The Courage Chronicles
Welcome to Day 2 of The Courage Chronicles!
What a joy to partner again with my author friends Regina Jennings, Amanda Dykes, Karen Barnett, and Joanne Bischof. In the past, we’ve brought you the Hope Chronicles, the Christmas Chronicles, and the Trust Chronicles. This time is very special, since we’re also celebrating the release of Amanda’s absolutely lovely debut novel, Whose Waves These Are (read my glowing review here). We’re giving away copies of each of our books, plus a painting we all did together.
Since we’re talking about courage, we decided to do something new and challenging—we created a collaborative painting! We used a kit from Let’s Make Art and took turns with the watercolors, mailing the painting from person to person over the course of a month. This week we reveal our work!
Here’s some of my portion of the painting… Thrilling, isn’t it?
On each author’s blog, you can watch a video and enter the giveaway for the complete painting and a copy of all five books. To enter you’ll need to answer a question that’s answered in the video. You only need to fill out one form from one author to enter the giveaway, but you can earn up to five entries by visiting all five posts and filling out all five forms!
The event runs May 6-10, 2019, with the giveaway closing May 17, 2019 at 9 am EST. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. The posts are located at:
Tues. May 7: Sarah Sundin
Coming Weds. May 8: Amanda Dykes
Coming Thurs. May 9: Karen Barnett
Coming Fri. May 10: Joanne Bischof
Here is my video. Listen closely for the answer to my question! Then enter your answer in SARAH’S COURAGE CHRONICLES GIVEAWAY ENTRY FORM!
I’d also like to share an excerpt from my latest novel, The Sky Above Us. In this scene, American Red Cross worker Violet Lindstrom needs a bit of courage to know when to keep silent—and when to speak. And she’s also giving fighter pilot Lt. Adler Paxton courage to do what he most desperately needs to do…own up to his past and face his family again. Enjoy!
Adler opened a case and pulled out a trumpet.
Violet sat on the piano bench with her back to the keys. “Do you play?”
He fingered the three valves in a practiced manner, but his expression drifted far away.
Holding her breath, she watched. Waited.
Before long, he plopped onto his backside, leaned back against the wall, and dangled the trumpet between his knees. “Not for”—he let out a dry laugh—“three years. That night.”
The night his fiancée died? “Is that so?”
He frowned at his fingering. “We had a party for Wyatt’s college graduation, big Mexican barbecue. Wyatt on the guitar, Clay on the violin, me on the trumpet. The Gringo Mariachis, we called ourselves.”
She studied his wistful expression. “You were all close once?”
His lips clamped together. “Wyatt and I—we struggled together, like Jacob and Esau—but we got along for the most part. But Clay and I were inseparable. Then I ruined it all. They’ll never forgive me.”
Violet’s chest crushed at the thought. “But your parents? Surely they want to hear—”
“No. Trust me, they never want to hear from me again.” He pushed up to squatting and set the trumpet back in its case. But he lingered and stroked the silver instrument.
Words stirred inside her, and she released them. “Would you like to borrow the trumpet?”
One sharp shake of his head. “The valves stick.”
“Oh!” She darted across the room to a little case on the floor. “This has a bunch of vials and things to care for the instruments. Here we are—valve oil.”
Adler stared at the vial, then at her. “You have a cure for everything, don’t you?”
She laughed. “Only for the valves. Sorry.”
He took the oil. “Don’t suppose this would work on my family, do you?”
Violet smiled down at him. “No, but apologies are remarkably effective at greasing squeaky relationships.”
Thank you for joining me today! Make sure to visit Amanda Dykes’s blog tomorrow for more words of encouragement!
Be strong and courageous, my friends! The Lord will go with you!
