by Crystal Caudill | Sep 13, 2018 | Writer's Life
As a writer, it is inevitable that life will interrupt. Whether it be piles of laundry and your kids reminding you they had to wear the same pair of underwear three times this week (hasn’t happened yet this month, but we’ve come close), or it being something more dramatic.
For me, it has been the latter. Rather than give a play-by-play, here is an overview of what August 1st to October 1st looked/looks like for me. (Stick with me, I promise there is a connection in there for you.)
The Chaos of My Life
- Small Weekend Writer’s conference
- Unexpectedly bought a house (We’d given up on finding one.)
- Pack the entire house by myself (Umm… not even half-done yet.)
- My mother-in-law who lives with us had mobility issues resulting in hip replacement surgery (and lots of caregiving that is getting better but still not done yet)
- Husband traveled out of town at least four to five weeks of the last eight
- I am sole transportation for everyone
- I am the popcorn kernel for my son’s Cub Scout troop (What was I thinking?)
- Preparation for American Christian Fiction Writers Conference – write a proposal, make a one-sheet, order business cards, edit my manuscript, revise synopsis, write blurbs for other story ideas, write thank you notes and encouragement cards (super important to me)
- Close on the house five days after I return from ACFW
- Move into new house
- and now I have found out my dad has to have a heart cath and possible stent. At the moment we don’t know when the surgery will be, but pray with me that it isn’t while I am at ACFW. I am driving five other people to Nashville so it isn’t like I can just back out.
Needless to say, from August to October, I have been a bit overwhelmed… kind of like trying to outrun a T-Rex in a Geo Metro. (Do they even make those anymore?)
Responding When Life Interrupts
So how does a writer (or any person) respond when life interrupts and the chaos presses in so hard that you just want to hide under the covers and never come back out?
Two of the easiest and hardest words: Trust God.
God knew the timing of all this. He knows that I have no strength on my own to deal with this. It is more than I can handle. Don’t believe that hogwash that God won’t give you more than you can handle. He will. But only so that you must turn to Him and rely completely on Him to get you through. We cannot face the struggles of this life on our own, but He can fight the battles for us.
I wish I could give you a trick to trusting God more, but honestly, the only “tricks” I can give you is to (1) have an open communication line with God and to (2) keep His Words in sight and mind as much as possible.
Communicating
Don’t worry about long or even formal prayers. Toss a few words out, even if the only one you can form is Jesus. We are so blessed in that the Holy Spirit intercedes for use and gives the words that we cannot form. That One Name can communicate so much.
Then there are the moments you are so angry and frustrated you can’t see straight. Vent it out to God. I promise He can handle anything you dish out. He already knows what you are thinking and feeling and I guarantee you that He would rather you come to Him than shut Him out.
Sometimes I have literally broken out laughing like a crazy woman because if I didn’t, I would cry. And you know what? God gets that, too. He’s even been gracious in sending me little moments of real laughter. (Send me all the corny jokes you’ve got, people!)
God wants to be there for you. Don’t shut Him out when you need Him most. And I am completely honest here. There have been weeks where I have thrown my own temper tantrum and told God I don’t want to talk to Him right now and I don’t want to read His word. I know it probably hurt Him, but He didn’t turn away. He just held me and patiently waited until I came back. It happens, but it doesn’t make Him stop loving you or wanting you.
God’s Word
I just want to leave you with some verses that I have clung to during this overwhelming time. May they help you on the days you have no strength left to give. If I can be praying for you, please let me know. Contact me privately, or leave it in the comments. As always I covet your prayers. I leave for ACFW in six days and my world hasn’t stopped shaking yet.
“I brought you from the ends of the earth and called you from its farthest corners. I said to you: You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you. Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you: I will help you; I will hold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:9-10
“You do not have to fight this battle. Position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. He is with you Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Tomorrow go out to face them, for Yahweh is with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:17
“I call to You from the ends of the earth when my heart is without strength. Lead me to a rock that is high above me.” Psalm 61:2
“For You are my Rock and my Fortress, You lead and guide me because of Your name.” Psalm 31:3
by Crystal Caudill | Aug 28, 2018 | Book Reviews
A Dangerous Legacy by Elizabeth Camden
This is my first book from Elizabeth Camden, though my friend has suggested her for years. Since my library had the audiobook, I listened to it during the driving portions of a writing conference road trip.
