CROSSROADS Facebook Launch Party Kindle Fire HD6 Giveaway!
YOU'RE INVITED!
What: CROSSROADS Book Launch Party
Where: Facebook (from the comfort & convenience of your own home)
When: April 30, 2015 ~ 7:00-8:30 p.m. (Central time)
Why: To celebrate the book launch of CROSSROADS (a Miller's Creek novel and Christian Romance by Cathy Bryant)
LOTS of Fun, Games and Prizes!
Prizes Include: Miller's Creek pens, tote bags, t-shirts, mugs, digital books, autographed print books, Amazon gift cards, and
an Amazon Kindle Fire HD6!
By far, the question I receive most
often when it comes to writing fiction is: What's the story behind
the story? In other words, people want to know my motivation and
inspiration for writing the book.
With CROSSROADS,
the sixth Miller's Creek novel and a Christian contemporary romance,
the original germ of an idea actually came as I watched the movie,
God's Not Dead. The thought occurred to me that each of us
knows someone who has either defected from the faith or altogether
refuses to acknowledge the existence of God. It might be a friend,
co-worker, or even a family member.
All fiction writers are taught to ask
the question, 'what if?' So for me, my 'what if?' became this story
question: What if an ex-military man and Christian found himself
involved in the life of a bitter atheist and single mom who wanted
nothing to do with his God?
Once that question was in place, other
questions popped up. What happened to the female lead in the story to
make her antagonistic toward the faith? What questions and arguments
would she have? How would our ex-military hero--a man who sees
himself as a defender--go to battle in a spiritual sense? What
internal dilemma would he have to overcome to defend his faith? And
most importantly, what would it take to turn our heroine around?
In the book, I sought to explore this
spiritual topic, not just for the sake of the storyline, but also for
each of us as believers. I wanted to know how I could best handle the
objections of those opposed to faith in Christ. I wanted to be
prepared to answer the tough questions these folks often have. And I
hoped in the process to also help others in their own defense of the
faith.
Some of the questions non-believers
tend to have are: If God is so good and loving, then why does He
allow evil? If God cares about me, then why have so many bad things
happened to me? How do you know the Bible is true? What if the people
who wrote the Bible made it up? How do you know that Jesus is really
who He claims to be? What if He was just a delusional man with
dubious motivies?
Can
you think of other tough questions often
levied
at Christians by non-believers?
I've been confronted by all these
questions at one time or another, but suddenly it became personal for
me. How did God want me to respond to these people? What could I do
to make a difference for Christ and His Kingdom when it came to
answering their questions? And how could I incorporate all this in
the story of CROSSROADS?
Here's what the process involved for
me: I devoured my Bible and books on apologetics to find answers for
tough questions. I wrote the PROOF blog post series about what I'd
learned. Next, I turned some of these posts into videos. And of
course, I included it all in the storyline of the book.
As I wrote the story, a few things
crystallized in my mind.
1) In the end, it
all comes down to faith, and that's a decision each person must make
for themselves. While we can hope and pray for others to turn to God,
ultimately the decision is theirs. Faith is something we can't force
on others.
2) Based on 1 Peter
3:15, we need to be prepared to answer the tough questions that come
our way from those who don't believe.
3) And above all,
our response should be one of unconditional love and persistent
prayer. No one is a lost cause or beyond the power of God.
I pray we'll all be prepared to give a
defense to those who ask about the reason for our hope.
CROSSROADS
a Miller's Creek novel and Christian
contemporary romance
A former soldier battles for the
soul of a prodigal...
After a
devastating divorce, a bitter single mom and atheist starts her own
real estate company in the nostalgic and picturesque town of Miller’s
Creek, Texas. Then her young daughter’s disturbing symptoms lead
doctors to discover that her leukemia has relapsed. With her new life
now turned upside down, Mara Hedwig struggles to keep her business
afloat. And her daughter’s worsening condition forces her to
rethink her beliefs about Carter Callahan and his God. Will Mara make
the return to Christian faith in the face of life’s greatest
challenge?
