Vanessa Hall's Blog, page 12

Guest Post by M. Liz Boyle, Author of Off the Itinerary Series

Today, I’m thrilled to have M. Liz Boyle on the blog for a guest post! Liz is a fellow Christian author, and I’m so glad she’s here today to talk about the importance of writing truly Christian fiction and her journey into writing. So please welcome her to the blog, and take it away, Liz!

Thank you for having me on your blog, Vanessa!

Hey there, readers! My name is Liz, an author of Christian young adult fiction. One afternoon during my children’s naptime, I read a couldn’t-put-it-down young adult adventure story. It totally drew me in, but as much as I enjoyed it, I distinctly remember wishing it had included Christian morals. I thought, “Wow, there should be more exciting books like this, but for Christian readers who could be encouraged by God-fearing characters.” It turns out there are a bunch of Christian authors who do this exactly, but I hadn’t found many of them at that time. 

A few days later I thought, “They should write a book about five teenagers who survive an avalanche.” It seemed like a great idea and that someone should get on that. Someone, hmmm. You guessed it. That day during my kids’ naptime, I prayed that if God wanted me to write a story, that He’d help me to bring Him glory and that readers would one day be encouraged by the characters, whoever these fictional five teenagers were. Then I typed the first eight pages of the manuscript, which at the time, was unimaginable. Why was it unimaginable? Because I hadn’t written anything besides a journal entry since finishing school several years earlier. And as a student, the only unassigned writing I did included a few underdeveloped, scattered story ideas. Writing eight pages that first day stoked some creative embers, and I wrote every chance I had.

Since the goal of my writing is to give God glory and encourage readers to grow in their faith, I write Christian fiction. My hope is that seeing relatable characters choosing to let God’s light shine through them, even during hard situations, will inspire readers to trust God and strengthen their faith. As readers see the natural consequences of the characters’ poor choices, they learn discretion. When they see the characters courageously make the right choice, they are inspired to have the faith to be a light in the world. 

After the completion of my Off the Itinerary series, I began work on a standalone novel. I considered making it clean fiction rather than specifically clean, Christian fiction. After all, clean, non-religious fiction would reach a larger audience. I wondered if maybe I should lay off the Chrisitan emphasis. As suddenly as I first had the idea to write uplifting novels, I realized I had to reconsider why I do all of this. 

Why do I brainstorm plots and characters, research story outlines, network with authors, and lose sleep to write (all while homeschooling my kids, when every day is already a race against the clock)? 

I do it to honor God, to encourage Christian readers with uplifting characters and strong morals. If I stray from that goal, I miss the whole purpose. Ephesians 2:10 says “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” I want to do my part in the works which God prepared me to do, so I’ll stick with writing Christian books.     

About the Author

Liz is the author of the Off the Itinerary series, the wife of a professional tree climber, and the homeschooling mom of three energetic and laundry-producing children. Liz once spent a summer in Colorado teaching rock climbing, which she believes was a fantastic way to make money and memories. She resides with her family in Wisconsin, where they enjoy hiking and rock climbing. Liz and her husband have also backpacked in Colorado and the Grand Canyon, which have provided inspiration for her writing. She makes adventurous stories to encourage others to find adventures and expand their comfort zones (though admittedly, she still needs lots of practice expanding her own comfort zone).

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Review: Kate’s Capitol by Sarah Holman

Kate’s Capitol by Sarah Holman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The second installment of Kate’s Case Files, and I loved how different it was from the first in the series! The same characters were the stars, but the plot was definitely switched up with all sorts of political and non-political intrigue.

Characters: Kate is a fun narrator – she definitely has some shadows in her past that need to be dealt with, but she’s also very much in the moment and cool under pressure. Watching her learn and grow through her work was also interesting. Patrick is a good quarry for her – he definitely isn’t shy to call her out when she’s not doing the brightest thing in the world. He did seem a bit pushy in this one in the romance department, but by the end of the book, he’d realized his mistakes and backed off. As for the rest of the characters, the team was great to see again – each one of them has such a great personality and make such good additions to the group.

Writing/Plots: I blazed through this book when I read it, and the simple yet lovely writing style definitely contributed to that! The author’s style really fit this type of book. As for the plot, I found the world of politics interesting. The case was more low-key than a lot of other suspense books – not a death threat on every single page -but things definitely got tight there at the end. Overall, really well-paced and full of character development when things were filled with suspense.

Theme: A big thread throughout this book was being faithful even in the small things of life. One small surrender on something could change everything and could lead to much larger compromises. That’s a scary but important truth to realize, and this book really drove that home! Patrick also tends to try to do everything in his own strength, which is a good reminder of all of us that we can’t do anything in our own power. Only God can enable us to do as He’s called us to.

