Brigette Manie's Blog: Godsgirlsreadromance2 - Posts Tagged "inspirational-romance"

Dear Reader,

From their first kiss in the final chapter of A Price Too High, I knew that Adrianna and Christopher had a story to share.  His internal conflict was very clear to me due to the circumstances of his first wife's death. His unyielding stance on not having kids with Adrianna came as no surprise.  Yet, as with every novel that I write, the story took some twists and turns and had some unexpected character revelations that amazed me. Both Christopher and Adrianna surprised me with their 'closet pasts' that colored their future and fostered the conflict between them.

Writing A Matter of Trust took me on an emotional ride as Dri and Chris struggled with the issues facing them.  And when it looked like they reached a resolution to one problem, things took another tumble into a worse situation. When one of my daugter's read chapter 15 with a hand slapped over her mouth reaction which was later followed by tears, I realized I wasn't the only one affected by what God allowed me to place on the page.

My prayer is that you too will be moved by the contents of this novel.  More than that I trust that you will see that God's desire for us is forgiveness of one another's wrongs inside marriage.  I hope that you will experience the joy of these characters when they forgive each other and that you'll delight in the peace and love that reigns in their lives afterwards.

Blessings and happy reading.

Brigette Manie

Strong, sassy, serene, and solid describe Diane, Scottie, Carolyn, and Sandra, the first four pioneers. Silent, some think, yet eloquent, they discover, best describe Tiana Washington, the tallest pioneer. Meet her in “Other Sheep Have I,” coming soon. Take a look here…

Turn the other cheek. Seriously? How many can you turn? You've only got two. People mistake Pastor Tiana Washington's silence for lack of eloquence. August Granger does. You'd think he'd learn after Tiana's thorough slap-down, but troublemakers like him rarely do.

Against her gender, dress, leadership, and everything about her, August Granger is determined to drive Pastor Washington from Mt. Salem SAB. Without meaning to, Tiana arms him with bullets against her when she forms a friendship with Jermaine Billings, pastor of HCE Ministries. Very aware of their denominational differences, Tiana doesn’t plan on taking this friendship beyond that. Jermaine has other ideas and sets out to change her mind with charm and persistence. She doesn't know that he has a history with the SAB Church and has been blacklisted by them. Associating with him isn't in her professional interest.

With malicious intent, Granger claims that she has an unacceptable association with a 'black sheep' and advocates for her dismissal. Soon Tiana faces an ultimatum: end her friendship with Jermaine or end her employment with the SAB Church. The choice isn't easy because this friendship with Jermaine has become much more than that.

"Other Sheep Have I," the fifth installment in the Pioneers in the Pulpit series, debuted this morning. I'm exhausted and elated. Usually, my life takes a backseat to my stories, but with this novel, it was the other way around. I'm just grateful to God that, by His grace, this work is completed.

On the re-read, I liked the chemistry between the heroine and hero of this novel as well as their thought-provoking conversations on church life and beliefs. Tiana is a strong woman of faith who is open-minded but traditional when it comes to matters of the heart. Jermaine Billings has the right amount of patience and charisma to channel her mind towards an alternative way of thinking.

Romantic and rich with conflict, as well, I enjoyed writing "Other Sheep Have I." Hope you'll love reading it.

"He was a minister of a different faith...Interest in him was not an option. Unfortunately for her, it was a reality."

(excerpted from "Other Sheep Have I")