 4, verses 4-8 (below in the New King James Version):
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
How are we to enjoy that complete peace? Through prayer and praise to the almighty God. By letting our requests be made known to Him by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving.
Friends, if you could use more peace in your hearts, if you want perfect peace to guard your minds, turn to Jesus. He will grant you not only peace, but also joy – in spite of whatever circumstance you may find yourself in this year. I pray that this will be the year we give Him our troubles and embrace His perfect peace.
May God bless you as you follow Him.
Jamie
P.S. Quick book news: my newest novel, Saints, the first book in the Tribulation series, is set for release on January 28th. It follows the familiar themes of my Band of Believers series. I hope you’ll enjoy it.
Those of you who promptly pre-ordered Book 7 in my Daughter of Babylon series know it was set to release on November 28. I’m delighted to tell you it’s coming out early! The new release date for ALASKA is September 29, 2020. This is the final book in the series, and it’s packed with thrills, danger, and unexpected twists.
When you pick up ALASKA, you can plan on staying up late. While revising it, I had to binge-read… and I already knew what was going to happen!
Concluding this series is bittersweet for me. On the one hand, I’ve been chomping at the bit to begin my next series, Tribulation, so I’m excited to get started on that. On the other hand, it’s a little sad to say goodbye to the characters in Daughter of Babylon. They’ve become a big part of my life over the past twenty months.
If you’re new to this series, the first book, CALIFORNIA, will be free from September 30 through October 4. If you’re already a fan of Daughter of Babylon, perhaps you’d be kind enough to recommend it to a friend.
Looking ahead, I’m eager to introduce you to the cast of characters in the Tribulation series. They’re strong, quirky, and spiritual. I hope you’ll love them like you loved the Band of Believers and the cast from Daughter of Babylon. If you ever wonder what things might be like during the tribulation, I think you’ll really enjoy this series. Look for it in January 2021.
Until next time, my friends, prep and pray!
Jamie
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Hey, y’all…
Want to know a secret about my Daughter of Babylon series?
Alana Mills was not supposed to be in it! If you’ve read the series (so far), you know that in the first book, she’s the deviously scheming vice president of the United States. She’s a key player in the rest of the series, as well. I mean, can you imagine the series without her?
Neither can I! Here’s what happened…
I’m what authors refer as a seat-of-the-pants writer, as opposed to those really smart writers who OUTLINE their novels and series. Basically, it means I don’t really know exactly what’s going to happen in the book or series until it’s on the page (well, I do have general ideas and plot points, but a lot of the story just comes to me after I pray for help – which I do, A LOT).
So as I began this series, I had the villain (terrorist) and the good guys (Katie and Zach), but I felt like something was missing. My brainstorming notes say (in terribly scrawled handwriting): “Make it Bigger Scale. Grander Story. Add a subplot…. Add more characters – get the President and Sec. of Interior in on it. President is a woman.”
And so Basilia and Alana and their administration arrived in the story, forming a third plot line that weaves through the entire series!
Want to know more about my writing life? I’ve written a guest post for Suite T, an authors’ blog, on how an author can be successful without social media. Shocking, I know! You can read it here.
Before you go, I want to send out a huge “THANK YOU” to those of you who have written reviews for my books on Amazon. It’s impossible to tell you how much it helps me as a writer – and blesses me, as well. Thank you so much!