Spring Arbor--fast foreWORD e.newsletter

Forthcoming Titles: Mother's Day

A mother's love is tender, constant, fierce, and unconditional. She does not hesitate to love or stand up for her children, regardless of their age. Your customers know this all too well as they try to find a gift that somehow expresses their appreciation on Mother's Day. Frazzled, on-the-go moms of younger kids can take a break with Lynne Thompson's The Official Soccer Mom Devotional: A Book of 50 Brief and Inspiring Devotions, an inspiring and portable travel devotional by active moms for active moms, and Ellen Banks Elwell's The Christian Mom's Idea Book: Hundreds of Ideas, Tips, and Activities to Help You Be a Great Mom contains more than 500 activities to help Christian moms be great in their roles. Fans of actress-turned-author Lisa Welchel will enjoy her titles on motherhood: Speaking Mom-Ese: Moments of Peace & Inspiration in the Mother Tongue; Taking Care of the Me in Mommy: Becoming a Better Mom: Spirit, Body & Soul; and The Busy Mom's Guide to Bible Study. Great books for single mothers include My Single Mom Life: Stories and Practical Lessons for Your Journey, by Angela Thomas, where the author shares her hard-earned wisdom on loneliness, dating, finances, and parenting, while actress Janine Turner's Holding Her Head High: 12 Single Mothers Who Championed Their Children and Changed History highlights the social implications for single women and children throughout history--all carrying wounds but all offering insight, wisdom, and encouragement. And gift books are always popular: Max Lucado's God Thinks You're Wonderful, Mom!; Caron Chandler Loveless' What If There Were No Moms?: A Gift Book for Moms and Those Who Wish to Celebrate Them; and Chrys Howard's Kisses from a Mother's Heart: Heartwarming Messages That Express a Mother's Love. For more Mother's Day titles on ipage, click here.

Product Panel: Women

Books for and about women abound. Here you'll find titles appropriate for all seasons of a woman's life, including Mother's Day. Let's start with love; David Hawkins explains how women can bridge the communication gap in How to Get Your Husband's Attention, while Jackie Kendall's A Man Worth Waiting for: How to Avoid a Bozo explains how to steer clear of common dating pitfalls and find Mr. Right. Lisa Bevere shows readers how to get the nurture they need, how to share it, and how to take their place as part of the company of women arising to change their world in Nurture: Give and Get What You Need to Flourish, while in Fight Like a Girl: The Power of Being a Woman she encourages women to see themselves as designed and valued by God and savor their femininity as their strength, not a flaw. The importance of prayer in a woman's life is examined by Sheila Walsh in Get Off Your Knees & Pray: A Woman's Guide to Life-Changing Prayer and by Stormie Omartian in The Power of Praying: Help for a Woman's Journey Through Life. And for women seeking their true selves, Lies Young Women Believe: And the Truth That Sets Them Free, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Dannah Gresh, gives young women the tools they need to identify where their lives and beliefs are off course, while offering practical, faith-based approaches to overcome these hurdles; and three of today's most admired Christian women--Kay Arthur, Emilie Barnes, and Donna Otto--share what they've learned through the journey of their lives in Youniquely Woman: Becoming Who God Designed You to Be. Click here for more titles for women.

How to ipage®: Build A Promotion

Free Marketing Materials!
Spring Arbor offers free marketing materials to our retailers through our Build A Promotion link on ipage. Now you can use our professionally designed marketing materials to help promote your store. Categories include Mother's Day, Father's Day, Gardening, Direct to Home, Parenting, and more! Each category offers several different marketing tools, including shelf talkers, table signs, bookmarks, and posters. We've even included a link to FedExKinko's® so you can easily have your marketing materials printed professionally.

Log on to ipage today to take advantage of Build A Promotion.

For questions about Build A Promotion, contact us at (800) 395-4340 or programsandservices@springarbor.com.

Spring Arbor Spotlight: New Release Book Program--Improved!

The New Release Book program has moved to ipage®.
Now, YOU can help manage New Release Book Program orders!

