 |
| Marianne Evans |
What’s
the message? God, what do You intend as You author the pages of the book I’m
writing?
Those
are important questions to ask, and usually I feel a solid Spirit push once I
create a story. In general terms I know the conflict, the theme, character arcs
and resolution. That’s not meant to imply the message God puts on my heart is
easily expressed, or drifts from my brain to the printed page in a perfect free-flow…no
way, and don’t I wish!
But
then came The Fairytale. I recently clicked
‘send’ on this manuscript and delivered it to my editor. The Fairytale centers on a princess and the commoner with whom she
falls in love. Crafting this story was quite different for me. The words and
scenes flew from my fingertips, and that was a joyful surprise. Usually there
are points where I struggle to finesse the plot, or properly align conflict
with a realistic resolution.
Here’s
what startled me as one scene built and flowed into the next: I had no idea
what was coming to be until the book was finished and I began to read it through
with a stronger editorial eye. It was then that I realized there was no
physical villain. No bad man or woman bent on causing chaos within the lives of
my protagonists. Rather, the villain of The
Fairytale is modern culture. The crux of its conflict comes from invasiveness,
from societal perception, pressures and expectations that are often in direct
opposition to my hero and heroine’s Christian perspectives.
That’s
a heavy conflict to overcome, and here’s what else struck home. You don’t have
to be in the public eye to feel the weight of those burdens, which makes the
story relatable. After all, I’m nobody’s royal—although I readily confess to a love
affair with sparkly tiaras—however, I feel increasing and hazardous pressure
from the world around me to conform, ‘play nice’ and ‘go with the flow.’ Many
times as a Christian I’m expected to deny my beliefs and follow culture’s secular
lead. If I don’t, I run the painful risk of being marginalized as judgmental, bigoted
or self-righteous. If I don’t support ‘this’ agenda or ‘that’ idea, I’m wrong, intolerant
and way out of step.
The
only way I know to change that tide is to live my life honestly, but in a manner
that demonstrates the power of God’s loving redemption and grace.
So
those realizations I stumbled upon as the result of writing The Fairytale aren’t just for future
readers. They’re for me, too. After all, Jesus was royal to the highest
power—yet he was common. He served. He
had no armies, no official governance, yet he became a leader who turned a handful of followers into billions. He gave
himself away out of unconditional, perfect love.
Therein
resides my most powerful and enduring barometer of true royalty.
~~~~~
Click to Tweet!
~~~~~
Aiden
Balfour has always craved stability, independence and security. He’s led a
rocky life but always treasured his summers in Northern Michigan with his best
summertime friend, Olivia Masters.
Olivia
is dedicated to preserving the life she’s known and always treasured at her
grandparent’s home high on a bluff overlooking the pristine waters of Avalon.
With their blessing, she’s turned the expansive piece of property into a
quaint, restful bed and breakfast.
But
developers are circling—and they’re led by none other than Aiden Balfour.
Now
an ambitious businessman, he’s determined to turn the lake into a tourist
mecca. A successful business owner, Olivia is equally determined to stop
him...no matter what his hold on her heart.
Can
the innocent joy and love of their youth be reclaimed? Can Then…and now…ever be
reconciled to a future overflowing with love, and hope?
~~~~~
Then
& Now is part of the Pure Amore imprint at Pelican Book Group. Pure Amore
is a ‘book of the month’ subscription service featuring Christian romances
centered on the concept of pre-marital purity and abstinence that doesn’t
surrender one moment of the thrill to be found when two people fall in love.
Check out Then & Now and the other wonderful Pure Amore titles at Pelican Book Group.
~~~~~
Marianne Evans
is a multi-award-winning author of Christian romance and fiction with over twenty
titles to her credit. Her hope is to spread the faith-affirming message of
God’s love through the stories He prompts her to create.
Happily married
and the mother of two, Marianne is a lifelong resident of Michigan who is
active in a number of Romance Writers of America chapters, most notably the
Greater Detroit Chapter where she served two terms as President.
Connect with Marianne:
