More Than a Box of Chocolates

Today I am so excited to host author, Kathleen Neely where she talks about the history and meaning behind Valentines Day...

It’s Valentine’s Day, and romance is in the air. We set aside a special day to celebrate love. It’s a day for flowers, candy, dinner, and gifts. An evening for a Hallmark flick in front of a cozy fire. A month to read a heartwarming romance.

But why? Where did this celebratory day begin? The origin actually had little to do with romance. It dates back to the 3^rd century AD. A Catholic priest, Valentine of Terni, was executed for aiding Christians who were being persecuted. Here’s the link to romance. 

Marriage among Christians was banned by Emperor Claudius II because he felt men were reluctant to leave their wives and families to fight for Rome. Valentine defied that order and married Christian couples. His execution occurred on February 14. Upon his death, the church honored him with Sainthood, and Valentine’s Day was born.

Don’t place all of your focus on romance. There are greater needs than a floral bouquet and a heart-shaped box of chocolates. St. Valentine was martyred because of his love for God and for other Christians.

This is what we should remember.

• See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are. 1 John 3:1
• Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. 1 John 4:7
• We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19
• Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever. Psalm 136:26

I could fill pages with beautiful passages about God’s love. The word love appears 551 times in the NIV Bible. (This varies among versions).

‘Show, don’t tell’ is a common catchphrase for writers as they pen their stories. But we can take that beyond the written page. St. Valentine showed his love for Christians in tangible ways. How can we show love to both Christians and those who don’t yet know Christ? How can we meet their physical, emotional, and relational needs? We don’t need a romantic special someone in our lives to celebrate Valentine’s Day. We have the Author of love in our hearts urging us to go into the world, spreading His love. Let’s answer with the words from Isaiah. “Here am I. Send me.” Isaiah 6:8.

About the Author

Kathleen Neely resides in Greenville, SC with her husband, two cats, and one dog. She is a retired elementary principal, and enjoys time with family, visiting her two grandsons, traveling, and reading.

She is the author of The Street Singer, to be released in February, 2019. Beauty for Ashes and The Least of These will be released in 2019. Kathleen won second place in a short story contest through ACFW-VA for her short story “The Missing Piece” and an honorable mention for her story “The Dance”. Both were published in a Christmas anthology. Her novel, The Least of These, was awarded first place in the 2015 Fresh Voices contest through Almost an Author. She has numerous devotions published through Christian Devotions.

Kathleen continues to speak to students about writing and publication processes. She is a member of Association of Christian Fiction Writers. 

Website – www.KathleenNeely.com 

Facebook – www.facebook.com/kathy.neely.98

Twitter - https://twitter.com/NeelyKneely3628

Check out her new release:

The Street Singer will be available February 22. Learn more about it from her website at www.KathleenNeely.com .

Excerpt from The Street Singer

“I done figured you knew. You wore them questions all over your face. She opened her water bottle and took a long, slow drink. Here’s what you gotta know. There ain’t no more Adaline. I’m Adda, my given name. That’s all I am.”

Trisha nodded but remained unsatisfied. “Can I ask what happened?”

Adda laughed. “Honey, age happened. You too young to understand. The body goes. The voice goes. The energy goes.

“I know, but your records, they sold…maybe millions.”

Adda chuckled at that. “Well, you be givin’ me too much credit, but yeah, they did sell back in the day.” Adda looked at her watch and took a bite of her sandwich. “So, I guess you’re wondering where all my money went.”

Trisha backpedaled. The bluntness made it sound so callous. “That’s none of my business, but...”

“You right there. It ain’t none of your business. But I’ll tell you anyways. My daddy, he was a sharecropper in Mississippi. We young’uns had to help when we got big enough to hold a shovel. I never got me past primary schooling. Them record people knowed it and all them fancy papers I signed didn’t give me much left over.”

Trisha gasped. “That’s terrible.”

Adda looked up from her lunch. “Oh, they treated me good. Real good. Set me up in a fancy place to live, bought me clothes and food. Dressed me for pictures and took me to the studio. But they never let me go places where I’d get to talk and never let me talk in microphones where I went to sing. Didn’t want me having no friends. I knew they feared my poor schooling would show. Them fancy papers I signed didn’t leave me much left over.”

Travel Tales & Goodies!

Today I am over at Tanya's Travel Topics to discuss the inspiration behind the bustling sky settlement of Outer City in my YA Steampunk thriller, The Tremblers!

