#SaturdaySpotlight is on Chris Fabry & Lifemark!

Hello Again Friends,

Please help me welcome author, Chris Fabry back with a peek at his latest book, Lifemark.

For eighteen years, she tried to believe she had made the right decision—for him.

But if she never saw him again, how could she ever be sure?

Melissa had clung to the thin thread of hope given by the adoption agency that someday her newborn son might want to connect with her. When his eighteenth birthday arrived, she called the agency to simply update her contact information, not expecting a response.

Susan and Jimmy Colton had raised their boy with openness about his adoption. After the heartbreaking loss of two infant sons that marked their early years of marriage, they promised themselves they would try not to hold too tightly to David or hold back any information he wanted about his birth. And so they waited on him.

David was hesitant to talk about the questions and curiosities about his birth story that often haunted him. But as he neared adulthood, his need to know the full story of his life became something he couldn’t shake. Until the call came to the Coltons from the adoption agency, and the first tentative bits of communication and connection set in motion a story that would change all their lives forever.

From the team that brought you the movies Courageous and War Room comes Lifemark, the novelization of the new film inspired by a true story of adoption, redemption, and hope.

 In Lifemark, Chris Fabry explores:

Crafting the novelization of the new Kendrick brothers' movie Lifemark; inspired by a true story of adoption, redemption, and hope.

The storyline of a young man, adopted at birth, on a journey to find the birth parents he's never known.

The counter-cultural behaviors of unselfishness and loving well, as demonstrated by his characters in Lifemark.

How the decision to “choose life” presents opportunities for healing and reconciliation.

How adoptive parents must push through great loss and persevere in the adoption process.

Excerpt:

He looked at her, then back at the object in his hand. “You think you might be pregnant?”

“I’ve been sick to my stomach every morning for the past week.”

“What does it say?”

“Says you’re going to be a father.”

The air seemed to leave the room for both of them.

“Whoa.”

“Is that all you can think to say?”

He looked at her again. “I didn’t . . . I mean . . . I don’t know what to say. What do you want me to say?”

She saw him all blurry now, like in one of those hall-­of-­mirrors rooms at the county fair. She wiped her eyes and tried to stay in control, but her chin quivered and she couldn’t stop it, and she hated that. She’d sat in the bathroom for a half hour after the test turned positive while a wave of emotion and fear swept over her. What she hadn’t prepared for in all of that was the unexpected feeling that crept up on her. Something she couldn’t tell Brian.

“What are you going to do?” he said.

Melissa pulled her head back, then looked away. Her face felt hot all of a sudden and she clenched her fists. She’d had fights with Brian, but she’d never felt this way before. “What am I going to do? Is that your question?”

“Yeah, I mean, what do you want me to ask you?”

“How about, what are we going to do? You’re part of this, you know.”

“I know that.” His eyes got soft and he reached out to touch her shoulder, but she moved away. The couch cushions sagged. She grabbed the edge and pulled herself up, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

“We’re not ready, Melissa. I don’t have a job. I’m behind on the rent. There’s no food. I’m not going to my mom for help and I know you don’t want to go to your dad.”

He was right about all of that. And there were more reasons they weren’t ready and shouldn’t be having a baby. But Melissa couldn’t shake the feeling she’d had in the bathroom. Mixed in with all the fear and shame and feeling stupid for not being more careful and a hundred other bad thoughts was a single word that rose to the surface like a rainbow trout in her heart.

Mother.

She was going to be a mother. And there was something about that word, something about the concept, that made her feel alive. That tingle inside surprised her. On one hand, she felt like a million bricks had collapsed on top of her. She couldn’t breathe. And there was nobody she could tell because she knew what they’d think, what they’d say.

At the same ­time—­and it was the strangest thing to feel this ­way—­she sensed there was something good growing inside her. But every time she thought of that, another brick would fall and snap her back to reality.

“What do you think we should do, then?” Brian said.

“I don’t know.”

Adapted from Lifemark by Chris Fabry Copyright © 2022. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries.  All rights reserved.

