I’m excited to have my friend, author Jennifer Rodewald, here to share a bit of holiday joy, and she’s giving away an e-copy of her new novella, Ordinary Snowflakes! She’s included an excerpt! I’m so excited for you to read it!
Jennifer Rodewald #Giveaway Ordinary Snowflakes
Someone has noticed me. A secret admirer? A man with a good heart, who sees how much I actually need help, even though I never admit it? Maybe this is the beginning of a beautiful story—a romance full of hope and second chances and love.
Maybe…
A secret Santa gift left on Kale Brennan’s front porch opens up a fresh view of her ordinary life, and perhaps of God. Maybe she does matter. Maybe God sees her—as does a new-to-town music teacher who has her seven-year-old daughter gushing and her own knees buckling with his killer smile. But as Kale embraces new possibilities, a staple in her life—a man who is kind and steady, not to mention necessary for her injured daughter’s recovery—also snatches her attention in an unexpected way. Will the one pursuing her with his secret gift and kind gestures be the one her heart longs for in the end?
Excerpt from book:
Craig was right. Suzanna could throw a snowball like a bullet from a rifle. She outplayed me shamelessly, and her laughter gave me a little insight as to why Paul had pursued her even when everyone else in town thought she was about as nice as a rattler in October.
Guess everyone had scars. We just wore them in different places and with different bandages to hide them. Suzanna had worn hers with anger overtop.
Me? I didn’t know how mine looked to others. Didn’t pause life long enough to consider it, but after Suzanna had given me an olive branch of grace by offering me an out of this snowball war I wasn’t good at and didn’t love, I suddenly wondered. About her and about me.
“Where’d you learn to throw like that?” I asked as she set a pot of coffee to brew. “Did you play softball or something?”
A sad, reserved smile smoothed her lips as she turned to me. “My first husband. He played baseball in college.”
Hold everything. Suzanna had been married? Before Paul? Didn’t seem possible. She wasn’t that much older than me, and she’d been Suzanna Wilton—same last name as her dad—before she became Suzanna Rustin.
“I know. I should have told people.” Suzanna slid into the chair across from mine, and a small pause filled the space.
Andrea had stayed outside, determined to pummel her brother with the white stuff. Boy, if ever there were opposites, Suzanna and Andrea were it. Dre was known as the fun, live it up but be nice kind of woman. She was the kind of person everyone wanted at a party.
Suzanna…was growing on me.
“What happened?”
“He died. Cancer. I was pretty devastated. My family had fallen apart. My mom and I have had a rough past, and Jason—my first husband—was my safe place.” She sat back, her gaze steady. Clearly she’d worked through some things since she’d first settled in Rock Creek two years before. “I really thought that God hated me. All these disappointments in my life—I felt like I was completely alone. That He didn’t notice me, and if He did, He just flat out wasn’t interested.”
Her confession triggered an avalanche of memories. Bad ones. Multiple nights of ongoing fights. Tears. Pleading. As if dealing with the extent of Sydney’s injuries hadn’t been enough.
“That’s what Brad thought…” I whispered.
Suzanna held my gaze, her silence inviting me to continue. “Brad is Syd’s father. We were together until a few months after Sydney’s accident. He was never really the faithful church type, but I thought he’d grow into it, and since I prayed that Jesus would save him, I figured it was just a matter of time… I guess it was. Sydney’s accident turned him ice cold. At first he started praying—no demanding—‘God, heal her. We can’t do this.’ Then…”
I paused, tears fogging my vision. “Syd didn’t get better. In fact, when her first cast came off and they re-x-rayed her leg, the news got worse. A lot of the bone fragments were dead. She needed transplants, and it was going to be a long process.
“He quit. Said God was either not real or didn’t care, and he wasn’t built for this kind of hard life. He quit us both.”
A mutual hush bonded us as we waited for the drip brew to gurgle. When I looked up, Suzanna’s kind blue eyes were already settled on me.
“You’ve walked a tough path, Kale. I’m so sorry.”
I tried to brush off her compassion, because it made me self-conscious. “Well, you did too.”
“Looks like you’ve fared a bit better than I did.” She traced the grain of her kitchen table. “I was one bitter, lonely woman.”
“I had Syd and my parents, so…” I hesitated, wondering how much prying would be out of line. Suzanna had opened up first though. “Did Paul change things for you?”
She laughed, moving to pour the coffee into two mugs. “That’s a complicated question, with a not-so-clear answer. Paul, and his family, embodied everything that I longed for—stability and acceptance. Love. But it wasn’t enough. Even when I knew Paul loved me, it just didn’t fill the hole.” She chuckled, shaking her head. “He said I was like a leaky water trough and he couldn’t fix me.”
The mug made a hollow thud against the table as she set it in front of me.
“So what happened?”
“I left. Spent some more time yelling at God, not believing that He was listening, that He cared about me. And then—”
“What?” I leaned forward.
“I saw Him. The real God, the One who had been waiting for me to fall into His arms the whole time.”
