Book Review: Dancing in the Rain

by Jeanette O'Hagan  @JeanetteOHagan

The Book

Sometimes … life hurts.
What do we do then?
How do we keep going?
Who can help us?

The One who created you knows you by name. He draws near to the broken-hearted. He will gather you in His arms. He will hold you close. He will be with you always.

You will find—
• Comfort for your sadness.
• Peace for your fears.
• Hope for tomorrow.
• Light for the journey.
• And joy through every season.

Dancing in the Rain is a collection of poems, stories and life-giving words designed to bring you comfort and hope during life’s stormy seasons. 

Published March 1st 2018 by Armour Books
Available Books in Stock

The Author

Anusha delights in many things – life, the love of Jesus, people, the beauty of God’s Creation. She writes mostly for pleasure. She has decided never to grow old in spite of a body that is already defying her intentions! She enjoys the finer things of life including friendship and chocolate! Singing, walking, connecting with people and sharing God’s love are her some of her deepest passions. Like her writing, she is a work in progress! 

Anusha lives in Adelaide with her husband Shan and their son, Asela.

My Thoughts

I've been looking forward to reading Anusha's Dancing in the Rain as I'd enjoyed her story in Glimpses of Light and have also been encouraged and inspired by her regular blog of the same name. 

The book has a eye-catching cover that entices me to pick it up and read.  Inside, it has an interesting structure, broken up into sections such as Oh No! It's Raining; I need an Umbrella; It's OK to grieve; A Rainbow called HOPE; Splashing Through the Puddles; Laughter the Best Medicine; Tall Stories about Rainy Days; Sailing Paper Boats; How Green is my Valley; And Best of All - the progression seeming to follow, at least in part, the progression of emotional journey through difficult times. Each section is filled with reflections from the author (divided into Part 1 and Part 2), Friends' Stories (told in first person), Nuggets (quotes, epigrams, Scripture), My story (from the Anusha's experiences), a poem and a serialised story 'Each Monday'. 

It's an interesting mix, with different perspectives and approaches to our feelings, responses and options when facing difficulties and discouragement. The personal stories (both from Anusha and her friends) give testimony to depth of feeling, faith, and God in action in each one's lives. The reflections, nuggets and poems give both comfort, commiseration, as well as inspiration and hope in God's loving presence, spiritual meditations and practical ideas to gain a different perspective on the rain-soaked times, how to survive and even thrive. I think my favourite section is the Each Monday story, as I waited for the next instalment of the narrator's journey.

Overall, it's an easy to read, a part devotional, part inspirational gem that brims with Anusha's gentle and vibrant faith. Worth reading and also an excellent gift for those going through hard times.

Jeanette started spinning tales in the world of Nardva at the age of eight or nine. She enjoys writing secondary world fiction, poetry, blogging and editing. Her Nardvan stories span continents, time and cultures. They involve a mixture of courtly intrigue, adventure, romance and/or shapeshifters and magic users. She has published numerous short stories, poems, two novellas and her debut novel, Akrad's Children and new release Ruhanna's Flight and other stories.

Jeanette has practised medicine, studied communication, history, theology and a Master of Arts (Writing). She loves reading, painting, travel, catching up for coffee with friends, pondering the meaning of life. She lives in Brisbane with her husband and children.

Find her on:

Facebook |Jeanette O'Hagan Writes | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Strengthened For All Things

By Keona Tann

Restoration is hard. Waiting is difficult. I get excited about being able to do stuff and then overdo it and therefore ‘crash’. Today is one of those days. I’m too tired to do much and a daytime sleep is a must not a luxury.

I listened to John Zeckendorf talk about his journey to become the first Tasmanian to climb Mt Everest. It was inspiring! He said that at one point he couldn't go on so he said to himself at each step: "through Christ I can do all things".

“For I can do everything through Christ who give me strength.” Philippians 4:13 New Living Translation

I need that reminder so much today! I've got worship music playing and as "It Is Well" plays I’m reminded to 'let it go and trust in Him!'. I'm reminded again that God has got this!

