christian fiction

Meet the Author: Sharon Rene

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

My guest today Is author Sharon Rene. She is here to tell us about her new release, a young adult dystopian novel entitled Defying Destiny. This is a prequel to her Divine Destiny Chronicles Series.

Sharon,, tell us a little bit about yourself.

I was born in Mississippi and have lived in Texas, Louisiana and Florida. I now live in Memphis, Tennessee. I’m an only child and have always been close to my parents. My father passed away years ago and my mother lives with me now.

I taught in the youth department at my church for over fifteen years. I’ve also participated in the drama, puppet and prison ministries as well as going on several mission trips.

What is your book, Defying Destiny, about?

In 2042, Twenty-year-old Sierra Stone leads a group of Irish rebels in an attempt to stop Hunter and River Wallis from conquering the planet. Country after country falls to the powerful brother and sister duo, but Ireland refuses to surrender. Until Sierra is captured by the enemy.

Imprisoned in an ancient castle, Sierra faces the biggest challenges of her life. River Wallis wants her dead, and Hunter wants to win her heart. She knows how to fight River, but her battle skills prove useless against Hunter’s charm. Now, Sierra must decide if she’s fighting for her personal freedom or for world peace. No matter what choice she makes, one thing is certain–For the first time ever, the Irish rebel may face defeat.

What is the inspiration behind your story?

Defying Destiny is a prequel to Hesitant Heroes and Relentless Rebels. Both of these books are dystopian young adult but without the unsavory elements found in some of the mainstream YA. The books have a Christian worldview.

When I was writing Relentless Rebels, I realized that the adults in the book had really exciting lives when they were younger. I decided to write the prequel.

Do you have a day job? If so, how do you find time in your day to write?

I work as a legal assistant at a large corporation. It’s never easy to find time to write. The weekends are usually the best time for me to squeeze in some writing.

What book do you wish you would have written?

The Hunger Games.  That book got me interested in Dystopian Young Adult fiction. I wrote Hesitant Heroes after reading The Hunger Games series.

Who was your favorite character to create?

I love all the characters, but I had the most fun writing the villain, River Wallis. River is completely evil, but she doesn’t see it that way. She has reasons for every terrible thing she does, and it was really fun to create this type of character.

Are you a plotter or a panster?

I’m a little bit of both but definitely lean more to panster. I didn’t have an outline when I began Hesitant Heroes and was still devising the plot in my head. It was a lot of fun.  I would just write and see what happened next. In Hesitant Heroes, Christian students start disappearing from the main characters high school.  I wrote at least half the book not knowing what had happened to these kids. I didn’t know if they were dead or alive. I had to write to find out what happened.

I did much more plotting for the sequel, Relentless Rebels. Defying Destiny is a prequel, so I already knew all the major events and plot points before I even started the book.

Are you part of a writing group?

I am a member of American Christian Fiction Writers both national and local. I have learned so much from my local Memphis group. I was a member of the Scribes critique group online through ACFW and now I am in a smaller young adult critique group with ACFW. I can’t imagine being in this writing world without these wonderful groups.

Who was the first person you allowed to read your completed book?

Mom, of course.  Now my critique partners read my WIP as I go. At first, I was intimidated by the idea of a critique group but now I love it.  They have helped me develop as a writer and also become good friends.

Sharon, thank you for joining me today. Your book sounds very exciting. What’s next for you as an author? 

I have completed a Romantic Suspense set in New Orleans and I’m currently working on a middle-grade book about four seventh grade girls who want to be detectives.

Before you go, where can readers find you online?

Website:  www.sharonreneauthor.com

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/sharonreneauthor

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/SharonRene4

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sharonrene2019

Buy Link:

Meet the Author: Michelle Lowe

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

Today I’m interviewing author Michelle Lowe about her new book, The Autumn Keepsake. Michelle, I’m happy to have you here. Tell us a little bit about yourself:

I live in Asheboro, North Carolina with my husband, Brian, and our eighteen-year-old son, Jake. We have a very spoiled bluetick hound-mix named Daisy. I am a Registered Nurse as well as an author. I work part-time for a small company out of Raleigh completing nursing assessments during the week, and I enjoy writing whenever I have free time. I also enjoy cooking and searching for Native American arrowheads on our property.

What is The Autumn Keepsake about?

Tessa Stanley survives an unimaginable childhood tragedy. Her best friend, a sweet old hound dog named Laura, has been with her through thick and thin– even more recently during a broken engagement.