Chris Fabry is an award-winning author and radio personality who hosts the daily program Chris Fabry Live on Moody Radio. He is also heard on Love Worth Finding, Building Relationships with Dr. Gary Chapman, and other radio programs. In 2020, he was inducted into the Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications Hall of Fame. A native of West Virginia, Chris and his wife, Andrea, now live in Arizona and are the parents of nine children.

Chris's novels, which include Dogwood, June Bug, Almost Heaven, and The Promise of Jesse Woods, have won five Christy Awards, an ECPA Christian Book Award, and two Awards of Merit from Christianity Today. He was inducted into the Christy Award Hall of Fame in 2018. His books include movie novelizations, such as War Room and Overcomer, and novels for children and young adults. He coauthored the Left Behind: The Kids series with Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, as well as the Red Rock Mysteries and the Wormling series with Jerry B. Jenkins. He encourages those who dream of writing with his website heyyoucanwrite.com. Find out more about his books at chrisfabry.com.

Get your copy of Lifemark at Amazon or ChristianBook(dot)com. Check out the movie and check out Chris's previous visits to our blog HERE.

 

Wow, wow, wow....what an excerpt! Thanks for sharing Chris, sounds like an amazing book. Wishing you the best of luck and God's blessings with it.

Until next time, friends, be sure to check back weekly for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.

Take care and God Bless.

PamT

#TuesdayTreasures: Guest Post by Tyndale Author, Chris Fabry!

Good Morning Friends,

I am pleased to bring to you today's guest, a brand-new-to-me & my blog author from Tyndale Publishing, Chris Fabry to share with us something he treasures.

Chris Fabry is an award-winning author and radio personality who hosts the daily program Chris Fabry Live on Moody Radio. He is also heard on Love Worth Finding, Building Relationships with Dr. Gary Chapman, and other radio programs. A 1982 graduate of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism at Marshall University and a native of West Virginia, Chris and his wife, Andrea, now live in Arizona and are the parents of nine children.

Chris’s novels, which include Dogwood, June Bug, Almost Heaven, and The Promise of Jesse Woods, have won five Christy Awards, an ECPA Christian Book Award, and a 2017 Award of Merit from Christianity Today. His eightieth published book, Under a Cloudless Sky, is a novel set in the coalfields of his home state of West Virginia. His books include movie novelizations, like the recent bestseller War Room; nonfiction; and novels for children and young adults. He coauthored the Left Behind: The Kids series with Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, as well as the Red Rock Mysteries and the Wormling series with Jerry B. Jenkins. 

Books have meant so much throughout my life. A few years ago I lost my treasures—signed copies of stories that touched me deeply, my writing books, stories from my childhood. All I had to do was look at them for inspiration. Devastating is too soft of a word.

Someone in South Carolina read about my loss and on my fiftieth birthday went to the home of one of my favorite writers, Pat Conroy. She knocked on the door and asked him to sign a book for me.
As a writer and a private person, I would not like that. I don’t know what the conversation was like. All I have is his inscription.

“To Chris, Happy 50th Birthday. My best to you in your writing life. Go deeper. Always go deeper.”

I treasure that not only because Pat died in 2016, but because his words are a challenge and a call to my writer’s heart. I hear him blowing a whistle and urging me to go into the mine of the soul and dig for nuggets of truth and beauty. Because words mean so much, this is one of my treasures.

Oh wow, Chris what a treasure! Thank you so much for sharing with us today.

Hope you enjoyed today's post. You can find out more about Chris by visiting his Website and/or Blog and by connecting with him on FaceBook and Twitter. Under a Cloudless Sky can be purchased at Amazon in Hardcover, Paperback and on Kindle.

Until next time, take care and God Bless.
PamT

#WednesdayWordswithFriends guest Chris Fabry

Good Morning!

Last January (2018) we featured Tyndale author Chris Fabry in our Tuesday Treasures spot. Today, Chris is providing us with an interview and talking about his newest release, so please welcome him back.....

You visited the set of Overcomer when it was being filmed. What did you take away from that experience?

A: I was amazed at the complexity of all the moving parts. I was also struck by the commitment the Kendricks and their team have to tell the story they’re given and not deviate. Their commitment to prayer on set was heartening and rich.

