What Is A Hero? ~ Gina Holder ~ Book Spotlight ~ No Greater Love

It's Wahoo Wednesday!

Please welcome author Gina Holder as she shares her thoughts about 'heroes' and a look into her upcoming release No Greater Love.

What Is A Hero?

by Gina Holder

Is it a sandwich?

Is it the male part in a play, movie, or story?

In our day and age, we throw this word, hero, around flippantly. Everyone is all about the Marvel comic characters right now, these superheroes with their supernatural powers and abilities. As Christians, we talk about the great heroes of the Faith, both biblical and historical: Moses, David, William Tyndale, George Mueller…

My husband will say he’s a hero at work when he solves something no one else could figure out.

Or we may say, “You’re my hero!” when someone does something helpful for us.

We ask children, “who’s your hero?” What we mean is who is that someone that they look up to and admire.

But what is a hero?

According to the dictionary, a hero is someone noted for courageous acts or nobility of purpose especially one who has risked or sacrificed his life. A man noted for special achievements in a particular field. A person who, in the opinion of others, has special achievements, abilities, or personal qualities and is regarded as a role model or ideal.

I’ve heard it said that heroes run in when everyone else runs out.

A hero is willing to take on a challenge that no one else will.

A hero is someone who selflessly puts the needs of others before their own. Heroes set aside everything else to rescue someone in danger. They miss birthday parties, weddings, funerals, graduations… They live with nightmares, anxiety, stress, depression, and lack of sleep. They endure hatred and anger. They’re shot at, cursed at, ridiculed, and mocked. Their motives are constantly under scrutiny, and every decision is weighed against public opinion. They press on despite pain, fear, grief, and injury. They do their job without thanks and without appreciation.

Jesus Christ is the greatest hero ever known. He gave his life that we might have forgiveness of sin and live an abundant life. He sacrificed himself when no one else would do. There was no one else who could pay our sin debt, so He stepped in and took our place. Jesus knew that we would mock him, spit on him, ignore his sacrifice, and yet, he went to the cross anyway. He said in John 15:13 (KJV), “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

In my new romantic suspense novel, No Greater Love, Paige McDonald struggles to understand someone being willing to give their life for another. Paige is faced with what it means to be a hero. Will she be able to put her fears aside and step up to the plate when needed? Or is it easier to run away from the risks?

Title of Book: No Greater Love

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: April 30, 2019

One Book Changed Her Life…and Her Eternity

He said he’d never risk leaving a widow.

She said she’d never love a man in uniform.

Paige McDonald, an antique book collector and the adopted granddaughter of a firefighter, vows never to fall in love with a first responder. But an inscription in an old Bible disrupts everything she knows about herself, her family, and God, and sends her directly into the radar of Patrol Officer Hamilton Bryant.

After the death of his best friend and fellow officer, Hamilton vows never to marry—at all. He won’t risk leaving a widow. Instead, he reserves his passion for serving his family and the town he’s sworn to protect. When a series of robberies and threats against the mayor correspond with Paige’s sudden appearance in Whitman, their paths intersect.

About Gina:

Gina Holder completed the Long Ridge Writer’s Group “Breaking into Print” course and graduated from Faith Bible Institute. In August 2017, she published her first novel, Whither Shall I Go. She is active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads. Her Website and Blog is found at http://storiesbygina.wordpress.com.

She lives in Colorado with her husband and daughter. When she’s not working on her next novel, she enjoys reading, watching movies, singing, and playing the piano and organ.

eBook link:  Available for pre-order now.

(ahttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PG1CVTD

Social Media Links:

http://storiesbygina.wordpress.com

http://facebook.com/storiesbygina

http://twitter.com/ginaholder83

http://instagram.com/storiesbygina

https://pinterest.com/ginaaholder/

Solve by Christmas Part II - Amber Schamel -Giveaway

We were introduced to this book a few weeks ago when Amber shared the Story Behind the Story of SOLVE BY CHRISTMAS.  Today, Amber is sharing another fun part of writing this delightful mystery, including an excerpt.

What’s a Hero Without a Sidekick?

by Amber Schamel

Most of the time, it’s the main hero that gets all of the credit. But when you think about it, who would the Lone Ranger be without Tonto? Or Robin Hood without his Merry Men? Batman without Robin? Or Sherlock without Watson? The sidekicks are a HUGE part of the story and the success of the hero.

