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| Marianne Evans |
So,
it seems 2018 will see the release of my 30th book. Wow – no wonder
I’m so tired! LOL! I bring up this milestone because, as is often the case when
I go all introspective, a realization struck home when I reviewed my book
history.
This
time the realization centered on themes and styles and how, over the course of
my publishing career, my storytelling has tended toward recurring themes as
well as the development of characters and circumstances that capture my ever-changing
heart and I hope and pray capture the interest of my readers as well.
I
noticed many of the books I’ve written tended to include redemption as an
overriding arc. My characters grew from a return to—or confrontation of—life circumstances
that had led them to a chasm they needed God’s help to bridge. The stories were
all unique, but the message remained universal: Homecoming. No matter what had tripped
them up, God’s door never closed.
Several
other books I created featured settings, occupations, lifestyles, that appear
glamorous (being a personal shopper for high-end clients at Harrods, being the
crown-princess of a fairytale land, or being a country music legend). I’m a total fairytale/princess girl, so it was
fun to take those worlds and view them through a different lens. Certainly,
there was glamour, and I loved writing about tiaras, ball gowns, and State
dinners as well as my favorite spots in London and Florence…but digging deep
revealed something entirely different, and challenging. The fantasy worlds we
might dream of are far from perfect, and my characters learn to live and love
within that truth.
Themes,
settings, and characters that appeal to me make their way into my books, and
this upcoming milestone book release has made me wonder. What are some of your favorite
book themes? What characters appeal to you the most? What settings? Let’s talk
about it, because, at the end of the day, we’re not just writers, we’re readers
as well!
Blessings,
friends, until next month!
~~~~~
Amy Monarch is a tireless volunteer at the Dupont Rescue and
Recovery Center, an establishment for the destitute founded by her mother.
There, Amy has kept her identity a carefully guarded secret. She is actually
Princess Amelia Marguerite Louise DeLaGrande of Remeth. Working at Dupont offers
the opportunity to serve in blessed disguise.
Fresh into a promising career in commercial real estate brokerage, Patrick Sawyer returns to the picturesque isle of Remeth intending to reconnect with his collegiate study abroad friends and figure out ‘what’s next’ in his life. Since his father’s passing, the world he knows leaves him uninspired. He volunteers at Dupont during his visit, and becomes enchanted by Amy.
But Amelia is trapped within a silken web. When she reveals who she is, Patrick pulls back. He’s not interested in royalty—at all—but how can she ever break free? How can she find a way to service and God’s plan for her life? Most of all, how can she reconcile the call she feels toward a remarkable man who may be ‘common,’ yet is ‘uncommon’ when it comes to matters of the heart?
Fresh into a promising career in commercial real estate brokerage, Patrick Sawyer returns to the picturesque isle of Remeth intending to reconnect with his collegiate study abroad friends and figure out ‘what’s next’ in his life. Since his father’s passing, the world he knows leaves him uninspired. He volunteers at Dupont during his visit, and becomes enchanted by Amy.
But Amelia is trapped within a silken web. When she reveals who she is, Patrick pulls back. He’s not interested in royalty—at all—but how can she ever break free? How can she find a way to service and God’s plan for her life? Most of all, how can she reconcile the call she feels toward a remarkable man who may be ‘common,’ yet is ‘uncommon’ when it comes to matters of the heart?
~~~~~
Marianne
Evans is an award-winning author of Christian romance and fiction. Her hope is
to spread the faith-affirming message of God’s love through the stories He
prompts her to create. Readers laude her work as “Riveting,”
“Realistic and true to heart,” “Compelling.”
Her Christian fiction debut,
Devotion, earned the Bookseller’s Best Award as well as the Heart of Excellence
Award. Her follow-up novel, Forgiveness, earned Christian Small Publisher Book
of the Year honors as did her book Hearts Communion. She is also a two-time
recipient of the Selah Award for her books Then & Now and Finding
Home.
