Genre: Non-fiction Christian Self-help/Inspirational
Release Date: January 18, 2017
Summary:
Every day of every second a woman has an abortion. Every day of every second a woman has to live with the emotional turmoil of her decision. Forty years ago, at the age of sixteen I had an abortion changing me forever. I fell into the darkness of pity and struggled to rise from the ashes into the beauty of purpose.
From Ashes of Pity into Beauty of Purpose takes women who have had an abortion from hurting to healing through many journeys of self-discovery, showing them how God delights in them, how they can achieve their purpose, and learn to live again.
Struggling to rise from the ashes of pity takes many journeys. A woman who has had an abortion goes through many of journeys of self-discovery. She must learn to heal, forgive, give herself value, respect herself, have confidence, and be content in who she is.
Going through each journey helps a hurting woman discover nine ways God delights in them. From Ashes of Pity into Beauty of Purpose shows a hurting woman how to become a woman of faith, knowledge, encouragement, compassion, strength, wisdom, hope, character, and purpose in order to get through the ashes into the beauty.
Discovering how God delights in them helps a hurting woman find her purpose. From the Ashes of Pity into the Beauty of Purpose directs women toward the beauty of purpose with healing the broken, helping the hurting, and harboring the lost so they can live again by rejoicing in everything, renewing their mind, reviving their spirit, rejuvenating their soul, and reminding themselves of their beauty.
Rising from the ashes of pity is difficult. From Ashes of Pity into Beauty of Purpose is designed to make the journey easier.
CHAPTER ONE THE JOURNEY OF SELF-HEALING
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Psalm 46:1-3 KJV
The years have slowly tick-tocked away and I still have not found the solace needed throughout my journey of self-healing. I constantly find myself (as I am sure other women who have suffered and survived through an abortion; planned or unplanned) pondering the reality of what happened to me, to my body over forty years ago.
In my personal journey of self-healing, I have dealt with that reality in many ways to block the memories. I wanted to forget those painful memories forever seared in my mind, burned into my soul. I turned to drugs (one of the most common areas that many young women who have experienced an abortion do too often) tuning out the pain, the memories.
Drugs are a quick fix and only temporarily block the pain and the reality. Drugs aren't the answer, nor should be a solution to a woman's journey of self-healing. I also turned to unprotected sex as a way of forgetting the pain I had pent up inside my hollowed-out body, a shell of my soul. I knew unprotected sex was wrong. I knew I could get pregnant again. In the months following my abortion, I became confused as to who I was. I became reckless and irrational in my behavior. I didn't care what I did or who I had sex with, I just wanted to forget. I couldn't face myself. The bitterness and shame grew deep within my soul like the roots of a mighty oak tree.
My heart and mind were being strangled with guilt and shame. I could not let myself heal. It took years for me to come out of my dazed stupor and realize unprotected sex wasn't the answer for my healing process. It took years to realize I was never alone.
Throughout the years of my most painful, personal journey I have learned to express my feelings in writing. I have found that writing is a good release of all the pent up emotional baggage a woman stores inside herself after an abortion. As a Christian woman who has experienced an abortion, the most meaningful part of my journey of self-healing has been the bible.
The Word of God has brought comfort to my hurt. I learned to replace drugs and unprotected sex with God's love. Psalm 46:1-3 tells us that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. When our heart and soul are troubled, we should turn to God. We heal through His strength and very presence in our lives. Let the Word of God heal you. Let it be your strength, your solace, and your comfort in your journey of self-healing.
Author Bio:
Debra Ann Gray-Elliott is a Christian speaker and author who shares the Lord's message of hope and love in everyday life.
Her works includes two poetry collections, as well as inclusion in several Christian anthologies.
Debra's recent works include her personal stories of dealing with the loss of her daughter Ashley in 2013 in the anthologies Grief Diaries: Poetry & Prose and More and Grief Diaries: Will We Survive.
Debra's first non-fiction Christian inspirational book From Ashes of Pity into Beauty of Purpose brings emotionally charred women who have had an abortion out of the pits of fire, through the ashes into the beauty of purpose. With the direction of God, hurting women weather through the painful journeys, become women of spiritual beauty, find God's purpose, and learn to live again.
Debra is currently working on a new devotional to honor her daughter Ashley who passed away in 2013. Dancing through the Storms 365 Day Devotional: Surviving the Loss of a Child takes grieving parents on a daily journey of healing and hope.
After suffering five years of abuse at the hands of her deceased husband, Tiffany Reynolds wants to reclaim the life she thought was gone forever. Every step forward becomes a stumble backward when danger threatens her life, and even God seems not to care.
