We are more than happy to have Chantal back asour guest this week.

She has a new book out and it is generating alot of interest. The Scribbler is most fortunate to have her share the goodnews with you.

She’s been with us before and if you missed hervisit please go HERE.

Read on, my friends.

 

 

A teacher bytrade, Chantal MacDonald began pursuing a writing career with the first book inthe Sadie Jones Series. She has a Master of Arts in English Literature from theUniversity of Ottawa and has spent over fifteen years teaching students in bothvirtual and brick and mortar classrooms. Passionate about loving people,Chantal volunteers on her church frontline team and mom’s group. In addition tothe Sadie Jones Series, she has released two picture books. One about a cleverlobster from Prince Edward Island—Lester the Lobster and the Great Escape—andthe other about an ordinary lobster who paints her shell blue to feel special—Lorrainethe Lobster Feels Blue. Chantal is a married mom to three young children, anamateur baker, and a resident of Moncton, New Brunswick, where she enjoyscopious amounts of seafood.

 

Title: APromise on the Windy Shores

 

Synopsis:

Sometimes the journey home is the hardest oneof all.

Afterten months in Mwanza, Tanzania, Sadie Jones returns to her hometown ofLunenburg, Nova Scotia, carrying more than just souvenirs. She brings homequestions, heartache, and the weight of uncertainty of where she truly belongs.When devastating news from Africa arrives shortly after her return, Sadie’semotions unravel, and she’s forced to confront the ache of loss and thestruggle to move forward.

Navigatingdecisions about school, starting a new job, and her growing romance with TomCarter, Sadie finds herself caught between who she was, who she is, and who shelongs to become. While grief once again threatens to overwhelm Sadie’s hope,gentle whispers remind her of something deeper: God’s promises still hold.

Asher heart wrestles and heals, Sadie must decide what it means to moveforward—into love, into purpose, and into the fullness of who she was createdto be.

A heartfelt story of grief, love, andbecoming, A Promise on the Windy Shores is for anyone learning to trust again—even when the winds of life blow you intoan all too familiar storm.

 

TheStory Behind the Story:

This book has been the culmination of almost six years ofwork. When I first had the dream to write a novel, I knew where I wanted mymain character—Sadie Jones—to start, and I knew where I wanted her to end. WhatI did not know was everything in between. I originally thought that I would beable to conclude this series in three books, but it has turned into four.

As a “pantser” (a writer who tends to let the story leadover story mapping), I have been surprised at some of the places that mycharacters led me. It has been both a struggle and a joy to let the writing bea process of discovery.

With this book, in particular, it has required anenormous amount of research. The first third of the novel is set in Africa. Itwas important to me to be as accurate as possible to the culture and thelocale. Since I had never visited the city that is used in my novel, I reliedheavily on the information and anecdotes provided for me from a dear friend wholives in Mwanza.

I have been stretched by the process of writing thisbook—and the entire series for that matter. The writer who has emerged at theend of A Promise on the Windy Shores is a far cry from the woman whopicked up a computer in 2020 with glossy-eyed aspirations to write a book. Icannot wait to see what I learn and how I grow from my next project.

 

Chantal’s Website: please go HERE.

A question for you Chantal:

Scribbler: What has been the most enjoyable about your writing journey? The least enjoyable?

Chantal: The most enjoyable part of the writing journey has easily been sharing these stories with others. When you spend so much time in these fabricated worlds, the characters and their problems become a part of you. Watching others become invested in these characters and love them the way that I do has brought me so much joy.

The least enjoyable part has been the struggle to maintain accuracy and consistency throughout my books (and series). Over time the details get fuzzy. It’s hard to remember what colour eyes someone had, or what their middle name was, or even the layout of a specific home. But these are the details that readers (especially those who reread) will catch. I did not want any inconsistencies to pull my readers out of the story so it required keeping notes or rereading my previous works to ensure that I kept the storyline true to what had been previously written.


An Excerpt from A Promise on the Windy Shores:

Sadie Jones had just finished showering whenthe power flickered, buzzed, and dimmed before the room went dark. Silencereplaced the familiar hum of electricity inside the modest African home—acommon occurrence, yet one that Sadie still found frustrating. She stood with atowel wrapped around her small frame, water dripping from her body onto theconcrete floor, and peered through the dusty windowpane over the bathroom sink.Sadie felt grateful the morning sun was beginning to crest over Mwanza—a majorport city in the southeast African country of Tanzania. At least in thedaylight she would be able to see her way around.

Third time this week, she thought. Glad I was able to finish myshower. Looks like it will be fruit for breakfast.

Checking the clock on the wall, Sadie knewthat if she did not leave in the next fifteen minutes, she would be late tomeet up with her team for their forty-five minute trip to the village healthcentre. She threw on a t-shirt and a billowy skirt that hung to her ankleswithout much care as to whether or not the outfit matched. Her life was nowabout function over fashion. Looking in the mirror, she ran her fingers throughher damp auburn curls. She would have to let it air dry today. Flipping herhead upside down, Sadie wrapped a silk bandanna tightly around her head to holdthe curls in place. Her roommate, Sasha, had taught her the trick and thebandanna had been a gift from a local woman working with the organization.

The apartment was tiny, yet cozy. Sasha wasstill sleeping in a room behind the closed door off the kitchen. She was aboutten years older than Sadie, native to Mwanza, and worked nights as a medicalaid. Sasha had graciously agreed to host Sadie on a temporary basis partlybecause Sasha believed in the mission of the organization and partly becauseshe needed the extra money.

Sadie threw a few necessities in a canvas bagand tossed it over her shoulder before stepping outside onto the concrete stepin front of her temporary home. The morning dew clung to the leaves of themango tree, which was casting a shadow across the front walk. A soft breezefluttered her skirt, bringing some relief from the heat and humidity that wasalready causing her to perspire, even at this early hour. Thankfully, theregion was in a rainy season, which meant some form of precipitation wasinevitable.

Scanning the road, Sadie saw no sign of herride. She checked her watch to make sure she had not misread the clock.

African time, she thought with a sigh. It was a commonoccurrence, yet one that she still struggled to internalize. The relaxedapproach to arrivals, start times, and departures was something that had beenan adjustment for Sadie. Being a type A recovering perfectionist, Sadie spentthe first couple months of her time in Mwanza trying to make everything movefaster—meetings, projects, social gatherings. But, as had been pointed out toher on multiple occasions by the locals, things happened when they happened.She could no more change an entire culture than she could stop the sun.

 

Buy the book HERE.

 

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Thankyou for being our guest this week, Chantal. We wish you continued success withyour stories. 

 

Thankyou to all our visitors and readers.

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