As I’m forced to bed, for a sleep, I struggle with Philippians 4:13. If I’m promised to be able to do all things, then why can’t I? I have a sleep and wake up with those thoughts still running through my head. I need to investigate this some more so I research and find 2 different bible versions to compare:

"I know what it means to lack, and I know what it means to experience overwhelming abundance. For I'm trained in the secret of overcoming all things, whether in fullness or in hunger. And I find that the strength of Christ's explosive power infuses me to conquer every difficulty." Philippians 4:12-13 The Passion Translation

“I can do all things (which He has called me to do) through Him who strengthen and empowers me (to fulfil His purpose – I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace).”

Philippians 4:13 Amplified Bible

The Amplified version clarifies it for me – I can do ALL the things God calls me to do. My extreme nature is to try and do ALL THINGS – that is I race ahead and try to achieve my to do list and not necessarily God’s to do list! I really need to be careful about this. It is so easy to get distracted from what I’m meant to be doing and try to achieve something that looks good but isn’t the right thing for me to do right now.

I’m reminded that I am able to do what is set before me because of Jesus’s strength within. Although it feels like defeat, sleeping during the day is still what my body needs. This is simply part of the recovery process. I need my strength to return and it is and will grow as I listen to God as well as my body’s needs. 

My prayer is this:

I ask You, Lord God, to give me complete knowledge of Your will and to give me spiritual wisdom, insight, revelation and understanding. Then I will be empowered to live in such a way that it always honours and pleases You Lord. As I live a life of virtue and honour this will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, I will grow as I learn to know God better and better. I also pray that I will be strengthened for all things by Your glorious power, so that I will have all the endurance and patience I need. May I be filled with joy, awe and wonder - always thanking the Father. For He has enabled me to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people, those who live in the light. For God has rescued me from the kingdom of darkness and transferred me into the Kingdom of his dear Son, Jesus, who purchased my freedom and forgave my sins. inspired by Colossians 1:9-14.

You may find me sleeping, but don’t worry for very soon I will be strengthened for all things and even better I will have the wisdom to know what I’m meant to be doing!

I pray that you’re encouraged to seek God’s wisdom and strength for your own challenges.

Many blessings

Keona

For most of my life I struggled with sickness. The 2 dominant afflictions were endometriosis (for 28 years) and adrenal fatigue (I was severely debilitated for 28 months and the recovery has been a journey of 11 months so far).
In September 2016 God declared healing over my life. This set me on a path of restoration and transformation.
My passion for writing was reignighted and I wrote the following mission statement:
I desire to impact the world through the words I share. I long to enrich, empower and encourage others whilst delivering my stories with empathy and understanding.
“He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭40:3‬ ‭NLT‬‬
I've started a weekly blog which you can find at: https://keonajtann.wordpress.com/
I'm currently working on my testimony as well as my journey with endometriosis and adrenal fatigue. I hope that I'll launch my first book soon. Many blessings, Keona

Share Your Story

By Keona Tann

I have suffered from endometriosis (commonly shortened to endo) for 28 years. It's a disease that is hard to pronounce (en-doh-mee-tree-oh-sis), difficult to diagnose and impossible to understand. From the age of 13 I suffered horrendous periods that were associated with nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, clammy sweats and frequently unbearable pain. Often I would suffer pelvic pain that could last for months. I struggled for years to be diagnosed and then still suffered extensively due to the fact that my endo growths were drug resistant. This meant that the only way to control them was with surgery. In my late teens I was advised that I may not be able to have children. But miraculously I managed to conceive naturally and I'm the proud mum of 2 gorgeous kids that are a really blessing.

Finding you have an illness, disease or condition is just the start of a very long and difficult road. It's hard to understand long term suffering and so many seemingly unanswered prayers. I’ve found that an invisible illness is a very lonely existence! The disease left me severely debilitated many times and unable to participate in life as I desired.

