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?

For the last days of summer ...

Lazy summer days - and time to read.

And still a few more days of summer to enjoy, for relaxation and restoration. Making the most of the time .

For me, that means time to read.

There’s nothing better than a hammock or deckchair, sunshine, and a good book.

Although I could be persuaded to add good coffee, or a chilled glass of dry rosé or even just a china cup and saucer of Lapsang Souchong black tea (no additions thank you!) to enhance the lazy afternoons.

And a dog, of course.

So here are some of those I’ve enjoyed recently - in the order of reading over the past couple of months.

A re-read of my ancient paperback copy! Purchased originally because we watched Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh as the young couple, Harriet and Guy Pringle, way back in the 1980’s. I pulled it out to reread this summer and was soon immersed in the lyrical and glorious prose that is Olivia Manning’s forté.

Guy is working in Bucharest and takes his new innocent bride Harriet there as war breaks out. There, she learns to cope with loneliness, war deprivations, eccentric friends (especially dear Yaki, the Prince Yakimov!) and Guy’s increasing dependence on his work and his play directing. Forced to flee to Greece, Harriet grows in strength of mind and in independence while Guy become increasingly boring and bore-ish.

The work is semi-biographical as Manning’s husband was also in the diplomatic service and at the same time as the book is set. It lived up to my remembered expectations. I enthused over it so much that my husband then read it - and by the time he’d finished it too, the thick old paperback had totally fallen to pieces and went alas into the bin.

The sequel to these three books, known as The Levantine Trilogy, is awaiting my return home (after the summer hols) on my bedside table, to re-read!

I've read quite a number of Kristin Hannah's books. Most are truly gripping in their sweeping sagas set in various parts of the USA.

This one, this one - while no doubt historically true, was one of the most depressing books I've ever read! But isn't that because it's set in the time of the Great Depression; when people and families struggled, when the droughts and the wind storms devastated the lands, when people migrated west looking for hope, for a future, for anything that could be better than what they were leaving.

Having just driven 600 miles around Wyoming, N & S Dakota and Nebraska, I 'm better able to visualise some of the utter devastation, the isolation, the colours and the dust and grit. And the true grit of those who struggled to survive in those times.

The Grapes of Wrath is still the better account for me; but I'm glad to have read this book to gain further insight into those heart-breaking times, into the hardships people had to endure, into what has historically made parts of the USA and its people into what they are today. If you've struggled across the Great Plains, subsisting on nothing, unable to provide for your family; if you've lived miles from anyone else; if you've survived by sheer determination and self-preservation, it will inevitably impact not just you and the immediate family but your descendants too. It explains a lot about the mid West as it is now, to me.

Phil Anderson, known to many through his contributions to the daily LECTIO365, recounts his quest to uncover the story of Count Zinzendorf, one of the founders of the original Order of the Mustard Seed. In one sense, this is a pilgrimage - Phil and friend journey to visit the original Herrnhut, although instead of going on foot, they are in Phil’s little plane! But it’s also the pilgrimage of the Moravian church and its search for true relational community, wholehearted devotion and missional outreach.

An easy read, but a good one and well worth reading. I found an old second hand copy as the book was written a while ago. I wanted to read it anyway but also felt I should, as one of my directees is an oblate for the Order of The Mustard Seed and it was helpful to learn more about the origins of it all. The book certainly inspired me to be more committed and wholehearted in my Christian walk. Might it you too?

From the sublime to the ridiculous - almost! From the Moravians to the Rothschilds is a huge step!

A fascinating story of the wealthy Rothschild dynasty but told from the perspective of the women and their influence. From the ghetto in Frankfurt,with its patriarchal Jewish roots, the family spread into Europe’s leading cities and across The Pond; and the women played an enormous part in its success. This book tells the story of the English branch, and 250 years of historical background. I would have liked a family tree - I did get confused several times as names were re-used in different generations or across families! But otherwise, a fascinating and well-researched account, leaving you astounded at how one family could rise so far both financially and geographically, in days before our ease of travel and commuications.

