Sara R. Turnquist's Blog, page 23
December 15, 2017
INTERVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Author Lucy Thompson
But I don’t want to take too much of the spotlight off Lucy who is here to talk to us about her books. So, let’s see what we can glean.
Welcome, Lucy! Thanks for being on my blog today. First, can you tell us a little about your novel.A cowboy! A mail order bride! Some cute kids and bossy siblings.
What more could you want? (Apart from the book :)
Colorado, 1881. Lydia Walsh is on the run. The quiet rancher she marries and expected to find safety and protection with turns out to have three siblings, next to nothing to live on, and is a crack shot who may or may not be one of the states best cattle rustlers.
Beau Harding wants to keep his family together and do the right thing by them. His mail order bride comes with her own set of baggage: two more mouths to feed and empty hearts begging him to fill. The job he took for some quick money gets him thrown in jail for rustling, and then to clear his name he takes on another job–and learns that his wife may have been the one plotting his family’s downfall all along.
Interesting! I know that inspiration can come from so many different places. What about for you? What was the inspiration for Mail Order Surprise?
Jesus. (Seriously!) Old movies. I’m a shameless borrower. I “borrow” from old movies, books, newspaper articles, random conversations overheard on the train, family skeletons… You name it, I borrow inspiration from it. For Mail Order Surprise I drew inspiration from a few musical classics: Calamity Jane and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
Love those films. I definitely get how films and other stories inspire.
Did you always want to be a writer? If not, what did you want to be when you were a child?
I always knew I would write. Just like I always knew I’d buy a house. Careless confidence perhaps? One day after church I decided to sit down and write a book. All I knew about it was that there was a girl getting off a train. No name. No backstory. No idea that she would arrive home to a house in a mess and three unexpected brothers to wash/cook for. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
December 12, 2017
GIVEAWAYS for LIVE EVENT
Prizes Include:
Signed paperback: A Convenient Risk & An Inconvenient Christmas ~ 2 of these prizes
ebook copy: A Convenient Risk & An Inconvenient Christmas ~ 3 of these prizes
Kindle Fire tablet ~ 1 of these prizes
$20 Starbucks gift card and ornament ~ 2 of these prizes
***ALL ENTRIES MUST BE IN BY MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY NIGHT***
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December 11, 2017
December 8, 2017
INTERVIEW & SPOTLIGHT: Author E.A. West
Hello, all! Guest author Friday is here again. Today, I have author E.A. West talking about her latest release, Redeeming Honor. I won’t spoil the fun by telling you about the book prematurely though. You have to read on for that
December 6, 2017
GRIEF: A Unique Story
What does that title mean exactly? I mean grief and grieving are as old as the world, right? From the minute Adam and Eve lost their son Abel to his murderous sibling’s anger, there has been grief.
Wait…take that back. Perhaps even one could say from the moment sin entered the world, the open communion with God was broken, man had to toil for food, and woman had great pain in childbirth (come on, ladies, you hear me). Perhaps that was when grief entered the picture.
But certainly not when it showed up at my door.
Yet, that is exactly what I am telling you.
Your grief is unique. Your pain is not only real, it is different than any pain anyone has felt.
As much as it is the same.
One of the things that I absolutely abhor that we do to ourselves, is that we rationalize our emotions….especially our pain and grief.
“there are worse things” “I’m not as bad off as ”
“I should be grateful for what I have”
The fact that others may have it worse, does not (listen to me), DOES NOT diminish YOUR experience of YOUR pain.
The fact that there are many good things in your life does NOT diminish the hurt you feel over your LOSS even as much as these blessings may comfort you. And I firmly believe that our God is big enough and understanding enough to give you that: space for your grief all the while knowing that it does not mean you aren’t also grateful for His goodness.
Your pain is your pain.
It is important that you give yourself the space, time, and moments to sit in your grief. To lean into your grief even. If you stuff and deny it…it will create a bitterness that eats you up.
And remember, God understands loss…perhaps better than we realize. He gave His only Son. Turned Him over to die a criminal’s death. God turned His back on His suffering Son while He died, forsook Him. So, God has experienced that kind of pain.
I say this, not so you will compare your pain. Please don’t. But to encourage you that He does get it.
In your realm and breadth of experience, you have your set of emotions. To what extent you have known loss is unique to you. Don’t discount your knowledge of it and feelings because you think you shouldn’t feel that way or that you should “be over it by now”. Or anything else that someone else tells you. Let you be you. Deal with it as it comes to you. And know that you are coming to a place of “new normal”…not trying to return to the way things were. That life is gone. Yet another reason to mourn.
Come to grips with new normal as you are able.
And find peace. In your time.
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December 4, 2017
December 1, 2017
INTERVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Author Lauren Brandenburg
Welcome to my Friday blog! As you know, I host authors on Fridays. And we are entering December with no exception. But with a real treat. I have author Lauren Brandenburg on today. I met Lauren through the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). She is the President of our local chapter, but I actually met her in Dallas at a national ACFW conference about three years ago. Lauren is a gifted writer, has a warming personality, and flawless taste. I really wish I could introduce you in person! But I know you will get a peek at how great she is through her honest interview.
