One Sentence Started a Story

A Guest Post by Alexis A. Goring

My new novella Love in Pictures started with one sentence.

I wrote the sentence in response to Cheryl Wyatt’s TOTW (Topic of the Week) writing prompt on Jan. 3, 2017. Cheryl is the TOTW Coordinator for ACFW. She asked us to share the opening to our latest work in progress. Since I don’t like to share what I’m working on publicly but still wanted to participate, I made up an opening line. One sentence that read:

"Michelle Hadley stared at the Adobe Photoshop editing screen on her computer and sighed, lost in her thoughts and bemused by the fact that she was an award-winning wedding photographer who’d never been in love." ~Opening line for my latest story/work in progress, "Love in Pictures."

Within minutes, I’d made a new friend who responded to my e-mail. She said: Love that your character is a wedding photographer! So am I!!!! Here is my website: http://www.jessicamaephoto.com - if I can ever help with any photo questions, don't hesitate to ask!!!! :)

I took it as a sign from God that I was onto something and needed to keep writing the story. So I did and that one sentence turned into a paragraph then that paragraph turned into a scene and the scene continued into a chapter. Long story short, I finished writing this story in September 2017.

Writing this story was not smooth sailing. There were plenty of moments where it felt like writer’s block and other real-world struggles were suffocating my creativity but thanks to the help of God-fearing friends, God helped me see my story through to completion.

I hope and pray that Love in Pictures inspires your heart and teaches you that there are no limits to God’s love for you!

Check out Love in Pictures on Amazon!

About the Author:

Alexis A. Goring is a writer at heart who loves the arts and the color blue because of its serenity and soulful beauty.
She’s an established author, blogger, editor, writer, and photographer who enjoys exploring matters of the heart.

As a freelance writer, she covered President Barack Obama, wrote the Growing Up column for Collegiate Quarterly (CQ), which reached readers around the world, and served as the editor of a county newspaper. Blogging is one of her favorite pastimes, and she founded the mission-focused blog God is Love.

Love in Pictures is her second book published by Forget Me Not Romances. Alexis hopes that her writing will connect readers with the forever love of Jesus Christ.

When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, shopping, dining in her favorite restaurants, reading, listening to music, and baking for her church.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAlexisAGoring/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PennedbyAlex

Website: https://alexisagoring.jimdo.com

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/capturingidea/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7260528.Alexis_A_Goring

“God is Love” blog: http://capturingtheidea.blogspot.com

 

Interview & #BookGiveaway with Alexis Goring

Howdy y'all! Crystal here with a sweet new gal to introduce to y'all. Alexis Goring is so sweet she's even giving away a copy of her book to one of the commenters on this post. :) Let's get on with the interview, shall we?

Tell our readers a bit about yourself, Alexis.

I’m a writer at heart who dreams of producing inspirational movies, music and photography that inspires HOPE in the hearts of everyone in the world. 

My first book, Hope in My Heart: A Collection of Heartwarming Stories was released in Sept. 2013. So far, I’ve received good reviews. People say they enjoy reading my book and appreciate that it’s not a heavy read that takes a long time because my stories wrap up under the standard 70K words that it takes to write a traditional novel. My readers have asked me when I am going to publish my next book and my answer is, “God-willing, very soon!”

What is your story about?

My book, Hope in My Heart: A Collection of Heartwarming Stories, is an inspirational romance novella composed of three stories in this order: “Love Unexpected,” “The Best Gift” and finally, “Peace and Love.”

All of my characters are hoping for something or someone. When people ask me, “What is your book about?” I tell them first, “Faith, Hope and Love.” I follow that with examples from the last story in my book “Peace and Love.” I say: There’s Eric. He’s a family law attorney who specializes in divorce cases and he’s a real Scrooge at Christmastime because he’s still reeling from his parents’ divorce which happened when he was younger. So Eric decides it’s time for him to deal with his issues and he decides to reach out to his dad whom he has not spoken to in years. There’s Kristine. She’s adopted and while she loves her adoptive family, she really wants to meet and get to know her birth mom before she (Kristine) gets married to her college sweetheart Derek. And finally, there’s Elle. She’s a starving artist from Michigan who is in the Washington, D.C. area because she has several interviews (in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia) and she’s hoping one of those interviews will turn into a full-time job with steady and sufficient pay.

The goal to all of my stories is to leave my readers with warm hearts hence the subtitle “A Collection of Heartwarming Stories.” I’d love for my stories to inspire hope in every reader’s heart and let them know that no matter how tough life gets, God is still there with you and He is for you. So I encourage my readers to trust God to work all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

Where did you get the inspiration for your story?

People, places and my God-given imagination! Music is my muse. Here’s what happens when inspiration hits me through a song such as Britt Nicole’s version of “Through the Eyes of Love” (featured in the 2010 movie Ice Castles) or Diana Ross “Do You Know Where You’re Going To” (featured in the movie Mahogany): My creativity is sparked! 

I rush for my computer to create an original fictional story that draws from the song’s theme, melody and lyrics. My fingers fly across my keyboard as I create my latest work with my favorite songs as the unofficial soundtrack to the movie in my mind. All of my stories are written by me in the way I’d like to see it played out on the movie screen or in a television show.

What is your all time favorite scene in any book? 

