About the Book

Book: Season of Hope

Author: Carol James

Genre: 20th Century Christian Historical Romance

Hope Stockton’s life is dead, frozen in a winter of guilt, deceit, and fear. When a handsome young pastor, Josh Lewis, comes to serve in her church, she wonders if she can trust him with her past. Will he be able to help her find the answers to the questions that have been buried in her heart for years? Or will his own secrets drive them apart and prevent him from helping Hope find her spring of forgiveness?

Set in small town Texas in the years during and following the Vietnam war, Seasons of Hope is a story of forgiveness and restoration.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

 

About the Author

Carol James is an author of inspirational fiction. She lives in a small town outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, Jim, and a perky Jack Russell “Terrorist,” Zoe.

Having always loved intriguing stories with happy endings, she was moved to begin writing to encourage others as she’d been encouraged by the works of other authors of inspirational fiction.

Her debut novel, Rescuing Faith, has been a number one best seller on Amazon.

Carol enjoys spending time with her husband, children, and grandchildren, traveling with friends, and serving in the production department at her church. And most days, in the late hours of the night or the wee hours of the morning, she can be found bringing her newest novel to life.

 

 

More from Carol

Overcoming the Darkness

The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5

I’ve read or heard this verse hundreds, maybe thousands, of times. But I remember exactly the moment I truly understood the picture it paints.

I sat in church one Sunday morning. For weeks, I’d been elbow-deep in crafting a manuscript set in the years following the Vietnam war. The title was Season of Hope.

In the squeaky voice our congregation loved, Pastor Buddy read this scripture and then asked a simple question. “Have you ever thought that light always overcomes darkness?”

Of course I’d thought that. I knew The Light was Jesus. I knew through His perfect sacrifice, He overcame the darkness of sin and death to give us life and light.

But then, in his folksy manner that would sneak up on you and drop the truth right in your lap, Buddy’s sermon began to paint a poignant illustration.

You can walk into a dark room with any amount of light, no matter how small—a candle flame, a flashlight beam, or even the illumination from the face of your phone—and the light will always…always…invade the darkness.

But the opposite is never true. No matter how great the darkness and how small the light, darkness never prevails. Never overcomes the light.

And what little you manage to see in the darkness is distorted, not an accurate representation of reality. Because darkness hides reality. It shows us only colorless, indistinct imitations. Light, however, shows us beauty and truth.

Simple, right? Maybe. But like so many truths in the Bible, the idea is rich and full of meaning when you meditate on it.

When I left church that day, I knew my heroine’s battle was to be a clash between light and darkness, truth and lies.

In Season of Hope, Hope Stockton’s heart is frozen in the dark winter of her past. She’s spent so many years hiding her failures and fears from the light of truth, she questions whether her heart will ever feel the warmth of spring again.

Then she meets Josh Lewis, and she wonders, can she entrust him with the dark secrets that have been buried in her heart all these years?

Mindy Houng’s Q&A with Carol James

Which character did you connect to best in this book?

            Of course, I’m going to have to say Hope. Season of Hope is set in the time during the Vietnam war. These were also my high school and college years, such a time of unrest and changing social mores. I remember the fear I felt at friends and loved ones going to war and the rebellion against societal conventions. I can relate to Hope’s fears and doubts.

Which scene was the most difficult to write?

            Without giving too much information away (because it’s a crucial plot point), the scene I struggled with and rewrote multiple times is the one in which our hero, Josh, returns from a fishing trip, discovers Hope in his room, and realizes she has gone through his things. I had to make certain that their reactions were true to both characters.

What inspired this book?

            Guilt can be a crippling force. Especially if people believe their actions have caused tragic consequences in the lives of friends and loved ones. Hope struggles, as I think people often do, with the belief that negative circumstances or outcomes may be punishment for wrong choices. And, as Hope does, in guilt we can be tempted to run away from God rather than toward Him. This book is a story of accepting God’s forgiveness and learning to forgive yourself.

Which author influenced you the most?

            Karen Kingsbury. Her Baxter Family series was the first Christian fiction books I read that seemed to deal with real-life problems. Everything was not a glorious, white-washed world of fictional Christianity. Her books showed me that Christian writers can, and should, deal with the messiness of life that our readers are living. I met her at a book signing, and her influence was instrumental in my receiving my first writing contract.

What is your favorite Bible verse or life verse?

            Oh, my. That’s like asking me my favorite child or grandchild. But the verses that God gave me as a promise when I began writing, and that I continue to claim, are Isaiah 43:18-19. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

Where is your favorite vacation spot?

            Anywhere my family and friends are. I especially enjoy escaping to the mountains. Walking and sitting outside among the trees. I also enjoy taking historic trips and tours. We have some traveling buddies with whom we are striving to visit all fifty states. We have three left to go.

What are you reading right now?

            One of the things I am reading, and loving, right now is Heavenly Lights, a Biblical fiction novel by Barbara Britton, the second in a series about the daughters of Zelophehad.

What is your most well-loved and well-used house appliance?

            I’ll have to say the microwave. LOL Not very exciting, but certainly the most used.

Describe your view as you’re sitting in your writing chair. 

            My desk is nestled in an alcove between two floor to ceiling bookshelves. It faces toward the window, so as I write, I can see beautiful, tall trees and today a bright blue sky. To my right is a hand-painted copy of Isaiah 43:18-19. Hanging on the divider between the double windows is a copy of a writer’s prayer and a quotation from Harriet Beecher Stowe, “Never give up, for that is just the place and time the tide will turn.”

If you could have one piece of art or music a deserted island, what would it be and why?

            Aaron Keyes’ CD Not Guilty Anymore. Such a beautiful and uplifting reminder of God’s love for us.

Thank you, Carol, for letting us get to know you better!

Blog Stops

Texas Book-aholic, August 6

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 7

Artistic Nobody, August 8 (Author Interview)

Inklings and notions, August 9

For Him and My Family, August 10

deb’s Book Review, August 11

Simple Harvest Reads, August 12 (Author Interview)

CarpeDiem, August 13

SusanK. Beatty, Author, August 14 (Author Interview)

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, August 15

Musings of Sassy Bookish Mama, August 16

Sodbuster Living, August 17

Batya’s Bits, August 18

Blossoms and Blessings, August 19 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Carol is giving away the grand prize package of a digital copy of Season of Hope and a $40 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/fe97/season-of-hope-celebration-tour-giveaway