Lauren is also offering a GIVEAWAY!! The details of the giveaway are below. Enjoy!!
Thanks for coming on my blog today, Lauren. First, can you tell us a little about your novel?
Orlo: The Burdened is the second book in the Books of Orlo series, which is actually the second trilogy in The Books of the Gardener. In the first book (spoiler alert!) Orlo wins a tournament allowing him access to a more extravagant lifestyle than the simple life he had as an orphan in book one. Orlo now has everything he ever wanted—the tall tower, the fine clothes, the lavish dinners, and an assignment of prestige as an inventor’s apprentice. The only piece missing is the people he once called family. With his guardian released back into the World, and her husband rumored to be lost, Orlo is now under the watchful eye of a talented, but manipulative inventor. When an unlikely artist uses his unique ability to show Orlo the Way that he has forgotten, Orlo will set out on a quest to the World to restore truth and return his household to the Conclusus.
As with all my children’s books they are appropriate for ages 8+ and are totally cringe free (no inappropriate language, relationships, etc.)
I like the sound of that (“cringe free”). Sounds like an intriguing story. Did you always want to be a writer? If not, what did you want to be when you were a child?
Oh yes! I always dreamed of being Jo March from Little Women. I also dreamed of being an archeologist, surgeon, and Solid Gold dancer (true story). But at the end of the day, I saw myself teaching and writing stories . . . and then falling in love with a man I didn’t even know I loved (just like Jo!). That all happened . . . cue “When You Wish Upon a Star”.
Love it!! You’re own fairytale come true
November 29, 2017
OVERCOMING GRIEF: What I don’t want to hear….
Hello, all. I am tackling what is a monster of a subject right now for me because I am in the midst of it. Not that depression is an easy topic to work through, but I am well into the recovery stages. I am still in the throes of grieving for my mother. She passed, suddenly, this past April. Not that an “expected” death, the kind where your loved one was sick for a while and you had received a difficult prognosis makes it easier or more fair. It doesn’t. But there is the shock factor that goes into an unexpected death.
One of the things I always tell my children about life in general is the following: when you’re having a good morning/day, is God in control? When you’re having a bad day/morning, is He still in control? Of course. Well, I know the same holds true about death and loss. But, I promise you, this may not be the time to share that with someone who has just lost a loved one. There are, in fact, many, many truths from God’s Word that are everlasting and solid that your mourning friend does really know in their core that they may not necessarily want to hear during this season of grieving.
I know, for example, that “…in all things God works for the the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)”. And I know that “…we do not mourn as those who have no hope… (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)” These are, again, wonderful truths from an Almighty God, but there is pretty much no way to deliver them (in my experience) where they don’t come across as platitudes, Christianese-like blabber that taunts your hurting friend.
The passages that comforted me the most were the ones that gave me permission to mourn. That, in fact gave me hope in the mourning.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Matthew 5:4
When I mourn, I am blessed? How? Because the everlasting God, through His Holy Spirit, the Great Comforter, will comfort me…as well as through the believers beside me, who are doing life with me. When I mourn, I will find comfort. What a sweet promise! What wonderful words that let me know that my tears are okay. That they are normal, and human, and…part of the process.
Another passage that speaks directly to my hurting heart:
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
for the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
and to proclaim that captives will be released
and prisoners will be freed.
He has sent me to tell those who mourn
that the time of the Lord’s favor has come,
and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.
To all who mourn in Israel,
He will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
that the Lord has planted for his own glory.
Isaiah 61:1-3
I could spend all day unpacking this passage. But I won’t. What gems are here for those who are grief-stricken! He will comfort the broken-hearted. Other translations say “He will bind the broken-hearted…” I picture someone wrapping bandages around a wounded heart. And that’s exactly how I feel much of the time…that my heart is an open wound, bleeding everywhere. And I need someone who knows what they are doing to bind and heal it.
This passage goes on to say that the time of the Lord’s favor has come. This gets into the traditions and customs of the Israelites. Perhaps something for another post.
But Isaiah also tells that we, who are mourning, will receive a crown of beauty for our ashes. In these times, those in mourning would cover themselves with sackcloth and ashes…an external sign for what was happening within them. So, he is saying that God will take away all signs of their sadness and bestow upon them a tiara. And that He (God) will bless them. That we (who mourn) will have reason to praise. Now, that gives me hope. That God will take the broken pieces of my heart and exchange them for beauty, praise, and joy.
But that for now, these things that I am going through are part of the human experience. That they are part and parcel with our sinful flesh…and with the fact that sin degrades and destroys. That it will continue to degrade and destroy until God puts an end to it.
Still, though sin may have a hold on our flesh, death has lost it’s sting (1 Corinthians 15:55-57) because of Christ and what He has done.
What’s the bottom line here? For those of you who are in the grieving process, please give yourself permission to mourn. It is right. It is human.
