Media Kit - The Elijah Mandate
The Elijah Mandate
A Christian suspense/political thriller,
available on Amazon, Ingram, Barnes and Noble, and all major book retailers.
Media
You are welcome to use the images and excerpts on this page.
PRESS RELEASE
September 2020
Kerysso Press announced the release of a Christian suspense, political thriller, The Elijah Mandate, by Lisa Worthey Smith. Using today's headlines and weaving them together with the Old Testament story of Elijah, Smith looks into the realities of the prophet's life and introduces the idea of a modern-day Elijah, as a woman.
Praise - Kathy Collard Miller, author of over fifty books said, “Intrigue. Danger. A lot to lose. A lot to gain. Such is the plot of The Elijah Mandate revealing the creative writing and mind of Lisa Worthey Smith. Smith continues to produce award winning books which include significant messages of hope in God and trust in His plan. The Elijah Mandate draws you in and won’t let you go. I was hooked early on.”
Author Sandi Herron commented, "“Faith and values intertwined in a political thriller that will keep you turning the pages. Expertly compared to Eliana, Lisa Smith connected Elijah's biblical journey to a fictional, yet credible, story of today."
From the author.
"A nation turned its back on God, routinely sacrificed babies, drenched themselves in moral depravity, and trivialized their sins. Years ago, those practices described Israel. God used Elijah to remind that country of His sovereign authority. Today, in the United States, similar sins run rampant. The call to eliminate God and continue in this 'new normal,' rings louder daily.
"The Elijah Mandate weaves
today’s headlines and trends into a modern-day Elijah story, where God uses one
girl to remind America of His sovereignty.
"I pray this story provides a glimpse
of how powerful and steadfast the God of Elijah and His Word remain today. It
is my fervent prayer that you will seek Him, listen to Him, and allow Him to
use you, perhaps in ways you never imagined."
ISBN 978-1-7344954-6-1 paperback
ASIN B08GVSC42S ebook
***
Author Bio
Multiple award-winning and bestselling author, Lisa Worthey Smith, weaves stories brimming with faith, hope, and love. She draws from her many years as a Bible student and Bible study leader for both profound and simple layers that add spiritual depth to the canvas. Her passion is sharing biblical truths in such a way that readers gain a fresh understanding of how the Word of God is relevant to their lives.
She and her high school sweetheart husband are empty-nesting in north Alabama where she serves as president of North Alabama Word Weavers, tends her hummingbird garden, and tippy taps on her keyboard with a cup of Earl Grey beside her.
An excerpt from chapter three of The Elijah Mandate. In the weeks before, the last patriarch of Eliana's family--her mother's father--had died of a sudden heart attack, Eliana had graduated law school, and had started work at the U.S. Supreme Court. The scene begins after Eliana visits her grandmother (and prayer warrior) who is in a memory care facility. She returns from that visit to talk with her mother, Grace.
***
“How was your trip? How did your grandma look? Everything okay?”
“She
was sitting up and enjoyed the cake and peaches. She wasn’t in distress or
anything. Seemed to be fine. Mildred came in. She’s so good with all the
patients.”
“Come
sit at the table with me and have a cup of coffee. Tell me about it.”
Eliana
chose a vanilla latte coffee pod and pressed the button for the machine to heat
the water. “I enjoyed the beautiful day. It was good to be out, clear my head,
and see her. I asked her to pray for me. Think she heard me. How about you? How
was your afternoon?”
After
Eliana’s cup filled, she tossed the empty pod in the trash and joined her
mother at the table.
“I
went through some papers. Nothing exciting. It just takes a while to close out
things—”
“Mom,
I can help you with anything you need me to do.”
“Thanks,
sweetie. I’m okay.” She patted her open Bible. “I’m finishing up the Sunday
School lesson for tomorrow. Exodus 8. God’s people being distinct, or
distinguished, from the ungodly. Two Hebrew words, palah and peduwth
…”
Eliana
lowered her head and tried to extinguish the tears that fired up and stung her
eyes.
“Hey.”
