Beginnings, Middle, and Endings ~ Sally Chambers ` #Giveaway

Beginnings, Middles, and Endings

by Sally Chambers

(with a giveaway - details below)

My prayer as I begin to write this for Peg’s blog—a prayer close to the one I whispered when I began to write in earnest many years ago. "Lord, help me share a little of my writing story. May Your words flow through Your mind and heart into mine that You may be lifted up."

Nothing like retiring from a long, wonderful career in insurance and deciding that the writing you so dearly love doing for fun is suddenly free to become a passion!

Even while running my office, I’d been writing occasional articles for small magazines and a local newspaper, devotionals for The Upper Room, and fiction for KidzChat, Sunday school lessons, even attending the Florida Writers Conference. Maybe I could try writing a novel.

A few years later, I’d been working on my nearly-finished first book, The Stonekeepers, and was already looking forward to doing something new and different. But before beginning something new shouldn’t I complete what I started? Was I jumping ahead of the Lord’s plans for me?

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).

On a cool, sunny Florida morning in December, I walked into the mall to pick up our favorite brand of coffee. I’d been thinking and praying over the second novel taking shape in my mind. Characters evolved. Settings imagined became final. The story would launch from Solvang, California, move to Sao Paulo, Brazil, then Manaus, Brazil and the beautiful Amazon rainforest. I’d been doing tons of research, mind-wandering through ideas and looking for confirmation, wondering if all this work was within the Lord’s will.

I passed a small travel agency. Beside the open doorway, a display table sat laden with slick, full-color brochures. Sensing a firm nudge that there was something on that table I needed to see, I stopped, retracing my steps.

I had to smile, standing there studying those brochures. In the center of the display, a pamphlet on South America all but invited me to pick it up. I flipped through the pages amazed at descriptions and offers of tours in Brazil—with featured visits to both Manaus and Sao Paulo. No, I wouldn’t be taking a tour, but to me, this was vivid assurance I was on the right track.  

Thanks, Lord! How could I not accept such sweet confirmation? I’ll pray and think about it.

Not only did I pray and think, I received more confirmation. Like friends who knew a missionary couple who’d served in both Manaus and in the Amazon rainforest. Could I interview them? I could, and I did. ☺

I’ve had so much encouragement in the time between then and now. I’m grateful for friends and family, for workshops and critiques courses, and more as the story grew into the 300 plus page novel it is today. Out of the Shadows, was released by my publisher, Deb Haggerty’s Elk Lake Publishing, Inc., last month.

I enjoy taking my time to write my contemporary inspirational suspense with its heartwarming thread of romance. I like doing the research, am challenged with brainstorming over what happens next. My novels are woven through time. As I did when I had a career, I write around and through life as it happens. Not the way to become a prolific writer, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Writing has increased my faith and kept me closer than breath to my heavenly Father.

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV)

Some final thoughts. You’re never too old to begin something new. When you aren’t sure what to do next, lay out everything before the Lord, ask, listen and expect then wait and watch and receive. He is with you in your walk, always. No one loves you more. 

View the video book trailer of Out of the Shadows.

About Sally:

My husband, Jerry, and I live in sunny, sub-tropical Florida. Happy to have our two married children living within driving distance, our grandchildren and great grandchildren visit from the UK and Colorado. Since retiring from my career in insurance, I’ve focused on my love of writing.

An author of Christian fiction, I enjoy writing for women of all ages, creating suspenseful, faith-filled stories with a dash of romance. I was thrilled to be a finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writer’s inaugural First Impressions Contest and have won awards for poetry and short stories.

One of my favorite things to do is to walk on the beach and anywhere there’s a trail. I love reading to children, writing, reviewing and editing for writer friends, having fun taking photos with my iPhone, and reading, especially mystery, suspense, adventure.

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/2vNOxtZ 

Giveaway info:

If there are ten or more comments, Sally will give away TWO Kindle eBooks – Out of the Shadows. If less than ten comments, she’ll give away one Kindle eBook copy.
Optional question for fun: A reply to the following question:

Have you ever used a bow and arrow or paddled a canoe?

(Not answering the question won’t affect your eligibility to win.)
Leave your comment below with your name and contact information (so we can contact you if you're the winner) to enter.
Giveaway ends one week from today on August 23 at Midnight CDT.
Note: If you follow this blog (see sidebar) and make note of it in your comments, you'll get an extra entry in the giveaway.

We Have Winners!

Congratulations to:

Gail Kittleson

and

Terri Tiffany

Winners of Sally Chambers' book "The Stonekeepers"

Many thanks to Sally for sharing her book with us and to all who entered.

