Ever since I hosted Ms. Anderson on the book release of her debut novel Chain of Mercy, I have been itching to tell the world and the bookish blogosphere all about this lovely new author & her series of realistic INSPY fiction! I have come to use the shortened version of “Inspirational” via Twitter recently, as I started to notice writers, readers, & book bloggers alike are starting to grow towards creating a community for the those of us who appreciate faith-based fiction. I have been a support of the INSPY Awards since I learnt of them in 2013, and even applied to become a judge in 2014. I love the close-knitted bookish community overall, but I have found the Inspirational side of the bookish market to be sorting out their own niche in the twitterverse and I am appreciating the journey!
I love being a book cheerleader (if you hadn’t noticed, I created the tag #bookcheerleader during this year’s #ArmChairBEA!) for writers who not only tell a convincing story but writers who dig deep and pull out of the cosmos compelling characters, fully realised worlds in which their characters not only live but find growth through the passageways which deepen their character’s perspective, and the convicting narratives which not only leave me bemused in ruminative thoughts upon completing a novel but leave me altered. I love feeling as though the reconnection to my own living reality is a bit of a tug-of-war out of the fictional reality I had just lived inside for the length of time the novel was perched open in my hands.
When my path originally crossed with Ms. Anderson, she was a book blogger who was creating her own niche in the book blogosphere for showcasing heart-warming INSPY fiction (of late her debut novelist features have been inspiring in their own right) which is how our friendship began; now that I’m a bonefide member of her Street Team, I cannot quite express the gratitude I have knitted into my heart to help give new readers a chance to discover what I always knew I would find within her novels! She truly has carved out her own style within the world of INSPY fiction and I cannot wait to nominate her for the next INSPY Awards, as her works truly deserve to become recognised for helping to pave the road forward for Inspirational Fiction as this branch of literature continues to expand, grow, and cart new territory through the story-tellers who curate a truism within their writing which resonates within our spirit and heart.
It is with great pleasure I can not only highlight the Coming Home Series today, but I can give a window into the next book being released THIS November: Pieces of Granite, the prequel to Chain of Mercy!
Schedule of Book Releases:
PREQUEL: Pieces of Granite | November 2014
BOOK 1: Chain of Mercy | April 2014
BOOK 2: Memory Box Secrets | April 2015
BOOK 3: Finding Home (working title) | September 2015
Converse via: #ComingHomeSeries + #ChainOfMercy + #PiecesOfGranite
Book Synopsis for the first two novels of the “Coming Home series”:
They forgave him for the accident that killed their son, but he will never forgive himself. Manhattan businessman Richard Brooks was at the top of the world, drunk with success, wealth, and women. Until one disastrous evening, when his world came crashing down. Richard flees to Minneapolis where he repairs ancient boilers instead of solving corporate problems, and he’s determined to live the solitary life he now deserves. But Executive Sheila Peterson has other plans for the handsome custodian. Richard appears to be the perfect match for the no-strings-attached romance she’s after, but she soon discovers that he’s hiding more than the designer suits in his closet.
A distressing diagnosis
A retreating husband
A prodigal brother
Debbie Verhoeven is not your typical woman
*She sacrificed her counseling career to be a full-time mom
*She’d rather pound a nail than round steak
*Oprah? No way! Give her ESPN any day
*Nothing could be more stressful than scrapbooking
Nothing except …
A distressing diagnosis
A husband who is pulling away
And two brothers who refuse to get along
When the counselor is caught in the middle,
When she needs to be strong for those around her,
Who is left to be strong for her?
Read an Excerpt from Pieces of Granite
When you first set out to write the Coming Home series did you envision each individual book in the series or has the series knitted together organically one story at a time?
Anderson responds: When I first started writing, I had no clue that I would end up with a four book series. Each book grew organically from the previous. I first wrote Chain of Mercy and realized that I actually had two stories in one, so that’s how Memory Box Secrets was born. The story expanded from there. Pieces of Granite came about because I kept hearing from agents and editors that female readers didn’t want to read a book about male issues, so I decided to create a story from the female perspective.
In Chain of Mercy, the hero (Richard) talks about a fight he’d had with his younger sister (Debbie), a rift he created when Debbie told him about her daughter having Down syndrome. I took Debbie’s story and expanded it. I wrote Finding Home because I left a few loose threads dangling at the end of Memory Box Secrets (that’s all the spoiler I’ll give!) I needed to address those threads properly.
