REVIEW: ALL THAT WE CARRIED by Erin Bartels!

Hey everyone!  It's been a little while since I've posted on here...yikes!  But I hope you've been having a wonderful start to the new year.  This is the first post I've made this year, and it's about a thought-provoking novel called All That We Carried by Erin Bartels, courtesy of Revell Reads.  

Are you ready?  Keep reading!

 BLURB 

The most treacherous terrain is found within

Ten years ago, sisters Olivia and Melanie Greene were on a hiking trip when their parents were in a fatal car accident. They haven't seen each other since the funeral. Olivia coped with the loss by plunging herself into law school, work, and a materialist view of the world--what you see is what you get, and that's all you get. Melanie dropped out of college and developed an online life coaching business around her DIY spirituality--a little of this, a little of that, whatever makes you happy.

Now, at Melanie's insistence (and against Olivia's better judgment), they are embarking on a hike in the Porcupine Mountains of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. In this remote wilderness they'll face their deepest fears, question their most dearly held beliefs, and begin to see that perhaps the best way to move forward is the one way they had never considered.

AMAZON | GOODREADS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Erin Bartels is the award-winning author of We Hope for Better Things, a 2020 Michigan Notable Book and a finalist for the 2019 Christy Award and the 2020 Star Award from the Women's Fiction Writers Association (WFWA), and The Words between Us, a finalist for the 2015 Rising Star Award from WFWA. Her short story, "This Elegant Ruin," was a finalist in the Saturday Evening Post Great American Fiction Contest in 2014, and her poetry has been published by The Lyric. A publishing professional for 18 years, she is the director of WFWA's annual writers retreat in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She lives in Lansing, Michigan, with her husband, Zachary, and their son. Find her online at www.erinbartels.com.

MY REVIEW

I have to give this book 3.7 stars out of 5, rounded to 4.  It was very thought-provoking, especially for folks with siblings or strained relationships.  It has impactful discussions about beliefs, forgiveness, and healing -- told between two sisters who were estranged for nearly a decade.  Both characters were relatable throughout the majority of the novel, although in the beginning, I honestly wanted to put the book down right away because of how the sisters' extremely different personalities were portrayed (I think my exact thoughts were "oh boy, this is gonna be a wreck," but then I had to keep reading).  Olivia is grating, a Type-A personality to the extreme, and Melanie is someone who will literally believe anything; very gullible.  It's interesting to see how they interact and how their different personalities affected how they moved on (or didn't) from the loss of their parents.  

While I appreciated the themes in the story, there were a few aspects of the novel that I expected would go completely different in regards to Josh, a stranger they meet on their hike, and a couple other things that I expected would be significant to the plot later, but ended up kind of...dropped, which I was a bit disappointed in (and this is separate from the ambiguity in the ending, which is totally acceptable for the style of novel/storytelling), so that definitely contributes to my rating.  The plot did hold my attention throughout the entirety of the novel, though, so I can't be too disappointed.   

Overall, if you're looking for a thought-provoking story with fantastic themes and you don't mind a bit of a bumpy start, you might want to consider this book.  

Have you read any books by Erin Bartels?  Do you plan on picking up All That We Carried?  What's on your January TBR?

PERRY ELISABETH KIRKPATRICK'S BLACK FRIDAY KINDLE SALE!

 

Hey everyone!  If you've been following Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick for the past few years, you've probably heard about this sale before -- and if you haven't, stick around because I have some awesome news for you!  Every year, she hosts an Indie Kindle sale on her website.  ALL of the books listed on her site are either $0.99 or less, and all of them follow a pretty clean rating system.  There are a lot of great titles (the last I heard, there were around 400 titles available!) available for a wide range of readers.  All of these books will be on sale from Black Friday (today) through Cyber Monday.  I always look forward to this sale, because it's a quick and easy way to find new books and indie authors to support, and I know that the content rating is pretty good on all of them, so I don't get any...interesting surprises halfway through the romance book, if you know what I mean.  

All of the books in both of my series will be available for free, so make sure to snag some copies!  Now's a great time to do so, since it's the first time Guide Me Home AND Keeping Cassie are available on Kindle for free! 

Faith, Hope, and Love collection: Welcome Home, My Compass Home, and Guide Me Home
Mount Sterling collection: Beautiful Chaos, Something New, and Keeping Cassie.  

Click HERE to view all the books available, and make sure to fill up your Kindle for winter!