In the Shadow of Queens, Alison Weir's collection of 6 short stories of women in the time of Henry VIIII's 6 wives.

Short stories are not normally something I enjoy. Tudor history is, however, and this set of stories about women linked with the Tudors was a fascinating insight into life in Tudor times, especially at Court. The author has provided some background information on the 6 wives of Henry VIII, and notes on each individual woman featured in this collection of novellas, helping to show what is conjecture and what is based on historical fact and research.
The stories begin in the times of Arthur, Prince of Wales, the first husband of Katharine of Aragon, and continue through until the tragic death of Katharine Parr, Henry's sixth and last wife, who remarried after his death, and whose story here includes what happened to her grave centuries later.
The women of the stories are brought to life, sometimes with a modern writing style and sometimes in a more stylised Tudoresque style. It could be described as 'faction,' a clever blend of fact and fiction,
Not a demanding read, but an enjoyable one.

I read a pre-publication download via Netgalley of the new paperback edition and this in no way influenced my views.

Lucy By the Sea by Elizabeth Strout, a stream of consciousness in the time of Covid in New England, which brought back a lot of memories of lockdown, as well as characters from some of her previous novels.

I wish I had read this when I first downloaded it - I waited too long and delayed the pleasure it brought! Written in Elizabeth Strout's inimicable style, it is perhaps a stream of consciousness in the time of Covid in New England, which brought back a lot of memories of lockdown, as well as characters from some of her previous novels. William and Lucy, once previously married, escape New York and the pandemic, and take up residence by the sea in New England, where Lucy writes and makes a new friend or two, (surprised by and enjoyed another character from previous Strout novels) and gradually and somewhat reluctantly reconnects with William.

It's a novel about a pandemic; about loneliness, about loss, about life. And about reflections and regrets and perhaps coming to terms with life as it is. Grief and love, family and friends.

There were many quotes I scribbled down as I read - always a good sign, that shows the books has spoken into my own life.
"And then this thought went through my mind.
We are all in lockdown, all the time. We just don't know it, that's all.
But we do the best we can. Most of us are just trying to get through."

And although that spoke to me, I realised that while it may be true for many people, that sad and rather pessimistic quote also made me that actually, happily, there's more to life than this for those of us who know and love the Lord.

I regretted finishing the book and will certainly re-read it soon.

I read a pre-publication download via Netgalley and this in no way influenced my views.

The Forgotten Village by Lorna Cook.

I enjoyed this summer read - the story of a village 'lost' to requisition by the army in WWII and of the family who lived in the big house. A photo discovered, and closely studied by a young woman when the village is reopened in 2017 as a museum village, leads to a mystery about the woman in the photo, to the discovery of a murder; and to a new romance.

Set partly in the lead-up to war and partly in modern times, located in a coastal area of Dorset, this is a book to get lost in and absorbed by; excellent beach reading! An enjoyable, very easy read, with a most satisfactory ending - part of which was inevitable and part of which was a twist I had not foreseen at all.

Lily by Rose Tremain.

This is a powerful and well-written story of a foundling taken in to Coram Fields Foundling Hospital in Victorian times. Lily is found abandoned as a new born, and taken by policeman Sam to the orphanage. From there she is fostered for 6 very happy years in Suffolk on a farm; but the Hospital ‘rules’ means she has to be returned there at 6 years old. Once back within its cold and savage walls, Lily’s life changes with the devastating impact of its hard religious stance and the sadness of abuse and neglect. And those in turn lead to a crime.

It’s heartbreaking to read; be prepared for tears as well as for little touches of humour. Truman’s polished prose draws you in, arouses your sympathy for brave staunch and courageous Lily. She and the other foundlings are as slaves, valued only for the monetary value they can bring to the Hospital: “‘You are like them… You are like those slaves. For did you not work for the people paid to care for you?’” and condemned due to the bad behaviour that led to their births. (Not their fathers’ bad behaviour, just their mothers who each had the misfortune to become an unwed mother) Lily’s escape route she’s been promised disappears; you wonder if there could ever be a happy ending in this Dickensian horror-filled account. it does end with a touch of a promise of hope.