Character Interview: Lexi Christensen, from Sally Chambers’ “The Stonekeepers” w/Giveaway

Welcome, readers! The other day, I had a golden opportunity to lure Lexi Christensen–the lead character in THE STONEKEEPERS–away from Sally’s office to ask her a few personal questions while Sally was away.  Shhh…don’t tell Sally, okay?



 

Hi, Lexi, thanks for coming over. To get started, tell me the most interesting thing about you.

Hello, Mrs. Phifer! Thank you for inviting me to visit with you and share a little about myself and of what’s happened in my life lately.

You asked what the most interesting thing about me is?

Well, right now my creator is kicking me under the table. ☺ She knows I’m bursting to tell you something that would be a spoiler for readers. So I’ll back off a little and tell you that I think my middle name is the most interesting thing about me (among a half-a-dozen other things she tells me are off limits!) Usually one spells Evangeline like this. Not my middle name. Mine is spelled Evengeline, and     E-ven means stone in Hebrew. I never paid much attention to it until recently when its Hebrew meaning was shown to me. In that moment, it became crystal clear how important stones are in my life.

Q. Your creator? You mean Sally found us out, after all? Oh, well, just shows what a close watch she keeps over you! Anyway, let’s continue. What’s your most favorite thing to do for fun?

Mmm—not an easy question—too many favorite things to choose from. Okay if I tell you about two favorites? I love being outdoors and I love horses, so when there’s time, horseback riding on the beach with my two best friends is the best! But one other favorite fun thing my best friend, Jenni, and I do is help with and read to kindergarteners and first graders once a week. They are totally adorable!

Q. What do you put off doing because you dread it?

Ever try to coax a stubborn 70 pound dog into a tub? I dread that scene! My dog has a paranoid aversion to water—but not just any water. He’s fine with the ocean, ponds, sprinklers, hoses, faucets, even swimming pools, but just mention the word bath and he’s on his back, whining for mercy, or halfway under my bed, probably thinking I can’t see him. He just hates getting a bath. But guess who stands still as a statue, loving it when the hair dryer flips on? The old guy’s a conundrum! ☺

Q. I know you are still very young, but…what are you most afraid of?

Age is a state of mind for me—I feel at least 25 after all that’s happened so far this summer. I used to be pretty fearless. Now I suppose I’m most afraid of being in a crowd of noisy, pushy people. It’s a recent fear. I was at Boston’s Logan International Airport, and what should have been an uneventful boarding ended up terrifying instead. Keeping really busy is helping me work through it, and a few other borderline traumatic things I’ve had to confront.

Q. What do you want out of life? How do you envision your future?

Finishing college is primary. Career, marriage, children—and I’m not worried about in what order they occur. I know my life is in God’s hands and it will happen in His perfect timing.

I’m going for a degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science—focus on Computer Science. Since it looks as if I’ll be staying in Nantucket after college, I’ve decided to take Dad up on his offer to shadow him as he runs his company, sort of become his protégé. Who knows where that might lead? And all along the way, I pray I’ll make a difference in others’ lives.

Q. Name something that is the most important to you.

My relationships—with God, family and friends. They never walked away when I went through the most tumultuous few weeks of my life. They helped when they could and when they couldn’t they encouraged, supported, and loved me through it. I’ve found that there’s nothing, no one, in this world more valuable and irreplaceable than family and friends.

And I’m thankful for a deep, abiding, knowing, that God will never leave nor forsake me. He’s proved it over and over—like when I’d wake up panicked at choices I faced, as well as when I looked into the ugly blackness of mortal danger aimed in my direction.

Q. Do you read books? If so, what is your favorite type of book?

Yes, I love to read—always have. I grew up reading richly illustrated children’s books and wandered through the classics. I love reading anything that inspires, uplifts, stretches, or challenges me, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, including suspense, mystery, adventure, intrigue, historical, and creative nonfiction. One author I like, Tom Clancy, challenged me in his first book with learning the anatomy of a submarine—just one of the types of books I enjoy. ☺

Q. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I’d be much less of a perfectionist, which would make me more patient and understanding with others and with myself. (And I could reel off all the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23 right here!) My two best friends, Jenni and Ridge seem to always be running late and it drives me crazy!