If you are someone who has a loved one you think is just stuck in the grieving process, have patience. Not everyone moves through the stages at the same rate. Grieving is difficult. Mind your words and just be there to listen. That’s what the grieving person needs the most. Your ear and shoulder, not always your words. It’s okay if you don’t have anything to say. It really, really is.
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November 27, 2017
November 24, 2017
INTERVIEW & SPOTLIGHT: Author Carol Roberts
Hello, all! I hope you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving (for those of you in the United States). Today, I have another author, Carol Roberts, whose background and interests have drawn her to dig a little deeper in her novels. I am super intrigued myself! Some of the questions she poses about the human condition are rather deep. And fiction is one way in which we can explore these thoughts and questions about the world around us…even if we delve into other worlds…keep reading to see what I mean…
Hey, Carol. Thanks for being on my blog today. First, can you tell us a little about your novel.
Atlantis is an interpretation of the myth, presented as a fantasy/mystery story.
When Alanthea, high-priestess of Atlantis, connects to a woman in her dreams, she becomes haunted by a warning. Compelled to trace the other woman’s life, she finds coded poems that hold clues to the predicament of her people. Now she has to venture ever farther into forbidden territory to link past and present, and understand the real danger threatening Atlantis.
Arakon always thought of himself as an orphan, a loner without any real belonging. But after a strange encounter his life changes, and he is drawn into events beyond his control.
They move parallel in their search for answers until their destinies converge, and the weave unravels. Yet what they finally uncover lies deep at the heart of collective evolution, and what has been set in motion cannot be undone.
I love all the different points of inspiration for writers…it never ceases to amaze me how the smallest things can jump start the muse. What was the inspiration for Atlantis?
I have several fields of interest. My real passion is mythology, especially stories of origin/creation. I think that mythology preserves what is important enough to have survived the ages, imbued with meaning. Leading on from there is my keen interest in psychology. What is important enough for our collective psyche to remember? And does it possibly store memory that goes back all the way to our evolution? Put together the two, and the mythical story of Atlantis started to take shape and form.
Interesting…my background is in science as well (biology). This is a very intriguing question you ask.
Did you always want to be a writer? If not, what did you want to be when you were a child?
No, I wanted to study psychology, but then decided to travel. Traveling was fascinating in terms of culture and tradition. What were those people’s stories, what did they preserve in terms of their mythology? I took a lot of notes about places and people, and my first idea of writing was to compile a non-fiction book about stories and myths from all around the world.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
The first time I knew that I needed to put pen to paper was in a tiny village called Malana high in the Himalayan mountains. My partner had wanted to photograph this village that was said to have one of the oldest democracies in existence, preserved by its isolation and disinterest in the outside world. When we finally stumbled into the village on a wet, treacherous goat track, I wanted to put all my immediate notions into words: clouds hanging low, giving the heavily timbered buildings a haunting, medieval appearance, villagers moving away from us, as all non-Malanese were considered as lower caste and untouchable, and the overriding feeling of having stepped into some eerie, timeless bubble that had preserved an incredibly original micro-culture.
Though it varies from artist to artist, something people always want to know is how long does it take to write a book?
Atlantis took a long time, as I wrote it in stages over several years. The biggest problem was the ending. There I was, creating a whole civilization, only to have it disappear under flood waters. But from myth it rose, and to myth it returned.
Now you’ve got me hooked! Tell us something about your newest release that is NOT in the blurb.
Atlantis gave me the opportunity to speculate on concepts of the human condition, the meaning of individual and collective destiny, and the choices we have in it.
How thought-provoking! Do you have any current projects you’re working on? Care to share?
I have now finished my second novel, Tower of Babel, where I am exploring the possible meaning of love in the context of evolution. This novel is romantic suspense/fantasy and only took one year to write.
Wow. This, too, sounds like one I will have to read. Thanks again, Carol, for joining me today and for being on my blog. I am eager for my readers to get a better glimpse of Atlantis. So, I will jump right in.
Atlantis
Enjoy an Excerpt
Time shifted as Arakon carefully turned and dug his heels into the horse’s side. A good horse, a strong horse, just like the old man’s had been. The shade of the trees embraced him, and the sound of the water came closer. Would he still find the track? Was there a track? Time shifted further, and he felt an eerie sensation between his shoulder blades. The forest was too quiet, the water overly loud. Gideon started to slip, and he reined the stallion in even further.
The filtered light threw strange patterns onto the ground, and when the moment came, he let go of the reins and let Gideon run. Leaves slapped him in the face, and as the noise became deafening, he could see the glistening spray which lay like a shimmering web ahead of him. Gideon shied but could not stop. They raced on until the tree-line opened up, and he could see the gorge falling away in front of him like a black, open mouth.
Buy Link
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0777J2MC8/
More About the Author
Carol Roberts is a free lance writer with particular interest in cultural myth. Originally from Vienna, she has spent all of her adult life in the Far North of New Zealand. Her work took her to several different countries, where she researched oral traditions of the oldest creation myths. Atlantis is her first full length novel.
Connect with Carol and her books
Newsletter: https://www.smore.com/app/pages/preview/jb2ug
Twitter: @authorRobertsC
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