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| Angie Brashear |
Have you ever felt God giving you direct confirmation that
you should follow a particular path? I believe he did that very thing when
after planting a seed in a little girl’s hurting heart, he continued to give
signs that she was headed in the right direction. Enjoy Angie Brashear’s story as she shares her
journey to publication.
~ Dawn
Venturing
to Other Worlds
The
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, a childhood
dream, and a journal. What do they have in common? Take a short venture with me
to find out…
My path to salvation began with a classic fantasy, told to
me in the midst of my secular world, for when I was in the fifth grade, my
teacher read aloud The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis to my class. In doing so, she opened my eyes
to adventure and possibilities, all the while helping me escape a world of
darkness for a short time. At its conclusion, I wondered, Is God real? He couldn’t be, right? For if He existed, innocent
young girls wouldn’t suffer the wrath of drunken addicts, or the torment of abandonment.
I continued to speculate. Each time God placed believers in
my path—a high school teacher, a college friend, and a college coach—my
fascination with the possibility grew stronger until the truth stunned me like
a slap to the face. God indeed lives in
the form of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He rescues. He saves.
And He waited for me. Then He embraced me. It all started with a little seed,
planted in the empty heart of the girl I once was. Yet, I still feared the ways
in which the Lord planned to use me.
But I held on to my childhood dream of becoming an author,
of escaping to another world and taking readers with me, though I kept my
aspiration a secret. At least until my assistant, Terry Malovets, gifted me a
beautiful journal filled with scripture for Christmas. In those moments between
friends, she shared a surprising observation—she believed I should pursue a
career as an author. Can you imagine my joy and shock? How in the world did she
know my deepest childhood desire? The one I never revealed to her, or anyone
else for that matter.
I spent the next three months wondering whether or not I was
willing to take the risk. Was I even capable? I possessed absolutely no
professional training in the craft of writing. Through prayer, I decided to
take the plunge anyway. After all, I didn't have to tell anyone, right? Before
long I filled my journal with ideas and Of
the Persecuted was born. A love for reading expanded to a love for writing.
A desire to know God became a desire to serve Him, to reach nonbelievers.
Seven months later, I finished the manuscript. Or so I
thought. I learned the difficult way (through lots of rejections from literary
agents) that my manuscript was flawed. I wrote in omniscient narrative, used
passive voice, and filled the story with stilted dialogue—all rule breakers in
current fiction trends. The entire manuscript had to be rewritten.
In the months after I finished my first manuscript and
sought representation from literary agents, I believe God called me to ask my
Sunday school class to pray my work would glorify Him. But that required
telling other people I had written a book. I felt vulnerable and feared
ridicule. I mean, people in our nation suffered in multiple ways—abuse,
poverty, and addiction, just to name a few. What right did I have to ask my
class to pray for the publication of my novel? And how would I describe my
novel to fellow Christians? Um, yeah, it's a love story filled with violence,
but I promise the content is clean and the story will glorify God. So...please
pray for its publication.
The more I ignored God, the more he filled me with courage
until I finally sought support from my class. No ridicule. No awkward silences.
Just praises and thoughtful prayers. Blessings abounded.
I joined ACFW, as well as a critique group, and studied the
writing craft. Fellow writers began to recognize the potential in my voice and
story, and took the time to help me. And, believe me, I needed a lot of help. Honestly, I still do. But
Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
And with the fellowship of Christian writers, I can.
Now, my debut novel has been released through my own Indie
Publishing label, 4:13 Publishing. Who knows, maybe I’ll be able to help
another writer fulfill a lifetime dream someday.
In all things, I’m grateful to my Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ for embracing a lost, lonely girl. That He died for me…there is no
greater gift. My prayer is that I’ll never let go of His truth no matter the
type of persecution I’m forced to confront.
In the meantime, you can find me venturing to other worlds
in His name.
Laila
Pennedy awaits death by hanging. For the Rendow Clan rules the Woodlands
Region, aiming to slaughter the Faithful. And she deserves to die. But Lars
Landre, the man destined to lead the Faithful out of persecution, has other
plans hidden behind his rare and mysterious blue eyes. Rescue.
Following
the daring escape, Laila seeks the path of a warrior and vows revenge against
the Rendow Clan. She embarks on a dangerous journey with Lars, one in which
they endeavor to reach the promised safety of a magical village, to train for
battle, and to ultimately assure freedom for those with faith in the Maker.
Clashes
of weapons and souls. Brutal loss of lives. Unrequited love. How in all the
Woodlands will Laila survive?
When Angie Brashear
isn’t working or taking care of her family, she writes. Usually at night after
her kids fall asleep. She’s a fan of speculative fiction and an avid runner,
both of which perplex her nonfiction-reading, football-loving husband. Saved in
her early twenties, Angie is grateful for the Lord’s presence in all aspects of
her life. She is originally from Rockland, Maine and currently resides in
Cameron, Texas with her husband and three children. Follow her at http://facebook.com/AngieBrashearAuthor,
https://twitter.com/AngieBrashear,
and http://angiebrashear.com.