I’m going to be honest. For me, one of the main things that makes the hero so cool, is the dedicated and loyal sidekick. The fact that he’s got these people who trust him enough to go along with his hairbrained ideas, or follow him to the end of the earth, and stick with him through thick and thin, makes him a better guy than he was by himself. I mean, if his band of followers are willing to risk their necks to get him out of trouble, he’s gotta be a great person, right? Oh, and then there’s those times when the hero is so distracted or in a tizzy that he can’t see the solution staring him in the face, so he needs that sidekick to point it out to him. *sigh* 

Sidekicks are so much fun.

When I started writing a mystery, I knew my detective would need a sidekick. And I had SO much fun crafting this ornery character. Denny is a seventeen-year-old errand boy who works for the same company as my hero. He’s one of those unlikely sidekicks that Jasper absolutely loathes…until later, of course. Denny is so much fun that he almost steals the show from my grumpy, logical detective, but I really needed someone to balance him out. Denny does that well. I just have to give you a sneak peek at one of the very first hero/sidekick scenes in the book.

A shrill wind batted at Jasper’s overcoat as he opened the black iron gate of the Montgomery Apartments. Already someone had wrapped evergreen boughs along the top. He slipped through and trotted up the steps to the main entrance. Yanking the door open, he ducked inside and then shut out the draft.

“Hello, Detective Hollock. It’s about time you got here.”

Jasper whirled around, his overcoat thwacking the errand boy’s long legs. “Denny? What are you doing here?”

“Mr. Rudin said you were working on an important case, so I dropped by to see if you needed anything. Where have you been?”

The nerve of this boy. Choosing to ignore the insolent question, Jasper changed the subject. “Do you make a habit of stalking all of Mr. Rudin’s employees?”

“No, sir, just you. Although I think I’d be good at it.” A dimple appeared in the boy’s cheek, and his eyes squinted with his grin. “Company spy is almost like a company detective, right?”

Lord, give me patience. If this boy weren’t an orphan, Jasper would have boxed his ears and thrown him out with a good warning to get back to his duties. With a shake of his head, he made for the stairs.

Denny followed. “Is the case difficult? Does it have to do with Charlie’s note this morning? I saw you poking around the lab. Do you think someone stole something?”

“Look, Denny, I don’t mean to be rude, but this is classified information. Don’t you have errands to run or something?”

“I just finished one for Mr. Stosch. That’s why I was next door. I couldn’t be so close without popping in to see if you needed anything.”

Jasper paused in front of his apartment door and clicked the key in the lock. “I do need something.”

Denny’s brown eyes lit up. “Sure! What can I do for you?”

“Leave me alone.”

He yanked open the door, passed through, and would have shut it just as quick if the boy hadn’t lodged his shoe in the doorframe. “Can’t do that, detective. You need me.”

“I? Need you?” Jasper coughed in an attempt to hold back laughter.

“Sure. You can’t solve the cases without me.”

Amused, Jasper clasped his hands behind him to play along. “Pray tell, why would a detective need a nosy errand boy to solve a crime?”

“I’m smart—you know that. And fast. I can get information, run errands, sweet talk records out of the pretty lady in the employment department, and I scurry all over town. So I could keep tabs on a lot of things. An incognito informant, if you will.”

Jasper bit his lip. How old was this kid? Seventeen? He’d been reading too many of those ridiculous Doyle novels, that’s what. Well, he had to admit the boy was creative.

“Besides, every good detective needs a sidekick. What would Sherlock Holmes be without Watson? And, face it, what other choices do you have?”

“Nice try, kid. Get back to work.” He flipped Denny a quarter and shut the door. He waited to hear the boy’s tread fade away, but the shadow under the door didn’t move.

“Okay, we’ll talk later.” Denny’s voice muffled through beyond the door. “I’m sure you need some time to think it over.”

Ha! Gotta hand it to the kid for being persistent. He was so persistent that he talked me into offering a giveaway of Solve by Christmas in his honor with this post. 

So, answer the question below to get your name in the drawing for an ebook copy!

***Who is your favorite sidekick? (Can be book or movie/TV show.)***

Answer Amber's question in the comments section below for your chance to win her free eBook copy, being sure to leave your contact information so we can notify you in case you win. Ends one week from today (Tuesday, Nov 14, 2017) at Midnight, CST.

HAVE FUN!

