The God Dog Connection

Marti Healy

Sweet Pea Press, IN

The God-Dog Connection is a very gentle, "non-threatening," approach to faith lessons we can learn simply by watching the behavior of our pets. The premise is that God has given us these wonderful creatures to get His messages across to us in truly unique and delightful ways (which go far beyond "unconditional love" alone). The book is comprised of a series of 25 short stories or "vignettes," each relating the animal observation first, and then the faith lesson that can be drawn from it. It is a highly popular gift book for all occasions. It is beautifully bound and jacketed, and the visuals throughout the book have an almost hand-colored look to them Some readers find the book a perfect choice for families, as the stories appeal to a wide range of age groups. Although it is based primarily on Christian principles, it also speaks to people of many different faiths. The book is also frequently incorporated into many small study groups at churches including Pet Ministries, which Healy has helped found in several churches of different denominations. The God-Dog Connection rapidly sold out of its first printing of 5,000 copies, and is now in its second edition.

The God-Dog Connection

Religion & Spirituality

The Design Group Press

This is a companion Study Guide and workbook for The God-Dog Connection hardbound inspirational book. It contains related scripture passages, customized prayers, and discussion points for each story within the hardboud book. Perfect for small groups in churches or with special interests in animals and growing in Christian faith. Works well as the study guide for The God-Dog Connection Pet Ministry (a separate companion book).

The God Dog Connection Study Guide

Reference

This is a companion book to The God-Dog Connection hardbound book. It is a complete 'How-To' for starting and maintaining a Pet Ministry, either within a church or as a separate initiative. The book addresses such issues as Membership, Meetings, Leadership, Communications, and Special Events -- such as a Pet Blessing and Picture Your Pet with Santa for Christmas. The hardbound book can be used along with The God-Dog Connection Study Guide as the study portion of the Pet Ministry program.

The God Dog Connection Pet Ministry

The Rhythm of Selby is set in the fictitious small town of Selby, South Carolina where writer Macy Harris moves in search of mild winters and a culture known for its equally warm hospitality. Here, she finds a place to write in rhythm with a slower pace of life, and soon becomes enchanted with the town's gentle residents, its generations of history, its tradition of horses and dogs, magnificent old homes and gardens, superb art and music, and excellent cuisine. But Selby also has its share of eccentric neighbors and family secrets. Secrets that have haunted their caretakers for more than a century, and still whisper from their graves. A tragic train derailment, the dying words of one of its victims, a fabled ruby necklace, a strained childhood friendship, an attempted murder, and a terrifying storm that washes a 150-year-old secret to the surface all come together in this engrossing novel. 
 The Rhythm of Selby is beautifully crafted with sensitivity to paper, inks, and typefaces, and it is punctuated throughout with numerous original sepia-toned photographs.

The Rhythm of Selby: A Gently Mysterious Novel of the South

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Mystery

A timeless tale, written in a very lyrical style, The Secret Child appeals to a wide range of ages; one of those favorite books cherished by more than one generation. Set in 1855, the central character is a thirteen-year-old girl, Marika--an Irish Traveller--running between her thribli, or clan, in Boston and her arranged marriage with a gypsy leader named Jacko in the Midlands of South Carolina. Marika's five-year-old brother Danny is with her, but falls ill and dies on the journey. Cautiously, she allows herself to form relationships with a free black man, Joseph, and a Quaker woman, Maggie. The book interweaves highly unexpected subjects and issues, such as slavery, human rights, and other harsh realities of 19th century South Carolina, along with a mystical, light-and-shadows world of ''Fairies'' who inhabit a nearby heavily forested Carolina Bay. The Fairies of the Carolina Bay have an ancient Celtic history; no tiny wings and fairy dust, these are true spirits of the woods. The Fairies accept Marika to live among them until she can determine what she wants for her future. She is pursued relentlessly and cruelly by the gypsy Jacko, befriended with great loyalty by Joseph and Maggie, and protected unwaveringly by the spirits of the forest. But, in the end, it is up to her to decide between her realities.

The Secret Child

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Fantasy

Collection of newspaper columns by Marti Healy

Yes, Barbara, There Is an Aiken. Volume One

The Design Group Press, LLC

The Childornot Tales were written for the imagination, are told in the music of rhythm and rhyme, and meant for the child in all of us. Three imaginative tales make up the book: The Heliotrope Fly With The Suction-Cup Feet; Nothing To Fear Could Be Lurking Quite Near; and Some Swell Mutant Ants Holding Hands As They Danced. These tales actually originated as improv-storytelling on the family front porch more than half a century ago. The author would tell story after story of silliness to her younger sister. Together they shared a great deal of laughter, bonding, and love. But until now, the stories were never written down. Here, Marti Healy has added the attraction of whimsical rhyme in the telling of them. The tales all feature a range of characters all different, all intriguing, all asking the reader to involve their theater of the mind for maximum effect. The hand-crafted original illustrations help set the stage in an off-beat, almost steam-punk style. The first story, about the Heliotrope Fly, focuses on a smartypants character who eventually gets her comeuppance - suggesting it's better to simply be nice. The second tale reminds us what it s like to be told by our elders that we have nothing to fear and to run off to bed ... down that long dark hallway ... into that empty room ... when we know all too well that Nothing to Fear Could Be Lurking Quite Near under the bed or in the back of the closet. So the lesson here is to be brave - because what is nothing to fear after all? Perhaps we have also experienced what it s like to be thought too tall or too short or too fat or too thin or too this or too that to be friends with all the others. The third tale shows how Some Swell Mutant Ants Holding Hands As They Danced know quite a bit about diversity. And to be different can be quite fun in the end. Each of these stories is meant to entertain ... and to deliver a tiny, albeit important, life lesson without actually being caught at it. All of the tales begin with a highly visual, rather improbably, multi-layered illustration to set the stage for the story to follow. Each fills the mind with possibilities. Within the story, bits and pieces of the artwork are utilized to further the story line, but leave the rest up to the reader to imagine at will. The Childornot Tales will charm and engage a variety of audiences and generations.

The Childornot Tales

Children's Books

Literature & Fiction

Breathings: Tiny Stories for the Thin Places of Your Heart

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Books by Marti Healy