Let me say it was everything I expected and more. Elizabeth’s Camden’s attention to historical detail is phenomenal and makes me want to go back and better enrich my own writing with that sort of details. I learned so much just through reading the story.
The plotline was believable, exciting, and kept twisting and turning. I can’t tell you how many times I squealed aloud in my car. Drivers around me were probably wondering what had gotten into me.
The spiritual elements in A Dangerous Legacy were quieter than you find in a lot of Christian fiction, but they were still profound.
Overall, I am looking forward to exploring more of her books.
Genre: Christian Historical Romance, New York City, 1903
Overview of Plot:
Lucy Drake is the third generation of Manhattan Drakes to fight a legal battle with the Saratoga Drakes over a plumbing valve that allowed tall buildings to have pressurized water all the way to the top of the buildings. But the Saratoga Drakes don’t play fair. Lucy is a top telegrapher for the Associated Press and in a dangerous game to stay on top of the lawsuit, plots and schemes unfold that have a national importance.
Sir Collin Beckwith works for the AP’s rival and reluctant partner, Reuters. He and Lucy are brought together through circumstances and form a partnership that puts them both in danger of losing their lives and their hearts.
Favorite Character and Why:
Lucy was a determined woman who doesn’t give up no matter the odds and the heart behind her actions makes all that she does so much more important. She makes hard decisions and grows so much. My favorite part about Lucy is her spunk.
What I liked:
I love complex stories and this plot definitely had multi-layers of complexity. The rich historical details were above and beyond amazing.
Who would like this:
Anyone who loves stories with great historical detail, suspense, love, and complexity.
Amazon blurb:
“Lucy Drake’s mastery of Morse code has made her a valuable asset to the American news agencies as a telegrapher. But the sudden arrival of Sir Colin Beckwith at rival British news agency Reuters puts her hard-earned livelihood at risk. Newly arrived from London, Colin is talented, handsome, and insufferably charming.
Despite their rivalry, Lucy realizes Colin’s connections could be just what her family needs to turn the tide of their long legal battle over the fortune they were swindled out of forty years ago. When she negotiates an unlikely alliance with him, neither of them realizes how far the web of treachery they’re wading into will take them.”
Links for Purchase:
Amazon Barnes and Noble Christianbook.com
by Crystal Caudill | Aug 14, 2018 | Book Reviews
The Unlikely Wife
by Debra Ullrick
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction, Idaho Territory, 1885
Overview of Plot:
Michael Bowen expected a refined lady when he agreed to marry Selina by proxy. Everything in her letters suggested she would be, but when Selina steps off the train, he realizes the woman he thought he loved was a fantasy. Dressed in trousers, poor grammar, and unable to read or write, Selina is far from the woman he pictured as his wife.
Michael is everything she dreamed of, but when she discovers her best friend Aimee lied in the letters she wrote for Selina, her hopes for a love-filled marriage dies. She isn’t willing to change who she is but neither is she willing to break her vows.
Together they must learn to accept one another for who they are and to find love runs deeper than fantasies.
Favorite Character and Why:
I loved Selina. She is a Kentucky girl (like me) and had some ways about her that just didn’t make sense to her new family out west. (I have family in Idaho, too, so I could relate.) The challenges she faces and the hopes she have resonate with every woman I know. Not to mention she was just plain funny.
What I liked:
I loved how this wasn’t your typical mail-order bride story, yet it was. Michael had to overcome prejudices and learn to love his wife instead of the fantasy woman he built up in his mind and Selina had to learn to be happy with who she was as a wife.
Who would like this:
Anyone who loves mail-order bride stories that are are fun, set in the West, or stories of husbands and wives learning to love each other.
Amazon blurb:
“The arrival of Michael Bowen’s bride, married sight unseen by proxy, sends the rancher reeling. With her trousers, cowboy hat and rifle, she looks like a female outlaw—not the genteel lady he corresponded with for months. He’s been hoodwinked into marriage with the wrong woman!
Selina Farleigh Bowen loved Michael’s letters, even if she couldn’t read them herself. A friend read them to her, and wrote her replies—but apparently that “friend” left things out, like Michael’s dream of a wife who was nothing like her. Selina won’t change who she is, not even for the man she loves. Yet time might show Michael the true value of his unlikely wife.”
