There are many goals authors have when they write a book. By the time we're finished, we hope we achieved everything we intended to do. When the 13th Minister Of Salem was finished, I was satisfied with the results. I hoped someone else would feel the same way. After all, it's a big book with 328 pages.
I wanted to tell stories we all know differently to, not only change the conversation but to help people see how much power they have within themself to make a difference. That put the 13th Minister Of Salem into what publishers consider a genre-bender.
genre-bending (uncountable) The subversion of tropes associated with a particular artistic genre or the synthesis of multiple genres.I always viewed myself as a heretic while my older brother called me a witch. There is an ongoing joke in my family centered on this including being given a baby broom in the crib. When our daughter was little and we were taking a trip to Salem, she said we were going to visit my relatives. I had to remind her that if they were mine, then they were hers too.
Salem has always been close to my heart and so was my spiritual connection to God. I viewed the history of the witch accusations in a different way from the rest of my family. I couldn't just look at all the horror inflicted upon innocent people. I had to see past the suffering to consider what happened when people stood up against the mob rule and put the trials to an end. That was a goal I had to achieve.
I attended the church my family went to, but I reached out to God more often on my own. Yes, I am Christian, because I do believe Jesus was and is the Son Of God. I do not agree with the division of what He started with all the manmade rules. Churchgoers tend to see their chosen affiliation as the only right one. All that is fine because God gave all of us free will to make our own choices.
In the process of all this, I read the Bible on my own and found it filled with love, power, and many things I never heard preached in church. Sharing what is there few have heard was another goal I wanted to accomplish.
There were several others along with wanting to expand the target audience, but not the reason you may be expecting. I wanted to reach more people to let them know something else that society has gotten wrong. The survivors of events causing PTSD are not what they think they are. They are not all veterans. They are not someone to feel sorry for. They don't have to feel helpless or hopeless. They are not weak. They are not defective or any other label they have been given especially the victim label. They, including me, are survivors!
Considering the review I received from Readers' Favorite, I achieved what I set out to do. I cried when I read it because I also achieved more than I hoped for!
Marketability: 5
Marketability: 5
Marketability refers to how effectively you wrote your book for your target audience. Authors may include content that is above or below the understanding of their target reader, or include concepts, opinions, or language that can accidentally confuse or alienate some readers. Although by its nature this rating is very subjective, a very low rating here and poor reviews may indicate an issue with your book in this area.Overall Opinion: 5
The overall starred rating takes into account all these elements and describes the overall reading experience of your reviewer. This is the official Readers' Favorite review rating for your book.Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite 5-stars
"I recommend 13th Minister Of Salem to fans of the existing series as another accomplished paranormal chiller to devour."
Penned by Kathie Costos, 13th Minister Of Salem is a work in the supernatural horror, suspense, and gothic drama subgenres, forming the third installment in the Ministers Of The Mystery series. It is best suited to mature adult readers owing to its dark content and adult situations. In this profoundly intriguing continuation of the series, we find ourselves back with Chris as word of his achievements and talents has spread, but this only leads to more trouble for our hero. Trying to get married would be hard enough without the constant death threats from the cult of the now-defeated Haman Cain, let alone the Master’s warning that his end-time is drawing near.
Kathie Costos brings us back into the world of gothic suspense, deep drama, and a chilling thriller with a bang in this third installment in the series.
I found myself deeply involved in Chris’s psychological storyline. We see the painfully realistic damage that his adventures, battles, and triumphs have left him with over the events of the first two novels.
I felt his pain, isolation, and pressure deep in my soul; such is the efficacy of Costos’s intimate narrative, thought, and speech portrayal.
The darkest elements of the work are also well-handled to avoid being gratuitous but remain chilling to the core. I recommend 13th Minister Of Salem to fans of the existing series as another accomplished paranormal chiller to devour.