When Tessa befriends an eccentric neighbor, and accidentally calls the police on the woman’s great-nephew who also happens to be the local fire chief, she and Laura embark on a special journey reconnecting her with the past and the reason behind her dog’s personifying name. And most importantly, she learns the events in her life, good and bad, have all been a part of His greater plan.

What is the inspiration behind your story?

I love dogs, and as you have probably gathered, our sweet Daisy is partly the inspiration for this story. She has been a faithful friend to our entire family! The grandparents even love her and bring her special treats!

I also lost my mom to Multiple Sclerosis many years ago. And although this loss is still very painful, I can see many blessings in my life, too.

Are you a night owl or a morning person?

I am definitely a morning person. I got into the habit of going to bed early when my son was small, and I still go to bed before anyone else in our house, sometimes around 8:30 p.m. or so! I’m usually pretty tuckered out by then! I am much more creative and ready to go early in the morning.

How did you come up with the names of your hero and/or heroine?

I often look at lists of boy or girl names until I find something that fits with the character I have in mind. For example, the name Tessa just seemed to fit perfectly for the strong heroine in THE AUTUMN KEEPSAKE. When I chose this name, I could picture my character, with her chestnut-colored hair and her pretty brown lace dress, in one of the last scenes.

What are your favorite three books?

I have read almost every book by Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney. I have my mom’s old hardbacks which I treasure. This is kind of funny, since these are historical romances, and I write contemporary romances. My favorite books by these authors are:

THE BLACK OPAL by Victoria Holt

THE INDIA FAN by Victoria Holt

DREAM OF ORCHIDS by Phyllis Whitney

What does your family think of your writing?

My family is very supportive of my writing, and I am grateful for this. My son, Jake, even read my first novella on his tablet. Being an eighteen-year-old, I’m not sure he’d want anyone to know this, but it sure meant the world to me!!

What’s next for you as an author?

I have a Christmas novella which will be released on November 4th by Anaiah Press, and another novella set to be released next summer in July. I am very excited!

Where can readers find you online?

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormlowe/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichelleSLoweAuthor/

Link to buy THE AUTUMN KEEPSAKE: https://amzn.to/3d1mhNE

Friday Feature: The Darkened Land

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

Author’s Inspiration:

The Darkened Land is the 1st in a Series of Eight books about the King and His light and the struggle to save His people who have become engulfed by darkness. It is an allegory of our world and God’s love for us. It was inspired by C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia and J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings but primarily by Pilgrim’s Progress. Although it is an allegory, that is somewhat hidden in the names which are taken from various languages. The meanings and pronunciations are given at the back of the book. This allows the reader freedom to read it as a story or delve into the deeper meaning.

About the book:

Separated from the world of darkness by a bottomless chasm lie the stones of light. The King has built a bridge from that world to His kingdom across the chasm to give people access once again to the stones. He has established seven cities of light and seven towers as beacons to The Darkened Land.

Seven Towers

Seven cities of might

Seven towers of light

In the land of was

And will be



Lachlaniel’s world is a world of complete darkness, but across the Godwin River there are stones of light. When he sees the light for the first time and beholds the wonder of the stones, Lachlaniel sets out for the Godwin accompanied by Ewald, the woodsman. But creatures of darkness, who hate the light and the stones, pursue them. Guided by Kesniel and protected by Velius they reach the Great City Agapay and the Bridge. The stones lie just beyond, but the quest has aroused The Great Evil.  Nameless and powerful he bends his might to crush the city and put an end to the light in his dominion. The city is now in peril.

Excerpt:

As the forest closed in, a sound in the distance froze them in their tracks. It was the low guttural call of the wolf leader calling the pack to the hunt. Lachlaniel and Ewald ran. The call of the leader made their blood run cold and summoned their last reserves of strength. They couldn’t go far. If there were no shelter just ahead…. Then, ahead of them, a light loomed. They ran with renewed vigor; the sounds of the pack became distinct a short distance behind them. The light ahead was strange, not at all like the light from Kesniel’s stone. As they drew closer, they could see the fork in the road and the Black Tower beyond. So little light reflected from its surface that its features could not be discerned. In spite of this, it gave the appearance of a welcome shelter set down at the meeting of the ways in a land where there was no real shelter. The light of a fire within flickered welcomingly from the doorway. There was a man at the threshold. He held some strange object from which the light came. They were in agony as they crossed the last yards. The wolves rapidly closed the gap between them. The man was shouting.

“Hurry, hurry! Don’t look back! You can make it!”

