Sarah Holman's Blog, page 14

I is for Insight

In writing each of the Tales of Taelis books, I've gained insight. It was insight God gave me into my own heart. Each story revealed things in my heart I needed to deal with. Each and every book, God uses for me. 
When I write a Tealis book, I'm often spilling raw emotions and feelings onto the page. As I work through the editing process, God uses the words to edit my own heart. Those unpolished words and raw emotions start to take shape on the page to be a readable story, and God uses that process to give insight into the lessons He wants to teach me. 
Do you have something you do creatively that God uses to give you insight?
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H is for Hope

 

Hope. Sometimes, it seems like there isn't enough of it. How do you find hope in tough situations?
Where is God when life is falling apart? Is He okay with my grief? That's what I talk about in Adventures and Adversities.
How do you forgive, or do the right thing, when everything seems against you? I explore that in Brothers and Betrayal.
How do you grow in maturity or deal with tough sibling relationships? Those are the topics in Courage and Corruption.
What do you do when all your dreams seem to be shattered and nothing will ever be right again? I look for the answers in Dreams and Devotion.
If you feel like you aren't worth anything or if you feel like you are so much better than everyone, how do you change how you view yourself? I delve into that in Escape and Endurance. 
Ultimately, I know that all hope is in Jesus. There isn't a problem that is to big for Him to handle nor a heartache that is to small for Him to notice. There is always hope because He is with us. 


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G is for Goodness

 

Being good is out of favor at the moment. I mean, I can understand why no one wants characters that are so perfect it makes you roll your eyes. But have you noticed how often we focus on the faults of others and in book characters instead of what makes them good? Well, I love looking for the good in people and in book characters. So today, I'm going to share my favorite characteristic of some of the characters from the Tales of Taelis series.

Adventures and Adversities

Alditha ~ Her devotion to God, even when she doesn't have answers

William ~ His gentleness toward others even in the face of hardship

Brothers and Betrayal

John ~ His calm courage in the face of opositon

Brianna ~ Her choice to do what is right and treat others right even when people around her are failing to do that

Bryon ~ His love for his siblings

Courage and Corruption 

Christopher ~ His willingness, in the end, to mature when it means doing what is hard

Catherine ~ Her willingness, in the end, to forgive and help her siblings succeed. 

Dreams and Devotion

Dara ~ Her devotion to her family and friends

Dresden ~ His devotion to God

Escape and Endurance

Andrew ~ His passion

Edna ~ Her humility

Philip ~ His ability to see clearly what is really going on

What do you love about your favorite characters?

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F is for Future

 

It's been a while since anything has really happened with the Taelis series, hasn't it? One might wonder if I plan to leave the series at Escape and Endurance. But that isn't the case. 

While Scott has been a huge supporter of all my work, the Taelis series has been his favorite. He asked me when I thought I would write more in it and I told him there was actually the beginning of two more books written. He read the start of both of the books, one about Princess Fabia and the other about Princess Gail. He liked them.

Right now, I'm trying to finish the Kate's Case Files series, as that one is currently on a cliffhanger and the next few books are tied closely together. However, my hope is that soon, to get back to writing in this series that is so close to my heart. 

But I do have one fun development for you to know today. Keep your eyes open because a new short story in the Tales of Taelis series is going to be released this month! Keep watching here for the surprise release day!

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E is for Endurance

 

Identity. We spend a lot of time in our younger years trying to figure out what we want to be when we grow up. We try different hobbies to figure out which we adore. We experiment the styles of clothing until we find what is us. Even when we get older, we still spend time searching for what is "us".
Escape and Endurance is a story about worth and identity.  Edna doesn't feel like she is worth anything and Andrew knows he is worth a lot. Through the story (which includes a princess in a tower) they both learn about finding their identity and worth in Christ. 
I really had fun with many aspects of the story. I loved putting a new spin on the princess-in-a-tower idea, as well as having a knight out to rescue a princess. It had so many classic medieval fiction feels. Yet, I got to put my own spin on them and make them feel believable and real, not cheesy. 
Have you ever read a Princess in a tower story?

