Author Archives: Glenys

About Glenys

A writer with a passion for God, my family and children's ministry.

Cover Reveal: The Wonder That is You

DOUBLE SQUEAL!! i apologize, but I’m so SUPER excited about the cover of my brand-new picture book, coming in July 2019. All the best stories are true… and this one is MINE, based on the birth of my first son, many years ago.

I was just 25 years old, and the night he was born I had an amazing experience that has stayed with me ever since. It was as if the moon and the stars knew about his birth, the trees clapped their hands, the rivers laughed, and all creation rejoiced with me.

With stunning illustrations by Aurelie Blanz, The Wonder That is You captures the utter elation I felt that evening and the universal joy parents feel as they celebrate the arrival of a new child in the family, whether through birth or adoption.

It felt as if the world stood still

The day my dream came true

And all creation paused to see

The wonder that is you.

Read more and preorder your copy.

Read the full story of what happened that night here.

Mouse’s Christmas Gift by Mindy Baker: Guest Post and Giveaway!

If you’re searching for a sweet Christmas picture book for children, you’ve come to the right place. Mouse’s Christmas Gift, written by Mindy Baker and illustrated by the talented Dow Phumiruk is as lovely as it looks…

Meet Mouse, the hero of the tale, who lives in a church… as all church mice do. One winter morning, calamity falls: Parson is sick and it looks like Christmas will be cancelled. But this little mouse is on a big mission and manages, against all the odds, to keep the hope, joy and spirit of Christmas alive.

I’m delighted to welcome Mindy to my blog today as she shares ‘Five Fun Facts About Mouse’s Christmas Gift’. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway at the end! Continue reading

What I Accidentally Found on the Shelf at Barnes and Noble That I Couldn’t Believe…

My husband and I spend a lot of time in Barnes and Noble. We love books.. and besides, the cafe makes a great quiche. Every time we go there, it’s my custom to explore the children’s section (of course) where it’s always fun to see which of my titles they’re carrying.

Last week I was thrilled to see several copies of Twas the Evening of Christmas all lined up on the shelf as part of their brand-new Christmas display. So… we had our quiche and coffee, we sat and read for a while, and then we put our coats on to leave. But just as I was heading to the door, I stumbled upon an AMAZING discovery! There, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something on the shelf that looked familiar. Guess what it was???? Continue reading

Twas the Evening of Christmas Resource & Activity Pack

SQUEAL! I apologize, but that’s kind of my favorite word lately, and it’s what I tend to do when I open up my email to see the WONDERFUL brand-new, FREE downloadable Activity and Resource Pack to accompany ‘Twas the Evening of Christmas, just newly updated to include all the details you’ll need for using this book to offer a Christmas Storywalk in your community.

I mean…look at it!! Wouldn’t you squeal too?

Here’s a peek at what this wonderful pack contains… Continue reading

Your Handy Dandy Guide to Where I’ll be Signing Books From Now Until Christmas….And How YOU Can Get Your Books Signed, Even If You Don’t live Near Me…

Can you believe that we are just ten weeks away from Christmas? I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the sooner it comes around. When I was a little girl, the gap between one Christmas  to the next was excruciatingly long! But these days, I often think that I might just as well leave my tree up all year, because no sooner have I taken it down than the season is here again!

If you’re planning on buying any of my books for Christmas (and I hope you are!) did you know that I have wonderful, self-adhesive signed bookplates that I’d be more than happy to mail to you, free of charge? Take a peek at these cute Zonderkidz creations for Twas the Evening of Christmas, Snuggle Time and Love Letters from God.

I can add your child’s name or a personal message to any of these bookplates and mail them to you to make your Christmas gifts extra special. Contact me for yours!

Of course, If you live in the Dearborn or Grand Rapids area then I’d love to meet you and sign your books! Here’s a list of all the places I’ll be from now until then. .. Continue reading

Happy One Year Anniversary to ‘Twas the Evening of Christmas! Who Wants to Win a Copy?

