Bill Kassel's Blog

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My Brother's Keeper

A Medal for My Book

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MY NOVEL ABOUT JESUS’ FAMILY
RECOGNIZED BY INDIE BOOK AWARDS

I’m honored to receive the medal shown at left for MY BROTHER’S KEEPER.

It indicates that my novel about the family of Jesus was listed as a finalist in the Religious Fiction competition held by the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the largest not-for-profit awards program for independent authors and publishers.

Please let me express my sincerest thanks to the judges — many of whom are distinguished figures in the publishing industry — for their acknowledgment of my book’s unconventional retelling of the Christian story.

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The Catholic Current

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LISTEN TO MY INTERVIEW
WITH FR. ROBERT McTEIGUE

During Holy Week I was honored to be a guest on “The Catholic Current,” a weekly conversation program hosted by Jesuit Priest, Fr. Robert McTeigue, S.J., Ph.D.

The subject of our talk was my novel about the family of Jesus, “My Brother’s Keeper.” Fr. Robert posed the question: “Would you try to save Christ from His cross?” — since my book is about the efforts of James, whom the Bible describes as “the brother of the Lord,” to do just that.

“The Catholic Current” is heard on stations around the country, and is also available online. Check it out when you have the chance…

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To Think in a New Way

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WORKING AROUND SOME OF THE
STUMBLING BLOCKS TO FAITH

A recent Pew Research Center survey reveals that young people who list themselves as having no church affiliation (the “nones,” as they’re called) usually have a very simple and obvious reason for not coming to the Church or for deciding to leave it.

And it’s not the poor quality of the music, or the supposed irrelevance of the preaching, or the unfriendliness of the congregation, or the ineffectiveness of the youth ministry, or other such concerns, discouraging as all those may be.

The bottom line for most disaffected young people is that they simply don’t accept the Christian story. As reported by Fox News…

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Seal of Approval

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CATHOLIC WRITERS GUILD
ENDORSES MY NOVEL

We’re all familiar with seals of approval that certify standards of excellence in various fields.

Whether it’s the Good Housekeeping seal for product quality, the J.D. Power certification of customer satisfaction, or any number of other such designations, we take these endorsements as evidence that a particular item has been evaluated and shown to meet some expectation of suitability and value.

Well, I’m pleased to announce that my novel about the family of Jesus, MY BROTHER’S KEEPER, has been awarded the Seal of Approval from the Catholic Writers Guild.

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Free Sample for You

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READ THE PROLOGUE AND
1ST CHAPTER OF MY BOOK

Christmas is on the horizon, and you may be seeking the perfect gift for someone who likes to read. Or maybe you want a good book to curl up with yourself during those winter nights ahead.

Here’s your chance to sample my novel about the family of Jesus, MY BROTHER’S KEEPER, for free.

I’ve posted the Prologue and Chapter One, which you can read by clicking HERE.

Give it a look.

MY BROTHER’S KEEPER is available in both print and eBook editions from online book vendors, as well as through your local Catholic bookstore.

Here’s a brief synopsis of the novel…

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“Can’t Put It Down”

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REVIEWERS AGREE THAT
MBK IS A PAGE-TURNER

A couple of posts ago I shared a review of my novel about the family of Jesus — MY BROTHER’S KEEPER — from Catholic author Deanna Klingel, who described it as…

“a story well-told, well-researched, easy to read, with fresh imagination, and beautifully written …. Here’s a book you’ll be glad you’ve read; a book of substance, a book that will leave you wanting more.”

Now Virginia Lieto and Kelly Thatcher, two Catholic writers / bloggers with their own wide followings, express the conviction that this is a book that compels you to keep reading.

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Ink on Paper

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MY NOVEL IS AVAILABLE
IN A NEW PRINT EDITION

eBooks may be cutting-edge — and, Lord knows, those wondrous little electronic readers have distinct advantages. But there’s something timeless and reassuring about ink on paper.

Whether you read on the beach or in the john, the printed word offers a sense of contact with an author’s writing, and the inspiration behind it, that just feels more tangible.

So, I’m pleased to announce that MY BROTHER’S KEEPER, my novel about the family of Jesus, is now available in its first commercial print edition.

You can click HERE for more information.

At the moment, the book is obtainable from one source: the website of Saint Joseph Communications. (Those are the folks who distribute the Lighthouse Catholic Media catechetical CDs you probably have on display at your church.)

But in July, Saint Joseph Communications will present my novel to book dealers at the annual Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show.

So if you prefer to support your local Catholic bookstore — and in today’s unsteady publishing market that’s a good idea — swing over to your hometown shop and put in an order. That’ll provide a “heads-up” about the book, and encourage your store operator to touch base with the Saint Joseph people at CMN.

