For The Sake of Research by Heidi Chiavaroli

Heidi Chiavaroli

Last month, I walked into a bank an hour north of my house, iPhone in hand—discreetly, of course—at my waist. I tried to ignore the half dozen security cameras on me as I entered the foyer with my son, mobile device filming. I encouraged my accomplice—ahem, I mean my son—to take a lollipop in a jar on the far counter. This would give me a good opportunity to video tape the rest of the inside of the bank. My skin grew clammy as a teller glanced my way. If there happened to be a robbery later, I would be Suspect Number One. I pictured myself in an interrogation room, trying to explain to a hardened officer that I in fact had no intention of robbing the bank, that my heroine worked there, that I wanted to make my story as true-to-life as possible by noting the placement of the management offices.

Of course he wouldn’t believe me. But hey, I’d risk it. I could use the arrest experience in a story later.

This isn’t the first time I endangered my reputation for research. How many times had I “forgotten” a pair of sunglasses at a restaurant just to go back for a second look? How many nuns and dock workers and teachers and nurses had I irritated with my annoyingly detailed questions? How many Bostonites had mumbled, “tourist” as they scrambled around me and my oversized map?

All for the sake of research.

I know I can say these things freely here, because you all get me. You’re writers—a special group of people who will go to great lengths to get your facts right. Because if our details aren’t straight, we risk losing credibility with our readers. That may not be such a big deal if we weren’t trying to convey eternal truth and eternal hope, but we are. If anyone should have their research right on, it’s inspirational writers. Sure, we know when to take liberties—we write fiction, after all. But go to the trouble first. Know what you’re writing about. Get the facts. Then, be free to write.

****

Heidi Chiavaroli is a writer, runner, wife, mother, and grace-clinger—not necessarily in that order. Ever since taking her first trip to Plimoth Plantation with her sister, mother, and grandmother at the age of nine, she has been fascinated with history and its significance to today’s people and culture. Heidi is the winner of ACFW’s 2014 Genesis Contest, Historical Category. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, two sons, and Howie, her standard poodle.

God's Promise of Success by A. M. Heath

Will you know when you've reached the top of that success ladder? Today, author A. M. Heath provides encouragement for the climb. -- Sandy

A. M.: One of the most frustrating things for an author is the actual climb for success.  Authors typically don't mind working through writer's block or plotting out a new novel. We normally aren't fazed by sleepless nights and double-duty days. It's the steep climb for success that worries us. It's a ladder that seems to have no end, and not knowing when you've reached the top of the Success Ladder?

Is it when you reach #1 on the sales chart? Or when you stay #1 for x amount of weeks? Or are you simply trying to out due a fellow author...secretly, of course. ;)

Or are your ambitions more humble? Will you be content to make just one new fan? What if that fan forgets to tell you that you've hooked them? What if your best reviewers neglect to share their thoughts on Goodreads? What if your work is a hit with 100% of the readers who find it...only very few people find it?

How can we find success in our work? How do we know when we've found it? Will it bring satisfaction when we've found it?

For all these reasons, and so many more, authors often despair at trying to climb this never ending ladder. I'm not above the norm. I often find myself sinking instead of climbing. And it's in this dark place that I reach for a lesson about success that never fails to comfort.

"'Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men...For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men...'"

You see, if your work is of God then it can not be stopped. "Being unstoppable" is a solid definition of success. God promises success for the projects that He ordains. BUT this success may not look like the success we've dreamed of. It may not happen in the time frame that we've hoped for. But your success, according to the will of God, is a promise from God, Himself.

But there's one more thing that we have to note. The lesson isn't complete without it. In the following paragraph, the Bible records this event next:

"His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged...and let them go."

Let your eyes fall upon that word "Flogged" again. It's true, that God's servants will see success in the works He had given them to do, but that doesn't mean we won't be flogged. The next time you feel like you're being beaten for your work, or maybe by it, remember that flogging may be a part of His plan, not to tear you apart but to build you up for the work He has for you.