An
ex-military operative struggles with the return to civilian life
while coping with his rebellious teen-aged daughter. During a
house-search, Carter meets Mara, a headstrong Realtor who wants
nothing to do with his God. But when Mara’s little girl is
diagnosed with leukemia, the clock begins ticking for him to convince
Mara to return to a life of faith. Just as he seems to be making
headway, circumstances beyond his control throw his efforts into a
tailspin. Can Carter learn to rest in the sovereignty of God?
Amazon
best-selling author Cathy Bryant writes Christian fiction set in the
heart of Texas. Her popular romance and romantic suspense novels take
place in the fictional town of Miller's Creek, where folks are
friendly, the iced tea is sweet, and Mama Beth's front porch beckons.
All the Miller's Creek novels have been on the Amazon Best-Seller
list and are rated at 4.5 stars or higher on Amazon. Her debut novel,
TEXAS ROADS, was a 2009 ACFW Genesis finalist. Since then five other
stand-alone novels have been added to the series, one of which was a
reader-nominated 2013 Grace Award nominee (PILGRIMAGE OF PROMISE).
Readers have compared her work to that of Karen Kingsbury and
Nicholas Sparks. A native Texan, Cathy currently resides in the beautiful Sangre de Cristo mountains of northern New Mexico with her minister husband of over thirty years. She's written devotions for The Upper Room devotional magazine, two devotional books in collaboration with other Christian authors, and for online sites. She also has released a Bible study book, THE FRAGRANCE OF CRUSHED VIOLETS. In addition to her writing, she enjoys thrift store shopping, romping in the great outdoors, and mini-farming. To learn more about Cathy and her books, visit her website at www.CatBryant.com or make contact with her in these places:
Download a free PDF of the first chapter of Crossroads
Order
CROSSROADS here: http://bit.ly/CRKAA
(You
can also snag a free
digital copy of TEXAS ROADS by subscribing to Cathy's monthly
newsletter. Your e-mail will be kept confidential, and
you can unsubscribe at any time.)
Tell us
about yourself.
I’m a Christ-follower, wife, mom, Nana, daughter, mini-farmer, and Christian writer. I enjoy just about anything outdoors, including hiking, canoeing, camping, and gardening. I also enjoy creative activities—home improvement projects, scrap-booking, painting, composing, and of course, writing. I love to watch movies and read, though since becoming a writer, I can’t stop analyzing what I’m watching and reading. I’m a big reality TV fan, my favorites being Survivor and The Amazing Race–both great material for analyzing human behavior for my books! In addition to fiction, I also write Bible studies and devotionals.
I’m a Christ-follower, wife, mom, Nana, daughter, mini-farmer, and Christian writer. I enjoy just about anything outdoors, including hiking, canoeing, camping, and gardening. I also enjoy creative activities—home improvement projects, scrap-booking, painting, composing, and of course, writing. I love to watch movies and read, though since becoming a writer, I can’t stop analyzing what I’m watching and reading. I’m a big reality TV fan, my favorites being Survivor and The Amazing Race–both great material for analyzing human behavior for my books! In addition to fiction, I also write Bible studies and devotionals.
Where do
you write?
We currently live in the lovely Sangre de Cristo mountains of northern New Mexico, but will soon be making the move eastward to get closer to our family. Our current home has an upstairs sleeping loft that has served as my writing space. It’s one large open room with the best view in the entire house. My writing desk is there, but I force myself to write in a corner facing a wall to keep myself from being distracted. (It works most of the time…)
We currently live in the lovely Sangre de Cristo mountains of northern New Mexico, but will soon be making the move eastward to get closer to our family. Our current home has an upstairs sleeping loft that has served as my writing space. It’s one large open room with the best view in the entire house. My writing desk is there, but I force myself to write in a corner facing a wall to keep myself from being distracted. (It works most of the time…)
What are
you writing now?
I just finished writing Crossroads, the sixth book in the Miller’s Creek novels. The book tells the story of a bitter single mom and atheist and the former soldier who battles for her soul. Her little girl’s life-threatening illness forces her to re-think her beliefs of Carter Callahan and his God. Will she return to Christian faith in the face of life’s greatest challenge?
