Spreading Some Mercy {Free Softcover Opportunity}

Hello, dear readers! I'm breaking my usual First-Fridays schedule because I have a delightful opportunity for you that I wanted to tell you about. :-)

I'm preparing to redesign the cover for my first published novel, The House of Mercy, so that the softcover and the e-book will "match." I've been gathering ideas for this on a secret Pinterest board for a while now, and I'm really looking forward to how it all comes together. :-)

BUT

I still have a few copies of the softcover with the "old" cover design on it. I'd love for those who haven't had the opportunity to read this book and could benefit from a glimpse of the mercy of Christ to have these final first-edition copies.

And that's where you come in, friends.

If you can give me your word that you will carefully distribute or give away the number of books you request, I would love to send them to you, absolutely cost-free! Yes, I really mean that. :-) I will pay for the cost of shipping AND I will absorb the cost of the books IF you distribute them to people who might benefit from them. That is, after all, the main reason I write: to bring the love of Christ to more people and to bring believers to a deeper experience of His love for them.

Where could you distribute them? Whom could you give them to?

• Your church library
• A friend who likes non-traditional Christian fiction
• A neighborhood free-book-library (a.k.a. community book exchanges, "little free libraries")
• Your local library - Just ask if they would like to incorporate the book into their collection

So now you might be asking, "I'd like to do that! How do I get one (or more) copies?"
Just e-mail me at: aliciagraceroque@gmail.com -- or use the contact box on the sidebar of this blog. Let me know how many copies you would like and where I should send them. They will arrive via media mail within a couple of weeks. That's it! :-)

My supply is limited to what I have left on hand, so if you would like to participate in this, please get in touch with me asap. Due to shipping costs, I'm able to ship within the continental U.S. only. :-)

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Grace and peace,
Alicia

*** Update 3/7/16: All the copies have been taken! Thank for your help in distributing these, friends! :-) ***

Looking Ahead + Elisha Press Giveaway Winner

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Looking Ahead...

I've been busy as a proverbial bee this week, so there is very little in the way of a blog post for you, my friends! :-) However, I thought you might like to see this pic that reminded me so very much of Lady Tarian ... Looking forward to writing the sequel to The House of Mercy perhaps this late fall/winter, Lord willing. And Lady Tarian seems to insist on playing a large role in that sequel, which some of you will be most happy to hear. :-) Meanwhile, I'm pinning away {different from "pining" away - see the difference a letter makes?} - this is one of my "pins" - and I would LOVE to have you follow along: click here.

I'm delighting in some of the boards I'm currently following - the picture of Lady Tarian comes courtesy of fellow author-friend Rachel Rossano's fascinating boards.

Meanwhile, we have the Elisha Press giveaway winner to announce!

With over 200 raffle entries, the winner is...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please look for an e-mail from me soon, Kris!

Happy Independence Day!

May you have a blessed week.

What's In a Name? Part 2: The Major Female Protagonists

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Wow! It's been a busy week here writing! Lord willing, by tonight or tomorrow, I should be halfway through the first draft (which is always the tough part for me) of the current novel I'm working on. I must keep the storyline under wraps for now... but hints will be coming soon, I believe! Please continue to keep my writing in your prayers, dear reader! I am truly grateful for you lifting me up before our Father.


As promised, here is part two of this post series on the meanings of the names in The House of Mercy. The female characters seemed more difficult to name for a very simple reason: there were fewer female than male names in post-Roman Britain. Add to that this problem, too: Many female names are variations of one single root name, which normally isn't a problem in "real life." (For example, my own name, Alicia, is a variation of "Alice.") But when I'm trying to ensure that you, the reader, keeps all your characters straight in the story, I have to name the characters in a way that distinguishes them one from another fairly distinctly!

So, let's dig into the what, how, and why of naming the female protagonists in The House of Mercy.

 

Bethan

Of course, I have to start with Bethan. You know, the novel originally revolved completely around her story; that was in the first draft, which was written in a journal-style many moons ago. ;-) Here is the shocking tidbit: I did not name her Bethan until the almost-final draft. And yet, now, I can't imagine her with another name and have to think a bit before remembering what her other names (there were several) were. Bethan is a mainly-Welsh form of the Hebrew name Elizabeth, meaning, "God has promised.'' (It's pronounced BEH-than.) In The House of Mercy, Bethan comes to understand her God's integrity and His trustworthiness to care for her, and to rely on Him alone.

Tarian

Another Welsh name, Tarian means, "shield." I chose her name because of the connotation its meaning had for me, rather than the denotation. Her character reminds me of Tolkien's Shield-Maiden of Rohan - spirited, somewhat willful, sensitive, and frightened that she will be "locked in a cage" (as Eowyn says) by her own choices and those of others in control of her. Yet, the Lord Christ displays that He is her shield and her exceedingly great reward (see Genesis 15:1). By the way, Tarian walked into storyline herself; I didn't expect her, but I did find her intriguing! (There is more to her story, as well, I think...)

Aine

Pronounced EN-ya (a relief for those of you who have been pronouncing it to rhyme with "pain!"), the name Aine finds its root in the Irish goddess of prosperity, summer, and sovereignty. The meaning given differs depending on the source, from "white," to "lucky," to "splendor," and "desire." In The House of Mercy, Aine longs (or "desires") to be filled with happiness, romantic love, and security, as well as to rule her own destiny (much like a goddess). Yet, she finds that all her self-directing ways of fulfilling these desires end in heartache. Aine lays herself down at the foot of the mercy seat and is filled with Christ, made white by His blood, and becomes blessed indeed.


If you missed the first part of this series on the meanings of names in The House of Mercy, you can find that here. Next, we'll be tackling THE VILLAINS! :-) I love the villains ...

 

A question for you, dear reader: Did you have a favorite character is The House of Mercy? If so, what about that character made him/her your favorite?

What's in a Name? Part 1: The Major Male Protagonists

When someone I know is expecting a baby, one of the first things I want to know is: What's his or her name? (Besides whether "it" is a he or a she, of course!) Then, once I work the information out of the expectant parents-to-be, I usually will look that name right up on an online name finder so that I know what it means. Why? I suppose some of my love of the meanings of names comes from reading Scripture, in which a person's name is so closely linked to what is expected of them, where they came from, or what they're known for.

Take, for example, Nabal. His wife says of him, "He's called Nabal, and he is a fool." Or Peter, upon whose testimony the Lord built the Church. Or - in an interesting twist - Jabez. (Nope, I've never read the book about him, so I can't tell you if that's good or not.) He was named Jabez, meaning, "He will cause trouble." And it seems that his life would have followed that course, had he not cried out to God, asking that he not cause trouble, that he not fulfill the meaning of his name. And God granted his request.

So, in that tradition, when I write, I try to choose carefully the names I give to the characters. The names have to include some meaning for that character's life or personality or what the Lord is going to do through/in them. The names also have to be time-period correct. In The House of Mercy, I didn't include a glossary of the characters' names, but some readers have asked about them. For those of you who are curious about why I chose the names I did and what they mean, here you go, the first in a three- or four-part series! (Just the major male protagonists this week ... The villains and the ladies come next!)

Deoradhan

Gaelic for "wanderer, exile," this young man is not only a physical exile from his kingdom of Lothian, but he is also an emotional exile (from his foster-father, King Arthur) and a spiritual wanderer. Appropriately, he receives his true name...

Padriug

A Scottish form of Patrick, this originally-Latin-based name means, "nobleman." In other words, he now has his inheritance as a son of the Living God. He has reconciled with his earthly family as well. Interestingly, this is the only character - I think! - whose name never really changed from draft to draft (though, in the first and second drafts, he was Patrick, rather than Padruig).

Calum

I changed this poor character's name about four times before settling on it! The character changed so drastically as I wrote the drafts that the name change became necessary. A Scottish form of the Latin name Columba, Calum means, simply, "dove." And that was Calum's destiny, wasn't it, to be at peace at last. And also, to know that the hand of God (think of the Holy Spirit descending) rested upon him yet.

Solas

Bearing a Scottish name meaning "solace, peace," Solas became a balm of healing for his mother, Seonaid in the aftermath of Dunpeledyr's siege. Weylin had torn her first son, Padriug, from her; Solas became an atonement for Padriug and a symbol of the peace Seonaid found in Christ.

So I've a question for you:  Do you know the meaning of your name? If so, has knowing it shaped you/influenced you in any way? 

UP NEXT: What's in a Name? Part 2 - The Major Female Protagonists