Deal of the Day:
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D is for Devotion

 

I remember sitting down to write Dreams and Devotion , knowing I would be spilling more of my heart onto the page than I had in a while. God had been teaching me and dealing with me in some areas of my life I was struggling to surrender to Him. Writing this book, was a journey for my own heart. I delved into the heart of what I was struggling with:
~ How do you truly forgive someone you should have been able to count on who wounds you?
~ What if the guy you like never sees you as anything more than a friend?
~ How do you stay devoted to God when your dreams for the future seem to be slipping away?
As I wrote the book, I not only spilled my heart across the page and cried tears, I also learned a lot. There was something about creating Dara and Dresden, two siblings facing their dreams not being exactly what they hoped, that helped me to see my own life clearly.
Isn't that what the best stories do? They help give us some perspective on our own lives and turn us toward Jesus.
What story has done that for you? 

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C is for Courage

 

Courage is a pretty awesome word, isn't it?
I looked it up in the dictionary again for fun, and here is what it says:
Definition of courage:mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty
We all face situations for which we need courage. Often, we think of those moments as being big things like death, illness, war, or facing a giant or our greatest fear. But I think some of the hardest areas to display courage in are some of the everyday situations we face like:
~ Sticking to healthy eating choices, when we find it difficult.~ Containing to try to work things out with that friend, even if we fear they aren't going to try as hard to make it work~ Facing that danger of people who might hate us in order to life out the gospel or share it with others.
In Courage and Corruption, most of the courage needed is to deal with a troubled sibling relationship. Catherine and Christopher have fallen into fighting with each other. It takes a lot of courage for them to face their own problems and work through things together. 
What is an everyday challenge that you struggle to find courage for?

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B is for Brothers

 

Siblings. I personally adore my siblings. That doesn't mean that we've always gotten along perfectly, but I am close with all of them. We went through so much together, we have formed a close bond. Is it any wonder that siblings play a huge part in the tales of Taelis?

William and Eleanore are brother and sister in Adventures and Adverieites. They have lost their parents and pretty much everything else, but not their bond with each other.

John and Nathaniel, while technically cousins, they act like brothers. I had so much fun writing their friendship and banter in Brothers and Betrayal. They were a fun pair to write.

Bryon, Flora, and Eva, are three siblings who have to flee into the woods when tragedy strikes their home. The three of them have to overcome so much and they are some of the main characters in Brothers and Betrayal. 

Catherine, Christopher, Jacob, and Lily are four siblings that are sent with their mother to a castle in the mountains to keep them safe from a coming war. The two older siblings have a lot to learn about getting along and their aunt and uncle just might help them in learn Courage and Corruption.

Dresden and Dara are the brother and sister featured in Dreams and Devotions. They are separated by many miles, but they are both learning about doing what is right, even when it isn't easy.

I just love siblings!

Deal of the Day:

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A is for Adventure

 

Welcome to August Amazingness! I did this for a couple of years and then...I didn't. I wanted to revive this event so we could have fun talking about the Tales of Taelis series, and have daily deals on my books. Today, I want to talk about what makes the Tales of Taelis series close to my heart.
It combines some of my favorite elements of youthful books. Medieval culture (in a non-magical fantasy setting), lots of adventure, answers to tough questions young hearts ask, and a dash of romance on occasion (but only a tiny bit). 
This was the kind of series I wanted at eleven. I was reading far above my grade level and I wanted something that matched my reading skill, dealt with real faith questions, and was also fun. When I couldn't find what I wanted, I started writing it. 
It has young characters. Sometimes, it's hard to find books with a solid faith element outside of the magical fantasy and romance genres where the characters are 11-15. I like creating young characters that people can relate to.
I loved creating a culture. Taelis is a fictional world with some fun aspects to their culture. Such as swords are almost always carried on their back, instead of at their side. There is a harvest song that often fills the capital city from morning until night during the harvest. I love putting in details like that. 
This series gives answers to questions I asked as a kid. So many of the books written for kids tell us not to lie, steal, talk dirty, or be mean. But I wanted stories that dealt with the heart of issues. So I wrote them. Like: How do you deal with a sibling who is just making you made? Is God okay with our grief? How do we forgive those who have hurt us? How are we to handle life's disappointments?
This series is dear to me, I'm looking forward to sharing more about it throughout the mouth. 

All through August, there will be a deal each day. Grab it quick because most of them will only last for one day

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