Have you found a favorite book through this sale in previous years?  Are you planning on picking up any titles this year?  

Happy Thanksgiving Week + Book Sales + Winter BookFest!

 Hey everyone!  

Today I have a bunch of updates for you, but first I wanted to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving!  I know a lot of people are going back into lockdowns and whatnot, my state included, but even if you aren't planning on celebrating like you normally would, make sure to take some time to dwell on things that have gone well this year.  Even if you have a roof over your head and were able to grab breakfast this morning, because it's more than what other folks might have.  I know we like to joke around about how terrible 2020 has been, but we don't always have to subscribe to that train of thought.  Maybe taking some time to reflect on the positive side of things will do everyone a bit of good.  (And this is coming from a perpetual pessimist, so...) 

Secondly, I wanted to let you know about the book sales I will be offering later this week for Black Friday/Cyber Monday!  ALL of my Kindle books will be on some sort of discount.  
The Faith, Hope, and Love collection will be free under Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick's Black Friday Indie Sale (Welcome Home, My Compass Home, Guide Me Home); the Mount Sterling collection will also be free under the Indie Sale (Beautiful Chaos, Something New, Keeping Cassie); Everything And Nothing and Everything I Never Said will be free, and this will be the final week that The Lady of Lanaria will be available for $0.99.  So, all in all, you could very well get every single book I've released...for less than $1.  Unless you include tax, and then it's still well under $1.50.  Not too shabby, if I do say so myself!  All of those sales will be in place through Cyber Monday.  I'll be letting everyone know a bit more about Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick's book sale on Friday, including a link for the sale page, so keep your eyes peeled after the week's festivities!

If you prefer paperbacks, you'll be pleased to know that I'll be offering paperback sales on Amazon as well!  Pricing is as follows:

Mount Sterling series (Beautiful Chaos, Something New, Keeping Cassie) - $10.99 each, normally $12.99 each.

On Shop Small Saturday, I will also be offering a one-day deal on all the signed paperbacks I have available!  I will automatically be applying a $2.00 discount to all of the prices I have listed on my order form; so if the form says a book is $15.00, it'll only be $13.00, and so on.  Each package will come with a couple small handmade goodies.  I also have a very limited amount of bundles available; last Christmas, they were a hit, so I'm offering them again this year! And if you or someone you know has my books already and you'd like signed bookplates, I'm offering them for FREE!  It's a nice little surprise for someone who wants a signed copy of a particular book, but already has their own copy.  

Click HERE to see what I have available and to submit your request!  I will send you a PayPal invoice and an email acknowledging your request as soon as possible!  

And if you're looking for a wide variety of sewn and embroidered goods, my mom's store,  CJ's Crafts Shop, will be having a sale on Etsy for Black Friday-Cyber Monday!  Lots of gift ideas!  Click HERE to check out her store.

FINALLY, the weekend after Thanksgiving, I will be participating in the 2020 Virtual Winter BookFest hosted by Angela R. Watts!  It's a Facebook event, and a lot of fantastic YA authors will be in attendance.  There will be games, giveaways, time to chat with some great authors, and of course, you might be able to get some ideas for your Christmas/TBR list, if you enjoy YA books!  It's a multi-day event spanning December 4th through the 6th, with different authors posting throughout each day.  Make sure to mark yourself "Going" to the event, and invite your friends too!  Click HERE to view the page. 

Whew...I think that's about it for now, guys.  Lots of stuff coming up!  What are you excited for in the coming weeks?  What's a Thanksgiving tradition you're participating in this year?  And will I see you at the BookFest?!

REVIEW + GUEST POST + EXCERPTS - PREACHER ON THE RUN by Jayna Baas!

 Hi everyone!  Today I have an awesome post by Jayna Baas, author of Preacher on the Run!  She wrote a super interesting guest post (I never even learned about this stuff in school!) and I've also got a review and some excerpts for you -- and don't forget to check out the giveaway at the end of the post!  Without further ado, here's Ms. Baas' guest post!

GUEST POST - The Inspiration Behind Preacher on the Run by Jayna Baas

Imagine a place where you’re free to believe whatever you want—as long as it doesn’t oppose the established religion. Up the street is the local clergyman’s lavish property, which he can afford because you are taxed to support him. A nearby sect has bargained for special privileges to avoid the restrictions, but your own growing church has no such recourse. You want to get married, but your pastor has just been arrested for preaching without a license, plus it’s illegal for a dissenting preacher to perform marriages. You’ll have to hire the established clergy to officiate, but even if you wanted to pay the hefty fee, you can’t—your land will be auctioned off next week if you can’t pay your taxes. You’ve already paid those taxes once, but the sheriff insists otherwise. You don’t dare go to court; everyone knows the courts are nests of extortion. 

