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Website for author Vicki Stewart

Vicki Stewart

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Gamàl Camel to the King Receives Readers’ Favorite 5-Star Review!

Many thanks to Joy Hannabass from Readers’ Favorite for the 5-star review for Gamàl Camel to the King!  I’m grateful to Joy for reaffirming my decision. I picked the perfect two very talented artists to bring my sweet Gamàl to life!

Reviewed By Joy Hannabass for Readers’ Favorite

“Gamàl the camel lived deep in a valley near the Zagros Mountains. He was a very sad, lonely camel because his hump is different from all of the other camels. No one wanted him around, everyone laughed at him because he was different. Not even Gamàl’s mom could make him feel better. It was when a King came by to find his perfect camel that Gamàl’s life was changed, even though the Shepherd tried to hide him from the King.

I love stories like this because every child needs to be taught at an early age that it is okay to be different, that God made each of us perfect in His image like He wants us to be. Author Vicky M. Stewart does a really nice job of teaching children this valuable lesson in this book. I love that she uses a sweet adorable camel to teach this lesson. This is just the kind of book a child will listen to and accept that Gamàl is perfect as he is. And Gamàl is the cutest little camel I have ever seen. Rebecca Pruitt and Sarah Stewart created such appealing characters for this book. The story and the illustrations go so well together, they were made for each other. Children will love the vibrant colors throughout the book, and little ones will fall in love with Gamàl and love having this story read to them. I highly encourage you to add Gamàl Camel to the King by Vicki M. Stewart to your child’s library. This would be an excellent book for your church library, preschool and daycare, and any place small children will be.”

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Gamàl Camel to the King is now available on Amazon!

When my daughter, Sarah, was younger and still in school, she told me someone was bullying her.  The Mama Bear in me, of course, became angry.  Then she told me how common it was happening to other kids at school and it became evident.  Our society had a problem.

So I decided to write a story for young children stressing the importance of faith, kindness, self-acceptance, and how everyone is created with a purpose.  We need to remember to see ourselves the way God does, not how the world does.

I wrote Gamàl back in 2015 and was ready to publish it then, yet a story for children comes across more vividly with pictures. I knew I needed an illustrator to bring Gamàl to life; however, I was very selective, and only one illustrator would do, my daughter, Sarah.  Since she was still in high school at the time, she wasn’t quite ready to take on the challenge of illustrating a children’s book with her mom.  So I decided to wait because she was the only artist I was willing to consider.

When I proposed the idea to her again earlier this summer, I was overjoyed when she agreed to do the drawings and asked if her girlfriend, Rebecca, could work on the book with us.  Not one but two incredibly talented artists working on my book? How could I possibly refuse?  Imagine my good fortune, as the shepherd in Gamàl also declares!

We are very proud to share this collaboration of faith, acceptance, love, and kindness with you.

Click here to order your copy today!

Much love, Vicki, Sarah, and Rebecca

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Saving Jia Receives Reader’s Favorite 5-Star Review!

Many thanks to K.J. Simmill for the 5-star review from Reader’s Favorite!  It’s one thing to fall in love with your own story, and so gratifying when other’s do as well!

Reviewed By K.J. Simmill for Readers’ Favorite

“In Vicki Stewart’s Saving Jia, ‘It’s over for today. Tomorrow is a long time away,’ was the mantra Jia repeated to herself every day once her terrible vision subsided. She knew it was coming, it started like clockwork at 5:55 pm, the time her father had been declared dead after taking a bullet to protect his partner. There was so much he had still needed to tell her, so much she had needed to know. But her mother refused to allow any of his family close to Jia. It wasn’t until she returned to Boston, following in her father’s footsteps in law enforcement, that she uncovered the truth. Her father’s line had a gift, visions of the future. But with this revelation came another. She had an uncle, but unlike her father, he had turned his gifts toward seizing power. With her on the beat, there was every chance he would try to stop her. They shared a gift, they shared blood. But they could not be more different, and there is only room for one to survive.

Vicki Stewart’s Saving Jia is a gripping crime thriller with a touch of the supernatural. I loved the energy of this book. I was drawn instantly to the characters through the gripping narrative and whisked away on a journey of discovery. This was an unputdownable read that I devoured in a single sitting. I loved immersing myself in Jia’s life, watching her handle all life threw at her. I enjoyed the camaraderie between her and Ray, the feeling of the family not only at the place of work but with her newfound relatives. The characters are strong, realistic, and believable, which made this an incredible read. Danger, mystery, and a countdown to disaster play at the forefront of a plot where real strength is drawn from those you choose to surround yourself with rather than position. A thoroughly satisfying read from start to finish and entertaining from beginning to end.

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Saving Jia Now Available on Amazon.com!

At long last, Saving Jia is out! Click here to purchase your copy today!

Sixty seconds of terror. Ever since that fateful day when she was eight years old, and her father sacrificed his life to save a fellow officer, Jia Zhang has had the same vision of terror, searing flames and unimaginable suffering every day at 5:55 PM; exactly when the doctor’s recorded her father’s time of death. Jia is convinced the vision is a message from her father, but why would he send her a message so horrific, so devastating?

Hoping to shield Jia from learning about her father’s family secrets, her mother moves Jia to San Francisco, but Jia knows Boston is her home. When Jia grows up, she returns to Boston and follows in her father’s footsteps joining the Boston Police Department in the same precinct where he had served.

A last-minute decision for lunch with her partner brings Jia to the Lucky Eggroll restaurant in Chinatown, where she meets the owners, an elderly couple who seem to know her. In the days that follow, Jia discovers the secret her mother tried so desperately to hide from her. The elderly couple is her grandparents, and her father had an older brother named Kai, now a gun for hire. Much to her surprise, Jia learns her Grandfather and Kai also have visions, but Kai has chosen the darker side of his abilities and uses them to track down his victims.

Being an officer, Jia knows it’s her responsibility to stop Kai. Determined to continue her search for the meaning behind the message from her father, she must now set her sights on finding her estranged uncle before he kills again. Kai can see her decisions as she makes them. Will she be able to find him before he finds her?

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The Story Behind Saving Jia

Saving Jia takes place in modern-day Boston, Massachusettes centered around an Asian American family who possess special abilities they’ve inherited from their ancestors before them. As with anyone given great power, they are each faced with the temptation of using their gifts for good or for evil. Power of love or the love of power? It’s a more difficult choice than you would think.

Being a visual artist and writer, my book covers always precede my writing. The images I choose sets the tone for my stories and keep me focused as I write. Which is why Saving Jia took a bit longer to kick off than my previous books. The cover evolved over the course of several weeks and I went through many iterations before I knew it was perfect.

A key element in this story is actually one of my totally weird ‘tics.’ My favorite number is 5, so any time I see 5:55 on a clock (especially a digital clock) I become fixated and will literally stare at the clock for a full minute until it changes to 5:56. As I said, it’s totally weird. However, it turned out to be a really cool part of this story.

Just a teaser to let you know what I’m working on! Until next time, happy reading!