The Crane Wife. I have given up on this! Which is most unlike me. The idea of brief extracts of events seemed good, of brief essays to make a memoir - but then the style changed. The characters were not memorable and I struggled to retain any sense of the plot, where the characters were heading in every sense, and what the whole point was meant to be. The re-telling of a vintage Katharine Hepburn film finally made me give up - it went on FOREVER. I'm disappointed - maybe as much with myself for not persevering - especially as the critics rave about it. I’ve read a number of memoirs and enjoyed them but this is one of the very few books I’ve ever given up on before finishing. However, many reviewers rave about it - why not try it and let me know what you think!

Thank you NetGalley for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

The Lip by Charlie Carroll, a novel set in Cornwall, but told from the viewpoint of a local young woman, Melody Janie Rowe, who needs the 'emmets' (tourists and/or non-Cornish) to spend their money in the family cafe but loathes and despises them trampling on her beloved land, and who has to cope with mental illness, death, aloneness and financial hardship.

The style is fluid and full of beautiful descriptions of the Cornish landscape (the Lip is a projecting cliff edge above a beautiful cove on the Cornish coastline). It is also heart-rending in its descriptions of loneliness and aloneness; of mental health issues and how they impact the lives of those who live with it and near it; and of the poverty of many in the side of Cornwall that many of us don’t see as we’re not there all year round.

I hadn’t spotted the true identity of one of the characters. When all was revealed it was like the light going on, and suddenly a lot made sense and I skimmed back quickly to see how the author led so cleverly to this.

You might need to be feeling strong to read this book. I was drawn in by the beautiful cover and because it was set in Cornwall. I'm glad I read it but it wasn't always an easy read due to the themes covered. Well worth reading, however.

The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn, a good, debut novel about a young, unwanted and unloved orphan Christabel, and her stepsister Florence and cousin Digby, who live in a manor house on the Dorset coast, and whose story spans over 30 years, from the roaring twenties to the second world war, the background linking thread being playacting, whether that of the adults in their personal lives or the children and their amateur theatre, or the visitors and racy artists within the grounds of the house.

It's neither the Forsytes nor the Cazalets, and occasionally the writing is rather thin. The whale with its whalebone is perhaps the main character; most of the (human) characters lack sufficient depth of description and the style meanders from prose to letters to journals to lists to scripts. Maybe that’s intended as a clever literary device but I found it somewhat disjointed, interrupting the main flow.

However,I enjoyed it on the whole and there are some wonderfully descriptive sentences and phrases. I will certainly look for the next book by this author!

if you were to buy any of the books, I’d be grateful for the use of the links, but no pressure! it just adds a few pennies to the pension! Just click on the picture and it will take you to the link.

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!

Are you a church leader? Do you know any church leaders?

A special summer offer of SCENT OF WATER

for churches and their leaders

Do you ever wonder what to say or what to give to someone who is grieving the loss of a loved one?

Or perhaps you have a Grief Support group who need helpful resources?

Either way, maybe you’d like something to give to the bereaved to whom you minister, to show the love and care of you and/or your church, and to give them something helpful in the first few weeks and months of their grief.

Endorsed by Debbie Thrower and used by The Anna Grief Chaplaincy, "SCENT OF WATER - words of comfort in times of grief" is a lovely gift book to give, to receive, to dip in and out of as you appreciate the words, the pictures, the reflections and the quotes. 

Hardback, with colour photos by Canon Debbie Dewes, it has poems, meditations, daily thoughts, prayers, reflections - set out in a way that's easy to dip into and to use.  It’s also DYSLEXIC-friendly.

And it’s just been nominated for the CHRISTIAN BOOK AWARDS in the Gift/Devotional Category.

I’d like to give you a special offer, just for 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.