·       Can you tell us a little bit about the story line, without giving too much away?

A: The film focuses on a fifteen-year-old girl, Hannah Scott. She’s been through a lot of loss in her life and struggles with her identity, which is universal. As you watch her grapple with what life throws at her, you will be encouraged to run your own race. Her coach also has a big part in the film and novel because he’s struggling with some of the same questions.

·         This story suggests that we often let others, our culture, or the roles we play define us. What do you hope this story does inside readers?

A: First, I hope it captivates readers as simply a good story. I want you to turn the pages to see what will happen next. I was able to develop some of the story lines a little further and show a little more than the film can show in two hours. So my desire is for a satisfying read that takes you deeper into your own heart. Then, when you see the film, I hope you’ll be amazed at how the two versions of the story come together.

·         Is discovering our identity in Christ something you can do “mentally”? How do you get the knowledge to transform the way you live?

A: There is a sense that you can “know” this and not experience it. In other words, there are plenty of Christians who get this in the head but not the heart. It’s our hope that this story will bridge the gap between head and heart. Transformation doesn’t come with knowing facts. It comes when you participate with God in the change he is making on the inside. That’s always a painful process but a good one.

·         This book suggests that surrendering our lives to God is the only way to discover the life we were meant to live. Comment on that principle.

A: I once knew an old missionary to India who told me, “Your greatest mission in life is submission.” The best thing we can do with our lives is to fully surrender to God’s work. For those of us who like to control things (me being chief controller), this is a scary, vulnerable thing to do. But we find real, abundant life when we get to the point where we’re willing to allow God to do whatever he wants to do in and through us.

·         What do we risk when we surrender control and place our future in God’s hands? What do we gain?

A: Surrender is a huge risk because we lose control. We lose the ability to write our own story. But when you take that step of faith—and another and another—you begin the journey of entering the Bigger Story, the Larger Story of what God is doing in you and in the world. Look at the disciples before they fully entered that story and after they entered it. You’ll never reach your full potential until you submit to God’s working in your life.

·         This is your second novelization of a Kendrick brothers’ movie. What is your process for writing a movie novelization?

A: I love the fact that the Kendricks have drawn the boundary lines and have made all the hard choices. I call it the fence line—they’ve put up the barbed wire and I get to play in the pasture. I read the script, I watch the rough cut of the film about a thousand times, I ask questions about what’s on Hannah’s wall, for example. Why does she choose those images to put above her bed? Why does she wear that shirt on her first day of school? So I get to do things with words and answer questions that you can’t do in a film because of the limitations on-screen.

·         Are there similarities between this story and War Room?

A: Yes. I could almost feel Miss Clara praying for this little girl. And there’s a sense of an unseen hand at work behind the scenes. Things come together in a way that can’t be explained other than the work of God in hearts and lives.

·         What do you enjoy about this process?

A: I love the sense of exploring characters and their hearts. To me, these are real people. I like to put myself in the place of a coach who has defined himself by wins and losses. I like to run with Hannah and hear the struggle she has with asthma. And I enjoyed getting to know Hannah’s grandmother, Barbara. She’s a difficult character in the film, but in the book you learn some of the backstory of why she acts the way she acts. I just love that process.

·         What is challenging about this process?

A: The most challenging thing about writing someone else’s idea is that I have to stay consistent with something someone else invented. It’s easy for me to go in some direction or add some motivation that isn’t necessarily on target with the vision of the Kendricks. So I lean on Alex mostly to rein me in and keep me in the pasture.

·         What character will we learn more about in the book than we see in the movie?

A: Hannah’s grandmother, Barbara, has a tough, crusty exterior. And in the film you see a lot of her fear and how that motivates her life. Of course, you want to see her change by the end of the story, but we know that doesn’t always happen. So I found it challenging to tell more about what’s going on inside Barbara in the novel.

·         Who is your favorite character in this story and why?

A: How do you not answer with Hannah? She’s just so relatable and real to me. But I have to say that Thomas captured my heart. When you see the depth of his struggle, the guilt he has lived with, the way God has taken hold of him—but that he is still growing in grace when we meet him—his face, his heart all comes through so strongly.

