A NEW PAPERBACK EDITION of SCENT OF WATER!

AND NOW SOME EXCITING NEWS  -

Available on Amazon UK & USA now, and soon in bookshops, SCENT OF WATER is now in paperback. It is cheaper as the pictures are monochrome.

If you want the hardback signed edition with full colour photos (see photos above)

those are still available through my website, but otherwise are just about sold out.

For the paperback editions :
 

USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1915046475

UK:

Why not order one or more copies, either paperback or hardback, for friends and loved ones who are grieving and mourning?

A Reluctant Pilgrim in need of Forgiveness. And a GLORIOUS GIVEAWAY!

THE PILGRIM - a wonderful new novel by Joy Margetts.

Read on for the blurb, an interview with Joy herself, details of where to purchase this and her other books, AND details of how to be in with a chance to win a signed copy of The Pilgrim!

BLURB:

Driven by ambition and family expectation, young Henry de Brampton is determined to make his mark. Destined for a prestigious career in the Church, he readily embraces the chance to experience the world before taking his vows. But fuelled by selfish desire, he recklessly betrays those he loves, with devastating consequences.

Overwhelmed with guilt, he seeks redemption among the Cistercians of Abbey Cwmhir and finds a new identity as Brother Hywel. Yet a further thoughtless betrayal will prove he cannot escape himself, and he is forced on pilgrimage to save his vocation.

A reluctant pilgrim, can the unlikely company help him discover what it truly means to be great in God’s eyes, and will Hywel ever be willing not just to receive forgiveness but also to forgive himself?

INTERVIEW WITH JOY MARGETTS, author of THE PILGRIM

I asked Joy -
- Why is pilgrimage so important a theme in the book? Does pilgrimage feature in your life?

I think pilgrimage takes many forms. I would love to do a physical pilgrimage – walking ancient paths that millions have trod before – but my physical limitations make that an impossibility at the moment. I love visiting the places where pilgrims have been. Those sacred places where you can sit and rest and know the nearness of God  - ‘thin places’ some call them. Anywhere where people have met with God over centuries has a special atmosphere to me – whether it be abbey ruins or lonely offshore islands. So I visit them, and these inspire my writing. I think about the people that have been there before me and create stories about what might have happened to them there.

I really believe that God meets with anyone who sets out to discover more of Him. That can be in undertaking a physical pilgrimage, or in just putting aside time and space for Him. I do love the way that pilgrimage enables a separation from the ordinary and everyday, the things that might distract from our communion with God. I love places where you can go and stay, retreat centres like Ffald y Brenin, where you can just focus on meeting with God for the time you are there.

I think for Brother Hywel he needed to be away from the familiar, to be challenged by the simplicity of the pilgrim experience, in order to meet God in a meaningful way. Of course pilgrimage also puts you in the company of others, and that companionship can also be a source of great blessing and/or testing of character. Hywel discovers that too.

- how have you seen God heal?

I have seen God heal in many ways, and some of those are recreated in the pilgrim’s stories in the novel. I have seen a woman healed in a moment from a lifetime of chronic life-limiting asthma. I have seen a man healed gradually from heart disease – he believed God had healed him before the physical manifestation of that healing. I have seen people healed from emotional burdens as God has touched deep wounds in their lives. I have seen a young woman walk free from addiction and another delivered from self- harming. I have also seen friends taken home to heaven to receive their full healing.

 I have experienced God’s healing myself. For years I struggled with depression and with God’s help I walked free of it.  I live with a chronic illness now, but His healing of that is ongoing and evident, and I have hope for complete healing in time. I can write about healing because I absolutely believe in a God who heals today, as He has done for centuries.  I’ve seen too many miracles to not believe it.

*****

I very much enjoyed The Pilgrim and found it a moving and encouraging story. Joy’s debut novel, The Healing, was published last year, and was and is a book about HOPE. The Healing tells the story of a young man’s experience of the healing and restorative power of God leading him out of despair. God bit by bit rebuilds his life and gives him a future better than he ever could have imagined. (see more about The Healing and my review here) This new book, The Pilgrim, takes one of the characters and tells his story, as a prequel. It retells the old story of the return of the prodigal, one man in need of FORGIVENESS. A mediaeval pilgrimage in North Wales has a variety of pilgrims, each carrying a burden the others know nothing about, and each meets with God and with His mercy and grace along the way.

This is a book for those who go on pilgrimage - and for those who pilgrim in their chairs! A beautiful book that had me gripped by the story; it made me long to go on pilgrimage again, to meet with God as I walk and to experience even more of His mercy and grace and forgiveness and healing.