“ The devotions are grouped under headings that could work like topics. They can be read in any order, so you could choose a theme, rather than the next one on the list. Between each week there is a beautiful photograph. Just turning the pages, reading words, prayers and thoughts is soothing in itself.” - Maressa Mortimer, clergy wife

SUMMER OFFER JUNE/JULY ONLY

BULK DISCOUNT FOR CLERGY AND CHURCHES:

5 copies for £50 (incl p+p for UK; plus p+p for other countries)

Normal retail price is £15 per copy

Payment is by BACS and can be invoiced. Simply email me with your order.

I would also be happy to send you a complimentary digitally-printed hardback copy to peruse if you’d like to see it before purchasing.

And do pass this on to others you know for whom it would be helpful. Thank you.

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Matching cards are also available - blank inside, with a plain white envelope

50p per card when ordered with books.

A MAGNIFICENT MOUSTACHE CAN BE YOURS!

Now for something very different - a book ostensibly written for 8-10 year olds. I'm delighted to tell you I must fall into that age group again, because the stories are absolutely delightful, with their wonderful characters and often with a twist at the end. I kept on saying, "I'll just read one more and continue tomorrow,  " and then found I'd read to the end! You are sure to enjoy these stories, whatever your age.

As Wendy H. Jones, the author of well-known detective stories, says of this book, "This book is a masterpiece of how the short story should be written and how words should be used to entertain. I cannot recommend it enough. It would make a fabulous present or even gift to yourself."

I agree; you must both read it AND give it to all 8-10 year olds you know - even if, like me, they are actually a bit (OK, quite a lot) older. 

It's a collection of six delightful stories full of wit, quirky characters and an abundance of welcome nonsense. These innovative tales will take you from a national moustache-growing competition; to the Queen’s vexation when her usual cuppa fails to appear; and to the challenges of having a name so lengthy that it takes forever to simply introduce yourself. A 200-year-old business faces imminent collapse unless a solution can be found; a kingdom has been cut off from civilisation for 100 years; and what happened in that bitterly cold winter of 1740 in north west Wales?

Jenny Sanders grew up in a house full of books and believes that if you enjoy reading you need never be bored.  While reading an entire book in one go can be tricky, she knows that completing a whole story in one sitting is enormously satisfying.  Years ago, she taught her four grown-and-flown children to read, and has spent time working with Key Stage 2 children in school.   - from the back cover

IF YOU’D LIKE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY TO WIN A SIGNED COPY -

fill in the annoying pop-up form on this site BEFORE MIDDAY ON SUNDAY MAY 29TH

and you’ll not only receive my monthly email with details of how to enter not just this giveaway but another one as well

AND you’ll get a free downloadable e-book: BECOMING YOUR BEST YOU - helping you to become the you God created you to be

THE MAGNIFICENT MOUSTACHE: Available as an e-book or as a paperback.

Purchase on Amazon or order at all good bookshops; signed copies available direct from the author:

Facebook: Jenny Sanders - writer

Instagram: @jennysanderswriter 

Blog: Dancing Through Chaos

The birthday that went wrong ....

An American birthday ...

turned out to be very different to what had been planned.

Instead of two weeks with my daughter and her family in northern Virginia, I've ended up at her beach house on the Outer Banks (OBX) in N. Carolina - because she tested Covid positive a few hours after we arrived! Much as I longed to stay and nurse her, she banished us as I need to stay fit and healthy (See below!) So here we are, having a mini vacation, enjoying sun, sea and sand. And honestly it is EXACTLY what we need: as you may have seen on social media, the previous three weeks were solid manual labour getting our new apartments ready for the summer season! It's taken EIGHT WHOLE MONTHS for the admin/paperwork to be done - and praise God for Christian, patient vendors. Over those months, we were frustrated, impatient, and, if I'm honest, I was often shouty at God for not answering my heated prayers to Get. The. Job. Done, Lord.

But God's timing is always better than ours; looking back now I can see that for several reasons it's a good thing we only took ownership when we did. (long story!) And our first Sunday there, we went to the little Methodist church where one of our vendors was preaching (they've only moved up the road!) It was Palm Sunday and the service blessed me and his message blessed me and the Lord ministered to me.

