I am an author and a reader. Worse than that, Iโm one of those historical nerds
who think that what people ate hundreds of years ago is actually important.
Throw all that in with my espresso machine and Bible, and you have a Christian
Historical Fiction author who loves action and real-life, gritty faith-in-action.
Faith. Gritty faith. I suppose what I mean by the combination of those two words
is that faith isnโt always pretty. People often picture Christianity as a
peaceful oasis in a skin-blistering desert, but Christian life is often
something more than calm. Christianity is gritty real life. Weโre faced with the
same crushing waves that hit others. Only, weโre slammed into the Rock of Ages.
When life gets hard or downright dirty, we have hope.
In my latest novel,
Grace Triumphant,
I was faced with showing how faith works even in the heart of the storm. In my
own life, I have seen how Godโs grace is abounding โ even in the midst of the
dirty little messes we create and the turmoil that eventually comes our way. So,
with writing a book that is obviously centered on grace, I had to realize that
grace really is sufficient. That it really does work. That
amazing
grace isnโt just a hymn โ itโs genuine truth.
In the case of cabin boy Jack in
Grace Triumphant,
does faith really work on the high seas? Can you serve God on a slaver ship
where immorality is rampant and cruelty reigns? And for Elizabeth, a high
society young woman working to end slavery, is Godโs grace really enough to
sustain her when the Masked Avenger is threatening her life? Grace is easy
enough to talk about for men like John Newton, but what about the average
Englishman?
I really think I was able to show โ and learn โ thatโs God grace
is
sufficient. That He always has a master plan, back during the Transatlantic
Slave Trade and now in what seems to be a turning point in American history.
Just like He worked in the lives of my characters during the abolition movement
under Wilberforce, He has been working through me as a missionary and preacherโs
wife. Through sickness and witnessing poverty, corruption, and cruelty in a
foreign land, I have been enabled to understand just how great our God is. How
gritty faith is real. How grace is always abounding.
What about you? Has God used you to portray His grace in the words of a book? Or
have you learned about it by reading? Maybe you are like me and have experienced
both. The awesome power and forgiveness of God is the theme Iโve always tried to
instill in my books. Have you ever read or written such a work? Share your thoughts!
Giveaway
One copy of Grace
Triumphant
Alicia A. Willis is a home-school graduate, published author of seven titles
and counting, and avid historian. Two of her medieval titles were top-thirty
finalists in an international competition, and her Roman title From the Dark
to the Dawn reached #3 on Kindle for Amazon Historical-Fiction Best
Sellers. God's grace and Biblical principles are the themes of Alicia's books,
and her desire is to glorify the master plan of God and inspire a love of
history in her readers. Alicia and her husband Samuel live in New Mexico and are
currently ministering as deaf and world evangelists.
A Tale of the Slave Trade
Profligate London, 1788. Slave ships
haunt the seas, bearing human cargos to further the wealth of the rich and
destroy the souls of the slave traffickers.
Russell Lawrence is an avid skeptic. Captain of the slave ship Barbados,
wealthy, and a respected leader, he views religion as a crutch for the weak. But
when the debauchery of the slave trade begins to destroy his good morals, his
battle becomes more than fighting pirates and mutineers. What if there really is
a God?
Impressed as a cabin boy, Jack Dunbar sees his forced service on the Barbados as
a God-given opportunity to witness Christ to the crew. But his efforts to
influence the hardened slavers seems to be doing little good. How is it possible
to live as a Christian on the sin-ravaged seas? Can his light shine bright in
Africa's dark interior?
Back in Grosvenor Square, Elizabeth Grey battles opposition from society and her
self-seeking fiancรฉ. Her work with John Newton to end the slave trade is being
harshly attacked. She faces life branded as a jilter and radical if she stands
up for what she believes in. Will she ever glean the strength to call sin by its
rightful name?
A tale of adventure on the high seas, redemption, and faith. Sin abounds. Is
grace enough to conquer doubt and triumph over evil?
Hi Alicia! Great post! To answer your question, in my second Six Cousins book, England Adventure, I tried to portray God's grace through Paris, a young woman the cousins meet in England. Through Marielle's influence, Paris fully realizes God's grace. The movie "Amazing Grace" (about William Wilberforce) plays a role as well. :)
(Kelsey Bryant 11:46am May 14, 2016)
I have seen God's grace with people who have come thru horrible things but have a faith that has survived and is stronger at the end.
(Melinda Marks 8:00pm May 14, 2016)
This sounds like a book I'd LOVE to read!. Thanks so much for the chance to sin it!!!!
(Bonnie Capuano 11:21am May 16, 2016)
I'd love to read this book . I believe we all need to put God into our lives a lot more than we do . He has gotten me through some hard times and protected me at times . I know He watches over me .
(Joan Thrasher 8:31am May 17, 2016)
I believe that God's grace is inherent within us all. Some of us can dip right into it
while others have a problem figuring out just how to access it. Free-will is how
grace is utilized.
(Reava Bennett 8:05am May 18, 2016)
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