Book Tour: Winning the Wrong Game by Josh Wintermute

 

When the Life You’ve Built Still Isn’t Enough and How to Restore What Actually Matters

 

Christian Living / Religion / Nonfiction

Date Published: August 4, 2026

Publisher: Lucid Books Publishing

 

You’ve worked hard, built a good life, and achieved what you set out to accomplish. So why does something still feel off?

On the surface, everything looks right. But underneath, something is beginning to crack—and no amount of success, performance, or achievement seems to fix it.

Josh Wintermute knows that feeling well. After walking through physical, mental, financial, and spiritual struggles, he came to a life-changing realization: the problem wasn’t just the circumstances—it was the foundation.

In this honest and practical book, Josh walks you through the three foundational areas every life is built on—your heart, your home, and your culture. He helps you uncover what’s broken beneath the surface, do the hard work of restoration, and rebuild on what truly matters.

You are not as stuck as you think.

You are not as alone as you feel.

And you are going to make it.

Excerpt

I didn’t know what to do. I tried turning my head from left to right, but no matter

what direction I turned, a stinging pain shot through my neck. At thirty years old,

I never imagined I would be dealing with the amount of pain I was experiencing

every moment of every day. I felt like a weight was sitting between my shoulders,

giving off moments of sharp, piercing pain that radiated down my arms and into

my fingers. With all this constant pain, I couldn’t focus at work, and even being

present with my family and friends became noticeably more difficult. No matter

how much I prayed, rested, or stretched, there was no relief from the pain. 

I saw a chiropractor who did everything within his scope of care to

bring some relief, but nothing worked. The next step was to get an

MRI to see what was happening in my spine. There I was inside the

MRI tube, listening to the loud clicks of the machine and hoping for a

nswers about the pain I was constantly feeling. A few days later, I got a

call from the doctor who said I had five herniated discs in my neck

and upper back. I was relieved by the answers but stood motionless,

unsure what to do next. My chiropractor had a plan—adjustments,

spinal decompression, and pain management injections. 

For the next year, I spent four to five days a week at the

chiropractor’s office to get adjusted and have my spine stretched,

hoping to move the discs into place. Each session lasted about an

hour, and the out-of-pocket expenses quickly added up. We met

our insurance deductibles and were maxing out our out-of-pocket

requirements. After all these treatments, I was still miserable, s

till in pain. I told my doctor, “I can’t keep doing this. What do

I need to do next?” He suggested talking to a surgeon, the very

thing we were trying to avoid by doing the treatments. So I

reached out to a handful of neurosurgeons, and they

scheduled me to have another round of MRIs to see

what shape my spinal cord and discs were in.

The results of the MRIs revealed I still had three discs out

of place and bulging. The conversation shifted to surgery and

a plan to cut out one disc, replace it with a spacer, and fuse

the vertebrae together. This was intended to save as many discs

and vertebrae as possible due to my age and the severity of my

condition. The surgeon warned me that additional surgeries

might be necessary because of the extra stress on the bones

above and below the fused vertebrae. But I was desperate for

relief, so I told them to schedule the surgery. 

A few weeks later, I went in for the surgery, optimistic

about finding some relief. After the anesthesia wore off,

I woke up in a different kind of pain due to the surgery. The

surgeon expressed his findings and said the surgery

was a success. I was instructed to rest for the next

six weeks and then have a follow-up appointment to see if

everything looked correct. 

I was working full-time at a large organization and

had three young sons, all under the age of six, so

resting was not as easy as it sounded. After six weeks,

I went back to see the surgeon and had an X-ray, which

showed a successful surgery. He gave me some tips

and limitations for my continued healing and recovery. I

felt relief from the pain I had been dealing with and was so

grateful that I was on the road to a full recovery. Then

the unimaginable happened. 

About the Author

Author Josh Wintermute is a life builder and founder of Quiet Winters, helping leaders build their lives on a solid foundation. With over 20 years of pastoral ministry, Josh has walked with hundreds of people through life’s ups and downs and has a deep desire to see people heal and grow through the challenges we face in life. Josh has been married for over 25 years, has three sons, and lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

 

Contact Links

Website

Instagram: @joshwintermute @quiet_winters

Purchase Links

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Release Blitz: Enchanted by Lark Taylor

 

ENCHANTED

Lark Taylor

Release Date: September 25 

Meet Lark Taylor:

Lark lives with her family in southern England. An obsessive romance fan, she loves nothing more than a Happily Ever After – especially if there’s a good plot and a hefty amount of spice along the way. When she’s not reading or writing, she can be found hiding from adult life in escape rooms, travel and the MCU. As a Bi woman with OCD, Lark is a fervent supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community and an advocate for mental health awareness and support.

