You can be a winner!

In almost every Book Blast I give away one free book, usually by another Christian author. For the next twelve months, everyone can get a free book everymonth. Scroll down to find out more.

As missionaries, my husband Art and I are currently traveling in the USA, visiting our supporting churches. On May 9 our plans take us back to New Zealand where we minister in Invercargill, New Zealand, home to the Southernmost Starbucks in the world. Usually we try to be “all there” wherever our bodies are. But this furlough is different.

If all goes to plan, our return to Invercargill will begin a time of transition. The church will end its time of having a missionary pastor and wife supported by other churches and will begin to support its first local pastor and wife. We plan an overlap of time where both of us couples will be actively involved and anticipate this phase of ministry will last about six months. Then we’ll return to the States to begin our steps toward retirement from our career missions ministry. This transition is a big step of faith for Art and I, as well as for the couple we hope will replace us and our church.

With all these changes in the air, this six-month furlough has felt like a whirlwind. Our minds constantly shift back and forth between three worlds. One world takes us to our supporting churches where we try to be in the moment, focusing on friends and supporters we’ve known for years. At the same time, we stay in contact remotely with the couple in New Zealand who will replace us, working out details of the transition. Another part of us gathers information for our retirement. In less than a year we could be living in Iowa, in a different house, with different furniture, attending a different church, and finding different doctors and dentists and health care plan in a different country. We already know retirement will demand many big changes in our lives.

All of this would seem impossibly daunting were it not for the fact that we trust God to direct our paths. He has been faithful throughout our 45 years of ministry so we don’t expect him to abandon us as we leave our ministry and enter retirement.

Proverbs 3:5-6 gives us this precious promise: Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (NKJV)

In what way are you finding God faithful today?

You probably understand “faith-focused” fiction is Christian fiction. And you know some of the common genres of Christian fiction: romance, suspense, historical, fantasy. Those are obvious.

But what is women’s fiction?

Is it just for women? Do the author and the main protagonist have to be female?  The answer to both questions is no. In the next year, I’m partnering with ten other writers of women’s fiction and one of the authors, T.K. Chapin, is a man.

Be warned! If you’re like me, you might enjoy women’s Christian fiction even more than some of those other genres. Personally, I like a bit of romance in a book, but would like less raging hormones and formulaic plots than I find in some romances. While watching TV, I fall asleep during car chases but am fascinated by the complex characters on the TV program Monk.

Women’s fiction may have elements of romance, suspense, history, even fantasy. But the main focus of the story is about the character’s emotional journey and her relationships. The protagonist has to overcome internal obstacles or change the way she sees her world to reach her full potential. Women’s fiction focuses more on the character development than heart-pumping action. That distinction allows these books to deal with deeper issues and complex themes and emotions. This genre appeals to me partly because it gives an author greater opportunity to develop some real spiritual depth to her novels.

Today’s Book Blast begins a series of twelve, monthly articles that introduce you to different Christian authors who write women’s fiction. I am one of those authors. Each month you’ll have a chance to read a novel by one of those authors— for free.

What’s the catch?

To get each free book, you’ll have to subscribe to the newsletter of that book’s author. Consider this an opportunity to meet some new authors, maybe even find a new favorite. If, after reading your free book and a few of an author’s newsletters, you really don’t want to read any more, you can always unsubscribe. But we hope you will take the time to find out who an author is before you take that action.

Today I’m pleased to be able to introduce you to Christine Dillon. Though I’ve never met Christine, we have a lot in common.

• I served as a missionary in Taiwan from 1980 to 1996. Christine served as a missionary to Taiwan from 1999-2021.
• I’ve lived in New Zealand from 1998 until now. Christine’s father is from New Zealand. She now lives in Australia. These two countries have very strong ties so I sort of feel like her neighbor. (Or should I say “neighbour?”)
• Christine attended primary school in Malaysia and high school in the Philippines. We have many families in our New Zealand church from the Philippines and other Asian countries.
• We both write women’s Christian fiction.

These similarities are what drove me to read Christine’s book, Grace in Strange Disguise, in 2017.

 Instead of a wedding, Esther is facing radical surgery and chemotherapy. Where is

God when she needs him most?

Esther is a people pleaser. It’s never been a major problem because she’s just gone with

the flow. Her father has always preached, “Follow Jesus and you’ll be blessed.” And up

until age twenty-eight, Esther has never had any reason to doubt it.

Will she appease her father? Or will she listen to the words of a stranger who challenges

everything she believes?

Grace in Strange Disguise is a soul-stirring contemporary Christian novel. Book 1 in the

Grace series.

If you like compelling Christian fiction, relatable characters, and real emotion, then

you’ll love Christine Dillon’s inspiring series.

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvTQef1pIP8

Click here to get your free book.

 

Christine now has written six books in her Grace Series. After you’ve read one, you might want to read them all.

 My review of Grace in Strange Disguise:

I wrote this review of Grace in Strange Disguise in 2017 when I read her book:

Esther McDonald, a physiotherapist in Australia, gets breast cancer. Her father is the prominent pastor of Victory Church, who believes that God will heal anyone who has enough faith. When she isn’t immediately healed, she becomes an embarrassment to her family, fiancé, and church. What will she do when living out her belief could cause her to seem disloyal to her family?

This book has a strong Christian message with extended sections that deal with the topic, “Does God always heal? What does God promise?” The salvation message is clear. I’m happy to add her book to my list of “distinctively Christian fiction.”

 Get Christine’s free book here: