From here on out until the last four of mine, the order of their publication gets fuzzy. I do know that Breath of Life was written later than two of the e-books. (Breath of Life is not available as an e-book.)
Although I delve into the male “mind” in all of my novels, Breath of Life is primarily written from a first-person male point-of-view. The blurb tells the gist of the story:
“Breath of Life tells the story of embittered, wounded, and divorced Michael Jamison, who, after a prolonged period as the casual observer of a lovely woman, discovers his attraction to her supersedes remaining a stranger. With a smarting ego and nothing to lose, he figures out a non-threatening way to introduce himself and is overwhelmed with her pristine beauty and challenged to change everything about the way he’s lived his life so far.”
It was a meaningful experiment which included a unique heroine, and I greatly enjoyed writing it.
Although The Famous One is my second novel published, technically it wasn’t the second novel I wrote. I began the sequel to my first novel Hope of Glory and after working hard on it, I realized it was going to be another saga. By that time, I knew the publishing industry had no desire whatsoever for Christian Fiction set at a racetrack, so I stopped on it and went the complete opposite direction in the writing of The Famous One which is very much like a fictional biography.
Most men don’t tend to read “love stories heavy on the romance,” but this novel has appealed to both men and women.
Although I got my first 1-star review on this novel, I don’t consider the review worthwhile because the reader didn’t finish the story. Match it with the other wonderful reviews for which I’m truly grateful, and it’s simply a case of “not her kind of book/style/writing.”
It’s truly where my tagline got its origin: RAW ROMANTIC REDEMPTIVE
Shall we begin with a little backstory? Let’s do that. I really have written narratives since I was a little girl. Friends and I would sit in the homemade blanket tents in our back yards and read novels and write stories in the summertime. It’s something that came naturally to me, and I loved creating with words.
Skip ahead to college where my writing skills were not appreciated by the one creative writing class teacher when I used a story I’d written in my senior year of high school for which I received an A with lots of “exceptional” comments. The college teacher actually didn’t discourage me because I innately knew she didn’t like the subject matter in the story nor my style of writing. Besides, I got an A in my Playwriting class which was a thrill.
Skip ahead to after my one and only year in college to the two years before I found my “home” in the work force. During that time, I wrote notebooks full of free verse/poetry. Lots and lots of it.
And then, I went to the racetrack. Thoroughbred horse racing was my “home” for over 30 years. And writing took a back seat to 7 days a week caring for the amazing horses and only surfaced at highly emotional points in time.
After several years, a marriage, child (first son), divorce, and remarriage, Jesus rescued me from myself. Two years later he saved my husband. Many years after that, I heard the Lord say to me, “I want you to write a Christian novel about horse racing.” Clearly spoken. In my living room. So. Eight and a half years later, I finished my first novel Hope of Glory between 7 days a week at the track, homeschooling our son (my second) for some of those years, lay ministry at our church.
Hope of Glory is 744 pages including a Glossary of Terms. A saga, and a comprehensive look at horse racing at a middle echelon racetrack, fashioned after the now defunct Longacres Racetrack, and taking place in the ’80s. It’s amateurish in its layout, would be severely edited now, and it’s a bit preachy in places. Strangely, nobody said much about that – and, believe me, not everyone who read it was a Christian.
Concluding Part 1 with this: I write Christian Fiction, mostly love stories heavy on the romance. They’re not for everyone – and who is able to write for everyone? I’ve written one mystery which we’ll get to later. My goal is to write REAL, portraying the world as it is in the characters (without profanity and literary porn) and organically making the contrast to those that either are Christians or find Jesus within the pages. They are my trademark: RAW ROMANTIC REDEMPTIVE.
Side note: The horse on the cover is one we trained, and the rider is Gary Baze (now retired).
Closing scripture in the novel:
To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling [falling] and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy — to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
From the moment you make the decision to write a novel to the time you work through each page of the story, chances are you’ve entertained some psychological exercises ranging from huge dreams to fear of failure and everything in between. At some point during the process, you are forced to decide what it’s all worth to you and exactly what you hope to achieve by delving into writing a novel.
Those of us who are innately drama queens – and kings – envision fame and fortune, our novels made into blockbuster films, and our names or books claiming a residence in most homes. Those of us who are recluses imagine the goal of being the mysterious and unidentified author of bestselling literary novels or hotly pursued (pun intended) romance novels. Our imaginations gone wild can produce all kinds of fabricated success stories before “The End” is typed on a final page.
Although success stories for novelists vary as much as our prospective ponderings, what happens to our finished work is unpredictable. It’s been said more than once by different professionals in publishing – from authors to editors – that perseverance and persistence outweigh talent in this industry. In fact we’ve all read books that attest to this.
So what’s it worth to you to get that traditional publishing contract? Will you jump through every hoop presented to you? If that means changing the heart of your story to satisfy an editor, will you do it? How long will you persist until an agent or an editor takes an interest in your work? How many conferences will you attend to gain connections? How many dollars will you invest to promote your story?
The reality of writing and finishing a novel comes down to questions and answers that aren’t always easy to assess until you’re in the middle of the journey. The question will eventually present itself to you: What’s it worth to you?
One of my top all-time favorite authors, the brilliant Frank Peretti has written some of the best and most poignant novels in Christian Fiction. [Side Note: While the link above to information about him is from Wikipedia, Frank’s critics in the article are typical and demonstrate their lack of real knowledge on the subject of spiritual warfare, the New Age moniker, and anything Christian.]
Most famous among his work are the novels This Present Darkness and the sequel Piercing the Darkness, but there are so many thoroughly worthwhile books in his collection both in adult reading and for children and young adults. Truly a masterful author.
If you’ve never had the privilege or pleasure of reading Frank Peretti, you should.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND
This is one of my ultimate favorite novels:
Father, you know us all from the inside out. I pray you are continuing to shine your face upon Frank and his family, blessing him in ways he’s never expected. Keep him safe from all harm and may he continue to follow your lead. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
