Boy moms Victoria Duerstock and Bethany Jett offer encouragement, life lessons and inspirational anecdotes to equip young men for success in Navigating Minefields
“This book is the blueprint that can impact the social, moral and ethical well-being of young men as a whole. Through this book the young men will ultimately build their character, their self-worth and their overall external relationships with the world and society.”
– Antwan Houser, Pastor, Author, Educator, Community and Youth Activist, Public Speaker and Youth Mentor
NASHVILLE, Tenn., October 2021 – It’s not easy growing up in today’s culture. In addition to the regular challenges and pressures of growing up and learning how to navigate life, career and move in into adulthood successfully; our children are also facing numerous epidemics including loneliness, mental health struggles, pornography, and addiction.
In their new book, Navigating Minefields: A Young Man’s Blueprint for Success on Life’s Battlefield (October 11, 2021), Victoria Duerstock and Bethany Jett use their experience as boy moms to help young men of all ages and stages of life find their God-given identity and equip them with tools necessary to fight life’s battles.
“From anger to laziness, dating to sex, work ethic and diligence, we cover a wide berth of subjects that we as parents long for our sons to listen and understand,” says Victoria Duerstock. “Our goal is to share what we’ve learned with other families and that resource will equip and inspire young men at this pivotal time in their lives.”
Duerstock and Jett, who have both raised sons, share a wealth of practical life lessons that will encourage young men crossing over into the world of adulthood. Written in a format boys will find engaging and easy to read, Navigating Minefields is filled with inspirational thoughts, quotes and applicable life lessons that will make the perfect gift for any young man.
Duerstock and Jett are available for interviews and can speak to:
- The mother’s heart: how to navigate healthy relationships with your sons
- 4 keys to helping young men control their aggression
- The importance of teaching your child to apologize
- The 3 villains of leadership for men
- Seasoned advice for navigating dating relationships in a digital world
- 5 practical ways to deal with temptation and lust
- Tips for understanding time management and staying focused on goals
“Navigating Minefields is all of the life advice you want your sons to have, but kids don’t always listen to parents the first…or second…or fiftieth time,” says Bethany Jett. “We want to come in and layer this message onto the wisdom parents have already bestowed. Sometimes having another voice helps things ‘click’.”
About the Authors:
Victoria Duerstock is a multi-passionate creative and entrepreneur fueled mostly by coffee who pursues her dreams with verve and intensity. Wife and mom of three, Victoria divides and conquers the never-ending to-do list while working to maintain her sanity and pleasant demeanor. Her writing journey plunged her deep in the social media landscape and she enjoys sharing her tips and tricks for growth and engagement with others. Recipient of the 2020 Selah Nonfiction Book of the Year, Duerstock has authored six titles, with more on the way. She is the founder and president of End Game Press, a traditional publishing house where ordinary people accomplish extraordinary things. Learn more at www.victoriaduerstock.com.
Bethany Jett is an award-winning author and award-winning ghostwriter, along with co-owning two companies in the writing and publishing realm: Serious Writer, Inc and Platinum Literary Services. She is a proud military spouse and homeschool momma-of-boys who is determined to keep her priorities in line: God, Family, Career, which is often an un-balanced juggling act of extremes on her quest to #LiveBrilliant. Bethany speaks across the country at conferences, retreats, moms’ groups, youth groups, women’s events, and writer’s conferences and would love to be your next keynote presenter or workshop leader. Connect with her at www.bethanyjett.com.
About End Game Press
Launched by award-winning author Victoria Duerstock in 2020, End Game Press is a traditional publishing house where ordinary people accomplish extraordinary things. End Game Press puts authors first, educating them on the entirety of the publishing process and providing them with the needed training to be successful. With a goal to create beauty and cultivate community, End Game Press publishes fiction, nonfiction, and children’s titles into both general and Christian markets. Learn more at www.endgamepress.com.
Media Contact: Shanon Stowe, shanon@iconmediagroup.com
Nashville, Tenn., October 2021 – Bestselling and award-winning children’s author Michelle Medlock Adams and beloved illustrator Ana Sebastian team up to bring children Dachshund Through the Snow (End Game Press, October 12, 2021), an adorable holiday story with a heartfelt message.