I just finished writing Crossroads, the sixth book in the Miller’s Creek novels. The book tells the story of a bitter single mom and atheist and the former soldier who battles for her soul. Her little girl’s life-threatening illness forces her to re-think her beliefs of Carter Callahan and his God. Will she return to Christian faith in the face of life’s greatest challenge?
What
inspired you to write CROSSROADS? All of the Miller’s
Creek Novels feature a spiritual theme that is relevant to me for
different seasons in my life. In Texas Roads it
was Christ being our home rather than placing our security in a place
or building. A Path Less Traveled was about
finding enough faith to follow God even when it doesn’t seem to
make sense. (Boy, has He used that lesson in my life, and proven His
faithfulness through it all!) The Way of Grace was
my spiritual journey of learning how perfectionist tendencies can be
a real hindrance to spiritual progress. The spiritual theme
of Pilgrimage of Promise followed right along with
my hubby and I stepping out in faith in a bad economy and high
unemployment rates to do what we sensed God telling us to do, and the
resulting joy and peace spurred on by the Lord’s faithfulness. A
Bridge Unbroken follows my own quest to be obedient
to Christ in the matter of forgiveness. The spiritual theme
of Crossroads came from watching the movie God’s
Not Dead and realizing that we all know someone who has
defected from the faith. As believers, we need to love them
unconditionally, pray for them consistently, and never give up in our
efforts to lead them back to God.
What do
you want readers to take away from this book in particular? I
hope that readers will realize the importance of living out the faith
we profess. My prayer is that God will embolden us and make us ready
to give a defense for the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15), so that
we can win back these prodigals from the faith.
Tell us
how you come up with characters. The
characters actually introduce themselves to me. (I know, I know,
they’re not real. I promise I’m not certifiable…) After they
make their appearance, I fill out extensive character charts,
including taking online personality tests for them! (Hmm, maybe I am
certifiable…) But no matter how much preparation I put into the
characters in the pre-writing process, they always reveal another
facet of their personality during the actual writing of the book.
Of all
the characters you’ve created, which is your favorite and
why?
Without a doubt the answer would have to be Mama Beth, the wise woman/matriarch of Miller’s Creek who makes an appearance in all the books. She’s also the main character in the fourth book of the series, Pilgrimage of Promise. She is everything I want to be when I grow up—wise, kind, and loving. Just so you know, I’m not alone in choosing her as the favorite character. When I asked this question to the Miller’s Creek Reader’s Group on Facebook, the majority’s answer was Mama Beth, followed closely by Matt Tyler, the hero from The Way of Grace.
Without a doubt the answer would have to be Mama Beth, the wise woman/matriarch of Miller’s Creek who makes an appearance in all the books. She’s also the main character in the fourth book of the series, Pilgrimage of Promise. She is everything I want to be when I grow up—wise, kind, and loving. Just so you know, I’m not alone in choosing her as the favorite character. When I asked this question to the Miller’s Creek Reader’s Group on Facebook, the majority’s answer was Mama Beth, followed closely by Matt Tyler, the hero from The Way of Grace.
Have
the books received any special recognition or awards?
I’ve been blessed to have all the Miller’s Creek novels make
the Amazon Kindle Best-Sellers list. The first book Texas
Roads was an American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis
finalist. The fourth book Pilgrimage of Promise was
reader-nominated for the 2013 Grace Award.
What do
you hope to accomplish through your writing? I
want my writing to honor and glorify God. If only one person is
touched and moved closer to God as a result of my writing, then the
hours of hard labor (and numb backside!) are worth it. One early
reader of Texas Roads (the first book in the
series) told me the story brought healing to her life. I can think of
no higher compliment.
To
purchase a copy of CROSSROADS,
click here:
http://www.amazon.com/CROSSROADS-Christian-Contemporary-Romance-Millers-ebook/dp/B00U8KE12K/
by
Cathy Bryant
Before I write
one word of a new story, I spend a LOT of time getting to know my
main characters. I fill out lengthy character charts for each of
them, which includes every aspect of their background--childhood,
relationships, jobs, personality traits, tough life situations, etc.