He stood by the open door of the tower, urging them onward. The wolves were incredibly close now. Ewald caught the sound of the swiftest as it made a final leap toward him. He swung his axe wildly and blindly behind him striking the wolf in the neck with the head of the axe instead of the blade. The wolf was momentarily stunned, but the others continued to close the ground. Lachlaniel had already crossed the threshold into the tower. The man with the light held the door ready to slam shut as soon as Ewald was safe. The next closest wolf leaped as Ewald crossed the threshold and the door closed with a whump. There was a tremendous thud, and the oak planks of the door moved visibly with the impact. Outside, the wolves circled and howled with anger at losing their prey. Inside, Lachlaniel and Ewald lay sprawled on the floor, breathing too heavily to speak. They were too weary to move, but they were safe – inside the Black Tower.

About the author:

I was raised in a little town south of Dallas. When I was fifteen God called me to the ministry. I was licensed as a minister by my church when I started college. I attended Dallas Baptist College starting in 1975. When I started college I began writing a book that would form the basis for The Darkened Land many years later. I married the love of my life in 1978. After we were married, I found it difficult to impossible to finish a course at college. So my college career ended.

The next years saw three beautiful children added to our family. My first, my daughter, was named after the heroine of my unfinished book. My two boys were born two and four years later. About 1995 I began writing again. That is when The Darkened Land began. My first book, from my college days, had been an allegory similar to Pilgrim’s Progress, but the names were Greek words that gave the allegory its meaning while allowing the book to be just a fun story for those who did not want to delve deeper. The Darkened Land utilizes the same format, but takes the names from many languages. Many like Aidan are actual names. Over the next couple of years the book grew to 30,000 words, before events brought my progress to a halt.

With the kids going off to college and work difficult to find, I went back to school. Dallas Baptist College had become Dallas Baptist University in the intervening years. I worked at the University as a computer tech. Then in 2004, I was disabled and no longer able to work though I continued classes. I graduated in 2010. In the meantime our first grandchildren had arrived and we moved to be close to them.

After a false start in 2018, the second edition of The Darkened Land was published in 2019. It was then that I began the second in this series of eight books. It is entitled The Basaners and the Man Who Would Not Die although the title on the cover is simply The Basaners. It was published in November of 2021. The third of the eight books in the series is my present work in progress.

Author media links:

https://larryparisbooks.com

https://larry-paris-books.square.site/

https://www.facebook.com/Larry-Paris-Books-377140173072048

Friday Feature: The Road Home

/ Carol Underhill / 1 Comment

Today’s featured book is

The Road Home by Christian author Malissa Chapin.

About the book:

Sometimes your past catches up with you.

Sometimes you confront your past.

When a life of tragedy leaves Audra March with a desperate desire foracceptance, she blurs the line between right and wrong. She runs from her tainted past and creates a new identity in a small Wisconsin town.

When she discovers a vintage recipe box, her search for the owner takes Audra across the country and sets her on a collision course with the truth. With the help of an Appalachian preacher and the long-buried deception of an elderly woman, Audra learns the value of honesty and trust. For the first time, she finds hope for her future.

But when her carefully crafted identity is at risk, her resolve is tested. Will she run again? Or will she confront the consequences of her past?

Can the truth set her free?

About the author:

Malissa Chapin grew up reading books, making up stories, and vowing to publish a book before turning twelve. She’s a few years late for her
goal but still devours books and makes up stories.

Malissa loves creating with words, yarn, fabric, and watercolors. She enjoys sharing her faith, reading, collecting vintage treasures, drinking coffee, playing the piano, homeschooling our bonus baby, and looking on the bright side. She lives and sometimes freezes in Wisconsin with her family and a crazy cat.

Author media links

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/malissachapin_writer/

Facebook

https://m.facebook.com/malissachapinwrites/

Website
www.malissachapin.com

Buy Link:

Meet the Author: Sharon René

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

My guest today is Sharon René, author of the newly released YA dystopian novel, Hesitatnt Heroes. Sharon, welcome to my blog today. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I was born in Mississippi and have lived in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. I now live in Memphis, Tennessee. I am an only child and have always been very close to my parents. My father passed away years ago and my mother lives with me now.

I’ve always been very active in my church. I’ve taught in the youth department for over fifteen years. I’ve also participated in the drama, puppet and prison ministries as well as going on several mission trips.

I’m not married but share my home with my mom and one very spoiled cat named Libby Lou. Libby appears on Instagram just about every Saturday for #caturday.

What is Hesitant Heroes about?

When Christian students mysteriously start disappearing from campus, Jordan stumbles upon the shocking truth – `these students are pawns in a government plot, and she’s next on their list. Jordan and her friends journey from the European Alps to the jungles of Venezuela in a race to save the missing students and stop a political assassination. She will have to rely on her faith and friends to save the missing students and foil the evil government.