Stop by to say hello, leave a comment, and don't forget to sign up for the chance to win a free, signed copy of The Tremblers below!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Tremblers

by Raquel Byrnes

Giveaway ends January 31, 2018.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Cant wait to win? How about TWO FREE NOVELLAS? Discover the secrets that set in motion the incredible adventures of The Blackburn Chronicles with two FREE READS!

Unexpected Adventures

Got to FINALLY meet fellow COTT alumni and Tosca Lee at SCCWC

I was in the midst of a very hot, very busy summer of writing and editing. I cannot believe I survived it, quite frankly. I had no time for play...at least, that is what I told myself.  

Deadlines loomed. Social media called to me. I had all but barricaded myself in my office to get my work done. However, in an attempt to keep the creative juices going, I went to the Southern California Christian Writer's Conference's inaugural event this past July. 

Held at the beautiful Biola University, I had an absolute blast!  I opted to stay in the dorms and eat in the cafeteria because, why wouldn't I? Not only did I get to chat with fellow book lovers, I had the pleasure of meeting some of my own favorite authors.  It was a total out-of-the-blue opportunity and I was so glad I took it.

The best part was the workshop on Writing Fight Scenes in which we acted out specific fist fights with each other while a Krav Maga guy encouraged us how to 'be more aggressive.' I can't tell you how funny a room full of writers looks practicing assault. We are sort of an awkward group. An unexpected bit of adventure...and I loved it!


Book News!

I am so excited to announce that The Tremblers is on pre-order on Amazon! 

And speaking of unexpected fun...I have been working on a surprise for you guys...To celebrate the launch of the first book in the Blackburn Chronicles, my publisher is releasing Three Free Novellas!  I hope you enjoy them!

Of Books and Blades, Ashton's story of how he became a spy for The Order of the Sword and Scroll.

This Perilous Path, tells of Lizzie's rise from nursemaid to leader of the violent rebel group, Defiance.

A Dream of Darkness, Tesla's tale of the strange device that set in motion the dangerous events of The Tremblers.


Recommended Reads and Fun Stuff

This fall we see the release of so many hotly anticipated installments in quite a few of our favorite series. From Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare to Mari Lu's Warcross, the offerings this fall are amazing.

All I need at this point is a cozy cardigan, some coffee, and a quiet crevasse in which to binge read.

This October is the Gaslight Steampunk Expo in San Diego!  This is year they will be having an Escape Room, Grand Ball, and an Ice Cream Social.  Yes Please!

I am so close to buying a corset just so that I can go and take part in all the fun!  Wish me luck!


Until Next Time

I would love to hear about your summer or what you plan to do this fall. With school starting, holidays just around the corner, and work responsibilities nipping at our heels, what unexpected adventures do you see yourself taking? 

Welcome To Disaster

So I've been playing around with gifs and ended up doing this fun collage about my upcoming YA Steampunk, The Tremblers over on my Tumblr. I have to say...it was a lot of work, but such a blast!

I figured out how to add text to gifs so I put some of the quotes from my first book on various scenes that hint at the story...

Trying to capture the danger and awe of a world crumbling into disaster was challenging and really got my creative juices flowing!

What sort of non-writing creative outlets do you turn to when you're seeking that imagination pick-me-up?

Until next time...

Heart of the Matter

String of hearts
Originally uploaded by aussiegall

I received an email the other night from a fellow blogger that my main character would be featured in her Treatment Tuesday article on her blog, here.
The blog, written by a licensed therapist, takes character sketches and uses them to break down the motivations and actions of people in your novel.

To a writer, this is a great tool. I want my characters to be complex, layered individuals that the reader likes. You have to want to cheer for them, yell that they are being stupid, or hope for them to get the guy in the end. On the other hand, you can’t have a ‘Shrinking Violet’ whipping out a pistol and chasing down a bad guy, unless you’ve sufficiently motivated her to do so.

So I sketched out the main character for my next book, Ruby Dawn, and sent it in to the Character Therapist blog. I had a lot of questions about a series of calamities that Ruby faces, such as how she would react given her troubled past. I also had a few questions about closure in her life over familial abandonment, and a returning love interest.

I have to say, Jeannie did a wonderful job addressing my questions and offering sage advice. It was a fun experience and I feel like it helped me to confirm that I am on the right track. Feel free to hop over to the blog, there is a link in the first sentence of this entry, and The Character Therapist is also in my blog roll on the side bar. I’d love to know what you think.

Thanks again for all of your support and encouragement!