I want to extend a warm welcome to Bethany Turner. She's giving away a hard copy of her book, The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck (US ONLY). You can enter by using the Rafflecopter link at the end of the post. (Giveaway ends December 21, 2017. If you are the randomly chosen winner, I'll contact you and pass on your information.) Now, here's Bethany...
We’ve
all heard it said that ignorance is bliss. After my experience in getting The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck written
and published, I feel as if I need to add a little something to that.
Sometimes,
ignorance is an asset.
When
I began writing The Secret Life of Sarah
Hollenbeck, I was really just having fun. I had previously self-published a
general market women’s fiction series of books which I believe had reached
about seventeen readers. (Okay…I’m exaggerating. It may have been more like
fourteen.) Those books were written
as stress relief. I was managing a bank which was going through its second
merger in about a year, and writing had become the outlet I had never known
that I needed. I didn’t originally have any intent, or even desire, to publish.
As far as I was concerned, the beginning of my writing endeavors was also going
to be the end of my writing endeavors.
But
then a funny thing happened. I discovered that I loved to write. And then I
discovered that I needed to write.
And then, the most unexpected thing of all: I discovered that I could connect
with the Lord in a way I never had before, if only I would listen to Him and
follow His guidance as I worked to put words down on the page.
And
then…The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck.
I had walked away from my banking career, convinced that God was calling me to
something different. It was terrifying and adventurous and thrilling and…did I
mention terrifying? But it was also so very freeing. Despite the career
uncertainty (and the financial uncertainty which accompanied it), I had never
been more certain in my life that I was doing the right thing. I didn’t know
what the future held, but in the present, God was telling me to write. The idea
for The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck came
in a moment, the first chapter was there within hours, and the first draft was
there within six weeks.
I
didn’t know that Contemporary Christian Romance was a bit of an underdog genre,
and that Contemporary Christian Romantic Comedy was even less prominent. I
didn’t know that first person POV was generally considered less likely to
garner interest. I didn’t know that my chances of getting traditionally
published without an agent, a platform, or a clue what I was doing were
extremely unlikely. (Well, okay…I guess common sense may have given me an idea
there.) All I knew was that I was striving with all my might to go where the
Lord was leading.
How
often do we mess up the question because we think we know the answers? How often
do we neglect to even ask the
question for that same reason? Answering for myself, I’d have to say all the time. Seriously. All the time! I
feel God leading one way, but I give other people’s answers for them. And when
I do that, the answer is almost always, “No.” But for whatever reason, as I was
writing The Secret Life of Sarah
Hollenbeck, I finally paid attention as God told me, “Wait. Just wait.
Don’t try to figure it out. I’ve already got it all taken care of. Trust me.”
I
don’t believe that my journey to publication is typical, and I am certainly not
trying to minimize the importance of studying the craft, making connections,
building a platform, etc. That is all incredibly important, and I am
continually striving to improve in all of those areas. But I do believe that
sometimes the Lord uses the nontraditional path, the unexpected breakthrough,
the against-the-odds story to remind us that He has the answers to the questions that we sometimes neglect to
ask. To remind us that we don’t know it all, and that we absolutely do not know
better than He does.
Sometimes
we just need a reminder that as we strive for success and try to soak up every
bit of information we can, our greatest asset just might be ignorance.
My review...
Sarah Hollenbeck is trying to find herself after going
through a divorce. She joins a book club and decides she wants to become an
author. Under a pseudonym, Sarah writes steamy romances and quickly becomes
highly popular. Along the way, she becomes a Christian, which causes her to
re-think her current career and path in life. When attending a new church,
Sarah literally runs into the pastor, a widower with a small daughter, and they
are immediately drawn to one another. Is it possible for them to have a future
together? Will Sarah need to choose between her career and love?
This wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but that’s not
necessarily a bad thing. It is definitely different than other books I have
read in this genre. Parts of it were a bit slow to build up, and a few things
seemed to happen a bit too quickly. However, overall, it was a highly enjoyable
read. While I liked Sarah, her best friend Piper was perhaps my favorite
character. She provides stability, support, and is the voice of reason
throughout the book.
The story is written in first person POV (Sarah’s) and
has a chick-lit feel to it. Turner’s writing style is very fluid, and it is
easy to engage with the well-developed characters. Some of Sarah’s struggles
are quite realistic for a new Christian trying to figure out how to move beyond
their past. While there are a number of serious scenes, there are a lot of
humorous moments, as well. The spiritual theme wasn’t quite as strong as I was
expecting for this genre, but the elements were smoothly woven throughout.
Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book, but I wasn’t required to leave a
positive review.
About Bethany...
Bethany Turner is the director of administration for Rock Springs Church in Southwest Colorado. A former VP/operations manager of a commercial bank and a three-time cancer survivor (all before she turned thirty-five). Bethany knows that when God has plans for your life, it doesn't matter what anyone else has to say. Because of that, she's chosen to follow His call to write. She lives with her husband and their two sons in Colorado, where she writes for a new generation of readers who crave fiction that tackles the thorny issues of life with humor and insight.
Where you can find Bethany online...
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