David R. Stokes

It's pretty much the norm these days--preachers going "political," speaking up for candidates who reflect common values and opinions. But the lines separating pulpit and politics, not to mention church and state, were not always as blurred as they are in our time. The harsh partisan tone, combined with the practice of take-no-prisoners-politics on the part of some Christian ministers in our day is something that can be traced back to one controversial pulpit-pounding powerbroker--J. Frank Norris. At the mid-point of the 1920s, people flocked to Norris's First Baptist Church in downtown Fort Worth, Texas--America's original "megachurch." He would do just about anything to draw a large crowd. Thousands came to witness his latest extravaganza. He was a folk-hero to many. To many others, J. Frank Norris was a MENACE. By the summer of 1926, he presided over a religious empire, one that included America's largest Protestant church, a tabloid newspaper that reached nearly 100,000 readers every Friday, and his own radio network that saturated cities and towns across the American Southwest. Norris had already survived multiple criminal indictments. He boasted that he could handle anything that came his way. He had fanatically loyal followers (including members of the Ku Klux Klan) and great lawyers. But would they be enough when he found himself charged with first-degree murder and face to face with "Sparky"--the nickname for the Texas electric chair?

This story of Jennie Jerome weaves together two compelling timelines: Jennie's extraordinary life from American heiress to British political force, and a fictional 1964 interview where an aging Winston Churchill reflects on his mother's profound influence while painting at his beloved Chartwell estate. Through the eyes of fictional journalist Sophia Carter, readers witness Churchill's final months as he reveals how his mother shaped not just British high society, but the character of the man who would lead Britain through its darkest hour. From Jennie's whirlwind romance and political campaigns to organizing a hospital ship during the Boer War and founding an influential literary magazine, she refused to be merely decorative in a world that expected women to be seen, not heard. In 1873, nineteen-year-old Jennie Jerome from Brooklyn met Lord Randolph Churchill at a sailing regatta on the Isle of Wight. Three days later, they were engaged. Seven months after their wedding, she gave birth to Winston Churchill-a half-American son who would one day save Western civilization. Co-author Sandi Jerome discovered this family connection when she learned that Winston Churchill was her husband's fifth cousin, a relationship that sparked years of research into the Jerome family's fascinating history. Drawing on Jennie's own memoirs and extensive historical research, the authors bring to life the American heiress who taught her son that courage, not breeding, makes great leaders. Winston Churchill expert David R. Stokes, who has written extensively about Churchill and visited Blenheim Palace, collaborates with Jerome to weave together documented history with imagined conversations that capture Jennie's wit, ambition, and unshakeable belief in her son's destiny. Based on source material from Jennie's memoirs, this book illuminates how an American woman's influence spanned decades to help forge the "Special Relationship" between Britain and America. Perfect for fans of The Gilded Age, Downton Abbey, and anyone fascinated by the untold stories of remarkable women who shaped history. Sandi Jerome is currently developing Jennie Jerome's story into a limited television series.

“I’d rather win a Pulitzer Prize than be President of the United States,” John F. Kennedy confided to author Margaret Coit shortly after his election to the Senate in 1953. Kennedy got his wish four years later, when his book Profiles in Courage was awarded the Pulitzer for biography—even though it wasn’t among the finalists for the prize. Furthermore, the role of Ted Sorensen in drafting the main chapters in the book was never acknowledged by Kennedy’s inner circle, and Kennedy himself was hyper-sensitive until his dying day about rumors that cast doubt on his ownership of Profiles in Courage. Still, Jack Kennedy the writer is part of the Kennedy narrative that helped propel his political career. And he did indeed work for a time as a journalist, and brought a measures of erudition, wit, and charm to his speeches. But if the rumors surrounding authorship of Profiles in Courage were proven to be true prior to his ascendance to the Presidency, there might have been no brief and shining moment in America called Camelot.

Happiness is fine, but you can't depend on it. It's cool, but it comes and goes. The great challenge of life is to constantly, at every turn, choose joy, especially when we're not happy. Happiness always fades away. It changes as circumstances change. Sometimes the wind blows favorably, and other times it blows contrary. Happiness is as dependent on circumstances as a sailboat is to the wind. Joy, however, is the real deal. Whether there is wind, no wind-or even a fierce storm. And here's the awesome thing-we can experience joy every day. So just how do we tap into the power of joy in real-time? Joy is triggered when we make the choice to rejoice.

The British novelist Charles Dickens (1812-1870), famous for many works including A Tale of Two Cities, once remarked about a short story that could be titled A Tale of Two Sons, the story of the Prodigal Son, that it was the greatest short story in history. Mark Twain agreed. Though it's only about 500 words long depending on the translation, it's filled with powerful imagery about love, family, home, God, us, rebellion, redemption, righteousness, self-righteousness, joy, sorrow, sin, salvation, confession, and so much more. You may be tempted to think, "Been there, done that," but please try to resist the notion that because the elements and scenes of this epic story are familiar, we have exhausted its value to us. We haven't. Don't let familiarity breed indifference. The nuances in this story will be of great benefit to everyone, from the secular seeker, to the scriptural novice, to the advanced student of the Bible.

In his famous poem, "IF", Rudyard Kipling extolled the virtue of knowing how to "keep your head when all about you are losing theirs--and blaming it on you." This book is for people who want to be like that. The principles shared are derived from the writings of Simon Peter, an early follower of Jesus Christ. Jesus saw Simon's potential from the beginning. That's why he gave him such an ironic nickname -- ROCK (Peter). Simon was anything but "solid" for quite awhile. But God knew what he would become. And when Simon Peter was much older, it fell to him to comfort and calm thousands of Christians who lived in fear of harassment, persecution, and even death. The affirmation "Keep Calm and Carry On" originated in a morale campaign in Great Britain in the build up to World War Two. These days, however, the phrase has become part of popular culture. This book describes ancient concepts that are ever new. Practical, in-depth, and thoroughly biblical, "How to Keep Calm and Carry On" will challenge your mind and comfort your heart.

When a Dad tries to dig a hole in his Northern Virginia yard to bury the remains of the family pet, he chances upon something buried years before-a mysterious briefcase. Its contents include a journal with cryptic writing. The father turns to his friend-and boss-Templeton Davis, a former Rhodes scholar and popular national radio talk show host, for help figuring out what he's found.They soon realize that they are in possession of materials that were hidden more than 60 years earlier by a notorious deep cover agent for the Soviet Union--Kim Philby. And buried with the materials were clues to the identity of the most effective spy in the history of Cold War espionage.Long a mere footnote in history, the story of this man's treachery reaches the pinnacles of power and geopolitics. It's a story that begins just before the Second World War breaks out and reaches the depths of the decades-long stand off that followed. The trail leads to a picturesque town in Vermont, the streets of New York City, the corridors of power in Washington, DC--but most importantly, Oxford, England, where Davis realizes that the beautiful city of spires on the Thames was once also a city of spies.The Oxford spies may never have reached the level of public notoriety as those from that other British stronghold of academia--Cambridge--but clearly the story had never been completely known-or told. And it was a very dangerous mine of detail in which to dig, a fact borne out by a couple of suspicious deaths left in the wake of Templeton Davis's travels.Davis discovers that at the moment when the world came closest to unparalleled disaster, secrets were being betrayed at the highest levels. He would also come to understand that what he had learned connected to a time of great sorrow for mankind--the Kennedy assassination.At a crucial moment, Templeton Davis quickly develops a bond borne of necessity with a beautiful young woman from Russia--someone with her own secrets. And when what she knows is combined with what the famous broadcaster has learned, the two unlikely heroes find themselves in grave danger, yet poised to rock the world.