Thanks to my time at Vox Dei (my Booktrope imprint) I made some wonderful friends. I am super excited to be hosting one of them on my blog today. She has just rereleased two of the books in her series, Entertaining Angels and Before We Say I Do. On June 14th she will be releasing the third book in the series, Delivered By Angels. Here's a little bit of her heart in writing this latest book. Welcome Emerald Barnes...
Delivered by Angels was a difficult novel to write. One, I was dealing with something I have no experience with, and two, I was once again faced with how angels would deal with certain situations. Let me tell you, that’s no easy task. It’s not like most of this is covered in the Bible, although there are a few things that I’ve seen throughout the Bible that would maybe give me an idea.
If you don’t know what Delivered by Angels is, it’s the second full book in the Entertaining Angels series. It deals with difficult issues such as abuse, self-harm and suicide. Yet, it follows a few of the characters from book one who deal with some things on their own. Their stories interconnect.
The theme and plot was difficult. I wanted to write about guardian angels that come down from heaven, in a human form, to help their charges, but what could I do this time? I wrote about a young woman who had no self-esteem in book one. She couldn’t see her own beauty, hated herself, and didn’t know that God loved her or even thought she was beautiful. So my goal with book two was to do something similar, but to touch on a different subject. But this time, it was much darker—and much more difficult.
I’m not sure how it even came about. God-inspired is the only way that I can describe it. He wanted this written, so that was what happened.
Let me say this, I’ve had no personal experience with self-harm, suicide or depression. I’ve seen depression in family members, even had a close call with a suicide attempt within the family, and unknown to me, cutting was closer than I thought. But it wasn’t personal. I never once thought about self-harm or suicide as my way out. I have to say, besides the normal teenage/adult woes, I was doing well for myself. Of course, as I’m nearing 30, I see more and more of the effects of depression, self-harm, and suicide for what it is, and I wanted to help others who have experienced any of them. Really, God wants to, and I was just His mouth.
So, I wrote it. I cried with my character as she drew the blade over her skin. I felt the pain. Not literally, but spiritually. It hurt my soul to know that people experienced this, that it was a true struggle, and I wanted them to know that they are not alone, that they are loved, and God is the one who loves them. He’ll send His angels—literally if that’s what’s needed—to save one person. That is the point of Delivered by Angels.
So although I have no personal experience, I chose this subject because so many do. There is a high rate of suicide attempts (as well as them actually dying). There are people who self-harm to feel something, those who need some kind of release, and I want to help them.
My book is just fiction, yes, but it’s God-inspired. He wants people to know that He’s there for them. That He loves them, and when they feel alone, to know they aren’t.
Delivered by Angels isn’t just a story. It could be your story, her story, his story. It’s a story of hope, and it’s a story of love.
About Delivered by Angels:
Determined to escape her abusive father and drunken mother, Lexi Johnson turns to the blade to numb her pain, but it isn’t enough to end her misery. She’s convinced that not even God could save her now.
Roxy Taylor is the new girl in town, and Lexi doesn’t trust her, especially when she teams up with DJ Tucker to try and break down the barriers that Lexi has put in place.
Little does Lexi know, there are greater forces battling for her life, and as Lexi begins to open up to both Roxy and DJ, she’ll see that she isn’t alone in this world.
In the heart-pounding sequel to Entertaining Angels, everyone’s favorite angel, Zach Taylor, is back, and he’s there to make sure that Madison and Chase Sanders are on the path that God has chosen for them, a path that could deliver Lexi from the demons who want her soul.
Connect with Emerald online:
Facebook: Author Emerald Barnes
Twitter: @emeraldbarnes
Pinterest: Emerald Barnes
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/emerald_barnes
Email: emerald_barnes@yahoo.com