Washington, D.C.—The Salem Books imprint of Regnery Publishing announced on August 23 that Julie Jayne has been promoted from Senior Sales Executive to Associate Publisher. Julie has worked for Regnery for over five years and has proven to be an invaluable source for the company. In her role as Senior Sales Executive, Julie was responsible for selling titles into the biggest accounts ranging from the East Coast to the Midwest, including Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Ingram, and Baker & Taylor. She has been an integral part of some of Regnery’s biggest successes, including Fault Lines, Johnny Cash, One Vote Away, Irreversible Damage, and others.
Carol Stream, IL. (October 8, 2021) — Tyndale House Publishers (@tyndalehouse) will release The One Year Life Recovery Prayer Devotional by Stephen Arterburn and Nick Harrison on January 11, 2022. The One Year Life Recovery Prayer Devotional is a resource for those battling addictions, dependencies, anxieties, depression, or difficult relationships that require healing. By spending time each day with the living God, readers can grow in biblical wisdom and spiritual depth in order to overcome what seeks to control them. Each day of this new devotional will prompt weary strugglers to look to God for strength when they are weak and for hope when all feels hopeless.
WESTMONT, IL— IVP expands its reach to kids ages four to eight with the October 12 release of the new children’s picture book, 
(Nashville, TN, Oct. 2021) – Thomas Nelson, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, is proud to announce the release of the New King James Version (NKJV) Interleaved Bible, Journal Edition.“The NKJV Interleaved Bible is perfect for chronicling spiritual stories,” said Philip Nation, vice president and publisher of Bibles for Thomas Nelson. “It provides a tool for readers to record what they’ve learned from God’s Word and how it is shaping their spiritual lives. It is a Bible edition to be revisited for personal reflection and passed down as part of their spiritual legacy.”Following a historic practice of placing blank pages throughout the entire Bible, the Interleaved Bible allows readers to record study notes, prayers, observations from the Bible, sermon notes, and the story of their spiritual growth within their Bibles. Features include:
October 4, 2021; Nashville, TN—The United Methodist Publishing House (UMPH) announced today that administration of the UMPH defined benefit pension plan will now be managed by Wespath Benefits and Investments (Wespath). UMPH also stated that it has established a home base for its ongoing operations located at 810 12th Avenue South in Nashville, Tennessee.
TEMPE, ARIZ., October 11, 2021 – ECPA has announced the recipients of the Emerging Leader program for 
Quantrilla Ard is a recent transplant to the Atlanta area along with her husband and three littles. A passionate creative at heart, she has answered the call to encourage women in all stages of life and of various backgrounds through empathy, transparency, and love. She shepherds stories as a literary agent with Embolden Media Group, and faith-based personal and spiritual development writer. She is also a dynamic speaker and people-connector who believes in the power of collective strength, community, and fellowship. She recently graduated from Walden University with a PhD in Health Psychology and is an advocate for social justice with a focus on Black maternal and infant health and mortality. You can find her sharing stories of triumph at 
Lawrence Beamer works for Baker Publishing Group as the Visual Communication Department’s Creative Service Coordinator, helping to facilitate the work between the Marketing Department and the VISCOM Design team, as well as help with overseeing the interdepartmental workflow processes. VISCOM does a variety of different projects, including book trailers (interviews of authors as well as After Effects animation), Social Media posts, website management, book poster and banners, book cover design, and graphics assistance for our clients. Lawrence states, “Working at BPG is an amazing experience and I work with the best people!”
Tara Burns is the Print and Online Publicist for InterVarsity Press. Her primary focus is on Trade Books and the new IVP Kids Imprint. She is approaching her two-year anniversary with IVP after having had an 11-year career in advertising, serving as a Media Director for Fortune 500 companies. Following her career in advertising, she took a 12-year hiatus from the corporate world to raise her family and actively volunteer within her church and community. Tara lives in the Western Suburbs of Chicago with her husband and two teenage boys.
