Fabulous Friday Feature-Sarah Grimm

Today I welcome 

Sarah Grimm**,

a spunky, fun loving, wonderful smiley, Christian fantasy author. 

Enter to win Sarah's recent 2013 release,

Breathless

Scroll to the end of the post to see how to enter.
International readers can enter!!
 See how, below.

I met Sarah in my local ACFW chapter this last June. We talked again at the August meeting. She wore these awesome pink shoes. She twirled and smiled, "This is one of my outfits for the conference." I knew for sure at that moment what a fun person Sarah is. I asked Sarah to tell us how God led her on her writing journey. Here is what she said:

God Wouldn't Let Me Dodge His Calling

First of all, I want to thank Mary for being gracious enough to let me post on her website today. I am so excited about the release of my young adult novelette, BREATHLESS.

I write fantasy (you know, the weird stuff like dragons, werewolves, and magical powers). I’m also a Christian. Yes, I’m a Christian who writes fantasy. We do exist. I can’t explain it, I just love the genre. I used to sneak off with my dad’s Ann McCaffrey books—Dragonriders of Pern—and make up stories about what was inside seeing as I couldn’t read them yet, and no one would read them to me.

The way I look at it, God blesses us with passions so we’ll use the talents He gives us. But we have to listen and obey. Big catch, huh? I’ll be the first to admit that it can be hard to actually do what God calls us to do. It was for me. It still is. As much as I love it, I have doubts. And fears.

Doubt and fears hindered me so much that, earlier this year, I decided to quit being a writer. I was done.

Except . . .

I’d made a couple of commitments. First, I’d paid for a couple writer’s conferences I hadn’t yet attended. Second, I had an invitation-only opportunity to write a short story for a publisher. Not wanting to let anyone down (or miss out on an opportunity I still hoped for deep inside) I decided to follow through with both of these endeavors. Then, I’d quit.

My husband was not pleased with the idea because he knew I’d be unhappy not writing. I told him I’d still write. I love writing, so I’d do it in my spare time—no pressure to be published. I’d dodge all the things I was afraid of: failure, rejection, heartache.

The easy way out. Yeah, I’d take my little light and put it under a bushel. Bushels are so safe and cozy anyway.

That’s not what God wants from us. Still, I let fear and doubt suffocate my dreams. Waste my passions. Doubt in my God-given talents.

Wait. What? That’s right. Who gives us our talents? God. And if he wants me to write, who am I to quit? Who am I to decide the talent he gave me isn’t good enough?

So I sat down on my couch, put my head in my hands and said, “God, I’m so sorry for doubting you. I don’t want to doubt anymore. Teach me not to doubt.”

An hour later, I checked my email. There was a shiny new contract for my novelette, Breathless. Just like that!

He was just waiting for me to give it all up, lay it all as His feet, and stop doubting His plans. Do I love writing? Yes. So much.

You can learn more about me and what I’m writing on my website: www.sdgrimm.com

Breathless is an urban fantasy. For those of you unfamiliar with whatever that is, it’s fantasy set in a city, sometimes it’s in the future, sometimes present.

The story takes place in a few cities—Podunk towns actually. Yup, there’s a road trip involved, and it’s in this awesome, awesome ride.

Yeah, I know.

What if one touch could unlock a thousand memories?

Eighteen year old Claire Summers has a rare gift she must keep secret, she's a Breather—someone who can see other people’s memories by touching an object they’ve touched. When she stumbles across a memory of her friend in danger, she'll do anything to help rescue him. The problem is, her secret will be revealed. If the wrong people find out about her ability, they’ll hunt her because Breathers are powerful weapons. 

And for your reading pleasure, here’s an excerpt:

My shoes crushed the thick grass. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Damp, summer air swirled around me unable to cut through the heavy fog. Headstones, cracked and crooked, spread across the grassy hill. I’d been here before. My dreams often brought me to this cemetery. The full moon lit my way down a familiar path. Even though I was dreaming, I was chilly in my tank top and shorts.

I headed toward the tallest headstone on the hill’s crest. No flowers or American flags decorated this soul’s final resting place. I reached out, like I had the other times I’d dreamed this, and I knew what to expect. Before I could touch the stone, my subconscious would pull me back and I’d wake on my bouncing bed feeling like I’d fallen from somewhere high.

The rough stone was cool beneath my fingers.

Three translucent figures walked away from me, passing through the untouched fog. Two men, one held a young boy’s hand, the other followed them. The boy looked so familiar. They walked through the headstones littering the hillside as if they were insubstantial, and then flickered out.

My hand jerked back. A chill skittered across my chest and spread over my whole body leaving me with goose bumps. Heart racing, I willed myself to wake.

I didn’t.

My chest tightened. Was I dreaming or not?  Thunder rolled closer. I backed away from the creepy headstone and stepped on something slippery. Arms flailing, I lost my balance. I landed in the moist grass. Pain shot up my elbow as it connected with rock.

“Back here. Quick.” The whisper turned my blood to ice.

“I’m dreaming,” I said aloud since this was too freaky to be real.

“Dream? No, sweetheart, you’re in a trance. Snap out of it or whatever it is you Breathers do.” The stranger’s voice rasped.

I froze, watching him inch closer. Breather? What was he talking about? My head cleared like a fan turned on and blew the fog from my brain, and I realized my situation. I so wasn’t dreaming. This was real. This was real?

I faced the stranger hiding behind a headstone and caught a glimpse of his rifle. Oh holy night.

To enter the contest for a pdf copy of 

Sarah Grimm's book: "Breathless":

leave a comment (and email address)

and become a follower of this site if you aren't already.

US and International friends 

Winner announced on my facebook page.

Thank you, Sarah, for Joining us This Weekend!

**When searching for Sarah use S.D. Grimm (there is another author with the name Sarah Grimm)

Friends, Quitting is tempting to get out of doing a task.

Today, let's leave Sarah an encouraging word for obeying God's call to write.