MY BLOG POSTS

Marriage is on my mind right now. My sister-in-law and her husband are currently celebrating their 20 year anniversary, Dave and I had our 16th a couple weeks ago. I am writing about marriage in my current project, and I am studying Song of Solomon in my Bible study (Sandra Glahn’s “Coffee Cup” Bible Study series — love it!).

Marriage has taken some pretty serious hits in the last few decades. With divorce rates rising and discontent rampant, I know many young people who wonder if marriage is even worth the bother. Is it just an antiquated system that needs to be eliminated? Are we really designed to be “together forever?” Or should we date, live together as long as it is convenient, and move on? Wouldn’t that be easier on everyone?

The truth is one that we all see, even if we don’t all admit it: we crave “forever.” Look at romance movies. What do we love about them? These couples are soul mates. They aren’t content with anything but each other. Forever. We spend billions of dollars a year sitting in movie theaters, watching this kind of love, dreaming of it. But we just can’t seem to make it work for us.

Marriage is tough. It is work. It is built on a solid rock of selfless love, with partners seeking the best interests of the other, rather than looking for all their own needs to be met. Marriage, at its core, is a picture God gave us of how he loves us. We are even called “The bride of Christ.” God loves us unconditionally, even when we turn from him, ignore him, shame him. He comes after us and forgives us. Over and over.

None of us wants to be partially loved, used, discarded when the one we love grows tired of us. We want the love that God demonstrates. But do we want it enough to put forth the effort required to be the one who loves unconditionally, who forgives over and over? A love that says “forever” and means it. For better or for worse?

Love isn’t just a feeling. It isn’t something we “fall” into or “fall” out of. Love is patient, love is kind…the love God demonstrates and that Paul describes in I Corinthians 13 is the love that we should strive for. It is a love we crave because God has placed a desire for that love in us. And we will never be fully satisfied with anything less than the love God has for us. Single or married, the greatest love we will ever know is the love of God, demonstrated in Christ Jesus. Once we know that love, we are free to love the way we were created to love.

So my advice to those of you wondering about “forever”? You already have it. It has been given to you by our amazing God. And as for marriage? Make sure the guy/girl you choose knows that love and is committed to Him first and you second, committed to a “forever” love that will wade through the hard times and not give up. I pray that this generation coming up will be the ones to show the rest of us that marriage isn’t facing extinction and that being together forever isn’t just possible, it’s pleasurable.

Shannon Dittemore’s first novel, Angel Eyes, debuts TODAY! Check out my interview with this terrific new author, and then comment for a chance to win a copy of this book!

KM: Angel Eyes is a fantastic novel! What made you want to write a novel about angels & demons—and a girl who can see into the supernatural side of life?

SD: As weird as this may sound, angels and demons have always been on the backdrop of my creative endeavors. When I was younger, our church had a performing arts team and we traveled a bit and competed. In everything we did, there were shades of the supernatural. I seemed to always land the role of Satan or Death. Strange how that happens, but those experiences never left me and I’ve always wondered just what it’d be like to see, to really see, the characters that are invisible to us. When I sat down to write, all of that just fell out onto the page. 

KM: I love that Brielle struggles with believing what she is seeing and hearing throughout the novel – and she sees and hears even more than we do! What are you hoping your readers will take home from those lessons in this story?

SD: If my readers take home the truth that they’re not alone in this world, I’ll be incredibly pleased. Understanding that Brielle’s journey is most certainly fiction, it is a Biblical truth that we are surrounded by spiritual beings. But, more than that, they’re here for a reason. Playing with that idea and examining those truths led to this trilogy.

KM: You deal with fear and guilt in such vivid, unique ways in Angel Eyes. Why do you think so many people – even Christians – struggle with those issues? How have you learned to overcome them?

Fear is universal. Whether you’re a believer or not, you’re going to experience it on some level. We live in a crazy, mixed-up world that preys on our anxieties and insecurities. Some of it’s spiritual, some of it’s not. But, fear is something I dealt with for a season. It was real and debilitating and I understand being frozen by it. Being terrified to move because of it. I’d like to say there was a single moment when God’s Word broke through the muck of that in my life and I was free of it entirely, but the truth is, it’s been a journey. The first step for me was realizing that it was fear. That I was afraid. After that, it got easier, but like Brielle, I had to learn and I needed some help along the way. From friends. From family. But, most importantly, from my Heavenly Father.

KM: This story has a little bit of everything – action, drama, romance. What kind of research did you do before you began writing it?

SD: Any research I did happened along the way. I read some about child trafficking which plays a role in the story. While the crimes in Angel Eyes are entirely made up, I found an amazing organization, Chab Dai, that’s doing life-changing work both in the US and abroad. I enjoy following them on Facebook and reading about what they’re doing to fight this horrendous monster. I also read widely in the young adult genre and I’m a compulsive people watcher, which is an easy talent to cultivate. Working with teens certainly helped. And then, of course, there’s the Bible. The angels and demons in Angel Eyes come from my imagination, but the concepts and principles of their realm came to me via scripture which is the primary way my imagination was informed.