Leslie Calhoun is the Marketing and Publicity Associate at WaterBrook & Multnomah (imprints of Penguin Random House), and has worked on a range of titles from bestselling fiction and children’s illustrated books to award-winning middle grade fantasy. She has also assisted with high-profile campaigns for New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors on both the marketing and publicity fronts during her four years with the company. In addition to these roles, she is an active participant on the 
Cynthia Crawford has become a champion for diversity in publishing, since joining Christianity Today’s church resources team as an editor. Her desire is to educate publishers on the needs of readers and authors of color and also to create opportunities for people of color to publish traditionally. Recently, she joined Embolden Media Group as a Literary Agent and is excited about the opportunity to help the publishing industry evolve and become a better reflection of the Kingdom of God.
Vincent B. Davis II serves as an Amazon Marketing Specialist with Iron Stream Media. He is also an author, entrepreneur, speaker, and soldier. After graduating from East Tennessee State University, he quit his day job and decided it was as good a time as any to follow his dream. With a shoestring budget and no platform to speak of, he’s now published six historical fiction novels, three of which have become Amazon International Best Sellers. He is passionate about helping authors learn the marketing and advertising tactics he used to succeed. Focusing primarily on the intricate algorithms of Amazon, he loves making the complex simple so that authors can build up their platform and increase their sales.
Geri Edwards is the Events Marketing Coordinator at InterVarsity Press. She received undergraduate degrees from Houghton College in Integrated Marketing Communication and Theology, and this past spring, moved from Upstate NY to Chicagoland for her work. Geri interned at IVP during Summer 2020 remotely and is now glad to be part of the IVP marketing team full time. One of her favorite parts of working with conferences is connecting with readers personally, and supporting IVP authors.
Audrey Greeson is the Acquisitions Editor for B&H Academic, an imprint of B&H Publishing. In previous roles with B&H Academic she has been involved in the editorial process for over one hundred titles. She is a graduate of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, where she studied Biblical Studies and Biblical Languages, and she received a Master of Arts in Christian Studies from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Her favorite element of publishing is the behind-the-scenes work of helping bring an author’s vision to life. She loves spending time outside with her husband and three small, rambunctious children and enjoys baking, discovering new children’s books, and running in her wooded neighborhood in Youngsville, North Carolina.
Toria Keyes is a recently graduated college student from Grand Valley State University. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and Human Rights. She loves getting to know new people and discovering different places that she can add to her bucket list to travel too. She is passionate about hearing about the lives of other people from across the world and how they differ from her own. This is why she was so thrilled to Intern for VOICES at Our Daily Bread Publishing. She not only learned the structure and purpose of the publishing industry, but she also enjoyed reading articles written by marginalized individuals. She believes their voices matter and should be amplified to raise awareness of the injustices in their lives. Her mission is to write, edit, and publish works that not only raise up aspiring writers but also educate the public on issues that matter. Aside from creative writing, editing, and publishing, she loves to paint, draw, and do crafts or anything artsy because she believes in the power and beauty of authentic craft.
Ethan Lunow is the Print Production Coordinator at InterVarsity Press, where he has worked and served for almost three years. Before that, he grew up as a missionary kid in the Philippines, which fostered his love of world history and cultures. He pursued his higher education at John Brown University and then Wheaton College, studying history at both, before landing a career at InterVarsity Press. Ethan loves engaging with the stories in movies, games, and books and is excited to continue honing his skills in the Christian publishing industry!
Kaitlin Murphy is an editorial assistant with InterVarsity Press. She graduated from Haverford College in May 2020—a pandemic graduation!—with a BA in English and a minor in psychology. After interning with IVP in the summer of 2019, Kaitlin developed an interest in publishing, and she was thrilled to begin working with IVP in September 2020. Kaitlin is also passionate about campus ministry, having been involved with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship as a student and now serving on InterVarsity’s Mixed Advisory Team. She is grateful to be in a job that allows her to engage with words, books, and stories, all with the hope of growing in her love for Christ, participating in God’s kingdom work, and sharing the most important story of all.
Mandi Lee DeVos Newell is a production editor at Lexham Press, Faithlife’s publishing house. She was born and raised in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where when she wasn’t playing outdoors, she was writing stories on an old typewriter. She received a B.A. in English from Westmont College, which ignited her interest in poetry and publishing. She has worked in a variety of writing, editing, and project management roles. She lives in Bellingham, Washington, with her husband, Mathias. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, and making new recipes.