Eighteenth-century North Carolina was just such a place. The Carolinas’ role in the American Revolution first drew my attention, but I found the Revolution’s prequel in the decades before, when the Church of England’s hierarchical system translated to secular affairs: If no one but the clergy could interpret the word of God, then no one but the government could interpret the law. The most targeted communities were the Baptists, because everything they believed directly opposed this ideology. When I began writing Preacher on the Run, the story of those persecuted Baptists was uppermost in my mind (and still forms the backbone of the story). But as I went on, I couldn’t help thinking that it really wasn’t about the Baptists at all. It was about people being hunted and harassed simply for following God as best they knew how. That could be any of us. 

Freedom is risky. If you allow people to make up their own minds, they might discover you’re wrong. They might find out that Jesus, not the state church, is the only way to God. They might learn that all men actually are created equal, and that they have as much right to understand the law as you do. So if you’re the power-hungry type, you had better put a stop to that. Pass a riot act or two. Maybe even call out the militia, if the people need to be reminded who’s in charge. 

That is the setting behind Preacher on the Run. It’s a setting that triggered all sorts of alerts in my story-loving brain. The men and women of the Regulator Uprising dreamed of a place where truth could square off with lies, where iron could sharpen iron, where tyrants didn’t tell people what to believe. As Thomas Jefferson said, “It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself.” Or as Robert Boothe says in Preacher on the Run, “The truth will hold its own.” If you can imagine a place like that, thank God for those who imagined it long before it ever came to be.

Thanks so much for stopping by, Jayna!  

Doesn't that sound interesting?  I don't think there have been many books at all written about this time period -- just on the cusp of the Revolutionary War.  That's one reason why I enjoyed this book so much.

Before I get into my review, here's some information about the book and Jayna Baas! 

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Preacher on the Run - For Liberty & Conscience #1 

North Carolina, 1771 

Robert Boothe has spent the last four years leading the tyrant-hating Regulators in standing against North  Carolina’s corrupt British government. Just being an unlicensed dissenter preacher is enough to make Robert a  target, but he refuses to back down from his conscience. Aside from a sympathetic court justice, the village of  Ayen Ford has no other champion for its poor and defenseless.  

Then Charles Drake, emissary of His Excellency William Tryon, comes to town with one ambition: winning the  governor’s favor, no matter what it takes. And Robert Boothe just might be his last chance. 

All Robert wants is a safe place for his little Baptist church to live and worship God. But the established church  wants him to shut up. The governor’s men want him dead. And that safe place is farther and farther away. 

You can run, but you can’t hide . . . 

AMAZON | GOODREADS | ORDER FROM JAYNA BAAS | VIEW THE BOOK TRAILER

ABOUT THE SERIES

Preacher on the Run is the first book (hopefully!) of the For Liberty & Conscience trilogy, which combines North  Carolina Revolution-era history with Christ-centered fiction: page-turning stories of Christian people living  Christian lives in the daring era of America’s beginnings.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jayna Baas (pronounced as in “baa, baa, black sheep”) lives in northern Michigan with a great family of real  people and the family of pretend people who live in her head. (Yes, she does know her characters are not real.  No, she does not want you to tell them she said so.) She is notorious for working on several projects at once  and writing her series in the wrong order. She hones her craft amid loud southern gospel music and an embarrassing number of composition books, and is convinced God wired her to write—she can’t not write, even  though she believes German writer Thomas Mann was correct in saying, “A writer is someone for whom  writing is more difficult than for other people.” She enjoys writing and reading in a wide range of genres, but  her favorite story is this: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever  believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

WEBSITE | YOUTUBE | AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE | NEWSLETTER

MY REVIEW

I have to give this book a solid 4.5/5 - I could tell that this book was extremely well-researched.  It's accurate to the time period, combines the reality of America in 1771 with a smidge of fiction, and it's informative as well as interesting to read.  The characters were easy to empathize with -- I especially enjoyed reading about Robert's brother, even though he wasn't the main character.  While it took me a few chapters to get into the swing of the book, the book definitely picked up with time, and it was easy to keep reading.  Baas' ability to weave a lot of historical fact in amongst her fictitious plot line was really interesting and masterful. I found myself chuckling with some of the characters' quips and wit, and other times, I was biting my nails wondering how certain situations would pan out.  Lots of good messages and themes within the book as well; ones that can still apply to the world today.  I'm a little bit obsessed with the Revolutionary era, so reading a little bit about America just before the war was just my cup of tea...and I hope Baas writes more books about this time period!  If you're a fan of historical/Revolutionary (or pre-Revolutionary) fiction, you'll definitely find it worthwhile to pick this book up.  