Guilt-ridden, Luke Johnson, a private investigator, is driven to solve the murder of his sister. Following up on a lead, Luke crosses paths with Tiffany. His need for answers and retribution soon clash with his growing love for the fragile widow.
Joining forces is their only option if they hope to survive the minefield surrounding them. When Luke’s life is threatened, Tiffany makes a decision that could cost her everything.
Will Luke understand and forgive, or will he choose to walk out of her life?
Humph! What the . . .?
Hands curled around her shoulders holding her steady. “Happy to see me?”
“What? No.” Do I know this guy?
“Plop, fizz – that’s the sound of my ego deflating.”
She wrenched free and backed away, wrapping her arms around her waist.
He held his hands up where she could see them. “Sorry. A pretty girl like you bumps into a guy like me, it makes me think my luck is changing.”
His voice, so deep and warm, wriggled past her defenses and eased the tension in her muscles. Who wouldn’t trust that voice? She looked up into eyes such a deep blue they reminded her of the sky before a storm. The broad-shouldered man stood half a foot taller than her. She should feel threatened. But she didn’t. Instead she felt something she’d never felt before.
Breathless. Hot. Mindless.
Her mouth opened, her lips moved, but no sound came out.
He frowned, and she froze.
Surely I’m safe in this crowd. Just in case, hold completely still and maybe he’ll go away.
Okay, he’s not angry. He’s concerned. Is that any better? The phone jammed in her pocket suddenly buzzed against her hip. She pulled it out and answered. “Julie? Where are you guys?”
“Are you okay? I’ve been trying to reach you all afternoon.”
“I’m so sorry. I was at the salon and my phone was in my purse, so I never heard it ring.”
“Our celebration is going to have to wait. I have to work another shift at the hospital. Meg’s car wouldn’t start, and after that, Deb said we should cancel.”
Tiffany clamped her lips tight to keep the whimper of disappointment from escaping. Julie was distressed, and she couldn’t add to that. “I understand.”
“Honey, I’m so sorry. I know you were looking forward to this. But I promise we’ll reschedule real soon.”
“Okay, talk to you later.” She disconnected the call and put the phone back in her pocket.
“Bad news?”
“No, not really,” she murmured even as she wanted to stamp her foot in aggravation. It wasn’t bad news in a general sense. No one was hurt or dying. But disappointment was a hard pill to swallow.
“It sounds pretty bad. Can I help?” He offered her a kind smile.
Why are you so concerned? “Oh, no, but thanks for the offer. I was supposed to meet some friends here, but they canceled.”
“What a lucky coincidence, so did mine.”
“Oh.”
“I have a solution.”
“You do?” It wasn’t hard to guess what would come next. He’d ask her to join him and she would politely decline. He was a perfect gentleman now, but what would he do later?
“What movie were you going to see?”
“That’s a great question.”
“I’ve got plenty more.”
Missionaries, Mercenaries and Murder Summary:
Alex Carpenter’s life is shattered when his friend and partner is gunned down. With his confidence shaken, he turns in his badge and gun and accepts an offer to build a church in the Congo, hoping for time alone to heal.
Molly Quinn is on a mission to save souls and heal bodies. Nothing is too difficult for her to handle until a police officer from Kikwit demands she come to his city to identify a body that turns out to be her friend and a fellow American.
Alex realizes her friend was murdered, and Molly begs him to help her find the killer. Drawn into a bloody web of intrigue and deception, Alex and Molly must work together to stay alive and one step ahead of a murderer.
Can she convince Alex to put his trust and their lives in God’s hands?
Author Bio:
Suzanne Pearson was born in the Congo to missionary parents. After graduating from high school she flew back to America by herself and settled in Eugene, Oregon where she met her husband. She didn’t start writing until she was an empty-nester. Calling on her experiences as a missionary kid and later life in America, she began writing about the adventures and troubles that come unexpectedly into life.
Writer of mysteries, thrillers, humorous fiction, and non-fiction: Love and romance, laughter and tears, thrills and fears.
My INTERNATIONAL SUSPENSE COLLECTION currently has two books: COVERT DREAMS, Book One; and DEADLY EYES, Book Two.
My CONTEMPORARY/HUMOROUS FICTION COLLECTION currently has two books: THE FAMOUS UNION, Book One; and THE SURVIVAL OF MARVIN BAINES, Book Two.
THE THREE KITTIES THAT SAVED MY LIFE was my heartfelt attempt to make things right again in my own life, and putting this true story of love down on paper worked. It was something that I just knew I had to do. One reviewer says of this book, "This is like drinking tea and honey on a cold day."
TRIANGLE OF HOPE was written as a testament to the fact that sheer determination on the part of people can bring about hope in even the most hopeless of circumstances.
THE SIR RODNEY VIGNETTES is a collection of humorous anecdotal episodes in the life of an Old World Charmer, allowing the English professor side of me to come forth.
