Blog

Today, I’m turning over my blog to Deena Adams. As a newly published author, I like to support and encourage other up-and-coming authors. Let’s welcome her!

Hi, everyone! And thanks so much, Jennifer, for the opportunity to share about what I’m working on and how readers can connect with the Hope Collective Community.

Where did your writing journey start and are you published yet? Since starting my journey toward Christian Fiction publication in 2018, I’ve completed two manuscripts and recently completed a novelette, which I offer free as a thank you to newsletter subscribers. If you’re asking, “What is a novelette,” it’s longer than a short story and shorter than a novella.

My novelette introduces Clayton Richards, the hero in the novel I’m currently polishing and planning to pitch to agents and editors in hopes of representation. The novelette tells his childhood story of abandonment and adoption.

When dreams disintegrate, is God really working behind the scenes for good? 

Mississippi Delta missionaries Camille and Raymond Richards are heartbroken over the impoverished people they encounter daily. Having grown up poor in South Alabama, they understand that lifestyle, which compels them to serve families struggling with perpetual poverty.

At age seven, left to fend for himself, Clayton Jenkins longs to be part of a loving family. A family where his parents never leave him home alone. Where his Mama showers him with attention and his daddy plays with him.

From the moment she meets Clayton, Camille envisions the waif as their son. But that was ridiculous. The boy had parents. And she was pregnant. Did compassion for the child skew her perspective?

Or was God working behind the scenes, formulating a plan far greater than they could imagine?

Give us a short synopsis of what the novel is about: In the novel, Clayton is a twenty-eight-year-old behavioral psychologist and homeless shelter manager. When he meets a guilt-ridden young widow turned court-appointed special advocate, a carved angel keepsake uncovers a link between the woman and a shelter resident, sending the trio down a path of discovery none of them could have imagined.

How did you arrive at the idea for your novel? The idea for the novel came from my three-and-a-half years as a court-appointed special advocate volunteer. The circumstances many children live in are heartbreaking and my prayer is that my story will inspire readers to step out and help abused children in some way and encourage those living with overwhelming guilt and shame to find freedom in Christ.

Where can we find out more about you and your writing journey? As I mentioned, subscribers to the Hope Collective can download my novelette free as a thank you. Each month you’ll also receive my newsletter filled with book recommendations, reviews, giveaways, updates on my publishing journey, and other bookish news.

If you’re interested in meeting other inspirational authors and weekly opportunities to win Christian novels, you can subscribe to Deena’s blog.

To find out more about Deena and her writing and subscribe to the newsletter and/or blog, you can visit Deena’swebsite, or simply click here for the subscribe link.

Happy Christmas in July! Welcome to the 6th blog in this Christmas in July Reader Giveaway, which runs July 12-23, 2021. At the bottom of each author’s blog post, you will find the secret words. Write them all down and provide the entire answer on this Google form.

Note: You must grab all the secret words from every author in the Christmas in July Reader Giveaway to be eligible to win a $400 Amazon gift card. At the end of this blog post is a link to the next blog, and so on, to the final blog post (20 in all). At each blog stop, the author will also give away a copy or copies of their featured Christmas book.

Growing up in rural New York State, Christmas was always a magical time of the year for me. From going to the tree farm, picking a fresh tree, and cutting it down to snowy days spent outdoors sledding down the neighbors’ steep hill. At the end of the day, we’d collapse in front of the fireplace, a mug of hot chocolate in hand, anticipating the Christmas holidays.

All these childhood experiences, and more, influenced me as I plotted The Mistletoe Contract. Well, that, and a lot of Hallmark Christmas movies!

I’ve always loved marriage of convenience stories. Most of the ones I’ve read are historical with a few modern-day marriages of convenience thrown in. I started to notice, however, the majority of the time, the characters don’t know each other when they decide to get married After watching the reality show, Married at First Sight, the idea hit me, “what if this couple, Meredith and Nate, actually knew each other before they were married?” What if they actually dated and then broke up? The more “what if” questions I asked, the more the story just seemed to take shape in my mind.

In my novel, I reference McAdenville, NC as Christmas Town USA. This is an actual town in North Carolina, located about 20 miles south of Charlotte. Over the years, I’ve visited this tiny hamlet, which always gets me in the Christmas spirit. I also wanted my fictional couple to experience this special town, too. There’s just something special about seeing Christmas lights, on a cold winter’s night, illuminating the night sky. If you’re ever in North Carolina during the Christmas season, check it out!

Nate and Meredith encounter numerous obstacles and misunderstandings along the way to their happily ever after. Throw in a nosy sister, an ex-fiancé, business executives with their own agenda, and a heroine who doesn’t like Christmas and you pretty much have a recipe for disaster. In the end, both Nate and Meredith have to forgive each other and let go of past hurts.

I will be giving away one digital copy to one lucky winner after the giveaway ends. I hope you enjoy The Mistletoe Contract as much as I did writing it. Oh, and it’s free on Kindle Unlimited right now, too. Sign up for my newsletter HERE and receive a free short story!

Now, it’s time to for the secret words: Naked, forgive

Save the secret word(s), and when you reach the final blog, enter all the secret words on this form for a chance to win a $400 Amazon gift card!