I also subject them to a battery of online personality tests.
Why do I go to
all this trouble? Because if my characters aren't 'real' people to
me, I stand no chance of writing them well enough to convince savvy
readers that they are 'real.'
Anyway, without
further ado, please allow me the privilege of introducing you to the
characters of the latest Miller's Creek novel, CROSSROADS.
Meet Mara, the Heroine of CROSSROADS
With each
character I create for a novel, I find a picture (usually of an actor
or actress) that helps me visualize the character as I write. This
unusual picture of actress Julia Roberts was the perfect picture for
the character of Mara Hedwig, the heroine of CROSSROADS.
To me this photo
shows strength of character as well as a just-beneath-the-surface
vulnerability and kindness, all of which describes Mara. She's also
maternal, driven, motivated by her desire to provide stability for
her little girl, lonely, cynical (especially when it comes to matters
of faith), a survivor, and distrusting.
Her public
persona is very different from her private persona. In public, she's
all about appearances for the sake of her business, so she dresses to
the hilt in business attire (yes, even in the back-roads Texas town
of Miller's Creek) and drives a Cadillac Escalade to have the
appearance of success.
In private,
she's much more relaxed and casual in her dress, preferring to let
her hair down, wear sweats or blue jeans, and to shuck her shoes. In
her not-working hours, her life centers around being a mama to her
little girl, Ashton.
Meet
Carter, the Hero of CROSSROADS
I used this
photograph of actor Geoff Stultz as inspiration for Carter Callahan.
Carter is a former soldier, now serving on the police force of
Miller's Creek, who is strong in his faith and struggling to raise
his teen-age daughter Chloe on his own. The one word that best
describes him (as confirmed by his family, the infamous Callahan
clan) is protector. When he meets the vulnerable and cynical Mara and
her little girl, his life is literally turned upside down.
Why? Because as
a protector/defender, he sees it as his job to win Mara back to faith
in God. The only problem? He has bought the enemy's lie that he's not
smart enough to win a war of words. All his previous battles have
been fought with brawn and training, so how could he possibly win the
battle of defending the faith to Mara?
Other words that
describe Carter are: thrill-seeker, action-oriented, outdoors-man,
caring, compassionate, and tender-hearted.
Meet
Ashton, Mara's Daughter in CROSSROADS
What is it about
kids that tend to steal the spotlight in a book or movie? That
definitely holds true for the character of Ashton, Mara's little girl
in CROSSROADS.
To play the
part, I chose this picture of actress Dakota Fanning. Isn't she
cheek-pinching cute???
Words that
describe Ashton are: precocious, sweet, smart, charming, and funny.
She's one of those kids that has a vocabulary of a thirty-year-old. I
derived a lot of inspiration for this character from the role of the
little girl Susan in the remake of the movie, Miracle on
34th Street (played by actress Mara Wilson).
In the story of
CROSSROADS, Ashton faces a life-threatening illness. Once Carter and
his teen-aged daughter Chloe enter her life, she is impacted for the
faith. There's nothing like that sweet, child-like faith to serve as
the perfect picture of what faith in Christ should be like.
Meet
Chloe, Carter's Daughter in CROSSROADS
There is always
at least one character in any story I write that ends up surprising
me. Chloe was that character for me in writing CROSSROADS. This photo
of actress Spencer Lacey Ganus served as my visual inspiration for
the character of Chloe.
Honestly, I
think the reason Chloe's character surprised me so much is because
teenagers are not normally my favorite people. To me, they tend to be
self-centered, rebellious, and smart-mouthed.
Not that Chloe
isn't those things. She totally is. But throughout the story she
grows into a mini-adult, overcoming some of her own personal hang-ups
and obstacles to become a compassion-filled cheerleader and champion
for Ashton.
Other words that
describe Chloe are: bouncy, moody, searching, and strong-willed. Of
all people, Mara becomes the voice of reason for Chloe.
Which
CROSSROADS Character Are You?