~To read the Biblical passages in context: Acts 5:12-42~

What is your idea of writing success? 

~~~~~

Being raise in a small Tennessee town, A.M. Heath grew up with a love for southern history and nostalgia. 

She lives in Southern Tennessee with her husband and four children where they embrace the small town lifestyle.

A.M. Heath debuted her writing career with the Civil War novel, Where Can I Flee, in 2014. Fans are eagerly awaiting the follow up sequel, In the Shadow of Thy Wings, due out in fall of 2015. The series follows a real Confederate regiment from Middle Tennessee while also weaving God's truth into the fabric of the novel.

You can connect with A.M. Heath online on Facebook, her weekly blog, Goodreads, and her website. Where Can I Flee is currently for sale on Amazon.

War is on the horizon during the spring of 1861. It will be an event that will change the lives of everyone in its path. The Harper family included.

Frank Harper is a young man full of dreams and ambitions. Even when the country is split and war breaks out, Frank will do whatever is necessary to see his dreams come true, even when that means putting on a uniform and leaving home.

For the first time, Claire Harper is forced to consider the reasons behind such a conflict. Should slavery be abolished? Which side should she be on, and what does God have to say about this? Claire is torn between her own opinions and those of her family. The struggle within her only increases when she repeatedly runs into a kind and handsome Union soldier. She longs to see her brother turn to Christ before it is too late. Desperate to reach her brother with the gospel, Claire pens a series of inspiring letters. Will she be able to handle all the obstacles of war and continue to be a witness to those around her?

How long can Claire last when her heart is torn in half and she is burdened for her brother's soul? How long can Frank resist his sister's urgent pleas or the gentle tugging from within? Can a man outrun a holy God? 

His Grace is Sufficient by Robin Lee Hatcher

Robin Lee Hatcher

I have been writing novels for the past 34 years, and I have been writing as my full-time job for the past 25 years. During those years, both my personal and professional lives have experienced highs and lows, and I have continued to write through them all.

But in 2005, I began a journey through grief and loss unlike anything I’d experienced before. I was in a period of deep mourning for over a year. The Bible tells us that God collects our tears in a bottle (Psalm 56:8). The bottle with my name on it must be very large because I shed buckets of tears in those many months.

This was a wretched time for me as a writer as well. Trying to be creative was difficult and sometimes impossible. But even with an understanding publisher, deadlines still had to be met because the mortgage still had to be paid. So I wrote whether I felt like it or not, and I trusted God to take care of the words I put on paper.

While I couldn’t seem to focus on reading fiction during that time (a difficult confession for a novelist), God placed in my hands three stories of women who walked through dark times in their own lives and came out on the other side: When I Lay My Isaac Down by Carol Kent; Broken on the Back Row by Sandi Patty; and In Every Pew Sits a Broken Heart by Ruth Graham. These books touched my heart and were definitely part of the healing process.

In the fall of 2006, I attended a Women of Faith event. Two of the authors mentioned above—Carol Kent and Sandi Patty—were featured speakers. I cannot point to anything in particular that was said or that happened while I was there, but when I came home, the cloud had lifted. The deep mourning was over, and I began to mend, to find my way in the “new normal” of my life. I had personally experienced the truth of 2nd Corinthians 12:9 which says:

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

(NASB)

Not only is His grace sufficient, but nothing a child of God experiences is wasted in His economy. A number of years later, God took those darkest days of my life and called me to write a novel that would take all of the emotions I’d experienced and use them to encourage others. A Promise Kept became my work of praise and thanksgiving to a God who answers prayers in unexpected times and ways.

None of us can know what dark waters we may be called to pass through in our lives, but we can hold onto the promise that His grace is and will always be sufficient. Amen.

About the Author

Robin Lee Hatcher is the best-selling author of over seventy-five books. Her well-drawn characters and heartwarming stories of faith, courage, and love have earned her both critical acclaim and the devotion of readers. She has been honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards from both Romance Writers of American (2001) and American Christian Fiction Writers (2014).

Robin is a 2015 RITA® Award finalist for her novella, Love Letter to the Editor. This is her tenth RITA finalist nomination and two of her books have been RITA Award winners. In April 2015, A Promise Kept received the Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Inspirational Novel from RT Book Reviews. Her numerous other awards include the Christy Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction, Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards for Americana Romance and for Inspirational Fiction, the Carol Award, and the 2011 Idahope Writer of the Year Award.

