When You’re Afraid to Dream by Varina Denman | Guest Post

When I was a little girl, I watched cartoons every day after lunch. Casper, Mickey Mouse, Sylvester & Tweety, among others. (Yes, I’m dating myself.) That hour was the highlight of my day, and often a movie would come on afterward that was just as exciting as the cartoons. My mother was one of the original work-at-home moms, so undoubtedly she needed a little time to herself. She was my hero, and I had no greater dream in life than to be HER when I grew up.

One afternoon, The Mummy came on just after cartoons—the black-and-white version with Boris Karloff. Mom discouraged me from watching it, but somehow I insisted the club-footed, toilet-paper-clad monster wasn’t scary. And really … he wasn’t. Not even to a little girl. Special effects have come a long way.

However, the un-scary monster turned uber-scary in my dreams that night, and I cried out for my mother who came and patted my back until I calmed down. After that, I vowed to stick with cartoons, but wouldn’t you know it, that mummy haunted me for weeks. I’d lay in bed every night, unable to sleep.

Because I was afraid of dreaming the mummy dream.

Fast forward forty years. (Yes, I’m dating myself again.) By that time, I had achieved my lifelong dream of being a work-at-home mom. Yay me! While I didn’t allow my kids to watch horror movies, I didn’t hesitate to set them in front of Sesame Street so I could have a little time to myself, especially to … READ. In fact, I spent so much time reading, that I found myself dreaming about writing a book of my own.

But, oh my goodness, who did I think I was? I didn’t know anything about writing. I hadn’t been especially good at it back in school. And I certainly didn’t have a college degree. Besides I had already achieved my dream, and I was living my happily ever after. So I talked myself out of trying.

Because I was afraid of dreaming the writer dream.
However—just like my mother had done all those years before—God patted my back until I calmed down. Then He surrounded me with friends and acquaintances who encouraged me to give writing a try. He opened doors in places I didn’t even know to look, and finally … he gave me a nice little shove.

Now that I’m looking back from the other side of the road, I can see His footsteps walking next to mine all along the way. And isn’t that how it always is? Even when we’re afraid, even when we think we can’t do it, even when we’re up against obstacles that seem insurmountable, God is with us.

Helping us be brave enough to dream impossible dreams.

“I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” Jeremiah 29:11

The Mended Hearts series focuses on three women whose dreams have been shattered. The final book, Jilted, tells the story of Lynda Turner whose husband abandoned her and their young daughter fifteen years before.

Hope awakens for Lynda when a local ex-convict shows interest, but having been jilted more than once in her life, she’s now afraid to dream that love could be a possibility. As long-hidden secrets resurface, Lynda must fight for her emotional stability and for a life in which the shadow of shame is replaced by the light of love.

She must be brave enough to dream the happiness dream.

Jilted will be available in bookstores June 1, but you can pre-order now. And through May 31, the eBook is HALF PRICE. Grab it while it’s cheap!

Varina Denman writes stories about the unique struggles women face. A native Texan who spent her high school years in a small Texas town, Varina now lives near Fort Worth with her husband and five mostly grown children. Her passion is helping others make peace with their life situations. Varina’s Mended Hearts series is a compelling blend of women’s fiction and inspirational romance. Connect with Varina through her website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

When a Dream is Turned on its Ear by Meghan M. Gorecki | Guest Post

The moment I woke up on some random morning around my fourteenth birthday, I knew I had a huge story to figure out. I had just literally had a vivid dream that turned out inspiring an entire novel. I can’t tell you why I dreamed of someone being caught in a severe thunderstorm in dense woods, or why a bolt of lightning hit a tree sending a deadened branch to the ground and paralyzing the faceless victim that would turn out to be my main character. I had always been consistently freaked out by thunderstorms…

I can tell you this. That random dream turned into a novel on a typewriter shortly thereafter, before it was typed into a document on my first laptop months later, only to be finished twice, rewritten once—and then overhauled not quite two years later. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Seven years it took me to write my first novel. I have since grown in writing speed, thank you God.

When what I thought was my final overhaul was through in 2013, I began shopping around. After doing some light reading as to queries, proposals, agents and all that jazz (emphasis on “light” reading) I shopped it around to over twenty agents all together. I just knew that this book had to be traditionally published—that there was no other way. It was similar to Lynn Austin’s Hidden Places in era and genre, after all! This may have only been three years ago, but oye with the youthful arrogance already.

Nothing panned out. Not one rejection came with any thread of critique or feedback on it. Once I got over feeling like an utter failure, so fed up with the novel of my heart sitting idly in my computer, I was tempted to leave it there since at least it was done after six-plus years.

I am so glad God didn’t leave me and this dream there.

I honestly can’t remember exactly why I was so set against indie-publishing. Thinking it was well and good for other people but not me. Once I actually took the time to talk to God about His dream for this novel of my heart, the novel that in many ways taught me how to write, a seedling of a new dream for the book took root. Maybe because I finally shut up about my own wants for this book and actually listened. Now, of course, I fought against it for a while—I have a thick skull—but right around the holidays of late 2013/into 2014, I put a stake in the ground and said, “I’m doing it.” For a Mother’s Day gift for my biggest cheerleader(s) who inspired so much of my novel—my mom and grandma.