On October 3rd one year ago, Twas the Evening of Christmas was published. In its first year, this premium picture book received well over 100 five-star reviews on Amazon, was a finalist in the 2018 ECPA awards, climbed into the CBA Bestseller lists and was chosen by both Barnes & Noble and Hobby Lobby as a featured Christmas title. 

Written in the familiar rhythm of the Clement C Moore classic, this book focuses on Jesus, rather than Santa, who is, after all, the real hero of Christmas. To celebrate its one year anniversary, I have three copies to give away (courtesy of my awesome publisher, Zonderkidz).

Here’s three easy ways to enter and four chances to win! Continue reading

Introducing Snuggle Time Bible Stories… and Your First Peek Inside!

I have a new baby to welcome into the Snuggle Time family…. say hello to Snuggle Time Bible Stories,the fourth title in this popular series.

Written in rhyme, this new title contains twelve of the best-loved Bible stories for little ones, including God’s Good World, The Baby in the Basket, The Snuggly Sheep and The Boat that Bobbed.

Whenever I have a new title released, one of the questions I often get asked is: Did you do the illustrations? And my answer is always the same: Goodness, NO! If I did, no one would buy the books! 

Thank heavens that I have the talented Cee Biscoe on board again for this title! Just take a peek at these adorable illustrations…

Continue reading

Are You a Martha, or a Mary?

I have a confession to make… I’m a terrible host. I’ve never liked cooking that much and when we have more than two people to entertain, I’m a nervous wreck. I cannot imagine how Martha must have felt as she busied herself for the arrival of Jesus and his disciples. It’s my idea of the ultimate nightmare.

I mean, Jesus is coming to dinner. For me, that would be like entertaining the Queen of England. Wouldn’t you want your place to be perfect and your baking top-notch if the Son of God was coming to your eat at your house? Hospitality was an important social requirement of the times. No-one can blame Martha for wanting everything to be perfect.  Just imagine all the jobs she’d already done in preparation…

And then, the big moment arrives.

Slip into Martha’s sandals for a moment and put yourself in her position… Continue reading

Meet Vanessa Myers, Author of Rise Up: Choosing Faith over Fear in Christian Ministry. (And a Giveaway!)

Seventeen years ago Children’s Ministry Director Vanessa Myers sat in her yearly review at church. All eyes were on her. And all she wanted to do was quit. In Vanessa’s words:

 I listened, helplessly, as my peers and employers critiqued the job I was doing.

You’re good at this, but you need to work on this.

Don’t do that again.

We don’t like it when you do this. Can you do more of this instead?

The list of comments grew and grew. I know there had to be some positive ones but the negatives echoed in my head.

What I was really hearing was: You’re not good enough. We don’t like you. You stink.

These are the first words you’ll read when you open up the pages of  Rise Up: Choosing Faith over Fear in Christian Ministry

Do you want to know what happened? Vanessa didn’t quit. She rose up; chose faith over fear; and then seventeen years later, wrote a book about her experience. Meet Vanessa Myers, as I interview her about her journey as a Children’s Minister and her hopes in writing the book.

If you serve in ministry, or you know someone who does, you’ll also want to enter the giveaway of this wonderful new release.  Continue reading

A Wonderful Way to Celebrate the Four-Year Anniversary of Love Letters from God….

On this day four years ago, Love Letters from Godmy first children’s book was published.

It came out with no fuss, no fanfare, no fine expectations. As a newbie-author, I didn’t really know how to market the book effectively. There was no ‘book launch’, no appeals for preorders and no ‘blog tour’.

Yet despite all this, four years down the road, that little book somehow morphed into a series of six, sold over 30,000 copies; received 170+ reviews on Amazon and was nominated for an ECPA Christian Book Award.

If you know me well, you’ll know that I attribute all of that to this great God I know, the real author of these books, who can truly do more than all I could ever imagine.

What shall we do to celebrate? I know… let’s do a FOUR BOOK giveaway! When I reached out to ask my awesome publisher, Zonderkidz, if they might agree to do that for me, they said YES!

Here’s four ways to enter, plus a peek at some of the wonderful illustrations by Sophie Allsopp and your chance to hear me read my favorite story from this cute book… Continue reading