Monday, August 18, 2014

The Endurance Challenge!

Marianne Evans
A couple months back, I told you about my passion for travel, and the ways in which setting becomes a character within the arc of my stories.

Well, I’m blessed to say my husband and I finally pulled the trigger on the trip of a lifetime. We’re headed to Italy next month…for real, and not just in my heart! To prepare, and since I’ve been warned by my well-traveled daughter that the terrain in Bella Italia is quite hilly, I've taken on a fitness quest I jokingly refer to as ‘The Italy Endurance Challenge.’ 


Actually, it’s not so much of a joke anymore. Establishing a new and intensive exercise regimen has led to benefits far beyond the physical (though I better get a kudo or two from my doctor! LOL!)  Pounding the pavement, tooling around town on my bike, wakes me up creatively. It frees me and gives my heart and brain a wonderful push. 




I've enjoyed losing myself in moments of beauty; I absorb the world around me with a fresh and enlivened perspective. If I engage in a setting, live it and breathe it, maybe I can convey that to my readers as well. I’ve hiked gorgeous north-Michigan roads, pedaled along neighborhood streets bursting with summertime color and the spicy aroma of flowers and fresh-cut grass, and I definitely feel stronger.

So, let me tell you—those 463 steps to the top of the Duomo in Florence are not going to stand in the way of me savoring a view like this…



How are you working to keep that all-important balance between the mental and the physical? What challenge, physical or otherwise, are you looking to take on and dominate? Let me know so I can offer up a prayer of provision, and all my best wishes for your goals and dreams! Whatever your challenge, take that first step, and enjoy every move forward!

Click to Tweet!

What challenge are you looking to conquer?
Take on the Italy Endurance challenge!

~~~~~


Marianne’s new series, Sisters in Spirit, releases in September from Pelican Book Group and is the prelude to Pure Amore – a line of Christian New Adult romances coming in October. Marianne is honored to be one of the six launch authors for this new and exciting venture.

Check out the Sisters in Spirit official website: http://www.pelicanbookgroup.com/sis/
For more information about Pure Amore: http://pure.pelicanbookgroup.com/


Happy reading!



~~~~~

Marianne Evans is a multi-award-winning author of over twenty Christian romance and fiction novels. Her hope is to spread the faith-affirming message of God’s love through the stories He prompts her to create. Readers laud her work as: ‘Riveting.’ ‘Realistic and true to heart.’ ‘Compelling.’ Devotion, earned the prestigious Bookseller’s Best Award from Greater Detroit RWA as well the Heart of Excellence Award from Ancient City Romance Authors. She also earned wins for Best Romance of 2012 from the Christian Small Publisher's Association and the Selah award for best Novella of 2013. Happily married and the mother of two, Marianne is a lifelong resident of Michigan who is active in a number of a number of Romance Writers of America chapters, most notably the Greater Detroit Chapter where she served two terms as President.

Connect with Marianne:

Amazon Author Page:  www.amazon.com/author/marianneevans