Bookish Tuesday: Affinity by Dianne J. Wilson

Affinity released on the 8th of June, but it has been brewing inside of me for many years. Pegged as a YA urban fantasy novel, it is a breathless dive into the spiritual realm off a diving board of 'what if'?

What if... we could see into the spiritual realm? What would a Believer look like? What would a non-Believer look like? Our natural and spiritual giftings... what form would they take? And what if we could see brokenness, and know just how to fix it?

Here is the blurb: 
'Kai was born with the ability to see brokenness and to fix it. But when a freak accident leaves him trapped in the spiritual realm, he discovers a sinister side to being gifted—much darker than he'd ever imagined. With Affinity Recruiters hunting him down, Kai has to learn how to stay alive, use his gift to save his friends, and stop the flood of evil threatening the world. Can he do it before time runs out?

Why did I write Affinity?
Our teenagers are inheriting a broken world. A minute of scrolling through any social media feed will prove it. The facts are clear - no country, race, age or gender will guarantee immunity.

Tackling life in this mess is nothing short of impossible and many young people are struggling against a deep sense of hopelessness. As a mom to two teenagers and one pre-teen, I have a steady stream of teens through my car and home. It doesn’t take much listening to hear their hearts.

Life is tough, yet with God all things are possible.

He has woven gifting into our DNA and given us access to a full arsenal of spiritual weapons to bring healing to the brokenness. My hope for each reader of this series is awareness.

~    Awareness of the reality of the spiritual realm.

~    Awareness of the fact that the enemy is already defeated and disarmed. The only power he till wields is the power of deception.

~    Awareness of the potent gift inside each one waiting to be unleashed that will see prisoners set free and hope restored despite the state of our world.

'For what is seen is temporary, what is unseen is eternal.'

2 Corinthians 4:18 

Dianne J. Wilson writes novels from her hometown in East London, South Africa, where she lives with her husband and three daughters. She is writing the third book in YA series, Spirit Walker, with Pelican / Watershed. Book 1, Affinity released on the 8th of June. Resonance (book 2) will be released in October 2018.

Finding Mia is available from Amazon, Pelican / Harbourlight, Barnes & Noble and other bookstores.

Shackles is available as a free ebook from Amazon & Smashwords.

Find her on Facebook, Twitter and her sporadic blog Doodles.

Feeling Stuck? Read on... Devotion by Dianne J. Wilson

I watched a bee try to get out of my house yesterday. He buzzed up a storm up and down the glass. He was trying to find a hole, I guess? Up and down, left, right. He pushed hard to get through every millimeter of that glass pane. He was dedicated. Committed. Probably a bit desperate. At the end of the day? Still stuck.

Before you think I’m heartless for watching the poor thing struggle without helping it, hear me out.

The window was open.

At any moment, he could have flown free.  I did eventually help the little guy, but it got me thinking about how we live sometimes.

We can see the vision, the goal, the dream. We push towards it with every scrap of our energy. We keep pushing and trying, we change tactics and try again – because surely a God-given dream should work, right? And yet sometimes, there is simply no breakthrough. We try until our all our energy and passion is depleted and then a small sliver of disappointment lodges deep inside. If nothing changes, this sliver grows to a wedge that can drive us away from trusting God and what He’s called us to do.

Friends, if God has placed a dream in your heart – the window is open.

If I spoke bee, I would have said to that little chap buzzing in my window, “Hey, take a step back. Stop the frantic buzzing and breathe a little. Find the scent of fresh air and follow it.”

God is saying the same to us. “Step back. Stop the frantic buzzing and breathe. Find the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit and follow it.”

‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.’ Zechariah 4:6

‘I know that everything God does will endure forever; 

nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it.’ Ecclesiastes 3:14

Dianne J. Wilson writes novels from her hometown in East London, South Africa, where she lives with her husband and three daughters. She is writing the third book in YA series, Spirit Walker, with Pelican / Watershed. Book 1, Affinity is releasing on the 8th of June 2018.

