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| Kim Vandel |
Many of us have discovered that this writing gig is not for the
faint of heart. It’s not easy to create something that will entertain or
inspire readers. Besides hard work, it takes courage. The kind that author Kim Vandel has discovered. ~ Dawn
The
Story Inside
I felt the call to write more than a decade ago. The first
draft of my novel began in a spiral notebook and migrated to a laptop. I had
two young boys, so I wrote during naptime or when my husband was able to
provide a child-free evening. The words came slowly, but finally I finished. My
novel was complete, and I was ready to become a published author.
Then, like most budding novelists, I slammed into the brick
wall of reality. I learned my work was just getting started.
I rewrote my novel and submitted query letters. The
rejections came, and discouragement set in. Being a mom required most of my
time and energy, so with nothing more than rejection to show for my efforts, I
gave up.
The urge to write never really went away though. Eventually
I returned to my novel, and I wrote and rewrote until I couldn’t stand to write
another word. I felt totally burned out and decided I needed to work on
something different for a while. I’d get my creative juices flowing again, and
then I’d finally be able to finish those revisions.
A story concept had been simmering in the back of my mind, a
sort of mash-up between the Old Testament judges and the X-Men. It was
completely different from the novel I’d been working on. Just the change I
needed.
I started working on that new idea and never looked back.
Over the next couple of months I got to know a girl named Kate, and I fell in
love with her story. Her story resonated with me, down to the very depths of my
soul, because in so many ways it was mine. As I wrote about Kate’s struggle to
fulfill her calling, I discovered a truth about my own. It’s a truth for all of
us who are called to write.
With every word, we reveal a little bit of ourselves to the
world. We reveal the glorious story burning inside us—the one being written by
the Author of our souls. It’s a story only we can tell, and it’s a brilliant
flare of light in the darkness around us. We just have to find enough courage
to persevere through the fear and rejection and days when words refuse to come.
Finding courage feels like an impossible task sometimes, but
now that I understand the truth of my calling, I don’t stop writing. And I know
I don’t have to make my journey alone. I have the promises of my Author’s Word
to cling to. He’s also brought some amazing people into my life, both family
and friends, who constantly encourage me and remind me my story is worth
telling.
And then there’s a girl named Kate. She may be fictional,
but she inspires me. I know that if Kate can learn to be brave, so can I. So
can you.
When courage is hard to find, keep writing. Keep revealing
your story to the world. It’s a story worth telling, and it will shine like a
star in the universe.
Chosen
by God. Hoping there’s a way out.
When
Kate meets Nathan, he reveals the existence of the Guardians—men and women with
God-given “superpowers.” Nathan’s touch leaves Kate with a flame-shaped mark on
her wrist, the sign she’s been chosen as a Guardian. Suddenly she finds herself
in the middle of a conflict that’s been burning between the Guardians and their
Fallen brethren for over a thousand years.
While
Kate waits for her dormant ability to emerge, she has to endure combat training
with Hassan, an ex-terrorist who enjoys taking shots at her already low
self-esteem. He also draws out the side of her that wants to fight back, and if
Kate can find the courage to believe God is offering the life she’s always
wanted, Hassan might just be the one to help her start living it.
Kim Vandel grew up on a
steady diet of Saturday morning Justice League cartoons and Sunday morning
Bible stories. She worked in the field of environmental science before staying
home to be a full-time mom and writer, and she now uses her science background
to bring the speculative element of her fiction to life. Kim lives with her
family in the Seattle suburbs, and when she’s not reading or writing YA fiction
(or getting distracted by Netflix), you can find her hanging out on social
media. Learn more about Kim at her website: http://kimvandel.com.
Social
media links:
Facebook: http://facebook.com/KimVandelAuthorPage
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KimVandel
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/KimVandel
Instagram: http://instagram.com/kim_vandel
Tumblr: http://kimvandel.tumblr.com/
