The Story From My Dream…(Part 2)

Stephanie Payne Hurt         @StephanieHurt4

Part 2. . .continuing from Part 1 May 29)

I put my nose to the grind. Let’s just say, this book took a lot out of me emotionally as well as physically. Some nights I couldn’t shut my mind down. Even though the story flowed through me, there was something holding back. I didn’t know until I was midway through the book what that was. But if I tell you, it will spoil the book. Let’s just say, if you read this book, send me a message when you figure out what it was.

I’ll give you a look into To Dance with Dragonflies without giving too much away. This book is a mix between inspirational, Christian, and contemporary romance. The main character, Kaity, is an introvert, just like me and so many other writers. She stays focused on the life around her, not really getting into everyday world events. She has a faith that is strong, but she feels something is missing. Her favorite place to be is lying in a field that is just below her house. That’s where she can get lost in her talks with God, and watch the dragonflies dance from one place to another.

Then in comes Derek, a billionaire that’s walking through life in a haze. He has anything he wants, but there’s something lacking in his life. And he knows he can’t buy it. His search leads him to Savannah, Georgia. It’s a beautiful old town with a lot to offer. That’s where he meets Kaity. She’s different from anyone he’s ever met and the feeling he has the first time he meets her, well, it’s magical.

I had to do a lot of research for this story, but you’ll get that once you read it. It will make Kaity question everything she’s ever believed in and test her faith to the limits. Life will take on a new meaning to both Kaity and Derek. Forever doesn’t seem to be in their future, but with faith and hope, they push forward. Derek won’t give up, even as Kaity decides to let this life go.

Ok, I’m stopping there, because I may give away too much. Needless to say, this wasn’t an easy story to write. Inside this story I had to face some demons of my own. Some of the story is centered around something that has taken many of my family and friends lives. It pulled at every part of my faith, my strength, and my resilience. But, in the end, I was able to get it published. It was powerful!

With this book, it took me a little longer than I’d anticipated. The emotional level that was reached in the book made me have to walk away from my laptop several times. A couple of times I had to get up and get my head back on straight. If you think a book you’re reading makes you cry, try writing one.

Here’s some advice before I leave you. When you are writing a book, if it doesn’t affect you in any way, then something needs to change. Your writing needs to come from your heart. In order to take the reader to another place, you need to make sure that they will have an emotional bond with the book. They need to feel every emotion alongside your characters. And if they don’t, then it’s just words on a page.

So, take time to laugh with all you heart, cry during a book or just sit quietly and watch a dragonfly just doing life. You never know where your next piece of inspiration will come from. 

Stephanie picked up her first romance novel in her early teens and fell in love. She began to pen stories in notebooks in her teens and throughout her twenties. It was in 2012 when she decided to publish her work and let the world in on her version of romance. Now she has 50+ books published and many more in the works.

A busy woman, sheps an accountant, children's minister, wife and mother. Her life may be busy, but when she sits down at her laptop the world slips away and she goes into another place. Sometimes it's a ranch full or horses, or back to the Civil War saving a heroine, helping her find her love, but as always, she'll find romance even in the most remote places. 

All of her books are clean, wholesome romances, some even dubbed as Christian romances. Her books range from western, historical, time travel, Christian, and she might even dabble in a little paranormal from time to time.  https://twitter.com/StephanieHurt4

https://www.facebook.com/StephaniePayneHurt, 

https://www.stephaniehurtauthor.com/contact

THE STORY FROM MY DREAM. . .(Part 1)

Stephanie Payne Hurt              @StephanieHurt4

Romance Author

What makes a story powerful? That’s the elusive goal of every writer. Does your story do something to people? Does it bring out tears, laughter, or deep thought? Maybe all of them… Maybe none…

To Dance with Dragonflies came to me in a dream a couple of years ago. When I woke up, only bits and pieces were there. As other stories came into my mind, this one nagged at me. Some days my fingers would hover over the keyboard, wanting it to all come back, but it didn’t. Well, not at first.

Then last fall, it happened. I was in the middle of writing the largest book of my writing career, Christmas at Mistletoe Ranch, when a dragonfly landed beside me. To say I was mesmerized doesn’t even come into the ballfield of how I felt. That simple dragonfly, just going about life brought the dream back to me. My heart began to race. My mind ran at full speed ahead. But, I was on a deadline, so how could I do this?

