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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

(IWSG) Book Review: The Other Side of the Fence

Today is the first Wednesday of the month, which means its Insecure Writers Support Group day.
This month, I'm focusing on a wife and mother who pushed through tons of insecurity and fears on her journey to the Mystical Land of Publication...

Aloha,

I’m reviewing a newly released paperback book called The Other Side of the Fence, A Lie Masquerading, written by first-time author Kristi Woods of Honolulu, HI.

(Woods and I are part of the same homeschooling group, and after reading one of our regular newsletters, I was delighted to discover someone in the group was a published author.)

The Other Side of the Fence is a Christian-based work of non-fiction, and from the very beginning Woods sets the pace of the nearly 200-page book, which is filled with personal examples of how she has strolled – and stumbled many times – in her walk with the Lord.

Describing herself as a “simple Christian homeschooling military wife,” Woods writes with an eloquent and passionate style, and her book is very well researched and is filled with hundreds of scripture references and spiritual “pick-me-ups.”

Woods’ book is meant to be interactive and as such, she closes each of the fourteen chapters with a heartfelt prayer from the author next to a page where readers can jot down thoughts, list praises and offer up prayer requests relative to the preceding ideas.

Now that she's made it safely to the Mystical Land of Publication, I wanted to share part of a recent post on Woods’ Bearing Branch blog. The part that caught my attention is when she shares some of her early fears.

 “As I stepped out to write The Other Side of the Fence, A Lie Masquerading fear reared its head. Writing and publishing were both foreign to me, and because writing this book seemed to be the beginning of a ministry He was (and is still) forming, I knew it was not to be taken lightly.
“I had never ‘thrown’ myself out there before in such a fashion, sharing very personal stories in such a public manner. Fear certainly attempted to make that fact bigger than life. But, every one of fear’s ploys amounted to nothing in light of the Truth. When I chose to keep focus straight ahead, on the Truth, forward progress was made. God was with me, and His will prevailed.”

(Me again. I don’t presume that everyone reading this is a Christian, and by no means am I trying to sway anyone’s opinions, but the words of this first-time author really struck a chord with me – and I believe they mirror the self-doubt many of us writers live with on a consistent basis.)

Sprinkled with a good amount of humor, I totally recommend The Other Side of the Fence and thoroughly enjoyed the informal style of the writing, which in many ways reminded me of a journal or open letter written to a close friend or family member.

###

Kristi Woods
Kristi Woods is a military wife and mom to three children. Currently, she and her family live and homeschool in Hawaii, but they “move wherever the Lord and the military take them.”

For more information about Woods, or to purchase The Other Side of the Fence, A Lie Masquerading, click on over to her blog.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting post, this was really useful. thanks!

Cassie Mae said...

TBR :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Focus on Him and it all comes together!
Interactive you say? I'll look for it.

Morgan said...

Thanks for the good recommendation :D Kristi seems awesome :)

Emily R. King said...

Great review! I like that you shared Kristi's earlier fears. It makes me feel better about my own.

Mark Koopmans said...

@ Cassie: Added to your "To be Read" stack. Cool, you *won't* be disappointed:)

@ Alex: Amen, brother Cavanaugh:)

@ Morgan: Thanks for the comments, and yeah, Kristi rocks:)

@ Emily: Thanks, and as soon as I read that part about her fears, I *knew* it was going in:)

Leigh Covington said...

Maybe I'm emotional today, or maybe it's your review, or maybe this book just has to be read. It sounds wonderful. I will definitely read it. :)

Cassie Mae said...

Yo, left you an award on my blog. You know where to find it :)

Anonymous said...

I read all types of spiritual books. I haven't read one in a while, but this has piqued my interest.

Mark Koopmans said...

@ Leigh: This book just has to be read :)

@ Cassie: Yo, thanks:)

@ Medeia: Thanks, and should you buy the book, I hope you enjoy it.

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