Sarah Holman's Blog, page 24
June 24, 2020
June 19, 2020
"What a story this will make!"
With a heavy sigh, Brianna slipped out after him. She adjusted the golden circlet on her head as she walked rapidly to catch up. Her gown of softest wool had been colored a deep blue and it set off her brown hair. She had to look her best for the ambassador to listen to her.“Ambassador,” Brianna called out, seeing that he was moving rapidly.He whipped around, his face red with anger. “What do you want?” his voice was gruff.Brianna swallowed her fear. She must have courage for the sake of her people and her father. “Ambassador, I fear a grave error has been made.” She stopped a few paces away from him.“Indeed there has,” the ambassador sneered. “The king will regret this.”Brianna swallowed again, her mouth dry. “Good sir, that is why I have sought you out. I think you and I might be able to reach an agreement that will satisfy both the needs of your country and Taelis.”“You?” the ambassador chuckled dryly. “You are a woman.”“I am also a princess, oldest daughter of the king.” She pulled herself to her full height, but still felt small. She was not tall, even for a girl, and this man was a head above most men.The ambassador crossed his arms. “I fail to see how that can help me. You are still a woman. Unless you are proposing an alliance by marriage, you have nothing to offer.”Brianna shook her head. “What I offer is help to get you the trade that our countries both desperately need.”The ambassador smiled, amusement playing over his features. “I see. Do you have a handful of grain that you want to trade for a bit of wool?”Brianna sighed. Why could she have not been a born a son, or at least taller. It took so much time to convince people she could help. “I am offering you the trade you wished. I know where there are many bags of grain ready and waiting to be loaded onto carts in exchange for a fair amount of wool.”The amusement had diminished somewhat in the ambassador’s face. He did not quite believe her yet, but he was desperate to make this trade. “How are you able to offer me this and your father was not?”“My father was able to make the trade,” Brianna said softly. “He simply did not wish to bother with it this day.” Her father never wanted to deal with anything that had to do with business. “Do you wish the grain or not?”
The ambassador threw back his head and laughed. “I have never made a trade with a princess. What a story this will make!”
Read the rest of the story on Kindle, Paperback, or audiobook.
June 17, 2020
June 16, 2020
Parents in Stories
As writers, parents in stories can be tricky. I mean, if you look at most classic stories, the parents are absent. So, here are a few tips for having your parents in your story.
Remember that adventures and parents can go together. Many stories start with the assumption that if the parents aren't there, the story will be stronger. I've found that is sometimes the case. However, also having parents along can create some pretty interesting situations and food for thought.
Parents are as diverse as people are, with complex motivations. Often, we (which includes me) often cast our parents in stereotypes which I call Clueless, Useless, and Evil. Clueless parents are usually pretty stupid and the kid is smarter then they are. Useless is a parent that is present, but self-absorbed and is unaware or doesn't care about what is going on. They usually aren't bad, they just don't notice. Of course, there is the most popular of an evil parent, the over-controlling mother, the father that is cruel, and so on. When writing parents, consider breaking the mold and giving them complex motivations, and realistic involvement in their childs life. Also, if you write multiple books, consider having different types of parents in the story.
Have the courage to tackle things that aren't easy. Many books have parents who have died or have made major mistakes. Consider bucking the trend. Show the struggles between parents and their grown children who have a pretty good relationship, but still struggle. Perhaps show a parent who has hurt their child in some way in the past, but has repented. Or how about taking on how to honor your parents as an adult living at home? There are a lot of areas to explore.
Write what you know or spend time to learn. I've been very blessed with two amazing parents. I don't have first hand expirace with bad ones. So, when I've written parents that were not stellar parents, it was important that I dig in and read or talk with someone who had delt with a parent with the flaws the character had. One of the more helpful resources is Christan raidio/podcasts where teachers interview people who have had a hard time, but see it through the lens of God's redemptive power.
What is your favorite fictional parent(s)?
June 15, 2020
Sick of Me by Whitney Capps: A Review
*Post contains Amazon affiliate links*Find it on: Goodreads | Kindle | Paperback | Audiobook Age Appropriate For:13 and upBest for Ages:15 and up
Description: Our world is filled with fake facades, from the unrealistic filters used on social media to the “holier than thou” personas seen in certain hypocritical believers.To combat the fake trends, a new trend has emerged—one that fights the facade with transparency and vulnerability. Instead of being filtered or super-spiritual, we’re told to be real and honest. And rightly so.
I loved, loved, LOVED this book. It is one of those books that both expressed some things I have tried to explain to others and failed, and also encouraged and convicted me. For those who like theology, this book is about sanctification, and how we as Christians often accept an imitation verity of it.
Capps shares how she was sharing with a friend about how tired she was of herself. She shared some sin struggles she was having. She was being honest and transparent. Her friend turned to her and said “You’ve talked a lot about how bad you are, now tell me about how good Jesus is.” From there she shares how she had been very transparent, but that hadn’t been leading to transformation.
As someone who grew up in a Christian house and has never rebelled against the faith, I felt I could relate to Capps so much. So many things she said, the struggles, and the good things, had me nodding my head. After reading this book, I really just wanted to go to lunch with her and talk about our faith.
Probably one of my favorite things about this book is it wrapped words around concepts I’ve tried so hard to convey. One of the things she talked about is that we often think that people who have it together must be faking and those who are broken are being real. As someone who has been accused of being fake because some part of my life was put together, I just wanted to hug her. I love how she talked about how this! She clearly explained how the places in our lives that were put together were a refection of Christ’s work in us and should be used not to gloat, but to show others what God is capable of.
I can’t do justice to this book in a review. You need to read it. I’m pretty sure it will be one of the top books I read in 2020.
