Happy Tuesday, Reader Friends!
I know it’s been awhile since we’ve had a Takeover Tuesday post so this should be exciting! Christina Lorenzen has stopped by to give us the story behind the story. Grab a cup of tea (or coffee) and chat with her!
Take it away, Christina!
“Inspiration from an Inspiring Woman”
Women have been inspiring women for decades. With social media, a plethora of inspiring women are at our fingertips. You need only look at any of the numerous platforms we have today – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to name a few. Yes, I do get oversharing. But I also see women sharing their stories, reaching out to other women, cheering them on. What could be more inspiring than one woman saying to another woman “I did it. You can do it too!”?
This is how I feel about so many of the women I read about in the Bible. The story of Ruth has always inspired me. I can’t even count how many times I’ve read it. What could be braver than when Naomi tells her daughter-in-law, now widowed after the death of her husband, one of Ruth’s two sons, to go back to her parents’ home and Ruth refuses? Knowing Naomi will not be able to give her another son to marry or any promise of a future, Ruth refuses and stays by Naomi’s side, traveling the long distance with her to Naomi’s hometown. Together they forge a new life in Naomi’s hometown, but not without the kindness of a man named Boaz.
I had taken some time off from writing after the release of my last novella. Like Ruth, I was unsure of what the future held as far as my writing career. Due to some family obligations, my pace had slowed, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to write next. I like to call getting a message from an author friend a divine connection, orchestrated by a God who knows what we need and when we need it. Along with two other authors, they were writing a novella collection based on women of the Bible. These stories were contemporary stories with a thread linking them to a woman in the Bible. Not only did I feel led to say yes, but I knew which woman I would write my story based on – Ruth.
In my story, Ruth’s Garden, Ruth Baker has lost her husband, her job and her home. With her six-year-old daughter Mara, she travels to her grandmother’s home in Pebble Shores, to help the ninety-year-old woman transition from her long-time home to an assisted living facility. Unsure of what the future holds, but her faith strong, she spends time with her grandmother and daughter, believing that when God has an answer for her, He’ll let her know. The one thing she isn’t prepared for is Eli Hamill, the man who has bought her grandmother’s house. And the last thing she expected was the friendship that develops between Eli and Mara.
I enjoyed every moment of writing Ruth’s Garden for the collection, Faithful Women: Legacies of Grace. I’ve learned from my own experiences, that when you’re traveling a rough road and looking for hope, there is no better place to turn than the Bible. I hope that my story will inspire you and give you hope in your own journey in life.
About the Book
The Blurb: “Four Christian romance novellas inspired by legendary Biblical women.
Eve: Eve Douglass has worked hard to recover from opioid addiction. In doing so, she’s reinvented her life in Bay Shore, Cape Cod and held fast to her dream of one day opening her own bakery. When she meets handsome veterinarian, Flynn Samuels, Eve finds herself struggling with her attraction to him. Ever since the tragic death of her ex-boyfriend, Adam, Eve has steered clear of relationships. But Eve knows God wouldn’t want her to walk through life alone. As she and Flynn begin a relationship, Eve struggles with the knowledge that she still needs to make amends to those she’s wronged.
Hannah: Can God bring together what man has torn asunder?
Hannah and Kane Winthrop had it all—until the challenges of infertility drove a wedge between them and threatened their marriage.
Like her biblical namesake, Hannah is a woman of prayer, and she never stopped praying for a child.
Sometimes God answers our prayers in unexpected ways, and for Hannah that means a chance to be the guardian of two young children while their mother is deployed.
Will this opportunity give Hannah and Kane a chance to rebuild their marriage, or will it reinforce their differences and drive them apart forever?
Ruth: Ruth Baker has lost her husband. Unsure of what the future holds, she clings to her faith and her six-year-old daughter, Mara, when she travels to her grandmother’s beachside home in Pebble Shores.
Eli Hamill has felt the pull to put down roots. After years of buying and selling houses, he’s doing something he’s never done before – living temporarily in the beachside house he bought from an elderly widow. The last thing he’s looking for is an instant family.
Can an old house filled with loving memories and a sweet little girl show two lonely people what the future can hold?
Mari: A chance encounter in the aftermath of a storm takes Mari Armfield on a path of discovery that leads to a newfound faith in God. As her faith grows, she realizes that her life can’t stay the same. She has tough decisions to make, including the future of her relationship with her boyfriend Steve.
Steve doesn’t believe in God, but he’ll support Mari in her new walk. As her faith deepens, his concern grows. How can their relationship survive paths that aren’t compatible?
Mari is a fictional novella inspired by the biblical woman at the well.”
About the Author
Christina started writing as a young teen, jotting stories in wire ring composition notebooks. Her first typewriter made it faster to get all those stories out of her head and down on paper. Her love of writing has sustained her through a myriad of jobs that included hairdresser, legal secretary, waitress and door-to-‑door saleswoman.
Luckily for her, writing proved to be successful and a lot less walking than going door to door. She loves to write the types of stories that she loves to read and watch on her favorite channel, The Hallmark Channel. Quaint small towns and happily ever afters are a guarantee. She’s the author of eight books. When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found walking her dog, talking to her herd of cats and spending time with her family.
Toni Shiloh 
Thank you,Toni, for having me on today. I’ve so enjoyed sharing my story behind the story.
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You’re welcome!
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Very interesting. Thanks for sharing about Christina and her writing.
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Thank you for your kind words. And thanks for stopping by!
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