·         How did you relate to this story personally?

A: I aspire to have my identity come from what God has done for me in Christ. In reality, I struggle with the same thing these characters are struggling with. Do I gauge my worth by my performance? Do I gauge my acceptability with God by some external thing, or do I really believe God accepts me as I am and that he sees the righteousness of Christ in me? Do I strive or rest? Those are questions that are huge in my life and I think will make a difference for anyone who reads or sees this story.

·         What goes on behind the scenes regarding the film and novelization process that you’d like people to know?

A: I wish you could see the e-mails that go back and forth. We get into such minute detail in some cases. Alex has the freedom to say, “I didn’t like this chapter.” And then I probe and find out how I missed the mark. It’s such a collaborative effort, but at the same time I feel a freedom to go certain directions that we might not eventually use. I have freedom to fail, which is important in any creative endeavor.

Chris Fabry is an award-winning author and radio personality who hosts the daily program Chris Fabry Live on Moody Radio. He is also heard on Love Worth Finding, Building Relationships with Dr. Gary Chapman, and other radio programs. A 1982 graduate of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism at Marshall University and a native of West Virginia, Chris and his wife, Andrea, now live in Arizona and are the parents of nine children.

Chris’s novels, which include Dogwood, June Bug, Almost Heaven, and The Promise of Jesse Woods, have won five Christy Awards, an ECPA Christian Book Award, and two Awards of Merit from Christianity Today. He was inducted into the Christy Award Hall of Fame in 2018. His eightieth published book, Under a Cloudless Sky, is a novel set in the coalfields of his home state of West Virginia. His books include movie novelizations, like the bestseller War Room; nonfiction; and novels for children and young adults. He coauthored the Left Behind: The Kids series with Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, as well as the Red Rock Mysteries and the Wormling series with Jerry B. Jenkins. Visit his website at www.chrisfabry.com.

Overcomer by Chris Fabry can be purchased from Tyndale by clicking on the link and at Amazon in Print and for Kindle also in Audio, Hardcover and on CD

Hope you enjoyed today's post friends and that you'll check back weekly for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight!

Until next time take care and God bless.

PamT

#WednesdayWordswithFriends welcomes Chris Fabry & A Piece of the Moon

Good Morning from Nacogdoches, TX!

Yep, I'm here house/dog/duck sitting while my son is in FL with his dance and cheer teams for National competition. It's been an eventful couple of days. Two of my friends came to do some writing and my grandson is here also while on Spring Break from school. I've picked up a WIP that I started writing last year during a writer's retreat here in Nac. Hopefully you'll have another book by year's end. We'll see, but enough about me!

Our guest today has shared Treasures and Words with us before so please welcome Mr. Fabry back with some information on his latest book, A Piece of the Moon....

1. Is there anything in our culture today that inspired this story and its themes?

The original catalyst was the story of Forrest Fenn, who hid a fortune somewhere in the Rocky Mountains and gave clues to its whereabouts in a poem. He said the reason he did that was to make people go out and enjoy nature. I took that idea and wondered what would happen if a quirky, rich fellow hid a fortune with the desire to encourage people to read the Bible. That prospect engaged me as a fiction writer.

2. This story takes place in Emmaus, West Virginia. What inspired this setting for your novel?

I find my writing becomes more vivid when I set it in my home state of West Virginia, and I chose the fictional town of Emmaus since it has such rich, biblical meaning. The real treasure in West Virginia is its people, who often are caricatured and marginalized as “simpletons.” But the people I write about are complex people with lots of hurt and pain and struggle as well as grit and determination. I love writing about this area and the people who are part of me, even though I live a “fur piece” from there now.

3. In this story, the main characters come together in search of a treasure. Without giving too much away, can you give us a sense of what they are searching for?

Treasure is the right word. The man who hid it, Gideon Quidley, has never revealed exactly what is inside the treasure chest (which is a replica of the Ark of the Covenant). But conjecture runs wild up and down hollers. What would people do with a million dollars or more? How would that change their lives?

