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| Author Carla Stewart |
From an early age I loved reading
and daydreamed about the books I would write one day. But I also had a heart
for those who are hurting, so it didn’t surprise anyone when I chose nursing as
my career. I got my BSN, married, and had four sons. My life was full and busy.
Yet, deep down there was a stirring to write novels like those I loved to read.
When my youngest son was in high
school, my job as a nursing instructor required me to drive 60 miles each way
to work, and with all that time on the road, I wrestled with my writing dream.
Fear, doubts, and what it would take to commit myself to writing were the
thoughts most prevalent. But my job also provided our family with health
insurance, and my husband’s job as a software developer had come to a
standstill. My mother also had terminal melanoma, and I knew I wanted to spend
as much time as I could with her. If I signed another year’s contract, I might
have to choose between that precious time with her or fulfilling my
obligations. Every day was just as confusing as the next.
One day, while reading my Bible
and praying, this verse from Matthew 5:17 jumped out at me: “Simply let your
yes be yes and your no, no; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
It was the assurance I needed. I
turned in my notice that spring and a few weeks later submitted my students’
final grades. That same evening, my dad admitted my mother to the hospital for
what would be the beginning of her final days. For the next nine weeks, I drove
back and forth (fifty miles each way) to be with her on Home Hospice and to
help my dad and sisters. It took all of my energy and every ounce of my brain
capacity.
Then, in the midst of everything
– not knowing what our future held or where our income would come from – God
sent a buyer for my husband’s software company. Unsolicited. Total strangers.
An amount that was more than we ever dreamed. And it came with a three-year
consulting contract.
I didn’t start writing until the
dust had settled on that eventful year, but once I started writing and
committed myself wholly to it, I haven’t looked back. God gave me my dream and
so much more – the gift of knowing that I could entrust my dreams to Him.
My latest book is about two close
knit cousins who hail from very different backgrounds, but both have big
dreams. And it’s set in the era when I was a teen. It was a book that was fun –
and at the same time, difficult – to write. It’s not a personal story, but
there’s a lot of “me” and the experiences of growing up during the sixties in it.
A book of big dreams.
I hope you and your readers will
take a peek.
SWEET DREAMS: It's
1962, and Dusty Fairchild, daughter of a self-made millionaire and oilman,
wants to go to college. Instead she is sent to a private finishing school in
East Texas. Although she's never wanted for material possessions, Dusty longs
for independence and adventure. The only upside to attending Miss Fontaine's is
having her cousin and best childhood friend, Paisley, join her. Paisley has
traveled the country with her bohemian mother, but she dreams of putting down
roots and living a settled life. At Miss Fontaine's, their loyalty to each
other binds them, but when they fall in love with the same handsome young man,
their relationship teeters on shaky ground. Only after a tragic accident do
they learn where their true hearts-and dreams-lie.
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| Carla Stewart's First Easter |
BIO:
Carla
Stewart’s writing reflects her passion for
times gone by. A child of the fifties and sixties, she recalls it as a glorious
time when the summers were lazy, colors were brighter, and music filled her
heart. Carla’s desire is to take readers to that familiar place in their hearts
called “home.” Her three previous novels have won both local and national
awards. Sweet Dreams is her newest
release. Learn more about Carla at www.carlastewart.com.
My website: www.carlastewart.com
Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/#!/ChasingLilacs
Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/chasinglilacs/
Amazon link to Sweet Dreams:
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