And the work was finished with less than an hour to spare before the first visitors arrived! It was exhausting but we did it. Then we dashed home to unpack, repack and head off to the USA via 24 hours over Easter with our UK families in Abingdon before Heathrow and the USA - on an exceedingly bumpy flight.

The next morning was my birthday - she tested positive and we jumped in her car and drove a further 5.5 hrs here.

​​​​​​​Yet again, I know the truth of Romans 8:28.

'He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.' (The Message)

I wish she didn't have Covid; I wish we could have two whole weeks together.

BUT GOD has worked the unwished-for into good; she is already getting better and we will have a week together from Monday; and my husband and I are enjoying some much-needed time R&R and date-time; and I will be rested and in far better shape to enjoy the grandsons than I might have been otherwise.

I'm learning to thank Him even when things turn out differently to what I had planned and hoped for.

Walking along the beach in my hiking boots and gear ...

.... to prepare for leading a Celtic pilgrimage in Cornwall from Lands End to The Lizard May 6-13. Please pray for our little group of pilgrims - for safety, kind weather, to meet with the Lord.

Just for readers in the USA, and just until the end of April:

 I have just EIGHT signed copies of Scent of Water and ONE of Walking Back to Happiness, in the USA.

 Order quickly here to make sure you get what you need.

 And remember to use the code to get free shipping.

The Wounds of Time - and TWO giveaways!

The Wounds of Time - S.L.Russell

An exclusive interview with the author as her ninth book is published. It's a modern novel set in a barristers' chambers, with the Chief Clerk navigating wounds from the past and a dysfunctional family. A gripping read, I discovered when I read a pre-publication edition! AND Sue is giving away not one but TWO signed copies …. Read on for more info

Sue, how would you describe your genre?

A kindly editor once described the genre as ‘contemporary drama’ – I’ll stick with that! In my ignorance at the outset I never gave genre a thought; I had a story I could get behind, that seemed to have enough meat to it, and something I wanted to tell. Genre is limiting. It’s probably more a tool for publishers’ and booksellers’ convenience than anything meaningful. Some of my stories have crimes in them, some have romantic elements, others contain mysteries, but that doesn’t make them a crime novel, or a romance, or a thriller – just a story about recognisable life.

What is your aim in including a Christian character?

My aim when I include a character who is Christian, or those who talk about faith, or those who are questioning, is to show that it really isn’t all that weird. Such beliefs can be and are held by people who are normal (whatever that is), intelligent, knowledgeable, tolerant, realistic. Not deluded oddballs with their eyes shut. I’ve tried to combat the image of the clergy person so often portrayed in the media as either a weak-chinned ineffectual buffoon or a corrupt manipulator. No doubt such people exist, but I’ve never met one. In my experience they are far outweighed by - at least - decent individuals working hard for their communities.

When did you decide to write and is it a God-inspired calling?

I’ve been writing since my chubby fist could hold a pencil! (Perhaps that’s a slight exaggeration.) The yen to write seems inborn. In my case it’s certainly linked to my love of reading from a very early age. I sometimes read non-fiction but my first and enduring love is for stories. I can’t tell you why I write – it’s a kind of mental itch. But God is definitely in there, in ways I can’t completely fathom. Somewhere in the early stages of writing my first novel (the first I published, anyway – Leviathan with a Fish-hook) I became aware that I should be writing it for God’s glory, whatever that implied for the story. At that point it gave a focus to the writing, a purpose beyond myself. I would guess that if you are a Christian writer your faith is implicit in your work, simply because it emanates from you – whether or not it is overt.

How do you know so much about medical and legal matters? 

Research! Internet articles, books – including on subjects which are not strictly relevant to the story and which never appear on the page. I write about things that interest me and can often get quite carried away by research. For example, I now know a little about congenital heart defects which nowadays are, thankfully, rarely seen, at least in developed countries. I have also had the good fortune to find people, particularly for the last two books, who are currently involved in their professions and have been willing to share their expertise and up-to-date experience, saving me from embarrassing blunders. When I read a novel, I look not just for a great story with memorable characters, but for some expansion of my knowledge or empathy with an unfamiliar subject. I like to feel I have learned something! I hope my readers feel the same. 