I traced the handle of my mug. What had that been like, to see God—to fall into His arms? I’d never stopped believing in Him, but…well, I often thought He didn’t see me. I was too insignificant. My life didn’t matter that much.
“How?” I asked before realizing the word came out of my mouth. Clearing my throat, I glanced to my coffee. “I mean, how do you fall into His arms?”
Suzanna folded her hands and rested her elbows on the table. “I’m not sure I know how to explain it. But I guess I kept expecting Him to show up in the big moments. To save Jason. Fix my family. When He didn’t, resentment set in. But, well, maybe we shouldn’t just be looking for God in those big moments, because if we can’t see Him in the small everyday things, we won’t be able to understand that He’s there right beside us in the moments that cave in our lives.”
My throat swelled as I processed her story—her assessment. Life had caved in on me, and honestly, I didn’t think I’d recovered. I wasn’t angry, but I hadn’t looked for God’s hand in it either. I guess I hadn’t expected it to be there.
Ever feel invisible? Or just too ordinary to be noticed?
Yeah. Me too. I live an everyday, not so noticeable life. Predictable. Nothing super noteworthy at all. Most of the time, that’s fine by me. But…
Well, who doesn’t love to feel special? At least sometimes? Could just be me.
But there’s something terribly important, not to be missed wrapped in the beauty of the Christmas story. That sweet nativity, the most extraordinary moment in all of human history happened in the most ordinary place, with the most unnoticeable of people. A pair on young people, non-descript and living quiet, everyday lives. A group of shepherds spread out over the fields, just as they had been for basically their whole lives.
A baby boy, wrapped in cloths and laying in a manger.
Jesus came to dwell with the ordinary. To teach them. To be with them. To save them.
I wonder how often we, like the Wisemen of the story, go looking for Christ in a palace—in the extraordinary—when really, He came to the manger. To the lowly, the common. The ordinary. Me? I do it often. But here’s what I learned with Kale Brennan—
“maybe we shouldn’t just be looking for God in those big moments, because if we can’t see Him in the small everyday things, we won’t be able to understand that He’s there right beside us in the moments that cave in our lives.”
Here’s the truth. Life can feel ordinary to us. But really, our God doesn’t see us that way. Consider the snowflake—not a single one of them are alike. We see plain old snow blanketing the hills on a cold December day. But God? He sees each flake. Each unique, special flake.
There aren’t ordinary snowflakes. Because they’re crafted by and extraordinary God.
Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works
Which you have done;
And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered.
Psalm 40:5, NKJV
Jennifer Rodewald is passionate about the Word of God and the powerful vehicle of story. The draw to fiction has tugged hard on her heart since childhood, and when she began pursuing writing she set on stories that reveal the grace of God.
Jen lives and writes in a lovely speck of a town where she watches with amazement while her children grow up way too fast, gardens, and marvels at God’s mighty hand in everyday life. Four kids and her own personal superman make her home in southwestern Nebraska delightfully chaotic.
She would love to hear from you! Please visit her at https://www.authorjenrodewald.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authorjenrodewald or email her at write2edify@gmail.com.
Thank you so much, Jennifer! One person who leaves a comment by Friday, December 23rd will win an e-copy of this novella!
Janet W. Ferguson is a Christy Award finalist and the FHL Readers Choice Award winning author of realistic inspirational fiction. An avid reader, she loved books so much she found a job as a librarian so she could be around them all day. Then she turned that love of story into writing faith-filled novels with characters who feel like best friends. You’ll laugh and cry as the quirky heroes and heroines chase their happily ever after. Janet and her husband live in Mississippi where they say y’all a lot, and she forces him to visit the beach as often as possible. They have two grown children, one really smart dog, and a cat that allows them to share the space. Connect with her at http://www.janetfergusonauthor.com/
Thank you Janet for your introduction of Jennifer Rodewald. Jennifer, I enjoyed your romance The Carpenter’s Daughter. The title caught my attention, because my great uncle was a talented carpenter, who felt unworthy. People, but not the Great Carpenter, often look down on them because they are dirty or grubby. I enjoyed having the opportunity to know the character’s thoughts. Ordinary Snowflakes is on my wish list to read after the first of the year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Janet and Jennifer.
Hi Renate! I loved the Carpenter’s Daughter, too! You’ll love Ordinary Snowflakes. Merry Christmas!!
Geat exerpt! Sounds like a fantastic book. Thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas!
Hi Beth! Jen is a fantastic writer!! Merry Christmas!
Welcome to Inspy Romance, Jennifer! Thanks for sharing that insightful excerpt.
Wow! This looks like such a wonderful and powerful story, Jennifer!
All of Jen’s stories are powerful!! Merry Christmas, Autumn!
Just enough to get us all going….
LOL, Gail! Yes! She’s a great writer! Merry Christmas!
Hi, Jennifer. So nice to see you here. I enjoyed your excerpt. Merry Christmas!
