My book, Raising Chaste Catholic Men, is published!!

**UPDATE: Paperback is back up and ready to go! Thanks for patience!

AHHHHH!!!! After almost 50 years on this planet, I have written my very first book, Raising Chaste Catholic Men: Practical Advice, Mom to Mom! You all have been so supportive (and patient, as I've been terribly absent from this blog), and I can't thank you enough. They say that writing a book is like having a baby, and it's sorta true! Excitement at the beginning, long stretches of waiting in the middle, and then pins and needles at the end! Ironically, my "book baby" took about nine months to gestate, from conception to birth! Weird! But so fun!

The book is basically a heart-to-heart yet very practical talk from one mom to another, about what we can do to help our sons remain chaste. It's a worry that so many Catholic moms have (thank goodness for women who care about their sons' virtue and salvation!), and after hearing enough of them ask me to write something helpful, this is the result.

If we are going to change the world for Christ, we have to work together and help one another. I hope this little book will help mothers (and fathers) who are raising sons, so that we can combat the crisis of manhood in our culture, and give the world men who flourish as God intended!

Okay, here is the description, with reviews to follow:


Anxiety among Catholic mothers is sky high. How do we teach our sons to be chaste when a sex-obsessed culture is ready to drag our boys into the pit at every turn? All we want to do is protect the innocence of our little ones and the honor of our teens, yet the snares of ubiquitous porn, hook-up sex, LGBT ideology, and the devaluing of true manhood appear unavoidable. What’s a mother to do? 

Relax, grab your beverage of choice, and flip open Raising Chaste Catholic Men. In this little heart-to-heart between us girls (although the guys can listen in, too), Leila Miller will take your hand and calm your fears by giving you practical advice in simple terms, based on her 25 years of experience in raising eight children, six of them sons. Some of the serious topics addressed with good humor and no fear include:

• Three basic rules for parenting
• What to do when boys are little
• Answering the culture’s accusations
• Straight talk about masturbation
• Navigating pop culture
• What to do when things go wrong
• Advice from chaste young men themselves

...and much more, all of it designed to bring your worried heart some peace by giving you a plan of action and the power tools to pull it off. So, trust God and dive in! You’ve got good men to raise, and the world needs them!



PRAISE FOR RAISING CHASTE CATHOLIC MEN

"If I could give every Catholic parent three books, the first two would be easy: the Bible and the Catechism. Next? Probably this one. Leila Miller's guide addresses the one challenge that terrifies almost all parents: How can we raise chaste, Godly children in a culture incessantly feeding them lies about sex and marriage? More specifically, how can we help our boys grow into young men who are free from sexual sin and radiate heroic virtue? If those are your questions, this book has the answers. Leila tackles head-on the most pressing vices such as lust, masturbation, and pornography, showing how to help your son navigate around them. Her advice is hopeful and practical, full of plain-language tips and proven solutions. The many first-hand accounts from admirable young men, including Leila's own sons, show the fruit that will result from these strategies. All Catholic parents should read this book carefully, once by themselves and then once again with their spouse. We live in a crooked sexual culture. This book will make straight the way."

- Brandon Vogt, author of RETURN and Content Director at Word on Fire Catholic Ministries


"If you, like me, want to get into the duck-and-cover position any time the subject of talking to your kids about sexuality comes up, then this book is for you. With the candor of a good friend and the wisdom of an experienced mother, Leila Miller demystifies a subject that is overwhelming for many people."

- Jennifer Fulwiler, bestselling author of Something Other than God and host of The Jennifer Fulwiler Show on SiriusXM

"In Raising Chaste Catholic Men, Leila Miller reminds us moms that the Church is there for us. The thing is, Leila is there for us too, an image of Mother Mary, to show us how the Church helps raise up our future men. In her characteristic style—full of love for clarity, logic, and truth—she gives straight talk to moms about the straight talk we need to give our sons. Her book is a conduit of grace."

