I write powerful, emotionally moving stories that take the reader on a journey, and leave you inspired to dream and believe in the impossible. To me, writing is like “painting a picture” on the canvas of the reader’s mind. But I am only the paintbrush. God does the painting.
Flossie Stewart
Hello, and welcome, I’m Flossie Stewart, independently published author (so far) and sole proprietor of my imprint, Rivers of Grace Books. I’m also the author of CPR for Your Faith from Beyond Death’s Door: Resuscitating the Christian Heart…Yes, Your Ship is Coming In! Rivers of Grace books is an imprint of the ministry my late husband, Keith, and I were in the process of forming when we both became ill with the Covid virus, now “CPR for Your Faith Ministries”. Although I have recovered, Keith passed away on August 29, 2020. Born with a hereditary kidney disease, he was immune suppressed because of his second kidney transplant and was unable to recover from the damage it did to his lungs. Although it has been a difficult season of transition in my life, I feel that God spared me to water the garden of seeds he left planted during our almost six years of marriage, and that is what I will continue to do. After all, I have already survived a horrific car accident (you can read more about that in the book) and cancer as well, through God’s grace, and I give Him all the glory and praise. Without Him, I would be nothing, a ship without a sail, as the old song says. A new, 35th Anniversary revised edition of the book is now available. It’s also now available in Hard Cover edition on Barnes & Noble. I felt strongly led to do this, since so much has changed since I originally published it. It’s available on Amazon in print/paperback and eBook versions, and in other places where eBooks are sold. You can also click the link above, at the top of the page, to download the first 5 chapters FREE. Click here for more info and purchase links. If you know someone who would be encouraged by this book, please share the link to my page with them.
As for my fiction works, I write powerful, emotionally moving stories that take the reader on a journey, and leave you inspired to dream and believe in the impossible. To me, writing is like “painting a picture” on the canvas of the reader’s mind. I hold an associate degree in office systems technology, which I feel has given me skills that have contributed greatly to my writing as well as in other areas of my life. I do have a powerful inspirational fiction project in the works, which I hope to have forthcoming in the near future. This is a special project Keith and I worked on together. He contributed to the Law Enforcement aspects of the story since he had worked in the Corrections field. This and more inspirational works are coming soon. So be sure to hit the subscribe tab above so you will be among the first to know when I have more great books available, and so you can receive email notifications of my posts.
Keith and I also wrote short stories for our Eastern North Carolina Church of God Senior Talent/Young at Heart Competition during 2018 and 2019. Two of mine won 2nd place, one in 2018 and one in 2022 (this is the sequel to the first one), and his won 2nd place in 2019. These are available to download for FREE on the free downloads page, under the CPR for Your Faith Ministries tab. I also wrote a poem in memory of Keith, which won 1st place in the Creative Writing/Poetry Division at the Eastern NC Church of God Senior Talent Competition in 2022, and 1st place in the Church of God Senior Talent Nationals at the 2023 Smoky Mountain Gathering in Gatlinburg, TN. My poem in memory of my mother won 2nd place at the ENCCOG Senior Talent Competition in 2023.
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As of now, my first two fiction books are no longer available (more on this below), although I do have a new book available, and more releases coming soon. (My writing is currently undergoing a “facelift” in a sense, click here for more on that.) In my book, CPR for Your Faith from Beyond Death’s Door: Resuscitating the Christian Heart…Yes, Your Ship is Coming In, written especially for survivors of traumatic events and the discouraged, I have shared my testimony of my Near-Death Experience in a car accident in November of 1985 and the wisdom I have gained through the life-changing power of Christ on my long road to healing. At this point, I have felt the call to move toward more ministerial, Christian, faith-building books.
