This week, they were kind enough to feature Penelope Grace and the Winter Carousel, along with several other wonderful stories!
Please check out this week’s edition and grab a copy of Penelope Grace! The link to do so is right in the magazine 😊 And once you click it, explore the Etsy shop for some cute stocking stuffers 🎄
It would mean so much to me if you would check out the list! Some of my very favorite books are featured and it was so fun to share more about why these stories are so important to me.
One thing I want to mention! There is a purchase link for Penelope Grace in the list. If you’d like to buy a copy, click the button that says Direct! The story is only available on Etsy, not on Amazon or Bookshop!
And while you’re there, check out Shepherd’s bookshelf of magical realism!
Thank you to everyone who has bought and reviewed Penelope Grace and the Winter Carousel! I’m so grateful for each of you, and I’m praying that the story encourages you and anyone you share it with!
While you’re exploring the Etsy shop, check out the bookish treasures that would make for some lovely stocking stuffers 🎄
Keep an eye out this week for my review of Harvesting Hope by Lisa Howeler!
Hi everyone! It’s been a little while, but I’m excited to get back to the blog with a little tour of my Christian fantasy novel, Penelope Grace and the Winter Carousel.
Join me?
Penelope Grace and the Winter Carousel is a winter tale told in three parts 🎄❄🕯
Part One: Christmas begins just as the holiday season is starting. I chose to start there for two reasons.
First, my mom loves Christmastime, and the story is inspired by her, after all, so I wanted to fill it with things she loves!
I also chose it because the holidays, which are meant to be so full of light and hope, often feel dark for those who are suffering loss and loneliness.
My family knows the joy and sadness that can come with this time of year, and I wanted to write a story that acknowledges both.
Whatever your holiday season looks like this year, I hope this story inspires and encourages you in the midst of it ❤
“Fighting for Me” by Riley Clemmons is one of the songs that inspired me while I was writing Penelope Grace and the Winter Carousel, especially once I got to Part Two: Winter ❄
Winter is a dark time of year for most and it’s a season that many dread.
But I have seen God show up for me and my family on the darkest of winter nights, radiant in all His power and glory, and I wanted to write a story that celebrated His faithfulness in dark times.
Whether winter is a season you love or one you strive to get through, I hope that Penelope Grace’s adventures through the world of Ellura shed a little warmth and light for you 💙
Part Three: Apricity is so special to me. 🕯 When I was thinking of the three parts of the story, Christmas and Winter came instantly.
But I knew that God was leading me to something a little extra special for the final part of the story.
I Googled words related to winter and God brought me to an article featuring a word that is now obsolete (or was, until I wrote Penelope Grace!)
Apricity means, “the warmth of the sun in winter,” and I knew instantly that this was the title of Part Three. I remember being unable to believe that this word was obsolete. It’s so beautiful!
And when I think about the meaning of it – the warmth of the sun in winter – I think, “What a necessary thing!”
Isn’t the time of year that can feel so dark and hopeless the time when we need the warmth of the sun most? Isn’t that the time of year when we need powerful reminders of God’s radiance and faithfulness?
Isn’t that when we need to remember that the dark and cold, the grief and depression that can grip our hearts at this time of year, aren’t frightening to God at all?
This is why I wanted to bring this word, Apricity, into the story. I wanted this final part to be a fresh reminder for everyone who needs it that God is not overcome by darkness. He obliterates every shred of it and, as if that weren’t remarkable enough, He then gives us the eyes to see the radiance He brings to take darkness’s place.
More than anything, I pray that you get to see that radiance for yourself this winter.
If you’d like a copy of Penelope Grace and the Winter Carousel, it’s available exclusively in my Etsy store!
You can get a regular copy, one that is signed, or bundle a signed copy with a handmade ornament!
You can also check out reviews of the story on Goodreads! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed the book so far! I’m really grateful.
Next week, I’ll be sharing my review of Harvesting Hope by Lisa Howeler!
Do you ever struggle to trust that God is working things out for good?
This morning, I was reading Psalms 57 and 61, and I realized that, lately, my answer to that question has been a resounding, “Yes.” Sounds bad, right? But it’s true. Logically, I know that God is trustworthy, but that knowledge hasn’t necessarily been reflected in my thoughts or actions.
I see photos of people getting married or having children, and discontentment stabs me. I wonder why it hasn’t happened for me.
I get caught up in numbers and likes, and I forget that feeling seen or unseen by people doesn’t define or determine my worth. I forget that God is more than enough.
And God knows all this about me. He knows where my thoughts tend to go. He knows how the enemy attacks me. He knows all the ins and outs of you, too.
He knows us so intimately and cares for us so carefully. I had forgotten that. He used Psalm 61 to remind me.
I call to You as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.”
Psalm 61:2-3
I’ve read those verses before, but they held my attention this morning, more than they ever have before.
They reminded me of how close God is.
Of how trustworthy He is.
Of how, even when I don’t understand His timing or why certain things are happening (or not happening), I can take a deep breath and know He is right there next to me. And that’s enough. That’s all I actually need.
Instead of drowning in doubt, discontentment, or plain, old impatience, I can echo David’s words in Psalm 57.
My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast.”
Psalm 57:7
This is a heart space worthy of staying in, a space where we stop allowing circumstances to diminish or derail us, a space where God comes so, so close, and stays.
God used these verses to light up some dark places in my heart, and I’m confident He will do the same for you. What has He been teaching you lately?
Now, I’m off to brew coffee and befriend some (fictional) dragons.
Sometimes, it takes the words of family and friends to remind us of what wonder truly is.
For Penelope Grace, it’s taken the child-like faith of a beloved uncle, the patience of a wolf led by grace and the Wind, and the fierceness of a bold arctic fox.
When you’ve finished this winter tale of wonder, find the people who remind you of what wonder is and thank them.
They are more precious than we’ll ever know.
Thank you, Penelope Grace/Mom. I am so humbled that I get to be your daughter. Without your devotion to God and your fearless sense of child-like wonder, I wouldn’t have been able to write this story. I love you.
And to everyone who has come along on this winter adventure, thank you so very much. Sharing this story with you means more than I can say. I hope you’ve delighted in it as much as I have!
If you’d like a manuscript edition of Penelope Grace and the Winter Carousel, printed on beautiful paper from The French Paper Co. and bound with waxed thread imported from Northern Ireland, click here.
Through midnight tonight, everyone who purchases a copy will be entered to win an art print of one illustration from the story!
You can also subscribe below to receive digital installments.
Either way, I hope this story fills you with a sense of awe and wonder for our great King.
Living in wonder with you,
Alexandria
Join the Fight for Wonder
Subscribe below to read digital installments of the story. When you subscribe, you will have access to all past installments of Penelope Grace and the Winter Carousel, as well as access to all future digital book releases, as long as you remain a subscriber.
Next week, there will be an announcement for something new from 21:25 Books 🙂 Can you guess what it is?
21:25 Books 