(from my endorsement, published at the front of the book)

Signed copies can be ordered from Joy’s website here

Joy Margetts is a published author and blogger. Her books are works of Christian Historical fiction. Set in medieval Wales against the backdrop of Cistercian abbey life, they tell stories of faith, hope and God's redemptive power. Her debut novel 'The Healing' was published by Instant Apostle on 19 March 2021. Joy has also self- published a short novella, 'The Beloved' as both a companion to 'The Healing', and as an easy to read standalone story, which is available to buy on Amazon Kindle. 'The Pilgrim', her second full length novel, will be published by Instant Apostle on 22 July 2022

Find her via her website at www.joymargetts.com

On FB as Joy Margetts Author, on Instagram as @joymargetts, and on Twitter as @jamarge

The Pilgrim by Joy Margetts, Published by Instant Apostle (22 July 2022), ISBN 978191276615, RRP £9.99

The Healing, The Beloved and The Pilgrim are all available here: (paperback and Kindle editions)

Kindle edition:

The Beloved is Joy’s novella, and is only available as a download:

THE BELOVED: When love whispers, will the heart respond?
A young woman unsure of herself and not ready to open her heart. A young man sure of his feelings but clumsy in his approach. Both have a lot to learn about the true nature of love. This story takes them on a journey of discovery, which causes them both to come to a place of understanding, that will ultimately alter the direction of their lives. It isn’t only an understanding of human love that needs to touch their souls, but the realisation of the unconditional love that God offers them.
The Beloved is set in Medieval Wales, against the backdrop of Cistercian monastic life, and features some of the characters introduced in the novel, The Healing, by the same author.

Kindle edition:

GIVEAWAY!

Joy will send a signed copy to one lucky reader of my email. This goes out on the fourth Sunday evening of the month and all you need to do is fill in that annoying pop-up form on here. The email will slip into your inbox on Sunday evening with full details of how to enter the giveaway, along with some helpful ideas, inspirational thoughts and other hopefully interesting things for you. It’s never too long (who has time these days for lengthy things?!) and it now goes out to well over 1,000 people. Quite a wonderful community, many of whom belong to SPARKLE AND GREOW DEEPER, a Facebook page that I set up where we can encourage one another to go deeper with God.

But wait - there’s more! When you sign up , you’ll also receive the free download of my book, BECOMING YOUR BEST YOU, as well as another special offer.

SO why wait? Fill in the box now and get the email on Sunday evening! (July 24th)

And do read The Healing and The Beloved as well: both highly recommended!

*****

WAIT - JUST A FEW MORE DAYS IN JULY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SPECIAL OFFER FOR CHURCH LEADERS AND THOSE WHO SUPPORT THE BEREAVEAD.

SCENT OF WATER - words of comfort for those who grieve.

Endorsed by Debbie Thrower for the work and ministry of ANNA CHAPLAINCY and nominated for this year’s Christian Book Awards (Gift section), SCENT OF WATER is a gorgeous gift book to give to those who grieve and to help them through the first months of bereavement, to receive, to dip in and out of as you appreciate the words, the pictures, the reflections and the quotes. 

I’m giving a special offer just to churches, clergy, pastors and ministers, as many churches are finding it's a valuable and gentle gift to give to those who are grieving, to show love and care and support. A tangible expression of Christian love.

UNTIL THE END OF JULY, you can get a bundle of 5 copies on a ridiculously special offer to use in your work and ministry! Full details here DO pass this on to your church and its leaders - or why not purchase the bundle and give it to them to use! I know many would be very grateful!

Tony Horsfall says:

“What do you sav to someone who is recentlv

bereaved? It can be hard to know what to say

without sounding trite or patronising. Giving a small

gift can speak of your love and concern more

eloquently than words, and 'The Scent of Water'

By Penelope Swithinbank fits the bill exactly.

This is a beautifully produced and skillfully crafted

book providing words of comfort for those who are

grieving. It can be read as a daily devotional or a

dip-into resource for particular moments. The large

print text is rich and meaningful, the layout

engaging and the sections brief enough to help but

not overwhelm a grieving person.

The grief journey is a slow one, to be taken step by

step. 'Scent of Water' will provide much needed

companionship over the weeks and months of

bereavement. It is a gift worth giving.”

Looking forward to your company on Sunday evening!

PREPARING TO PREPARE

Christmas is excitingly on the horizon! I’m always excited at Christmas but this year, aren’t we all even more excited than ever? The thought of celebrations, family, get-togethers, after it was all just about cancelled last year, is worth looking forward to! Whether there’s shortages - No Turkey! Not The Most Wanted Gifts! - we all want to be together, to celebrate, and to have some wonderful times. We want to sing carols again; wonder at the crib; light lots of candles; remember and recall again the wonderful (full of wonder) story of the birth of Emmanuel.

However you celebrate, whatever you hope to do, I wonder whether you’re looking forward to Advent as well?

Are you ready and prepared for Advent?

Actually - isn’t Advent the time of preparing for Christmas?

Well, yes - but ARE you prepared to prepare?

Advent is the four weeks that lead to Christmas Day, starting on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. It's a popular misconception that Advent always begins on December 1st; this year it begins on the 28th November, the first Sunday in Advent. It was traditionally a time of fasting and penitence, to prepare us for the coming of Emmanuel, God with us. These days it’s more a time of feasting and indulgence as we open our daily little doors and consume the chocolate - or gin or whisky, or whatever is hidden in your Advent Calendar.