I highly recommend this for every Christian woman, those who feel like they are stuck, and those who want to make big or small changes in their lives.
June 14, 2020
My Dad
With Father's Day right around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to share with you a little about one of my biggest supporters and one of the people that has the strongest belief that my writing will take me far - My DadFrom the time I was young, Dad read to us kids often. In fact, if you're a newsletter subscriber, you're going to be getting a fun document where I share some of the titles I most vividly remember. He loved to read and wanted use to explore different genres and types of stories. I'm a far more rounded reader because of him.
He has led our family with quiet strength. He has always been an example of being slow to speak and slow anger. He always has such godly advice, let has often let us make our own decisions so we could learn from them.
Even in these last few years, as he's walked through the difficulty of MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment) and faced the possibility of dementia in his future, his chief concern has been preparing his family well for what is to come.
When I'm discouraged about all the hours I'm pouring into my writing with very little to show for it, He's the one who tells me to keep going, that one day, I'll make it. No one thinks more highly of my work then he does.
Many of the fathers in my stories are based on him because I cannot think of a better model.
I know that he is not perfect, and I have seen him mess up and apologize for his actions. However, I cannot think of anyone I would rather have for a father.
Tell me about your Dad.
June 12, 2020
Prologue
Some men are for a time and a season. They live their life and pass into the next without many people even being aware of their existence. Other men inspire, not only their generation, but many generations to come. This is a tale of some who did just that. They led their people to greatness in their day, and inspired greatness in many generations that followed.This tale has been told as a bedtime story to many children in Taelis. In fact, it was reduced to a fairy tale as the years passed. However, I, Zale Kahlon, assure you that the tale is indeed true. Princess Brianna really lived, young Bryon really did flee into the woods and was rescued by The Archer, John.John was the son of Alditha and William from my first tale. He had many adventures with Bryon, and with the princess as well. But I am getting ahead of myself. I shall not spoil this, my second tale of my forgotten homeland.As I stare out at the sea this stormy day, I long for Taelis. I can smell the richness of the growing forest, and see the fat deer peering out from behind the undergrowth. As I remember, I long to return. I long to open my door and, instead of a noisy street, see the beautiful forest of Taelis. I wish to hear the birds, feel the wind, and to see mothers collecting nuts with their children as they tell them the old tales that kept us a proud people for so long. Perhaps though, like man, Taelis was only meant to be for a season. Perhaps it was purposed by God to live on through these tales alone.From its humble beginnings, with its feuding nobles and unhappy peasants grew a wonderful kingdom. The turning point towards greatness began with Bryon, John, and Brianna. This is their tale. A tale of brothers… and betrayal.
Read the rest of the story on Kindle, Paperback, or audiobook.
The Birthday Fun Continues
*Post contains Amazon affiliate links*I shared last week that I'm doing something every day this week to celebrate my birthday. Here is what I've been doing this week!
Day 6: I spent a lot of time in the garden I find that hard work, but also relaxing.
Day 7: I wasn't feeling good, so I allowed myself downtime where I listened to books and worked on my quilt.
Day 8: After work, I met up with my Mom and sister who were doing the grocery shopping. We ate some awesome Mexican food.
Day 9: I was super blessed to meet up with my friend Grace. She is a fantastic author as well as an amazing friend. We haven't been able to hang out in far to long. I also got to meet her newest little girl.
Day 10: Ah! It was an epic writing day! I finished a short story for the Tales of Taelis series!
Day 11: I did a lot of writing, and then I chilled with some Dick Van Dyke show episodes.
Day 12: Today, I found out one of my favorite authors put out a new book! Even though I'm not a huge fantasy reader, Nicole Sager's books are the best! You can check out this book HERE.
I finally kicked my reading slump! It's kinda funny because I have about three books that I'm almost down with, but these are the ones I've completed.
I've been enjoying reading through this series while I have Kindle Unlimited. It's a sweet series for kids that I read when I was young.You can find it on Amazon HERE.
This was a pretty sweet book. You can read my review on Goodreads HERE and you can also find in on Amazon HERE.
I listened to the audiobook of the Bronze Bow on Scribd, which is a pretty cool site for audiobook lovers. I can see why this author is well loved, her style is amazing!Read my review HERE.Find in on Amazon HEREGet a 60 free trial of Scribd HEREJune 10, 2020
Classics return with a epic adventure novel!
*post contains Amazon affiliate links*Would you like to read this book? You can find the edition we talk about HERE.
June 8, 2020
Winning God's Heart by Carolyn Currey: A Review
*This is a review I wrote a while ago and am just now posting here*
*Post contains Amazon affiliate links*
Find it on: Goodreads | Kindle | Paperback
Age Appropriate For: All Ages
Best for Ages: 12 and up
There are times that we need to be reminded of truths that we already know. This is not one of my favorite books of the year because it contains radically new information, but simply a reminder of old truths that I lose sight of.
Carolyn Currey is very honest about her personal experience of both supernatural encounters with God, the harshness of others, and feeling far from God. I haven’t had a supernatural experience like hers, nor am I sure that it’s the norm for God’s people. However, I applaud her honesty because it is obvious that she knew some people would reject everything she said on the basis of her experience. She shared anyway.
Digging into the scriptures, Currey walks the reader through various people who have been a friend of God. This includes Abraham, Moses, and David. She draws insight from their lives and shows what it means to be God’s friend.
I appreciated this reminder of the choice that I have every day. I can either pursue a friendship with God, or friendship with the world. I don’t think Currey said those words, but I needed that reminder. I personally want to be a friend to God. I know that will mean that I might have to give up some temporary pleasures, but I will gain everything of true value.
I recommend this book to those who enjoy books that remind them of what is important, those who enjoy honest testimonies, and Christian non-fiction.
