Today we welcome author:
Sandra Byrd
One commenter will win a copy of Sandra's new release:
Mist of Midnight
Mary here. I have hung around a lot of the same places Sandra has. I just realized I haven't shared her bubbly spirit yet. An added plus she has a new release this month. Well, I just had to get the ball rolling and invite her to share what God has done in her life. You're gonna love her story. Here is what she said:
When I do What God Says, I Feel His Pleasure
When I was a kid, I wanted three careers: to be a hair
stylist, to be a waitress, and to be an author. After I mohawked my Barbie I
knew I wasn’t cut out for the hairstylist career.
Mary: I think many of us are secretly raising our hands to confess we did similar things!
I was a waitress in a
Jewish deli when I was a teenager, and
then I worked for a caterer. Writing, however, was the real passion. I went to college on a writing
scholarship but then I got nervous - I mean, who actually gets published? No one! How will I pay back my student
loans?
The odds seemed stacked against
success, so I changed my major to business and got a degree in real
estate/construction management.
Mary: Whoa, that's a drastic change--but guarantees a way to pay back those loans.
Later, after I became
a Christian, I felt like the Lord
was showing me: Don't look at the odds,
keep your eyes on me, God, like Peter did when he was upon the water. God is not subject to odds.
We will achieve all the good works he
has prepared for us, in advance, to do. There is nothing you are called to do
that you cannot do, but also no way to open a door he has shut. Once we get a
hold of that, it's easier to step away from fear.
Mary: Good words, Sandra.
A friend, who is a talented writer but as of yet still
unpublished, recently told me that it was difficult being at a writer's
conference. All the unpubbed authors were
envious of those who were published.
The thing is - your publication status has nothing to do
with wrestling with the green monster - envy. Once you're published, you'll be tempted to compare your
sales to someone else's, your reviews to someone else's, what your publisher
does for you to what they do for someone else. Best if you can just refuse
to compare yourself with other writers, knowing that the books you have been called
to write were set apart just for you, and you just have to be faithful to that
calling.
On a very basic level, it's been fun, as an
author, to understand just what a phrase like "author of our faith"
means, all that goes into authoring books
- and faith! It's interesting to take the concepts of a good book:
start on the day everything changes, introduce the conflict, see it develop,
see difficulties arise, see them overcome, see evil be addressed, and goodness
prevail then bring it all back full circle, and watch how scripture, completely
true, follows those principles.
Eric Liddell said, "When I run, I feel
God's pleasure," and I think for me, when I write, I feel God's pleasure,
the oneness of partnering with Him.
It's how I know I'm doing what He created me to do. I hope I can be faithful to the vision
He's given me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sandra's first typewriter! |
After earning
her first rejection at the age of thirteen, bestselling author Sandra
Byrd has now published more than forty books.
Sandra's new series, Daughters of
Hampshire, historically sound Gothic romances, launched in 2015 with Book One:
Mist of Midnight. Her book, The One Year Home and Garden Devotions, will
publish October 1, 2015.
Check out her adult fiction debut, Let Them
Eat Cake, which was a Christy Award finalist, as was her first historical
novel, To Die For: A Novel of Anne
Boleyn. To Die For was also named by Library Journal as a Best Books Pick for
2011 and The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn
Parr, was named a Library Journal Best Books Pick for 2012.
Sandra has published dozens of books for
tweens and teens, including the best-selling, The One Year Be-Tween You and
God, Devotions For Girls.
She is passionate about helping new writers
develop their talent and their work toward traditional or self-publication. As
such, she has mentored and coached hundreds of new writers and continues to
coach dozens to success each year via novelcoaching.com.
Here is how you can connect with Sandra:
www.sandrabyrd.com You can find all of my books, reviews, and some fun blog
posts here
www.novelcoaching.com
My second career passion is coaching
novelists at all career stages; I've mentored new writers for 15 years.
Sandra'sTwitter Sometimes
I tweet (not as often as I should, as a Byrd)
Sandra'sFacebook I'd
love for us to be friends!
