Showcasing Northeast Ohio Authors
When I hear from others that they “have a book in them,” I love to check in. More often than not, that book stays an idea. Sometimes the person hopes I’ll write it for them. Unless God says so, it’s a no. I want to watch that person run with it.
This year or so, I’ve watched three friends take ideas and transform their ideas to a finished manuscript, and then to a published book. I want to showcase them all.
I’ve known Genna Pellin since her youth group days. She’s married and a mom of two boys. A few months ago, she mentioned her youngest son had written a book with her. That book’s available on Amazon and I can’t wait to get my copy.
BJ’s Brain Boxes, Unlocking ADHD by Genna Pellin and Carson Pellin
CJ’s Brain Boxes is for everyone who has ever felt like their brain is playing tricks on them. If you have ever felt out of control or different. You are not alone, and your brain is NOT wrong. Jump into CJ’s story. Help him find his keys and understand his ADHD. See if any of those keys will help unlock your boxes too.
Safe and Sound by Valerie Flanigan
I haven’t known Valerie as long as Genna, but we connected quickly. We share a lot of the same interests and gifts. She shared her desire to write a book to help those in domestic violence, and that book is here.
IS THIS NORMAL? AM I OVERREACTING? IS IT ABUSE EVEN IF HE’S NEVER HIT ME?
If you’ve asked these questions, you’re not alone. One in four women will face intimate partner violence in their lifetime, yet many never recognize it as abuse.
Abuse doesn’t always come with bruises. It often starts with charm and affection, then twists into control—subtle looks that make you second-guess yourself, stinging comments, or pressure to distance yourself from friends and family who could offer perspective. Control deepens, as your choices, finances, and stability becomes entangled with theirs. Before you know it, your autonomy has been erased, and you no longer recognize the vibrant person you once were.
In Safe and Sound, advocate Valerie Flanigan highlights the hidden reality of coercive control, and the tactics abusers use to dominate their partners. Drawing on over 30 years of experience with survivors, this book offers clarity, validation, and tools for victims to reclaim their lives.
You’ll learn to:
• Recognize the signs of all forms of abuse
• Understand the mindset of abusers
• Create safety plans for you and your children
• Navigate the legal system with confidence
Whether you’re just starting to sort things out or are ready to take steps towards freedom, Safe and Sound is a roadmap for reclaiming the life you deserve.
You are not crazy. You are not too sensitive. You are not the problem.
Your journey to healing, safety, and freedom starts here.
Tracie Corll has walked with me through hard times, and it has been an honor to watch God use her. She is now Pastor Tracie, and last year she added pastor to her list of accomplishments. In fact, I didn’t even know about her writing goals until the manuscript was finished. She not only wrote one book, but two. AND she has a podcast.
Tracie’s heart is to make the gospel and church life accessible to people with disabilities. As a missionary associate, she trains pastors on making the church disability friendly. As an author, she shares her personal story.
The Indispensable Kid: Absolutely necessary, essential; incapable of being disregarded
No one ever claims that raising children will be easy. Women go through some of the most challenging pain in childbirth. Moments after birth, the mother changes all focus to the life on her chest. People often say that women are so focused on their babies after childbirth that they are rarely overcome with pain when the afterbirth is born. The pain is no longer the focus. Why? I suspect that they’ve figured out the same thing I did. The pain was worth it. The reward outweighed the cost. The focus shifts to the reward, the gift of life, and the promise of what will come.
With each child, we had so much excitement. It seemed that nothing could go wrong, and hope for the future was neverending. We were excited about what God had planned for each little one. The years ahead were only thought of with hope and excitement. The possibilities of problems ahead were not on anyone’s mind—not then, not at that moment. Everything was just right, just as it should be.
Just a few short years after our son Noah was born we found ourselves asking questions, even while we were still in denial. Then, the diagnoses came. Life as we thought it would be, was not, and we were embarking on a new journey. Our son, Noah was given a laundry list of diagnoses. Special needs, disabilities, and differently-abled were terms that would become familiar to us. Although we accepted those diagnoses, we knew that God was the one who ultimately defined Noah. And God says, Noah is indispensable!
Join us on our journey with Noah, disabilities, and the purpose that God has set out before us. We’re not alone in this journey and neither are you.
Tracie’s second book, Gospel Accessibility and Indispensable People: Disability Ministry, Foundations, Relationships, Programs, Strategies, and Co-laboring in Christ, is the ultimate guide in how any church can create a disability friendly church. I watched Tracie start from scratch, so her wisdom and knowledge will save you time and money.
I wrote the foreword, and it was an honor to do so.
Tracie celebrated the 100th episode of her Indispensable People podcast. This podcast is such an encouragement. Tune in today!