Finding Mia is available from Amazon, Pelican / Harbourlight, Barnes & Noble and other bookstores.

Shackles is available as a free ebook from Amazon & Smashwords.

Find her on Facebook, Twitter and her sporadic blog Doodles.

What is God saying?

Devotion by Dianne J. Wilson @diannejwilson

Do you ever wish God would put some skin on and come sit in your lounge and explain exactly what He wants from you? I sure do. 

As a kid, I loved doing dot-to-dot puzzles. There was something deeply satisfying in watching something emerge from the seemingly random numbers.

I've come to realize that figuring out God's will is much like doing a dot-to-dot. But instead of pen and paper, you have events and promises. 

The numbers alone don't make much sense. When you start a new puzzle, all you see are numbers dotted on a page. None of them mean anything by themselves. But when you start connecting them, the bigger picture will emerge. When it comes to life, sometimes single events will leave you perplexed. Until you are able to step back and see those events in the bigger context of the rest of your life, you may find yourself sliding towards fear and unbelief.

So how do you do a real-life-what-is-God-up-to-dot-to-dot?

1. Pay attention

Take note of anything that happens that's out of the ordinary, Bible verses that stand out, conversations... Some things will be significant, some of them won't. But you won't know unless you keep track of them all. Before I landed my first official publishing contract with Pelican / Harbourlight, I was throwing all my energy into catching the attention of an agent. Three things happened that highlighted the phrase 'Harbourlight'. One in particular made me realize there was more to it all. A song on the radio caught my ear and when I investigated, it was by a local band called 'Harbourlight'. In my Googling, I fell over this publisher that stood for all the things that are in my heart when it comes to fiction. The best part? They are one of the few that are happy to accept un-agented submissions. I'm currently working on my fourth book for them.

2. Write them down

I find it useful to keep a journal and make notes of scriptures that pop, events, conversations, anything that seems vaguely significant. Every so often I read through and as I do so, similar themes often emerge. Patterns. As I home in those, I get a sneak-peak into what God is busy doing with me.

3. Be patient

Eugene Petersen wrote a book called A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. That sums it up nicely. The picture is seldom clear by dot number three. When it comes to complex puzzles, dot thirty is still a spaghetti mess. But as you continue to pay attention, listen, keep a soft heart, and do what He tells you to, His plan will emerge, perfect in design and timing. 

 

This puzzle of life is not sent to frustrate and exhaust you. It is a beautiful opportunity to choose to trust the One who holds the pencil of your future. He is good and His plans for you are good!

Dianne J. Wilson writes novels from her hometown in East London, South Africa, where she lives with her husband and three daughters. She is writing a three book YA series, Spirit Walker, for Pelican / Harbourlight. Affinity (book 1), releases on the 8th of June 2018

Finding Mia is available from Amazon, Pelican / Harbourlight, Barnes & Noble and other bookstores.

Shackles is available as a free ebook from Amazon & Smashwords.

Find her on Facebook, Twitter and her sporadic blog Doodles.

Share Your Story

By Keona Tann @ICFWriters

I have suffered from endometriosis (commonly shortened to endo) for 28 years. It's a disease that is hard to pronounce (en-doh-mee-tree-oh-sis), difficult to diagnose and impossible to understand. From the age of 13 I suffered horrendous periods that were associated with nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, clammy sweats and frequently unbearable pain. Often I would suffer pelvic pain that could last for months. I struggled for years to be diagnosed and then still suffered extensively due to the fact that my endo growths were drug resistant. This meant that the only way to control them was with surgery. In my late teens I was advised that I may not be able to have children. But miraculously I managed to conceive naturally and I'm the proud mum of 2 gorgeous kids that are really a blessing.