Hi Janet,
Thanks so much for sharing part of Jennifer’s book with us. It’s on my TBR list and now you’ve really made me want to pick it up right now.
Janet, I love your thoughts on the beauty of how God came down for us ordinary individuals. Why is it we….”go looking for Christ in a palace—in the extraordinary—when really, He came to the manger. To the lowly, the common. The ordinary.” Thanks so bringing our focus back where it needs to be!
Jennifer, I look forward to reading your book!
This sounds like such a powerful message wrapped up in a sweet romance. Best wishes to you with it, Jennifer!
Janet, thanks for introducing me to Jennifer. Such a poignant excerpt!! I’d love to read her novella.
Thanks for sharing a new story. I’ve seen relatives fight cancer and it is a treacherous road for those surrounding the patient. This excerpt is very emotional, but a good reminder that we need to learn to fall into God’s arms.
Good morning, Heidi! Thanks for saying hello!
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Marilyn! You won’t be sorry if you read any of Jennifer’s books!
Merry Christmas!
Hi Julie! Jennifer always has a powerful message! Merry Christmas!
Barbara, I’m happy to introduce her! I’ve had the honor of critiquing her novels, and it’s been a joy! You’ll love her writing!
Priscila, Cancer is so tough. Jennifer really digs into the emotions when she writes. Yes, fall into God’s arms! I need that so often.
Merry Christmas!
You’re welcome, Merrillee! Merry Christmas!
Hi Renate! Oh, thank you for reading The Carpenter’s Daughter. I loved living life through Sarah Sharpe, and see how God gives us identity that is special and beautiful. :)
Hi Beth! Thank you for popping in! :)
Hi there, Valerie! Thank you for having me today.
Hi Autumn! Thank you. :) You know, when I started out writing it, I just said, “I need something lighter. Something that I don’t have to wrestle with so much.” I had no idea how much God was going to feed me through Ordinary Snowflakes. :) He’s good like that.
:) :) :)
Hi Heidi! It’s lovely to see you too. Merry Christmas to you as well. :)
I’m so glad you enjoyed this post, Marilyn! Thank you for stopping in. :)
Thank you so much, Julie! Merry Christmas. :)
Hi Barbara! I hope you do read Ordinary Snowflakes. ;) Merry Christmas.
Priscila, thank you for stopping in…sometimes falling into His arms seems so hard. Sometimes, however, it is the only thing we can do. Bless you, and merry Christmas.
Thanks for the excerpt. Sounds interesting!
You’re welcome! Merry Christmas!
This book sounds wonderful!
Thank you, Shelia!
It is! Merry Christmas, Shelia!
Thanks for sharing this, Jennifer and Janet. I’ve read Ordinary Snowflakes and loved it. Such a wonderful, inspirational message and story. I have a couple of your other books waiting impatiently on my Kindle, Jennifer. I’m hoping I can get to them soon and to a couple of Janet’s books that I haven’t read yet. So many wonderful authors! Thanks for sharing your time and talents! Hugs!
Novellas sound like a great idea right now with a 2.5 month old baby to take care of!
Hi Mandy! I used to read in the bathtub when my kids were little! I know how it is! Congrats and Merry Christmas!!
Hi Winnie! Isn’t Jennifer great?! Wonderful to hear from you! Thank you for always being so supportive! Much Love and Merry Christmas!!
Hi Valerie! Merry Christmas!
Great excerpt to a wonderful sounding book! We all want to feel special and that’s what I love about Christmas time. The reminder that God sees us as His own special people & loved us so much, that He came willing as a babe to save us from our sins! I’d say that’s the most special feeling in the world to be loved like that :-)
Hi Trixi! Hope you are doing well! All of Jennifer’s books point us in the right direction. I love how you worded your comment! Merry Christmas!!
Thanks Janet, blessed Merry Christmas to you & yours too!!
This statement really touched me: “maybe we shouldn’t just be looking for God in those big moments, because if we can’t see Him in the small everyday things, we won’t be able to understand that He’s there right beside us in the moments that cave in our lives.” I always see God in the little things or at least try to. It’s not always the big extraordinary things but in the ordinary, everyday things that God can show Himself in. We must pay attention :-)
Hugs back to you, Winnie! Thank you. :)
Oh do I remember those days! Enjoy that baby. The great thing about books is that they keep! ;)
This is beautifully put, Trixi! Thank you. :)
So true! I love that! I need to do it this week!
I loved that scene in the novel, and I love the way you’ve tied that theme into the Christmas story. Finding God in the everyday is something I really need to remember, in amongst the busyness of life. Thanks for sharing ?
Isn’t that a wonderful connection! Reminds me of the being thankful theme from 1000 Gifts. Merry Christmas!
Great to see you here, Jennifer. I loved the excerpt!
Me too! Thank you so much! I loved your review of Ordinary Snowflakes, and I’m so honored you picked it up!
Thank you, Jill! :)
Hi Jill! It’s a great story!
This sounds like a complicated story and a good read.
It’s a wonderful novella!