Friday, May 3, 2019

An Unexpected Journey

with guest Sherrinda Ketchersid



I don’t know about you, but life can get complicated. You think you are on a smooth path, and then a storm hits, throwing a huge tree across the road. What do you do? Climb over it? Go around it? Chop your way through the tree branches? There are different ways to get around your obstacles and choosing the right one can seem overwhelming.

You might choose one way around the hardship, only to find another one just around the bend. You wonder if another way would have been easier. Maybe. Maybe not. We can’t know. We pray for direction, then take the path we feel God is leading us toward. We trust that He is leading us toward the best path for us—even if it has another obstacle along the way. And to be honest, there will be more obstacles.

That’s the thing about life. There’s good and bad all the time. It’s a roller coaster. An adventure. A journey of anticipation and expectation. We know to expect difficulty at some point, yet when it hits it sometimes blows us out of the water. We want to keep traveling on the smooth path. The one with untold blessings.

Let me just say, there are blessings on the difficult path too. What??? Yes, you heard me. Blessings! You are blessed when you reach out to God for help and direction. You are blessed when a friend calls or sends a card to encourage you. You are blessed when you learn to praise God during the turmoil. You are blessed when your tough experiences enable you to help someone else. There are multiple blessings for the hard journey.

The same rings true for the characters we create in our stories. We know there is no real story without conflict, so our characters must face hardship during the plot points you have laid out. They must decide how they will handle the conflict and move past it. Will they encounter more hardship because of their decisions? (Of course! It’s a novel!)

But will your characters find unexpected blessing along the way? Will they recognize the good in the midst of the bad? I don’t know. It depends on the character and their journey. It depends on you, the writer. What kinds of journey will your character take? Will the road him lead to self-discovery? Will the road lead him to God? Or will the road lead him to despair? These are choices you and your character must make.

In my debut novel, Lord of Her Heart, both my hero and heroine face twists and turns along their journey. My heroine, Jocelyn, flees the convent where she was receiving an education when she hears she is being forced to take her vows or marry an overbearing man. She disguises as a boy and tries to get home to see why she is being forced into what she feels is bondage. She faces dangers and complications on this journey, but finds a sweet blessing in getting to know the knight who saves her. She finds love. She finds someone she can trust in the end. Best of all, she finds she can trust God throughout her difficult journey.

Nothing in this post is new, but it’s something I like to remind myself every so often. Not only for my journey, but for my characters as well.

What kind of hardship or obstacles have you given your character in your current work-in-progress? Do they ever find the blessing in the midst of the problems?  What books have you read where the characters find blessing in the midst of hardship? Or what book’s character had the most hardships to endure?

Sherrinda is giving away an ecopy of Lord of Her Heart. Leave a comment and check out the WE on Saturday -- maybe it will be yours when it releases on May 14!!


Lord of Her Heart

He’s fighting for his future—she’s running for her life.

Lady Jocelyn Ashburne suspects something is amiss at her family’s castle 
because her father ceases to write to her. When she overhears a plot to 
force her into vows—either to the church or a husband—she disguises 
herself and flees the convent in desperation to discover the truth.

Malcolm Castillon of Berkham is determined to win the next tournament 
and be granted a manor of his own. After years of proving his worth on 
the jousting field, he yearns for a life of peace. Rescuing a scrawny 
lad who turns out to be a beautiful woman is not what he bargained for. 
Still, he cannot deny that she stirs his heart like no other, in spite 
of her conniving ways.

Chaos, deception, and treachery threaten their goals, but both are 
determined to succeed. Learning to trust each other might be the only 
way either of them survives.

Sherrinda Ketchersid is a lover of stories with happily-ever-after endings. Whether set in the past or present, romance is what she writes and where her dreams reside. Sherrinda lives in north-central Texas with her preacher husband. With four grown children, three guys and a gal, she has more time and energy to spin tales of faith, fun, and forever love.

Connect with Sherrinda:
BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q4R9L8Z/

48 comments:

  1. Hi Sherrinda:

    I've always loved journey books and I think so does most of mankind. I think the greatest journey is going on now by the children of Adam and Eve. Of course who can forget the Odyssey? Lots of challenges are built into "The Twelve Labours of Hercules" and "The Travels of Marco Polo" wasn't even believed for centuries.

    I do like stories with multiple streams of conflict so one solution doesn't end the story. I also like it when solving one conflict brings forth three more conflicts! "Out of the frying pan into the fire!"

    BTW: I've pre-ordered your book but I wonder if you have the price correct? That is an irresistible price. It's been many years since I've read about a handsome knight rescuing a damsel in distress. That's kind of frowned on these days. I'm used to the heroine saving the knight (or cowboy like in "Petticoat Ranch"). Well, I think I'm going to love your book. I do hope that the heroine is quite feisty. Some damsels are more formidable than dragons. :)

    Good luck on your debut!

