Erin Lewis's Blog, page 5

You Can Find Me...

Hello everyone!

It’s been awhile since my last newsletter went out. Have you been busy as well? My family was on an eight-night vacation to Maine and Boston, and I’ve been gearing up to start the homeschool year - we began on Monday. During the last few weeks, a few places where I can be found have cropped up…

Full moon setting at sunrise over Bass Harbor Lighthouse, Acadia NP, MaineMy books are in the public library system!

Firetender and Enkindle in Me have both been added to the collection at my town’s public library, thanks to materials requests from Jen and Beth! I’ve mentioned before how easy it is to request a materials purchase at your library’s main desk or on their website - and they often purchase what you have requested, particularly if there are not many copies already in the system.

So next time you’re in the Rome library, take a stroll through the New Releases shelves and see if you can spot Book One or Two of the Chalice Series! If not, I hope they are checked out and being enjoyed by somebody whose eye was caught by them on display.

If you live in another area entirely, I’d love for you to request Firetender or Enkindle in Me for your public library. You can find the ISBN at the links to the books on Amazon (some systems ask for that). Drop me a line if you do - I enjoy hearing from you!

Alumni Spotlight

The next place you might see me is in the summer/fall edition of Between the Lions, my high school alumni magazine - read it here. There is an alumni spotlight article on my writing on page 30, complete with the fact that the dramatic turning point scene in Firetender once visited the halls of that high school as a short story in 1996! Hard to believe Dallas and Channing initially came from 17-year-old me all those years ago. Firetender was a long time coming, yes, indeed.

Writing News and Updates

I started up a critique group with fellow Catholic fiction authors, and so far, we have been submitting 5K word chunks of our manuscripts and going through each, reading and commenting, and discussing feedback. It’s helpful to be able to ask questions and have other sets of eyes on your work so they can ask questions and point out places that may benefit from some adjustments. The skill of evaluating and offering others feedback on their writing can improve our own skills and ability to evaluate our own stories, too. Talking through things with my crit group is going to ultimately deepen the conflict for Dallas in The Fire of Your Love, Book Three, making for more suspense and struggle (which will increase his triumph in the end) and continuity of the storyline.

Speaking of The Fire of Your Love, I’m having so much fun going back through scenes with Dallas’s new friends, Damien and Eric, and even adding additional scenes. I love these two guys with contrasting personalities who become Dallas’s main supports, and putting them into new scenarios alongside him is a joy. I’m learning even more about them individually by doing this, so even if scenes that are written don’t make the final cut in the novel, I’ve gotten to hang out with them some more! Here’s an unrevised, brand new snippet:

Footsteps crunching on fallen leaves alerted Dallas that Eric was close. He heard his friend make a sudden movement and curse under his breath. Miguel had fired at him, but the sound of Eric’s paintball gun returning fire let Dallas know he hadn’t been hit. Dallas was on his feet like lightning, pointing his gun at Eric and pulling the trigger at a range barely within the rules.

Once this book goes through complete revisions, I’ll need to decide what to do with it as far as publishing goes, so hopefully that will be in the works in the near future!

St. Michael’s Lent

Have you heard of this devotion? It is a period of time for forty days prior to the feast day of Saint Michael and the Archangels on September 29th. Beginning on the feast of the Assumption (August 15th), I started praying the St. Michael’s Chaplet again this year. This devotion is practiced by the Sisters Poor of Jesus Christ, whose religious order has a house near our church. They encourage others to join in this devotion as spiritual warfare in the daily battle of good versus evil.

You can see the prayers in the images below.

Recently, I began reading Diary of an American Exorcist, an easy read with quick stories that highlight the very real presence of evil and how people can inadvertently (and intentionally!) allow it into their lives. Demonic possession described in the Bible still happens today, and the stories of an exorcist are both fascinating and sobering. Ultimately, they are full of hope, because we have the knowledge that Christ has already conquered the devil, and demons can be cast out because they fear Him.

The themes of good and evil, angels and demons, life and death, addiction and recovery, and St. Michael are all present in my side series, Fallen Angel/Risen Angel. The work of the religious brothers and sisters has also made its way into the second part of this story. I’ve shared a lot of hints about this series on Instagram - you can follow me there for posts and reels.

Reviews Help Authors!

Finally, if you’ve read Firetender or Enkindle in Me and haven’t gotten around to leaving a review, now would be a wonderful time. Leaving a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads is one of the best ways you can give your support to a small author. Even a few lines shows others that somebody has read the book and has something to say about it. This increases the chance that others who may be in my potential audience will find the books.

Buy or Review my books here

I know I haven’t done a “Backstory Excerpts for Hardcore Fans” lately - I have more of Dallas and Channing’s history, just haven’t gotten to putting it into a readable format here. If you’re clamoring for more, let me hear about it, and I’ll move it up on the writing priorities list!

Until next time!

Erin