Welcome to my blog today! I’m hosting Sara Beth Williams who has just released her latest, Anchor My Heart.

Before she takes it away, thanks to Jacek for the feature image, Jacek Dylag on Unsplash

God’s perfect timing – Sara Beth Williams

In March 2020, as I was going through one of my mom’s old journals and found one with a nautical theme. Bible verses were listed at the bottom of each page. Not all the verses were nautical in nature but I found this verse at the bottom of one page: Hebrews 6:19.

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” NIV

The words anchor and hope stuck with me for months. As I waded through edits from my critique group, and later my editor, I knew the theme of my book was finding hope through extreme trials. But that hope isn’t just plain wishful thinking. I knew, for these two characters, it had to be an assurance in something greater than themselves.

I strongly believe God brings revelations to us at just the right time. For me, reading that verse in early 2020 was exactly when I needed to read that verse. Not any sooner. Not any later. This verse has been a blessing to me throughout 2020.

After some back and forth brainstorming with my editor and other author friends, we came up with this title: Anchor My Heart.

When we writers write, we often write from a place of experience. From a place of direct knowledge, or at least significant research. Some writers take research trips or interview specific experts. Some of the rawest and impactful writing – whether poems, songs, books – come from experience. Artists are known to create their best art when expressing deep emotions, whether grief or elation or anything in between.

Before writing Anchor My Heart, I’d never experienced any major anxiety or any significant losses. Only after suffering through 3 deaths in 6 months did I begin to have symptoms of anxiety. But God, in His infinite wisdom and love and knowledge, prompted me and inspired me to write these stories that deal so heavily with grief and anxiety before any of that happened to me – because He knew. He knew I was going to walk through similar experiences.

It was as if I were going through some kind of cathartic process before all of the trauma occurred. Not after. And this is not the first time this has happened. But that’s a post for another day.

This journal feels like a gift from God. When I found out many of her journals were being thrown away, I snagged a few of them from their doom, this being one of them, which was hardly written in at all.

Friends, let me tell you. God’s timing is perfect. There’s no doubt in my mind that everything happens for a reason. Good, bad, ugly. Hard, painful, joyful, exciting. God knows. God has a plan. As the bible says, his plans are for us. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11.

I have to believe that God has given me and other authors these stories for a reason. Through Anchor My Heart, I hope readers are reminded of the true source of our hope

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the aftermath of tragic loss, worship leader Matt Lawson is grappling with debilitating anxiety. The blessings he’d taken for granted—a dream job, a woman he couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with, and his God-given musical talent—have crumbled at his feet, leaving him reeling in despair, unable to face the wreckage of the life he’d envisioned for himself.

Tara Pierce is ready to put past hurts behind her as she prepares to graduate college and take a leap of faith in her career. When Matt’s grief causes him to isolate himself from everyone he knows, she refuses to stand idly by and do nothing. She has traversed similar terrain before. No one deserves to travel that road alone.

Unexpected attraction flares as Tara reaches into the sea of Matt’s grief and helps ground him in reality. But Matt’s not ready to give himself away again. Can Tara risk her heart and their friendship and let God step in to heal where she can’t?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sara Beth Williams is a wife, mother of two daughters, and temporary caretaker of a lovable old lady pit and a spunky Pomeranian-Shih Tzu mix. She lives in Northern California. When she’s not held hostage by the keyboard, she enjoys music, teaching, reading and spending time with her family. She is all about connecting with readers!

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Where to find Sara Beth Williams

Amazon / Goodreads / Bookbub / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

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Melony Teague writes contemporary romance with a dash of humor, she loves to inspire and motivate others through her written words, and she believes everyone has a story to tell. Melony is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and The Word Guild. She is the co-author of As the Ink Flows, a devotional for authors. Her fiction debut, A Promise to Keep released, Jan 21, 2020. Melony was born in South Africa and now lives in Toronto with her handsome husband, their two teenagers, and does the bidding of her two adorable cats.

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“A delightful romance sure to please anyone looking for a story about second chances, grace, and hope. This one has all the right ingredients!”
—Catherine West, award-winning author of Where Hope Begins