A Bridge Unbroken released a week ago on April 28, 2014!
~*Interview With Cathy Bryant, author of
A BRIDGE UNBROKEN (& Giveaway)*~
Welcome, Cathy. I would like to ask about the story behind the story of A Bridge Unbroken. Did you know where you were headed with Book 5, or are your stories unfolding as you write them?
With every Miller's Creek Novel I
write, it never ceases to amaze me at how God uses the spiritual
theme of the stories in my own life. I pre-plan all the stories,
choosing the spiritual theme before anything else. Before I wrote
even one word of A Bridge Unbroken, I knew the theme would be
forgiveness.
I have not had the opportunity to read your story yet. Could you tell us about it?
The story is about a frightened runaway
who wants her painful past to disappear. Her plan to start afresh is
derailed when she co-inherits her late grandfather’s farm with the
man responsible for the scars on her heart. He isn’t the only ghost
from the past. Someone else is out to get her and will stop at
nothing to get what he wants.
Because of past hurts between the two,
the story question becomes: "Will Chance and Dakota lay aside
their grudges to restore the old farmhouse and bridge, or will evil
forces sabotage their attempt at forgiveness?"
In every relationship, even ones that
have lasted for decades, things happen that require us to be gracious
and forgiving. In fact, I think those things are often divinely
inspired to test our commitment to the relationship and to living the
kind of life our heavenly Father desires.
How did your journey with A Bridge Unbroken begin?
Before I wrote A Bridge Unbroken, and
also during the writing of the story, I seemed to be constantly
confronted with situations that required grace and forgiveness on my
part. At times my life was so emotionally painful that I questioned
God as to why He wanted me to write a story on forgiveness when I
struggled to forgive others. As I studied the concept of forgiveness
in the scriptures, I was reminded of these truths.
1. True forgiveness is an act of the
will, not emotion. We forgive––not because we feel like it––but
because God requires it. How can we expect Him to forgive us if we're
not willing to forgive others?
I love this C. S. Lewis quote: "Being
a Christian means forgiving the inexcusable because God has forgiven
the inexcusable in you." What powerful words, and oh, so true!
2. True forgiveness is unconditional.
When Jesus, from the painful and humiliating cross of His crucifixion
said, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."
(Luke 23:34, KJV), He placed no conditions on forgiveness. And He, as
the sinless Son of God, certainly had the right to do so! In that
light, as children of our heavenly Father, our forgiveness toward
others can't be based on the offender's remorse, apology, or anything
else. (If that were true, there are some whom we'd never forgive!)
Instead, we forgive like Jesus––unconditionally and with no strings
attached.
3. True forgiveness is motivated by the
highest and purest love. When I stop to consider what Jesus' death,
burial, and resurrection have bought for me, I'm astounded. I'm
forgiven! Jesus' work was motivated by God's great love, in spite of
who we are and the horrible ways we sometimes behave. Thank You,
Jesus, for Your matchless love and grace! Thank you for forgiving an
old sinner like me.
What is your favorite Bible verse?
I have lots of favorites, but my
absolute favorite is 2 Corinthians 5:21: "He made Him who knew
no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him." The absolute best bargain of all
time! He took our sin and gave us His righteousness. That just blows
me away!
Can you use 3 words that describe you?
Hard-working, introverted, and
family-oriented.
What fun thing can you tell us about
yourself that we don't know?
My mother tells me I was born with a
head full of black hair. As a girl growing up, it was brown. When I
started to turn gray, I colored it red. Then when it got really gray,
I went blond. So I can honestly say that I've had every hair color.
(By the way, it is true that blonds have more fun!) ;)
What do you enjoy doing when you're not writing?
Honestly, hardly a day goes by when I'm
not writing, but I enjoy shopping at thrift stores. While I do enjoy
home improvement projects, they're more of a necessity than a hobby.
I'm also a big reality TV junkie, my favorites being The Amazing Race
and Survivor. The human interaction makes excellent writer research!
I also enjoy hiking, gardening, and spending time with my family.
Thank you, Cathy. How did you become involved in writing?
My love affair with writing started at
a young age. During my youth, I won several writing contests, on both
the regional and state levels. I even worked at the local newspaper
for my after-school job. While my kids were young, I probably started
at least one new novel every year, but never finished a one. About
the same time that the empty nest hit, I was diagnosed with several
rare medical conditions and lost a friend to cancer. I realized that
if I were ever going to pursue my writing dream, I'd better get
started!
I studied books on writing as if I
were back in college, and began writing Texas
Roads. The book was a
2009 ACFW Genesis contest finalist. I've just kept at it since then,
adding four more titles to the Miller's Creek Novels. Other than
motherhood, it's the hardest and most rewarding work I've ever done.
Do you always know the title of your books before you write them?