4. What key lessons or themes permeate this story?

One of the biggest themes is the “second chance.” The little radio station in town, Country 16, is populated with people who have been given another chance by the manager, Waite Evers. Waite is a kindly soul who has his own hurts and struggles, so he knows the value of a second chance. There’s also a theme of forgiveness and the power of that act in your own life as well as the lives of others. Of course, there’s a love story in town and I follow that trail with a person who doesn’t believe she’s worthy of love.

5. Who is your favorite character in this story and why?

Her name is Pidge Bledsoe. Pidge is her nickname because years earlier she adopted a wounded pigeon that hit a guy wire at the radio station and she brought the bird into the office at the junkyard where she works and lives. Pidge has had so many obstacles in life and little hope of finding lasting love. Because of her good heart, she’s also taken responsibility for her nephew. I love Pidge’s outlook on life and how it changes throughout the story.

6. What character was the most fun to write?

Gideon Quidley was the most fun because he’s a brilliant guy. He grew up in the hills and made his way to help in the space program. When he came to faith, he went whole hog. So I wed the brilliance of his mind with the faith of a child and I think readers will enjoy the outcome.

7. What character was the most challenging to write?

Antagonists/villains are always most difficult for me because it’s easy to paint an opposing force as only evil and not well-rounded. In this story, the character who opposes the treasure hunt is someone who believes he’s really the hero and is doing everyone a favor.

8. Did the story unfold in any way that surprised you?

Every story I write catches me off guard. With A Piece of the Moon, I began writing about Gideon and his desire to do something good and I knew the people at Country 16 would play a pivotal role in the unfolding. I didn’t know the depth of the backstories of those people, so as it came to me, I realized some of the complexities of the lives they led and the hurts they had experienced. Rick Bragg said the best stories are about people in trouble. And I was surprised by all the trouble these people had encountered. I’m hoping readers will see some of their own troubles represented in the story.

9. Could you relate to this story? How so?

I was surprised at how much I wrote about my own heart. One theme I didn’t mention is that struggle is a sign of life, not failure. So the struggle in this little town and at the little radio station is what propels people into real life. And I’ve seen that at work in my own heart through the years. I equate things going “smoothly” and “well” as success. But most of the really good things that have happened have come through a wilderness journey at some point. So I think anyone who reads it will find the same concept at work in their own lives.

10. How do you hope this story will resonate with your readers?

First, I hope it will draw you in and make you laugh at the faults and foibles in Emmaus. I also hope it grabs you so deep in the heart that you will shed a tear at some of the real struggles you encounter. But mostly I think the takeaway I received is that faith is allowing God to be who he is and letting him work in our lives at his own pace rather than making him conform to my idea of how he should act. Real faith in God hangs on to him in the flood instead of taking us out of the deep water. And then we’ll see that we weren’t really hanging on as tightly as he was hanging on to us.

Chris Fabry is an award-winning author and radio personality who hosts the daily program Chris Fabry Live on Moody Radio. A graduate of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism at Marshall University and a native of West Virginia, Chris and his wife, Andrea, now live in Arizona and are the parents of nine children

MY REVIEW.....

A Piece of the Moon grabbed me from the beginning and didn't turn loose until the conundrum of Gideon Quidley's hidden treasure was resolved. Endearing characters, interesting plotline, mystery and intrigue blend together in a story that is sure to satisfy the most eclectic reader. I give Mr. Fabry 4 stars for this wonderful and entertaining read.

Hope you enjoyed today's post, friends and that you'll check back each week for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.

Until next time, take care and God bless.

PamT

#WednesdayWordswithFriends Welcomes Christ Fabry!

Good Morning Friends,

Last month Chris shared with us his book, Lifemark. Today we're getting a peek behind the scenes of this incredible story. I'm not sure if Chris can join us, as last month his mother wasn't doing well, so PLEASE say a prayer for him and his family as you read this post.

1. Without giving too much away, can you tell us a little bit about the storyline of Lifemark? 

A crisis pregnancy leads to a difficult decision by the birth mother. Years later the son she placed for adoption wants to know his birth mother—but there are complications. The story goes into all those complications and shows the results. 

2. What intrigued you most about this story when you first heard about it? 

I was arrested by the courage of the birth mother to choose life in the midst of a hard situation. 