As another great addition to Kate’s Case Files, this book is a great read focusing on political intrigue, suspense, and truth-filled themes!

Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher/author. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

TMYLM & STL Anthologies Blog Tour: Spotlight + Giveaway!

Seize the Love: Honoring the Love of the Savior

Agape. Eros. Philia. Storge

All forms of love… Seize the Love pulls readers into an anthology of stories all showing love. A love that honors God even as the reader flips the pages to find the story of a dying request, a random encounter, finding proof of God’s love, reunited siblings, caring for others, finding hope, love among the hard and easy, and more stories.

No matter the form of love, you’ll find stories sure to warm your heart, bring a smile or a tear, and hopefully remind you of the love of the One who created you.

Matthew 22:37

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Featuring various love stories sure to please the whole family.

GoodreadsPurchase! Link Tree

Tell Me You Love Me – a timeless collection of stories that truly understand the meaning of “I love you”

Twelve young Christian authors have come together, alongside romance novelist Grace A. Johnson and editor Issabelle Perry to show our world of depravity and cheap imitations of romance what love really means: faith, hope, and sacrifice.

These stories range from contemporary YA to historical to fantasy, and tell diverse, unique love stories that compel, captivate, and warm readers’ hearts with their sweet and authentic nature.

Featuring work from Michaela Bush, Saraina Whitney, Karynn Heckler, Margaret Copeland, Lucia Molano, Sarah Lawton, Brooklyn O’Brennan, Mackenzie Hendricks, H.S. Kylian, Lydia M. Jupp, Katherine Perry, and Amelia Cabot, the Tell Me You Love Me anthology is the collaboration of talented and inspirational young writers you’ve been waiting for!

Learn more at graceajohnson.com/tell-me-you-love-me... or on Goodreads !

Cover design by Issabelle Perry at www.iperryauthor.wixsite.com/blog!

Giveaway!

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION FOR TMYLM

In honor of Tell Me You Love Me’s release, Grace and the authors are giving away a digital copy to one lucky winner! To enter, all you have to do is comment below what you love about romance stories! Grace will select a winner and contact them at the end of the tour! (Entrants must be 18 and older or have their parent’s permission to enter, and be comfortable with providing their email address to receive their ebook. No other information such as shipping address or credit card number is required!)

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION FOR STL

In honor of Seize the Love’s release, Abigail, M.L. Milligan, and the authors are giving away a digital copy to one lucky winner! To enter, all you have to do is comment below what your favorite romance novel is! Grace A. Johnson will select a winner and contact them at the end of the tour! (Entrants must be 18 and older or have their parent’s permission to enter, and be comfortable with providing their email address to receive their ebook. No other information such as shipping address or credit card number is required!)

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION FOR BOTH ANTHOLOGIES

In honor of Seize the Love and Tell Me You Love Me’s release, Abigail, M.L. Milligan, Grace, and the authors are giving away a digital copy of each anthology to one lucky winner! To enter, all you have to do is comment below what your latest romance read was! Grace A. Johnson will select a winner and contact them at the end of the tour! (Entrants must be 18 and older or have their parent’s permission to enter, and be comfortable with providing their email address to receive their ebook. No other information such as shipping address or credit card number is required!)

TMYLM & STL Dual Blog Tour Schedule

February 7th

Grace A. Johnson – tour kickoff

H.S. Kylian – anthologies spotlight & giveaway

Kaytlin Phillips – anthologies spotlight & giveaway

February 8th

Grace A. Johnson – anthologies spotlight & giveaway

February 9th

Rhys-Marie Whitnell – anthologies spotlight & STL review

February 10th

Vanessa Hall – STL spotlight & anthologies giveaway

Weekend Break

February 13th

Lilly Wiscaver – STL spotlight & giveaway

Allyson Jamison – STL spotlight

February 14th – Release Day!

Madisyn Carlin – STL spotlight & giveaway

Lillian Keith – anthologies spotlight & giveaway

February 15th

Kellyn Roth – anthologies spotlight

February 16th

M. L. Milligan 

February 17th

Kristina Hall – anthologies giveaway

Vanessa Hall – TMYLM review

Weekend Break

February 20th

Allyson Jamison – TMYLM spotlight

February 21st

Merie Shen – TMYLM review & anthologies giveaway

Katja Labonte – anthologies spotlight

Katja Labonte – anthologies review

Abigail Kay Harris – tour conclusion

Be My Valentine Giveaway!!