Most of the time, I have at least an
inkling of an idea for the title, since the Miller's Creek titles all
have a journey-theme: roads, path, way, pilgrimage, bridge. The only
book title that changed over the course of writing the story was
Texas Roads. It started off as This Road Leads Home. (You can
actually hear a copy of the song my awesome hubby wrote for the book
at this link: https://www.reverbnation.com/travisandcathybryant
You'll have to click on the play button for "This Road Leads Home.")
What do you hope readers take away after reading A BRIDGE UNBROKEN?
I hope they come away from the story
with a fresh understanding of what forgiveness is. The world has
really affected our definition of forgiveness, so that believers
often don't fully understand it from a Biblical worldview. A
scriptural understanding of forgiveness is vital to our faith! I have
two favorite quotes on forgiveness. The first is from Mark Twain, who
said: "Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel
that has crushed it." The other is from C. S. Lewis: "To be
a Christian means to excuse the inexcusable because God has forgiven
the inexcusable in you."
What are you working on now?
I'm working on the launch party and
blog tour for A Bridge Unbroken (see below). I hope everyone will
take a minute to click the launch party banner and sign up for the
party. The main prize for the night is a $100 Visa Card, but I'll
also be giving away books (both print and digital), t-shirts, tote
bags, coffee mugs, Amazon gift cards, and bookmarks.
In addition, I'm trying to complete
a few unfinished home improvement projects that took a backseat while
I wrote the book. I'm also writing a companion Bible study on the
topic of forgiveness.
Thank you for having me on your blog. I
truly enjoyed it!
 |
“Miller’s Creek, Texas…where
folks are friendly, the iced tea is sweet, and Mama Beth’s front
porch beckons…”
|
~*Cathy is giving away an eBook of her A
Bridge Unbroken to one Lane Hill House friend ~ Add your e-mail address with your
comment for notification to winner selected May 10. It would be fun to know what your favorite Bible verse is
and why it stands out to you.*~
Letting go to build a bridge…
Dakota Kelly wants her painful past to
disappear. A plan to start afresh is derailed when she co-inherits
her late grandfather’s farm with the man responsible for the scars
on her heart. But Chance Johnson isn’t the only ghost from the
past. Someone else is out to get her and will stop at nothing to get
what he wants. Will Chance and Dakota lay aside their grudges to
restore the old farmhouse and bridge, or will evil forces sabotage
their attempt at forgiveness?
Click here to go to the link for the overviews of the Miller's Creek Novels.
Texas Roads, A Path Less Traveled, The Way of Grace, Pilgrimage of Promise, and A Bridge Unbroken
About Cathy ~ A Texas gal by
birth, Cathy enjoys spinning tales set in the fictional town of
Miller's Creek, Texas, where the folks are friendly, the iced tea is
sweet, and Mama Beth's front porch beckons.When she's not writing the Miller's Creek Novels, you'll find her rummaging through thrift stores or up to her elbows in yet another home improvement project in the mountain cabin she shares with her minister husband of over thirty years.
You can find out more about Cathy and her books at CatBryant.com
Here are a few other places
to meet up with Cathy in cyberspace:
Reader friends on Facebook
may want to visit the following groups, the first for book bargains
and the second to discuss all things Miller’s Creek.
~*~
About the $100 Visa Card
Giveaway/Launch Party
Cathy is celebrating the new
addition to the Miller’s Creek family by making several prizes
available to reader friends, including a $100 Visa Card Giveaway.
Winners will be announced at the interactive Facebook Launch Party on
May 22, 2014.
Other prizes include:
t-shirts, coffee mugs, tote bags, bookmarks, eBooks, print books and
Amazon Gift cards.
Enter the grand prize
drawing for the $100 Visa Card now by clicking one of the links
below. But hurry, because the contest ends May 22, 2014. (NOTE: Some
contest tasks can be completed daily for extra chances to win.)
The grand prize winner will be announced at the A
Bridge Unbroken Facebook launch party on May 22.
Don’t
miss the fun! See you at the party!
What a great interview!
ReplyDeleteI keep forgetting and commenting below instead of within your posting reply! Hope you have a warm, sun(Son)-filled day! Kathleen ~ Lane Hill House
DeleteThank you, Shirley. I very much enjoyed being a guest of Kathleen's on Lane Hill House. Thank you for stopping by to comment. (And Kathleen, I've enjoyed our tea session on the front porch!) :)
DeleteHi Shirley, You have won an eBook copy of Cathy Bryant's A Bridge Unbroken at Lane Hill House blog. I have notified Cathy of your win. Please send your e-mail address to her in a message at https://www.facebook.com/Cathy.Bryant.Author.
DeleteCongratulations! Kathleen ~ Lane Hill House
Shirley, thank you for coming by ~ it is like sitting together having tea on the porch with Cathy! Kathleen ~ Lane Hill House
ReplyDeleteWooHoo!! I won a print copy of A Bridge Unbroken on a Mother's Day giveaway! Kathleen ~ Lane Hill House
ReplyDeleteHappy for you, Kathleen! Still waiting to hear back from Shirley. :)
Delete