EXCERPT

Robert turned away from the stream and said, “Here’s the plan, boys. We get back to Ayen Ford, we don’t go in quietly. We ride in on the main road in broad daylight, and we let Drake see every move we make. It may be risky, but he can’t arrest all of us at once, and it’s time we showed him what he’s up against.” 

Saul McBraden said, “Now you’re talking my language.” 

Robert smiled. Saul’s bravado was sometimes dangerous, but at the right time it became an asset. This  was about to be one of those times. “Then all we’ll do is keep Drake on edge. Watch him every minute we  can, and let him know it. You boys can do that on your own even if they shore up the jail, lock me up  again, and throw away the key.” 

“Out of curiosity,” Alec Perry drawled, “what did they lock you up for this time?” “Preaching without a license. Officially, that is.” 

“Officially is never the real reason,” Alec said. 

“Unofficially, they were making a point. I say that because there was no other cause for Drake to make  the arrest in front of my church on a Sunday morning.” 

“I’m not saying I’m much for one set of doctrine over another,” Alec said, “but that sticks in my craw.  Didn’t his mama teach him any reverence a’tall?” 

“A man like Drake don’t have a mama,” Ethan Hardy said. “He just sorta crawls out of a dark hole  somewhere and there he is.” 

“I’m going to enjoy making this gent nervous,” Alec said. 

One glance at Alec’s slitted eyes and Robert believed him.

- Preacher on the Run, chapter 12, by Jayna Baas.

AND I did mention a giveaway, didn't I?  One U.S. winner will receive...
1 signed copy of Preacher on the Run
1 necklace hand-stamped with "In God I Trust" 
1 bookmark with a Bible verse and cover art from Preacher on the Run!

ALL entrants will receive free recipes from the colonial era! 

Enter below! 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway   

Make sure to stop by Jayna's website TOMORROW to see who the giveaway winner is!

What did you think of the guest post?  How about that excerpt?!  Do you plan on reading Preacher on the Run?  Sound off in the comments!

ICYMI: Q&A about THE LADY OF LANARIA!

Hey everyone!  So a few weeks ago, I asked some of my Instagram folks to ask some questions about my new novel, The Lady of Lanaria, so I could have a Q&A session prepared for release day!  I shared these on Instagram and in the Facebook launch party event, but in case you missed it, here's the full list of Qs and As!  

Favorite part about writing this book? (@angelarwattsauthor)

Definitely watching it come together!  I actually wrote the ending first and then started on the beginning (and then rewrote the beginning once, and rewrote the ending about four different times), and it was a blast to see little bits of foreshadowing come through.  I've probably said it a zillion times and I'll say it again, but I've never felt God's hand in writing a book as much as I did with this one.  I just wrote the words and let myself be surprised with what came out.  

Who's your favorite character? (@h.s.kylian)

Oof.  This is the question I've been waffling over for awhile!  I want to say that Horace ended up being my favorite?  I mean, I love Evangeline and Gabriel, but I feel like Horace is a goldmine of earnest humor that didn't get nearly as much "screentime" as he deserved.  

Favourite scene to write?  (@oldfashionedbooklove)

I have to say that the climax was my favorite.  It's the first scene that I wrote, actually!  I really enjoyed exploring a little bit of action, the "choreography" of the scene, if you will, and how everything worked out.  It was so much fun to write!  The second favorite scene has to be when the villain tries to burn Evangeline's Bible and it...doesn't, not at first.  That was inspired by a handful of reports I've read of churches burning while the Bibles remain intact, and I could just imagine the horror on the villain's face.

Least favourite scene to write? (@oldfashionedbooklove)

I can't say because it's a bit of a "turning point" in the book!  But it involves baby birds, and you'll probably all hate what the villain does to them.  I hated writing that scene because it's sad and, frankly, a bit gross.  But it's necessary to start seeing the depravity in the villain.  Another scene I hated writing is one written pretty late (I think it was the same day I sent ARC copies out, actually), when the villain begins being fairly forceful with Evangeline.   