Logan Pyron started his literary career in the classroom. As a public educator, he spent five years guiding young minds to a love of literature along with teaching them to develop professional writing skills. Toward the end of his teaching career, he longed to take part in the literary world as opposed to merely teaching about it. Three years ago, he would step out of the classroom and into the publishing world working under the imprint of B&H Publishing Group. In his role at B&H, Logan has taken part in projects ranging from the ghostwriting of devotionals, to editing coloring books, audiobooks, and developmentally editing numerous titles that have been published in the past two years. Logan lives in Spring Hill, Tennessee with his wife, Tiffany, and serves his local church as a theological reviewer and student pastor.
Stacey Sapp lives in Nashville, TN and works as the Marketing Coordinator for B&H Publishing Group, an imprint of Lifeway Christian Resources. She was born and raised in Florida where she graduated from The University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s in communication. In her free time, Stacey enjoys road tripping with friends, listening to live music, and serving in the student ministry at her church.
Anna Sargeant is currently an acquisitions editor for children’s and teen books at B&H Publishing. She grew up in Southern California, where she earned her bachelor’s in liberal studies with a concentration in mathematics. After college, Anna moved to Austin, Texas, where she lived for nearly fifteen years before moving to Nashville. Anna served for eight years on staff with The Austin Stone Community Church, where she oversaw the children’s curriculum program and eventually managed content for the Austin Stone Institute and other church ministries. Anna has also been a classroom teacher, tutor, freelance writer, and book coach. If she’s not writing, editing, or reading, you might find her hiking in the woods, trying a new restaurant with her husband, or riding horses.
Dylan Schlesinger is a contracts manager at HarperCollins Christian Publishing (HCCP). She manages, negotiates, and drafts contracts for four different imprints at HCCP, while offering assistance to the in-house legal team in ongoing matters. Prior to HCCP, she earned her Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from Brooklyn Law School, with a focus in Entertainment Law, Contracts law, and Intellectual Property. She has worked with the legal department at SAG-AFTRA & Atlantic Records (Warner Music). Dylan graduated from Brandeis University as a double major in English literature and film studies.
Krista Squibb is the Social Media & Email Marketing Coordinator for Hendrickson Publishers. In 2019, she graduated from Bentley University with a bachelor’s degree in Managerial Economics. At Hendrickson Publishers, Krista manages and creates content for all their different imprints. She enjoys getting to create content for various audiences and brainstorming ways to market products so they reach the hands of those who need them. In her free time, Krista enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, and spending time outdoors. Fairly new to the publishing world, she says, “I’m excited to learn more at PubU.”
Abigail Talbott is the Customer Experience Manager at The Good Book Company. Her role spans across publicity, marketing, and customer service. She is passionate about serving authors, customers, and colleagues. She enjoys making food for her friends and fresh flowers from the farmer’s market. She lives in the greater D.C. metro area with her husband, Thomas, and their daughter, Evangeline.
Chelsea Woodward is a publicist with WaterBrook & Multnomah, imprints of Random House. She began her publishing career four years ago and has had the privilege of launching several bestselling and award-winning books. She lives in Colorado with her husband and their two mischievous dachshunds.
Lake Mary, FL— New York Times best-selling author Dr. Mark Rutland’s new book, Of Kings and Prophets: Understanding Your Role in Natural Authority and Spiritual Power (Charisma House, ISBN: 978-1-62999-836-7), challenges readers to join him in uncovering the poetic drama that took place between the kings and prophets in the Old Testament, and discover how, now more than ever, their interactions are applicable to the modern-day world.
In the book, Rutland compares and contrasts the principalities and powers of scripture to those of the present age, writing, “{they} seem so in control of this world, from the White House to the Kremlin. It seems that way. God is not disheartened or confused. He is not reading the newspaper to find out what is going on. History is not happening to God. It is unfolding in the palm of His hand. He is the God of history. He is also God in history.”
Grand Rapids, Mich., Sept. 2021 – Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, is proud to announce the release of the NIV Radiant Virtues Bible, a Beautiful Word™ Collection, the newest addition to the Beautiful Word line of Bibles.
Readers will enjoy a smooth reading experience with Zondervan’s exclusive NIV Comfort Print® typeface. Expertly designed for the New International Version (NIV) text, Zondervan NIV Comfort Print delivers a smooth reading experience that complements the most widely read contemporary English Bible translation. Features include:
