Giveaways Galore! Celebrating SWORD OF FORGIVENESS by Debbie Lynne Costello Ends 3/13

By Kathleen L. Maher 

Sometimes all you have to do is get out of the way and let a great moment happen. Haven’t we all been there? The birth of a grandbaby. Your kid’s graduation. A spouse’s promotion. As much as we desperately want to experience these wonderful milestones, there isn’t much we can do personally to make them come to pass. Watching our loved ones labor, push, and strive to get to goal can be harder on us as spectators than if we could get in the act and labor, push and strive with them. Being a doula can be a helpless feeling. Until that moment—that golden, magical, beautiful time when all of the hand wringing, pacing, praying and cheerleading, not to mention worrying, advising, dreaming and strategizing—finally comes to fruition. And your loved one has that baby, diploma, or title proudly in hand to show off to the wondering world. 

So it is for every critique partner watching on the sidelines as your writing friend takes her very personal journey to publication. You watch the seed of ideas germinate in your buddy’s mind, take shape on paper, and undergo revisions, drafts, edits, and the struggle is real. You invest your input and hopes, but ultimately it is the labor of your friend that makes the difference. Do they have the endurance to go the distance? Will they overcome discouragement, exhaustion, and doubt and push through for the sake of their adoring readership? At times it is tempting to have too much influence, to say too much, but to do that would be a mistake. It is not your baby, after all. You run the risk of trampling the tender shoot of an emerging voice. So you step back. You hope. You lend silent strength.

And your friend not only finds her way, but she bursts through every obstacle with laurel wreaths and victory banners and confetti. It is a very good day when her first book takes off running. You remember when the voices said Medieval will never sell. You remember when some rejected the idea because they didn’t know it like you did. You smile inside because you saw the potential, not just in the book but in the writer. And you celebrate with the pride of a doula, because in your way, you helped bring another ray of hope and goodness into the world.

Celebrate with me today by sharing something you prayed for and believed for with someone you love. Let us thank the Lord together for answered prayer. 

Prepare yourself to be swept away to a land of lords and ladies fair, of knights and castles, murder, betrayal, romance, and redemption. Author Debbie Lynne Costello, a promising new voice to Christian fiction, crafts a spellbinding story of a forced marriage, intrigue, and chivalry amid the backdrop of medieval England. Riveting and yet tender, this tale immerses the reader in authentic historical detail and passion. The hopes and conflicts of its genuine and endearing characters turn the pages until that final, satisfied sigh. Kathleen L. Maher, winner 2012 ACFW Genesis contest and author of Amazon top-rated novella Bachelor Buttons. 

When her father died, she had promised herself no man would own her again, yet who could defy an edict of the king?
After the death of her cruel father, Brithwin is determined never again to live under the harsh rule of any man. Independent and resourceful, she longs to be left alone to manage her father's estate. But she soon discovers a woman has few choices when the king decrees she is to marry Royce, the Lord of Rosencraig. As if the unwelcome marriage isn't enough, her new husband accuses her of murdering his family, and she is faced with a challenge of either proving her innocence or facing possible execution.
Royce of Hawkwood returns home after setting down a rebellion to find his family brutally murdered. When all fingers point to his betrothed and attempts are made on his life, Royce must wade through murky waters to uncover the truth. Yet Brithwin's wise and kind nature begin to break down the walls of his heart, and he soon finds himself in a race to discover who is behind the evil plot before Brithwin is the next victim.

Debbie Lynne Costello has enjoyed writing stories since she was about eight years old. She raised her family and then embarked on her own career of writing the stories that had been begging to be told. She and her husband have four children and live in upstate South Carolina. She has worked in many capacities in her church and is currently the Children's Director. Debbie Lynne has shown and raised Shetland Sheepdogs for eighteen years and still enjoys litters now and then. In their spare time, she and her husband take pleasure in camping and riding their Arabian and Tennessee Walking horses.
  

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