What classic piece could you hear Evangeline play on her violin?  (@oldfashionedbooklove)

Fun question!  I can very easily imagine her playing Vivaldi's L' Estro Armonico Opus 3 No. 6 in A Minor, which you can listen to HERE!  It just seems to embody her character well.  

What's Gabriel's favourite meal? (@oldfashionedbooklove)

Beef or lamb with bread and corn!  And of course, a well-prepared cup of tea is something he always enjoys.

What was the inspiration for the story? (@midnightwritelight)

There were several factors that inspired The Lady of Lanaria!  When I was reading and analyzing "The Lady of Shalott" for college, I started thinking about the similarities between it and the story of Rapunzel, and I just had to try the idea out.  Another thing that largely inspired the story was the light vs. dark element; in the beginning of the book, I listed three Bible verses that really jumped out at me for inspiration while I was writing.  Finally, a friend of me gave me a bit of inspiration that finally launched me into actually writing the book itself -- we were talking about goals and whatnot, and the idea that we should have the courage to pursue our dreams/goals, big or small -- it kind of seeped into the story as well. 

Character inspiration?  (@midnightwritelight)

Definitely Tangled.  Although I tend to look toward Tangled for pretty much all of my inspiration ever, haha.  I also took some of the grave-whimsical blend that "The Lady of Shalott" seems to present and knew I had to represent that in Evangeline's character as well.  Gabriel, in a lot of respects, was his own guy -- I couldn't really find any references to suit him very well, so I just let him do his own thing.  Mother Gothel from Tangled was definitely a heavy influence for the villain, and the oddball here, Horace, actually ended up being inspired by the character of Morgan Grimes from the TV show Chuck.

Actors that fit how you imagined your characters? (@ive_seen_a_new_world)

Another good question!  I went back and forth on this one so much, haha.  Obviously an actual movie with these actors/actresses would never work because these are photos from when they were much younger, but from a visual perspective, they work very well! 

All photos retrieved from Google. 

Top left: Miranda Otto as Evangeline
Top right: Julianne Moore as Amaranth Argent 
Bottom left: Jordan Bridges as Gabriel
Bottom right: Andrew Garfield as Horace

How did you come up with the idea of mashing Rapunzel and The Lady of Shalott into a retelling? (@sarahstangledtales)

Great question!  I originally got the idea during a college course I was taking.  We were assigned Tennyson's "The Lady of Shalott" to analyze, and since I had to sit and really think about the themes in his work, I started to think about Grimm's "Rapunzel" (and Disney's Tangled, because...c'mon) and their similarities.  Girls locked in towers, mysterious curses cast by witches, so on -- I just had to.  I've always wanted to write a "Rapunzel" retelling, but  I always felt underqualified to do so, and adding elements from "The Lady of Shalott" freed my brain up from getting stuck on making the story too "Rapunzel" and falling flat. 

Thanks so much to everyone who asked questions!  These were so fun to work on. 

GUEST POST + INTERVIEW: Jesseca Wheaton, author of UNTITLED!

 

Hey everyone!  Today I have the honor of sharing a guest post and interview with Jesseca Wheaton, historical fiction author.  Her new book, Untitled, is coming out on the perfect date -- November 11th!  I'm so excited to read this one!  Thanks so much to Jesseca for taking the time to write this guest post and do an interview too!  Before we get started, though, here's some information about the book -- and you'll definitely want to stick around, because there's a giveaway with this blog tour, too...

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jesseca is a daughter, sister, and a child of God. When she’s not busy at her full time job as a first responder, her days are spent reading, spending time with siblings, watching movies that make her cry, and playing piano. Oh, and writing, of course! At an early age words fascinated her, and her love for the printed page has only grown. She lives with her parents and seven siblings in the sunny state of Kansas, and she’s convinced there’s no place like home.

BLOG |GOODREADS

BLURB

Okinawa, 1945

Two brothers. Two Separate Paths.

A Navy corpsman assigned to the Marines, Jess Walker’s world is shaken as he struggles to aid the men around him. But the battlefield isn’t his hardest challenge. The nagging memory of how he lost his brother weighs on him, serving as a constant reminder of his failure. War has no mercy for anyone and Jess isn’t sure he can survive the war inside. As his world comes crashing down around him, he struggles to believe there is a future beyond the pain. 