The end scene to “Rilla of Ingleside” which is the final book in the eight-book series Anne of Green Gables! Rilla is Anne and Gilbert’s youngest daughter and she’s a passionate, sweet and sometimes shy woman with a lisp. And if I remember correctly, at the end scene, Rilla’s beau comes home from the war and proposes to her right there on her doorstep! Rilla says “Yeth” and that was so endearing because her lisp took over (she meant to say “Yes”) but her beau understood and it was such a beautiful ending!

What do you plan to work on next?

I’m working on a book about a chef at a fictional five-star restaurant in Northwest Washington, D.C. There are four main characters and the chef’s passion for cooking, baking and a special someone compose the core of the story.

Where can readers connect with you? Where can readers buy your book?

@pennedbyalex (My official Twitter handle for my book)
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAlexisAGoring (My official fan page)
http://capturingtheidea.blogspot.com/ (My blog “God is Love”)
http://goodreads.com/capturingidea/ (My author page on Goodreads)

Last but not least, apart from writing, what is your favorite creative outlet?

Baking! Cupcakes made by me with the help of Betty Crocker (the box) and Duncan Hines icing with sprinkles along with a few “secret ingredients” has always been a crowd favorite.

I love trying new recipes that look as delicious on paper as later on my plate, such as the perfect peach cobbler I used to make from scratch! I say “used to” because I lost the recipe page for it. I also used to make oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies from scratch and I mean down the details even the part where you freeze the homemade dough for an hour or two before taking it out, rolling it up into cookie balls, pressing it flat and baking them to perfection!

I’d love to be paid to bake! Since I’m working on achieving my fitness goals, I have not baked anything in about two years. But once I become fit and fabulous I plan to return to baking but only this time in moderation like for a weekend treat every now and then, holidays and for special occasions!

Thanks for hosting me on your blog today, Crystal! May God bless you and your readers!

It was a pleasure having you here to day, Alexis. Thanks so much. Okay, everyone, here's your chance to win Hope in My Heart: A Collection of Heartwarming Stories. 

Since Alexis loves to bake, here's your question: do you love baking during the holidays? If not, what's your favorite baked treat to eat?

Leave a comment this weekend to enter the drawing. The winner will be announced in next week's Weekly Wind-Up post. 

How God Works with Guest Alexis A. Goring

I moved to the Midwest years ago to take my first big break in Journalism. I worked for a small-town newspaper that covered news countywide. I enjoyed all of the people I met while covering story events. I liked the details of everyday life such as how at the gas station, the attendant pumps your gas for you every single time or how the workers at the grocery store were so helpful and nice. Most of all, I loved the fresh mountain air and breathtaking scenery.

However, my stay in the Midwest did not last too long—I arrived in late-Autumn and took a one-way flight home just in time for Christmas. The classic song, “I’ll be Home for Christmas” has a whole new meaning for me since then and my experience in the Midwest, while wonderful, gave me a whole new appreciation for the city life and being home surrounded by family and friends who’ve known me forever.

God taught me a lesson on faith while I was in the Midwest, many lessons in fact but one of my favorites was in what God did with my fully furnished, beautifully decorated apartment that my mom—who took off time from work to help me relocate—and I bought from the city which was a one-hour drive away from where I lived. We spent more than a thousand dollars making my little apartment beautiful, cozy and warm.

So when it was time to return home, I only had a few days after my last day of work to pack up and take care of business matters. I was not able to sell the furniture or get reimbursed for anything I bought to furnish my apartment.  Needless to say, I was upset because I’d spent so much money and it looked like it was wasted.

But with God, nothing is wasted. So on the morning of my flight, I said goodbye to my apartment an every item essential to daily living that filled it, left the keys to my place on the kitchen counter and locked the door behind me. Fast forward to a few months after I had settled into my original home, I called my landlord who owned the apartment house I had lived in during my time it he Midwest and inquired about what happened to all of the items I had to leave behind.

My landlord told me that not too long after I took my flight home, there were newlyweds who just arrived in town and could not afford to buy a place to live much less furnish an apartment. They could only afford to pay rent. So my former landlord offered my fully furnished apartment for the newlyweds and they took it.

Now the funny thing is, my mom was right. My mom was the only person who was not upset about “losing” all of that money spent on furnishing the apartment. She told me, “Maybe God knows someone else needs it.” Since this happened at Christmastime, I felt like God used my mom and I to give a practical and beautiful Christmas gift to well-deserving people in need. Ultimately, I believe God used my situation to bless someone else and it made me feel good and gave me insight into how God works.

God can work in your life just as He’s worked in mine. Just trust Him. He’s a good Heavenly Father and He’s always watching out for His children. The Bible says the Lord takes care of the sparrows and He will take care of you (Matthew 6:26-34)! So be encouraged to know God is always working behind the scenes for you and will work everything out for your good (Romans 8:28).

Alexis A. Goring is a college graduate with a degree in print journalism from Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, Maryland. Writing is her passion. She hopes that her stories will touch hearts, bring smiles to faces, and inspire minds to seek God whose love for humanity is unfailing. Alexis loves connecting with her readers! Follow Alexis on Twitter @pennedbyalex, “Like” her Author page on Facebook, visit her official website, and read her blog, “God is Love”.