LINKS TO BOOK PAGES TO ORDER
- Home
- Tails and Purrs for the Heart and Soul
- Seventh Dimension - The Door, Book 1, A YA Fantasy
- Seventh Dimension - The King, Book 2, A YA Fantasy
- Seventh Dimension - The Castle, Book 3, A YA Fantasy
- Seventh Dimension - The City, Book 4, A YA Fantasy
- Seventh Dimension - The Prescience, Book 5, A YA Fantasy
- Seventh Dimension - The Howling, Book 6, A Young Adult Fantasy
- Seventh Dimension Inspirational - Am I Okay, God?
- Children of Dreams, An Adoption Memoir
- Food for Thought: Quick and Easy Recipes for Homeschooling Families
- The Donkey and the King, a Story of Redemption
- Book Love - Young Readers Become World Leaders - An Early Chapter Book for 1st though 3rd Grade
Thursday, December 27, 2012
CREATIVE WRITING INSIGHTS: “A Memoir or a Novel - How Does One Decide Which Way to Craft a Story Based on Real Life Events?” by Lorilyn Roberts
I strongly
disagree with his statement and share the following thoughts:
Memoirs are some
of the most powerful pieces written today, but people are shortsighted. They
don’t always see the value of first-hand accounts in the present. Without
memoirs, we have history written by partial observers who bring their own
worldview into play—maybe at the expense of writing with accuracy the way the
events actually happened. Second-hand accounts are never as factual as
first-hand stories and never as valuable for historical purposes.
Many people love
reading memoirs and will look for them in libraries and bookstores. Life
experiences written by people reveal more about society than any history book
or journalist covering a story. I am thankful for all the memoirs written today
by all sorts of people to give us a peek into the present and the past.
For example, the
world never would have known of Anne Frank if she had not written her diary.
She was an unknown 13-year-old kid before her father published her diary.
If you have a
compelling story to tell, tell it with passion, revealing your innermost
struggles and thoughts. Being “real” with the reader will make your story come
alive. In my memoir Children of Dreams about the international adoption of my daughters, I
was open and vulnerable. That was the right way to tell that story. I could
never have fictionalized it.
I just wrote
another book and this one is fiction, Seventh Dimension - The Door. In contrast with Children
of Dreams, I took certain events from my own life and turned them into
fantasy. I had a story to tell and the only way to tell it was as allegory and
to fictionalize it. The point being, do what the story calls for and write it.
Don’t let naysayers talk you out of writing your story the way you feel it
needs to be told. At the end of the day, you have to live with the result and
be happy with the story and the way you wrote it.
These are some thoughts I would
consider: Who is your target audience?
What is your purpose in writing your story? Can anyone be hurt or impacted
negatively if you write your book as a memoir? If you write your story as a
memoir in hopes of making money, you need to write your book as “creative
nonfiction,” using fictional techniques.
For example, you need a
beginning, a middle, and an end. You need to think in terms of “scenes” and “plot”
and “problems” that need to be solved. The reader needs a takeaway—what can he learn
from your memoir that would be meaningful or cathartic? No one wants to read
someone’s boring biography.
If you decide to write your book as
fiction, you will have more options and won’t run the risk of being sued or
worried about divulging something you might regret later. However, you need the
skills to write fiction. Writing fiction is harder than writing a memoir
because you have to create “story” out of fiction and make the plot enticing to
read. In a future piece, I will suggest some books for writing fiction that I
used in my Masters in Creative Writing that I found helpful.
The most important thing as a
writer is to keep writing and to keep learning—whether you write fiction,
nonfiction, or memoir, and enjoy the journey!
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
FREE ON ALL EBOOK PLATFORMS: “Seventh Dimension – The Door: A Young Adult Fantasy,” by Lorilyn Roberts
For every child who struggles with doubt, for every kid who has been bullied, for every teen who comes from a broken home, and for every young adult who longs to be understood - there is hope.
Best-selling author Lorilyn Roberts shares once again the power of redemption in this Christian coming-of-age novel. Written in first-person, Seventh Dimension - The Door reads like a first-hand account by a young girl, Shale Snyder, who is treated unfairly by her family, school, and classmates. Fear distorts her sense of self-worth and she is enveloped with guilt because of a secret from her past.
While on a sojourn similar to Christian in Pilgrim's Progress, Shale discovers talking animals and a handsome young man with whom she falls in love. Her journey is one of self-discovery as she battles personal demons, family conflict, and wicked underlings, and comes face-to-face with a personal decision she must make - bound up in the king she meets in first-century Israel.
