My friend Melony’s fiction debut, A Promise to Keep, releases on January 21, 2020. I’m excited to have her guest-blogging on my site today. Take it away, Melony!
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As a South African Canadian, I sometimes use expressions that are not the norm. Expressions from my background and my childhood still come back to me loud and clear, even after living in Canada for over twenty years. At times we use these expressions instinctively without any true experience of the meaning behind them. In life, sometimes our words become more than just an expression.
Late last year in September, while I was finishing up edits on my debut novel, A Promise to Keep, words that I had written took on a new meaning. I had just freshly gotten a severe case of hives due to, we think, laundry detergent that hadn’t rinsed properly from a load of laundry in which the pajamas I had worn were washed. I had never had hives before, and it was no joke. No joke at all!
For three days I wanted to rip my skin off. The antihistamines I was taking barely took the edge off the itch and I was miserable. By day four, around the time I was about to lose my mind, the symptoms abated and the stronger antihistamines must have kicked in. Right around the same time I was reading through my manuscript and came across these words from A Promise to Keep:
The rebel boy, always getting up to mischief, had turned into a man with a respectable job. A job that had Savannah breaking out in hives, just thinking about the dangers he must face on a regular basis.
I cringed when I read hives. Suddenly those words took on a whole new meaning, and I thought, wow, I’ll never use that expression so flippantly again.
On a more serious note, Savannah Sanderson’s husband has passed away due to cancer and when I began this story in 2018 it was just a plot point. A way to advance the story to set Savannah up to start her story of healing. I had no idea that a year later, when I’d be in the final content edits of this book that I’d be putting all edits on hold to fly off to Europe to be with a family member who is battling that horrible disease. Since then I’ve heard of friends who are battling cancer too and suddenly when I worked on the hospital scenes in A Promise to Keep, I was so much more sensitive to what these characters might be going through. I had so much more understanding of the heartache and grief involved.
For me, the strongest thing that lingered with me was how much having hope and faith makes a difference. Yes, doctors and medicines have a role to play, but they can only do so much.
When things go awry, scriptures we’ve read a thousand times, and perhaps become blasé about, suddenly come alive. Scripture about how Jesus heals, how God answers prayer, and how Jesus promised He’d never leave us nor forsake us take on a whole new meaning.
Have you had words you’ve read or written become a reality in your life?
A Promise to Keep
A promise. A high school reunion. And a pact that proves harder to keep.
Research librarian Savannah Sanderson wants nothing more than to escape into her happily-ever-after novels with their larger-than-life fictional heroes. But a promise to her late husband has her attending her dreaded twenty-year high school reunion, drinking ghastly punch, and taking desperate measures just to keep her vow, even if she has to hide behind the décor to do it.
Once a reckless troublemaker, Michael McCann fled town after graduation. Now a professional technical rescuer, he’s back for the reunion, but on his trip down memory lane, he soon comes face to face with unresolved issues, namely Savannah.
Before the night is over, a pact between these two old friends will lead them on an adventure into uncharted emotional territory where Michael must confront his past regrets and find the courage to reveal the truth. But can Savannah fly from her sheltered nest and risk her heart on a real-life hero?
BUY THE BOOK FROM ANAIAH PRESS
Melony Teague Bio:
Melony Teague writes contemporary romance with a dash of humor, she loves to inspire and motivate others through her written words, and she believes everyone has a story to tell. Melony is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, and she is the co-author of As the Ink Flows, a devotional for authors. Her fiction debut, A Promise to Keep releases, Jan 21, 2020. Melony was born in South Africa and now lives in Toronto with her handsome husband, their two teenagers, and does the bidding of her two adorable cats.
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Thank you for having me Darlene!
So happy to have you here, Melony! Congrats on your upcoming release!
Thank you! It’s exciting! And Congrats on your coming release too! I can’t wait to read it!
Thanks so much!! 🙂
Ugh, I’ve had full-body hives like that (allergy to penicillin), and it is no fun at all. I’ve definitely had words I wrote come to life; the most recent example is writing a scene where a character is involved in a car accident, and then being involved in one myself in eerily similar circumstances years later. Maybe I should rethink that tornado I put in the WIP…
LOL. Not fun. I also put a tornado in my book! Maybe I should re-think the avalanche I’m putting in book 2! Ha ha! Thanks for stopping by, Amanda!
Amanda, sorry to hear you shared the hives experience! Thanks for sharing your experiences with us! Wow!
I used the experience of checking out a burning room in a burning building in my debut novel last year. I was the first officer on the scene and had to get down beneath the smoke to see if there was anyone in the room. There was a pile of burning clothes on the bed and when they ignited I was blown backwards out of the room. I was fine, although a bit dazed. I ratcheted the injury up for my book heroine though to make it more interesting. 🙂 I think we all, as writers, love to put some reality into our stories. It makes them richer and helps us to infuse our scenes with authenticity. That to me, is the reality behind the old adage, “write what you know”.
Congratulations to both of you on your upcoming debuts! I’ve got them both pre-ordered and can’t wait to read them.
Hi Laurie! Thanks so much! What type of officer were (or are) you? I didn’t realize that. Thanks for stopping by!
Wow, Laurie, that is so cool, er…hot. And yes, what Darlene said, what kind of officer were/are you?
What a great post, Melony. I don’t think any of the incidents in my book match anything that has happened in my life, but I’ll keep my eyes open. I also have a tornado scene, which I rarely read about in Christian fiction. But three of us have already commented on tornado scenes in our books. That’s crazy!
Hi Patti! That’s funny with all the tornado scenes…they must be the IN thing. haha! Thanks for stopping by.
Isn’t that funny! Thanks for stopping by.