Monday, August 11, 2014

Guest Blogger - Ruth Logan Herne




Ruthy here, and I'm always thrilled to come over here and yammer a bit about life, love, romance, family, faith, writing....

Oh, I love all of the above!



But as we look around our country, our churches, and our communities, we see more and more families falling apart. We bear witness to the sadness and the sorrow in these broken homes, media-played statistics underscore the ill effects on kids, on education, on quality time, worship time but I'm not here to talk about that because....

I don't have any answers. I have prayer, prayer for our homes, our hearts, our world and our people. Prayer that we cling to God's directives and start taking one for the team, more often. Because sacrificial love and self-sacrifice??? They should never be casual directives....



BUT.... Christian fiction has come a long way, baby, with regards to divorce in Christian fiction. They're finally admitting that it's:

1. A problem.
2. As much of a problem in Christian communities as secular places
3. It has a ripple effect on multiple segments of society from town, neighborhood, church, school, friends, family, generations
4. It is as old as time itself, with multiple Biblical references.

What I LIKE????? Is that we're examining this issue in Christian fiction, seeing the characters as Christian yet flawed, just like the rest of us!!!! WHO KNEW?????

When I first got offered a chance to be part of this continuity, I saw my story line, Livvie's story line, and I knew I wanted to do it.... Thwarted in love, cast aside by her very own "Wesley" (The Princess Bride, oh how I love that movie!!!!) and left to make her own way, she ended up married to the wrong guy.... Her bad. His, too. And when he started wandering into other pastures so to speak, she was hurt, angry, insulted and did I mention HURT????

But writing the story gave me the opportunity to explore Livvie's actions... why did she marry Billy in the first place?

Because she cared for him, and she wanted to be married and her biological clock was going tick... tick... tick... and she knew that no matter how strongly she had felt about Jack... her first love, her former fiance, her ONE TRUE LOVE.... that relationship was cast aside like old smelly shoes so maybe that intensive L-O-V-E wasn't really love, maybe she should be okay with "okay" and Billy really cared for her.

Didn't he???


But what man wants to take second place to Mr. Right?  And while her ex-husband's actions were despicable, why would we marry someone we didn't truly love the way God built us to love? Heart and soul...

And that's why I love romance and happily-ever-afters because that's what I want for the world. God's love, streaming down, happy faces, children playing, romantic elders and joy-filled newlyweds.... and for that joy to weather those ups and downs that life hands out on a regular basis.

I love that this story gave me a chance to honor my blessed father-in-law, a kind, gentle man who dealt with the slow decline of Alzheimer's during the latter years of his life.  It gave me a chance to play cowgirl, and I LOVE COWBOY STORIES!!!! It gave me a chance to work with five delightful women, Val Hansen, Jenna Mindel, Brenda Minton, Carolyne Aarsen and Arlene James.... And to see how much fun it is to watch a small town develop a heart and soul worthy of its founders...

But most of all?

It gave me a chance to mend broken hearts, to show God's grace and timing, to thread the old thoughts with new plans and blend family issues into everyday life, like the very thing we do every single day...

Life. Celebrated, respected, enjoyed, blessed!

I love what I do... I love writing sweet stories, chatting with folks, the opportunity to touch hearts and souls.

And it's so much fun to travel over here, chat with the lot o' youse and talk about life, love, faith, romance and chocolate!

We've got three copies of "His Montana Sweetheart" to give away and I hope you love it... I hope, (like me!) that you're glad to see fiction examining the reality today's Christians face... and finding the blessings in everyday life!




14 comments:

  1. I love your stories and am looking forward to reading this series! Reading contemporary Christian fiction helps me have a positive outlook on life and be thankful for my blessings :)

    colorvibrant at gmail dot com

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  2. I love Christian fiction because of it give us hope in the midst of real life. I really enjoy Ruth's books and can't wait to read His Montana Sweetheart and the other books in this series.
    worthy2bpraised at gmail dot com

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    1. Merry! I love that spelling of your name! The only gals I know who spell it like that are Christmas babies... and one "Merrilee" who used Merry. Great name!