Connect with Lark Taylor:

https://www.instagram.com/larktaylorauthor/ 

Blurb:

Every man I’ve ever hit on has been in a relationship.

 

Why should it be any different with my fated mate?

 

For weeks, I’ve been able to feel my fated mate but unable to find him. Something, or someone, is hiding him from me.

 

When fate finally leads me to him, it’s not in the way I’m expecting.

 

I find my mate dying on the ground. 

 

I don’t think. I just heal him.

 

For a few blissful seconds, I’m happy. I finally know who my mate is. Ethan Routliff. The most beautiful man I’ve ever met.

 

But before we can walk the path to our happily ever after, Ethan says the words I’ve heard a thousand times before.

 

“I have a boyfriend.”

 

Never had I imagined that fate would be so cruel. I walk away from him, knowing I can’t make him choose me. I won’t. 

 

What I don’t realise is that it wasn’t only Ethan’s injuries I healed that day, but something far more sinister. A disease that was poised to take him from me forever.

 

As Ethan and I become friends, I learn that my mate has been through more than I can ever imagine. 

 

And that there’s someone else who wants him. Not his boyfriend.

 

No, someone far more dangerous than anyone I’ve ever come across before…

 

Enchanted is a heartwarming angel x human MM PNR romance. The fourth in the Hopeless Blessed series, each book follows a different couple. While they can be read as standalones, they are best enjoyed in order.

Buy Link:

https://mybook.to/EnchantedHB 

Available in KU 

Release Blitz: Rookie Moves by Jodi Oliver

 

ROOKIE MOVES

Jodi Oliver

Release Date: September 24 

Meet Jodi Oliver:

Jodi Oliver is a British author who writes MM romance, happily ever after guaranteed. She loves donuts, dogs and ice hockey, and when she hasn’t got her head in a book or hiding in the writing cave, you can find her at an ice hockey game.

She lives in England but dreams of living in the Canadian countryside, with some highland cows and otters.
 

You can find her on Instagram @JodiOliverAuthor or in her Facebook reader group ‘Jodi Oliver’s Sin Bin’

Connect with Jodi Oliver:

https://www.jodioliver.com/links

Blurb:

Colby

For almost ten years, the world of hockey has had their eyes on me, watching my every move. 

I’m projected to be the first overall pick in the NHL draft this summer, and have been nicknamed a franchise altering talent.

But with high praise comes a lot of pressure I can’t escape, and has resulted in me being a rookie in more ways than one.

The only problem is there’s only one person I feel safe with, and I'm pretty sure there are rules about not crushing on your teammate.

Tyler

Ever since I met Colby, I’ve kept an eye on him. No one should have to put up with the pressure the world has laid on his gorgeous shoulders and the defeated look in his beautiful eyes. 

But you shouldn’t notice these things about your teammates. 

So when Colby asks me to teach him everything I know in the bedroom because I’m the only one he feels safe with?

I should say no, but there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for Colby McKay.

I should’ve known it wouldn’t be as simple as a friends with benefits arrangement.

Buy Link:

https://mybook.to/rookiemoves 

Available in KU

Release Blitz: Let's Be Real by Julia Wolf

 LET’S BE REAL

Julia Wolf

Release Date: September 24 

Meet Julia Wolf:

Julia Wolf writes sexy rockers, grumpy billionaires, snarky heroines, and bad ass women. She’s a firm believer in happily ever afters, no matter how rocky the road is to get there.

She doesn’t believe in “guilty pleasures”, only pleasure. Reading about a plus size woman who gets absolutely railed by a hot rock star is pleasure. Reading about a damaged college student whose flaws are valued and loved by the grumpy guy next door is pleasure. Reading about love in a small town or big city or on a tour bus is pleasure. Reading romance is pleasure!