Links for Purchase:
Amazon.com Barnes and Noble
by Crystal Caudill | Jul 31, 2018 | Writer's Life
Often times for Christian authors writing for the CBA market look at the story’s spiritual elements and character spiritual arcs.
As I was reading one of my critique partners stories, she worried about what message God was trying to give her story. Her characters didn’t have any of the normal spiritual strengths she was used to writing.
As I read her magnificent story, I was struck by the way God’s voice came through. While in her other books, His voice had be loud and clear, in this book He had chosen to speak in His usual way, a still, small voice.
His message didn’t hit you over the head and declare listen to me, I’m speaking. Instead, His voice was a quiet invitation to allow Him to work in your heart and change you without your notice.
Her story was powerful but in a quiet way, not the way we often demand to God to reveal Himself. He hid Himself in the folds of the story, gently whispering to the soul.
Writers, let this be an encouragement to you. When you read your story that you have written with God and you find it lacking His voice, maybe you aren’t listening hard enough. Sometimes He chooses our stories to be full of plot and character arc, but quiet on the spiritual arc because the message is too delicate to be shouted.
I could go into the book of Ruth and how it is unlike any other book in the Bible, but I think you get the message. If not, go read Ruth. The romance and story are beautiful and powerful in their own right, but it is the still, small voice of that story that is most powerful.
Authors, listen for God’s still small voice. How do you hear it in your writing? Readers, in what ways has God used story to impact your life?
God bless, and may you hear His still small voice today.
by Crystal Caudill | Jul 17, 2018 | Author Interviews
Hi friends! It’s time for another monthly interview and this time I get to introduce to you, new-to-me author, Gina Holder.
Gina served alongside her parents on the mission field and now lives in Franklin, Kentucky with her husband of 11 years, Daniel.
She is a stay-at-home mother and homeschools their daughter, Lydia. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, watching movies, singing, and playing the piano.
She dreamed of being a writer from her early teen years and graduated from the Long Ridge Writer’s Group “Breaking into Print” program in 2004. She graduated from Faith Bible Institue in 2005.
So let’s jump right in!
Sweet or Unsweet Tea?
Gina: Neither. I don’t like cold tea at all, but I’ll drink hot tea in limited flavors with lots of sugar.
Crystal: That’s a first for the Write Call. 🙂 But sugar makes everything taste better.
Beach Vacation or Mountain Getaway?
Gina: Mountain getaway! While I love the beach, I don’t like the hot sun or the sand that gets into everything.
Crystal: I completely agree!
Homebody or Love to Travel?
Gina: I love to travel. I’ve been to 43 states and 14 countries on four continents.
Crystal: Wow! That is amazing. I’m only 2 states away from all 50.
Morning Person or Night Owl?
Gina: I’m more of a night owl than a morning person, but I do love the early morning hours when the world is still. I don’t take time to enjoy it as much as I’d like, mostly because I stay up too late at night. See, night owl!
Crystal: My problem, too!
Bookmark or Dog-ear Pages?
Gina: I’ll hang my head as I admit that I dog-ear pages of books. I’ve been trying to be better about using bookmarks, since I’ve acquired so many of them.
Crystal: At least you are trying. 🙂 We can call it the Dog-Eared Anonymous Group
The Life of a Published Missionary Kid
You were a missionary kid. Where did you serve and what did you do?
Gina: My family first moved to the Czech Republic in July of 2002, when I was 18 years old. I served there with my parents for 3 and ½ years, before I returned for a term of bible college and then marriage to my (now) husband. I spent my days continuing my education with video and online programs. I babysat a little Czech girl several times a week, and I also helped my mom and dad in whatever they needed done: cooking meals, caring for my brothers, and assisting with ministry-related activities involving Gospel tracts or mailing prayer letters.
Crystal: That sounds like an amazing experience but a difficult one at the same time.
What was the hardest thing about being a missionary kid?
Gina: The hardest thing about being a missionary kid was the feeling of isolation. I missed the spiritual fellowship of other believers and I couldn’t speak the language, so I couldn’t even hold a conversation with anyone around me. It takes years to acclimate yourself into another culture and people don’t realize all that entails unless they’ve spent time with another nationality on foreign turf.
