My latest novel, The Last Summer, was a long time coming. The idea first came to me during my freshman year of college, and for some reason, these characters would never quite leave. They kept pestering me. And I kept going back to the story. Until, finally, with the help of lots of coffee and diet soda and occasional boxes of Junior Mints or Starbursts, The Last Summer came to be. It’s a story about friendship most of all—close friends navigating life and love during a season of change. But over the years, as I rewrote the novel, new themes found their way into the story. While the story is in no way about me or my personal experiences, there’s no doubt that the strong theme of grace woven throughout comes from my own understanding that we all have a desperate need for grace. There’s a line in the book where my main character’s mother tells her, “We’re a broken people. That’s why the story of redemption reaches us at our core.” Because every last one of us needs grace. And sometimes we’ll need to extend it to the people in our lives, and sometimes we’ll need it given to us. Because none of us are perfect.
I say things I wish I hadn’t. I make mistakes. I waste time. I get angry sometimes.
Do you know the feeling?
As much as I love my husband, the truth is that when my children were born, I began to know love on another level. Because whatever they do…I won’t stop loving them. They are mine. I’m theirs. My love for them is beyond me. And that fact gave me a tiny glimpse of how God loves us. And grace, to me, means He doesn’t stop loving me. Blunders and all. Imperfections and mistakes. His forgiveness is deep and wide. (And don’t worry, I do love my husband very much!)
In my own life, I’ve had moments of having to extend grace to people I care about, even when I didn’t think I could. And I’ve had moments of feeling God’s grace reach me when I knew I didn’t deserve it. These life experiences tend to taint the “happily ever after”—this fantasy of a perfect life where no one ever hurts anyone. And so, while rewriting The Last Summer for the final time, I knew I wanted to create flawed characters. In real life, there is no perfect heroine or perfect hero (regardless of how swoon-worthy!). I wanted characters who learned their own need for grace, and also the realization that we have to be willing to give it out. It’s not perfect, but when we are able to live under God’s grace, and extend grace and forgiveness to the people we love, I think that is a sort of “happily ever after.” Because we’re learning to love even when it’s difficult. We’re learning to accept God’s unconditional love for us, and maybe shed some of the guilt for past mistakes. As my main character, Sara, says, “We give grace because we’ve received it.”
Sometimes, when what we’re hoping for takes longer than we’d like, whether that’s a relationship or dream or life goal, eventually we look back over the time we spent waiting with a broader perspective. The Last Summer has been in my heart for years and years, it’s just now come to fruition. The years were worth waiting, because the story is finally what it was meant to be. It needed to come after some of my own difficult life experiences. Because that theme of grace—which was always there, maybe below the surface—needed to be developed and strengthened, as it had in my own life. Those polished characters needed a little less polish, to reflect all of us. And I hope with all my heart that the end result is a story worth mulling over, sighing over, and maybe even reaching for a second time.
Brandy Bruce is a mom, a wife, a book editor, an author, and someone who really loves dessert. She’s the author of the novels Looks Like Love, The Romano Family Collection, and award-winning The Last Summer. Having worked in the publishing industry for more than a decade, Brandy currently works as a freelance book editor, when she’s not writing novels! Brandy, her husband, and their children make their home in the beautiful state of Colorado. She’s very active online and she loves to hear from readers. Sign up for Brandy’s newsletter via her blog!
The Last Summer on Goodreads
Brandy is going to give away one e-book copy of The Last Summer! To be entered, leave a comment. She’ll draw a winner on the 27th and it’ll be announced in the Sunday Edition.
Elizabeth Maddrey is a semi-reformed computer geek and homeschooling mother of two who lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books. She loves to write about Christians who struggle through their lives, dealing with sin and receiving God’s grace on their way to their own romantic happily ever after.
Thanks for your thoughts and the giveaway. Indeed, showing grace and accepting grace are very difficult, but something that has to be done daily…..
Brandy,
It sounds like a lovely story.
Minor tech issue. On the Amazon page, the book description stops at one incomplete line. I think there is a technical error.
Thank you.
A friend and I were just texting about grace a couple of days ago. It can be so hard at times to extend grace to others. Yet when we need it to be extended to us, we want it so badly. Sometimes I’m in awe of how much grace God has given me, yet sometimes I take it for granted.
Thanks for the post, Brandy. We certainly are a broken people.
Hi Elizabeth and Brandy! Thanks for your insightful words about grace and enticing us into your story The Last Summer. Enjoy being introduced to new authors and their works. Even though retired, Always wish for more reading time! Best wishes and enjoy your weekend.
” God be merciful to me a sinner” and He is! He gives us His Grace because of who He is –not because of what we have done. We see glimpses in our own lives such as you have said– when we become parents. It’s a hard concept to grasp but His Grace is sufficient! Jesus did it ALL! Thanks for an insightful post. Blessings.
So excited about your book….I visited Amazon and saw the great comments! Think I will download it today!
Blessings on your writing!
Grace – wow, we all need more of that! Both giving and receiving. Thanks for joining us today, Brandy!
The book sounds intriguing! Thanks for sharing.
this is a wonderful post. I know what she means about the many different kinds and levels of love. it is so cool that God made us this way
It’s so true, even though hard to believe sometimes, that God loves us just as we are. I’m so thankful for his saving grace.
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Grace is an amazing gift from God! It is important to extend grace to others as well. Thanks for the reminder!
Thanks for sharing about your new story.
I couldn’t agree more with you that “As much as I love my husband, […] when my children were born, I began to know love on another level.” My son has become everything to me and nothing compares to the love I have for him. (And I too love my husband very much, but it’s definitely not the same.)
Welcome Brandy! I always find it interesting to hear writers talk about the process of revising and changing a story to make it the best it can be. The Last Summer sounds like a great book.
Welcome Brandy,nice blog post
What beautiful lessons about Grace your characters taught you! It sounds like a marvelous book! Trdivincenzo (at) gmail (dot) com
I love reading books with flawed characters because you see them learning life lessons & watch their faith grow! It helps me in my own walk with Christ :-) We all need grace because none of us is perfect. Thank goodness for God’s unconditional love for us!
I knew what love was with my children too & now that I have a grand-girl, I know it even more!! I think God shows us what love is through our own loved ones (spouse, kids, grandchildren), at least that’s my opinion :-)
Forgot my email:
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Claire! Amazon and my publisher are working on it! Thank you!
Thank you, INSPY, for having me today! And for all these delightful comments! I love hearing people talk about grace in their lives!
I haven’t yet read any books by Brandy, but will check them out after reading this post. I especially loved her quote from her book: “We’re a broken people. That’s why the story of redemption reaches us at our core.” So true!
Brandy, I loved your book! Thanks for visiting Inspy Romance and sharing your story inspiration. :)