I am excited to share with you a collection of stories that are guaranteed to fill your heart with inspiration and warmth. It’s called Charleston Light: Stories Inspired by Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse.
Inside, you will find eight individual novellas written by authors who belong to the same writers group: The South Carolina Lowcountry Chapter of the national organization, American Christian Fiction Writers. We’re a fairly new chapter (just starting our fourth year) and relatively small (a dozen members) but we are all convinced that we’ve got something really special going on. Once a month on a Saturday we all meet to learn about our craft, listen to knowledgeable speakers, share our own questions, progress and challenges. We also support each other, pray for each other, and challenge each other to keep moving forward.
Last year, someone brought up the idea of publishing an anthology. After some brainstorming, we decided to all write stories inspired by the nearby lighthouse on Sullivan’s Island. It’s … well, how do I say this … you know what you think of about lighthouses? Beautiful, majestic, scenic? Well, this one is not that. It’s awkward. It’s a little ugly. It’s triangular, instead of spherical, and it serves an important purpose; it’s just not exactly beautiful while doing it!
But we were inspired to write stories about it – there was a lot of material there to explore. Not to mention that literary celebrity Edgar Allan Poe was stationed in the Army on Sullivan’s Island in 1827 and wrote his story The Gold Bug there. Several of our stories threw that angle in too!
As we worked on our stories and continued discussions in our meetings, we decided that we would select a charity to donate all our proceeds to. We didn’t have to look far before we found the right one. Our chapter member, and anthology contributor Dianne Miley is the Founder of SOUL: Sanctuary of Unborn Life. Everyone felt great about naming SOUL as the recipient of all funds earned from the sale of this anthology.
Sanctuary of Unborn Life is a 501(c)(3) faith-based non-profit in Charleston, South Carolina that provides support, mentoring, and housing assistance for local pregnant and new mothers in need.
SOUL Sisters offers a faith-based peer support group that meets at a local church and gives baby showers for pregnant moms. Individual SOUL Sisters mentoring includes faith-based and research-informed teaching in budgeting, career skills, healthy relationships, and self-care. The Care Closet provides pregnancy, postpartum, and infant care packages and baby items for moms in need.
For those at risk of homelessness, SOUL’s Housing Assistance Program subsidizes rent and utilities for mothers with demonstrated need who commit to SOUL Sisters mentoring. The Nest, SOUL’s maternity townhouse, provides a true sanctuary with beautiful furnishings and all the comforts of a cozy home.
We are thrilled to be donating our proceeds to such a loving and worthy cause!
All eight stories feature the lighthouse, and all the stories have faith-based themes. They range from contemporary romance to mystery/suspense to time travel. My own story is Looks Aren’t Everything, a retelling of the classic fairy tale, The Ugly Duckling: Pediatric nurse Wanda Byrd feels an instant kinship with ten-year-old cancer patient Kendall, and it’s not just because of their matching scars. But a surprise encounter with Kendall’s Uncle Mark immediately ignites her long-held insecurities due to his good looks and confident demeanor. Can an awkward-looking lighthouse, the wisdom of a little girl, and a confession from the man himself teach her that true value comes from within?
To take a look at descriptions of the other stories, and to preorder your own copy, click here! It’s on Preorder and is on sale now for $2.99! It will increase to $4.99 on April 8 and release to your Kindle on April 14.
As a last note I just want to say a quick “goodbye” and “thank you” to everyone in the InspyRomance community – the wonderful readers, authors and administrators. After four years blogging here I’ve decided to step away and let another InspyRomance author take my place. I’ve loved meeting you and getting to know everyone during my entire time here. But I won’t be going far! I’m still going to follow InspyRomance blogs and comment often. God bless!
Good luck in your future endeavors.
Preordered! It sounds like a great collection, and you’ve chosen such a worthy cause, too.
We’ll miss you at InspyRomance, but I know you’ll continue to shine and bloom where God leads you.
Thank you for your hard work in advertising this book–you’re amazing!
What an awesome project this anthology is and what a cool theme you all chose. You will be missed here as an IR blogger.
This collection looks great, it’s such an interesting idea for a theme, and a really good cause.
I’ve enjoyed reading your blog posts here, wishing you all the best for your future plans.
Thank you so much!
Thank you for your kind words Milla! I hope you love the anthology.
You’re welcome partner! It’s a pleasure collaborating with you!
Thank you partner! It’s a pleasure collaborating with you!
Jessica, thank you for your kind words! I’ve loved being an IR blogger.
Thank you Ruthie! We had a great time on this project and hope everyone enjoys it!
Much success in your new phase! God has raised up many women writers within the Christian industry in these dark times, so just follow his calling!
(I suspect it has to do with all those books and media that have hijacked the hearts of so many women with their sin)
So kind of you Lilly! I’ve been evolving in my writing journey and slowing down so I can listen to God’s call. I feel good about some of the fun projects I have coming up!
I know your story in this collection is great!! I’ll be staying in touch on FB and through your newsletter!!
Thank you Trudy! I appreciate your constant support. We’re tied together from a connection through IR!
Sorry for the duplicate! Oooof! :)
Thank you for your four years of blogging. God bless you.
Thank you Debra and you’re very welcome!
interesting books
All the best!
Thank you so much!
You will be missed here. I have enjoyed your posts and am on your mailing list. Best of luck in your future endeavors.