I have resided in and have visited many places in the world, all of which have contributed in some way to my own published writing. I have literally traveled throughout the world, on numerous occasions. I have lived in Finland, Germany, Thailand, Saudi Arabia (where COVERT DREAMS - INTERNATIONAL SUSPENSE COLLECTION BOOK ONE - is set), and the U.S. Virgin Islands (where DEADLY EYES - INTERNATIONAL SUSPENSE COLLECTION BOOK TWO - is set). I gained the wanderlust to see the world, to experience other cultures, at an early age, and this desire has never left me. If anything, it has only gained in intensity as I have aged. I try to travel internationally at least once a year. In the interim, I spend lots of time traveling around both my home state of California and other nearby states.
Among the many unique things that have happened to me in my world travels, I have walked the streets of Istanbul with a detective, searching for a pickpocket who got me good. I have ridden on the back of a motorcycle in Tehran while the driver, who spoke not one word of English, pointed out all the sights to me. I have wrestled an Iranian soldier who tried to break into my hotel room in Tehran. I have had the paint completely stripped from my car as I drove across Saudi Arabia in a sandstorm. I have stood on the stage of a busy nightclub in Tokyo, singing "She'll be Coming Round the Mountain When She Comes" to an audience feeling no pain from the Sake they were drinking. I have been chased by a family of mongooses (yes, that is the correct spelling) on the idyllic Caribbean island of St. Croix. And that is just the beginning of my long list of worldly adventures.
As a recent retiree from a forty-year career as a professor of writing, I now live in Southern California wine country with my wife, Kitty, and our two adorable rescue cats.
All my books are available as both ebooks and paperbacks at Amazon, and as ebooks at Kobo, Apple, and Barnes and Noble.
Life grinds you down, but there's always hope--and sometimes it can come in the strangest of ways....
After being battered by life's cruelness, three unlikely friends find themselves drawn to a small Irish town seeking something--anything. Finding solace in one another, their quest throws them together and they make a courageous stand.
Clint Westerly was a success until a choice he makes blows his world all apart. Tanya Wilshire is broke and hell-bent on committing to her mother's final deathbed request. 84-year-old Seamus Harrington needs to right an ancient wrong before time runs out.
Together, this unlikely trio of unexpected allies forms a Triangle of Hope against all odds, their disparate stories uniting for a thrilling conclusion that will leave the reader breathless.
If you love feel-good reads with happy endings, then TRIANGLE OF HOPE is for you. It is "a book that will stay with you forever." (Wanda Hartzenberg)
SEMIFINALIST FOR THE 2015 KINDLE BOOK AWARD IN LITERARY FICTION
Covert Dreams
Summary:
It's as if she never existed--and neither Saudi Arabia nor the United States government will investigate...
A simple trip to the Middle East for Stan and Valerie Halsey ends in chilling confusion and despair as Valerie seemingly falls off the face of the earth, leaving no trace of her existence behind.
Back in the States, B.J. wakes up night after night in a cold sweat from the exact same torturous nightmare that takes place in a country he has never been to. Both B.J. and Stan suspect that they have been sucked into a conspiracy that threatens to consume them and everyone they love.
With time running out fast before they can get answers, they have unwittingly entered into a very dangerous game...one that they may not survive.
If you love fast-paced international thrillers, then take on COVERT DREAMS. It is like "reading Robert Ludlum and the Bourne series"(Dale Roberts).
Deadly Eyes
Summary:
When Cuff and Rosie, laid-back lovers on their idyllic Caribbean paradise of St. Croix, are just beginning to move their relationship to the next level, they suddenly find themselves entangled in the crosshairs of an unknown stalker whose relentless pursuit knows no bounds. Now, with their lives on the line and time running short, they know they must act fast or they will die.
If you enjoy mysteries set in exotic locales, then don't miss DEADLY EYES with its "fast paced action coupled with the mesmerizing and intense suspense." (Marilou George - The Kindle Book Review)
From the author who takes you from boisterous Munich to the burning sands of Saudi Arabia in COVERT DREAMS.
Semifinalist for the Best Indie Books of 2012 award.
The Three Kitties that Saved My Life
Summary:
FINALIST for the 2014 RONE AWARD
Love was then.
Love is now.
Love is forever.
When tragedy struck, I thought for sure that my own life was at an end. I was wrong. This is the true story of how love once again brought romance and laughter back into my life.