Q. I know you have a dog that is precious to you. Tell me about him.

My McDuffy McGillicuddy McFee? I’d love to! We call him Gilly. He’s a gorgeous golden retriever with chestnut eyes. Hard for me to remember, but on my third birthday, Mom and Dad tell me he was one lively puppy when he was delivered in a big wicker basket. I’ll share a little scene from my story with you. He was in my bedroom while I was deciding what to take with me to college and I stooped to stroke his silky fur, thinking about him. My throat got tight and my eyes blurred with tears. Dogs should have a place in dorms. “I’m going to miss you so much, old guy,” I said to him. But my tears turned to laughter when his rough tongue started swiping away at my salty, wet cheeks. Love that dog!

He’s a dear old man now, and it’s a wonder he’s still alive after . . . well, that’s another scene for another day. ☺

Q. You had a wonderful–but dangerous–opportunity to go to modern-day Israel. Have you ever thought you’d like to time-travel back to ancient Israel?

You must have been looking around in my dreams! Yes. I have wondered about what it would be like to be in ancient Israel. But I‘d like to drop into the days when Jerusalem was besieged by Babylon’s king, Nebuchadnezzar and the Lord allowed two kinds of treasures to be taken from the city.

The first of the treasures that were taken were some of the articles of the house of God, the temple. I want to see what those things were. Were they some of the gold and silver? Or maybe the even the Ark of the Covenant?

And then the second of the treasures that were taken were “some of the children of Israel,” in particular, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Our children are our national treasure and these young men were Israel’s. I want to see how these four young men, exceptionally “good-looking, wise, knowledgeable and quick to understand, with the abilities to serve and teach language and literature,” reacted when they were first found, tested, and chosen by the marauding Babylonians.

And then—many generations later, I’d like to join the shepherds on the hillside near Bethlehem, hear the Good News from the lips of angels, and, with them, kneel beside Mary to praise God and touch the soft, precious hands that saved me. I want to run with them into Egypt, watch Jesus as he learned carpentry from his dad in Nazareth, and stand beside Him in awe at His first miracle of water into wine at a Cana wedding.

Those were all fun questions to answer! Thanks again for inviting me to share with your Whispers in Purple blog readers, Mrs. Phifer!

My pleasure! Thank you so much, Lexi, for sneaking away to help me out. Though I guess we weren’t as clever as we thought, huh?

  ~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~  ~ ~ ~

GNow, about that giveaway mentioned above: GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Lexi and Sally are offering to give away TWO copies of THE STONEKEEPERS: one paperback (sorry, Lower 48 states only) AND one eBook copy, (KINDLE version only) to give our International readers a chance to win. All you need to do is leave a comment below with your email information so we can contact you if you win. To keep the ‘bots’ from stealing your email, disguise it. E.G: zippity [at] doodah [dot] com. Easy. Also be sure to tell us where you live (US or other) as there will be two (2) drawings.

Giveaway will run for two weeks, ending Tuesday, July 28, at Midnight Central Time.

Don’t have a Kindle? Amazon offers a free Kindle App you can download for your PC, MAC, or other Android tablet. Just go to: http://tinyurl.com/ojud254

Extra Incentive: Be sure to check out  the two previous posts about this book: Sneak Peek, and What Floats Sally's Boat? and come back here and mention something from BOTH posts in the comment section and you will receive a second entry in the drawing. Invite a friend to visit and comment, have them mention you sent them. Your friend will get an entry, and you will get a THIRD entry. How ‘bout that?

TWEETABLES:

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Author Sally Chambers Debut Release

I am so excited to be featuring—and helping promote—my friend from Florida, Sally Chambers.

Over the coming weeks, you’ll have a chance to get acquainted with Sally, find out what makes her tick, and some insight about this new book.

You’ll also be able to get inside the head of Lexi, the main character in The Stonekeepers.

And later on, you’ll get to read an in-depth review of this wonderful YA/NA book

Below is the brief synopsis of The Stonekeepers. Does it whet your appetite? It sure does me!

For the past eighteen years, Lexi Christensen has been sheltered from the truth, protected by a soft-cushioned life of normalcy, until the contents of an envelope link her to an ancient vow. All Lexi wants is to get out from between the vise grips of her suddenly protective parents, rescue an historic mansion before she leaves for college, and stop herself from falling in love with the man her best friend claims to love. But finding the envelope thrusts her into new choices . . . and new danger. Someone knows more about Lexi’s heritage than she does, wants what she’s found, and will risk her life to get it.

As her future twists into an incredible mission that propels her from her sand-ringed island home to a foreign mountaintop, she’s in a race against both time and danger. Her faith may be strong, but is God asking too much?

So here’s the schedule:

• June 24: Interview with Sally w/Giveaway


• July 15: Interview with Lexi Christensen w/Giveaway


• A date TBA: In-depth review of The Stonekeepers.

Help spread the word!

Tweetables:

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