Clay Walker has moved on from the life he once lived. A successful Marine pilot, he wants nothing to do with his family and the God he left behind. Japan is on the brink of surrender when his unit is shipped off to Okinawa, and it’s there that Clay is forced to realize his past is not as deeply buried as he thought. Faced with heavy losses and questions without answers, Clay has a choice to make. Is he willing to step back and let God take the controls? Or is it too late for a second chance? 

As WWII rages, the two brothers must face their demons — or be lost to the burning world around them.

Coming November 11th

GOODREADS

GUEST POST

Hey guys! My name is Jess, I’m the author of Untitled, a YA historical fiction book releasing this week! Michaela asked me to talk a little bit about the themes of Untitled and their importance, so I’m going to attempt to do that a bit. While the book has many themes, I’ve decided to focus on three of them.

Trusting God with the future isn’t easy. Definitely speaking from experience here. I dislike not having control of every little thing. I want to know what’s happening, and I want to know how it’s going to play out. I like knowing what I want in life, at least to an extent. And I don’t want anyone interfering. 

But one of the amazing things about life with Christ is that it’s an adventure with the Lord of the universe. He takes us down paths we never would have chosen, and only later can we look back and see how His infinite wisdom was so much better than our misguided attempts. God’s plan for the future may be vastly different from what we’ve had in mind — but He’s in control. He’s on the throne. He still has a plan even when we can’t see it. All we need do is trust. 

This thread is woven throughout the book in a way I hope can rly encourage the reader. Especially right now when life is absolutely crazy and we don’t really know what’s going to happen next. But the amazing thing about the Bible is that the words that were true in 1945 are still true today. God has a plan. Always. And in the end, God wins. We can be content knowing it’s not up to us — This is God’s show. 

Is it easy? Not in the least. But we don't gain anything by worrying about events we can’t control. When we trust Him, Christ gives us peace to face whatever’s ahead. 

*Coughs* Okay, I got a little carried away there. Let’s get back to the book. One of the other overarching but more subtle messages of the book is being a witness for Christ wherever you are. Living your life like you know Christ is real. Because people are watching. They’ll see the difference. In Untitled one of the main characters is surprised when a minor character comes to him and says in essence, You’re not like other guys. You’re different even than the religious people I know. 

As followers of Christ, that’s what we need to strive for. A difference. Not just in what we say we believe, but how we act. How we treat others. How we live our lives. 

People are watching. If we say we’re different, we need to act differently. We don’t need to have all the answers. We don’t need to know what to say. But we need to know Who to point them to. But we’ll never get that chance if they don’t see that we’re different. 

PTSD is a subject that’s only lightly touched on in the book. There are so many different forms of it that a book alone doesn’t do it justice. PTSD can manifest itself many different ways from nightmares to self-destructive behaviour and many other things in between. Back in WWII not much was known about it. In fact it’s only been in the last 50 years that we’ve made progress on diagnosing and treating it. Often those with the symptoms were seen as cowards. They were thought to have a nervous breakdown, and they were labeled as weak and unable to handle the stress of war. It breaks my heart to think of all the men who suffered from it alone, and those who still continue to do so today. The price paid for our freedom wasn’t always a loss of life; sometimes to those who survived, it was far worse. 

Like many other mental illnesses today it isn’t widely talked about and many people aren’t aware of the struggles people go through. My hope is to at least shine some light, no matter how small, on the subject and get people to think. These aren’t problems that are going to go away. 

Well, at this point I think I’ve rambled quite long enough. Hopefully that’s peaked your interest in the book and made you want to try it. ;) Thanks so much for having me, Michaela! 

Thanks so much for stopping by, Jesseca!  What a great guest post -- and it makes me want to read this book even more.  Now, make sure you read the interview below!

1. What inspired you to write Untitled?

I really wanted to write a book dealing with the subjects Untitled handled because it was something I wasn’t seeing in any Christian fiction. Originally I had attempted to do it through a present-day timeline and that … never got over 6k. I know I tend to write best when I’m dealing with history so I decided to do some research and see if homosexuality was something relevant during WWII. And I was really surprised by just how much info there was on it. So I prayed about it and decided to give it a go. And on a slightly less important note I always have a soft spot in my heart for estranged brother stories and It’d been too long since I’d written one. 