The Be My Valentine Giveaway runs 2/6 through 2/11. The 1st place winner will receive all ten books (authors’ choice of format) and the 2nd place winner will receive three books (authors’ choice of format) of their choosing. A variety of genres, from fantasy to historical romance to suspense and more, are featured.

Never fear if you don’t have social media–there are author newsletters and blogs you can follow to gain points. Most importantly, for an additional set of points, you have to answer this question: Do you like chocolate, and if so, what’s your favorite type (dark, milk, white, etc.)?

Enter!

Happy Birthday, Unworthy (And Why Did I Write about Depression and Suicide in Christian Fiction?)

Can you believe it’s already been a year – give or take a day – since I released Unworthy? (I kinda can, but it seems weird to think about it.) Of the three full-length novels I’ve written, Unworthy probably suffered the most from my over-enthusiastic editing. The original version of the book doesn’t look even halfway close to its published version.

However, the overall plot stayed somewhat similar—dealing with Evgeny’s struggles with depression and suicidal tendencies as well as Sasha’s guilt over her past. And looking back on that plot, it truly contained very heavy themes. Now I see this book a bit differently after going through another year of life and witnessing how scary, dark, and sorrowful this world can be.

I still don’t really know why God had me write about a character who struggled with depression and suicide. When I first wrote Unworthy, I was a naïve, new author who was still experimenting with all kinds of plots and characters—kind of like a toddler who’d gotten into a set of paints. But I never really had a choice whether I wanted to write about this topic or not, given I plotted myself into a corner, and the events in this book are integral to the following books (aka Untold and Unforgiven.)

Yet maybe part of this reason is this: the Lord put this story in my heart to show the reality of life-sucking pain and struggle and heartache … and that His strength is greater than it all.

I’ve never struggled with severe depression as Evgeny did. Yet depression and suicide can touch anyone—this world has been marred with sin. Depression and suicide are heartbreaking realities of this broken world.

And Christian fiction must show reality. No, our books should never glorify evil or suffering nor stay in that bleak, hopeless place for too long. But we must show the struggles that real people in a real world face—and the truth that the God Who is so very real is a present help in time of trouble.

As authors, we must show God’s grace in spite of the night of suffering—whether that’s depression and suicide or any other trial. This isn’t to say we shouldn’t write happy, light books – those are much-needed, too. But the world needs Christian fiction that confronts the darkness head-on and shows the strength and light of Jesus in spite of the world’s darkness.

That is what I strove to do with Unworthy: to show grace that is sufficient for us in spite of our unworthiness and grace that holds us fast even when we falter and stumble and fall in the darkest of nights.

If you suffer from depression and/or suicidal thoughts, I pray you see the Light of the World. Jesus is far greater than any horrible feeling or thought or experience or anything else in this world. He is greater than the whole world, and despite your hideously real and dark feelings, there is hope. He’s already won the battle, Christian, and He is a certain Hope that will hold you through the darkest of storms.

For no matter the darkness, He is the Light of the world.

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12 KJV)

Cover Reveal: The Guardian by Abbigail Raine B.

God only gives so many wake-up calls… Will she answer?

Survival on the prairies of 1850s Texas is full of hardship and tragedy. Felicia “Felix” Taylor would know. Raising her sisters, running the farm, and connecting with her neighboring friends keeps her grounded. But when the providential and the coincidental occur, how will she respond? Will she acknowledge that it may be the God she turned her back on? Will she let Him in? Or will she steal her heart against the faith that betrayed her?

Preorder: United States and CanadaGoodreadsAbout the Author:

Abbigail is a dreamer who explores past worlds through the pages of imagination. She desires to write and glorify God in all she does and invites readers to join creative adventures through the written word. When she isn’t writing, she can be found reading, enjoying her earl grey tea, and jamming out to music. She lives with her crazy but amazing family in Alberta, Canada.

You can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or her website.

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Cover Reveal!

Review: Shadows Close In by Kristina Hall

Shadows Close In by Kristina Hall

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher/author. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Ends of series are just sad. Not the book in itself, but because it means that I won’t get to visit my fictional friends ever again. And this goes for Friedrich and Mellie – these two are one of my favorite couples!

Characters: The entire cast of characters (minus the villains, of course), are wonderful, realistic people. Mellie and all her humor is just unrivaled – even after going through an entire series of suspense, she can still crack a joke. But this book revealed a side of her that struggled even to find something humorous to say. This book dug beyond her humorous exterior for sure! And then there’s Friedrich. He really seemed to come into his own in this book – his quiet, certain, protectiveness no matter the cost was so beautiful. And I was also glad to see his arc wrap up a bit from the last book. No, he didn’t have a completely one-eighty to perfection, but he was coming around. And then the side characters – Jess, Audra, Ivy, Dr. Benton, Nathaniel … I loved them! Nathaniel’s one of my favorite side characters in this book, but I also really enjoy Jess and her sweet relationship with Mellie.

Setting/Writing Style/Plot: Like the other books in the series, this story takes place in Eastern Kentucky, but we also get to travel around the country a bit. So that was fun to kinda go on a trip with these characters! The writing style was really enjoyable – the word choices were some of my favorite parts. The plot was filled with plenty of suspense and twists and turns, and it really wrapped up most of the loose threads from the rest of the books.

Theme: I think a big part of this book was simply holding onto the Lord in spite of the insanity of life. Poor Mellie and Friedrich had such a hard time of it, so much so that they couldn’t do much more other than cry out for help. And the same is true for us – sometimes we can do nothing other than cry for help, and the Lord is still there to uphold us. We don’t do something dramatic to “deserve” His help (not that we could ever do anything to deserve Him), and He is always with us and upholding us, even in the darkest of moments. And there were also other beautiful themes of love (yes Friedrich and Mellie!), sacrifice, and the sanctity of all life.

If you enjoy suspense, you need to read this book. Well, actually, you need to read the entire series. It’s sad to leave Mellie and Friedrich after this book, but I can always go back and reread!





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Of Grace and Gifts

Me trying to pose like a sane human in spite of tons of emotions and adrenaline.

In anyone’s life, there stand moments that will never be forgotten and always treasured. One of these moments for me was the night of November 19th, 2022—the date of my senior violin recital. Now, in the grand scheme of things, a single recital of a random music student is not that noteworthy. Basically everyone who gets a music degree has to perform a recital. But what amazes me is this: even though a single recital isn’t that important, God saw fit to bless me so deeply, not with perfection, but with His care, His grace, and His marvelous gifts.

So let’s back up a little bit, and we shall launch into story time.

When you’re a music student, you have two performances of your recital pieces: one, obviously at the recital, but first, a performance just for a panel of professors. (That sounds super scary, but only four people were at mine, and it was actually pretty chill. More of the Lord’s blessings.)

But a couple days before the hearing, my dad came down with the flu. Cue my slight worry and panic, especially when I began to not feel great. And the day of my hearing, I was definitely fighting something. Added to the insane schedule my last few weeks had been filled with … yeah. Not good.

But I got through the hearing. Yeah, I was tired, it wasn’t my best performance, but it worked.

And the next day, I woke up as sick as a dog—sounds terrible, right?

But it was grace. There wasn’t another week that would’ve been better for me to get sick. I was able to take the next few days off, didn’t have to practice because the hearing was over, and everything else had calmed down for the meantime.

God’s grace, even in illness.

And then I proceeded to feel better—markedly better after two days of feeling horrendous. And I was able to do homework, practice, function. All in all, a quick illness.

Until I got a sinus infection. (You didn’t know this was going to be a litany of sicknesses, did you? )

So here I am, going to class, rehearsing, playing the violin …and coughing up a storm, congested, and trying to get better.

And failing. This was the week and a half leading up to my recital.

And it got worse—aka, the infection started affecting my eyes and vision. My vision started blurring in orchestra rehearsal and all kinds of fun stuff. And as someone who has had an eye infection once before in her life, I was slightly panicking about having my senior recital—in which you’re dressed up trying to look nice for once in your life—with swollen, red, and running eyes.

Not fun.

But in the midst of all of this, grace abounded.

That’s him – Mr. Muffat!

 In the course of these day, there were so many instances of God’s kindness through the people around me, through His Word, and through random situations. That week, my amazing accompanist and I were rehearsing and experienced one of the most beautiful musical moments of my life. (Hard to explain, but it happened.) I had this sweet conversation with one of my professors who encouraged me so much with her words. My mom and dad dragged out all the natural remedies and did everything to encourage my body to heal. And even the smallest things—I still remember cracking up with my accompanist over some composer from the 1700s named George Muffat. (So random, but laughter is so good for the soul.)

It’s these little things that were God’s grace to me.

And then came the day of recital (which, by this point, the sinus infection was much better, and no, my eyes were not infected any longer.) Needless to say, I was mildly freaking out, as any performer. But there was my wonderful mom, praying for me even amidst the stress of making sure my hair didn’t fall down from the updo she wrangled it into. I was even able to write a little bit this day—and believe me, it was full of some emotion that it’d been lacking in the past few weeks.

Then I’m standing in the practice room mere hours before my recital, fretting. Warming up so I’m not an ice cube on stage. Trying to trust God.

Stressed.

And then it smacked me in the face, in that practice room.

Trusting God isn’t a feeling. Trusting God isn’t trusting Him enough that you feel like your trust is enough to make Him help you. Trusting Him is simply giving up, falling on His grace, and resting. He says, “Come unto me, and I will give you rest.”

And so I stopped fretting and rested.

Therefore, everything was okay.

No, everything was beautiful. Not because it was perfection. (Hahaha, what a joke—there were intonation issues, bow control issues, phrasing issues … issues abounding.) But that night was so full of grace—a night I thought might never come a few years ago in the height of corona and that entire mess.

This isn’t the entirety of the first movement of the sonata, but it was very much one of my favorite pieces we played!

But God brought me there. Set me on that stage. And let me play for His glory.

And I learned that night that music isn’t about perfection. Above all, it’s for the glory of God. And secondly, it’s for people. It’s for playing that music with your friend and laughing over it. It’s for playing that music for the audience and connecting with them through it. It’s not about right notes—it’s about sharing this beautiful gift God has given.

So this whole long story isn’t about music in the end. (Or sickness.) It’s about God’s grace and His gifts—gifts, in the end, that are just beautiful shadows of the greatest Good of all.

The Lord Himself.

Cover Reveal: Clarion Hope by Laurel Luehmann

dare to dream that there’s more than this broken road,

and that beauty may lie on tomorrow’s edge…

A sequel of sorts to the author’s debut collection, Clarion Hope takes the spark of courage held out in This Will Not Last and fans it into a roaring flame. Over and over again, scars are healed, brokenness is bathed in tears, and fear is buried in the name of the truth and hope of the highest order.

For the boldest warriors and the faint-hearted alike, Clarion Hope is a battle cry to live in the light of the coming Kingdom.

GoodreadsPreorderAbout the Author

Laurel Luehmann has a passion for capturing the raw beauty and emotion of life in words to share with the world.
Some of her happiest moments are spent chatting with kindred spirits, mashing potatoes, singing and playing the guitar with gusto, and dairy farming with her family in the Midwest.

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Reveal!!

Review: The Lies We Live by Morgan Taylor Giesbrecht

The Lies We Live by Morgan Taylor Giesbrecht

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Okay – espionage, medicine, and Great Britain? You’ve got me on board already. This debut was beautifully done, filled with intricate plots, lovely settings, and so much history!

Characters: Let’s just be upfront here. Thomas Lindsey got everything I’ve ever wanted in a character going for him. Doctor? Check. Spy? Check. British? Check. And then the guy goes and has to have dark, curly hair just to round out the perfect character for my very shallow self. But honestly, I loved this combination of traits/trades – I don’t think I’ve ever read about someone like him! (And did I mention he even had several guns and several holsters? Anyway …) Thomas definitely had that signature unhappy British guy mood, but as the book went on, he opened up more and more. As for Clara … what a good quarry for Thomas! She stood right up to him and ended up serving beside him beautifully. She was extremely strong, but not in the brash sort of way some characters are. Instead, she was steady and resourceful and brave in so many ways. And then the wonderful side characters – too many to go into, but two of them in particular made me quite sad. There’s an entire cast of interesting side characters – both within the MI5 circle and outside. Although I enjoyed all of the characters, I kept finding myself wanting more – there were times when I felt like I was just starting to get to know them, and then the scene would end. I really hope the next book in the series digs even more deeply into the characters.

Setting/Writing Style/Plot: The setting was gorgeous – I never really thought about people living so close to war-torn France in England, and it was just such a chilling description when a character would stand near the ocean and hear the guns roaring in France. I loved the small-town feel of Newhaven as well! As for the writing style … it’s very historical and fast-paced in its own way. Lots of time skips happen throughout the book (not huge, but hours or a day in a sentence). Although the writing took a bit for me to get used to, it works in this book, and this author has a lovely, distinct style! As for the plot … wow. My mind was spinning, and I am so amazed at this author’s ingenuity and brilliance. I honestly got a bit confused in some spots, but the overall intricacy of the plot was fitting for this espionage novel. So well done!

Theme: A lot of themes wove through this book; most prominently the difference between the lies we live (yep, you saw that), and the truth that actually exists. Clara’s faith was commendable -she’d been through so much – and watching Thomas’s arc was sweet. I would’ve like a bit more clarity on him – was he saved before the book? during? – but overall, a very clean book with Christian themes woven through it.

So if you’re a fan of WWI, espionage, or medicine … you’ve got to read this book. I’m impatiently awaiting book #2! And by the way, I think this book would make a brilliant TV series. Just saying.

Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher/author. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.