Julia lives in Maryland with her husband and three crazy, beautiful children. When she’s not writing romance, she’s reading it. Some of her favorite things are, in no particular order: goats, books, coffee, and Target.

Connect with Julia Wolf:

https://www.instagram.com/authorjuliawolf/

Blurb:

Nate Wells has only ever been my best friend's older brother...until he volunteers to be my fake boyfriend.

Getting dumped a week before my sister's wedding wasn't part of the plan.

Neither was showing up single and giving my family one more reason to question every life choice I've ever made.

So when Nate Wells offers to be my fake boyfriend for the weekend, it seems like the perfect solution.

Except he’s really good at pretending.

Every time he stands between me and my judgmental family, I find myself drawn a little closer. Every look, every laugh, every time he reaches for my hand makes me wonder how I never saw the man right in front of me.

And because the universe has a twisted sense of humor…there’s only one bed in our hotel room.

The wedding is supposed to be the end of our pretending. Instead, we’re forced to keep up the ruse, and the longer we do, the harder it becomes to remember what’s real.

But I have to, because falling for Nate isn’t an option.

If this all unravels, I won’t just lose him. I’ll lose everything that matters to me too.

Buy Link:

https://mybook.to/LetsBeRealWB 

Available in KU

Release Blitz: Twisted Little Games by Raleigh Ruebins

 

TWISTED LITTLE GAME

Raleigh Ruebins

Release Date: September 24 

Meet Raleigh Ruebins:

Raleigh Ruebins writes steamy MM love stories with small towns, big egos, and men who should know better... but they fall hard anyway. Her favorite characters are guys who deserve their happily-ever-afters, even if they're rough around the edges--real, flawed, but always with hearts of gold. 

Connect with Raleigh Ruebins:

https://www.instagram.com/raleighruebins/

Blurb:

My stalker is a problem… but my bodyguard is a monster.

I never asked for Roman Petrov.

I made one mistake, got threats on my life, and now my brother hires me a bodyguard?

Roman is six-foot-five, pure muscle, and a gorgeous, scowling face.

I break a few of his rules on my first night of his protection.

Provoke him, 'til he pins me to the wall.

And something explodes between us when he lays his hands on me.

Our size difference sparks a pure physical addiction.

His two rules:

His family runs the mob… but we don’t talk about it.

And he’s usually 100% straight… but completely obsessed with me.

I can take a man who’s taller and bigger in every way.

As threats escalate, Roman demands I stay in his room, closer than ever.

When I’m attacked on campus, Roman’s unhinged, vowing to destroy anyone who hurts me.

He’s the heir to a powerful Bratva crime family, and war with the mafia is erupting now, too.

I know I’m in danger.

Lines blur between who I can or can’t trust.

But I have Roman close to me. And I believe it when he says I’m his.

Buy Link:

https://a.co/d/0g3HGgEj 

Available in KU

Release Blitz: Together is Where We Belong by Harper Faith

 

TOGETHER IS WHERE WE BELONG

Harper Faith

Release Date: September 24 

  

   

Connect with Harper Faith:

https://www.instagram.com/authorharperfaith/

Blurb:

At eighteen, I left Haven Valley with Leo Courtright’s final words ringing in my ears.

I hate you.

I swore I’d never come back to the small town—or the boy—I’d left behind. But when the man 

stalking me gets too close, I run to the only place that’s ever felt safe.

Home.

Coming back meant seeing the blue-eyed boy who was once my entire world. Only Leo 

isn’t a boy anymore. He’s colder. Harder. And he still looks at me like I wrecked his life. 

Returning home also means revealing the secret I’ve kept for eight years.

He has Leo’s eyes.

His inquisitive nature. 

And he can’t wait to meet his dad.

When Leo shows up at my front door to welcome his new neighbor, the second his gaze 

lands on the little boy behind me, everything changes.

The man who swore he hates me is suddenly everywhere—fixing broken porch steps, watching over us, asking questions I can’t answer without risking the fragile life I built to protect my son.

The more time we spend together, the harder it becomes to deny what’s always been 

between us.

Because some first loves stay with you forever.

Some people never stop feeling like home.

And maybe, after everything we lost, together is where we belong.

If the past—and the danger chasing us—doesn’t destroy us first.

Buy Link:

https://a.co/d/0dApH23S 

Available in KU