KM: This is your first novel (congrats!). Has the process of writing a novel and getting published been different than you expected?

SD: In many ways it’s been better than I expected. My publisher is fabulous and they’ve been so great to walk me through everything. In other ways, it’s been harder than I expected. There are so many things to be done that have nothing at all to do with writing your story. There’s marketing and publicity. There’s conferences and reviews. There’s just this whole book world that is insanely fabulous to be a part of, but can be overwhelming if you’re not prepared. And deadlines. Of course, deadlines. Before, I could write whenever I wanted, but as a contracted writer you have to get stuff done in a timely manner. So, I’m learning. Learning, learning, learning. 

KM: If this novel were to be made into a movie (it would make a GREAT movie), who would you cast as Brielle, Jake, and Canaan? Would you make a cameo? If so, where and how?

SD: Oh yay! I’m so glad you asked this question. This is the fun stuff. For Brielle, I’d cast Elle Fanning. I know she’s a bit young now, but we’ve still got to convince a studio, right? And she was AMAZING in Super 8. For Jake I’d cast Thomas Dekker. Back when I was drafting and redrafting Angel Eyes, I was quite addicted to The Sarah Conner Chronicles. Judge away, but I still mourn its cancellation. Anyway, Thomas Dekker played the young John Conner and he’d make a fantastic Jake. He’s got those killer eyes. Canaan came to me a bit later when I saw advertisements for Hawaii 5-0. Now, whenever I see McGarrett, played by Alex O’Loughlin, all I see is Canaan. And, OF COURSE, I’d make a cameo. Maybe I’d be one of the old men from the Donut Factory. I’ve never worn old man make-up before. That could be awesome!

Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me, Shannon!

 And, readers, I’m so excited about this book, I want to give you a chance to win a copy of it. So comment away, and I will choose a winner at random (and I do  mean random). The winner will be announced later this week.

One of the many aspects of being a writer that I love is that I get to work with amazing people, and I get to meet amazing people (all right, so that was two…but English is my thing. Not math). This week, I’m going to introduce you to one of those amazing people: Shannon Dittemore.

If you put Ted Dekker and Stephenie Meyer in a blender with a dash of Jenny B. Jones, you’d get Shannon. Shannon’s first book, Angel Eyes, hits bookstores on Tuesday. Here’s the “official” word on this terrific new book:

Once you’ve seen, you can’t unsee. Everything changes when you’ve looked at the world through . . . Angel Eyes

Brielle’s a ballerina who went to the city to chase her dreams and found tragedy instead. She’s come home to shabby little Stratus, Oregon, to live with her grief and her guilt . . . and the incredible, numbing cold she can’t seem to shake.

Jake’s the new guy at school. The boy next door with burning hands and an unbelievable gift that targets him for corruption.

Something more than fate has brought them together. An evil bigger than both of them lurks in the shadows nearby, hiding in plain sight. Two angels stand guard, unsure what’s going to happen. And a beauty brighter than either Brielle or Jake has ever seen is calling them to join the battle in a realm where all human choices start.

A realm that only angels and demons-and Brielle-can perceive.

I had the privilege of reading this book in February (something else I love about being a writer!), and I could hardly put it down. I have loved supernatural fiction since I picked up my first Frank Peretti book back in high school. The idea of imagining what the spiritual realm looks like, what takes place that is beyond our understanding, intrigues me. Shannon’s imaginings are creative and amazing and so full of life and truth. I love how real Brielle is, how she questions and doubts and struggles with the difficulties she has faced in life. I love who Jake is, his gift, his calling, his strength. I just love this book!But that’s enough for now. You need to stop reading this post and go out and pre-order this book! And come back Tuesday when I’ll have an interview with the author and a giveaway! Until then, check out her webpage to find out more about this amazing author and her amazing book.

It’s sing-along time with Krista.

Today I am singing along to one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite musicals, The Sound of Music.

The words have been changed because I am not a governess sitting in a bedroom full of unruly Austrian children.

Enjoy.

“My Least Favorite Things”

Alarm clocks beep-beeping

And dreams interrupted

Huge piles of laundry

And reading disrupted

Boiled eggs that explode onto my ceilings

These are a few of my least favorite things

Stubbed toes and scraped knees

And nothing-but-Dora Band-Aids

Hot weather, cold weather

Losing a game of charades

Two broken arms in polyester slings

These are a few of my least favorite things

When the ball flies

And the glass breaks

At the house next door

I simply remember my least favorite things

And sit down to write…one more