    Vince

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    1. Vince, tales of adventure with lots of action and danger always intrigue me. While my book has that, I feel like mine is more lighthearted. It definitely has some humor sprinkled throughout, which I love. I couldn't live without laughter every single day (thank goodness I married a hilarious man!)

      Thank you so much for ordering my book! Yes, .99 cents is hard to beat. I'm not sure why it is priced so low by the publisher...maybe because medieval is not a "hot" era in romance so it's low to entice people to try it out. It it works, I'm all for it! :) As a debut author, the main thing is to get my name out there and get people to try my book. I'm not in it for the money, anyway. It is just a dream come true to bring forth a story that might bring someone as much joy as books have brought me. :)

      I hope you like it! My heroine, Jocelyn, is indeed feisty. In fact, my editor made me tone her down and make her a little kinder and not so snarky. ;)

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  2. You are a new author to me. Thank you for sharing. Sounds like Lord Of Her Heart is enchanting.

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    1. I'm a brand new author! Lord of Her Heart is my first ... hopefully not my last. :) Thanks so much for stopping by.

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  3. Congratulations on the debut of your "Lord of Her Heart," Sherrinda! Love the cover and looking forward to reading it!

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    1. Thank you, Glynna! I love the cover too. That was one of the things I was most concerned about, but, as you can see, I had nothing to worry about! :) I hope you enjoy it.

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  4. Good morning, Sherrinda! Such a pleasure to have you in Seekerville today. And mega congratulations on the debut of Lord of Her Heart. You've just gotta love a book that mixes Chaos, Deception and Treachery together, and characters who overcome!!

    So proud of you, kiddo! Can't wait to read it and many, many more books from you!!

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    1. Good morning, Audra! Thank you soooo much for having me on Seekerville. This is the blog that got me started on my writing journey 10 years ago. I just love it. I know I don't comment as often (I try to stay offline while writing these days...sigh, something it works, sometimes it doesn't). :)

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  5. Thank you for such an encouraging post, Sherrinda! And congratulations on your debut! Lord of Her Heart sounds so interesting! So happy for you!!

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    1. Thank you, Laura! I appreciate you stopping by and supporting me, sweet writing sister. (((hugs)))

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  6. I'm late!!!! Oh my goodness, I slept late this morning for the first time in forever. Thank you all for having me today. I'm so honored to be at Seekerville, among some of the most generous writers, authors, and readers I know. I've got my coffee in hand and am trying to get my eyes to focus on the my laptop screen.

    I'm in the midst of editing, er, rewriting my second book about Ian McGowan (the head guardsman in Lord of Her Heart), but today I'm gearing up for an amazing staycation with my daughter! My husband and 3 grown sons are going camping this weekend, so my daughter and I are going to shop, see movies, get pedis, and eat yummy food. I can hardly wait! I'll be checking in with you all throughout the day. ;)

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    1. Sherrinda, you deserve a morning to sleep a little!

      What a fun weekend ahead!! I'm so looking forward to my daughter graduating and moving back home--at least for now. I really look forward to fun times together. Enjoy your outings!

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    2. Aww, congrats on your daughter graduating, Missy. I know you will enjoy your time with her while you can. My daughter has been in our area for 3 years and will be moving to Austin at the end of the month, so I'm cherishing every single moment I can.

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    3. Hi Sherrinda: My sister had three older brothers and today she'd be the first to go hunting and camping. Career army and yet she is only 5' tall. An amazing woman we all look up to. Is your daughter the oldest? Vince

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  7. Good morning, Sherrinda!

    Congratulations on your debut novel! And thank you for the great post. Such a good reminder.

    I learned long ago that if the path is too smooth, I might be on the wrong one. LOL! Anything worthwhile is worth struggling for, so I try to welcome the struggle.

    I'll have to get a copy of Lord of Her Heart! :-)

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    1. Oh Jan! You made me smile! Ha! "If the path is too smooth, I might be on the wrong one." LOL! But isn't that the truth???? Our struggles and rocky roads bring us closer to God if we let them. Hhmmm...rocky road....now I'm craving ice cream. ;)

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  8. Sherrinda! Love seeing you in Seekerville! You've written a fantastic book (and Seekerville post, btw) and now it's almost time to share it with the world. I know how exciting and how scary that feels all at the same time. But as you say, you have been greatly blessed and the same God who led you this far will continue to lead you onward and rain down His blessings on you.
    And for anyone reading this post that hasn't yet pre-ordered your copy of Lord of Her Heart, go do it now. This is one you definitely don't want to miss. It's full of adventure and romance in a fabulous medieval setting.
    Sherrinda, you did well. Keep doing it, sister!

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    1. Oh Cindy, you blessed my heart with your words. Thank you, sweet writing sister. I appreciate you and I cannot wait to share YOUR book with the world!!! I downloaded my ARC yesterday and am eager to get started on it!!!! Squeeee!

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  9. Sherrinda, great post! You clarify my writing theme...strength through the difficult times...finding those unexpected blessings...the reason we encounter those obstacles on the journey.