Finding you have an illness, disease or condition is just the start of a very long and difficult road. It's hard to understand long term suffering and so many seemingly unanswered prayers. I’ve found that an invisible illness is a very lonely existence! The disease left me severely debilitated many times and unable to participate in life as I desired. I believed the lie of being alone for a long time but thankfully God sustained me and revealed that companionship in shared suffering can be found.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, the New Living Translation, states that: “two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help”. I find that I ‘fall’ so many times physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually that I need regular prayer time with God and a team to help me.

For me my team consists of a good GP who I trust and can talk to; specialists who are knowledgeable and want the best for me; an amazing husband; a supportive and caring family; a Christian counsellor; a psychologist; a close circle of friends I can text, message etc. and importantly a team of prayer warriors.
I implore you please DON’T suffer in silence alone.
With the modern technology that we have today you can connect from your bed to people all over the world. There are great Facebook support groups for numerous diseases and conditions. I have found reaching out and inviting friends for a cuppa catch up gives me an opportunity to be encouraged and supported as well as a chance to try to encourage and support them.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 (ESV) challenges me to: “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up.”. I believed, for a long time, that I couldn’t possibly make an impact from my bed as I felt trapped and shackled to my illness. But I believe God will empower us to reach out to others and He will take our small effort and turn it into something amazing. A simple text to a friend can brighten their day, so don’t underestimate the small gestures you make as they can have a HUGE impact.

So please take a big deep breath, pray and then share, share, share!

 First published at ACW on August 5, 2016

For most of my life I struggled with sickness. The 2 dominant afflictions were endometriosis (for 28 years) and adrenal fatigue (I was severely debilitated for 28 months and the recovery has been a journey of 11 months so far). In September 2016 God declared healing over my life. This set me on a path of restoration and transformation. My passion for writing was reignighted and I wrote the following mission statement: I desire to impact the world through the words I share. I long to enrich, empower and encourage others whilst delivering my stories with empathy and understanding. “He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭40:3‬ ‭NLT‬‬ I've started a weekly blog which you can find at: https://keonajtann.wordpress.com/ I'm currently working on my testimony as well as my journey with endometriosis and adrenal fatigue. I hope that I'll launch my first book soon. Many blessings, Keona

Devotion: I can do all things through Christ

I was on a British Airways flight from London to Denver, Colorado a few years ago. Driving to the airport I was excited about the trip and also a bit concerned, as it was a rather grey rainy day. It was about noon but it was as dark as 6 pm in the winter. I wondered what the flight would be like, as I really hate turbulence.

Anyway, a couple of hours later we had boarded and the flight had taken off. As we began the climb to our cruising altitude the plane started to shake. Not in a dramatic way, but in a way that would make anyone who is afraid of flying lightly clutch their armrest and subtly look around to take cues from other passengers. As I was sitting in a window seat I looked out and it appeared as if the windows were crying, as fat raindrops rapidly slid down the glass. I wasn’t looking forward to sitting on the plane for the next 9 hours. But just a few minutes later (we were definitely still over the UK) as we continued to climb it got even darker when suddenly we burst through the clouds into the brightest sunshine!

The lady sitting next to me (who I, later on, found out was a nun), looking out the window, turned to me and said ‘the sun is always there.’ Wow! That definitely made me think. She said ‘the sun is always there’, I knew she meant the sun, but my mind went to the Son – the Son of God. No matter how dark it gets, the Son is always there.

Living on the outskirts of London, events over the past 3 months can cause someone to question the plans and presence of God. We’ve experienced 4 terrorist attacks, as far as we know at least 100 people including children have died in an avoidable fire because of selfish and wicked decisions made by people at various levels of influence. Politically, we don’t even know exactly where we stand, as the government appears weak, the economy is not as strong as it used to be and people are scared. But through it all, we serve the God who rules and reigns in the affairs of men.

Philipians 4:13 is a familiar scripture telling us that we can do all things through Christ which strengthens us. Despite the uncertainty and turmoil of this perilous world, we can live. We can love. We can have joy. We can serve God wholeheartedly without fear, knowing that His will must be done. He is our strength and shield. No matter how dark it gets, the Son is always there and will be our light if we will look to Him always and put our trust and confidence in Him.