- Dr. Stacy Trasancos, author of Particles of Faith


"Our society is in a crisis of authentic masculinity. Parents, even Catholic ones, don't realize the battle they are in for their children's souls, especially for their sons. Leila Miller's book offers sound, practical wisdom to Catholic parents seeking to help their sons grow to become chaste, faithful men. Miller draws from her own experience in rearing faithful sons in a pornified culture and delivers helpful tips for how other Catholic parents can do the same."

- Devin Rose, Catholic father and author of Navigating the Tiber, blogging at heroicvirtuecreations.com


“Every generation has a few writers who can simply and clearly impart wisdom and direction, and Leila Miller is one of these. This book is necessary for any parent, priest, youth minister, or guardian who wishes to tackle the subjects at which most would normally balk. Leila handles the hard questions gracefully and directly, and her succinct, no-nonsense wit keeps you gripped and wanting to know everything she can teach you. I have no doubt that men for many generations will be blessed and thankful for her efforts, not the least of which are her very own successful and honorable sons. Of course she has the right to name the book, but I would call it Manual for Not Raising Derelict Hedonists.”

- Rosalie Contrite, of ContriteCatholic.com and This Catholic Life podcast


In Raising Chaste Catholic Men, Leila Miller provides frank, funny, and faith-filled advice on protecting boys from our diseased culture. If you've given up or given in, thinking that "every family has at least one" child that abandons the faith, this book will renew your hope. Mrs. Miller not only speaks from her experience as a mom; she rounds up young men to speak directly to the reader. You can raise chaste Catholic men! Just grab this book and spend some time on your knees.

- Connie Rossini, author of Trusting God With St. Therese, and ContemplativeHomeschool.com


"I loved this book, and every mother and grandmother of boys should read this. There is such hope and joy in knowing it's possible to raise strong moral men in spite of the culture swirling around them.”

- Rebecca Frech, author of Teaching in Your Tiara: A Homeschooling Book for the Rest of Us


Please enjoy!

And if you would like a signed copy, email me at raisingchastecatholicmen@gmail.com and I can tell you how that works.


For paperback, go here:
Raising Chaste Catholic Men: Practical Advice, Mom to Mom

For ebook, go here:
Raising Chaste Catholic Men: Practical Advice, Mom to Mom

(They are not linked for some reason; gotta figure that out.)


+++++++++


First "regular reader" feedback is in! Here is what I heard this morning:



'This was a friendly, supportive, quick read. I liked that your certainity challenged me. "Character formation" is the part that really jumped out at me. I tend to be the easy-going, lets have fun parent. I like that you didn't punish me for having that attitude, but reminded me to do both (parenting & friendship) but do it in the right order (parenting first, then friendship). I felt really encouraged that I am doing similar things in sexual education. I read this thinking "Oh yeah, we're on track." I liked your humility. I didn't feel like you were "teaching me" I felt like you were "coaching me." I loved, loved, loved the quotes from young men in the back. My son is only 11, so I really don't have that feedback loop of young male adults yet. At the end of the read I felt like you said "You've got this" and I mentally answered "Heck, yes!" Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Please write more books.'


'I have it!!! Started reading it this morning after I woke up! Couldn't hold myself back! Leila, it is sooo good. No, I take that back - it is great! Can I say that this just may be the most needed book ever? Lol. Just wanted to give you some early feedback. I'll be writing a review for it on Amazon when I am finished. Congratulations! I was smiling when I read the first few chapters because it was just so YOU!'

Just Curious: What Have You Published?

So, as I crawl like a beaten-down slug proceed jauntily to the homestretch of my first book, Raising Chaste Catholic Men (due out on August 27, the Feast of St. Monica!), I thought of all the great writers and talent we have out in the Bubble community, and I figured it's time for a fun Just Curious!

What have you published? Do you have a blog? A book? An academic work out there? Assuming it's nothing offensive or objectionable to common decency, I'd love to hear about it, and feel free to share your links and titles with all of us!


Okay, go!

I've been waiting for decades for these two books to be written!