I’m also pleased to present a review of MY BROTHER’S KEEPER by Catholic author, Deanna Klingel, who has created a delightful line of historical novels designed to be read by the whole family (with subject matter and language that’s age-sensitive for children).

Deanna is wonderfully enthusiastic about my representation of Jesus’ relatives. In a Facebook post linked to her blog she comments that MY BROTHER’S KEEPER…

“will be the best book you read this summer. I’m not a book reviewer, I don’t get paid for my comments, but I can’t stop talking about this book….

“Jews, Catholics, Protestants and non-believers can enjoy this, learn and talk. You’ll be glad you read it.”

From Deanna’s blog…

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Book Bind

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EVEN JESUS’ RELATIVES
ARE NOT SCAM-FREE

Today’s high-tech pirates will use anything in their nefarious schemes. I’ve discovered that some bad characters are using my novel about the family of Jesus.

If you should stumble onto an alleged free book site designated “ePm.eBook,” that displays the cover of my novel, do not — repeat, DO NOT! — click on any of the links or buttons. You won’t get a free copy of MY BROTHER’S KEEPER.

What you will get is malware that can foul up your computer or co-opt it for some unknown wicked purpose.

I suppose, in a perverted sort of way, this is a testament to my book’s appeal. But I hate to think of playing even an innocent part in causing harm.

When I discovered the “ePm.eBook” site, I contacted my eBook distributer. A tech-support agent advised…

“This is not a legitimate outlet. It’s an automatically generated page created by internet trolls using publicly available information off of Amazon or other sites. They don’t actually have the book, they just put up a ‘free download’ button to trick people into clicking download and inviting all sorts of malware and viruses onto their computer. Your best bet for combating this is to report them to Google and have them remove it from their search indexes.”

I’m doing that. But “ePm.eBook” or some other version of this scam will likely just pop up under a different name, and my book could appear again.

So be careful.

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A Christmas Gift Idea

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MY BROTHER’S KEEPER
FOR ALL eBOOK-LOVERS

mbk-bn-displayMY BROTHER’S KEEPER — my novel about the family of Jesus — is an engaging read that offers fresh perspective on how controversy surrounding Jesus’ ministry touched the lives of people closest to him.

The book is available in all eReader formats.

Most online vendors offer gift certificates for the eBook lovers on your Christmas list.

And what a bargain! A nearly 600-page historical novel for only $5.99.

This blog offers plenty of information about MY BROTHER’S KEEPER, including four audio tracks, posted at right, in which I read brief excerpts.

Kresta in the PM LogoAnd here’s an interview I did last July on Ave Maria Radio, in which I discussed the book with talk show host Al Kresta.

 

To assure you that MY BROTHER’S KEEPER is not only absorbing fiction but a truly worthwhile effort at historical recreation, here’s a thumbs-up review that appeared in Homiletic & Pastoral Review, a leading journal for clergy…

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From Romania with Love

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WORD OF MY NOVEL
HAS GONE GLOBAL

romanian-symbolsAlex Szollo is a young blogger in Romania. A voracious reader of historical and religious fiction, his reviews appear on numerous international book sites.

He had heard about my novel, MY BROTHER’S KEEPER, and requested a review copy. So I sent him one of the very few that remain of a special printed pre-edition which Ave Maria Radio used as a thank-you gift during its spring membership drive.

Mailing a book to Romania isn’t cheap. There’s no such thing as Media Rate. But the postage was well worth it.

Alex has offered a brief but glowing review…

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Priestly Endorsement

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A JOURNAL FOR PRIESTS
REVIEWS MY NOVEL
Here’s a thumbs-up review of MY BROTHER’S KEEPER, which has appeared in Homiletic & Pastoral Review, a leading journal for clergy…

MBK CoverMy Brother’s Keeper
Reviewed by Fr. Michael Orsi

My Brother’s Keeper is an inspirational novel of a type that used to be broadly popular: a Bible-based narrative that expands on the Gospels to tell an engaging story about a character whose life is touched by Christ. Classics such as Ben Hur and The Robe are examples of this genre of religious storytelling that was once at the heart of the literary mainstream.

In our cynical, materialist age, such works have largely fallen out of fashion. Even the Christian publishing houses tend to shy away from Bible fiction, preferring instead to offer contemporary or historical tales that center on moral conflicts, along with those innumerable series of so-called “Christian romances.” And when secular publishers touch on the Bible these days, we’re mainly treated to gnostic conspiracies or wild speculations about Jesus’ “secret wife.”

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