Ufuoma Daniella Ojo is a Software Training Manager and Personal Performance Coach.

The Hope in Waiting … some reflections on Advent

Photo courtesy of 9comeback/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

There’s something both exciting and tremendously nerve-wracking when we press the send button on the email that whisks the latest manuscript off to a publisher. Exciting? The project we’ve been working on has now reached a point of completion. In my case that project had consumed a lot of my mind space for the past three years.

Nerve-wracking? Will they like it? Enough to publish it? What if they don’t? What will I do then?

It’s a moment that is soon forgotten.

And then we wait.

And wait some more.

A few months later an email arrives outlining your manuscript is still in the game. Being reviewed by some others. They liked it sufficiently to pass onto others. Great.

And then we wait.

And wait some more.

As I shared with a writing friend recently: the Lord's got it in His big capable hands. Waiting helps us lean on Him more. And that's what I've tried to do. Keep writing, keep hoping, keep knowing He's looking after the situation irrespective of whether I receive a positive response or not. 

We are People who Wait

We authors wait a lot. It’s part of the fabric of being an author. I expect it’s one of the reasons self-publishing has become so popular: the author takes greater control over the end product and can manage the timeline.

We know all those feelings that come with waiting. The frustration, angst, discouragement, hopelessness. After waiting we (our work, that is) might be rejected. Again. And again. And again. We know the drill because it’s part of our lives. For some of us we’ve waited a long time and may continue to.

Advent is a time of waiting. The name Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming” or “arrival.” Beginning each year on the fourth Sunday before Christmas (the Sunday before last), Advent commemorates the birth of Jesus and also anticipates His return. As Ann Voskamp says we are “perpetual Advent people” waiting on Christ’s return.

The Branch Gives us Hope

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;


    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” (Isaiah 11:1-2)

Advent is all about hope. In who is coming.

We can believe in that hope. Because He did come 2,000 years ago on that Christmas morn, born in a feed trough, son to a teenage mom and her husband.

We can believe in that hope. Because He has come to us. He is in us and we are in Him.

We can believe in that hope. Because He has told us He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb 13:5). Even when our work gets rejected. Repeatedly.

He understands us. Really, truly! Because He has chosen each one of us.

"He tends His flock like a shepherd:

He gathers the lambs in His arms

and carries them close to His heart;

He gently leads those that have young." (Isaiah 40:11 NIV)

Choose to remember Him when the enemy throws the darts of rejection or doubt at you, when he tries to take away your joy in the One we celebrate.

Draw near to Jesus as He is the most compassionate Shepherd, gathering and carrying us, His lambs, in His arms. Such a wonderful image isn't it?

I hope you are able to spend some time in the next few weeks reflecting on the hope of Advent. On Jesus. Allow His Words to “dwell in your richly.”

Wishing all of my ICFW friends a blessed Advent season full of childlike hope and anticipation.

Grace and peace,

Ian Acheson is an author and strategy consultant based in Northern Sydney. Ian's first novel of speculative fiction, Angelguard, is available in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Angelguard won the 2013 Selah Award for Speculative Fiction. You can find more about Angelguard at Ian's website, on his author Facebook page and Twitter

Embrace the Adventure!

Hello friends,

Today's devotion is a little different. Embrace whatever adventure comes your way today! (And every day...)

When you look in the mirror

You see someone small…

You see a body too short

to see out high windows

Hands not strong enough to open doors

Legs that get tired when ‘over there’ is too far from ‘over here’.

But when I look in the mirror,

I see you and Me.

You in Me.

Me in you.

I see We!

What shall we do today, little one?

Come sit on My shoulders, from up here you can see…

Out windows,

Over fields,

Across dim valleys to brighter places that are waiting for our feet.

We can see into Forever.

Those stubborn doors?

No door can resist your hand on Mine,

So pick one!