“I spent two years developing the plot,” says Roberts, “as part of my Masters in Creative Writing. I love the classics, particularly books by Charles Dickens, Fydor Dostoevsky, Emily Bronte, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien. I hoped to provide an entertaining story that would evoke deep spiritual longing.”
Roberts adds, “I was a troubled child from a broken home on the road to juvenile delinquency - until I met the king.”
Lorilyn Roberts lives in Gainesville, Florida, with her two daughters from Nepal and Vietnam. Manisha’s and Joy’s adoption stories were told in her bestselling memoir Children of Dreams. Part of her family’s memoir was featured on Discovery Channel’s Monsters Inside Me.
Seventh Dimension - The Door
A Young Adult Christian Fantasy
LORILYN ROBERTS
November 2012/Mass Market Original/Fiction
$11.77
ISBN 9781480153905
Seventh Dimension - The Door, A Young Adult Christian Fantasy
(Create Space, $11.77, 230 pages, 6 X 9, paperback, ISBN: 978-
1480153905), is available at neighborhood and online booksellers
(Amazon). For more information, visit
LorilynRoberts.com
Best-selling author Lorilyn Roberts shares once again the power of redemption in this Christian coming-of-age novel. Written in first-person, Seventh Dimension - The Door reads like a first-hand account by a young girl, Shale Snyder, who is treated unfairly by her family, school, and classmates. Fear distorts her sense of self-worth and she is enveloped with guilt because of a secret from her past.
While on a sojourn similar to Christian in Pilgrim's Progress, Shale discovers talking animals and a handsome young man with whom she falls in love. Her journey is one of self-discovery as she battles personal demons, family conflict, and wicked underlings, and comes face-to-face with a personal decision she must make - bound up in the king she meets in first-century Israel.
“I spent two years developing the plot,” says Roberts, “as part of my Masters in Creative Writing. I love the classics, particularly books by Charles Dickens, Fydor Dostoevsky, Emily Bronte, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien. I hoped to provide an entertaining story that would evoke deep spiritual longing.”
Roberts adds, “I was a troubled child from a broken home on the road to juvenile delinquency - until I met the king.”
About Author
Seventh Dimension - The Door
A Young Adult Christian Fantasy
LORILYN ROBERTS
November 2012/Mass Market Original/Fiction
$11.77
ISBN 9781480153905
Seventh Dimension - The Door, A Young Adult Christian Fantasy
(Create Space, $11.77, 230 pages, 6 X 9, paperback, ISBN: 978-
1480153905), is available at neighborhood and online booksellers
(Amazon). For more information, visit
LorilynRoberts.com
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
BOOK REVIEW: “Seventh Dimension – The Door: A Young Adult Fantasy,” by Allbooks Reviewer Cecilia Lee
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Author: Lorilyn Roberts
Title: Seventh Dimension – The Door
This book is about our
need for ultimate love and understanding. Set in today’s society where
self-doubt, bullying, broken homes and brokenness is rampant, this book is a
must-read.
Seventh Dimension –
The Door is
a touching story about a hurt young girl who finds the ultimate love of the
king.
Meet Shale Snyder.
She is an emotionally and psychologically injured girl – after many years of
torment at school and abandonment at home, she is left empty and hollow inside.
She feels misunderstood. She has an internal longing, but for what she doesn’t
know!
One day, she is transported to a happy,
peaceful garden. She meets up with two talking animals: a fat, apple-loving donkey
and a cute, sweet rabbit, who tell her she is in the “king’s garden”. However,
a hint of evil disrupts the serenity of the garden, and while trying to escape
from the menacing presence, they, she and a dog whom she has known before get
transported to another world in the 7th dimension through a door,
hence the title of this book, Seven Dimension – The Door.
Our heroine has several adventures in the 7th
dimension. There are many weird things there – like a boy who is also from her
world, except 3 years into her future! She learns the king of the garden is
there. She wants to find out more about him and wants to meet him. However, she
has to deal with issues within herself as they stand in the way of her ability
to receive the king’s love. Finally, the story builds to an ending climax where
she is given the ultimate test.
You have to read this
book to find out who the giver of this amazing love is; who can mend a broken
heart, love unconditionally, understand unceasingly, and fill the void in our
hearts. You will be surprised to find out what our heroine has been longing for
all along. Also, read about all the curious circumstances in the 7th
Dimension.
You won’t be able to
put this book down until you reach the end. The author, Lorilyn Roberts, has
this incredible ability to build suspense until the climax in the end.
Don’t cheat and read the ending first because the journey into the 7th
Dimension is just, if not, more compelling and spellbinding. Bon voyage!
