Today’s promised post is about my characters. I decided to give you a glimpse of the artwork my husband painted for the cover of The Journey Gardener and the Compass Thief based on a scene in my book. I chose this scene because it is where my main characters meet.

Here is an excerpt from Calla’s point of view:

It took me the better part of the day to reach the edge of Gnarled Wood. Talk about freaky! The trees looked like ancient oaks that had some sort of disease. In the twilight, they looked like wrinkled old men stooped over canes
and sporting long gray beards of lichen. Now that I saw Gnarled Wood for myself, its name made perfect sense, and I didn’t want to go anywhere near that place.

Unfortunately, setting my compass to the stick figure was leading me not around but into the forest. Having decided I didn’t need to meet whoever lived there, I switched tactics and set the compass to find shelter. Crazy compass. It still directed me into the forest. I tried the food basket icon, the plant icon, the animal icon. I tried the heart icon. “I get it!” For whatever reason the compass
wanted me to go into Gnarled Wood.

Sandy Blackburn

And here it is from Flint’s point of view:

I watched the traveler approach Gnarled Wood from my perch near the field. She was most likely an Auroran. I’d guess sixteen. That’s when they get spit out into the real world.

Something glowed from her hand. She held it out, passing it left to right, then back to center again. Whatever she had, I wanted it. The girl would be my
mark tonight.

Her eyes widened as she entered the forest’s dark circle of trees. Welcome to my home, foolish girl.

Sandy Blackburn

So now that you have a taste of this scene let me tie it to a scripture that will help you understand my thought process.

“Now, remember, it is I who sends you out, even though you feel vulnerable as lambs going into a pack of wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes yet as harmless as doves.”‬‬

Matthew‬ ‭10‬:‭16‬ ‭TPT

This whole story is my way of working out what God is working in. You will find many scriptures threaded into the storyline, but not in an blatant way.

Next week I’ll be going back to my normal format of sharing insights into the scriptures God brings to my attention. I hope this month of getting to know me and my writing have helped you determine if you might like to read my book that should be ready to publish as early as the end of April. If you’d like to follow my publishing journey click the link to join my mailing list here.

Grace & Peace,

Sandy