Chaplain Debbie Mitchell
Entry #56
March 1st of the release date for her latest novel, Forsaken Dreams. In honor of that release I am giving away a metal bookmark featuring an Ocean/Blue/Water theme, look at the book cover and you will see why I chose this theme :)
Forsaken Dreams
book 1 in the Escape To Paradise series
#1. What was the inspiration for Forsaken Dreams? Several things inspired this series. First the history is so fascinating. I never knew that so many (tens of thousands) Southerners fled the South after the Civil War for greener pastures. Many went to Mexico, some out west, but several thousand went to Brazil. Their descendants still celebrate there today. Secondly I'm a big fan of the TV show LOST, in particular the jungle setting and the spiritual themes that ran through the show. I love the supernatural and I saw an opportunity to write a story about a group of settlers who are in a sense, running away from their problems and from God, but who end up being part of an eternal plan that involves a battle between good and evil. Forsaken Dreams is the account of their voyage to Brazil, during which the reader meets all the characters and discovers their individual reasons for running away. Themes of forgiveness, bitterness, hatred, guilt, rebellion and even Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome are addressed as the colonists face several disasters that threaten their mission and their lives. During the trip, hints are given here and there that something much larger is at stake waiting for them in Brazil, something that originated behind the curtain of the natural world. #2. How long did it take to finish writing this book? Each book is different, but for me, it usually takes between 6-8 months to write each novel. Forsaken Dreams took around 7 months because I had some extra research to do as I was writing it. #3. What do you hope your readers will take away with them when they read this book? First of all, I hope readers find the story fun and fascinating and romantic. I hope it makes them laugh and cry and sit on the edge of their seat. But aside from that, and more importantly, I hope they see that bitterness and anger lead to misery, that God doesn't cause war, that man has free will and creates his own messes, and that you can't run away from the loving arms of your Creator. #4. What made you choose the specific location(s) for this book? History! You saw from my answer to question 1 that this story is based on an actual event. Southerners did, indeed, set sail from Charleston, South Carolina and head toward Brazil. In fact some of the things that happen in the story to the colonists actually happened on a real-life voyage to Brazil during that time period. #5. Tell us something funny, sad, embarrassing, whatever, that happened involving this book. Hmm. I can't think of anything funny, sad, or embarrassing, but I can tell you that weird things have been happening since I started writing this series. These books are like none I've ever written before. Not only are they set in a foreign locale at a time period I'm not familiar with, but the stories will dabble a bit more in the supernatural than any of my other books. I'm talking visions, angels, demons, a Cannibalistic temple, ancient Hebrew scrolls...etc. And the odd thing is, I've never received more opposition on a series than I have this one. From it nearly not being contracted at all, to having difficulty writing it, various discouragements, people in the writing business telling me it would ruin my career, nearly canceling the final book. . .etc. Weird, huh? Makes me wonder if I'm not on the right track, after all. (wink) | Print Length: 322 pages Publisher: Barbour Books (March 1, 2013) ISBN-10: 1616265965 ISBN-13: 978-1616265960 To purchase your own copy use the link below Connect with MaryLu online. |
I know many of us are going through hard times right now. Whether they be financial, health, employment, relationships, kids, loss of loved ones, God wants you to know He has not forsaken you. He loves you and He is with you. I truly feel Him telling me lately in my quiet times that He is calling His people back to Him. He seeks those who are truly dedicated to serving Him with their whole hearts. As the world grows more evil around us and the end of this age grows near, God longs for His people to know Him personally, in a way they've never known Him before, as a Father who loves them beyond measure.
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.” Psalm 91: 1-2
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