The only life Gracie has ever known has been the nursing home and the residents who are like family to her. Now, she risks losing it all and her friends scattering to different homes if she can’t come up with the money to save the business.
Between caring for his ailing mother and running the family farm, Brandt is stretched thin. Too thin. When his mother begs him to enter a local scavenger hunt, win the prize money, and convert the farm into an orchard, he knows he can’t refuse her anything, so he reluctantly agrees.
While seeking clues to the scavenger hunt, Gracie and Brandt keep bumping into each other. Gracie’s always had a crush on him that keeps her from stringing two coherent words together. Brandt doesn’t understand why she dislikes him so much she won’t even talk to him. If the nursing home residents would settle down and stop getting into crazy shenanigans long enough, the two might figure out that they have more than a little in common.
For More Information
- CUPID’S QUEST is available at Amazon.
- Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
What Writing an Inspirational Romance Taught Me
About My Own Faith
There are some days when I’d be embarrassed to admit just how long I’ve been a Christian. The Bible tells us that we will know Christians by their fruits, but the truth is that even though I love the Lord with all my heart, there are times and days that I fail Him miserably and my fruit is downright rotten and full of worms.
Even though I made that decision to follow Christ when I was thirteen years old and I have not wavered from that faith, I have not always lived my life for God the way I should have. The world has a way of creeping in and taking hold, doesn’t it? Anger, greed, bitterness, jealousy can all cause us to act in ways we otherwise wouldn’t. I truly believe the only difference between a Christian and a sinner (besides the obvious difference of redemption) is that a Christian feels horrible guilt and the Holy Spirit’s urging to change and be better and more Christ-like. It isn’t always a gentle whisper to change, either. Sometimes God gets to the point with me where he has to hit me over the head to get my attention.
That is what He had to do with me over romance novels. He had to really get my attention and let me know that I am here to glorify Him. That’s my purpose, that’s your purpose, that’s everyone’s purpose. We all do it in different ways, of course. I spent a lot of time in prayer a few years ago, trying to decide if I should go out and get a “real” job or continue writing. Writing wasn’t really making me much of an income and my children were nearly grown. I wanted to do something, I just didn’t know what.
I even went on some interviews during that time. However, even though I was extremely qualified and had excellent interviews, something always happened to take the opportunity away from me. Through this time, I kept praying that God would lead me to do what He most wanted me to do. That he would place me in a position to somehow glorify him. That was my prayer, but it hurts to be rejected, especially when you think you’ve nailed an interview and they are certain to offer you a position as soon as possible.
God kept nudging, placing inspirational fiction in my hands through the strangest ways, having friends mention books by Karen Kingbury (friends that don’t normally read nor are they Christians). It takes me a while sometimes, but I finally took the hint to write a contemporary inspirational romance.
As I got to know the characters better, I found myself relating more to the hero than the heroine in
Cupid’s Quest. You see, the angst that Brandt goes through and the doubt about whether God really loves him is exactly where I’ve been a couple of times in my life. The anger over losing someone you love dearly is something I have been through when I lost my cousin Michael. I was young, I didn’t understand, and I was angry at God. I turned my back on Him, but he never gave up on me and never turned His back on me.
As I wrote about Brandt’s experience with this, I was reminded how much God loves me. How he took the time to send me messages and to send people into my life to help me through that time. I had nothing but anger and distrust for the first time in my life when I thought about God. He could have easily grown frustrated with me, but He showed me true grace by continuing to love me through it.
As my character grew in his face and realization, my own was reaffirmed. I set out to write a book that might one day reach just one person for Christ. If my book can encourage someone going through the loss of a loved one and questioning God’s plan, or if it can inspire someone to visit a church, start a discussion, or pick up a Bible, then I feel my job has been done. However, through that goal, I also was reminded of the strength of my own faith and just how much God and I have been through together.
This is a very timely reminder as we have a family member who is young and facing a serious illness right now. It’s going to be a rough year, and I truly needed to be reminded that God is good ALL the time. His plans aren’t always plans I understand, but there is a purpose to them and He loves us with a pure love we can’t really comprehend in this world.
So, did I write the book for others or did God have me write it for myself to remind me of these things? Perhaps a little of both. If you read
Cupid’s Quest, I hope you are inspired by Brandt as I was and that you remember the things God has brought you through over the years.
Lori Soard has a Ph.D in Journalism, but she’s hardly the stuffy professor type. She loves nothing more than a good comedy and laughing over silly things with her family and friends. She adores animals, has two daughters in college and is married to her high school sweetheart.
Book Blurb for recent release: The only life Gracie has ever known has been the nursing home and the residents who are like family to her. Now, she risks losing it all and her friends scattering to different homes if she can’t come up with the money to save the business.
Between caring for his ailing mother and running the family farm, Brandt is stretched thin. Too thin. When his mother begs him to enter a local scavenger hunt, win the prize money, and convert the farm into an orchard, he knows he can’t refuse her anything, so he reluctantly agrees.
While seeking clues to the scavenger hunt, Gracie and Brandt keep bumping into each other. Gracie’s always had a crush on him that keeps her from stringing two coherent words together. Brandt doesn’t understand why she dislikes him so much she won’t even talk to him. If the nursing home residents would settle down and stop getting into crazy shenanigans long enough, the two might figure out that they have more than a little in common.
Visit Lori online at http://lorisoard.com