We will go exploring.

It’s okay if your legs get tired,

we’ll use Mine.

When We look into the mirror, what do We see?

Light-Bearers who shatter darkness

Key-Holders who rescue captives

Love-Healers who fix broken hearts and lives

You in Me

Me in you…

WE

What shall We do today?

Dianne J. Wilson writes novels from her hometown in East London, South Africa, where she lives with her husband and three daughters.

Finding Mia is available from Amazon, Pelican / Harbourlight, Barnes & Noble and other bookstores.

Shackles is available as a free ebook from Smashwords.

Find her on Facebook, Twitter and her sporadic blog Doodles.

Sometimes life gets in the way

About two years ago I had these ambitious writing plans. I had just finished my first secular novel, had a Christian novel with a publisher preparing for print, was getting another ready for submission, and had finished four chapters of my next story in the Alpha series. More projects were forming an orderly queue behind them, jostling for attention.

Then, something happened. Actually, a few things happened. I won't go into details but suffice it to say that my head was spinning so fast I had neither the energy nor desire to work on any of these projects. The only thing that did go anywhere was the secular novel. This made the final step to print but with absolutely zero marketing it may as well be sitting on my spare hard drive at home.

It has taken what feels like forever but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and am slowly working towards it. I am not in the clear yet and the anxiety of what may happen means I get precious little sleep, but I can now imagine a time when I will have the desire and energy to start putting pen to paper. Contributing to this blog is part of that.

In the meantime, as a way of keeping the creative juices flowing, I started a little webcomic featuring conversations between a programmer and the Artificial Intelligence he created, loosely based on Brett and Jay from Alpha Redemption. The artwork is very basic, initially taking an hour or two to create using Serif Drawplus (great for simple projects) while the comic itself takes about five minutes to prepare each evening. I think of some dialogue during the day and jot it down. Then, when I get home, I add it to my comic and publish it.

You know what's the surprising thing? For almost two decades I slogged away at a keyboard in an attempt to produce good quality fiction, doing courses and reading everything I could lay my hands on about how to create attractive prose. I spent countless hours sending out manuscripts, and reading the rejection letters. In 2010 I finally made it to print and have enjoyed a modest level of success. Then, something unexpected happened. During one of the most stressful periods of my life, a daft little comic that takes almost no effort to produce gets more readers each week than all of my novels put together. Last time I checked I was getting almost 2,500 views a month.

I can only scratch my head in amazement and wonder if perhaps God isn't trying to tell me something.

Anyway, it's good to be back and I look forward to chatting with you all again.

An Author's Hope: Guest Post by Angie Dicken

Hi! This is Patricia. I am happy to introduce my writer friend Angie Dicken. You might know her from the popular writing blog, The Writer’s Alley. Enjoy Angie's guest post.

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Over the past few years, I have understood the nature of hope, especially as an aspiring author. It's a funny thing—hope. It's an energy that might swell like a swollen ocean at one moment, or dissolve into a flimsy fragment that slips between your grasping fingers the next. Hope is ever-changing, and mostly, ever-present. And this ebb and flow is good, because it pushes us toward a dream, or calms us in the midst of a storm. 

During this writing journey, there have been a few times that I have felt hope vanish completely, only to realize it was hiding out around the next bend. It was still there. And the only way I could grasp it again was by moving forward. Taking those steps and finding my way toward it. Getting past the finite disappointment of this journey's pot holes, and remembering hope is infinite, as the good Martin Luther King Jr. once declared, 

It's difficult to accept and get past the disappointment, isn't it? The disappointment overwhelms me after writing that story that just misses the market, the one that I felt sure that God had placed on my heart and knew it was meant to be written. The shadow of a rejection chases my hope around the bend, leaving me breathless and unable to search for it again. 

What is the point of all those words, all that time? I don't want to accept it. 

