Calhoun author Donna Sundblad nominated for Epic eBook Award - Calhoun Times

The Calhoun Times article about The Inheritance turned out great. It not only talks about the book, but also the upcoming book signing at the Lighthouse Christian bookstore! This morning I received an alert and found that it is available online! You can read it here: Calhoun author Donna Sundblad nominated for Epic eBook Award

Read more:Calhoun Times - Calhoun author Donna Sundblad nominated for Epic eBook Award

What a nice Christmas gift! Merry Christmas to all my readers.

Follow through God moment

I needed to write a letter of introduction for The Inheritance. The introvert in me let the task slide. Why? Because the next level meant contacting people. In my dreams of what I should do, I intended to talk with the owners of the local Christian bookstore to see if they would carry my book. I frequented the store as a customer but walking in the door to promote myself felt unnatural.

I'm a goal setter. It helps me stay anchored and to get done what needs to be done, even when I don't feel like it. This week my letter of introduction as a Christian fantasy author needed to be written. I let it go to the last day, Saturday. I pulled out my copy of How to Write Attention Grabbing Query and Cover Letters and spent a good amount of the morning crafting the first draft. Once I had the draft, editing and tweaking was the easy part. Actually contacting the bookstore would be another matter. The introvert in me is so much more comfortable behind the anonymity of the computer!

I prayed again, that the Lord would lead me in the way I was to go. I read over the completed letter once more. I just had to fix the second line of the address, when the phone rang. It was my daughter. She had been to the bookstore that morning and mentioned me, and The Inheritance, and my upcoming interview with the local paper. Long story short, they wanted to talk to me. The door was opened and the letter ready! It wasn't coincidental.

The journey

As a writer, I knew God wanted me to write this story of a young man who realizes nothing satisfies the hunger within him. Not his riches, not his accomplishments, or anything else. He heads out on a quest for Wisdom and meets two sisters. Earthly Wisdom and her sister Heavenly. They each give him a gift and he is on his way as he decides to head to the Eternal City, but every village, along the River of Tradition, offers a different way to gain citizenship there. They can't all be right! How can he find his way?

Even though I knew God wanted me to write this story, I thought it was just a matter of obedience. I didn't expect much other than finishing the book. 

I had a secular publisher accept the book and it actually was nominated for an award in the spiritual category back when Eppie e-book awards were around. It ranked in the top three out of hundreds. Oh, yes, I was excited, but even more so I was stunned. Then the owner of the publishing company died suddenly and unexpected. The doors to the company shuttered, and I had a book listed on as a finalist with a link to nowhere. 

Long story short, I scrambled in my own strength to try and pick up the pieces and I self-published. Talk about stepping outside of your comfort zone! 

I took a breath and prayed that God would enlighten the eyes of my heart based Ephesians 1:18. 

"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints" (NIV).

My walk with him is not for awards of this earth.

Going to the Christian bookstore

I walked out the door armed with my letter of introduction and copies of the book. I returned home with my books on the shelves of The Lighthouse Christian Bookstore in Calhoun, Ga, and a tentative date for a book signing. For me it was another God moment. It reminded me, again, that God is in control, and he cares for me. As uncomfortable as I felt, I did what needed to be done and he paved the way to make it a little easier!

Today, The Inheritance has found a new home with Each Voice Publishing in Atlanta. 

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Press Release for The Inheritance by Donna Sundblad

This morning I received an alert in my email box letting me know that someone out there posted something about Donna Sundblad. I checked it out and found a press release about the interview conducted by Lisa B. Binion. 

 

 Marketing and promotion is a big part of getting the word out about The Inheritance. It's so nice when someone else does the work for me! I want to thank Lisa and Fiction Writing at Bella on Line for the positive review and interview.

Thank you!

Transformed Lives

It's amazing. If I asked you what people were searching for this Christmas on the Internet what would say? It would be nice if people were searching for Truth, or how to commit a random act of kindness, but one of the most popular topics is the Grinch. People are looking for photos of the Grinch, Grinch quotes, and other such things related to the story of How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Granted How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a classic Christmas story in which good overcomes evil, and it is a story of transformation. I can understand the sentimentality. But I also think of the baby who came into the world  with lowly beginnings. He gave up being God to become man...for us. The shepherds searched for him. The three wise men searched for him. They found him, and it transformed their lives for real. Jesus came. He changed the world. His life and death still transforms the world today. If you search for him, you will find him.

