Interview: Joseph Schneller, Author of Your Average Joe Unplugged

Joining us today is Joseph Schneller, author of Your Average Joe Unplugged. Joe served as a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps and holds a Psychology degree from Whitworth. He is an alumnus of the Christian Writers Guild. His publishing credits include Focus on the Family’s Thriving Family, Clubhouse, and Focus on the Family; LifeWay’s Stand Firm; and Walk Thru the Bible’s Indeed. He writes nonfiction and humor for adults, and fiction for children, youth, and adults. He and his wife, Kippi, live in Colorado with their two young boys.

Welcome to my blog, Joe. It's wonderful to have you with us. When did you begin writing?


In the third grade, I wrote a series of short stories on “Super Pickle,” a superhero vegetable who (I’m assuming now) went around doing heroic things in the plant kingdom. The class loved it when I read new installments to them—at least that’s how I remember it. Our teacher, Mrs. Baseman, was very encouraging about my writing. I think I’ll break out those old stories some day and see if there are any publishable concepts, maybe a Vlasic-meets-VeggieTales theme. Oh, I got it: VlasicTales.

Sometime in elementary school, I also wrote a story entitled “Dead Men Don’t Eat Quiche.” So you can see that most of my early writing centered around food.


What is this book about?


Your Average Joe: Unplugged is a Christian devotional and humor book. It takes a gritty, honest approach to issues such as employment, unemployment, trial, fear, and the Word of God. It also includes Dave Barry/Erma Bombeck-style humor articles about married life.

The Christian life is no easy gig, but for some harebrained reason Christians can think that we’re supposed to have it all together, that life should be smooth and prosperous. That’s unbiblical nonsense. This book takes a what-the-Bible-says-even-if-I-don’t-like-it approach, including transparent renderings of my personal experience. I hope readers find it liberating.

Early reader feedback includes accolades for tear-jerking honesty, an easy and “conversational” writing style, and laugh-out-loud humor. I’ve been hearing the “lovin’ it” phrase, which of course makes me think of McDonald’s. But there I go about food again.

What inspired you to write it?


I spent 9 ½ months unemployed/underemployed, and this with a wife and toddler at home and a second child on the way. To a minor extent, I felt like the Biblical character Job (pronounced “Jobe”), who lost nearly everything he had and spent much time grappling with loss and with his faith in God. Like I said, the faith walk is no cake walk.

I knew that this life is but a womb for the next, that God uses it to prepare us for service here and for life in heaven. But, in the midst of my desert—a most difficult time in my marriage, a most difficult time for me personally—I asked God if it’s really worth it. Is Kingdom-work on earth and preparation for heaven really worth all this heartache, all this headache, all this loss?

During most of that time, I ran a website and posted articles about my pilgrimage. At one point I read an email about the impact the website had on a woman. It struck her to the core, and was one of the things that helped her return to the Lord. As I finished reading that email, instinctively I said aloud, “This makes it all worth it.”

So, my deep hope is that God would use this book to draw people closer to Him. And yeah, if I’m able to help someone because of the low places I’ve seen, then it’s all worth it.


Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?


The book can be purchased from the publisher (http://www.nordskogpublishing.com/), from Amazon, or (if you want an autograph and possibly some leftover pickle) directly from me (http://www.josephschneller.com/). Because I’m a first-time book author, it may take a little while to get on the bookstore shelves. But I think you may be able to order it through your local bookstore as well.


What is up next for you?


First off, I need to take a shower. I smell like a yak. Secondly, I have a completed young adult novel which I’m pitching to publishers. I’m also interested in further nonfiction for adults, and have a couple more novels rumbling around in my head. I’m also considering the children’s market. Of course, there are always the magazine articles (I’ve written for Focus on the Family’s Thriving Family, Clubhouse and Focus on the Family magazine; LifeWay’s Stand Firm; Walk Thru the Bible’s Indeed, Wesleyan Publishing House’s Vista; etc.). So, I’m currently in the cool place of having more potential opportunities than I have time.


Thanks for spending time with us today, Joe. We wish you continued success.

Book Review: Your Average Joe Unplugged by Joe Schneller

Are you guys ready for a light Christian devotional? Pick up a copy of Your Average Joe Unplugged by Joseph Schneller.

In this funny and insightful devotional, Schneller takes readers through 30 days in the life of an average Christian. Though told from a man's point of view with a decidedly male image on the front cover, I believe any man or woman would enjoy reading this book.