Which is your favourite of your books? And the most difficult?

My favourite - I have no idea! As to which has been the most difficult, none have been difficult actually to write, once the ideas and a general notion of the plot are all there, but getting the ideas in the first place has got tougher with each book. I keep asking myself, is this the last?

How do you actually write - and do you pray as you write?!

I started off, years ago, with longhand. No more: these days it’s straight to screen. And I write when the words are ready and then I can go on for hours and produce a lot of work. But I will make myself stop, because I find the quality starts to decline. This way of working suits me, and I am fortunate to be able to do it, as I am no longer hamstrung by paid employment or small children. However with my first book I did have a young family and managed to write it in the cracks of a busy life.

I sometimes remember (not often enough, to my shame) to pray before I start. I’m sure it makes a difference, because prayer does, and not just with writing. If nothing else, it reminds me who I’m doing it for: God first, readers next.

tell us a bit about yourself, Sue:

I studied history at university, and have done a number of jobs, including (as a teenager) working in Woolworth's, cleaning in hospitals and playing the piano in a ballet school. I taught English to adults in Indonesia for two years as a graduate, and my last job was teaching children with learning difficulties. I was a Samaritan volunteer for 17 years. Apart from books my other main interest is music: I've taught piano and flute, sing in a choir, play in a band and am a church organist, which all sounds a lot more accomplished than it actually is!

GIVEAWAY!

Sue has offered to send one signed copy to one of my readers in the UK and one in the USA!

To enter the giveaway:

Join my community by filling in the annoying pop-up form on this website by Sunday March 20th 3.30pm GMT and my newsletter will slip into your inbox with details of how to enter for the giveaway. You’ll also get a free ebook to download (Becoming Your Best You) and some other exciting offers, so sign up now and get a bunch of good things! The emails are sent out on alternate Sunday afternoons, with inspirations, ideas, innovations and information, so don’t miss out on all that too.

Ever wondered about Spiritual Direction?

Ever wondered about Spiritual Direction?

‘Spiritual Direction’ or Spiritual Accompaniment, is the ancient, traditional name for a one-on-one session, when someone, who has specifically trained for this, offers a safe and confidential space for you to talk and think and discuss with them about what God might be saying and doing in your life. About where He might be leading.

Or about the joys and sorrows, the ups and downs, of your adventurous journey with the Lord.

Helping you to discern where God is at work in your life

Walking with you as you aim to be the YOU God intended you to be

It is not traditional counselling, therapy or advice. But it is a safe place, with total confidentiality, and many clergy in particular value the opportunity to talk about and pray through either specific situations or their Christian journey in general.  

But it's not limited to clergy and pastors!  Anyone can find it helpful to meet with a Spiritual Counsellor/Director and have the opportunity and space to reflect on God’s presence in your life. A typical session lasts just under an hour, is totally confidential and can be a life changing time.

I know first hand that God can and does do amazing things in our lives. He has led me and walked with me both through valleys and on mountaintops.  I have experienced His love and goodness even in times of great difficulty, great grief and great pain. And enormous blessings too. 

I can listen without being shocked! I can empathise and pray with and for you. And mostly, I aim to step back and let God do what HE wants to do!

I'm a trained Ignatian Spiritual Director and it's an enormous privilege to walk with people as they discern where the Lord is at work and where He is leading.

more info about Spiritual Direction here

SPECIAL OFFER FOR SPRING 2022

3 x 50 minutes sessions of  Spiritual Direction

 

-  Zoom or in person

-  1 session in each of April, May & June 2022

-  usual cost ( website) for 3 sessions is £150

special offer is £120 

( PayPal or bank transfer)

-  only 5 available

Offer open to new clients only.

Sessions are on zoom OR in person - your choice.