Grace laid her hand on Eliana’s arm. “What’s going on? Talk to me. I’m your
mom. I’ve known you longer than anyone, and I might be able to help.”
“You
always do, but you have enough to deal with.” Eliana took a deep breath, lifted
the mug, and blew on the steaming brew but put it back on the placemat to cool
a little more. She glanced toward the open Bible.
“I
want to be distinct, Mom. I want to be different from what I see at work, but I
am already weary of the constant battle. Everywhere I turn …” I’ll
spare her the sordid details. “I asked Grandma to pray for me. I do think
she heard me.”
“She
probably did. I’m pretty sure dementia patients can hear more than they can speak,
so my guess is that she heard you and will pray for you. I imagine that’s
already part of her day.” Grace smiled that beautiful, knowing smile that
always brought a gift of extraordinary peace to its recipients.
“Hope
she knew I was there. I don’t want her to feel alone, but wish I could know for
sure. I’ve always counted on her prayers, her wisdom. Like I did with Granddaddy
and with you, too. It just feels like I am losing someone else whose prayers have
helped me along the way. Of course, I know I can count on your prayers, and I’m
not dismissing them at all. I just miss having a multitude of powerful prayer
warriors. Every battle I faced was already prayed over by you all, and I miss
that.” Eliana swiped the hot tears from her cheeks.
“I
miss them too.” Grace slipped her arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “I miss
them and their prayers, but I am still here for you. I will always be available
to lift you to the throne of God. Every single prayer is before His throne. Is
there anything you want me to pray about, other than being distinct among your
coworkers?”
“I
just want to make sure I’m doing what God wants, not what I want.”
“Are
you still talking about this job or your career in general?”
“The
job. I feel like I am the only Christian in an R-rated setting. No boundaries.
No moral guideposts. No limits to what is acceptable to promote themselves or
their agenda. And no shame about any of it.”
“You
aren’t ignorant of the ways of the world. I’m confident you can handle
yourself.”
“I’m
not being tempted. Don’t get me wrong. I have no desire to be a part of that
lifestyle. I just don’t see how I can make a difference in a place that is so thoroughly
entrenched in and blinded by corruption.”
The
look of concern on Grace’s face melted again into her serene smile. “You
remember about your name?”
“Yes.
You’ve told me a hundred times.” Eliana resisted rolling her eyes. She picked
up her mug and sipped.
“When
your dad and I prayed for a child and lost two with miscarriages, I prayed so
fervently for Him to give us a child. He knew my desire to be a mom, but it
seemed like God didn’t answer me for a long time. Then, before I knew I was
pregnant, He told me that we would have a child—you—and He would use you like
he used Elijah, so people would know He is God. That’s why I—”
Eliana
nodded at the familiar phrases of the story. “—named me Eliana, the female form
of the name Elijah. Yes. I love that story. Mom, did you ever talk with Grandma
about that?”
“Of
course, I did. I was thrilled, and so was she.”
“Today,
when I visited her, she handed me her Bible, open to 1 Kings 16—the part before
Elijah speaks to the evil King Ahab. He is described as thinking it a trivial
thing to walk in sins and he served Baal. That’s exactly how I feel at work,
Mom. I feel like I’m working among pure evil, and they see it as trivial.”
Grace
smiled. “Do you think that was a coincidence?”
“No.
I don’t, really. She had it open to that passage when I came in. Do you think
it’s possible she knew, or God told her something? I don’t know what to think.”
“I
think God answered your prayer with His Word. Talk to Him and listen to Him.
Look into the story that follows that passage. If you’re to be used as Elijah—and
God has already told me you are—I encourage you to be open to do what He tells
you. I trust you, sweetheart, to do the right thing. But even more, I trust God
to show you what to do.”
Eliana
nodded. “Thank you, Mom. I don’t tell you often enough how much I love you.”
“I
love you too, sweetie.”
“I’ll let you return to your lesson. I’m going to my room to do some study.
***
Eliana set her coffee on a coaster on her desk, booted up her computer, and searched for ‘Baal.’
