Day 8 - The Visionary

CHRISTMAS STORY EXTRAVAGANZA - Day 8
Every weekday (Monday through Friday) for the month of December I will spotlight a story here on my blog. Yes, this is 17 days of Christmas book browsing. And on Christmas Eve I will announce the lucky winner (at least two that I know of right now). The person who leaves the most comments throughout the month will receive their choice of any one of the books spotlighted. That's from me. Other prizes are being offered by the individual authors.

Today I'm here to welcome a good friend of mine, Pam Thibodeaux, with her latest book release, The Visionary.

Welcome, Pam. Thank you for having me here today and for hosting me during my month-long blog tour for The Visionary.

You must be very excited with this latest release. I personally think this is your best yet (and I think I've read them all). I know you've been working on this one for awhile. Was it difficulty with the story, or with finding the right publisher? To be honest, Donna the difficulty lay in finding the right publisher. This book was written in 2003 and contracted in 2008 by an ‘up and coming’ publisher but never materialized. In 2009, I signed with an agent and again, we went nowhere. Then in July 2010 Five Star Expressions sent me a contract. Used to the process with small publishers, I must say this 16 month wait has been nearly unbearable LOL! Alas….good things come to those who wait. I trust the Lord has had this project in HIS more-than-capable hands and impeccable timing.

What lead you down the path to this idea? Oh Lord, what a question! When I first wrote The Visionary in a 5-subject notebook (where most of my stuff began way back when) I had in mind a sweet romance featuring m/f twins and their love interests. When I first typed the novel, I thought, “this is my light romance!” which was a great relief after some of my other work which dealt with subjects like domestic violence, grief and betrayal. However, one day I sent off the first 3 chapters to a friend and her response was, “these twins are awful close, you need to be careful.” Of course that made me wonder Why? What happened to them or between them to make them so close (I couldn’t seem to tone down their intense feelings for one another). Then one day I walked out of my office one day into the living room where my husband sat watching a popular talk show. In a heart-wrenching scene the young man on the show apologized to his sisters because he couldn’t stop the abuse they suffered at the hands of their father. I swear, every drop of blood drained from my body and I began to argue with God…. No! Not that! Anything but that! I can’t write this! I have no experience in this! I’m not qualified as a minister or therapist! God….PLEASE….no. Three days of wavering, three days of arguing, three days of not being able to sit down and write a single word and God finally confronted me with…. “Who are you writing for anyway?” I capitulated and wrote the entire story in 4 months during the busiest time of year for a bookkeeper/tax preparer.

Are you working on anything else right now that we can look forward to? Yes! My short story, Lori’s Redemption is under consideration with White Rose Publishing. My WF novel, Circles of Fate is being edited for submission and I have numerous other projects in the works.

It's been so nice chatting with you. Care to share a little bit about your story? I'd love to! Here's the blurb and an excerpt - enjoy!

Blurb:

A Visionary is someone who sees into the future; Taylor Forrestier sees into the past but only as it pertains to her work. Hailed by her peers as “a visionary with an instinct for beauty and an eye for the unique” Taylor is undoubtedly a brilliant architect and gifted designer. But she and twin brother Trevor, share more than a successful business. The two share a childhood wrought with lies and deceit and the kind of abuse that’s disgustingly prevalent in today’s society. Can the love of God and the awesome healing power of His grace and mercy free the twins from their past and open their hearts to the good plan and the future He has for their lives? Find out in…The Visionary ~ Where the awesome power of God’s love heals the most wounded of souls.

Excerpt:

Taylor thrashed about and fought the fear clamoring in her throat. Panic stole her breath. The monster held her while Trevor grappled with a gun. She struggled and kicked, but the monster held her fast. She had to get away. She had to stop him! She begged and pleaded, but the monster just laughed. His gnarled, horrid sound sent shivers of terror through her soul. A blast of gunshot, a flash of lightning, and the scream tore free from her throat and echoed through the room. The door burst open and strong arms encircled her. Gentle hands stroked and soothed, a soft voice caressed, tender words flowed over her. Taylor buried her face in Alex’s shoulder while he cradled her against his chest and rocked.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you,” she murmured. A pulse hammered against her skin, a tremble shimmered down her spine. She pushed herself closer, found safety and comfort in his embrace. Alex tightened his arms around her, smoothed her hair.

“It’s okay. That’s why I’m here and exactly why I didn’t want to leave you alone tonight.”

Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a Lifetime Member of Bayou Writers Group. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!”™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.”

Pamela S Thibodeaux

"Inspirational with an Edge!" (tm)

http://pamelathibodeaux.com

http://pamswildroseblog.blogspot.com

DonnaB.Snow's Review

This was one story I didn't want to put down. I fell in love with Trevor and Taylor right from the start. The love between this brother and sister drips from the pages as they look out for each other, sharing their heartaches - then learning to let go.

But still, Trevor's overprotectiveness is no match for Alex's fast-growing feelings for Taylor. I couldn't help but root for Alex. I could feel the attraction between them, that instant attraction when two souls connect. The patience he shows as he gets to know her and understand all she's been through can only come from God.

I loved the detail of Taylor's interior designs also. The warmth of the description, colors and textures, made me feel like I was there. So beautiful!

And then the additional romance between Trevor and Pam is just icing on the cake.

The Visionary is a Christian romance unlike any other I've read. I think Ms. Thibodeaux is a visionary herself.