Fast forward two years later—almost to the day.

It was unpleasantly humbling to let go of my dream of traditional publishing for this book. And um, wow is hindsight (even to two years ago) 20/20 in how I let my book go out there like it did. All I can say is: it's because of God.

I won’t use the cliché, 'It’s a dream come true to have my book in my hands'. Because it's not. It is a dream hard-fought; not exactly won in the way I would’ve originally preferred it to have been won. But this is because God knew better and His plan may have had its tough moments where He had to half-drag, half-carry me down life’s road—but it was all worth it. SO worth it.

Every time I hold my book in my hands—both the first edition and the second—I marvel at how He alone reshaped and renewed my dream for this book and my heart. But, despite the immense relief and joy I have in the fact that it is done, it’s not for, or because, of me. Letting go, being still, and letting God have His way is hard no matter what He calls you to. Listening is often the harder first step of that process. But whatever you’re facing—it will be worth it. The pain and the struggle all serves a purpose, even when you feel close to breaking.

I did title my story, a paper bound testimony to what God did and what He is still doing, God’s Will for a reason. And being in God’s will is the sweetest place to be.

Meghan M. Gorecki is an author of inspirational fiction, a blogger, book reviewer and voracious reader. Taking her life a day at a time as God leads, she is pursuing a career in the publishing industry as an editor in training and as a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. A hopeless romantic, history and Marvel nut, she's also a redhead (thanks to a box), who knows way too much trivia about movie musicals and the Civil War. Find her on social media and at her blog, A Northern Belle (www.northernbellemeg.com)


Connect with Meghan:
Website Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest

God's Will

Kathy Andrews is good at goodbyes. Her mother is sent to a sanatorium, her sister, left behind in Chicago, and her father, forced to roam looking for work. So she holds close to the only one she has left, her brother Danny. When the two go to live with the Marshalls in the sleepy town of Brighton, she doesn't let anyone past hello. Elliott Russell frowns at his aunt and uncle's generosity--even though he and his sister are on the receiving end. He frowns, too, at the uppity city girl with a chip on her shoulder whom he can't get out of his head. When a tragedy rips apart what tenuous existence they manage to forge, will they find the sweetest place to be is in God's will--or will they turn their backs on faith that fails to protect against pain?

Forgetting and Reaching: Two Keys to Reaching Your Dreams by Preslaysa Williams | Guest Post

The road to success is paved with failure. Yep, failure. Some of the most successful people have failed their way to success.

Bill Gates is one example. Long before he became one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, Bill Gates started a company called Traf-O-Data with his partner Paul Allen. The company aimed to process large amounts of data. They tried to sell their idea, but they garnered a lot of “no’s”. Gates and Allen later went on to found Microsoft, their biggest success.

Did you know that Walt Disney was once fired from a newspaper company because he “lacked creativity”? He persevered and later started Laugh-O-Gram films, but that failed. Disney eventually made his way to Hollywood and created films which gained in popularity.

Milton Hershey started three candy companies before he founded Hershey’s chocolate. I, for one, am very thankful that Hershey persevered!

Philippians 3:13-14 says: “Brethren, I don’t regard myself as having laid a hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus.”

To see your dream materialize, this passage says to do two things: 1) forget the past and 2) reach for the future.

To fully let go of the past—the failures, the mistakes, the regrets, the pain—you need to have something to shoot for in the future. “Without vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). Without vision, you can easily get sucked into the past and literally drown in negativity and failure.

I believe that when God created you, He had big dreams for your future. I believe you were created to fulfill God’s big dreams for your life. I also believe that when you tap into your heart’s desires, you’re tapping into God’s dreams for you. They’re one and the same.

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). As you delight in Him, your true heart desires will spring forth. You’ll know what you were called on earth to do. You’ll know your dreams. The first step is delighting yourself in Him.

To tap into your dreams, you have to set aside time with God. It doesn’t have to be a legalistic set amount of time. It can be five minutes a day, but consistency is key. During this time you can:

1. Pray
2. Listen to a faith building message
3. Read a couple of verses in the Bible, etc.

During this time, ask God: “What are your dreams for me?” Also, ask yourself: “What do I want most for my life?” Write down your thoughts.

At first, what you write may be hazy, murky, diluted. You may be unsure if this is really what God has for your life, but over time your vision for your life will become clear. You’ll start taking first steps towards your dreams. Yes, you’ll be met with failure, but don’t worry, you’ll be in good company (Gates, Disney, Hershey!) Simply seek Him and persevere. 

Preslaysa Williams is a multi-award winning writer of Inspirational Romance. Her work has won the 2015 ACFW Genesis contest and the Indiana Romance Writers of America Golden Opportunity contest. Her work was also a double finalist in the 2015 Windy City RWA Four Seasons contest and a finalist in the Northwest Houston RWA Lone Star contest. She has a Master’s degree from the University of South Carolina and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University. You can sign up for her newsletter at http://www.preslaysa.com/newsletter-sign-up/ to get updates on her writing journey.

Web and Social Media Links:
www.preslaysa.com/newsletter-sign-up/
www.facebook.com/preslaysa
www.twitter.com/preslaysawrites