This is one of my tour stops during my one week tour for Enduring Love by Danyelle Scroggins. This virtual book tour is organized by Write Now Literary Book Tours. This tour runs April 23-28, 2018. Book your own tour here WNL.
Enduring Love
Genre: Christian Fiction
Publication date: March 16, 2018
ASIN: B07B8X7RVY
No one ever truly realizes the power of their love, until love is tested and they have to endure things unimaginable and sometimes hurtful. And if the truth is declared, no one wants to but…
Sometimes we find ourselves standing in the test of love and this is exactly where Priscilla Marshall finds herself. Married to Steven since she graduated college, together they were the perfect couple. Both making successful business moves, both loved their choices, but one had a secret that could change their lives.
Priscilla, now forced to make a plan to secure her future, finds out that a plan without God involved is not a plan at all because “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21). What will God use to make this woman’s plan come full circle with His own, and after the test, will they find that they truly do have an Enduring Love?
About the Author
Danyelle is the Senior Pastor of New Vessels Ministries North in Shreveport, Louisiana, who is a dynamic author of both Christian fiction and non-fiction books. She studied Theology at Louisiana Baptist University, has a Psychology Degree from the University of Phoenix, an Interdisciplinary Degree in Psychology /Biblical Studies, and a Master’s in Religious Education from the Liberty University. She owns Divinely Sown Publishing LLC and is an avid reader. She is the wife of Pastor Reynard Scroggins and the mother of three.
Priscilla reasoned why God would choose her to be the carrier of life. Married for almost fifteen years, sexual pleasures only happened on special occasions. Often without romance, and starting with a touch here, feel there, and a real quick release on his part. The thought of making a baby vanished long ago.
In reality, indecisiveness plagued her like a severe toothache regarding being a wife or instead, being his wife. Her mind and ambitions settled on being the audacious executive she fancied herself. Relinquishing all thoughts of motherhood, that were now nowhere in the plan.
Many are the plans of man…but it is the Lord’s plans that prevail.
Dr. Thorpe’s private practice became her haven, the place where swift answers and solutions to her most pressing issues materialized. Today, he acted as the grim reaper delivering death-blows instead of solutions. Death to her plans, dreams, and her one hundred and thirty-five-pound figure. She worked hard for her body, and to destroy it for a child neither of them wanted put her in a complete stupor.
As she sat in a makeshift gown barely covering her breasts, Priscilla sighed. Moving to get more comfortable on the green leather table-bed covered with a sheet of wrinkled white paper, she felt hopeless. Priscilla swung her legs as though they could propel her into another space in time. She took a deep breath. Lumps in her throat seemed to suffocate her and caused her to give in to the explosive stream of tears cascading down her face.
How am I going to care for a child in the midst of running a company? Marshall’s Mortgage a premier mortgage company and her baby, her purpose that bequeathed her employees who became family. A creative concept and idea birthed right after leaving college with a degree in accounting and nourished with intensity and integrity. The thought of leaving it with anyone for more than a day or two frightened her. Because of this baby, she would have no choice.
“Priscilla? Are you alright?” Dr. Thorpe inquired.
Startled by his voice and still confused, she hadn’t noticed his return. “Dr. Thorpe, I’m not alright. This pregnancy is so unexpected. I thought maybe the flu or a virus. But this? I took a darn pill every day since Steven and I married. They’re supposed to prevent this. I don’t understand how it could happen,” she responded with a pant and sniffle between words.
“I’ve been an OB doctor for well over twenty years, and I promise I see women who swear they took their birth-control pill on time and still got pregnant. I know you are quite familiar with God and His work. And, I consider us close friends so I can say this.”
Priscilla nodded.
“No matter what and how we try, we can never abort the plans of God. He knows this child is going to gain a complete knowledge of Him. The Father chose you and Steven to protect, nurture, and train him or her in the way they should go. Priscilla instead of the questions why and how be excited, and grateful God chose you.”
“I don’t feel like this is something I want to do. I don’t even know if I can do it.”
The
Advice I Would Give To A First Time Author or Someone Desiring To Be An Author
The First advice I would
give to a first-time author is: Live In
Your Own Pen.
There’s
no denying the fact that from the very beginning of my writing career every
publishing house that turned me down but decided to critique my writing said:
It’s too religious.
So,
imagine writing books but walking a tightrope
trying not to be too religious, when your religion is a huge part of who you are. I
had
so many
bald up sheets of paper on my floor, “just quit” moments and far too many tearful nights. The writing was a part of me! But critics had somehow invaded my
pen, and now I was no longer writing for
the love of sharing but trying to impress a reader who just might feel like the
critics.
Then one
day, it hit me. Out of what I know was not the clear
blue I heard...
“You
write because of who you are as a pastor!”
So, I immediately
penned on paper the things I am trying to accomplish as a pastor:
- Convince someone
that Jesus is Lord,
- Encourage
someone,
- Teach the
Gospel, and
- Spread love.
There it
was right before me...the guide to living in my own pen. Once I embraced this
wholeheartedly, I got excited about writing again.
It no
longer mattered if I’d lose a reader because my message was too preachy. Or
that my books sold better at churches than on Amazon. The only thing that
mattered was that I was now comfortable in my own pen. No longer trying to
write like Victoria Christopher, Brenda Jackson, or Eva Miles, who I feel are
all great. But now, I was going to write like Danyelle Scroggins who I know is
climbing to be just like these women.
I had a
new mission; a new goal...To live in my own pen and enjoy the journey.
The
Second Advice I would give is: Learn How To Be Disciplined.
Discipline
is beneficial when it comes to being a
writer. Why? No one is looking over your shoulder telling you, “Get to it.” It
is like having a job where no one is standing over you or making sure, you are
working as hard as you should be. You are it; The boss, the supervisor, and the
employee.
You have
to make up in your mind that your writing is worth your time!
I would
definitely be the first to admit (hiding my face in shame), my first book took
me over two years to write. It was a seventy-page book written by someone with
a pipe dream and no discipline.
I often tell people who ask me, “Do you think I can be a writer?” “Yes, but you
must have discipline.”
Being a
writer is a craft that putting your priorities in line. You have to discover if
writing going to be a full-time adventure or a part-time play event. You also
have to decide if it is worth all or most of your social time. There are times
when I want to hang out with friends, but because my characters are so
disciplined in letting me into their lives, I have to be readily available to
explore their stories. You must determine if you are willing to give it the
discipline and time it demands, while at the same time meeting the needs of
those you are connected to like your family.
You may
be an author who is struggling to try to
figure out just what your pen is. Do not become overwhelmed or quit. Write from
your heart and remember no man knows the heart...only God! Ask God to give you
a glimpse into the depths of your heart
and pull from what is within. The pen you are in should be just as comfortable
as the skin you’re in.
You may
also desire to be an author but are not fully aware of what it takes. Talk to
some authors. Facebook is a great place to connect with some of the best authors I know. Most of them will even take
the time to mentor you in small email messages. You would be surprised at how
many authors have readers who are now considered their friend. Don’t be afraid
to ask. The Bible says, “You have not because you ask not.” And everything in
me believes this includes information. If you discipline yourself to make
connections, some of the connections you
make will open the door to understanding
what it takes to be a disciplined writer.
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