Crystal: That really must be hard. Only considering language, I studied French for 7 years and I am still pretty clueless. I can’t imagine learning a whole culture when you don’t speak the language.
What has God taught you along your publication journey?
- That His timing is not my timing and to trust Him. It took 2 ½ years for me to make Whither Shall I Go into the story it was supposed to be.
- To keep my eyes on why I write and not focus so much on sales and to remember that if my book touches one heart, then I’ve done what He’s asked of me.
Crystal: Those are fantastic lessons every writer should remember. I know for me it can be overwhelming and sometimes I lose focus. I needed that reminder today.
In 1911, Ellie Williams struggles to see God’s hand in her life when she loses both parents and is sent to live with her wealthy, estranged aunt, who transforms her from awkward country bumpkin to socialite heiress. Six years later, she meets a young preacher and finds hope as they serve the Lord together.
Robert Hampton is deeply devoted to God and desires to take the gospel to the unreached natives of Brazil. He didn’t expect to fall in love. When he is drafted, Robert is torn between his duty as a soldier and his budding affections for Ellie. Will Robert survive the trenches? Will he lose the only woman he’s ever loved?
Ellie’s journey takes her from her home in Cades Cove, Tennessee, to the concrete jungle of New York City, and finally to the harsh unforgiving world of the Amazon River Basin, where she meets Paul, a doctor who’s lost his way, and Jack, a soldier with amnesia. Encountering anacondas, jaguars, and an antagonistic shaman, will Ellie give in to the fears that threaten to overwhelm her?
Or can she depend upon God’s grace to bring about His will for her life?
Behind the Story
Do any of your characters reflect your experiences as a missionary?
Gina: Absolutely. Whither Shall I Go is (in part) a missionary story. Secondary characters, Marcus and Judith Smith are missionaries to the country of Brazil, where the main character, Ellie Williams eventually ends up. No matter what country you visit, you will encounter culture shock, so I was able to transmit those feelings to Ellie as she experiences life in a foreign country.
Crystal: I bet it makes the story really authentic to read.
What was your hardest scene to write?
Gina: I don’t want to give too much away for those who haven’t read Whither Shall I Go, but the hardest scene to write is near the end of the book and leads into the main character’s darkest moment. It involves the death of a child and I did not want to write it. I prayed and prayed, but God kept assuring me it was supposed to be in the story.
Crystal: Those are very rough scenes to write and hard for some to read. I am sure God has someone or many in mind when He had you write that scene.
Do you have any upcoming projects, releases, or sales?
Gina: I’m currently working on a contemporary romance titled, No Greater Love. I’m not sure about a release date, I’m still working on the first draft. I’m excited about this new book. I’m calling it a contemporary romance blended with a family drama and a twist of suspense. My goal is to see it to publication before the end of the year.
Crystal: That sounds wonderful and we will be watching for it.
Fun Question of the Day
If you had to live in any time period except the modern day, which time period would you choose?
Gina: I would choose the American Civil War. I love studying the history of that time. I love the clothes and hairstyles. However, I’m not sure I could handle the blood and gore, so maybe pre-Civil War?
Crystal: I love that era, but the more I research it, the more I am pleased I live today! That is for sure!
Thank you so much for visiting with us, Gina!
All right dear readers. Now it is your turn. Answer the fun question of the day and be sure to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for an e-copy of Whither Shall I Go!
Rafflecopter Giveaway
Just comment below AND use the Rafflecopter link below to enter. Entries are open Tuesday 12 AM (EST) 7/17/2018 and close on Monday, 7/23/2108, at 11:59 PM (EST). Winner will be announced on the Whither Shall I Go Review.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
*Legal Jargon: No Purchase is necessary. This contest is open to all readers in the world, 18 years and older who are legally allowed to participate in such a giveaway as allowed by their local laws. The Write Call does not exchange prizes for reviews. Reviews are appreciated, but not required.*
Connect with Gina:
http://storiesbygina.wordpress.com/blog
www.facebook.com/storiesbygina
www.twitter.com/@ginaholder8
Purchase Links:
eBook- https://www.amazon.com/Whither-Shall-Go-Gina–Holder-ebook/dp/B074GZY6S
paperback- https://www.amazon.com/Whither-Shall-Go-Gina–Holder/dp/1521303746/
