Name: Leah Franqui by HarperAcademic Calling
Duration: 33 min 25 s
Description: We talk with Leah Franqui about her latest novel, AFTER THE HURRICANE. To read a sample of Leah's novel, visit our website: https://www.harperacademic.com/book/9780063204591/after-the-hurricane/

We talk with Leah Franqui about her latest novel, AFTER THE HURRICANE. To read a sample of Leah's novel, visit our website: https://www.harperacademic.com/book/9780063204591/after-the-hurricane/

Leah Franqui

Read by the author.

How can we "rejoice always" when the world often seems so broken? Andrew Klavan explores how artists' imaginative engagement with the darkness can point the way to living beautifully in the midst of a tragic world.

In his USA Today bestselling The Truth and Beauty, Andrew Klavan explored how the work of great poets helps illuminate the truth of the gospels. Now, the award-winning screenwriter and crime novelist turns his attention to the dark side of human nature to discover how we might find joy and beauty in the world while still being clear-eyed about the evil found in it.

The Kingdom of Cain looks at three murders in history—including the first murder, Cain's killing of his brother, Abel—and at the art created from imaginative engagement with those horrific events by artists ranging from Fyodor Dostoevsky to Alfred Hitchcock. To make beauty out of the world as it is—shot through with evil and injustice and suffering—is the task not just of the artist but, Klavan argues, of every life rightly lived. Examining how that transformation occurs in art grants us a vision for how it can happen in our lives.

Klavan eloquently argues that it is possible to be clear-eyed about the evil in the world while remaining hope-filled about God's ability to redeem it all.

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THE KINGDOM OF CAIN written & narrated by Andrew Klavan | Introduction

Discover the biblical, neurological, and emotional keys to transforming destructive patterns of thinking into a renewed mind--one thought at a time.

Whether we wrestle with anxiety, harmful thoughts about ourselves, or mental spirals that hold us back from spiritual growth and healthy relationships, many of us wish we could control our thoughts rather than let them control us.

As the senior pastor of one of the largest churches in America, bestselling author Kyle Idleman has seen the power of right thinking transform lives, including his own. In Every Thought Captive, Kyle points us to the tools we need to get our thoughts into submission so we can live a fuller and more joy-filled life. If you feel frustrated and discouraged in your battle to take control of your thoughts, this biblically rich, practical book will help you:

Learn to identify the five thinking patterns that sabotage your life and relationship with God
Encourage your brain's neural network to develop new ways of thinking that are consistent with your values
Start getting "unstuck" immediately as you implement simple but profound practices like "Win the Morning" and "Say It Out Loud"
Understand what transformed thinking looks like in the unique context of your life
What you think about creates your attitudes, governs your emotions, determines your behavior, shapes your relationships, and ultimately defines your life. But armed with God's wisdom and fresh truth about brain health, you can take control over your thoughts and embrace the full and flourishing life you long for.

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EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE by Kyle Idleman | Introduction

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The Bible is one story told through dozens of people over thousands of years. As Christians, we know we're supposed to believe this—and so we do. But when we pick up our Bibles, if we're honest, we sometimes lose the thread, especially with some of the strange and obscure happenings in Genesis.

We can't help but wonder, What's this all about?!

Who—or what—are the Nephilim? What about this mysterious Melchizedek who seems to appear out of nowhere? Why are there so many genealogies? Why do Abraham and a Hittite haggle for so long about the price of a rinky-dink cave? Hang on, are we supposed to be comfortable with Abraham sacrificing his son? Or with Lot's, um, unseemly family dynamics? Or with Jacob's multiple wives? Why do the book's heroes so often act like villains?

And, of course, what does all this have to with Jesus and the gospel?

Careful readers of the Bible have many questions about Genesis. In From Eden to Egypt, Alex Duke will give everyday Christians a guided tour of these wonderful stories so that they'll see—perhaps for the first time—that it's all there for a reason.

FROM EDEN TO EGYPT by Alex Duke

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May the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you…

We have received the blessing countless times, but what does it mean for the Lord to shine his face upon us in a time when many Christians are disillusioned with their faith, wrestling to reframe their relationship with God and with the church?