What is the inspiration behind your story?

In Hesitant Heroes a bunch of teens are placed in a dangerous situation and they must rely on God and each other to survive. The book of Esther is an inspiration to the group because they believe God placed them at their school “for such a time as this.”

The book also shows how each individual is important and can use their talents to help others.

Do you have a day job? If so, how do you find time in your day to write?

Yes, I have a day job. Have to pay the bills. I am a legal assistant at a large corporation.

It’s not easy to squeeze in time to write. I try to write on the weekends between housework. I also take my laptop to bed and get some work done that way. It’s a challenge.

Are you a plotter or a panster?

I am definitely more of a panster. I started out on Hesitant Heroes with the idea of Christian teens disappearing from their high school. A group of talented teens start investigating and get involved in a government plot.  That was all I had when I first started.  The story just carried me along. For the first half of the book I didn’t even know what had happened to the missing students. I didn’t know if they were dead or alive.

I did more plotting to write the sequel, Relentless Rebels. I never have an in-depth outline for any of my books, but I now work off a skeleton outline.

Are you part of a writing group?

Yes. I am a member of American Christian Fiction Writers national chapter. I am also a member of the ACFW local Memphis chapter. I love this group and have developed my writing skills since I joined them. I am in an ACFW critique group of young adult writers and we blog together on The Storyteller Squad blog.

Who was the first person you allowed to read your completed book?

My mother read parts of Hesitant Heroes as I was drafting it. I didn’t let anyone else read it until I joined the ACFW Scribes critique group. It was hard for me to put myself out there and let other people see my work, but the critique group was a wonderful experience.

Share your favorite excerpt from your book:

The dim light revealed several pairs of red eyes and four large shapes. Dogs, the size of wolves, filled the tunnel, blocking their path. Jordan huddled closer to Matthew and Timberlyn as the dogs stalked toward them. If they turned and ran, would the dogs chase them or allow them to flee? Jordan took in ragged breaths. She clutched Matthew’s sweaty shirt sleeve and held Timberlyn’s hand.

Hector had joked about facing zombies, but obviously, he hadn’t considered dogs and their higher body temperature. Hector kept his rifle pointed at the animals even though he’d said 186 HESITANT HEROES they couldn’t shoot. They might not have a choice. Jordan loved animals, but not enough to offer herself up as the dogs’ midnight feast.

“Victor, do you have any talent for wrestling wild animals?” Hector asked. “Let me try.”

Timberlyn stepped away from Jordan and walked slowly toward the creatures.

Hector jumped in front of the petite girl. “I was joking. You’ll get killed.”

Matthew raised his arm. “Let her try. She has a way with animals.”

Hector looked from Matthew to the snarling dogs then back at Timberlyn. He seemed to be stumped in his leadership role. Obviously, he wanted to keep them safe, and no one could believe Timberlyn’s gift until they’d experienced it. They were out of options, so Hector moved to the side.

Timberlyn stepped softly toward the growling beasts, her gentle voice filling the dark tunnel. The soothing African words sounded like a love song. The four dogs stared at her as she approached, their growls still deep and deadly. One lunged, and Jordan squealed, but it abruptly stopped before reaching Timberlyn. It shook its head, trying to decide if this human was a friend or enemy. Timberlyn continued to coo and whisper.

You’ve gifted her with taming wild animals, Jordan silently reminded the Lord. Please protect her now.

Timberlyn inched ever closer to the creatures. The growling stopped, but the dogs didn’t retreat. A spotted hound whimpered and stretched out on his belly. A drooling mutt circled her legs then lay down beside her. Timberlyn reached out her hand. The snarling dog who had lunged a moment before hadn’t yet made up his mind about the mysterious girl. He sniffed Timberlyn’s fingers, then opened his mouth. A slimy tongue extended through jagged teeth and licked her palm. The massive German shepherd lingering in the rear came and joined his buddies at Timberlyn’s feet.

“Great God in Heaven.” Hector made the sign of the cross.“That’s exactly right,” Jordan said as Timberlyn fell to her knees, petting and cuddling the once vicious beasts.

What’s next for you as an author?

Hesitant Heroes is the first book in a trilogy. Relentless Rebels and Defying Destiny will also be published by Anaiah Press.  I’ll be working on edits for Relentless Rebels in the near future.  I am also drafting a middle grade book about a group of middle grade girls who want to be detectives.

Where can readers find you online?

Email:    sharonrene17@gmail.com

Website:  www.sharonreneauthor.com

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/sharonreneauthor

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/SharonRene4

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sharonrene2019

Include a photo of yourself and/or your book cover.