Readers, please join me welcoming
Emily Sue Harvey, Author of Song of Renewal
who will be guest blogging here today!
*********************
RENEWAL’S SWEET SONG
By Emily Sue Harvey
RENEWAL’S SWEET SONG
By Emily Sue Harvey
My just released novel, Song of Renewal, evolved from a lifetime of my own renewal experiences. By that, I mean that it is an application of things learned from riding out life’s most dreaded scenarios. Like losing my mother at the age of ten…like facing the sudden, tragic death of my eleven-year-old daughter. And sitting by my sometimes-comatose mother’s bedside for three months, praying for her recovery. In the end, she died.
Sometimes, we are handed circumstances from which there are no magic escapes or happy endings. We have no alternative but to experience them. We simply must choose to keep our head above the raging tide. Or go under.
Such choices make up Song of Renewal. The role of grieving parent is incomprehensible. In fact, it is, without a doubt, the most horrifying “what if?” a parent could face. And as I began the Wakefields’ story, I asked, what if that child, following a horrible automobile accident, hovers for weeks in a place between two worlds? And what if the parents, not knowing the outcome and who are already having marital problems, collide on a fiery course of “’who’s to blame?” And what if forgiveness and mercy is elusive or, even worse, non-existent?
During the Wakefields’ delimma, many struggles of human survival occur. Isolation is one of those, as in Liza’s battle after Garrison’s emotional abandonment. Another reality is that we each must search out our own path to renewal. Each must do it in his/her own way. Song of Renewal links the Wakefields to renewal via two symbolic catalysts: music( Liza’s and Angel’s dance) and light (Garrison’s portraits).
I loved penning this story. It encompasses the greatness of the human spirit. It gives hope to the hopeless. Someone recently asked what underlying message I aim for in my stories. I’m convinced that, beyond that first choice to survive, hope is the main ingredient that propels one on. If we can offer that to those who need it, we can make a big difference.
Above all, I love making a difference.
Happy reading!
Sometimes, we are handed circumstances from which there are no magic escapes or happy endings. We have no alternative but to experience them. We simply must choose to keep our head above the raging tide. Or go under.
Such choices make up Song of Renewal. The role of grieving parent is incomprehensible. In fact, it is, without a doubt, the most horrifying “what if?” a parent could face. And as I began the Wakefields’ story, I asked, what if that child, following a horrible automobile accident, hovers for weeks in a place between two worlds? And what if the parents, not knowing the outcome and who are already having marital problems, collide on a fiery course of “’who’s to blame?” And what if forgiveness and mercy is elusive or, even worse, non-existent?
During the Wakefields’ delimma, many struggles of human survival occur. Isolation is one of those, as in Liza’s battle after Garrison’s emotional abandonment. Another reality is that we each must search out our own path to renewal. Each must do it in his/her own way. Song of Renewal links the Wakefields to renewal via two symbolic catalysts: music( Liza’s and Angel’s dance) and light (Garrison’s portraits).
I loved penning this story. It encompasses the greatness of the human spirit. It gives hope to the hopeless. Someone recently asked what underlying message I aim for in my stories. I’m convinced that, beyond that first choice to survive, hope is the main ingredient that propels one on. If we can offer that to those who need it, we can make a big difference.
Above all, I love making a difference.
Happy reading!
Thank you for that entertaining post, dear Author! Readers, your thoughts / comments are most welcome. For more information visit www.renewalstories.com.
About the Book:
The Wakefields seem to have everything. Garrison is a hugely successful graphic artist. Liza is an active member of the community and a patron of the arts. Their 16-year-old daughter Angel is bright, beautiful, and a gifted dancer. At the same time, though, they have traded away many of their dreams. Garrison gave up a future as an accomplished painter to make money. Liza suspended her own dancing career to raise a family. And Angel is setting aside her ambitions to live her mother's dream.
When Angel gets into a car accident that kills her first love, the Wakefields' lives turn on a dime. While Angel lies in a coma from which even the best prognosis is devastating, Garrison and Liza sit by her side, their once-passionate marriage in tatters. As their heartache over Angel builds, Garrison and Liza struggle to rediscover who they once were--and who they were meant to be. They come to realize that it will take everything they have within themselves to heal Angel, heal their hearts, and renew the power of their love.
When Angel gets into a car accident that kills her first love, the Wakefields' lives turn on a dime. While Angel lies in a coma from which even the best prognosis is devastating, Garrison and Liza sit by her side, their once-passionate marriage in tatters. As their heartache over Angel builds, Garrison and Liza struggle to rediscover who they once were--and who they were meant to be. They come to realize that it will take everything they have within themselves to heal Angel, heal their hearts, and renew the power of their love.
About the Author:
The author of numerous essays for Chicken Soup for the Soul and the Chocolate for Women series as well as sites such as drlaura.com, divinecaroline.com and superparentstalk.com, much of Emily Sue Harvey’s work grows from reflections on everyday events—life changing and ordinary. Determined to make a difference in people’s lives through her writing, she imbues her work with moments from her own life—the good and the bad. The result, she hopes, are stories and messages that stress joy and the promise of triumph as they draw people out and share the struggle of moving forward.
GIVEAWAY
The Prize
A copy of this book will go to 2 lucky winners!
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Deadline Midnight CST of August 31, 2009.
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Please read the Disclaimer
Good luck!
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ReplyDeleteAmy (park-avenue princess)
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Oh I forgot to tell you why I'd like to win...
ReplyDeleteI've gone through some pretty traumatic times in my life as well and always wonder how I'm handling it...this book sounds like something I could really use. I call it my *Comfort Reading*
Amy (park-avenue princess)
IAmHiMaintenance(at)aol(dot)com
I get your email subscirption.
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Amy (park-avenue princess)
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The reason I would like to win is because the cover is intriguing. I also enjoy stories that touch the heart and this storyline looks amazing.
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this sounds like a really good read..thanks
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After reading the excerpt from this book I need to know how it turns out. Thanks for this giveaway and please count me in
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Please include me in your giveaway
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I'd love to win a copy of this book because I have been there in a similar situation w/ my bother in a coma from a car accident and know how devastating it is for a family.
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