Greetings! I’ll be at the Edwards Holiday Bazaar this Saturday, December 7, 2019, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. I’ll have all my novels for sale, and will be personalizing them for you!
Edwards Elementary School
715 E 8th St, Newberg, Oregon 97132
There will be over 40 venders! You can find me in the gym. They have vendors throughout the school grounds (gym, cafeteria, library) with beautiful crafts, jewelry, and yummy treats. Stop in and visit with me for a while, pick up some Christmas goodies and a book or two (two birds, one stone).
Are you signed up for my newsletter? In case you missed the latest one, catch up with me HERE and don’t forget to sign up. There are great book recommendations, giveaways and contests upcoming! I don’t want you to miss out.
Books for Christmas? What could be better? This year my family is adopting a new tradition where we will give each other books for the holiday and sit around and peacefully read. Doesn’t that sound heavenly? The crackle and pop of the fireplace (or crackling fireplace on video!), a cup of tea or cocoa, and a cozy blanket, and book.
What are your Christmas traditions? I’d love to hear about them. Comment below, or tell me on Saturday.
Next Saturday at 6 P. M. I’ll be at one of my go-to places, Coffee Cottage, in Newberg, Oregon.
I love doing in-person book signings. It’s where I get to see you in person and hear your stories and listen to your news. We can hangout and get to know each other better.
And, well, I also love coffee, so it’s a win-win.
I’ll have my books with me, especially my new release, Shine the Light.
Shine the Light is connecting with people in a way I didn’t anticipate. I didn’t realize how rare it was to have a main character with mental illness-and what that means to people who fight that battle or love someone who does.
When I first started writing about Shannon, I knew she’d overcome a lot. And even with her overcoming and being a successful adult, there were scars and hidden things she needed to deal with.
Like so many of us, growing up wasn’t easy for Shannon. My desire was to reveal her character in a way that made her accessible to people that suffer from bad childhoods, or for those who love people who did.
But I didn’t truly know how important that would be. I’ve heard from readers that Shannon’s story isn’t unique. And that her fight to overcome is inspiring. How it’s given them hope.
It’s a reminder to me how important our own stories are, and how sharing them creates empathy and can bring comfort and peace in a world running short on grace.
So I hope you’ll do that with someone. Share your story. Find another who needs a listening ear. Who needs a shoulder. You’ll be surprised at the impact it makes.
And if you’re in town next Saturday, come share with me. I’d love to listen.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John1:1-5)
Shine the Light opens with this verse. It’s a verse full of hope describing Jesus, the Light of the world. We might face difficulties, sorrow, hardship in our lives, but if we belong to God the Father, through His Son, then the darkness cannot overcome us. Jesus has got this and He can carry us through because He’s already overcome and won.
I’ve been asked why I embed faith in my stories. Couldn’t you just write about romance or suspense without faith? Sure I could. But I find the deepest places characters change is in their faith and I feel called to uncover the mystery of where they are with the creator. You see, I think we’re all in a place with our creator. We’re growig closer, moving farther away, or we’re…kinda stuck.
Most of my characters find themselves in bad circumstances created by others or fashioned by their own poor choices and not sure what to do next. Then something happens that forces their hand and they’ve got to choose forward or back. The one thing they cannot do is stay the same. If they did, well, there wouldn’t be much of a story in that, would there?
That’s one reason I love Shannon so much. She’s already moving forward, not letting her past win, loving others and being kind–but then, she gets waylaid by this person from her past. And she just doesn’t know which way to go. Trust God and go forward or run away? And instincts tell her to run.
And I won’t say much more because I don’t want to ruin the story. But I hope you’re intrigued and want to know more. Here are some endorsements of Shine the Light to help you make up your mind!
In Shine the Light, April McGowan digs deeply into the heartache of a family torn apart by mental illness. Her compelling story shines much needed light onto the realities of this trauma and then beautifully shows the messy journey—the miracle—of forgiveness. This is a must-read novel for those wanting more insight into the challenges of homelessness, mental illness, and PTSD. ~ Melanie Dobson, award-winning author of Hidden Among the Stars and Catching the Wind
April McGowan takes on the tough issues of our time. Shine the Light doesn’t fall short. In her usual spectacular fashion April creates a believable and touching story about homelessness and mental illness, and the family and friends who are entangled in the chaos. It is a beautiful, complicated, and encouraging tale of a girl trapped in the midst of her parents’ drug addiction and mental illness and the terrible price paid. Beautifully told. Exquisite writing draws a reader into the midst of a maelstrom of fear, pain, anger, forgiveness, and beauty, and we believe that life can be extraordinary when light shines into the darkness. ~Bonnie Leon, best-selling author of The Alaskan Skies Series, The Northern Lights Series
At long last and with great anticipation, Shine the Light is available! I’m so excited. You can order it from any online retailer, or HERE through my publisher. If you hop to the WhiteFire site, you can read the first two chapters of any of my books for free! It’s a great way to see what the books are about. ALSO, all of my books are available signed!
If you are like me, you LOVE to have books signed by the author. Unless you happen to be at a book signing from that author, that is a huge undertaking and often can’t happen! So this is an exciting thing!
Also, you’ll notice that today (Monday), Tuesday, and Wednesday my first three novels will be offered on ebook for 99 cents respectively. That’s huge!
I hope you can take advantage of these sales. Tomorrow I’m going to share more about Shine the Light and what some lovely reviews and endorsers are saying. Please come back and check it out!
People have asked me why I don’t write fluffier stories–not that they’re complaining, mind you! The easiest answer: that’s not what is on my heart.
My books always connect to a need I see in the community. I see brokenness, and I often see people responding poorly to that brokenness because they can’t imagine how it would feel. So I write to shine a light on those issues in a way that hopefully brings understanding and compassion. Empathy. And my books always point to the giver of hope–Jesus.
Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (italics emphasis mine)
ESV
One of the most powerful things you can do for another is to validate their situation and pain by coming alongside them and just listening, maybe cry with them, and pray. Make sure they know they aren’t forgotten.
Mostly,though, I write about hard things because we all face them. In our lives, our loved one’s lives–things can be…well…hard. Sometimes even traumatic. And I want people to know their trials aren’t being overlooked. That they aren’t alone. Even though they might be facing the unimaginable, God still loves them. And if they belong to God through Jesus, He can make something beautiful out of those hard things. Nothing is wasted with Jesus. Your struggle can have meaning, and it can be used to touch lives and bring healing to them–and to you.
Is there someone on your heart right now you need to encourage? A few simple lines in a note, an email, or even a text can make all the difference in the world to them.