I believed the lie of being alone for a long time but thankfully God sustained me and revealed that companionship in shared suffering can be found. 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, the New Living Translation, states that: “two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help”. I find that I ‘fall’ so many times physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually that I need regular prayer time with God and a team to help me.

For me my team consists of a good GP who I trust and can talk to; specialists who are knowledgeable and want the best for me; an amazing husband; a supportive and caring family; a Christian counsellor; a psychologist; a close circle of friends I can text, message etc. and importantly a team of prayer warriors.

I implore you please DON’T suffer in silence alone.

With the modern technology that we have today you can connect from your bed to people all over the world. There are great Facebook support groups for numerous diseases and conditions.

I have found reaching out and inviting friends for a cuppa catch up gives me an opportunity to be encouraged and supported as well as a chance to try to encourage and support them. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (ESV) challenges me to: “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up.”. I believed, for a long time, that I couldn’t possibly make an impact from my bed as I felt trapped and shackled to my illness. But I believe God will empower us to reach out to others and He will take our small effort and turn it into something amazing. A simple text to a friend can brighten their day, so don’t underestimate the small gestures you make as they can have a HUGE impact.

So please take a big deep breath, pray and then share, share, share!

Keona Tann has lived most of her life in the beautiful Australian state - Tasmania. She has been married to her college sweetheart for over 20 years. Keona and her husband consider themselves extremely blessed to be raising 2 wonderful teenagers. They have also been long time child sponsors with Compassion. Keona's working life has seen her develop over 15 years of customer service experience. Health issues have plagued her for 28 years and over the past 2 years have been severely debilitating. Seeking direction from God her passion for writing was recently reignited. Writing the following mission statement: "I desire to impact the world through the words I share. I long to enrich, empower and encourage others whilst delivering my stories with empathy and understanding." she hopes to launch her new career soon.

Sabbatical or New Project?

After the release of my tenth novel, Beyond the Fight, I felt ready for a break, a sabbatical if you like, in order to be open to what might be next. I had pretty much told the last story I wanted to tell from my own family history.  Though I had been doing more research on my husband’s side of the family and had sketched ideas for a beginning story in that line, I was also conscious of needing time to focus on promoting and selling the books I already have before launching into another manuscript.

Our planned trip overseas seemed to be perfect timing in this process, as when I’m away I’m able to focus on the new experiences my husband and I have prepared for and my mind is free to observe, enjoy, be inspired and challenged by what we see.

However, just before we left I received a phone call from a man I had met on several occasions and heard speaking about his life story; one of a troubled, abandoned street kid to a successful business man and dedicated Christian. He had a great passion and a sense of calling to spend his retirement helping young people who were living the life he had once known; without hope, without purpose.  Bill’s reason for calling me was to ask me if I would help him write his life story. Members of his family have been encouraging him to write his story, to document how his vision and determination to build a residential and  foster program for troubled youth came into being, and how he has been able to restore health, hope and purpose to many lives. Bill had decided it was time to have this written, but knew he needed help. I was humbled and honoured that he wanted me to help him write his story.  I agreed to think about this while I was away and contact Bill when I returned.

Many years ago I wrote the story of another amazing woman who was in her nineties and similarly encouraged by her family to write her memoirs. While I was away and praying about my answer to Bill, I was reminded of what a great privilege it had been to listen to and record that dear lady’s words, to put her story into an interesting order and help get it into print, if only for family members and friends. I was also reminded that each time I speak about my novels, which are based on my own family research, I encourage the listeners to write down their own stories in some form, as they are such a valuable part of history, with depths of wisdom and experience from which many people can learn.  

This is me on a mountain top in Andorra. An inspiring place to contemplate a decision. 

I’ve come home from overseas with a sense of privilege and excitement about embarking on this new venture. I don’t believe it was a coincidence that Bill approached me at the time he did, and so I see this challenge as coming from God. It’s an opportunity for me to do something special for an inspiring man and also to respond to a new challenge for myself. I’ve agreed to take this journey with Bill, to put on hold my writing of fiction and enter into this quest of writing non-fiction. Bill’s story must be told from his perspective. It must be his experience, pass on his motives, learnings and wisdom. No filling the gaps with fiction, no creatively moving the story on by adding some extra drama, as I’ve allowed myself to do – and thoroughly enjoyed – in the writing of my novels.