    Thank you for the focus. I'll be sure my characters realize their unexpected blessings after they've worked through the problems I've created for them.

    I'm so excited for the launch of your debut! What a story! Blessings to you, both the expected and the surprises!

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    1. Sherida, thank you! I'm with you...I don't think my characters always see the blessings while in the midst of the chaos I throw at them. lol But I suppose we hope the reader finds those blessings and learns from them. :)

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  10. Sherrinda, I'm SO excited your debut is a medieval story! I think this sub-category of historicals will catch on again if publishers would just take a chance and publish more of them. What's not to love about knights and fair ladies? I'm reading your book right now so I can post a review for your release date and am *loving* it. So good!

    And what a great reminder post to go into a weekend of writing - look for the blessings in the difficult journey. I've got something similar scheduled for #Mondayblogs. It's the journey that makes us grow.

    My writing theme is second chances and redemption no matter how often we fall. And we get those by facing whatever life throws at us. Congratulations again on a wonderful debut book and I hope we see many more from you!

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    1. Laurie!!!! Thank you so much! You have no idea how much I appreciate you. (((hugs))) I love your writing theme. It is so important and rings true for all of us. We all need second chances and we all need redemption. Can't wait to read your Monday post!

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  11. Sherrinda, congratulations on your upcoming debut!! I'm so thrilled for you!

    You said: "Will they encounter more hardship because of their decisions? (Of course! It’s a novel!)"

    That cracked me up! It's so true. :) And something that is tough for me to do sometimes. I have to work hard at trying to make hardship for my characters. :)

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    1. Glad to make you laugh, Missy! It's hard for me to make my characters do things that will make more trouble for them. But that's what makes for good page turners, doesn't it?

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  12. Your novel sounds great. It's hard to see the good in the hard paths, at least until we're on the other side. But without the hard stuff, we'd probably never grow. And neither would our characters. I just have to remember to think like my two-year-old son: without the rain, there would be no puddles to jump in. ;-)

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    1. Amy, yessss! It's so hard to see the good until we are on the other side. And you are right, going through the difficult parts of life is what makes us grow. We should all think like your two-year-old...I love a good jump in a puddle. Seriously, I did that a few months ago! lol

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  13. Good afternoon, Sherrinda!

    My forty-year old hero has just learned his dad who he respects and admires, is not really his dad and his parents deceived him his whole life. The heroine is deep undercover and is not who she says she is. When he learns her true identity, he's not too happy. They do find blessings by the end.

    Great post!

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    1. Oooh, Connie! Your story sounds like it is set up for a ton of conflict! Good for you for helping them to find blessing in the end.

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  14. Welcome to Seekerville, Sherrinda! Congratulations on your book! It looks beautiful and sounds amazing! Your perseverance has paid off!

    When we take our characters down those dark paths, when they finally emerge, the light they shine is so much brighter! Without the bad, we don't appreciate the good quite as much.

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    1. Thank you, Erica! I'm so happy to be here. I've learned so much from the Seekers over the years. And you are so right, we don't appreciate the good as well as we do after experiencing the bad. (((hugs)))

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  15. Congrats, Sherrinda! I'm so thrilled for you and excited about your debut!!! Good job, my dear! The cover and blurb are great and have piqued my interest!

    "Tales of faith, fun, and forever love" is a great tag line. I hope you'll use it often in your promo!

    Enjoy your success! Well deserved!

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    1. Thanks so much, Debby! I had such a difficult time coming up with a tag line and once I found it, I loved it. It suits my writing...romance, faith, with a dash of humor. ;)

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  16. Wonderful post, Sherrinda!
    I am super excited about your debut novel and cannot wait to read it! So thankful you're my friend (and Sister!) on this writing journey. :)

    Hugs, Patti Jo

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    1. Thanks so much, Patti Jo! The encouragement from my Writing Sisters mean the world to me. (((hugs)))

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  17. Great post, Sherrinda!! Loving your debut novel! Can't wait to read more of your stories!

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    1. Sally, I'm so glad you are loving it! You are so sweet! Thanks for stopping by. :)

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  18. I really enjoyed your post, Sherrinda. And Lord of Her Heart is a fantastic novel. Excited to read more of your books in the near future.

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    1. Stacy, you are the sweetest thing. Thanks so much for your support and encouragement. It means the world to me.

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  19. Congratulations, Sherrinda, on your debut novel. I feel your excitement. Your post was uplifting. Your perseverance is being rewarded. All the best with Lord of Her Heart.

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    1. Pat, I had to laugh when I read your comment: "I feel your excitement." I'm sure the world can feel my excitement! lol It is so surreal and I'm trying to enjoy every moment of the journey (even the hard bits).

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  20. Thanks Sherrinda for your post. It's easier to help characters overcome obstacles than oneself! But, for those of us who believe, what an awesome God we serve who grows us in the midst of those difficulties and challenges. All the best with the release of your debut novel! Lee-Ann

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    1. Yes! God is so good to bring us through those tough times. Thanks so much for stopping by! (((hugs)))

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