3. What do you hope happens with this story? 

I hope the film and book cause someone to choose life. I think this is the only book I’ve ever written where I feel like words on a page might save a life.

4. What is the writing process of taking a Kendrick Brothers movie and creating a novel?

I use a farm analogy to answer that. The Kendricks put in all the fence line and I get to play in the pasture. I know the plot points and all of the hard decisions have been made. All I have to do is ask good questions to go deeper into the people who populate the story. 

5. Is it easier or more difficult to write a novel based on a movie?

Nothing is easy about writing. But having the main storyline and characters fleshed out is a luxury to me. My other novels are built totally from my own imagination. I think that’s harder, but there are struggles with both.

6. What creative liberties did you take with the novelization as compared to the movie storyline? 

I wouldn’t call them liberties because the Kendricks have full veto power over anything I come up with. You’re not going to find space aliens parachuting into the story or things like that. What I try to do is go further into the motivation of the characters and mine what’s going on inside. You can’t do that with a film the way you can with a novel.

7. Talk about some of the major themes of the story and how they impacted you personally. 

Forgiveness and receiving forgiveness is a big part of the story that will connect with readers. I find that many people believe God will forgive others but can’t forgive them. I loved the theme of trust in the face of doubt. The adoptive parents have been through the wringer with a lot of loss, so giving hope one more chance made a huge difference in the story. Then there’s the theme of letting go of outcomes. So much of life is about achieving a desired outcome, but there are some things where you do all you can, you pray hard, and then you simply leave them in God’s hands.

8. Why does our world today need to hear the message of Lifemark? 

The devaluing of life in our culture has had tragic consequences. I’m hoping this story will open hearts to the miracle of life and foster a wider conversation about the value of every life.

9. How do the characters in the novel go against current culture? 

The birth mother weighs her options and chooses the harder route instead of the easier one. The adoptive parents choose to move toward adoption, even in the midst of some pain in their past. Most people in our culture choose what’s easiest. 

10. Which character was your favorite to develop? 

David’s best friend is Nate. He has such a quirky personality in the film and I tried to bring that onto the page. In the novel, you get to see Nate and David in elementary school. You also see Nate’s sister, who has a difficult backstory. I think viewers of the film will enjoy the extra scenes with Nate.

11. What role does faith play in this novel? 

Faith in God and his ability flies like a drone over the whole story. The scene where the birth mother is holding her newborn son, knowing she will have to release him soon, is gut-wrenching, but the prayer she prays is so genuine. All of the characters grapple with the big questions of life. 

12. The film is based on a true story. Did that help as you fleshed out the novel? 

It did. We were privileged to have real people who lived this story as a pattern to work from. At the same time, it’s not a documentary, so we added elements that provided dramatic moments but didn’t do violence to the arc of the true story. Having them give input was invaluable to make this a realistic portrayal.

Chris Fabry is an award-winning author and radio personality who hosts the daily program Chris Fabry Live on Moody Radio. He is also heard on Love Worth Finding, Building Relationships with Dr. Gary Chapman, and other radio programs. In 2020, he was inducted into the Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications Hall of Fame. A native of West Virginia, Chris and his wife, Andrea, now live in Arizona and are the parents of nine children.

Chris's novels, which include Dogwood, June Bug, Almost Heaven, and The Promise of Jesse Woods, have won five Christy Awards, an ECPA Christian Book Award, and two Awards of Merit from Christianity Today. He was inducted into the Christy Award Hall of Fame in 2018. His books include movie novelizations, such as War Room and Overcomer, and novels for children and young adults. He coauthored the Left Behind: The Kids series with Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, as well as the Red Rock Mysteries and the Wormling series with Jerry B. Jenkins. He encourages those who dream of writing with his website heyyoucanwrite.com. Find out more about his books at chrisfabry.com.

Get your copy of Lifemark at Amazon or ChristianBook(dot)com. Check out the movie and check out Chris's previous visits to our blog HERE.

THANKS for sharing with us Chris! 

Hope to see you again this (and every) week, Friends for Saturday Spotlight and Wednesday Words with Friends.

Until next time, take care and God bless.

PamT