Thank you so much for visiting! The next author on the tour is Laurie Wood and her Christmas book Northern Hearts. You can find it at this link. Remember, this Christmas in July Reader Giveaway will end on July 23 at 8 PM EST!

Happy New Year! I don’t know about you, but I am certainly glad to put 2020 behind us.

2020 started off with a bang for me. I received my first book contract for The Mistletoe Contract, and from January 7th through December 31, 2020, it was quite the whirlwind for me.

I learned a lot of valuable lessons, the first one being flexibility. If you know me, I like to keep to a schedule. I list my daily tasks at work and I do the same thing for projects around the house. Of course, if I’m honest, the house projects fell to the wayside. First, it was editing deadlines and then , around the middle of March, I had to start working from home. I admit, I loved working at home-for the first couple of months. But at the year dragged on, so did my optimism.

I had to mentally take a step back, and meditate on all the good things that happened to me this year. So, here is my list:

1. I received a book contract from Anaiah Press on January 7, 2020.
2. I learned a LOT about the publishing industry – from terminology to what editors are looking for in a manuscript and what I needed to cut.
3. My husband didn’t lose his job, like so many I know did.
4. I still have my job.
5. A short commute from the bedroom to the dining room!
6. I was available for my parents.
7. I could almost go a month without filling my tank up with gas – that was a huge savings.
8. I gained readers for my newsletter.
9. I participated in the Christmas Round Robin.
10. A book signing at my church.
11. I was able to worship with my church family. First at home, and now in person, even though we are socially distanced, there is just something special about corporate worship with fellow believers.
12. I finished editing my second manuscript and had a couple of requests for it to be sent for consideration.
13. My critique group – we switched from in-person to Zooming once a month.
14. My Huddle group from Novel Academy – these ladies are my encouragers and prayer warriors.

And the list could go on! Mostly, I’m thankful for my family and my health. It is important to reflect on all our blessings, even the small ones. One of my favorite worship songs is “We Will Remember”. We Will Remember – Tommy Walker / From “Break Through” (2006) – YouTube

What are you thankful for? What are you looking forward to in this new year?

May this be your best year yet, with unexpected blessings!

The holiday season is just around the corner, and we’ve been inundated with everything Christmas since before Halloween. But you know what? I’m fine with that because, hands down, Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I love a cheery fire in the fireplace on a cold and dreary winter night. I love to drive around town and look at all the Christmas lights. And when I finally have all my Christmas decorations up and the tree is decorated, I like to turn off all the lights, except the white lights on the tree. The warmth from the fireplace and a hot cup of chocolate keep me company while I read.

Do you have a special spot or chair where you like to read? Do you prefer outdoors under a large shade tree? Or something warm and cozy?  In my debut novel, The Mistletoe Contract, I tried to create several welcoming scenes for my main character, Meredith. One scene, we find her sitting in the family room, no lights on except the lights from the Christmas tree creating a glow in the room, along with a fire.

I love to read about characters who get a second chance at love. But I wanted a little bit of different twist on my story.

I’m a fan of Married at First Sight, a reality show where couples are matched and don’t meet each other until their wedding day. The participants go through a rigorous vetting process and are matched on compatibilities as well as temperament and life goals. I wanted my characters to get married. In addition to getting married, my two main character, Nate and Meredith, weren’t strangers, but these two had a not-so-pleasant history together. There had to be obstacles in place before they could reach their happily-ever-after.

After plotting out the book outline, I knew I wanted to write a sweet, modern-day marriage of convenience story that took place during the Christmas holidays. As I delved into Nate and Meredith’s backstories, their hopes and dreams slowly came into focus. But for my couple, I added the element of faith, since God is the only one who can heal our hurts. I even included a real town in the story, McAdenville, NC. This small town is nestled close to the NC/SC line and used to be an old mill town. After the mills closed, McAdenville had to reinvent itself. So, the town became known as “Christmas Town USA”. The entire town is decorated in Christmas lights, homes have elaborate displays in their front yards, and carols are played over the loudspeakers in the center of town. The lights are so bright, the entire town is seen from miles away. Now, people drive from hundreds of miles away, just to walk through the town, look at the lights, and spend time with their families. This town evokes a slower pace that seems to have gotten lost in the hustle and bustle of preparing for the holidays.

Christmas is a time of rebirth and renewal. After all, Christ was born to give us new life. I wanted these same themes of redemption, renewal and second chances to be evidenced not only in this sweet, contemporary romance but in all my stories. My prayer for all my readers is that they (and you) will experience the love, peace, and joy that only faith in Jesus can bring. May you all have a very merry Christmas!

Today, I wrote a guest post on My Book Therapy’s website.

This writing journey has been a whirlwind, to put it mildly! I hope you enjoy my new release – The Mistletoe Contract. 

Frankly, this story was just a side thought, I never thought this would be my first published novel! I don’t know about you, but I love Christmas, Christmas movies and all the sights, sounds and wonderful aromas that Christmas brings. What better way to celebrate the season than to kick it off with a sweet, modern-day marriage of convenience story.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Click here to preorder from Amazon.