No joke -- I've wanted the knowledge that is in these books for so long, nicely consolidated for me and easily available on my bookshelf, and here they suddenly come on the heels of one another, written by my friends, Stacy Trasancos and Trent Horn, who are also friends of the Bubble!

You all are going to love this.

In my opinion, the toughest and most common questions (sometimes accusations) that we Catholics have to answer are questions of 1) reconciling faith and science, and 2) questions about the "hard sayings" of the Bible, including the "mean God" of the Old Testament and all the "inconsistencies and contradictions".

Dr. Stacy Trasancos' book, Particles of Faith: A Catholic Guide to Navigating Science tackles the question of faith and science. Written for for the average layman who may or may not have a background in science (I do not!), Stacy takes us first through her fascinating personal story, including her movement away from the Protestantism of her childhood and into a kind of religious indifference as she moved through her doctoral studies and career as a research chemist. Not without suffering, Stacy ultimately found her way to Catholicism and now occupies space on both sides of the science vs. faith debates, which makes her voice invaluable to all of us today.

The epiphany of how she personally reconciled faith and science is not what I expected, and I could never do it justice here. Expressed so intimately and beautifully, her perspective shuts down the erroneous idea that faith and science must constantly be fighting, and she describes this mystery in a way that only a brilliant scientist and a servant of God can. 

Some of the questions she breaks down and explains:

Can a Christian accept evolution? Does quantum mechanics explain free will? Does the Big Bang prove God? Are Creationism and Intelligent Design correct? When does human life begin? 

There are passages that describe the basics of the atomic world and points of chemistry that I found fascinating but didn't fully absorb (my brain really does not work spatially and scientifically), and that's okay. Skim or skip the technical explanations if you must, and you won't miss a beat. 

Aside from her personal journey ("A Story About the Chasm"), the most compelling part of the book for me was her explanation of the origins of man, specifically, how to reconcile what we know through scientific discovery with our belief in Adam and Eve, our first parents. I feel like I finally have a language for discussing the subject, and much more deeply and thoroughly than I had before.

If you have ever been confused or tongue-tied about how science and faith fit together, read Particles of Faith (available for pre-order now). If you are like me, you'll read it straight through and then keep coming back to it when you need it. I am so grateful to have it. 

I am also incredibly grateful for Trent Horn's Hard Sayings: A Catholic Approach to Answering Bible Difficulties. Trent is a writer, speaker, and radio host for Catholic Answers, and I'm not the only one who believes that he is the best Catholic apologist of our day. The man has a gift, people! 

Trent's book covers just about every biblical "hard saying" and misunderstanding you can imagine (and have likely been confronted with) and explains each one with incredible clarity. You will feel blissfully knowledgeable when you walk away from each chapter.

And it's all there:

Is the Old Testament just Bronze Age ignorance? What of legendary biblical creatures, mythical patriarchs, and bungled history? Aren't there 1001 internal contradictions in the Bible? Gospels that can't agree, conflicting advice, and contradictory names and numbers?

And what about all the evil? Isn't the Bible just evil? What of the bad role models, misogyny, bizarre laws, and cruel punishments? Doesn't the Bible (thus God) endorse slavery and genocide? And so much more, including the Catholic view of Scripture and whether or not the Bible has been corrupted.

Hard Sayings is that reference book that you'll return to time and again, sometimes for your own edification and knowledge, and sometimes when a particular question or accusation has been thrown your way.


We are so blessed to have these great minds using their gifts and talents to help the rest of us better understand and defend our Catholic Faith.

Thank you, Stacy and Trent!



_________


On a personal note, I apologize for the dearth of blog posts lately! Believe it or not, I have just today (finally!!) finished writing my book, Raising Chaste Catholic Men, and after I attend to the details of the publishing part of it, it should be ready by (please God) the end of this month. Meantime, I will be taking one of my sons off to his freshman year of college soon, at which point exactly half my children will have flown the coop. Sob! 

Thanks for bearing with me, thanks for any prayers you can spare, and I will be back in the saddle just as soon as I can!