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| Nadine Brandes |
As Christian writers, we want God to bless our creative
efforts, right? But how diligent are we when it comes to inviting him into the
process? Debut author Nadine Brandes
shares her journey to publication and the role prayer has played. ~ Dawn
Writing
as a Prayer Warrior
by
Nadine Brandes
How often do you pray over your writing? I mean really pray over it?
I'll be honest, I flit in and out of the habit. Some days
I'm on my knees surrendering my book to Him and other days I'm imagining myself
famous off my own merit without even a thought of God. I'm ashamed when this
happens, but I'm thankful I'm aware of it.
Genuine prayer has been my cornerstone to writing. And
looking back at my publication process, I'm amazed at how...smoothly everything has gone.
It's important to write from your passion. I write because I
must. God has called me a writer. I'm not content doing anything else other
than following that calling. I started writing my debut novel, A Time to Die, in October 2010. The idea
for the story interrupted everything—graduate school studies, work, my other
writing pursuits. It needed to be written, so I completely handed it up in
prayer.
Seven months later and only a third of the way into the
book, I showed it to Jeff Gerke—the founder of Marcher Lord Press (now Enclave
Publishing)—at a writer's conference, hoping for advice. He requested a full
manuscript. I told him it wasn't finished, he said he'd wait. I told him I
wasn't even pitching it, he said he wanted it.
Shock. Disbelief. Giddiness. All emotions jumbled together
at such an unexpected request. Marcher Lord Press was my top choice for my
publisher and, at that moment, I felt like God handed me a promise.
"Nadine, I promise to publish you through Marcher Lord Press."
Instead of wondering if Jeff Gerke
would offer me a contract, I just wondered when.
The when turned out to be July 15,
2013.
It's an amazing thing to see God fulfill a promise you never
asked for over something you've always dreamed of. And every time I look back,
I see little prayer spots. Prayers for courage, prayers for guidance, prayers
for publication, prayers for inspired writing, and most of all prayers for
God's glory.
“Remember
Your word to Your servant, in which You have made me hope. This is my comfort
in my affliction, that Your promise gives me life.” Psalm 119:49-50
Even being the weak, unfaithful, distracted child of God
that I am, my small hurried sometimes-selfish prayers resulted in...this—my debut novel contracted by my
favorite publishing house. Imagine what strong, faithful, intentional prayers
can do in your life surrounding your writing.
So, my friends. Whether you never prayed over your book or
you've done it every day, pursue God with intentionality. Truly surrender your
writing to Him every time you sit down at that computer, typewriter, or
notebook. Trust Him to take it where He desires it. It's the most incredible
journey I've ever stepped into and it's only just started.
Do you
find it hard to pray over your writing?
What
are some ways I can pray for you and your book right now?
Tweetables:
It's an amazing
thing to see God fulfill a promise you never asked for over something you've
always dreamed of. Click to tweet.
Imagine what
strong, faithful, intentional prayers can do in your life surrounding your
writing. Click to tweet.
Truly surrender
your writing to Him every time you sit down at that computer, typewriter, or
notebook. Trust Him to take it where He desires it. Click to tweet.
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| A Time to Die |
How
would you live if you knew the day you’d die?
Parvin
Blackwater believes she has wasted her life. At only seventeen, she has one
year left according to the Clock by her bedside. In a last-ditch effort to make
a difference, she tries to rescue Radicals from the government’s crooked
justice system. But when the authorities find out about her illegal activity,
they cast her through the Wall—her people’s death sentence. What she finds on
the other side about the world, about eternity, and about herself changes
Parvin forever and might just save her people. But her clock is running out.
A Time
to Die is scheduled for release in September 2014. But you can add
it to your Goodreads Bookshelf now! http://goodreads.com/nadinebrandes
Nadine Brandes
writes stories about authentic faith, bold living, and worlds soaked in
imagination. She lives in Idaho with her husband and works as a freelance
editor. When she's not writing, editing, or taste-testing a new chai, she is
out pursuing adventures. A Time to Die is her first novel. Visit
Nadine at www.nadinebrandes.com
Connect
with Nadine Online!
Website: http://nadinebrandes.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/NadineBrandesAuthor
Twitter: http://twitter.com/nadinebrandes
Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/nadinebrandes
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/nadinebrandes