Sandra'sPinterest I
have fun pinning new pictures
Sandra'sInstagram And
taking some, too!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CLICK HERE To see or buy MIST OF MIDNIGHT |
Midst of Midnight
In the first of a brand-new series set in Victorian England,
a young woman returns home from India after the death of her family to discover
her identity and inheritance are challenged by the man who holds her future in
his hands.
Rebecca
Ravenshaw, daughter of missionaries, spent most of her life in India. Following
the death of her family in the Indian Mutiny, Rebecca returns to claim her
family estate in Hampshire, England. Upon her return, people are surprised to
see her...and highly suspicious. Less than a year earlier, an imposter had
arrived with an Indian servant and assumed not only Rebecca's name, but her
home and incomes.
That
pretender died within months of her arrival; the servant fled to London as the
young woman was hastily buried at
midnight. The locals believe that perhaps she, Rebecca, is the real imposter.
Her home and her father's investments reverted to a distant relative, the
darkly charming Captain Luke Whitfield, who quickly took over. Against her best
intentions, Rebecca begins to fall in love with Luke, but she is forced to
question his motives—does he love her or does he just want Headbourne House? If
Luke is simply after the property, as everyone suspects, will she suffer a
similar fate as the first “Rebecca”?
A
captivating Gothic love story set against a backdrop of intrigue and danger,
Mist of Midnight will leave you breathless.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To enter the contest for a copy of
Sandra's new release:
Mist of Midnight:
leave a comment (and email address)
AND become a follower of this blog
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if you aren't already
Sorry, US only
Thank you, Sandra, for joining us this weekend!
We love chatting with you and are looking forward to reading your comments and questions. Or at least your hi, hello, or hey.
Thanks for stopping by!
Don't forget to comment!
Comments
Thereadmaster@me.com
All this aside, don't you think her new book sounds incredible???
Good chatting with you this morning, Virginia.
The books sounds great-I just love books set in England! Thanks
Janella
Thanks for having me on, Mary. It's a pleasure!
I follow via email and facebook
psalm103and138[at]gmail[dot]com
Lis - Hugs from afar for telling me you loved the book AND for writing a review! No, the books are all standalone, though all Gothic romance, and all taking place in Victorian England. Each will, of course, have a little bit different feel from the others. Book 2, Bride of Poseidon, takes place in 1851 and has a Maltese flavor to it. Book 3, Angels of Light, will be set in the late 1880s and takes place in London and Hampshire. I do hope you'll enjoy!!
Caryl, thanks for putting Mist on your TBR list. I have a stack - so I know when anyone adds my books it's a huge honor!
Only sometimes does it feel that way. I think it happens when our hopes are very high and others get the success we don't. When that happens to me, I head for the prayer room and get my thinking straightened out.
I think you're gonna love this book by Sandra. I must admit I love the stories set in England, too.
Thanks so much for joining our chat today!
Good to see you today!!
I'm so glad you joined us today. I loved chatting with you.
How yah doing?
I know--I'm excited to get a copy as well. This is going to be a really good read.
Good to see you today :)
I have a similar Christmas picture of when I was 12, I got a Mickey Mouse watch that I was so proud of because it was exactly what I wanted! It was my first watch...I must have had it for several years. It had a denim watchband, I remember that. It was a treasure to my young heart :-) And the messy hair just goes with the early Christmas morning present opening *grins*
Thank you for the chance to win a copy of "Mist of Midnight"! I am also a follower of this blog via email.
teamob4 (at) gmail (dot) com
Who knew we'd have so much fun sharing about that special Christmas present and the photo of the moment :)
I'm so glad you've had a chance to read some of Sandra's books. You are one of the experts we've had chatting with us today! This new book of hers looks to be another sure fire winner :)
I'm so glad you came today!
I'm so happy to see you today and glad I had a chance to chat with you. I always look forward to your visits. Your name is definitely in the drawing. :)
Deanne Cnnamongirl
Cnnamongirl(at)aol(dot)com
Thanks for the birthday wishes for my daughter. She called and told me she had fun with some friends. That's the way it should be for a college kid.:)
I'm so glad you stopped by to chat with us today!