Advent is all about anticipation. The word even comes from the Latin word for “arrival,” signifying that all-exciting Christmas count-down. Are you ready for the anticipation and excitement to begin?

I like to have something special to read each day during Advent and I usually look for a new book that will whet my appetite for Christmas - spiritually that is; the food appetite is already raring to go! And this year is no exception. With either appetite.

So I was delighted to be invited a few weeks ago to the book launch of Jo Swinney’s Advent book, THE WHOLE CHRISTMAS STORY.

Top: Jo (left) being interviewed by her editor, Olivia (right)

Bottom: Me clutching my own copy of the book! Happy early Christmas indeed!

Jo answered a few questions for us.

Jo - you said this book was born out of adversity; and that you drew some of the pictures. Tell us more about the journey to write the book.

BRF invited me to write a daily devotional book for Advent and Christmas a few years ago. I love worming my way into the Bible and finding out what it really means so I was very happy to be asked to write this one.

But shortly afterwards, my parents Peter and Miranda Harris, the founders of A Rocha (a Christian charity working for the protection and restoration of the natural world and the environment) were involved in a devastating car accident in South Africa, in which my mother died. The writing was put on hold; and then Covid came and one thing led to another, so it truly has been a time of adversity and trauma for me and my family.

And yes, I did do some of the drawings! The crib on the front cover is mine, and I’ve done some of the inside illustrations too. My friend Dan drew the large golden thread into a circle and I did the crib to show that the Baby is sitting inside something much larger.

Who did you have in mind when writing this Advent book?

Well anyone really. I’ve tried to use language that isn’t alienating for non-believers, although of course it IS about the Bible and about a Christian religious festival. I think about a friendly person and the sort of questions they might have and then I want to answer those questions. I don’t assume too much, but I don’t want to be patronising either.

Can you sum up the thread of the book for us to give us an idea?

I think the advantage of this being an Advent book is that it is focused on Jesus and intentional about that; but I wanted to do the lead up to Christmas a bit differently. I wanted to broaden it out into what I like to call ‘Shalom Wholeness.’ I don’t want to force Christmas into where it isn’t, but I DID want to go from Genesis to Revelation - on a journey, an adventure, really, from a garden to a garden city. But it’s not a heavy Bible commentary or heavy, theological Bible study! So each day, from December 1st to January 6th (Twelfth Night, the twelfth day of Christmas - ed) there’s a short Bible passage, which I then chat about briefly, followed by a question for the reader to ponder and a little prayer. I’ve deliberately tried to keep it simple and short so that it’s easy to read and to use.

What’s your favourite part about writing and what do you not like about the writing process, Jo?

My favourite part is actually starting to put words down! I start with a spider gram and it goes out in all directions, then I group the ideas and from that I get the structure. I do sometimes panic that I’ll get bored with the story or the writing though! Generally I enjoy the actual writing, but I dread the public launch and then how it’s received. Oh, and I hate the editing; I get bored if I read anything more than once - except the Bible of course!

Finally, who is your favourite author?

Definitely Eugene Peterson.

Thank you, Jo. And thank you for helping us to prepare to be prepared!

There are 4 copies of THE WHOLE CHRISTMAS STORY in a giveaway in my email fortnightly newsletter that will be coming out on Sunday November 14th.

To find out how to enter, you’ll need to be on the list to have it slip into your inbox that afternoon. Simply fill in the annoying popup menu on here and not only will you get that email, you’ll be sent my downloadable ebook, ‘5 Ways to Experience God,’ PLUS some other special offers too. You can always unsubscribe at any time. I’d love to have you join me in this wild amazing adventure with God!

And there’s a regular (most days but not Every. Single. Day!) Thought For the Day to help us too, on my closed Facebook page, SPARKLE AND GO DEEPER. You can ask to join it here and then you’ll be part of this lovely group of women from all across the world as we learn and discover ways to help, inspire, encourage and strengthen our daily walk with the Lord. Do join us, we’d love to see you there! 💛

And one more way to be prepared - start your Christmas gift shopping NOW!

WALKING BACK TO HAPPINESS is ideal for anyone who loves walking, anyone who loves travel, anyone who loves France, food, coffee, ice cream …. or just a good story really! So that’s most people. It’s available on sale from my website, or as an audio book, or on Kindle. Full details here. NOVEMBER OFFER: use code FIFTEEN at check out for 15% off anything purchased on the website.

SCENT OF WATER is a beautiful hardback gift book to give to anyone who is grieving the loss of a loved one. It has poems, pictures, thoughts, daily meditations, to dip in and out of; plus a special section for those particularly difficult occasions such as the first Christmas or New Year without the loved one. It has been endorsed by Debbie Thrower for the Anna Chaplaincy; it is dyslexic-friendly; and it is already proving to be a blessing to many. Available as a hardback from the website or as an ebook. Full details here. NOVEMBER OFFER: use code FIFTEEN at check out for 15% off anything purchased on the website.

Hardback available as a signed copy from the website