How do you feel when you think about the holidays?
I have such conflicted reactions. As you can tell, I’m already looking ahead. On the one hand, the holidays are supposed to be – and often are – a very special time of year when we pay extra attention to the important people and efforts in our lives. In my own Christian tradition, the season of Advent invites reflection on the approach of Christmas and what it means to refer to God as “Immanuel” (“God with us”).
At the same time, the holidays can hold more events, parties, gatherings, family visits, trips to schedule, things to plan, expectations to meet, and pressurized gift-giving scenarios to figure out than any other time of year. More than one December has come and gone with me mainly (albeit guiltily) wishing that it would get itself over and done with so I could actually get some rest before having to go back to work or school.
Ever been there?
I started writing The Joy of a Field: A Sacred Grounds Novel Book 3 one December when I was feeling those stressors of the season starting to mount. My extended family is one of those families that holds quite a spectrum of beliefs. We also hold different ideas about how to handle that spectrum when we get together. Part of my own stress invariably comes from remembering how gatherings have played out in the past, imagining how they might play out in the future, and wondering how I could handle them differently.
It was in the middle of that remembering, imagining, and wondering that I realized I knew exactly what adventure the characters in my Sacred Grounds Novels series would have next. The idea of chronicling Kat’s first Christmas together with Paul struck me as something that would deliver plenty of drama, plot twists, and laughter while also providing a chance for me and for readers – both – to ponder what we do with the contrasts inherent in the season. And so, The Joy of a Field: A Sacred Grounds Novel Book 3 emerged, and I dedicated it to “anyone who’s ever wished for a kinder holiday season.”
Perhaps I dedicated it to you. If so, then I’m wishing you at least some hint of your holiday wish coming true this year.
I’m also excited to share with you The Joy of a Field, which is now available in plenty of time for your holiday reading. If you do have time this year, then I hope you enjoy it! Click here to read chapter 1 and/or to find out where to get a copy of the novel. And whether or not you have a chance to read The Joy of a Field this year, I am – again – wishing you at least a tiny bit of that holiday season you’re hoping for.
Callie J. Smith 