Some of the issues Schneller addresses are:

• job dissatisfaction


• a crisis of faith


• using our gifts to honor the Lord


• how marriage changes your life


• daily Bible reading


• coping with fear

Sandwiched in between these devotional moments are previously published humorous articles about things like taking out the trash, becoming  a parent, painting, epidurals, and shopping. Now, if I've given you the impression this book is only a barrel of laughs and serious Christians should steer clear of it, let me say that the author has an equal amount of profound wisdom to share with his readers.

Having made the tough decision to leave his job while his wife was pregnant with their second child, Schneller remained unemployed for some time. His writing produced a bit of money, but this former U.S. Marine captain with a degree in Psychology, was thrilled to find an entry level job paying minimum wage. While he knew that God has never been wrong, Schneller wasn't too happy about his job situation. As he considered God's infinite perfection (Day 1), he was able to relate to his Lord in Genesis 6:5-6 when God was, "grieved that He had made man on the earth, and His heart was filled with pain." Schneller goes on to discuss on Day 2 how much of our lives are spent working and wondering why that is. He brings us through the reasons for job dissatisfaction on Day 3. We live in a fallen, sinful world, but God wishes us to live with thankful hearts--even in the workplace. Schneller states that thankfulness is like a muscle--it needs exercise.
By the time you're done with all Schneller has to share on the subject, you're thinking, "Wow! He's right."

Each day ends with the Bread for Your Soul section that includes a portion of Scripture, Today's Encouragement, and a prayer.

Your Average Joe Unplugged by Joe Schneller is the perfect blend of humorous and insightful, playful and profound, light and deep. I recommend it to the everyday Christian who is eager to devote more time to the Lord.

Title: Your Average Joe Unplugged
Author: Joseph Schneller
Publisher: Nordskog Publishing
ISBN-10: 0983195714
ISBN-13: 978-0983195719
SRP:  $11.95

The author's publicist paid me to promote this book with a virtual book tour through Pump Up Your Book. That fee did not include a review. I received no compensation of any kind to provide my honest opinions.

Book Spotlight: Trees Cry for Rain by Dr. Jeri Fink

It’s August in Bryant Park, New York City. A man with fiery eyes hovers on the edge of a grisly mystery.

Five hundred years earlier, Rozas, a Marrano or Secret Jew, is betrayed. She’s anonymously reported to the Spanish Holy Office of The Inquisition. Dragged into an underground dungeon, Rozas is tortured, forced to “confess” crimes against the church, and convicted of heresy.

The Inquisitors demand that she reveal the fate of her three daughters. She refuses. Rozas is burned alive at the stake; the secret dies with her.

The story jumps seamlessly in time, connecting Rozas, the man with fiery eyes, and characters that amble across Bryant Park’s Great Lawn. Suddenly three women find each other.

Time freezes. The man is ready. Something unthinkable is about to happen.

Read an excerpt!

Spain, 1492

Someone bangs on my door.

A deep, paralyzing fear invades me, numbing my hands and feet,  making my heart race, blurring the images in my mind into bloody streaks. We stare at one another – my husband and three daughters.

We know what it means.

We have been betrayed.

Lucas takes a deep breath and stands away from the table. He’s a big man, with long thin legs and the round belly of middle age. The girls huddle around me, their eyes wide with terror. The meat is ash in my stomach, swelling until it feels like stones splitting me from within.

Lucas squares his shoulders.

“Don’t say anything,” he commands in a whisper.

“Don’t answer it,” I hiss. My arms feel like raw meat, cold and bloodless.

Lucas smiles sadly, his beard shimmering in the dim light. “I have to. We have nowhere to go.”

“They’ll kill us,” the words rip through my throat like the knife that sliced the meat in our bowls.

Slowly, Lucas shakes his head; his dark, green-flecked eyes fill with grief.

“You’re my husband,” I beg. “You have to listen.”

There’s a tiny pause; time jolts to a halt. I hold my breath. Zara, my youngest and most insightful – the one that seems in touch with old spirits – senses that something ominous is approaching. Nine years of life still hasn’t taught her how to contain fear. She cries, soft wails renting the air. I pull her close, rubbing her back, whispering soothing words I don’t feel, and pressing her head into my breast to stifle the sound.

“Nooooo,” I plead, matching the cries of my child.

Lucas gently touches my shoulder, runs his thick, stubby fingers up my neck, and kisses my daughter’s head. “There’s no choice,” he whispers, more to himself than any of us. He backs away from the table, his legs heavy, moving as if in a swamp. Suddenly he pauses and in a moment that lasts a lifetime, Lucas memorizes the sight of us together.

It will be the last time.

New York City, Present

Shira smiled. Bryant Park was like a window in time, moving in its own jagged frames. It was the perfect place to write, to follow Emma and Mason’s bizarre romance, and when needed, look into faces to provide description and dialogue. What did the intruder look like? How did Emma’s fear play on her face? Mason’s arrogance?