Robin enjoys being with her family, spending time in the beautiful Idaho outdoors, reading books that make her cry, and watching romantic movies. She and her husband make their home on the outskirts of Boise.

To learn more, visit her website at http://www.robinleehatcher.com

Whenever You Come Around

Whenever You Come Around
by Robin Lee Hatcher

 Charity Anderson turned her back on Kings Meadow years ago, with good reason, and has avoided visits to her hometown whenever possible. But with her house in Boise damaged by floodwaters and a book deadline bearing down, staying in her parents’ empty home seems her only option. However, being in Kings Meadow dredges up a painful secret, and old fears threaten to overwhelm her. Charity’s former high school classmate Buck Malone never left town, instead sacrificing his dreams to take care of his family. Now he enjoys an uncomplicated life as a wilderness guide and confirmed bachelor. The last thing on his mind is settling down. When Charity’s dog causes an accident that leaves Buck with a broken ankle and wrist at the start of prime tourist season, Charity has little choice but to render aid while he recuperates.  Soon Buck becomes the inspiration for Charity’s hero, both on the page and off. Can he also help her face and overcome her fears so they might find their own happily ever after?

"Hatcher hits the reader’s Achilles’ heel right in the gut with her plot twists, showing us God’s ability to offer grace and forgiveness ... You will be sharing this book with your friends." RT Book Reviews TOP PICK

The One Thing God Can't Do By Marianne Evans

Marianne Evans

“There is one thing God cannot do. One impossibility.” Father Greg paused his homily for a moment. He surveyed the church, waiting, taking in our doubting, puzzled expressions. Impossibilities? For God? No way. “The one thing God cannot do is this: He cannot ever stop loving you.”

What powerful words. What a powerful truth I struggle to absorb and fully believe.

I see my flaws. God sees my heart. I see my failures, God sees my hope. I see my doubts and insecurities which mount by the day it seems. God holds me close and whispers, ‘My child, be still. The battle is Mine, and you are My beloved.’

I encourage and support; I work hard to write the best stories I can. I rejoice in the success and ministries of so many precious people in my life while sometimes beating myself up at the same time, wondering if my message, my call as a writer, isn’t as effective or as ‘good’ as theirs…especially in those moments when I feel like my own world is in a waiting pattern. The process of going still in trust and faith is very hard for me.

The battle is Mine, and you are My beloved.

There have been times of late when waiting for word on contracts, edits, release dates, is akin to falling. Am I trusting? No, I’m anxious. Do I know God will catch me? I like to think so, but, in the heat of battle, in my broken humanity, that’s hard to believe when the world spins by and I feel like I’m, perhaps, the unfruitful vine. In those moments, I reach out, like Peter in the storm-thrashed waves. I cry out, ‘Lord, help my unbelief,’ and there Jesus is, grabbing my hand, lifting me, affirming me with the gift of family, friends, and encouraging moments of support.

The lesson I seem to be learning of late is that in every way—great, small, seen and unseen—God has assigned me a mission. God dwells in as I carry it out. That kind of Spirit-led call is what fired up the apostles, and they probably had no idea the impact their lives would leave behind. In much the same way, I might never see or know the lives I touch through story. It may be one, it may be thousands or more. Doesn’t matter. I’m driven to follow God’s lead. He knows. He loves...no matter what. And, he uses the gifts He gave me to draw people to him. At longest last, I find trust.

‘Not to us, O Lord, but to Your name give the glory.’

God cannot stop loving me…and he cannot stop loving you. What’s your battle? Whatever it is, please remember, you’re central to the success of God’s plan. His good plan. His perfect plan.

What a blessing!

~~~~~

Click to tweet!

The one thing God can't do...

Not to us, O Lord, but to Your name give the glory.

Find your mission, then learn to trust!

~~~~~

Ethan Miller’s family has done…what?

His profile is plastered on MingleInFaith.com. Now this career focused, happy-to-be-a-bachelor is forced to endure an episode of speed dating.

Interior designer Natalie Gibbs is on the dating circuit, eager to find ‘the one,’ but she has strict rules about the manner in which she’ll embrace a romantic relationship. She wasn’t even supposed to meet Ethan Miller, but God had other plans.

Ethan spends a month each year in Honduras, offering eye care to the underprivileged. He senses a sweetness to Natalie that prompts him to invite her along on the next mission trip.

The voyage leads them far from their home base of New York City, but straight into the hearts of the Honduran people. Slowly, Ethan’s heart is swayed toward the idea of love. But Natalie’s mission work teaches her about a love that reaches far beyond romance.

What’s God’s plan? Should their hearts combine – or does He want them to serve, and learn, from one another and an extraordinary date night?

~~~~~

Date Night, 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 it out 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:

Website ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Amazon ~ Pinterest