This release will be a PDF version only.
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This time last year, I was set to begin a new novel that would end up being a true blessing to me. Honestly, after coming off writing a book as emotionally charged and raw as Deceiver, I needed to escape into a fantasy world. That’s exactly what A Thousand Blessings became to me. Even as I reread it now in preparation for this release, I get lost in the love triangle, yell at their idiotic decisions, and sigh in contentment at the ending.

I debated long and hard about publishing this novel as I usually do through print and Kindle versions. Ultimately, I have chosen to release as a PDF only. It’s just too different from what I normally write, and I wonder how it will be received by new readers. Too, because it’s a fantasy kingdom based setting, one with no set time period, I fear that historical junkies will balk at its vagueness. This is just a place conjured up purely in my imagination with people who can’t seem to get it right when it comes to love.

You will also notice, I couldn’t sprinkle Scripture throughout this story as I’m prone to do. In those days people didn’t have access to the Word in print as we do now, so to include it would be out of context with even a vague time period. But you better believe God shows up to guide this poor misguided girl.

So that’s my reasoning: It’s not typical of my writing and I fear disappointing. But you, if you’re reading this, may just want to give it a chance. Come on, $2.99 is cheaper than a cup of coffee the lady in green sells. It can’t hurt to try.

Proceeds of this book will go toward editing for the next Kindle release. That’s my goal, to have a new novel on Kindle by the end of 2017. So as easy as it would be to simply forward your PDF version to a friend, I ask that you direct them here to my site for their own copy instead.

About the book:

Travel with Princess Isabel as she journeys to an unknown land to
marry Colin, a widowed king. Elias, the king’s trusted commander, accompanies Isabel to her new home. When faced with peril along the way, the greater danger is the fondness that develops between the two. Isabel must choose between her heart and duty, while Elias decides if he will fight for the woman he loves or honor his king and kingdom.

-Giveaway-
Watch for details on my book page on Facebook.

Pruning hurts, but for continued growth it’s necessary. I think pruning may be most painful when you love what you have to cut away, those things you thought were beautiful. When you didn’t even know the overgrowth was a bad thing, the shock of pruning is depressing.

I sure wish I was talking about gardening. Instead, I’m talking about my skill in writing and how things will have to change in order for me to take the next step in publishing.

After I wrote Unmending the Veil, a friend had an editor where she worked take a look at it. They passed. Rather than feeling discouraged, I decided to keep moving forward. Because I believed in the story, I decided to create my own little publishing company and publish it. From there, I just kept writing and publishing. I loved the idea that I could write what I wanted when I wanted. There’s freedom in indy publishing that you never have in traditional publishing.

What happens, though, when you find you’ve bumped into a wall? Now, in order to reach a broader market, I know that I will have to pursue traditional publishing. The problem for me is this: they have expectations for writing style, what seems minimalist to me, that will change how I write.

I’m too flowery and tell more about emotions than what’s allowed. Editors want me to show emotion through actions and dialogue. I get that. But there’s something about me that loves to explore and express emotions in my characters’ heads. I have to stop that. Ugh! That’s the hardest to prune. I love living in people’s heads.

When I write, I follow the point of view of more than one character in a scene. That’s a big no no. Maybe I’m just nosy, but I like knowing what everyone is thinking and feeling as the scene unfolds. Sigh. No more of that. It’s called head-hopping.

So, I’m entering a season of pruning in my writing. This hurts. It seriously hurts inside. There’s this inner rebel inside of me that wants to keep doing things my way. On the other hand, I want to keep moving forward in this journey. If you aren’t growing then you simply grow stagnant. I don’t want that to happen to me.

Please pray for me. I have to now go back and prune Unmending the Veil in order to pitch to a publisher. That will involve deconstructing and reconstructing the entire novel. I’m afraid I will lose the depth and emotion that made the story so touching. Seriously, this is hard.

I stand now looking at a fork in the road. One direction is nice and comfy – it’s the easier path and feeds my inner rebel. The other is super uncomfortable and makes me squirm – just as God’s new direction often does. Bottom line? A broader reach is Kingdom work. I choose the King and Kingdom.

Yeah, I just quoted Def Leppard.

I’m so over blogging about my new healthier way of eating. Good grief! I’m so over eating healthier – period. I still am eating well, though, with a few exceptions.

Someone in my house – my husband Kelly – bought Krispy Kreme donuts. They were here. Mistakes were made. I’ve blown it with a few other things. Almost always, it’s a sugar issue. Like, who ever overeats broccoli? I just threw up in my mouth a little at the thought.

I just want sugary goodness. I need cookies – not want, I need them. Oh yeah, I had four the other day. See, there have been exceptions. Just the fact that I wrote the word cookies just now only reminded me that I have homemade cookies in the kitchen, sitting on the counter in a glass container. Why do I do that to myself? I bake cookies because I love the guy who has a box of still uneaten Krispy Kreme donuts in the kitchen.

Because I haven’t had as much sugar, I find I’m eating the alternative – bread. Since simple carbs turn into nothing but sugar in your bloodstream, no wonder I’ve traded in one vice for another. Technically, I’m still getting my sugar fix. Yesterday, I had four pieces of bread over the course of the day. I haven’t done that in over two years at least. That’s not healthier by any means.

I sure was hoping that by the end of the month I could finish out this series on a more positive note. I wanted to be able to tell you how awesome I am and that I’ve rocked this thing. In truth, I’m just mentally exhausted over the struggle.

Overall, I am doing better in every area, but there hasn’t been one week yet that I didn’t eat things I was trying to avoid. Maybe I never will, but I do know this, if I give up all together, I won’t maintain my health. So I keep plugging away at it.

Lord willing and the creeks don’t rise, I’ll be back next January and begin again. Until then, I’ll do the best I can each day with one goal in mind: just to stay out of the cookies.

Quick update: After writing this, yes, I did go and get into the cookies. Stupid cookies!