She scanned the faces in the park. There was a dark-skinned man with a fashionably ragged red t-shirt printed with Nweke’s Art, selling beaded bracelets and earrings on a pegboard, near the steps on 42nd Street. An old couple sat on the Upper Library Terrace, beneath a green and white umbrella stamped with Bryant Park, and next to a concrete pot of purple flowers. They held hands and watched the world before them, their silver hair shimmering in the summer sun, sharing the terrace with concrete garlands, urns, and ram’s heads.

For a moment their eyes met.

The old couple smiled and Shira quickly turned away, embarrassed.

Maybe she could find a Mason Portsmith look-alike at the park – a man dressed in expensive clothes with a lithe body and hazel eyes that broadcasted insight, caring, and power? Shira smiled.

In my dreams.

Literally. In her thirty-two years, she had always known that the people and plots conjured in her writer’s mind were far more fascinating than reality.

That’s what kept her running.



Read the reviews!

"...anyone who loves historical pieces will be sure to enjoy this."

--One Day at a Time
"This novel has all of the components of an epic success - strong characters, engrossing plot, and gripping themes."

--Book Nook Club

"A fantastic story with interesting and believable characters. This is a must read!"

--Bookguru

Dr. Jeri Fink is an author, Family Therapist, and journalist, with over 19 books and hundreds of articles to her name. She writes adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction, and has appeared on television, radio, book events, seminars, workshops, and the internet. Dr. Fink’s work has been praised by community leaders, educators, reviewers, and critics around the country.
To find out more about Dr. Fink http://www.drjerifink.com

Movie Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

The first book of C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia was brought to the big screen in 2005 by Disney. While this is not the first production adapted from Lewis's classic books, it is the only one I've seen that left me excited enough to wish to explore the books.

The Pevensie children (Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy) are evacuated from London during the Blitz and sent to live with a professor and his housekeeper. While playing hide-and-seek, Lucy steps into a wardrobe and discovers Narnia, a magical land filled with mythical creatures and talking animals. She befriends Mr. Tumnus, a timid faun. Tumnus explains about Narnia, and how it is always cold because of the White Witch. Though he is supposed to turn Lucy over to the White Witch, he can't do this to his new friend, so he guides her back to the lamppost where they first met so she can return home.

Lucy's siblings don't believe her story. It isn't until they are all forced to hide in the wardrobe to escape the professor's mean housekeeper, that they enter Narnia together. This sets them on an adventure that none of them would ever have believed if they hadn't experienced it for themselves.

I made a point to read some of the Amazon reviews of this DVD prior to writing my review. As someone who hasn't read the books yet, my opinion is bound to be different from many of them.  The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe impressed me with its special effects, the lush landscape, and action scenes. We first meet the Pevensies as they are rushing to the shelter during the bombing of London.

William Moseley plays the oldest brother, Peter. With their father fighting in the war, Peter is trying to act like the man of the house. He instantly clashes with his younger brother, Edmund (Skandar Keynes), who is missing his father and not thrilled about Peter trying to take his place--especially when he tells Edmund what to do.  Susan (Anna Popplewell) is a beautiful, smart girl and the second oldest Pevensie child. As her character moves along, we see that Susan appreciates logic and has a gentle heart. She seems to be the peacemaker when the siblings fight, but she tends to be a bit hard on Peter.  Lucy, played so well by Georgie Henley, is innocent and open to new experiences. She is more curious than afraid when she enters Narnia for the first time and immediately befriends Mr. Tumnus. She is seeking for what she, as such a young girl, can contribute to help Aslan and Narnia. Her youth leads her to easily believe all that Aslan tells her.

After reading some of the Amazon reviews--many that compared the book to the movie--I can say it doesn't surprise me if Hollywood dealt with the Christian aspects of the book  in a more subtle way; but a Christian viewer would be hard pressed to miss the allegories. One thing I felt was missing, however, is an explanation as to why the Pevensies were sent to Professor Kirke's house. It bothered me throughout the movie, and in the times since, when I watched the DVD at home. Who is this professor? What link does he have to the children? A simple few words at the train station between the children and their mother would have explained why they were being sent there instead of somewhere else.

The DVD contains extras like bloopers and commentaries, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Close to the books or not, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is one of my favorite contemporary films. While I thought a PG-13 rating would have been better considering all the fight scenes and the epic battle at the end, my girls who are younger than that enjoyed the film too.

