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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Welcome Sarah Sundin and Blue Skies Tomorrow

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SARAH SUNDIN lives in northern California with her husband and three children. When she isn’t ferrying kids to soccer and tennis, she works on-call as a hospital pharmacist and teaches Sunday school and women’s Bible studies. She is the author of the Wings of Glory series—A Distant Melody (Revell, 2010), A Memory Between Us (2010), and Blue Skies Tomorrow (August 2011). In 2011, A Memory Between Us was a finalist in the Inspirational Reader's Choice Awards and Sarah received the Writer of the Year Award at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. Her next series, Wings of the Nightingale, begins releasing in 2012.

BLUE SKIES TOMORROW
by Sarah Sundin
Published by Revell

ABOUT THE BOOK

Lt. Raymond Novak prefers the pulpit to the cockpit, but at least his stateside job training B-17 pilots allows him the luxury of a personal life. As he courts Helen Carlisle, a young war widow and mother who conceals her pain under a frenzy of volunteer work, the sparks of their romance set a fire that flings them both into peril. After Ray leaves to fly a combat mission at the peak of the air war over Europe, Helen takes a job in a dangerous munitions yard and confronts an even graver menace in her own home. Will they find the courage to face their challenges? And can their young love survive until blue skies return?

Blue Skies Tomorrow is the third book in the Wings of Glory series, which follows the three Novak brothers, B-17 bomber pilots with the US Eighth Air Force stationed in England during World War II. Each book stands alone.

Readers, buy your copy of Blue Skies Tomorrow (a Wings of Glory novel) today!

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR FEATURE AUTHOR

Writing is a thrilling, exasperating, enchanting, and depressing profession. If you’ve been writing for any length of time, you’ve probably struggled with doubts. Before we’re published we wonder if we’ll ever be published, and we deal with discouragement from critiques, rejection letters, contests, and even friends and family. After we’re published we wonder why anyone in their right mind would read our books, and we deal with discouragement from editors, reviewers, disgruntled readers, and yes, friends and family.

I’ve been there. I still go there. And I’ll be there again.

For five years I tried to sell my historical fiction trilogy set in World War II. I accumulated a stack of “good” rejection letters. Editors and agents liked my writing, my story, and my characters—however, historicals weren’t selling. They wanted chick lit.

I didn’t want to give up on the series, because I loved my characters. However, in 2005 all doors to publication seemed closed and padlocked, and I wondered whether I had heard God correctly. Was I truly meant to write? Was I wasting my time when I could be doing something more productive?

That year at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, I went for a walk under the redwoods and stopped to admire a little white flower. I praised God for the flower and felt touched—had He made that flower just so I would praise Him? Then I looked around me. Hundreds of redwoods covered the hills, and thousands more out of my vision, all surrounded by white blossoms. How many of those flowers would ever cause someone to stop and praise God? Were they created in vain? Did the Lord waste His time creating them? Of course not. God is a creative Being, and He made us in His creative image. In His mercy, the Lord showed me that even if my writing was never seen by another human being and never caused anyone to praise Him, I did the right thing obeying His call to write. I was not wasting my time.

So I kept writing. I kept submitting. I kept praying. Then at Mount Hermon in March 2008, I heard, “We don’t want chick lit. We need historicals.” And my trilogy was close to complete. I submitted, and in September I was offered a three-book contract.

Mother Teresa said, “God doesn’t require us to succeed; He only requires that you try.” If God has called you to write for Him, measure your success through His eyes. Did you obey? Were you faithful? Did you persevere?

No matter where you are in your writing life, take courage. Whether you write for millions or for One, if you do it for Him, you’re not laboring in vain.

* * * * *

Thank you, Sarah, for sharing with us today.

Guest Question: What is one thing you feel God has called you to do? Did you answer and obey right away, or did it take a little while before you acted? How do you feel today about this call?

ENTRY RULES Readers, leave your email address (name at domainname dot com/net) along with your answer to the question for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of the book above. If you do not answer the question, and your email address isn't provided, you will not be entered.

This week, the contest is open to US/Canada residents only.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

One thing I strongly feel God has called me to do is write. But not write to be published. To write wholly for Him, what He gives me inspiration to write...and let Him worry about the details of using my writing in other people's lives.

Its a process for me, really...I've been writing since I was 10, but it was really this past year where God really took me by the shoulders, and told me, regardless of the outcome, to write unashamedly for Him. And nothing else.

Today I feel more confident than ever that this--writing--is what God wants me to do.


girlofgracemeg(at)msn(dot)com

J.Norman said...

Enjoyed your comments, Sarah.
I feel strongly that God has called me to minister to new writers seeking a publisher. Rejections to your creative work are difficult and sometimes cause new writers to give up. I am co-owner of a publishing company and I know that God would have me encourage when manuscripts have a strong storyline and are well-written.

I also believe I am to build up and support those writers who have a lot to learn about writing and to teach them many of the writing techniques that will help make their work better. Sometimes I call them with, "How are you coming along?", other times I send emails to let them know there is someone in the literary world who cares.

It's a great calling -- and a blessing.

Joyce Norman
Author/Publisher

Memarie Lane said...

I also have always felt called to write, from a very young age. But with every year that has gone by, it seems that every single person I meet has the exact some call, which has led me to believe that (a) I'm not special (b) I've been fooling myself (c) it's not a call I'm hearing, but my own selfish desires.

Yet the call is always there, hounding me like a hungry stray. I can't get it to go away. Right now I'm trying to be obedient to God's voice and try to write a little every day, but it's very tough to get over my insecurities. I may be one small blade of grass in an immense field of others feeling called to the same purpose in a world where only one or two may succeed, but that doesn't mean I should ignore it. Ugh.

Sarah Sundin said...

Meghan & Joyce -that's fantastic that you've realized your purpose and you're fulfilling it!

Memarie - I know how you feel :) Think of it this way...if God called you to be one of a million evangelists, would that be okay? What if he called you to be one of a million teachers? Or one of a million worship leaders? That's all fine, isn't it? Well, being one of a million writers is a pretty magnificent calling too. Not many of us will reach millions, but even reaching one or two can make all the difference. And it all comes down to obedience - if He wants you to write, then write :)

Hayden said...

I feel called, at the moment, to be the best daughter to my parents and the best sister to my siblings that I can possibly be- which, of course, I often find myself failing horribly at! I know that God has a plan for my life, I just don't know exactly what exactly that will be or where that will lead :)
thestorygirl17(at)yahoo(dot)com

Merry said...

I felt called to serve the Lord as a young woman. My husband and I both answered that call at a family camp and began to serve in small ways. Over the years we did many things and 24 years later we became missionaries... God had many stepping stones to get us where he wanted us to be. A journey with God is always unique, he knoweth the way that is best!
worthy2bpraised at gmail dot com