But another inner struggle often lurks unacknowledged, unconfronted—the struggle to rediscover one's own identity and relearn one's own story. Aimee Byrd finds this experience best described in the metaphor of finding one's face. Through this beautiful meditation, Byrd shows how the church has "been defaced" by its own spiritual abuses, by its loss of imagination and wonder, by empty words without actions.

The author of Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood has often asked hard questions of the church. In Saving Face, she develops her reflections still further, daring to wonder: what if the crises in the church today are not because we don't have the right doctrine, but because we have lost sight of something much deeper?

What if we are spending all our time pointing fingers at those we consider "wrong," when we should be looking in a mirror instead? What if God has something to reveal to us there? Perhaps we should be seeking the presence of Christ in our own reflections just as we look for him in the faces of the others.

Creatively weaving together stories, memories, journal entries, and Scripture meditations on the divine face, Aimee invites the church to seek the face of Christ by recovering the values of beauty, contemplation, and deep relationship.

SAVING FACE by Aimee Byrd | Chapter 2

You were wired for joy. Not put-a-fake-smile-on-it joy. Not I-feel-guilty-about-being-sad joy. But deep-down, laugh-out-loud, overflowing joy that thrives no matter your personality or circumstances.

It's time to take your joy back! Maybe you're wondering why life has to be so confusing. Maybe you're tired of feeling anxious. Maybe you're just blah lately. Bible teacher, songwriter, and one of Christian music's most contagiously joyful voices Pastor Tauren Wells has a powerful reminder for you: Jesus' first message was about how to be truly happy. Think about it: How important to the heart of God must your joy be if Jesus uses the word "happy" eight times in his first recorded sermon on planet Earth (aka: the Beatitudes)?

In Joy Bomb, Pastor Tauren helps us embrace the truth that God's greatest longing is not only for our holiness, but for our happiness. This biblically rooted, exuberantly hope-filled book walks us through:

Eight life-changing ways to reorient our lives toward joy
Understanding why joy is not dependent on our emotional state or the state of the world
What attitudes or behaviors keep us from experiencing God's joy
How we can become freer in worship, life, and our relationship with God
Why Jesus' ways of living don't just create warm fuzzies but create joy deep within us
We find more in this life than we ever imagined when we understand the patterns and promises of God's kingdom. More fulfillment, more purpose, more satisfaction--and radical joy.

JOY BOMB by Tauren Wells

Leah O'Connor is torn between the life she's currently living and the allure of a phantom life that can no longer be hers.

Swept off her feet by the gentle charm of Lucas O'Connor, Leah's unexpected pregnancy changes the course of her carefree and nomadic existence. Over a decade and three children later, Leah is unraveling. She resents the world in which her artistic aspirations have been sidelined by the overwhelming demands of motherhood, and the ever-present rift between herself and her mother-in-law, Christine, is best dulled by increasingly fuller glasses of wine.

Christine represents a model of selfless motherhood that Leah can neither achieve nor accept. To heighten the strain, Lucas's business venture, a trendy restaurant that honors his mother, has taken all his attention, which places the domestic demands squarely on Leah's shoulders. Seeking an ally in her sweet sister-in-law Amy, Leah shares a secret that, if made known to the wider family, could disrupt the curated ecosystems that keep the O'Connors connected.

As Leah dances with the devil while descending further into darkness, her behavior becomes more erratic and further alienates her from both Lucas and the wider family. Leah's drinking threatens the welfare of her family, prompting Amy to turn to Christine for support. A duel for loyalty ensues. When the inevitable waves come crashing down, it's the O'Connor women who give Leah a lifeline: the truth of what they've all endured. But Leah alone must uncover the villain of her own story, learn how to ask for help, and decide if the family she has rejected will be her salvation or ultimate undoing.

This masterful blend of book club and literary women's fiction offers a frank rebuttal to Wine Mom culture and is perfect for fans of Celeste Ng and Liane Moriarty.

BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA by Jessica Guerrieri | Chapter 1

Welcome to HarperAcademic Calling.  Our podcast is designed to give educators, students, as well as every reader, a behind-the-scenes chat with a range of our authors--from well-loved favorites to up-and-coming debut writers--about their books.

Leah Franqui

HarperAcademic Calling

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