Cecilia Lee, Reviewer, Allbooks Review
International
Title: Seventh Dimension – The Door
Author: Lorilyn Roberts
Publisher: Rear Guard Publishing
ISBN-13:978-1480153905
Dec. 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
BOOK REVIEW OF SEVENTH DIMENSION - THE DOOR: A Young Adult Fantasy, by Amazon Reviewer/Author Sandra McLeod Humphrey
What a great mix of ingredients inherent in this Christian allegorical novel for young adults! There’s plenty of drama and conflict inherent in the ongoing battle between good and evil with a sprinkling of romance and even a dash of political commentary.
The animal characters are charming and the human characters are equally interesting. We immediately identify with the young protagonist Shale as she deals with her feelings of rejection, abandonment, and social isolation, and we can also empathize with Daniel and his conflicted feelings about just who the teacher really is--whether He is actually who Shale believes Him to be.
I love the concept of “multiple realities” depending on the choices one makes, and I think this is really a novel for all ages. It’s a journey of self-discovery but so much more!
To listen to a free audio sample, click here
To purchase, click here
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Monday, November 5, 2012
GUEST POST BY AUTHOR CAROL A. BROWN: Book Review of Seventh Dimension - The Door
Shale Snyder is smart, determined, impatient--and a troubled teen. Abandoned by her father, misunderstood by her mother, step-father and school authorities; accused of cheating, isolated from her best friend, and bullied by other students? It is a crazy, difficult world she lives in--hard to know what to do, when to fight and when to walk away. Comfort comes in unique ways. The school counselor says she is gifted and an apparently homeless dog adopts her. When Shale runs away from home with her broken birthday gift (yet again) it is understandable.
In her flight, a weak ankle gives way; her head hits a rock and so begins the inner journey that changes everything for Shale. While unconscious she enters a dimensional door that leads her further and further into another time and place. She is chased from an idyllic garden through a second door to enter the time Jesus walked this earth and taught.
She comes face to face with the enemy of her soul and eventually defeats him. She briefly meets her long-absent father and wicked stepmother. She hears a wonderful teacher, discovers He is THE KING and then meets Him and is changed by Him. She brings her half-brother to Him for healing and during this time in this dimension finds the love of her life. Oh, yeah, she also talks with animals during all these events! There is plenty of drama; in fact, it seemed almost non-stop!
Arriving back in her own time and dimension, she finds people have changed. It is almost as if changes in the spiritual dimension have an effect on people in the natural dimension.
The issues of unfairness, injustice, not listening, and not taking people seriously were strong themes throughout; themes that many teens relate to. I felt that Roberts did an excellent job of incorporating the teachings of Jesus into the resolution of Shale's problems. Her characters were well developed. Some characters I loved right away and others I disliked immediately. Some grew on me slowly--I think young people would relate well to both the characters and the issues. There is a final warm fuzzy but I don't want to spoil it for you!
This is a book that I could recommend to teens interested in fantasy or who are dealing with similar issues as those Shale encountered. I would also recommend it to adults/parents of troubled teens to help give them an understanding from a teen perspective.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
AN ADOPTION PRAYER, by Lorilyn Roberts
By
Lorilyn Roberts
Jesus
said in John 14:18, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to
you.” According to the U.N., there are approximately 145 million orphans in
the world today.
Can
we be like Jesus, opening our beating hearts and stretching our empty arms
across the oceans to help destitute orphans who need our love? Can we not risk a little to sacrificially
give these little ones the knowledge of the Real Hope Giver? Can we not love
until it hurts? Can we not remove ourselves from our comfort zone of
blackberries, iPhones, plasma TV screens, and Starbucks Lattes to feel an
orphan’s pain and hear his stifled cries for love? If only for a moment, can we
enter into the movement of the Spirit of God and allow Him to stir our hearts
and move us in ways not our own and give us a longing to love one more precious
child?
But
not for the grace of God, go I. Without Jesus, we are all orphans. Let’s show
the world that Christians are indeed known by their love—enough to change the world
one life at a time.
Pray
that God would lead you to adopt. Pray that He would prompt you to open your
wallet to help. Pray that He would show you how to get involved. Let Him touch
your heart as He whispers to your soul. Someday, when you stand before the
Heavenly Father’s throne when all else has been left behind but the souls for
which Jesus died on a cruel Roman cross, you will be able to say, “I
surrendered my heart and mind to the endless possibilities You gave me, Lord
Jesus. I saved a child out of hopelessness, just as You saved me.”
Don’t
let it be, if only.
“I was moved by Lorilyn’s story of her
going to the ends of the earth to find her daughters.” Jerry B. Jenkins,
Novelist & Biographer, owner, Christian Writers Guild.
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