Why My First Two Books Are No Longer Available: Remember that saying we all learned in our high school Economics class (or whatever fancy name they call it now), “Caveat Emptor” – “Let the buyer beware”? Well, that applies here. You may find copies of my books, even those first two, on other sites, either as “free downloads”, or even with a price that is twice what I actually charge (or charged) for them. My advice? Don’t even bother to click on those (I don’t recommend it 😉 ). Obviously, there are those out there who have chosen to “pirate” my work, as well as that of other authors, but as for my current book or future releases, if you order directly from the websites I listed above, I will actually earn the royalties from the sale, and you will avoid potentially downloading a nasty little surprise onto your computer…You’re welcome. 🙂
As I explain in my recent post on Cookie Cutter Authors or Writers for the King: Breaking the Mold as Christian Writers, my writing is currently undergoing a huge “facelift”. In other words, I have answered the call of the Master to serve Him in my writing as well as other areas of my life, and I have been going through a major spiritual “awakening”. Because of this, I strongly feel that as an author in service to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit has begun to convict me that there are elements/factors in my first two books that, as a “re-awakened” Christian, I now feel could be misleading to my readers. Eternity is way too long and Hell way too hot for me to continue to profit from work done earlier in my life, before I came closer to God. At that time, I was more into “writing what the world wants to read” (…that IS what gets you onto that New York Times Bestseller List, isn’t it?), things that could be leading people astray, rather than drawing them closer to God.
Well, that has all changed now. I can honestly tell you, it was the hardest thing for me to do, to hit that ‘unpublish’ button on those books. But then, I have learned a lot since I wrote those books, and I can confidently tell you that greater things are coming. More free downloads (I’m working on that. 🙂 ), more helpful and God-inspired posts, and more great, inspirational books. Now, I’m writing for the King! And He NEVER closes one door unless He’s opening a BIGGER one (See Matthew 6:25-34). Stay tuned, more coming soon, promise!
And it’s going to be better than ever! Big doors are getting ready to open. You know how I know? Because when you surrender everything to the One Who created us and sent His Son to die for us, the One Who has a totally awesome plan for each of us (See Jeremiah 29:11 & John 10:10), He will, in His way and His time (not ours), vindicate us for everything our enemy, the devil, has stolen from us. He will always, ALWAYS, give you back WAY more than you give to Him. Just ask the 5,000 Jesus fed with just the 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread (See Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15). And that didn’t even include women and children!
But here’s the really exciting thing: He’s STILL doing it! Try Him today and see for yourself. Now head on over and get your copy of CPR for Your Faith from Beyond Death’s Door. Then, be sure to hit the subscribe tab, because I do have some new releases coming soon, which I think you’ll find truly inspirational, and that way, when they’re available, you’ll be among the first to know! Thanks for being patient with me. It’ll be worth it, I assure you. The rewards I am seeking now are eternal, my main goal and motivation as I write, reaching every soul I can for Him. One of the ways I do this is by writing stories that are as “real” as I can make them. I strive to write stories that motivate people to change their lives for the better and dare them to dream and believe in the impossible (Nothing’s impossible to Him! See Luke 1:37, Mark 10:27). So, if you’re a reader, I truly hope that you will be one of them.
I feel that He has great things in store for me, and big doors are about to open in my life. I live in North Carolina and in addition to working on my books, I also enjoy singing and song writing, playing my clarinet on our praise team at church, playing my Native American flute, hiking the trails enjoying God’s creation with my canine companion, “Grace”, building the Kingdom for Christ with my church family and spending time with family. One of my favorite bible verses is Philippians 4:13, which my mother made us recite every time she caught us saying, “I can’t”. Again, I am a firm believer that what God has done for me, He will do for you!
For info on my current book and upcoming releases as they become available, click on Rivers of Grace Books (under the ‘CPR for Your Faith Ministries’ tab) You can read my testimony surrounding the accident on the ‘My Testimony’ page, also under the ‘CPR for Your Faith Ministries’ tab. Catch up on my latest blog posts via the ‘In Flossie’s Words…’ tab. Under the ‘FREE Downloads’ tab, you can find our FREE short story downloads, along with the free download of the first 5 chapters of my book, “CPR for Your Faith from Beyond Death’s Door”. Check back for future free downloads, as I will add to this from time to time. To receive email notifications on my upcoming releases, subscribe via the ‘Subscribe’ tab. I’m also on Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter. Also, for your reference, note that any of my pages can be translated into any language via the Google Translate widget, near the bottom of the homepage. Know someone who could use this information, or maybe some encouragement? Share the page with a friend! Thanks for stopping by, and God bless you!
Flossie Stewart, Christian Author & Speaker 