On-line technology - we can meet wherever you are! Grateful for the ability to do this.

If you would like to be considered for 1 of the 5 places,

please email me and tell me a little about yourself and why you’d like to try spiritual direction this spring.

A different kind of Lent

I need a different kind of Lent this year.

You too?

I need lament - and laughter.

I need fasting - and feasting.

I need Jesus.

After the past 2 years and in our current situation, don’t we all need a different kind of Lent, a Lent that is kind to others.

A kind of Lent to transform us kindly.

A Lent that leads to and opens us to Resurrection joy.

It’s easy to forgive - out loud. For the moment when I (probably) mean it.

It’s far harder to go on with the mind and attitude of forgiving.

Not remembering, not casting nasturtiums (as my young son once said meaning aspersions) not dragging up the past, not going over and over it in my mind.

Not being hurt by it anymore. Even though I am. Choosing to turn and think of something lovely instead of thinking of my hurt.

I make coffee. I breathe in the aroma, enjoy the ritual of the making, use my favourite mug, think only of the joy of creating my go-to victual. Take my mind off the wounding, fill it with good things. A little coffee and a lot of Jesus.

Choosing to forgive. Choosing to stop myself remembering I was hurt.

Looking for the good in the other person. Remembering they too carry burdens I know nothing about.

Having the same attitude of Christ. Who even in agony, cried out, Father forgive them! They know not what they do!

Choosing, each day of Lent, to fast from recriminations and to feast on forgiveness.

(Read the first chapter of Walking Back To Happiness to find out what this meant for me a few Lents ago)

In his book, The Deeply Formed Life, Rich Villodas, the Brooklyn-born pastor of a church in Queens NY, talks about how he deliberately set about changing that little narrative that determines our actions, and in particular determines our reactions to people who hurt us, criticise us, cause us to be harsh and bitter in return.

There are 5 simple questions.

They could be life changing if we use them.

Because you can’t sparkle and flourish when you carry resentment, recriminations, re-actions and un-forgiveness.

Fast from recriminations.

Feast on forgiveness.

Many people are struggling right now - with anxiety, stress, worry, fear.

You too?

A little encouragement goes a long way. And in reaching out to others and encouraging them, our own heart is encouraged too. A double gift!

How can you encourage someone today?

A phone call, an email, a real card in the real mail; a little bunch of daffodils; a freshly made cake; a trip to the coffee shop ….

40 random acts of kindness for Lent.

Who will you encourage today and how will you help them to flourish and sparkle?

A different kind of Lent.

A kind of Lent to transform us kindly.

A student verbally attacked Dallas Willard towards the end of a lecture. Dallas simply replied to say that was a good place to end.

In an interview, John Ortburg asked Dallas why he'd done that and not countered the arguments.

Dallas replied that he was practising the discipline of not always having to have the last word.

Does having to have the last word spring from a desire to be right, to be seen as superior, as wanting to be in control and to control others?

I LIKE having the last word. I am OFTEN right. You too?

Dallas talked about the need for our hearts to be transformed. Not that we change our principles, but that we change our attitudes. We learn to listen with compassion and empathy; we yearn for the fruits of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentlenss, SELF CONTROL. (Gal 5).

Change my heart, O God.

Lord, change me.

Help me to let go of always having to have the last word.

Give me your heart of compassion and empathy, the skill of listening, and the discernment to know when to speak and when to be silent.

TWO FREE BOOKS - this weekend only: February 26/27

THIS WEEKEND ONLY:

Enjoy two FREE Kindle/ebook downloads

Thanks to the generosity of my publisher, following the enormous success of the free downloads a couple of weeks ago, both WALKING BACK TO HAPPINESS and SCENT OF WATER are free to download as ebooks again for 48 hours.​​​​​​​

THANK YOU to everyone who downloaded them and helped to put Walking Back to Happiness at the no 1 spots!

Here's what I was sent by the publisher:

So here is the offer for one last time - tell EVERYONE you know to download them while they're free!

