An Author’s Strong Best Friend Inspires the Title of a Novel about Grief Recovery – by Tracy K. Sams

An Author’s Strong Best Friend Inspires the Title of a Novel about Grief Recovery – by Tracy K. Sams

Throughout our lifetime, we will face grief or tragedy. Whether it be by watching a loved one slowly, painfully be overcome by disease/sudden death or by experiencing life changing events like alcohol and drug addiction/divorce/job loss/suicide. The list can go on and on. As a Christian, we can find ourselves battling questions (Why would God allow this to happen?; Is this really a part of God’s plan?) and/or feelings of pain, depression, anxiety during these difficult, dark times. I have personally dealt with these questions and feelings in my life.

I began writing this manuscript in 2010, and put it aside for a later date. Writing was something I did as a hobby to alleviate stress from working in the social service field. I don’t consider myself a great writer, but I like to write stories that the Lord places on my heart.

In 2017, I lost a very close relative suddenly to a massive heart attack due to a blood clot. What a shock wave for the family! I observed a dear loved one struggle with the many stages of grief as well as the healing process. It’s true that healing takes time and it’s different for each individual. Later that year, I felt the Lord pressing me to pick this manuscript back up, and finish it even while I, too, was struggling in my faith. Then, I became unemployed in December due to downsizing within the company. These life changes brought feelings of sadness, anxiety, and uncertainty but writing became a healing tool for me.

You might ask why the name Strong, Independent Sisters? I will be honest with you. My best friend, Tonya, was the one who gave me the idea unknowingly. She is considered the strong, independent sister in her family and she would often say that she needed to form the SIS club. I think most families with siblings have one who is considered the strong one. I, too, often feel I must be the strong, independent one. I want to control the situation I’m in, and try to fix it on my own. However, as a believer in Christ, I don’t have to do that. He wants me to depend on His power, promises, and provision in everything. So, this is how the name and the faith-based group therapy organization in the book called SIS-Strong, Independent Sisters came about.

Lastly, I want to acknowledge that, if you are facing grief or tragedy in your life, seek help. As a believer in Christ, daily abiding in his Word has given me strength to move forward. If you feel you need more help to get past the darkness, I encourage you to seek outside counseling, either with a therapist or a pastor. Having an extra support system can help with the healing process. Just remember that we serve a Good Father who can take our tragedies and brokenness and make them beautiful again (Isaiah 61:3).

About the Book

When Grace Underwood’s thirty-something sister, Emma, tragically dies from breast cancer, Grace feels as if her life has been torn apart. Battling the deepest sorrow and grief, Grace soon learns she has been given custody of her sister’s sons … who themselves must deal with the most painful sorrow, and sense of abandonment. As Grace struggles to deal with her own bereavement—and the emotional and psychological stresses wracking her nephews—she becomes aware of a possible pathway back to life … a faith-based group-therapy organization called SIS—Strong, Independent Sisters. Can SIS offer Grace the support, compassion, and Scripture-based insight she needs to lift up herself and her sister’s sons? What life-changing heart-wisdom will she receive from SIS?

By reading Strong, Independent Sisters, readers will move to the heart of a story that will bring them close to God’s never-failing love—even in life’s darkest hours.

Tracy K. Sams, author of Precious Gift, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Guidance and Counseling, and has worked with adults and children in the social service field for 16 years. As a Christian author, Tracy believes that we are all called to be a light to this fallen world. She wants to be able to provide, as it says in Isaiah 61, ‘healing for the broken, joy for the mourner, freedom for the captive, and love for the lost.’ Her passion is to share God’s grace and love to this darkened world. Tracy currently resides in Seymour, Tennessee, where she enjoys time with her family and friends.

Strong, Independent Sisters is available from the publisher, BookLocker.com, as well as from Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com, and many other stores. If purchasing from BookLocker, use this discount code when checking out to get 10% off: Backstory

How do authors get their ideas for books? And, at what point in their lives did these creative individuals decide they wanted to be authors??  READ MORE BOOK BACKSTORIES AND AUTHOR BACKSTORIES RIGHT HERE!

DO YOU HAVE AN AUTHOR OR BOOK BACKSTORY TO SHARE? Please read our guidelines RIGHT HERE



Writing FAST: How to Write Anything with Lightning Speed


A systematic approach to writing that generates better quality quickly!


Chock full of ideas, tips, techniques and inspiration, this down-to-earth book is easy to read, and even easier to apply. Let author Jeff Bollow take you through a process that brings your ideas to the page faster, more powerfully and easier than ever before.




Read more here:
https://writersweekly.com/books/3695.html







90+ DAYS OF PROMOTING YOUR BOOK ONLINE: Your Book's Daily Marketing Plan by Angela Hoy and Richard Hoy

Promoting your book online should be considered at least a part-time job. Highly successful authors spend more time promoting a book than they do writing it - a lot more.

We know what you're thinking. You're an author, not a marketer. Not to worry! We have more than a decade of successful online book selling experience under our belts and we're going to teach you how to promote your book effectively online...and almost all of our techniques are FREE!

Online book promotion is not only simple but, if you have a step-by-step, day-to-day marketing plan (this book!), it can also be a very artistic endeavor, which makes it fun for creative folks like you!

Yes, online book promoting can be EASY and FUN! Let us show you how, from Day 1 through Day 90...and beyond!

7.625 STRATEGIES IN EVERY BEST-SELLER - Revised and Expanded Edition


At this moment, thousands of would-be authors are slaving away on their keyboards, dreaming of literary success. But their efforts won’t count for much. Of all those manuscripts, trade book editors will sign up only a slim fraction.

And of those titles--ones that that editors paid thousands of dollars to contract, print and publicize--an unhealthy percentage never sell enough copies to earn back their advances. Two years later, most will be out of print!

Acquisition Editor Tam Mossman shares seven essentials every book needs to stay in print, and sell!



Read more here:


https://writersweekly.com/books/5635.html