K. Dawn Byrd is an author of
inspirational novels in several genres, including, historical, suspense,
romance, and young adult. Some of her favorite things are chocolate, cars, and
her pets. Her hobbies include reading, writing, and riding down country roads
in the passenger seat of her husband's Corvette Stingray. When asked why she
writes, her response is, "For the simple joy of placing words on the
page!"
About the book:
Amazing Love,
the modern-day story of Hosea and Gomer from the Bible, speaks of God's
unconditional love, mercy, and grace and how much loving someone that much can
cost.
Gabe Knight, a
pastor in a small coastal town, finds his life is turned upside down when Dee
Dillow arrives and hires him to remodel an estate she's inherited from her
aunt. Dee dashes his plans for wedded bless when on a drunken binge, she
divulges that she's the highest paid call girl in Nevada and part-owner of the
ritziest brothel in the state.
Gabe falls in love
with her, but can't believe he's hearing the voice of God when a still, small
voice tells him to marry her. After much questioning, they marry and he is
deliriously happy. Until, Dee betrays him.
Gabe soon discovers
just how hard it is to have the unconditional love God calls him to have for
his wife, the kind of love God has for his children. When faced with losing
her, Gabe realizes what true love is, how much it hurts, and just how much God
loves and is willing to sacrifice for his children.
Excerpt from the prologue:
Prologue
Dee signed the letter with a flourish
and then read it aloud.
Maggie:
For the longest time,
I blamed myself. There must be something terribly wrong with me, something so
bad that even a mother couldn't love me. After years of therapy, I've learned
that it's not me, it's you, Maggie. You're not capable of loving anyone. That's
a terrible thing to say about a mother, but it's true.
Even here at Carpe
Diem, I've continued therapy via technology. Today was a hard day because it's
my birthday. As was expected, I never heard from you. Like my therapist said,
it's not my fault you didn't call. It's a choice you made, Maggie, like so many
other bad choices.
I used to dwell often
on the things you allowed to happen to me. You had to have known that John was
visiting my room almost nightly. You chose to ignore it even though he was your
husband. And then, he sold me to his wealthy friends and you stood back and
allowed it to happen. Whoever had the most money. That wasn't the life I would
have chosen if given a choice. Even now, I long for a life of normalcy. A
husband, a couple of children, and a picket fence is just a dream.
There are times I
hate you, but I realize you have demons of your own. Something has happened to
you to cause you to be so selfish and full of anger. That's why I try to
overlook your hostility and lack of love toward me. You need a good therapist.
My therapist
recommends that I write letters to you when I'm angry. It helps. This is letter
642. I've kept them all. You'll probably never read them, but they're not
really for you. They're for me.
Your daughter, Dee
An Interview with the Author
Why did you choose to write this book?
A couple of years ago, I was the story of Hosea and Gomer in the Bible and the thought came to mind that it would be fun to retell the story in a modern setting.
What did you learn while writing this book?
I learned that even though the Bible gives us stories about individuals who lived in Bible times, it's vague at times about specifics. This give a fiction writer a lot of leeway to let their imaginations run wild.
I learned that even though the Bible gives us stories about individuals who lived in Bible times, it's vague at times about specifics. This give a fiction writer a lot of leeway to let their imaginations run wild.
Tell us what you think readers will enjoy about it.
Amazing Love is the modern story of
Hosea and Gomer. It was a tough story to write because my heroine suffers
severe consequences for her sins, but it was necessary to portray how low we
can go and how much God still loves us through it all. I hope readers will take
away the fact that no matter what we do, God loves us with an unconditional
love and is ready to accept us back into His loving arms.
Tell us a little more about yourself , with three things not
many people know about you.
I have a masters degree in professional counseling from
Liberty University.
I'm an animal lover. I own two hairless Chinese Crested
dogs, an African Gray parrot, three ferrets, and several aquariums in my home.
I love sour foods. I'd rather have olives, pickles, or
dilly beans than something sweet sometimes.
What are you working on right now?
I'm working on a thriller about a serial killer. It's a
difficult story because there are several twists and turns and I have to be
careful how I write it for everything to fall into place correctly.
What's next for you?
I have three releases in 2012, all young adult. Something
Beautiful in January. The Hot Line Girl in June. Luck of the Draw in November.
Thanks so much for hosting me! You have a lovely blog.
ReplyDeleteAlways glad to see you and a new book!
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