The finite disappointment arrives in the sting of criticism, the harsh reality that I have a huge amount of work ahead of me, and I'll lose sight of the hope that flickers from beneath the effort needed. I grow weary and defeated. 

What is the point of wasting the energy now, after so much energy has been spent? 

Sometimes, I feel so completely hopeless that I wonder if it's this writing journey has come to an end. But, it's when I look back at all that I've learned, and then step forward toward that next bend, that I discover that pesky hope again, and all is not lost. 

Have you bought into the lie that once hope is out of sight, the journey is over? If this writing journey is truly ours, then our hope is infinite in what the future might hold for our words. 

If you are anything like me, clinging to hope, whether it be a kind word, a contest win, or a coveted request for a full manuscript, keeps me going forward no matter how small a glimmer. 

Hope is infinite. 

I look back on my ten year journey as an author and I don't just see baby steps and lessons, heartaches and rejections, friendships and business ventures, but I see a path chiseled and defined by that infinite hope. It's the fact that I got to that next page, the effort a friend took to critique my work as if it had potential, the agent taking a chance and adding me to her client list. It's the click in my brain when harsh contest feedback actually makes sense and pushes my story to a new level. It's the editor, who had turned down my book, and then decides to pick it up again and give it another chance (true story). 

I may not have arrived to the place where hope turns into that bright shiny future of publication that I expect, but I see hope all around me, and whether it growing bigger and brighter, or slips just around the bend, I am confident it is waiting for me to catch up. 

What more could a writer ask for, than hope? 

* MLK quote photo from Brainyquote.com. 

Angie Dicken first grew her love for story during her British education as an American transplant in the heart of East Anglia. She then “grew up” on the Shakespearean stage in high school and studied abroad in Europe during college. There's no doubt that her world travels inspire Angie to write fiction about strong women seeking God’s grace beyond cultural and social boundaries. Currently, Angie has completed six full-length novels. She has been a finalist in numerous writing contests and is a regular contributor for the popular writing blog, The Writer’s Alley. Angie is an ACFW member, has attended six ACFW conferences, and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency. 

Follow Angie at: 
Writing Blog: www.thewritersalleyblog.com 
Personal Blog: www.angiedicken.blogspot.com 
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/dicken.angie 
Twitter: www.twitter.com/angiedicken 
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/agdicken

The Stuff Inside

Seventeen years ago today, I was in a hospital bed holding my newborn baby girl. Drunk on hormones and lack of sleep, I held her in my arms and fell hard. Smitten, irrevocably besotted with this tiny person that would turn my world inside out. I cried when I had to cut her nails for the first time. Seriously? How could anyone trust me to do that right? Yet somehow we both survived without too much bloodshed. I bathed her without drowning her, I rocked her to sleep without breaking her and now seventeen years down the line, she is a beautiful young lady with the ability to turn my world the right way up on those days when it's too top-heavy for me.

I didn't always think I could do this mothering thing, but somehow we muddled through.

Eleven years ago, I started stringing words together. I sold some of them to magazines, but then Jesus pushed my button and I thought about writing a book. A whole book. All eighty thousand words of book. Seriously? Who could trust me to do that right? Yet eleven years later, I'm finishing up my third. Sure, sleep got short-changed, tears were cried and there may have been some bloodshed, but we muddled through.

When Jesus tells you to do something you're not entirely sure you can, it's best not to argue. Take a look at what He's planted in you. Dreams and hopes, desires... the things that make you come alive. You can be sure He didn't plant them there for nothing.

Breathe deep and step off the edge.
Watch the floodgates open.
See His Life and Love pour out of you.

Has Jesus been pushing your buttons? Tell us more...

Dianne J. Wilson is a South African author, who squeezes out words a few hundred at a time in between doing admin for a dance studio and mothering her three girls.

Her first novel, Shackles, is available as a free ebook.

Her second, Finding Mia, releases from Harbourlight on the 19th of June 2015.

Her third, Affinity, is a batch of flapjacks away from being  ready to go out to beta readers.