If you love reading feel-good memoirs, then don't miss THE THREE KITTIES THAT SAVED MY LIFE. It "is one of the most moving books I've ever read."(Nick Russell)
Triangle of Hope
His impending death hung in the air like thick smog, smothering everything in its path, obscuring a parade of ups and downs, the unevenness of thrills and chills that defined his life’s existence. It was eerie and scary, but also rather comforting, much like being in a warm bed on a cold night, like shivering while being filled with excitement at what was going to happen next. The news could very easily have been broadcast to those of his past and present, but he had made certain that all the speakers had been turned to mute. He had made the firm decision to meet his destiny without any chance of intervention by anyone. He was all alone in this, his final act.
The hotel room was a bit dark with all the lights switched off, but outside the window the sky was as bright blue as Cinnamon’s eyes had been. At least that’s the way it looked to Clint Westerly. For some reason his mind had suddenly flashed on Cinnamon of all things. Cinnamon had been the perfect cat. Paul Newman eyes, he had called them, which sparkled in the sunlight and glistened in the dark. Such beautiful eyes. Such a wonderful cat. Such a pity that eighteen years was all the time he had had to frolic through the world. Cinnamon had been the perfect cat, the perfect companion. The little cat had been much more than a friend. He had actually been like a son to both him and Sheila. Anybody who knew them would surely concur. That’s just the way things were in their wonderful world.
Their world. What a crock! What world? Everything gone now, vanished, disintegrated into thin air, the tiniest particles vaporized into non-existence. Not a remnant remaining except for the tortured thoughts brought about by that one memory that refused to disappear no matter how painfully the ever increasing toll that it took on his physical body and on his ever working brain, overwhelming him in the process, the remembrance bringing him to his knees, shutting out all other thoughts as well as the rest of the world.
Covert Dreams
The Munich all around her was bustling with activity. She could hear it from all directions. Munich was a wonderful city, a fun-loving place, the live and let live ebullience of the city emanating from its every nook and cranny. She had had a lovely stay here. All of it had been so adventurous, so new, so unlike life back home in Arizona. She could vividly recall the first time she had ventured into a Munich beer garden, where the liter mugs had been so huge that she had had to lift hers with both hands, and the giggles, from him, until he too had had to use both hands.
The fumbling noises he had been making came to an abrupt halt. He began stroking her cheek again. Gus looked so happy, so young, so full of life. It was so hard to imagine that he could be so heavily involved in all this horror.
Gus smiled at her once more. His eyes were soft, so gentle, so caring, so loving.
Maybe this was some kind of huge mistake. Maybe he wasn't going to kill her after all. Maybe everything would turn out happily ever after. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.
But then suddenly she saw it clearly. It was no fairy tale. There would be no maybe. This was real, as real as the mixture of sadness and fear that now flooded her brain.
And then she died, with her eyes wide open, challenging, piercing his to the end.
Deadly Eyes
These were not naked eyes, for the distance between these eyes and the beach bar at Cathy's Fancy was too great for the naked eye to discern who was who. No, these eyes had planned meticulously. The eyes were glued to a pair of terribly expensive and unbelievably powerful Swarovski Optik binoculars. The balcony on which they now worked, taking in the scene before them, was the perfect place to see but not be seen. The powerful binoculars saw to that.
The distance, the palm trees, and the rays of the sun all helped. The position had been hand picked, after careful consideration. Every angle had been considered, and, one by one, they had all been discarded for one reason or another until this very spot, the perfect place to observe while not being observed, had been selected.
Yes, the eyes had seen it all. The eyes had seen precisely what they had hoped to see. They were like a master puppeteer. They planned, controlled, and observed, but from a safe distance. They did not miss a trick.
The eyes. The deadly eyes of St. Croix.
The Three Kitties that Saved My Life
It is amazing how time helps. In time, I have learned to overcome my own albatross. I have learned to live again, to love again. Life is a gift reads a plaque on our dining room wall, and that sums up what I have gained from the three kitties that saved my life. From Coco, I learned to care again. From Kitty, I learned to love again. From Pom Pom, I have learned how to cope with my own demons, the effects of aging being one of these. Pom Pom has taught me to accept what is and then to move onward. Yes, I have learned plenty from my three kitties.
My journey has been a long one, a difficult one at times, but it has a happy ending. The three kitties in my life have made it so. They have all helped me to become the happy-to-be-alive man that I am today. I now accept rather than cope. I live each day to the fullest, knowing full well that life is a gift, and a very precious one at that. I look back on my life and I often think that I must be the luckiest man in the world. I have so much to be thankful for. The wonderment and beauty of life are both so dear to me.
And, to add a delicious icing to the lovely taste of my life, I can say with total honesty to the whole world, my voice booming into the sky, my dancing feet not caring in the least who might see me, that I have been very fortunate to have done something that brings more sheer delight and wonderful pride to me than anything else that I have accomplished in my life: I have fallen madly, head-over-heels in love not once, but twice, and how many others can say that?
