Illuminating Gracie Blog Tour & Guest Post
Illuminating Gracie by Lisa C. Temple As an old woman's lifeless body lies on a cold stone floor, her soul stands before an angel who offers her a miraculous opportunity: the chance to do it all again. But that is easier said than done. In order to change the path her life has taken, she must put aside years of self-loathing and pain, so she can help the young girl she once was become the woman she should have been. At 17 years old, Grace Bennett is a bitter young woman. Though blessed with a loving family, looks and brains to spare, she hides her light under a bushel, spending most of her time in the darkness of her mind with little more than sarcasm and self-pity to keep her company. But things are about to change for Grace. While delivering food for her family's bed and breakfast, she turns onto a desolate dirt road and drives straight into her destiny. It's on this isolated country lane that the damaged girl meets a strangely familiar old couple and two mysterious young men. Together the group fights the demons that surround Grace, and they teach her what it means to let her light shine. "Illuminating Gracie" is, at once, a metaphorical tale of the fight between good and evil and a spiritual saga of one girl's journey from darkness into the light. If you liked "Twilight" and "The Hunger Games," you will love the story of Gracie.
Guest Post by Author Lisa C. Temple of Illuminating Gracie!
It had never been a big dream of mine to write “The Great American Novel.” Though my gift for gab translated fairly well to the written word, I had never been particularly taken with the idea of creating a piece of literature. Not even as an angst-filled teen did I pen a poem to reflect a dark and introspective mood. My writing had been more “as needed:” to fill out a job application, help my son with his college essays or pass the Alabama State Bar Exam.
All that changed for me several years ago when, quite unexpectedly, I sat down and began writing the story that would become my first novel,Illuminating Gracie. My motivation for writing the book was two-fold: to offer young women an alternative to the “booze, sex and rock n’ roll” literature popular at the time, and to, if only metaphorically, right the wrongs of my own past. I was watching my father fade away (he was eventually diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) and he died in January of this year) and I was struggling with the guilt that came along with a seriously misspent youth. Illuminating Gracie was in many ways an apology to my parents for my youthful indiscretions.
When I first began writing Illuminating Gracie, it was not meant for anyone to read – except for maybe my mother and father. After all, what good is an apology that never gets extended? No one was more surprised than I when my little story began to shape up into a book worth reading – worth publishing.
At 52 years old, I suddenly have a whole new life and I can’t help but feel like this is in some way my father’s final gift to me. Had I not been so wrecked over his illness I would have never picked up a pen and begun writing. There certainly never would have been an Illuminating Gracie. In the book the main character, Gracie Bennett, learns to let her light shine. I suppose after all these years, thats what I'm learning to do, as well, because I've finally found what makes me happy - writing. The 2nd book in the series, Instigating Gracie, is due out in early 2014.
Lisa C. Temple
Author Lisa C. Temple On thirty-nine Senior scrolls, the Headmaster of author, Lisa C. Temple's, small, private school wrote "Good Luck and best wishes for a prosperous future!" On the fortieth and final scroll, which was Temple's, the Headmaster penned the words, "Lisa, I can't wait to see to what use you put your unusual talents!" Temple spent the next 30 years trying to assuage her former leader's curiosity - and her own. She sold BMWs in her hometown of Montgomery, Alabama, and hillbillies (as a booking agent) in Nashville, Tennessee. In an effort to escape the enforced servitude of the Junior League, she even attended and was graduated from law school and passed the Alabama State Bar exam in 2002. Through it all, she battled problems and illnesses, many of her own making. But, it wasn't until her father - her hero - was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS), that Temple found her true calling - the "talent" that she finds joy in putting to use. "Illuminating Gracie," is loosely autobiographical and born from a desire to, if only, metaphorically right the wrongs of Temple's own past. It tells the story of a miserable old woman who is given the opportunity - by an angel - to go back in time and help the young girl she once was become the woman she should have been. "Illuminating Gracie," is the first book in a four-book series. The second book, "Instigating Gracie," is due for release in December 2013. Temple laughs when saying she has a loving and complicated husband she deserves, and a wonderful son and two loving stepchildren that she does not. She also shares her life with her beloved pets: Pomeranian, Phebe; Bordernese, Flash; and Tabby cat, MInx.
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