Now
that you've met each of the main characters in CROSSROADS, I hope it
makes this little quiz all the more fun. Please let us know in the
comments which character you are the most like!
by
Cathy Bryant
Not
only am I a foodie, but I married a foodie. And as a self-confessed
foodie, I see it as my responsibility to tantalize my reader's taste
buds with lots of food descriptions in the course of the Miller's
Creek novels. (In writer's lingo, it's called sensory detail.) ;)
Anyway,
I thought you might enjoy some of the recipes that the characters in
the latest stand-alone book CROSSROADS
enjoy. Bon appetit!
Carter's
Crab Dip
(Carter,
the brawny soldier-turned-policeman and hero of CROSSROADS, uncovers
the heroine's penchant for seafood. He creates this special seafood
dip for a picnic lunch the two share.)
INGREDIENTS:
1
8-oz. cream cheese and 1 3-oz. cream cheese, softened
1 T.
Worcestershire sauce
1 T.
lemon juice
2 T.
mayonnaise
1/2
small finely chopped white onion
garlic
powder and salt to taste
1/2
bottle of cocktail sauce on top (can substitute Tabasco sauce if you
want the heat)
1
7-oz. can of crab meat
fresh
or dried parsley
cocktail
crackers
DIRECTIONS:
1.
Blend the first six ingredients together well, and spread thin on a
serving dish.
2.
Spread the cocktail sauce on top as a sort of icing.
3.
Garnish with fresh or dried parsley.
4.
Chill in the refrigerator, and serve with cocktail crackers.
*
* *
Mara's
Roast Beef
(Mara,
the bitter single mom, cynic, and heroine from CROSSROADS, knows full
well that Carter Callahan is a meat-and-potatoes kinda guy. She fixes
this meal when he and his daughter Chloe come over for dinner.)
INGREDIENTS:
1
(3-1/2- to 4-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed
1/2
c. soy sauce
1 can
beef broth
1 bay
leaf
3 to
4 peppercorns
1 t.
dried and crushed rosemary
1 t.
dried thyme
1 t.
garlic powder
12
French sandwich rolls, split
Provolone
cheese
sautéed
onion (if desired)
DIRECTIONS:
1.
Place trimmed roast in a 5-quart slow cooker. Combine soy sauce and
next six ingredients; pour over roast. Add water to slow cooker until
roast is almost covered.
2.
Cook, covered, on LOW for 7 hours or until very tender. Remove roast
and reserve the broth for dipping, if desired. Shred roast with a
fork.
3.
Can be eaten alone or with sandwich rolls. If eaten with rolls, place
the roast on the open-faced rolls, add sautéed onions (if desired),
and Provolone cheese. Place in your oven on high broil, until bread
is toasty and cheese is bubbly.
Yield:
12 servings (or one hungry policeman).
*
* *
Hope
you enjoy these delightful delicacies from Mara and Carter, the hero
and heroine of CROSSROADS (a Miller's Creek novel and Christian
romance by Cathy Bryant). To find out more about the book, please
visit: http://www.CatBryant.com/Crossroads.
For
more mouth-watering recipes from the back-roads Texas town of
Miller's Creek--where folks are friendly, the iced tea is sweet, and
Mama Beth's front porch beckons--snag this free PDF download of the
Miller's Creek Cookbook:
http://www.catbryant.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Millers-Creek-Cookbook-1.pdf
CROSSROADS Facebook Launch Party Kindle Fire
HD6 Giveaway!
YOU'RE
INVITED!
What:
CROSSROADS Book Launch Party
Where:
Facebook (from the comfort & convenience of your own home)
When:
April 30, 2015 ~ 7:00-8:30 p.m. (Central time)
Why:
To celebrate the book launch of CROSSROADS (a Miller's Creek novel
and Christian Romance by Cathy Bryant)
LOTS
of Fun, Games and Prizes!
Prizes
Include: Miller's Creek
pens, tote bags, t-shirts, mugs, digital books, autographed print
books, Amazon gift cards, and
an
Amazon Kindle Fire HD6!
Link:
Link:
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