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"I believe that anyone would find The Inheritance a joy to read, no matter what your age or beliefs. This book mirrors the walk we have as Christians in a world filled with things that distract us from our Lord and Savior. Younger readers may not yet be able to grasp all of the symbolism that is intricately woven throughout Jejune's journey, but that will not take away from their enjoyment of the story." ~ Fiction Writing Review

Lake Scene from The Inheritance

I came across this picture through a friend's post on Facebook. It looks much like the first lake Jejune visits when he enters the Valley of Shadow, in The Inheritance. For those who have read the book, what do you think? For those who haven't, here's a tiny excerpt.

Excerpt from The Inheritance by Donna Sundblad

The narrow trail wound along the wall of the valley toward the first plateau. It didn't take long to reach the deep azure waters of the lake. Tiny ripples gently lapped the gray pebbled shoreline. Wigglewot fluttered to the stony beach and stretched while Jejune walked to the edge of the lake and sniffed a handful of water. "It smells okay," he called over his shoulder. Wig waddled to the brink of the lake.

Jejune cupped water in his hand and took a sip. "Mmmmm, that's what I needed." He plunged the empty flask beneath the surface, and the soft pop of bubbles mingled with the peaceful sounds of nature. Late afternoon sun peeked from behind sooty low hanging clouds as he stuffed the cork into the flask. "Wig, you gather tinder, and I'll find the kindling." He glanced at the clouds overhead. "We need to build a fire."

This location plays an important role in the story. It is here that Jejune finds a treasure chest and what it holds..... Sorry, I can't say too much without spoiling the reading experience for others.

The Inheritance is available in print or for Kindle. It will be a great Christmas gift, hint, hint...wink, wink! Enjoy! To read what others have to say, visit my website and read the book reviews.

What Is an Allegory?

When I tell people The Inheritance is an allegory, many don't have a clue what that means. The definition found at Dictionary.com is, "a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms; figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another."

In The Inheritance, names of characters and places all add a secondary level of meaning to the story. People can read and enjoy the book as a fantasy, without considering a deeper meaning, but readers have told me they enjoy the thought-provoking allegorical element.

When choosing the names in the book, I tried to find words that sounded more like a name. For instance, my main character Jejune, originally started out with the name "Bother" because he is bothered by an inner emptiness that leaves him restless and looking for something more. This nagging feeling bothers him. For me, the word "bother" just didn't work. After researching the possibilities, he became Jejune--lacking experience or knowledge. It was a perfect match!

 When you read The Inheritance, please do me a favor and leave a review. Just a sentence or two can work. I appreciate it.

Journey of The Inheritance by Donna Sundblad

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My latest novel, The Inheritance, is now out in print and kindle and as the author I celebrate my latest release with this new blog. You may think I'm going to tell you all about the story in this first post, but instead I want to tell you about the book's journey and some of the people who played a part in making it possible.

At the writing of this post, I had started writing The Inheritance eight years ago when I still worked a nine-to-five job. The book is a fantasy, but written in the allegorical fashion of christian classics like Pilgrim's Progress and Hinds' Feet On High Places. I knew not everyone likes to read fantasy, not everyone likes to read allegories, and not everyone wants to read a book that makes them think about what they believe or why they believe it. But I wrote it because I knew I had to. I wrote it not knowing if it would ever be published. One goal was not to make it a religious book, but a story everyone can enjoy, one that entertains but makes them think.

My publisher did not accept "religious" books, but six years after finishing the book, the acquisitions editor, Joan McNulty-Pulver, brought the book up. "I don't think it's religious," she said. And the book was accepted.

As it went through the editing process, Joan's health deteriorated. I thought the book would be out for Christmas 2010, but progress slowed. Joan passed away in March. The book was edited but stuck in layout. Margaret Carr, the editor-in-chief, made slow progress. She had the book ready to submit to the Epic for Authors eBook competition on the last day of May 2011.

Margaret passed away unexpectedly at the end of July, and with her death my publisher of seven years closed their doors. The Inheritance was ready to be published in print, but now I didn't have a publisher. Then in August I lost my job as a staff writer. I prayed for what to do.

In September finalists for the 2012 Epic eBook awards were posted and there it was! The Inheritance finaled in the Spiritual/Metaphysical category! That spurred me to move forward with the book!

 

Update: The book is now available through Next Chapter Publishing.