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Shining a Light in Christian Fiction -- with Giveaway

Judith McNees • Mar 20, 2023

Today I welcome author Judith McNees as she shares her latest release and answers some tough questions. Read through to find out how to enter a drawing for a free ebook of A Heart to Redeem.


As an avid reader of contemporary Christian romances, I have my favorite tropes. I’m a sucker for a good billionaire, soulmate/instalove, ugly duckling, or secret prince/princess story, but my all-time favorite is the “marriage of convenience” trope. There’s just something about a story where circumstances force two people together, and they overcome their differences to fall in love. *sigh*


Since I planned out all five of the books in my Tranquil Shores Sweet Christian Romance family saga ahead of time, I was really excited to write book 3, A Heart to Redeem. The idea of a heroine with pink hair was super fun, but I also got to exercise my writing muscles on a contemporary marriage of convenience story.


The challenging part of writing a contemporary marriage of convenience is giving the characters a compelling reason to marry for something other than love (or money) in modern times. Even trickier is when you have a character in Christian fiction who uses deception to justify their choices because, as a writer, I have to figure out how to bring my readers to a place where they like the character by the end.


Chris Morgan, the youngest of the siblings in the series, was that character for me. He’s a spoiled, self-centered guy who uses others with little thought for the consequences until life forces him to face his sins. Though he was the character with the most flaws of any of my books, his redemption ARC became that much sweeter because of all he struggled to overcome. He started as my least favorite character and ended up being one of my favorites!


I particularly love characters who are “lost sheep,” as I really have a heart for those who, for one reason or another, have walked away from their faith. Characters like Chris remind us all that there is no darkness that the salvation offered through Jesus can’t outshine.


Question for readers: What is your favorite romance trope? Leave a comment, along with your email address cleverly disguised, and we will draw for a free ebook of A Heart to Redeem. ~~ remember to include your email address, for example: donna AT livebytheword DOT come

 

Getting to know Judith:

Do you prefer cats or dogs? Why? I prefer dogs. Have you ever tried walking a cat?

 

Do you prefer to cook or to bake? Why? I prefer cooking because I stopped eating gluten last year, so I haven’t tried to learn how to bake gluten free.

 

What hobbies do you have? Is it cheating to say reading? That’s what I do with most of my free time. If I had to give a different answer, I guess I’d say planning vacations. I have Pinterest boards. Lots and lots of Pinterest boards.

 

About Judith:

Judith McNees lives in Michigan, where she enjoys spending time hiking with her kids and breaking out into random songs to annoy them. She loves to travel, and visiting all 50 states with her husband is at the top of her bucket list. She has a B.A. in English from Western Michigan University and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. Sign up for her newsletter for free Christian romance stories here: Newsletter Sign-Up - Judith McNees


Connecting Online:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/judithmcneesauthor

Instagram: www.instagram.com/Judith_mcnees_author

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/judithmcnees

Blog: https://judithmcnees.com

Purchase link for A Heart to Redeem: https://www.amazon.com/Redeem-Tranquil-Shores-Christian-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BTZNDD9C


A sneak peek into A Heart to Redeem 


Chapter 1


"Alright. Let me just give your hair one last look.” Brandi Blakely stood back to admire her work.


Inspecting her client, Grace Morgan’s beautiful 3A curls, which Brandi tamed from a lion’s mane to a lovely shape and texture, she nodded. Once she was satisfied she’d perfected Grace’s makeup and not a single hair was out of place, Brandi grinned. “You can turn around now.”


When Grace faced the mirror, she gasped. “I can’t believe this is me. You’re a miracle worker.” She pulled Brandi into a hug. “Thank you for taking the stress out of this and making it fun.”


Brandi returned the squeeze. “You’re welcome. I’m glad. I’ll need to touch everything up a few times because of the humidity. We can change to an updo for dancing at the reception.”


“That would be awesome. I love messy buns, but Ty loves my curls. This way, we both get what we want.” Grace cupped her hands around her mouth. “Girls! Get in here. Brandi’s finished.”


Three women in the same style lavender bridesmaid dress piled out of the adjoining bathroom and into the sitting area.


“Oh, Grace, you look so beautiful.” Julia, another of Brandi’s clients, hurried to her sister-in-law and hovered her hand over Grace’s curls. “Ty is going to melt when he sees you.”

“

You really think so?” Grace studied herself in the mirror, biting her bottom lip.

“

Are you kidding me?” Grace’s friend Rachel rolled her eyes. “If you showed up in a burlap sack, that man would still only have eyes for you.”


“Yeah. He’ll love it because he loves you.” Lauren, the tallest of the bridesmaids, wrapped Grace in a brief hug.

“

You’re right. Sorry.” Grace sighed. “I don’t know why I’m worried.”


“It’s natural to be nervous on your wedding day. I was so nervous when I married Alex that I couldn’t even eat breakfast.” Julia gave her a soft smile.


Grace snorted. “I can’t say I’ve ever had that particular problem.” 


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