Welcome to The Saturday Spotlight, a weekly feature hosting Indie, debut and self published authors. Today I have the pleasure introducing readers to:
CAREY JANE CLARK
~Author of After the Snow Falls~
Find Carey on the Web~Goodreads~Twitter
The Power of Forgiveness
by Carey Jane Clark
Three years ago, when our family uprooted itself and moved to China, After the Snow Falls was almost finished. While there, and when we returned home to Canada, my husband and I encountered circumstances that were very trying. Circumstances through which we had to walk out a lifestyle of forgiveness—not just once but over and over.
During that time, my husband and I learned a great deal and grew stronger as people and in our marriage. However, in the midst of this period, I developed symptoms of an allergic reaction. Every evening around dinnertime, my throat and eyes became unbearably itchy. This went on for at least two weeks. I’d finally had enough and prayed about it. The answer I received was that I needed to forgive. I honestly thought that I had already forgiven, but confronted with truth, I realized I was still holding resentment against an individual. When I finally released the offense, healing was almost instantaneous.
While we lived in China, the effort involved in learning the language, homeschooling my three children and settling in to life in a new culture prevented me from writing. When we returned to Canada and I picked up the story again, I was afraid at first that too much time had passed and I wouldn’t be able to jump into the story with my whole heart.
But as I read and revised what I had already written, I discovered a fresh passion for Celia, the controlling mother whose life is out of control; Alfie, the misunderstood father who can’t seem to find a way to his daughter’s heart; and Caleb, the child who grasps hold of faith in a personal way and disarms his mother and his grandfather by the simplicity of his belief.
I also saw clearly how the story needed to resolve itself—that the message I had lived through in the years that the story lay seemingly dormant was the message of this story: the power of forgiveness.
It has been said that holding on to unforgiveness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. Doctors are now waking up to this fact. In a story broken by CNN this year, doctors have even come up with a new diagnosis to explain the physical effects of unforgiveness: PTED (post-traumatic embitterment disorder). They claim that bitterness interferes with the body’s hormonal and immune system.
I believe that the message of After the Snow Falls is a timely and powerful one, and I hope it reaches many hearts in need of encouragement.
~Thank you Carrie for those inspiring thoughts. I know this time of year is a celebration of family and friends but for some tragedy and heartbreak can be hard to deal with. I hope your novel does reach that certain heart that needs it.
GIVEAWAY
Today, thanks to Carey I have one eBook (format of your choice) of After the Snow Falls to giveaway to one of my readers. To enter please just leave a comment. Winner will be contacted by email Jan 7, 2012.
After the Snow Falls by Carey Jane Clark
In the middle of a soccer drill, in an awful, awkward moment, Celia Bennett's eight-year-old son Caleb lands on his face and chest in the grass. The diagnosis blindsides her, bringing her face-to-face with every parent's worst nightmare. Desperate to save her son’s life, Celia pursues a cure through alternative medicine, but her quest ends in frustration and disappointment. Facing despair, hope walks in on the most unlikely set of legs, when her father returns after a 30-year absence. Can she release pain to embrace hope? Will it make a difference, or is it too late?
Enclave by Ann Aguirre (Seriously this sat on my shelf for months...Im CRAZY)
Book you'd like to give your past-self to read
Best ending
Holy Ghost Girl- Most of the book talks about life in a strict religion, however Donna's insights and observations of adults as a young child had many laugh out loud moments to break up the serious stuff.