Spring Arbor's New Release Book Program ensures you receive the leading new titles each month. And now, all the functionality you need to manage your orders will be available in an easy-to-use format on the Programs & Catalogs tab on ipage.

New Release Music program participants will receive an e-mail notification at the beginning of every month to notify them that the program order is ready to review. From the Programs and Services tab of ipage, click on the New Release Music program link to review your list. You can edit the list and send your order, or if you do not want to make any changes, your order will process automatically on either the 1st or 15th, whichever date comes first after you receive the e-mail notification. With this new functionality, you now have the option to edit your orders before they ship.

Use the New Release Music program to receive:
• Christian books for adults
• Christian books and video for children and youth
• Catholic books for adults and children

The New Release Book Program is FREE--your only charge is for the product shipped! Your shipment may combine with your regular orders to qualify for free shipping.

If you have any questions please contact us at (800) 395-4340 or e-mail programsandservices@springarbor.com

New Release Music

Keep your store stocked with the latest in Christian music--risk free! Enroll today and receive either weekly or monthly shipments of newly released Christian CDs from the top Christian music labels--EMI-CMG, Provident, and Word.

For more information about this program, contact your Sales Representative at (800) 395-4340, or e-mail us at programsandservices@springarbor.com.

Click here for the newest listing of New Release Music.

May/June Christian Advance PREVIEW:

Here's a sneak peek of our interview with Natalie Gillespie, author of Believing in Narnia. Her newest project, which coincides with the movie release of Prince Caspian, helps children ages 7-11 understand the symbolism of the Christian faith in C. S. Lewis' beloved series.

Q: How and when did the idea for Believing in Narnia come to be?
A: The idea came about last year when my editor at Thomas Nelson, Laura Minchew, and I were discussing the fact that there were lots of resources available for adults and parents on the Narnia series but really not any books for kids that explained all of the wonderful symbolism in the Chronicles. Laura had been my editor on my last book, Successful Adoption: A Guide for Christian Families, and she knew that I have lots of kids (seven--five still living at home) and would enjoy diving deep into the Chronicles with them.

She was right; we had a blast. In fact, I am now reading the series out loud to my husband whenever we have time, because he doesn't remember if he ever read them as a child!

Q: What do you hope children will take away with them after reading Believing in Narnia?
A: First of all, I hope that they will discover the pure passion and joyous love that Jesus has for them. I want them to understand, by seeing how Aslan treats the characters in Prince Caspian and all of the Chronicles, how much Jesus is just like the great lion. He is there when they don't see Him. He pursues them. He wants to play with them. He hurts with them, and He died for them. Aslan is filled with such life that I hope it helps Jesus feel real. I think kids growing up in Christian homes get a lot of head-knowledge that Jesus is real, but it is awfully hard to feel Him in their daily lives. If a child who does not know Jesus personally reads Believing in Narnia, I hope it awakens a longing to find out more about this God who will never let him or her go. It even includes an explanation of how to ask Jesus into your heart and become a Christ-follower.

I also hope Believing in Narnia opens children's eyes to the many layers of meaning that great literature can have. I hope they fall in love with reading! Fiction is an incredible, life-changing adventure that can take them to new worlds. It is the tool Jesus used to teach his most important lessons--through the parables--and it is the tool that C.S. Lewis used so well through the Chronicles to paint a picture of creation, of Jesus' death and resurrection, and even of heaven.

Mother's Day is right around the corner, and customers of all ages will shop in your store hoping to find a meaningful gift. Keep in mind that many of your customers are mothers themselves, which means they drive the younger teens and small kids to your store each week! How can you say “thank you” to all the moms that frequent your store? Consider blessing a few of your customers who are moms with a free manicure or gift certificate to a local coffee shop. And don't forget about the graduates this May--high school and college grads need some love, too! As they experience this great, and sometimes scary, time in their lives, be sure to have plenty of gift books and music on hand as family and friends look for the perfect milestone gift. Have a great April from your friends at Spring Arbor.