Ghostwriting: The Murphey Method by Cecil Murphey (Christian Writers Institute, 2017)
Cecil Murphey gives the new writer an easy-to-read book about ghostwriting know-how. His years as a book writer-ghostwriter along with his wisdom and integrity contribute to expert insights for the growing writer. An incredible range of information is packed into this book. Murphey shows pitfalls a ghostwriter can avoid through knowing what to expect and what to do in a variety of situations.
I appreciate Mr. Murphey’s advice as he instructs using personal experiences and lessons learned from his own writing journey. He was the collaborator for books like Gifted Hands and Think Big by Ben Carson, and 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper. Cecil Murphey’s faith is a thread that ties his personal beliefs to his work endeavors, which makes his book a double-win for me.
Cecil Murphey was a minister, a professor, and he is an overcomer. In addition, he is well-respected in the writing community as an author, ghostwriter, and presenter. He blogs at cecilmurphey.com and has a blog for male victims of sexual abuse at Shattering the Silence.
Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Crossroad Publishing Company, 1992)
The words written by Henri Nouwen in this thoughtful book, Life of the Beloved, helped a friend of mine through a trying time in her life. She later shared Nouwen’s book with me. “Beloved” is a warm term to describe the relationship of God with His children. Henri Nouwen wrote this book for a friend at his friend’s request. His friend wanted something for himself and his secular friends that would describe what Nouwen had found in his religion, written specifically for those whom do not understand the relationship component of “God with Us.” This is a warmly written book, almost fatherly in its calm treatment of the spiritual, much like a teacher will do with a skeptical student when the teacher goes in through the back door to approach a difficult-to-grasp concept. It reads like a personal communicant on God and how God fits into real life in a personal dimension. Spiritual in tone, this book is not about religious practices or the deep yearning, and it is not about doctrine or an intellectual pursuit. It is about what it means to be a beloved child of God, someone who finds their value in God, and not through doing or in prideful acts.
