Sarah Holman's Blog, page 14

K is for Kings

One of the things I've enjoyed exploring is how kingship works. Of course, being from America, we don't have royalty. But the leader of a nation has a lot of impact on how that nation acts.
In Adventures and Adversities, Taelis has a bad who is plotted against.
In Brothers and Bertyal , Taelis has an unreliable king and a brave princess. 
In Courage and Corruption , they have a good but aging king.
In Dreams and Devotion , they have a king who is good, young, and focused on helping Taelis grow.
In Escape and Endurance , we see a king who is also a father, trying to care for his children.

Which king do you want to read about?


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J is for John

John. He is one of my oldest characters. Oh, not in years, he is fairly young in years. However, he was one of the first characters I ever invented.
At eleven, I decided I would write my own version of Robin Hood where he didn't steal (I was a kid, okay?). My Mom wisely suggested I write my own story with my own characters. While the first story I wrote was derivative of Robin Hood in pretty much every aspect (Thank you Errol Flynn's Robin Hood). Yet, through writing that story, I fell in love with writing stories.
Years later, as I was getting ready to write the second book in the Tales of Taelis series, I decided to revisit that old story. I lifted the character from my first story, including his name, and dropped him into Brothers and Betrayal with a cool new title: The Archer.
John has been through a lot in his past, but he has used that pain to help others. Here are a few fun facts about this hero.He has a tendency to be standing up on a rockHe is very good at archeryHe takes enjoyment in witty banter with his arch enemy Lord NotlyHe has a secret helper who helps fund his band
You can check out his story HERE.
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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?

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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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