"Never let the fear of striking out get in your way."

--George Herman ("Babe") Ruth,

former American Major League baseball player. 

Our newsletter guest is Sylvia Bambola. Here is her interesting bio in her own words: "I was born in Romania but ended up in a German orphanage. No one can tell me how or why. But that's understandable when one realizes that Germany was still reeling from the devastation of World War II, and people all over Europe were displaced. At age seven I relocated with my adopted military family and saw the Statue of Liberty and America for the first time. But the memory of those years in Germany lingered and was the inspiration behind my novel, Refiner's Fire, which won a Silver Angel Award, and was a Christy Finalist. 

"Life as an 'army brat' gave me the opportunity to live in several states, including Hawaii. And oh, how I fell in love with my beautiful adopted country! Americans were wonderful, friendly and so welcoming. One of the proudest moments of my life was when I became a naturalized citizen! Then came nursing school in New York after which I married and began a family. Raising two children and being the wife of a corporate executive made for a busy life. So did working in marketing for a telecommunications company, then a medical software company. But my favorite times were those spent with my husband and family and of course my extended family, which was considerable. Think 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding,' only my extended family is Italian.  

"My first novel, A Vessel of Honor, written under the pen name of Margaret Miller, garnered a Small Press Editor's Choice Award and was seriously considered for production as a television movie.  

"I've authored six published novels, live in sunny Florida (and yes it's sunny most of the time) and have two grown children. I've also been a guest speaker at Women's Aglow and various church functions, am a Bible study teacher at my church, love gardening though these days, living in a condo, this is confined to pots only. And I'm learning to play the guitar."  

Welcome, Sylvia. What fun or unique things can you tell us about yourself?  

When I was sixteen I wanted to be a nun. No kidding! Now I can't image missing all those wonderful years with my husband and raising our children. They were truly golden.  

Also, one of my secret dreams was to be an interior designer. I just loved painting walls and matching colors and fabrics and then shopping for the accessories. Note that the past tense is used here. At my age I no longer enjoy climbing up and down ladders, but I still like browsing through home décor magazines.

Please tell us about Rebekah's Treasure.  

Rebekah's Treasuretakes place in war-torn 70 A.D. Jerusalem when Rebekah and her husband, Ethan, each take something of value:  Rebekah, the cup of the Last Supper; Ethan, a copper scroll detailing the whereabouts of a vast Temple treasure. Ahead, separation and danger face them as each tries to survive. But it's not only external forces that could keep them apart forever but internal ones as they struggle to discover where their true treasure lies.    

I must admit I was really pleased when Rebekah's Treasure won first place for Adult Fiction in the Florida State Association National League of American Pen Women because this is a secular award and proves that Christian writers can go toe to toe with their mainstream counterparts.  

What takeaway value do you hope your readers receive after reading this book?  

As a Bible study teacher I was intrigued by the destruction of the Jewish Temple and Jesus' prophecy concerning it. After researching the event and times, what I discovered utterly amazed me. I began seeing parallels to other Bible prophecies: How Roman mirrored the New World Order spoken about in Daniel and Revelation. How the end time church resembled the religious groups of that day, etc.  So I hope readers see how alive and relevant the Bible is for us today. I also hope they will enjoy the marriage of 70 A.D. history with suspense and a bit of romance, then come away evaluating where their own treasure lies.  

Please tell our readers where they can get your book.  

Amazon carries both the trade paperback and Kindle version.

Also readers can get it in any bookstore. If not on the shelf it can be easily ordered.  

Please tell our readers where they can find you online.  

At my website and I'm always happy to hear from readers and other writers.

One day a genie appeared to a California man and offered to grant him one wish.

The man said, "I wish you'd build a bridge from here to Hawaii so I could drive there anytime."

The genie frowned. "I don't know. It sounds like quite an undertaking," he said. "Just think of the logistics. The supports required reaching the bottom of the ocean, the concrete, and the steel! Why don't you pick something else?"

The man thought for a while and then said, "Okay, I wish for a complete understanding of women--what they are thinking, why they cry. I wish I knew how to make a woman truly happy."

The genie was silent for a minute then said, "So, how many lanes did you want on that bridge?"   

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In the 1960s Bob Dylan wrote a song titled, The Times They Are A-Changin'. Yes, they have. High schoolers used to sign up for typing class--now they take keyboarding class. We changed from radio to TV. Mr. Henry Ford's first cars required the driver to literally crank the engine into motion from outside the car--now some cars will start by clicking a remote device.

Some change is good, some bad--according to whose opinion you hear. Some don't accept change well. Some don't like any change in their life. Some are afraid of change.

George Herman "Babe" Ruth played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1914 to 1935. He hit 714 homeruns, a record that stood until Hank Aaron broke it. On the other hand, Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times! Thus Babe Ruth's quotation I used above, "Never let the fear of striking out get in your way."

Maybe we can use Babe Ruth's advice: never let the fear of change get in your way.