I knew that I had to get as much of it on paper as I could before it left me again. So, I grabbed a notebook and sat down to outline the story. It was as though I couldn’t write fast enough. My mind was skipping ahead, whole chapters. But, somehow I managed to get the story outlined.

Starting a New Series (Part 2)

Stephanie Payne Hurt    @StephanieHurt4

Romance Author

Ok, let’s get to the good part, the books themselves.

As I said, there are four books. They are The Knight of Her Heart, The Cowboy of Her Dreams, The Pirate of Her Desires, and Marina’s Story. Now, the story is based around a current day family with an intriguing ancestor that was a good witch. Her name was Marina and she lived in Boston just after the witch trials. Marina believed in true love and knew there would be three sisters coming in the late 1900’s. She left three journals behind for them to find. Each journal had a spell cast over them that would send them back to where their true love was. Seems simple, right? Well, going back in time isn’t as easy as it sounds. And writing about it, well, that presents its own problems. Each one of the sisters has a special ability that they have never discovered until they go back in time. And the tricky part is keeping up with which sister went back to which hero. Also, I must keep up with all the names that are tied to the characters. In comes the side notes on the outline.
The books in order and release dates:


                The Knight of Her Heart – Released already.

                The Cowboy of Her Dreams – to be released in late February 2020

                The Pirate of Her Desires – to be released in late June 2020

                Marina’s Story – to be released in late September 2020
I suggest reading them in order, that way you find out Marina’s story at the end. Her story will tie it all together and hopefully leave your heart beating a little faster as you look at a journal for yourself.


Let’s start from the beginning story, The Knight of Her Heart. In this one, I had to get acquainted with life in the early 1200’s. The intricacies of how women were treated and where their place was made this story interesting since the heroine is from current day and her view is different from the ladies of that period. This causes some issues between her and the hero. Not to mention how the other people in the story perceive her. It’s not just a step back in time, it’s a huge leap from 2019 to 1200.


On to book 2, The Cowboy of Her Dreams. Anyone who has read any of my books knows that I have a fascination with cowboys. Of course, I had to have one in the series. This one is set in the early to mid-1800’s. It’s a time period that I’ve researched for several of my books, but this one has an exciting twist that will leave you guessing all the way to the end. I did have a little bit of a struggle as to how the heroine would start her life in the old west. But once you read this book, you’ll get a giggle out of it, I assure you.
Book 3, The Pirate of Her Desires is quite a story. The heroine is taken by surprise by the fact that her dream man is a pirate. She’s always loved reading about pirates, but when she’s thrown into the life of a pirate, things becoming startlingly clear that she’s in way over her head, but maybe the hero can help with that. This book is based in the 1700’s when piracy is invading the seas. There’s a lot of adventure and excitement in this book. Sword fights and high sea drama fill the pages as the heroine struggles to find her place in this time. Can she tame the pirate captain?


So, you’re probably wondering why there is a 4th book if the first three take care of my fictional heroes. Well, the last book is about Marina herself. She’s the one that started the whole process and her story needs to be told. She is a kind soul with a magical power that transcends time, quite literally. And her search for the love of her life takes her on many adventures as she works on getting the process just right. Not to mention the tensions of her own time period. And considering she’s a witch in a time when witches aren’t exactly welcomed, she must be careful how she comes back and where.

Of course, the journals are special and the abilities that each sister has is unique to the individual. Each story will pull you into the time period that they go back to and give you a look at life during that time. I tried to keep things as close to real as possible, but of course, this is a work of fiction. I had to give you something fantastic to give it that punch. The characters I’ve created for this series have their own set of problems and quirks that make them different. That sets each book apart. My goal is to send the reader to another place and time, if only for a moment. Maybe you’ll grab an old journal and write in it. You never know, Marina could’ve touched it with her special brand of romance…

Stephanie picked up her first romance novel in her early teens and fell in love. She began to pen stories in notebooks in her teens and throughout her twenties. It was in 2012 when she decided to publish her work and let the world in on her version of romance. Now she has 50+ books published and many more in the works.

A busy woman, she's a accountant, children's minister, wife and mother. Her life may be busy, but when she sits down at her laptop the world slips away and she goes into another place. Sometimes it's a ranch full of horses, or back to the Civil War saving a heroine find her love, but as always, she'll find romance even in the most remote places.

All of her books are clean, wholesome romances, some even dubbed as Christian romances. Her books range from western, historical, time travel, Christian, and she might even dabble in a little paranormal from time to time.

https://www.stephaniehurtauthor.com/