Rebecca Demarino
One commenter will win a copy of
Rebecca's book:
To Capture Her Heart
Rebecca's book:
To Capture Her Heart
Scroll down to see how.
Mary here. I'm so glad you joined us today. Sometimes we give so much then watch something fall apart. Heartache can overwhelm us. Today, Rebecca shares from the inner sanctum of her heart, words that may even bring healing to you. I asked Rebecca to share how God had lead her on her writing journey. This is what she said:
It Was In This Place
Thank you, Mary Vee, so very
much for inviting me to join you on Let’s
Talk! When I reflect on my writer’s journey, I know it was more about
learning to walk with God than the writing itself.
With my passion for reading
novels and a creative writing class as a senior in high school, I dreamt about
writing my own book someday. But two years later I married my high school
sweetheart, and in another couple of years he joined the military service as a
career. During the next eight years our three daughters were born across the
United States—literally. Florida, Alaska and Nebraska, in that order. With all
the household moves and three little girls, I didn’t have time to think about
writing. Or my walk with God.
Oh, I was a Christian, and we’d
always found a church home wherever we went. But on a daily basis I tucked God
into my nightly prayers and in the morning rush forgot to meet with Him or seek
blessings on the day. Giving thanks was relegated to mealtime. I longed for a
deeper relationship with God, but I didn’t know how to find it.
God found me. And as so often
happens, it was in the midst of despair. When our daughters were almost grown,
I found myself in the midst of divorce. I didn’t want it, and sought counseling
and everything else I could think of to change the course, but it happened. And
all I could see in the future was a big void. I asked God why?
My daughters kept me strong, and
within a year I moved back home—closer to family. My sister knew my pain and
suggested now was the time to write my novel, that many stories grow out of our
pain. I believe that might be true, but I was in too much pain—I wasn’t ready
yet. God had plans for me.
Over the next few years I
traveled with my mother to discover our Horton roots on Long Island and
discovered the wonderful history of our family. There was much information about
my ninth great-grandfather, but none about the woman who was my ninth
great-grandmother. I wondered about her and her story. And I knew I wanted to
write it.
I met and married a wonderful
man who lived out in the gorge of the Columbia River, and when the commute to
my job proved too arduous in the winter, I retired and then wondered what would
I do in this small town? A tiny ad in a newspaper caught my eye. “Office
manager – tell me what you read.” And though the paper proved old, and the
position filled, two months later (when the first applicant did not work out) I
went to work for one of the most successful literary agents in the business.
Talk about wonderful! And so, out of a place of joy, I began to write my novel,
early every morning. And I began to seek God before I typed a word on the page.
It was in this place that I
began the walk with God that He longs for each of us. I began to meet Him in
the morning and sit at His feet. There is something magnificent about watching
the sky turn pink in a sunrise or the clouds bursting with rain and lightning,
and I know God has given us nature to reveal His glory. He put an order to my
day that I couldn’t find before. I felt His presence in a way I’d never known
before and sought His knowledge. And in the moments I failed, I knew that He was
there to pick me up. Today, I believe the pain I endured enriches emotion in my
writing, but because of God’s love for me, I write from a place of joy.
Rebecca DeMarino writes love, legends and lore as
a historical romance author and lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. To Capture Her Heart released from
Revell in July, and is book two of The
Southold Chronicles, a series based on the true lives of her ninth
great-grandparents. She inherited her love of baking and gardening from her
mother, a love of horses, reading and writing from her dad, and the wanderlust
gene from both parents. Her travels
have taken her from Alaska to Nebraska and Florida, from Long Island to England
and Italy, and from Washington DC to Texas, California and Guam. But usually
you can find her at home baking crisp little ginger cakes.
In an uncertain time, Heather Flower faces a choice that will change
her life forever
It is
1653 and Heather Flower, a princess of the Montaukett tribe, is celebrating her
wedding feast when a rival tribe attacks, killing the groom and kidnapping her.
Though her ransom is paid by an Englishman, she is bound by her captors and
left to die—until she finds herself rescued by handsome Dutch Lieutenant Dirk
Van Buren.
Still
tender from her loss, Heather Flower begins to heal in the home of the Hortons,
English friends of her people. Torn between her affection for Dirk and her
longtime friendship with Ben Horton, Heather Flower must make a difficult
choice—stay true to her friend or follow her heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Enter the contest to win a copy of
Rebecca's book:
To Capture Her Heart
here is how:
here is how:
leave a comment (and email address)
AND become a follower of this blog
AND/OR sign up to receive posts by email
AND/OR sign up to receive my quarterly newsletter
AND/OR sign up to receive my quarterly newsletter
if you aren't already
US only
The winner will be announced on my Facebook page
Thank you, Rebecca, for joining us this weekend!