Bill is a delightful man, with a beautiful heart, a wealth of experience, and a deep desire and determination to leave a legacy, to bring hope and freedom to those who've been rejected and damaged. Having made numerous attempts to record important events, achievements, challenges and battles, he had a great pile of papers waiting for me when we met this morning to begin. Together we prayed, looked at the fragments and discussed the possibilities, what Bill most wanted to achieve with this book, who he wanted to read it and how we would go about sharing the journey.   

Bill is now in his late seventies. There’s a lot he could say, much more than one book can contain. So I must follow his deepest desires, help him search out what God wants him to say, and help him get his message and story into print so that it’s gripping, challenging and moving. (which it is).

I have mixed feelings. I feel honoured to have been asked to undertake this project.  I feel a great weight of responsibility. I want this to be all Bill hopes for. I want to do his story justice because I believe it’s a story that should be told and could deeply affect the lives of many readers. I feel excited about doing something quite new and also apprehensive about my capacity to do it. Mostly I’m trusting God to enable and lead me. I’m not sure this counts as a sabbatical, but it will be an interesting, if not daunting, change. 

I know some of you are essentially writers of non-fiction, and some have turned to writing non-fiction after having written fiction. I’d been pleased to hear your advice, to know what you see as the major differences between these two genres, the essential dos and don’ts as I begin what I suppose is a ghost writer's adventure.

Carol

  

Carol writes historical novels based on her family ancestry in Australia from the First Fleet. They include the Turning the Tide series; Mary’s Guardian, Charlotte’s Angel, Tangled Secrets and Truly Free. Two of her earlier novels, Suzannah’s Gold and Rebecca’s Dream, were re-released by EBP.  Next of Kin was released last year by Rhiza Press and the sequel, Beyond the Fight, was released this April. You can see more about Carol and her novels on her website, her Amazon author page or FB author page.

www.carolpreston.com.au

www.amazon.com/author/carolpreston

www.facebook.com/writingtoreach

Four Questions to Strengthen Your Plotting and Branding

If your writing was a smoothie, what would it be?

Do you know your own likes, dislikes, passions, and if-I-even-get-a-whiff-of-banana-I’m-gonna-throw-up?

Writers need to know what ingredients go into their favourite stories, so we can create delicious masterpieces of our own. If we don’t, our second act could end up a mash of milk, orange juice, spinach and blended Happy Meal. And the inconsistent branding won’t be much better.

To identify the ideal ingredients for your writing smoothie, ask yourself these questions:

·         What titles are in the stack of books that inspire me?

·         What DVDs have the least dust on my shelf?

·         What are the elements of these stories that most appeal to me?

·         What in life makes me angry?

Drill down into the details of these questions, and look for patterns between movies/books you admire and your own writing.

To use myself as an example, here’s my ‘smoothie’:

Ingredient 1: Storylines involving families.

Examples: While You Were Sleeping, Admission, Just Go With It, Blended.

Ingredient 2: Comedy.

Examples: Any book by Jenny B Jones, Janet Evanovich, Sophie Kinsella, and pretty much any sit com on TV.

Ingredient 3: I’m not sure how to describe this, except to say ‘authentic’, ‘real’, or ‘no filter’.

Examples: Any book by Christa Parrish. I can smell, taste and feel her books like no one else’s. For movies, I’d have to choose ‘You Instead’ (also released as ‘You’re Mine Tonight’), which was actually filmed in 5 days at the Scottish music festival where it was set. It’s hard to describe, except to say that most movies are kind of like Instagram pics with filters, while this movie was filter-free.

Ingredient 4: Teamwork and banter.

Examples: Castle, NCIS LA, Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Ingredient 5: Messiness.