      Thank you so much for your kind words. I agree about Christian fiction, it can such a soul-stirring adventure! This series was SO MUCH FUN!!!!! Loved it!!!!

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  3. I love reading Christian fiction books because the story's are true and also that the people who write them are too.
    oh.hello.hiya@gmail.com

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    1. Danie, hi! I'm so glad you like Christian fiction. I am living my dream come true, to be able to publish books! YAY!!!!!! :) I still wake up and pinch myself. What a blessing!

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  4. RUTHY!!!
    As always, it's great to have you here on the blog! Thanks so much for joining us in celebrating our FIRST EVER Birthday!

    I think Christian Fiction is one of the most powerful tools for reaching deep down into people's hearts. Stories can go where no one else can. They can touch places that people would never allow anyone to touch. Jesus used stories in His ministry, and I think there's a good reason for that. Great post!

    Amber Schamel
    Bringing HIStory to Life
    www.AmberSchamel.com

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    1. Amber, my friend!!!!! That is so true. I can dwell a little longer in the house of the Lord in my books, I can weave a gracious thread of faith and in some books I make it more blatant and others a little less obvious because we're all different... but God is still God! So happy to be here! I was working today (day job working) and rocking babies and wiping noses.... So glad I got over here tonight!

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  5. Hi Ruthy! It is always a delight to visit with you!! I love the words you used at the end of your post..."finding the blessings in everyday life." Can't wait to read His Montana Sweetheart!

    texaggs2000 at gmail dot com

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    1. BRITNEY!!!! :) I love that we met before and we can chat books!!!! Oh, those blessings, the positive moments, as my friend Holly Jacobs says "The Glee!!!!" that flows abundantly throughout our lives if we only grab hold and see it! I love those blessings, and those tough times???? Well, they just make the blessings more sweet and highly appreciated.

      Glad you came over!!!

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  6. Thank you for visiting Stitches, Ruthy. You always manage to touch the heart. With all the bad things happening in the world and sometimes in our personal lives, it's good to escape with a sweet romance that reminds us those who trust in Christ have an eternal HEA waiting.

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    1. Elaine, I was pondering that tonight. With so much sadness and fear and hurt in the world right now, sweet happy ending stories can be a reminder that we can choose goodness and grace and blessing one another. I think the wretched circumstances in the Middle East are a grim example of what happens without God and without gentleness, and the grace of faith. Instead of embracing Jesus's treatment of the adulterous woman, by recognizing our own imperfections, there are evildoers shouting anger and ready to kill as if it's a righteous thing. That's so sad... I wonder about the women who raised these men, the silence of those women. That always surprises me.

      The gentle hand of a strong woman is crucial in raising a kind son... Maybe in our time we'll see more love and less anger.... I would love that!!!

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  7. Hi Ruthy! I love your post. There really are blessings in everyday life. Aren't we blessed..... why even being able to see the many blessings that God surrounds us with in color rather than black and white.....our blessings abound! Thank you for what you do!

    mauback55 at gmail dot com

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    1. Melanie, nice to see you again!!!! Hey, you have hit on a wonderful and amazing thing.... to see in color.... Oh, Melanie, that's so stinkin' true. The kaleidoscope of color versus shades of gray.... I will smile all day long, contemplating that turn of words!!!!

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  8. Hello Ruth. I so loved listening to you today. I love that with the Christian books whether, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense, or Historical, we get good clean reading. No bad words to skip over. I lived in Montana for a time, then moved back to Jackson Hole , Wyo. Both great places to live. Beautiful scenery. I have lived more time in Texas tho. We have much interesting places to see also, I just never get to go. I love that the talk about bring a part of helping readers hear about GOD. I hope I can win your book. I have always loved to read Westerns for many years. Please put my name in the drawing. Thank you. Maxie > mac262(at)me(dot)com <

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