Chain of Mercy is a beautiful testament of faith set in a very unique style for Inspirational Fiction wherein you allow the grace of realism to intercede on your characters lives in a way that is not typical of the genre today. At the time you were writing Chain of Mercy, were their echoes of a Pieces of Granite in your mind, or was it the reverse? I applaud how you choose to reveal the journey of Debbie Verhoeven. What was your main inspiration for sharing her story?
Anderson responds: Thank you, Jorie, for your generous words about Chain of Mercy! I love reading stories that showcase authentic characters, so that’s my goal. I want readers to believe that this could happen!
My inspiration for telling Debbie’s story isn’t all that romantic. ;-) It was borne simply because Chain of Mercy wasn’t garnering attention due to it having a male protagonist. I reasoned that if I could write a story for a woman’s, Debbie’s perspective that would also showcase my Chain of Mercy hero (Richard), that readers wouldn’t be able to resist picking up Chain after reading Pieces. Now, once I got into Debbie’s story, I realized she had a lot to say, and that I had a lot to learn!
The structure and dynamics of families are always challenging, but when you bring into the center of the storms an individual family is facing an unexpected arrival such as the one Debbie Verhoeven and her family are about to receive, the results of the news can be shattering to the core of who the family defines themselves as. Did you find this part of the story difficult to write? To shine a light on the honest and raw truths of what a family might feel through the turmoil before seeing the resounding joy?
Anderson responds: You said it perfectly, Jorie. In Pieces of Granite, Debbie and her husband Jerry learn that the baby they’re expecting as Down syndrome. Expectant parents have high hopes for their children, and health is at the top of that list. Discovering your child won’t be “normal” is difficult, and for some, shattering. That’s why it’s so important to lean on our Savior, because we can’t handle it on our own.
I didn’t find it difficult to write Pieces of Granite, but the story did expose a nerve. I haven’t experienced what Debbie and Jerry have, but in many ways, Debbie is just like me. I feel as if readers will be seeing right into me as they follow Debbie’s story. Also, as a storyteller, I find it very important to look at issues from many sides. Debbie has one perspective, Jerry another, and Richard a third. There is joy and guilt and turmoil. Exploring the many layers of issues not only helps me see the heart of the character, it also helps me see people as God sees them.
Are any of the characters we came to belove in Chain of Mercy going to have a prominent role in Pieces of Granite? And, if so, are their character attributes going to surprise us as they did not yet evolve through their growth in Chain of Mercy?
Anderson responds: You will see many of the characters from Chain of Mercy, and Richard Brooks plays a prominent role, plus you’ll see the rest of the Brooks family. The family dynamics are given center stage in this book. It was a lot of fun exploring Richard’s character prior to his story in Chain of Mercy. It was very important for me to create someone who’s likable, behaved in ways that the Christian audience would disdain, but the secular world wouldn’t have a problem with. Not an easy job, but I think I pulled it off.
At the conclusion of Chain of Mercy I had this to say about the novel: The hidden beauty of the life affirming message knitted into Chain of Mercy is that all three principal characters (Richard Brooks, Sheila Peterson, and Meghan Keene) are each walking their own path towards self-acceptance, self-forgiveness, and ache for a redemptive measure of mercy and grace none of them believe they deserve. Is this a hint towards where you want to bring your readers each time they read one of your novels? To give us a measure of a mirror to see into our own introspective selves whilst contemplating the life of a character whose faith and will to understand their life’s path grows through the story you’ve written to share?
Anderson responds: I love your analysis of books, Jorie! You really seem to understand what I try to achieve in writing. Bless you!
I did address this above briefly, but it doesn’t hurt to repeat it. For me, it’s very important to show differing perspectives in a story. That’s what makes it real. Just look at your own family. No two people are alike. No two people agree on everything all the time, and oftentimes, the perspectives can be at odds. We each bring our own life experiences when looking at issues and that colors what we believe. In order to create well-rounded characters, it’s vital to show opposing dynamics. It’s also imperative for me to not point fingers at those I disagree with. In order to do that, I have to get inside their skin and see their heart as God sees it. Now, that’s not to say that my beliefs don’t come across or that I’m morally ambiguous in my stories. I’m not. But it’s also not my job to judge those who disagree, and by showing their backstory, their heart, it helps me understand those in real life who might have differing opinions.
What has been the best personal growth within you as a writer you’ve seen as you’ve worked on the Coming Home series?