2. What character was your favorite to write about?

I feel like this isn’t a fair question because I love them all … xD Each was special and different in their own way. I do have to admit though that I loved writing Jess and his corpsman buddies. I love anything medical and being able to put it in a story and have my characters share my passion was pretty awesome. 

3. What is one thing you hope readers gain from reading your book?

Ahh, so many things! First off, I hope they come away feeling better equipped to handle difficult situations with unbelievers. And I hope they realize that just because you don’t see the results immediately or see the person saved doesn’t mean you failed — God is still working. 

I hope they realize that God never leaves you. No matter how dark and hopeless, He’s still there. Still on the throne. He still has a plan even when we can’t see it. 

I hope they realize how much so many have suffered in the service of our country. I hope they realize how priceless our freedom is and I pray they never take it for granted. 

4. What’s the story behind the title?

I think the best answer for this is a quote from the book. “They were the Untitled ones. The ones whose names no one would know; the faces no one will remember. After the war they’d go back home and become a statistic. A bunch of numbers, their names forgotten to history.” The book honors all those whose names we don’t know. .The countless numbers that have given their lives for our freedom — and we don’t even know their names. But we have a responsibility to remember their sacrifice. 

5. What is your favorite thing about writing the WWII fiction era?

Again, so many things! There are so many amazing stories that need to be told and there’s no lack of material. From the Pacific to the European front to the plains of Africa, it really was a war that spanned the whole world. (We had troops in Australia as well, which is one of my favorite fun facts most people aren’t aware of.) No matter what you like writing, there’s no shortage of material. And there’s so many lessons to be learned in re-visiting that area of history. One of my favorite things is the fact that unlike the Civil War and WWII, we still have survivors alive today. You can get firsthand information and learn history from the people who lived it. It’s an incredible privilege and one I don’t take lightly. They’ve entrusted their stories to us - it’s our job to make sure those stories are told. 

Thanks so much for stopping by, Jesseca!  I hope you guys enjoyed this, and I hope you snag a copy of Untitled once it's released!  But for now, I think I mentioned a giveaway at the beginning...so check it out!

Enter below!  This looks like an absolutely awesome giveaway -- one U.S. winner will receive....

• Paperback copy of Untitled 

• Box of compass cards

• God Bless America Wooden Sign

• Bookmark 

• USMC keychain 

• U.S. Navy Medallion

RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY LINK!

RELEASE DAY IS HERE!

Today.

Is.

The.

Day.

*happy dance*

It's the release day of The Lady of Lanaria!  I have a TON of stuff going on today/this week/this weekend, so make sure to catch up on the festivities! (Okay, it's not really *that* much going on, I'm just an extreme introvert)

Credit: Pinterest

You can now order your own PAPERBACKS!  If you pre-ordered, your Kindle copy should have arrived!  If you've been holding out for a paperback copy, you can order one on Amazon -- make sure to fill out a preorder goodie form through Nov. 13th!  I've still got a few stickers left, but once those are gone, the goodie package will consist of a bookmark, signed bookplate, and map -- but those are still pretty awesome treats if I do say so myself...Click HERE for the goodie form, after you click HERE and order your paperback (or Kindle)!!

And if you love it, make sure to leave a review!  I'm trying to get 15 reviews by November 14th, and I would be so honored if you contributed toward that goal!

All this week (and through Saturday), Neverland Book Tours has been hosting an awesome blog tour for The Lady of Lanaria -- if you haven't been keeping tabs on the tour via Insta or Facebook, here's your chance to check out the posts!  Click below to see the full schedule and check out what everyone's said about the book so far.

Kickoff Post by Neverland Book Tours 

(credit: TangledGifs on Tumblr)

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the blog tour, helped promote, gave shout-outs, provided encouragement, and helped me out on this journey to publishing The Lady of Lanaria!  You guys are the absolute sweetest.  This is the first book I've actually done a proper launch for, and...whew.  It's a LOT of work, but it's worth it.  I'm so excited that this book baby's out in the wild now, and that you guys really rallied and supported me from beginning to end!  

If you want to join me all day today for a Facebook launch party, make sure to click HERE!  There will be games and a few exclusive giveaways going on -- if you're on Instagram and NOT Facebook, don't worry!  I'll be sharing some of those posts on my Insta stories too!

And make sure to enter the giveaway!  The giveaway closes November 10th, so make sure to get those entries in if you haven't already! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway