Hello, Readers!

Please help me welcome our guest this month… A.B. Swinborne!

“The great stories, Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered…Folk in those stories had a lot of chances to turn and go back. Only they didn’t because they were holding onto something… That there is some good in this world. And it’s worth fighting for.” 

-Samwise Gamgee, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Hello everyone and thank you Faith for hosting me! My name is A.B. Swinborne and above is my favorite quote from the Lord of the Rings movies. Darkness hems us in but light prevails. Good versus evil. The protagonist against the antagonist. That’s what makes a story great, isn’t it? 

In today’s storytelling world, going anywhere from books to movies, that is about all we get on average. So why are some so painful to read or watch while others grab us and hold our attention for hours on end? The answer is just two simple words: character growth. There aren’t many developing characters. 

As an author and avid reader, this is something I’ve seen as a growing trend in the storytelling world. Fast plots, cute romance, lots of tension, but no development. The characters don’t grow with the story and so the readers and viewers don’t care. 

Less and less of today’s stories are truly impactful or God honoring. And thus, reader after reader picks them up to get cheesy romance or momentary thrills, then puts the book down and forgets everything. They don’t stick with you and they don’t matter. And more than anything else, they are not the stories we should be consuming. 

A bad story is one that we don’t care about while reading or watching it. A good story will at least be entertaining, but it is great stories that stick. They stick because the character’s growth taught you something or helped you through something. 

The Lord has given this world stories not just to entertain but to teach. Whether you’re a writer, a reader, or both, I hope that this is something that will stick with you. 

. . . . .

Thank you everyone who read this. I hope that it was informative and helpful. If you have any questions feel free to drop it in the comments. I’ll do my best to respond. And if you’d like to support my writing you can join my email list or subscribe to my blog. 

Thank you again Faith for hosting and supporting me. 

. . . . .

A.B. Swinborne is a young author who has published on Kingdom Pen and Havok, and she posts weekly on her blog, Story Anchor. She has also written several full-length stories such as the freebie for her email list, which is a historical fiction about a Jewish boy right before World War 1. These and other stories are focused on God and His glory. When she’s not writing, Abigail can be found enjoying a good book or tending to her garden.

Blog: storyanchor.blogspot.com 

Email List: https://story-anchor.ck.page/b0d556afb4

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/Story_Anchor/

BOOK NEWS

NOVELISTS IN NOVEMBER ANTHOLOGY
Novelists in November is a Christian short story collection featuring eleven emotional tales of authors finding their calling in Christ and pursuing hope, joy, and inspiration. This anthology contains touching stories from contemporary and historical fiction authors with a mix of romance, women’s fiction, and mystery!

11 Authors – 11 Stories!

My story – My Heart Still Sings by Faith D. Cox
Seventeen-year-old Kaylee McKenzie has her heart set on winning a Summer Olympics gold medal—not creating a fake protagonist for a writing contest with a bunch of geeks. However, during an afternoon adventure, her lifelong swimming dream is ripped away. As she struggles with physical limitations and grief, will her friends remain by her side? Will she become a swimmer-turned-novelist or hide in her wheelchair as the world passes her by?

A Favorite Quote from “My Heart Still Sings”
“Mom grabbed a tissue and dabbed at my tears, but I was most certain one tissue wasn’t going to make much difference.”

Preorder Goodies + Giveaway
If you preorder before November 19, 2024, you’ll receive preorder goodies and be entered into an exclusive giveaway:
https://wildbluewonderpress.com/novelists-in-november/

SCREENPLAY NEWS

My short screenplay YOU’LL REMEMBER ME has completed filming!

Release date: October 26, 2024

Logline: As the temporary memory loss occurs again, the young female finds a stranger in her house and must decide if his evidence proves he’s really her husband or some psychotic stranger in her house.

Faith D. Cox discovered her love of writing with a fourth-grade class assignment. She carried around her spiral notebook for weeks and penned the story. She followed her dream and now, many years later after homeschooling children and having an after-school tutoring business, she is a published author and a multi-award-winning professional screenwriter of family-friendly, heartwarming works. She still carries paper and pen wherever she goes so she won’t lose those instantaneous revelations. Faith writes screenplays, children’s books, middle grade books, and women’s fiction, romance, young adult, and tragedy. She has a heart of compassion and is devoted to God, family, and writing as she shares God’s love to encourage, inspire, and entertain through laughter and tears.

Faith greatly appreciates the writing and reading community and welcomes new friends and comments!

Website: https://faithdcox.com
Blog: https://faithdcox.com/blog/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/faithdcox
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/faith-d-cox
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/faithdcox
IMDb: Published Books/Links: https://faithdcox.com/books/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FaithDCox