“A
weather god, with particular power over lightening, wind, rain. Chief
lieutenant of Lucifer. Associated with the bull, in strength and fertility,
presides over the Order of the Fly, Lord of the flies. The Hebrew way of
calling him a pile of dung.”
Eliana
chuckled. That’s fitting.
In
another article, “Ba’al ebub or Beelzebul claims to cause destruction through
tyrants, to excite priests to lust, cause jealousies and murders, and bring on
war. The priestess or female members, prostitutes, used sex to bring about a
good harvest and the community perceived sexual unions as ways to influence the
gods’ actions towards them.”
Well,
something certainly turned up the lust dial where I work.
“Baal’s
followers sacrificed their children, often their firstborn, to gain personal
prosperity.”
Eliana
sat up straight and read it again. In the stack of files Abram just gave me,
there was one about the right to life of a fetus and bringing charges against a
doctor who performed a late-term abortion. Father God, is this what you
are showing me? Do you want me to share with Abram about this? He
didn’t take my freedom of speech and sermons opinion very well. Show me
what and how to represent You to Abram and to my co-workers.
***
Basic information
ISBN 978-1-7344954-6-1 Perfect bound paperback $14.97
ASIN B08GVSC42S ebook $2.99
ISBN 978-1-7344954-7-8 Hardbound glossy cover $24.97 (to be released soon)
Categories
Fiction
Christian mystery and suspense
Political mystery/thriller/suspense
Conspiracy thriller
Who might enjoy it
Though well within the CBA publishing guidelines, realistic (though not graphic) scenes of working in a non-Christian environment are presented. This book is not recommended for children. High school age and up who are interested in the political scene and how it fits with biblical standards will relate to the characters, family situations, and working alongside nonbelievers.
Readers who enjoy Joel Rosenberg and Jonathan Cahn will likely enjoy this book.
For those concerned about the future of America, this book offers insights to the direction we may be headed, and what we can do individually.
The biblical fiction sections about Elijah give the reader a closer look at the prophet. Though he is often ridiculed for his doubt and fear, many of us experience our own fear vs. faith roller coaster that Elijah seemed to have.
Scripture referenced within the book is listed at the end. With persecution of Christians becoming more prevalent in America, the Word of God becomes even more necessary in our daily lives.
Early reviews -
"Wow! Couldn't put it down," Sheri
"Draws you in, won't let you go ... significant messages of hope in God and trust in His plan," Kathy C. Miller, author
"Fans of Joel Rosenberg and Jonathan Cahn will love The Elijah Mandate! This tensely paced novel pulled me in and never let go. Smith’s main character reminded me of my own life struggles. She strengthened spiritual lessons God taught me from being pursued by evil, fighting fear, praying to do His will, and girding myself to be courageous with the help of God’s grace. An uplifting read! I loved it!" Chris Manion, author
“Thought-provoking,
exciting, and timely. The author wove history and present circumstances
together in an amazing way. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time.” Sherri Stewart, author
"Superb! A fast-paced political thriller based on
Eliana, a modern-day Elijah. The web of deceit is spread far and wide,
all the way up to the Supreme Court. Lisa Smith has skillfully woven an
exciting and timely tale of deception and intrigue. The faith and
obedience of both Elijah and Eliana are inspirational to us all." T. Holland
"Faith and values intertwined in a political thriller ... a must-read for those who like Christian thrillers and suspense," S. Herron
"The biblical story of Elijah set in the headlines of today kept me turning just one more page." S. Tilley
"Intriguing, thought-provoking book. I had a hard time putting it down," H. Cameron
Selah Finalist, Kops Fetherling Silver Award Winner, and Spirit-filled Fiction Award.
Contact
Author, Lisa Worthey Smith
email - lisawortheysmith57@gmail.com
Facebook - Lisa Worthey Smith
Website - www.LisaWortheySmith.com
LinkedIn - Lisa Worthey Smith
Kerysso Press
Website - KeryssoPress.blogspot.com
Facebook - Kerysso Press
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