Product Description

With divorce, single-parent households and family crises on the rise, many people are experiencing the tumultuous dynamics of blended or stepfamilies. Learn biblical principles and practical tools to successfully blend your family. Contributors include award-winning Christian authors, Kevin Wayne Johnson, Vanessa Miller and Dr. Vivi Monroe Congress. Edited by Valerie L. Coleman, this book will minister to the needs of those hurting and crying out for answers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1950477 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
Blended Families An Anthology brilliantly illustrates the obstacles and triumphs that often occur within blended families. Each story serves as a powerful testimony of God s love and encourages believers to forge ahead with confidence. This book will positively impact all who are open to receive the messages it relays. --Lynel Johnson Washington, freelance editor

Blended Family An Anthology was filled with words of wisdom and grateful advice, opening my eyes to a very different side of the word family. One learns that although bad things may happen there is always hope and a way to repair damages of the heart and soul, if two people really want to make it work. I was captivated and moved from the first story to the last, realizing as I read this anthology that with a lot of love and faith, families have a way of healing. Blended Families is definitely an anthology worth reading and treasuring for centuries to come. --Sylvia Hubbard, author

No one can give a better perspective of blended families than one who has a first-hand account. In this eye-opening anthology, a wealth of talent combines with a wealth of experience and the end result is heartwarming, empowering and inspiring! Each offering, be it scripturally based or a slice of the author s own reality, will give the reader a better understanding of what family is really all about. --Kendra Norman-Bellamy, national bestselling author

About the Author
Valerie Coleman has been called to help writers get their books published. Walking in her purpose, she helped to establish Butterfly Press, a publishing company for Christian books and plays. Valerie has since spread her wings and established her own company, Pen Of the WritER or POWER. Her compilation, Blended Families An Anthology, releases October 2006 (ISBN-10: 0-978-6066-0-4). Stories from novice writers and published authors from across the nation minister to the unique demands of blended or stepfamilies. Valerie is a contributing writer for The Midnight Clear, a Christian fiction anthology published by KNB-Publications. Her story, Safe in His Arms, will be included with authors such as Kendra Norman-Bellamy and Tia McCollors. In addition, Valerie's story, His Number One Girl, has been selected for inclusion in Chicken Soup for the Stepfamily Soul. Valerie has coached hundreds of aspiring authors through the process of writing and publishing. In addition to one-on-one consultations, she conducts workshops that provide step-by-step instructions on prepping, printing and pricing literary works. With a heart to teach and serve, she created two literary conferences Pen To Paper Literary Symposium and Write On! Workshops. In May 2006, she took her writing curriculum to the prisons and high schools and the Passionate Pens program was born. Valerie has a bachelor s degree in industrial engineering and an MBA. She is a senior engineer in the automotive industry and a mathematics instructor for two colleges. A mother of five, she resides in Dayton, Ohio with her husband. Visit Valerie at Penofthewriter.com.

Customer Reviews

Something For "Blended Families
There are few books out there that actually address the real concerns and issues facing "blended families"; those are the new families that come about through the remarriages of parents. In her book "Blended Families: An Anthology", Valerie L. Coleman complies a group of outstanding short essays, life experiences and even a couple of fictional tales that fully illustrate this new family status. She starts off with her own personal story and some of the issues and problems that she ran into. This story alerts the reader that this is not going to be an easy task for most couples that want to build a new family; great faith and love will be needed.

The anthology is not only entertaining, interesting and full of little personal wisdoms but it is also an inspirational look through the eyes of a Christian. There are also some practical tools and biblical principles at work in the editing process as Coleman places appropriate Bible passages for the stories.

The book is an insightful look at the real world of modern life. It is a well written and intelligently edited. The book has a place on the bookshelves of all divorced and remarried parents. You will find that you are not alone; and some of those very issues that you may be facing others have already experienced. Their experiences and thoughts just may be of help to you in working out your own family issues. I recommend this book for Christian families who are dealing with this same kind of issues.

Practical Pointers from Poignant Stories
This is an anthology of heart warming and heart breaking stories that demonstrate the complexities of making blended families work successfully. The anthology includes practical pointers from sources representing every aspect of blended families.

Articles from award winning Christian authors reinforce the importance of the book and strengthen and enhance the principles shared by the other contributors. I was deeply moved by Vanessa Miller's contemporary fiction story based on Biblical Hannah's plea for a child of her own. I also benefited from Kevin Wayne Johnson's challenge to a commitment to fatherhood. Dr. Vivi Monroe Congress presented a working definition of blended families, illustrations from Biblical families, and an excellent summary of God's design and plan for the family.

Editor, Valerie Coleman provided a comprehensive write up of a case study done by Dr. Brenda Mc Kinney, M. S., L. S. W. The study highlighted the idiosyncrasies and innuendos that reflect relationship dynamics in the blended family.

The book also provides Biblical principles and practical examples of things to look for as you find yourself preparing for or already positioned in a single parenting or blended family situation. Money issues, custody of the children, extended families are all important concerns dealt with in this comprehensive, well organized anthology.

The book is a valuable resource, with a Christian emphasis, for anyone contemplating becoming a part of a blended family or already deeply involved in the process of working out these complex relationships. This Anthology is poignant and practical, well articulated, and heart warming.

Splendid!
Blended Families An Anthology is a splendid book to read. It allows you to understand what to expect when families blend together - the good & the bad. A book you don't want to miss if you are in a blended family situation or not!