When Heroes are Not Heroic: An Inside Look at "Blue Columbine"

 

Blue Columbine, book one in the Grace Revealing series by Jennifer Rodewald

Welcome, readers! This week we're going behind the scenes of Jennifer Rodewald's new book, Blue Columbine!! Find out why her hero, Andrew Harris, drew such a reaction, and why this "non-heroic" hero makes the perfect star of this beautiful contemporary romance. 

The main character isn’t your typical Christian Fiction hero. What is he like?

Andrew Harris insists on living on his own terms. Angry because of life’s injustices, he is determined that failure will not cross his path again. He is also adamant that he is not an alcoholic. When he reunites with Jamie Carson, finding her to be rooted in the faith they’d grown up with, and every bit as sweet and lovely as he remembered, he is plunged into an emotional whirlwind. Guilt, a longing to be better, frustration that he is not enough, and a rekindled love for his childhood sweetheart all swirl inside with maddening strength. But for all his faults, he is still loyal, supportive, and generous when he wants to be—all qualities that keep Jamie’s attention and devotion. Which keeps their close friendship—edging on more than friendship—complicated, to say the least.

What was the hardest part of writing this story?

This is a tough one, because the greatest difficulty didn’t come during the writing part. The hardest thing was taking in the amount of very strong negative reactions to Andrew as a Christian fiction character during the critiquing stage of the novel. Andrew’s a mess. An alcoholic in denial, angry at life and at God, selfish, and overall just not pretty. I knew that, but I didn’t expect to have vehement reactions insisting that such a character did not belong in Christian fiction. One comment labeled him “unredeemable.” That broke my heart, because as I shared before, God reminded me through this story that no one is beyond the Hand of Grace. I think it’s important that sometimes Christian fiction confirms that truth, even if it means starting with messy characters.

Where did Blue Columbine, the story, come from?

I’m not sure there’s one single, straight shot answer to that. The story unfolded in my mind and I was compelled to write it. I’ve had several years to look back and wonder, “Why this story?” since it first gripped me. Looking at it from hindsight, I think God was pouring truth into me through this book. I was at a point in my life when I was praying for loved ones…and losing hope. I see now that God was teaching me that nothing is beyond His reach. I needed to see that, to believe it again.

What messages/ themes do you hope your readers will get out of this book?

The first is this: NO ONE is beyond redemption. No one. I need to know that, because I love some messy people. God showed me through this book that my prayers do not go unheard, that His hand is more powerful than I give Him credit for, and His time and storyline are not necessarily mine.

And second: Jesus saves. From white lies to powerful addictions, Jesus saves the lost, washes sin completely clean, and offers new life with real hope.

What an amazing message! This book's hero proves that when our characters are not perfectly heroic, that only proves that God is! Thank you for sharing your book with us.
Now for a closer look at this book--and the gorgeous cover that sets the tone!

BLUE COLUMBINE, Book 1 of the Grace Revealing series

Best Friends—maybe more—until addiction shatters everything.

Childhood sweethearts reunite, but Andrew is not the boy he had been, and Jamie hasn’t changed. Their connection, however, outlasts time and offense.

Loyalty, love, and then betrayal….For Jamie, one thing becomes clear: Andy needs a savior, and she cannot be it. Will Andrew allow the hand of grace to redeem his legacy of addiction, or will he and Jamie remain the casualties of heartbreak?

What her readers are saying:

~ “Delicate. Humorous. And plumbing the depths of God's redeeming love.”

~ “This book does not disappoint. Instead it takes you through the emotional upheaval of loving someone with a problem you can't solve--and lets you witness the glory of the One who can.”

About Jennifer:

Jennifer Rodewald is passionate about the Word of God and the powerful vehicle of story. The draw to fiction has tugged hard on her heart since childhood, and when she began pursuing writing she set on stories that reveal the grace of God.Aiming to live with boundless enthusiasm, her creed is vision, pursuit and excellence. Blessed with a robust curiosity, she loves to research. Whether she’s investigating the history of a given area, the biography of a Christian icon, or how nature declares the glory of God, her daily goal is to learn something new.

Jen lives and writes in a lovely speck of a town where she watches with amazement while her children grow up way too fast, gardens, and marvels at God’s mighty hand in everyday life. Four kids and her own personal superman make her home in southwestern Nebraska delightfully chaotic.

She would love to hear from you! Please visit her at authorjenrodewald.com or connect with her on Facebook. Author Jen Rodewald.