Example: This one comes from real life. Something that really affected me growing up was the split and rapid decline of my childhood church - a reality that was drastically different to the picture-perfect churches I read about in Christian fiction (not that there's anything wrong with that, I just noticed it due to my particular life situation at the time). This experience means I like to express the complicatedness of real life and the church, while also showing God’s faithfulness.

These five ingredients, combined with a sweet base of romance, mean my writing can be summed up as ‘romantic comedy in a messy world’.

Knowing these ingredients helps me to develop my storylines, produce more consistent marketing, and to identify what new book ideas are likely to sustain my interest.

From a reader’s perspective, knowing an author’s passions helps me to connect with them more, and to tell if I’m likely to be interested in their work.

So, how about it? What are your favourite ‘ingredients’, and how do you like to combine them to create a masterpiece? What inspires you?

Share your smoothie in the comments below! 

Jessica Everingham is a 24 year-old Aussie who writes romantic comedy for a messy world. Her manuscript, Hating Jeremy Walters, was a finalist in the 2015 My Book Therapy Frasier Award and runner-up in the 2015 Australian Christian Writers Contemporary Romance Contest. 

Jessica loves it when readers and writers connect with her on social media or email. Smoke signals are also acceptable.

Website: jessicaeveringham.com | Facebook: Jessica Everingham Writing | Twitter: @JessEveringham | Email: jessicaeveringhamwriting@gmail.com

Symphony in Words

Recently I attended the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and enjoyed performances of Beethoven’s 1^st and 2^nd piano concertos. I was moved and delighted by the music and the talent of the performers.

As I looked down on the great range of instruments and absorbed the creativity of Beethoven’s work, it occurred to me that there was a parallel with writing a novel and a great lesson to take away as a writer. While the central figure in the concerto was the pianist, who was absolutely captivating, there were so many other instruments that played a vital part in creating the overall impact of the music. Each piece came in at exactly the right moment to lead into a particular movement, or to add light or dark to the unfolding experience for the listener.  Some instruments had only a very small part to play, but added a dramatic transition or change of pace. Some were obviously important support instruments and filled out the character and beauty of the music. Others instruments were woven throughout the recital, as background or accompaniment, not drawing attention to themselves, almost unnoticed, but vital to the overall sound.

The conductor, of course, directed and held all of this together, exquisitely interpreting Beethoven’s genius, so that the audience was taken on a wonderful journey through quiet reflection, rousing heights of joy or tension, delightfully pure sounds that sent tingles down my spine, then led to a dramatic climax and a sweet conclusion. 

Just as a novel ought to, I thought as I relaxed in my seat afterwards!

How important it is that as writers we draw our readers into a story that includes all these aspects; central characters who are captivating, support characters who help the reader to get to know, love, anguish with and be inspired by the main character, and who give the story depth and breadth. Minor characters are also important, in adding light and dark, changes of pace, transitions to new chapters. I was reminded that the role of these characters who accompany our heroes and heroines, must be unique and special in their own right, and must be introduced at precisely the right moment in order to carry the story forward or to make a particular impression on the reader.

I love music, but I am definitely a listener. I have no talent for playing an instrument or singing. Amazingly I have children and grandchildren who are talented in both and I love to hear them singing and playing. What I feel then is proud enjoyment. However, seeing a complete orchestra, with so many different instruments, all playing beautifully, and all working together in such harmony and purpose, made me feel like I’d been on a journey, been transported into a story. I came away uplifted and refreshed, but also inspired to reflect on the novel  I’m currently working on, in terms of the lessons the orchestra had shown me.

I hope this gives other writers some food for thought.

 

 

 

Carol writes historical novels based on her family ancestry in Australia and include the Turning the Tide series; Mary’s Guardian, Charlotte’s Angel, Tangled Secrets and Truly Free. Her earlier novels, Suzannah’s Gold  and Rebecca's Dream have been re-released by EBP. You can see more about Carol and her novels on her website or her author pages on FB and Amazon.

www.carolpreston.com.au

www.amazon.com/author/carolpreston
www.facebook.com/writingtoreach