We enjoy chatting with you and are looking forward to reading your comments and questions. Or at least your hi, hello, or hey.
Thanks for stopping by!
Don't forget to comment!
How does having a daily time with God impact your day?
How does having a daily time with God impact your day?
26 comments:
I love that the books are based on the lives of your great-grandparents! My grandmother loves tracing our genealogy and has told us stories about our ancestors since we were very young. We even have a great-grand who baptized Pocahontas! To Capture Her Heart looks like a great read ☺️
Mdp94 (at) bellsouth (dot) net; I already subscribed via email and am a follower of the blog!
Morgan,
Really? Pocahontas! That's amazing!! Not many people know their genealogies so well.
Thanks for sharing! Rebecca and I enjoyed chatting with you.
Mary Vee, it's always such a blessing to be able to visit your blog each week. I always feel so encouraged after reading your posts. What a wonderful interview today with Rebecca Demarino. I follow your blog and you on facebook as well and am a newsletter subscriber. I have seen Rebecca's books promoted on other blogs a few months ago and I must say they really sound fabulous. I would love to have a chance to read this exciting sounding book. Have a wonderful weekend.
Deanne Patterson
Book1lovingmomma at gmail dot com
Aww, Deanne, your sweet comment was like morning dew. Thanks :) Rebecca and I enjoyed chatting with you today.
Starting my day with God really grounds me. It sets my mind on a focus for the day God made and draws me closer to HIm. I'm so thankful we have a personal God!
kathrynlvoss(at)gmail(dot)com
Oh, I follow by email. (o:
Hello Mary, I enjoyed this interview with Rebecca. Rebecca, thank you for sharing your journey with us. I have been greatly encouraged by your words. I would love to read To Capture Her Heart.
I follow via email psalm103and138[at]gmail[dot]com
Love the time period of your books.kamundsen44(at)yahoo(dot)com.
Maybe because I'm really into genealogy it intrigued me no end to see that you based stories on your ninth great grandparents. That is amazing! l.bergh@sbcglobal.net
Good morning Kate.
I didn't have Internet this morning and just made my way to a coffee shop.
Your words are so heartfelt and true. I felt the warm touch from our Heavenly Father just reading your comment.
Thanks so much for chatting with Rebecca and me this morning :)
Good morning, Caryl
Good to see you. I was encouraged by Rebecca's words as well. I know several friends who experienced the first half of her journey and ended up so very lonely. I'm glad God provided a sweet answer to the second half.
Good chatting with you this morning. :)
Good morning, Kim.
I must admit, I don't think we've had a guest author who wrote in this particular time period before. And yet, it is such a vibrant one. Good point!
Great chatting with you, Kim!
Laurie,
Seriously, I thought the same. Isn't it amazing. It puts such a strong flavor of reality and believability from the first page, and piques our interest.
It is amazing. :)
Thank you, Morgan! How exciting about Pocahontas! Her story is one that I studied in my research for To Capture Her Heart! Thank you for stopping by!
Thank you, Deanne! Much luck in the drawing!
Kate - me too - so thankful for a loving God who draws us near!
Thank you Caryl, I'm encouraged by you, too!
Kim - thanks! The research was fascinating and fun!
It did give me a passion for the story - and it was a time period that did not give women much of a voice - I wanted to do that for Mary Horton and the ladies who bravely left their homes to come to the New World with their husbands. :o)
Another good interview and thank you for the giveaway.
Beautiful post Rebecca! Aren't you thankful for a faithful God even when you can't see Him because of all the pain? I really appreciate you sharing your heart & the depth of your feelings. Very encouraging to me :-) We truly have God who cares for us in everything!
teamob4 (at) gmail (dot) com
I already follow your blog, signed up for your newsletter & receive your post via email Mary!
You're welcome, Ann. Sure hope you're having an awesome day. So nice to see you.
I couldn't agree with you more, Trixi. God is so very caring of our needs. He's always here for us.
I'm so glad you stopped by today. I hope your's is filled with blessings.
So neat that Rebecca knows so much about her family history!
I follow the blog via e-mail.
pattymh2000(at)yahoo(dot)com
Patty,
I know! Not everyone has access to their family history. I only do for three generations. I am amazed when I get to hear stories from way back. The connection...connecting dots is so intriguing!!
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