DVD Product Details:

Actors: Tilda Swinton, Georgie Henley, William Moseley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell
Directors: Andrew Adamson
Writers: Andrew Adamson, Ann Peacock, C.S. Lewis, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
Producers: Andrew Adamson, David Minkowski
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS 5.1), French (Unknown), Spanish (Unknown)
Subtitles: Spanish, French
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Disney
DVD Release Date: April 4, 2006
Run Time: 143 minutes
ASIN: B000E8M0VA
SRP:  $19.99

Pump Up Your Book Author Chat Tonight!

Pump Up Your Book is holding an author chat tonight. This chat was originally scheduled for August 26th, but Hurricane Irene had other plans. Here is tonight's chat schedule. Look for your favorite author and join us at Pump Up Your Book's Chat Room:

8:15 – 8:25 – Debra Brenegan


8:25 – 8:35 – Stephen Langford


8:35 – 8:45 – Paula Wiseman


8:45 – 8:55 – T.M. Wallace


8:55 – 9:05 – Caridad Pineiro


9:05 – 9:15 – Dr. Jeri Fink


9:15 – 9:25 – Malcolm Dylan Petteway


9:25 – 9:35 – James Mace


9:35 – 9:45 – Alretha Thomas
9:45 – 9:55 – Benjamin Kane Ethridge

As usual, our authors will be giving away some great prizes.
Find all the details at http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2011/08/03/pump-up-your-book-live-august-2011-authors-on-tour-chatbook-giveaway-party/

Avery Products Back-to-School Giveaway at Closer to Lucy

Have I mentioned how much I love Paper.li? This site allows uses your Twitter, Facebook, and RSS feed to create a daily online newspaper. I have discovered so many neat things because of my http://paper.li/ccmalandrinos.

I went out to my paper today and saw this great Avery products giveaway at the Closer to Lucy blog. Even if you don't have kids going back to school this year, Avery always has something for your home or office.

Visit Closer to Lucy at http://www.closertolucy.com/2011/08/avery-has-you-covered-for-back-to.html for more details.

Product Review: Beef Stew Sample from Daily Bread 25-year Worry-free Food Storage

Until this year, if someone spoke to me about food storage, I would have decried this as a ridiculous waste of money. Why would a family who lived in an area where natural disasters are rarer than four-leaf clovers, need to be concerned with having a stock of non-perishable food around?

If you've been following Books, Products and More!, you know our area of Massachusetts was hit with record-breaking snowfall this winter. On June 1st, a tornado unlike anything seen in the past 50 years whipped through, leaving death and destruction in its place. A month later, some of the same areas that were in the process of rebuilding, were struck by a destructive microburst that claimed the life of an 85-year-old motorcyclist. In June and July we lost power for a few days. Both times I had to throw away food from our refrigerator and downstairs freezer. Now, that's a waste of money! My husband and I work too hard to throw money away. While Hurricane Irene did not impact our immediate area, portions of Massachusetts were hard hit. Since Hurricane Season in the Atlantic begins on June 1st and ends November 30th, there are plenty of opportunities for cities and towns on the East Coast to get slammed.

I requested a sample from Daily Bread 25-year Worry-free Food Storage. My sample included a pouch of Beef Stew, a booklet listing information about their products, a price list for 3 months through 12 months worth of supplies, and pricing on their A la Carte items.

After ripping open the package and removing the oxygen absorber, I boiled 1cup of water and added it to the pouch. I stirred and let the food sit for 10 minutes. These products are made in sturdy pouches so that you can eat right from them, but I opted to use a bowl so I could eat at my desk.

Adding two slices of whole wheat bread and a bottle of water, this delicious stew was a filling meal that I enjoyed. It has a great flavor and texture. The meat and vegetables are cut into bite-size portions, so you don't even need a utensil to eat it. I didn't think freeze-dried foods could taste good, but Daily Bread gourmet meals are fabulous.

Now, this product is definitely an investment. Their 3- to 12-month meal plans are based upon a family of 5 (2 adults, 3 children), and will run from $1559.99 (3-month, 2 entrees a day) to $8,999.99 (12-month, 3 entrees a day). Their A la Carte items run from $84.99 (4 vegetable combo 86 servings/4 cans) to 6 cans of of diced ham (156 servings) for $339.99. But, if you consider your current grocery shopping bill, and the products that go stale before you have a chance to use them, there is added value in Daily Bread. In addition, since all their entrees are prepared with little water--which is rarely available during an emergency--and that they require no cooking, that saves you money too. They also have a good variety of foods: maple & brown sugar oatmeal, blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs with sausage, chicken ala king, beef stroganoff, chicken noodle, and more!

I'm very impressed with this product and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in preparing themselves in uncertain times.


Daily Bread sent me a free sample in exchange for my honest opinions. I received no monetary compensation of any kind for this review.