You do miss out on the beautiful colour photography in each of the books though

so you'll need the 'real' editions too!

Did you know that WALKING BACK TO HAPPINESS is also available as an Audio book?

The AUDIO BOOK (not included in the free offer, alas!) means you can listen to me reading it (with my husband also reading his thoughts)

From an email I received earlier this week from M. S. in the USA:

I want you to know, I LOVE the book! I really like it! It’s absorbing. And because I know you and Kim, it adds another layer of the experience of hearing you process your life, your marriage, your ministry experiences, and your heart. Thank you for being so open and so vulnerable with us. I’m about 1/2 through, and all I can say is, I want to visit some of these villages in France and sample some of the food. I think I can do without being chased by vicious dogs, but them aside and the rain! it just sounds like it was such a deeply healing, restorative time for you and Kim. Praise God!

You can find the links for the audio and the ebooks, as well as the lovely 'proper' copies if you click here

And ‘SCENT OF WATER - words of comfort in times of grief’ has been endorsed by Debbie Thrower for use in the work of THE ANNA CHPLAINCIES.

Hop on over for the free downloads to wherever you normally download ebooks!

Available SATURDAY AND SUNDAY ONLY (UK time)

Do please tell everyone you know!

It would be lovely to get to number 1 again!

Once you’ve read the books, do post a review wherever you can - it makes a HUGE difference in the life of a book, and it would be so much appreciated if you would do that. Thank you!

A book for Lent?

My recommended Lent book this year is SHARING THE EASTER STORY by Sally Welch.

You can buy it here:

There is a giveaway copy of the book (for readers in the USA and UK) in my email on Sunday evening February 20th. Sign up on the annoying pop-up and the emails will slip quietly into your inbox on alternate Sunday evenings! They usually have some inspirational thoughts, and a once a month a give-away of a new book. So don’t miss out - sign up now!

The email on Sunday February 20th will have some ideas on ‘celebrating’ Lent, and as well as the giveaway, advance notice that both my books are available as a FREE download next weekend, Feb 26/27, thanks to my generous publisher!

Plus - if you sign up you also receive a free downloadable book, Becoming Your Best You.

Make sure you sign up now!

Two new ebooks for you to download are available to buy here.

WIN A LOVELY GIFT BOX OF GOODIES

There’s a lovely gift box of goodies to be won!

a surprise gift box containing 2 new Christian books (not mine!), a lovely scented hand cream, and a little journal. And another small surprise.

And it’s very easy to enter the giveaway!

There have been some wonderful and interesting book reviews on Social Media recently and I'm hugely grateful.

Authors loathe having to ask for reviews - but reviews make a VAST difference in the life and reach of a book. Especially reviews posted on a certain rather large online seller!

If you've read WALKING BACK TO HAPPINESS and/or SCENT OF WATER, please might you write just a sentence or two and post everywhere you can (copy and paste the same thing!)

Facebook, Insta, Pinterest, Twitter; Amazon, Eden, Waterstones, Aslan books, Barnes and Noble ..... every single one helps enormously. Whether it's 5 stars or just 1.

HOW TO WIN A LOVELY GIFT BOX

Here's what to do to enter the THANK YOU PRIZE DRAW for a surprise gift box

- write a review

- email me a photo/screen shot of it

Each review entry you send me (and you can write and send as many entries as you like, one for each page you post on, so post your review on every site you can!) will be entered into the prize draw. And there are 2 books to review!

Closing date is February 16th 2022. Maybe do one a week? Or do them all at once and get it over with?!

One winner will be selected at random and sent a surprise gift box containing 2 new Christian books (not mine!), a lovely scented hand cream, and a little journal. And another small surprise.

So get writing - it doesn't have to be perfect, or long, or erudite (or Araldite as I heard someone mispronounce it a few days ago! For non-Brits, Araldite is a glue.)

Done is better than perfect, remember?! And it doesn't have to be long - see below.

Thank you for doing this! Don't forget to send me the photo shot of your review to enter for a chance to win the gorgeous gift hamper.