Anderson responds: This goes back to my answer from the previous question. I’ve really learned to be more open, to see others’ side of view, and to see the heart that God sees. I’m still a work-in-progress, but writing these stories helps tremendously.
As you have recently decided to forge a new path in the world of Indie Publishing, what has been the best moment for you as a publisher [Vivant Press] now that Pieces of Granite is about to alight in reader’s hands?
Anderson responds: I love to learn, and jumping into the Indie market into the Indie market when a mere two months ago, that wasn’t a thought, has forced me to learn very quickly. It’s been a challenge, one I’ve risen up to, and now others who are contemplating going Indie are coming to me for advice. Not that I’m a great adviser–yet–but I’ll get there!
A special message & announcement from Ms. Anderson:
(please note: I do not host bookaways/giveaways on my blog but there are times where an author I am interviewing and/or reviewing a novel on behalf of will host their own giveaway/bookaway to run concurrent to a feature I am hosting on my own bookish blog. In these particular instances the bookaways/giveaways are not connected to Jorie Loves A Story but are of the author’s own inclination to host; thereby if you are interested in what is being offered kindly click the poster to find out the details on Ms. Anderson’s blog! Thank you kindly for your understanding!)
I want to give a heartfelt note of gratitude to Ms. Anderson who has allowed me to take the journey with her as she takes her writing to new heights as she not only is embarking on finding readers who appreciate her stories, but she is forging her own path whilst she tackles the world of Indie Publishing. There is no greater joy in life than finding the writers who champion the moment of their writerly pursuits by taking a bold step towards securing their own bookish futures through courage, self-confidence, and a grace for helping others along the way. I am so very enthused to watch her readership grow and knit into new hearts and minds — I could not even fathom why anyone would hesitate to pick up Chain of Mercy simply because it befits being told from a lead male character; I find that quite sad, if in this world of INSPY literature, we cannot embrace differences of perspectives by all characters whose life not only deserves recognising as having merit to being read, but to step outside the gender box and embrace characters who grace the printed page.
Gender equality isn’t a state of mind – it is a state of being. If we strive so very hard to assert our own gender neutrality and gender equality as women who are oft-times overlooked in our own fields simply due to our femininity, then we too, cannot regress and fault a bloke in return for standing strong in his own right with his own life to tell. Gender equality is paramount to a society whose acceptable tolerance is to accept our differences but grow through our common humanistic core of being interconnected to our humanity’s soul.
I can only hope as I blog further about this series and tweet my bookcheerleader’s heart out to help the word populate itself into reader’s eyes, I can help pass on the word of Ms. Anderson’s strength for giving us stories which emote such a strong humanistic conviction of spirit that they quite literally transfix you to the page and the heart of her novels. Don’t let a presumption dissuade you from reading a book anymore than you would allow yourself to miss the chance to meet someone in real life of whom you made the wrong first impression!
Be sure to stay attune to the Bookish Events I’m hosting by visiting my Calendar of Events! To see which book will become my next reads selection of choice, visit my AUTUMN TBR List on Riffle!
Similar to blog tours, when I feature a showcase for an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog.
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{SOURCES: Book cover for “Chain of Mercy”, “Pieces of Granite”, Author Biography, Book Synopsis for each novel, and the giveaway (hosted by the author, not a part of Jorie Loves A Story) poster were provided by the author Brenda S. Anderson and used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Badge for #IndieWriterMonth created by Jorie in Canva.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.
Comments via Twitter:
#amblogging #book spotlight & Q&A highlighting #newbook release #INSPY #writer @BrendaSAnders_n! I am most happily her #bookcheerleader! :)
— Jorie Loves A Story (@JLovesAStory) November 18, 2014
What an outstanding feature of Brenda and her books, Jorie! A lovely read with my morning coffee. I loved Chain of Mercy and can’t wait to get my hands on Pieces of Granite!
Hallo Ms Prichard,
Thank you for swinging by my blog today! :) I appreciate your sweet compliments on behalf of my post for Ms Anderson’s new release! I positively love reading her stories, like you do!! I am so tickled with joy you had such a delightful time reading this over your morning cuppa java!! What fun! Thankful to have found someone who *loved!* Chain of Mercy!! Drop back anytime!
Thank you, Jorie, for not only being a vocal cheerleader, but for being a champion of my books. You get what I write about! :) I’m blessed to have *met* you!