To Carry Her Cross

The Rocky Mountains of Colorado hold age-old mysteries. 

Some people want to uncover them. 

Some hope the mountain holds their secret forever.




To Carry Her Cross



We all have our Crosses to Bear. Willow Creek, Colorado is a town built on the dreams of gold and secrets. Whose life will change forever if their secret Cross is ever revealed?

Dr. Harrison Caldwell -- who hopes the mountains will shelter him enough his past won't find him?

Mitchell Grover -- who hopes to win the mountain for the Lord, and might, if the townspeople would let him live down his past? 

Esther Warren -- who wants to be a doctor but can't forget the blood on her hands? 

Crazy Joe -- a solitary figure who goes about his business, helping others like a finely tuned clock, only now someone is interested in the secret the old man of the mountains is hiding? 

Cordelia Mason -- the town madam who knows many secrets, but her dream just might put her out of business?


To Carry Her Cross

EXCERPT 

The corridors closed like arbors of pitch around him. Snakes of black mist slithered along tar walls, melding until but a glimpse of their silken, lucid skin remained, but Harrison's small torch acted as a dismal beacon to their whereabouts. Real or perceived, his senses, riotous, confused, felt them. The fine hairs on his arms and neck alerted him before the light trapped the sinuous apparitions on the wall.

A wiser man wouldn't have taken the tunnel. Wiser, he wasn't. No, only a poor, stupid coward, running from his fears, from the snakes. He went into the tunnel without thought, plan, or a proper torch. The material on the stick flickered, nearly died, reminding Harrison of the latter. When it sputtered to new life, he nearly yelped for joy.

Joy was premature. He still needed to find his way out.

Flecks of light danced on the corridor walls in the distance, hastening his steps.

Near exhaustion and madness, Harrison glimpsed daylight far along the path. He stumbled toward its effervescence. Toward freedom. Unfortunately, freedom did not await him in the sunlight. Warm rays did not caress his skin, only the coarse binding of a noose. The taut, cruel hands of death.

He opened his eyes to face it.

"N-o-o-o." Harrison flailed against death. But Death's fingers wound about his neck, strong, unrelenting. No matter how hard he fought, they clutched harder, draining him of life. He fought for one last gasp and succumbed to its awesome power. 

Unsure of his surroundings, or why his body felt detached from his head, Harrison followed the path of his mind and landed back in Topeka, Kansas. With someone he'd hoped to forget. Was this a dream, or reality? It felt real enough. 


To Carry Her Cross

Tanya Eavenson -- Unconditional

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tanya Eavenson and her husband have been in the ministry for fifteen years teaching youth and adults. Tanya enjoys spending time with her husband, and their three children. Her favorite pastime is grabbing a cup of coffee and reading a good book. Tanya is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and writes for Christ to the World Ministries sharing the Gospel around the world. You can find her on Twitter at @Tan_eave and contact her at her website www.tanyaeavenson.com  Want to learn more about writing? Stop by her blog http://guidedgirls.blogspot.com

Thanks for having me on your blog, Tina!

My debut novel Unconditional is dear to my heart because God placed it there. Statistics show Christian and non-Christian marriages are failing at the same rate. I believe in marriage there needs to be an unconditional love as God shows and displays in our lives. He also tells us to love our enemies as ourselves, so what is that saying for our marriages today? We need to show a love that isn’t possible from us alone, but a love that comes from God who ordained marriage to last.

I wholeheartedly believe that if we fight for our marriages and follow after Christ, He will be the One to grow in us an unconditional love for our spouses.

I grew up in a family were divorce is common, like most people today, with the idea once you “fall” out of love, and you can’t get along  anymore, it’s time to get a divorce. It was almost engraved in me witnessing everyone in my family get divorced one time or many times. I, too, almost went down that route with divorce papers in hand. I told myself many things at the time, but the truth. I was focused on our failures, not the hope that with God, all things are possible. The question was, were we willing to save our marriage at all costs? Would we fight for each other, whether we felt like it or not?

The story opens in a situation some married couples might find themselves in, losing a child, being in a loveless marriage, hurt by feelings of abandonment, adultery. To fight for the marriage at any cost or give up. In my story, as in real life, there is a choice. 

Here is the blurb and the intro to Unconditional. I hope if you purchase this novel it will speak to your heart, or maybe to someone you know.

He will fight for her at any cost…

Elizabeth Roberts can't remember her past, and the present is too painful. She turns to nightclubs and drinking to forget her infant daughter's death, her husband's affair.

When his wife's coma wiped out the memory of their marriage, Chris Roberts found comfort elsewhere. He can't erase his betrayal, but with God's help he’s determined to fight for Elizabeth at any cost. 

She wants to forget. He wants to save his marriage. Can they trust God with their future and find a love that’s unconditional?

Chapter One

Elizabeth pushed herself up from the bed. Her gaze swept the dark room and fixed on the hall nightlight. Her hand grazed over her husband’s shoulder when a thought gripped her. Katherine. The baby monitor stood silent. Darkness shrouded the red and green lights that indicated movement.

Her chest tightened. She hurled the covers away and leapt to the floor. Panic made her clumsy as she rushed to her daughter’s room. She lunged over the crib. No sound. No movement. Not even a stirring of air from her tiny nostrils.

“Katherine!” Elizabeth snatched her daughter from the mattress. The infant drew a heavy breath as her eyes flung wide open.

Lord, what’s happening?

Elizabeth’s bare feet pounded the cold tile as she ran back to her husband. “Chris, wake up! Katherine quit breathing again!”

Chris rubbed his eyes and scowled. “What is it?”

“We need to take Katherine to the hospital. She stopped breathing.”

He studied their child. “She seems to be breathing now. Are you sure?”

“Of course, I’m sure.”

“She’s fine.” Chris fell back against the pillow.

“Please—”

“We don’t have the money to take her to the hospital when there’s nothing wrong with her.”

“But there is. She stopped breathing.”

He sat back up. “You’ve been worried about her since before she was born. You’re all worked up because she hasn’t rolled over yet. The doctor said that’s normal for being early.”

She’s called a preemie. She glared into his eyes. “If you were home more often you’d know she’s not fine.”

“I’m home, Elizabeth, and she’s fine.”

Heat flushed her cheeks as tears filled her eyes. “I’m scared. Can’t you see that? I need you to pray for our daughter. I need you to hold me and tell me everything will be all right.”

“Look, she’s sleeping.” His voice softened as his hand ran down her thigh. “Come to bed.”

“How can you care so little? I’m worried about our baby.”

Chris’s hand dropped to the sheets. “Shut the door when you leave.” He turned away from her.

Elizabeth stood for a moment unable to speak. With their baby in her arms, she slowly closed the door behind her and sank her teeth into her lip to keep from crying. If tears came, it would be for her daughter, not for the stranger in her bed.

Hope you enjoyed the excerpt. Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Unconditional.

Endorsements:

"Unconditional is a powerfully-gripping story of deep heartache laced with fears, yet even through the sorrow, Tanya Eavenson reminds us that nothing can separate us from God's love."

 ~ Alice J. Wisler, author of "Still Life in Shadows" and other novels

"Not your typical amnesia story, Unconditional tells a tale of loss, betrayal, and forgiveness. Eavenson drags her characters through the fire, then reveals God’s power through their broken lives. The writing is stellar; the emotion, raw and palpable; the cast, impeccably crafted. This author is one to be watched!"

~ April W Gardner, award-winning author

"Unconditional explores the struggles that married couples sometimes experience, and the decisions they must make after going through difficult circumstances. A powerful story of hope and healing."

~ Laura V. Hilton, Healing Love (Whitaker House)

"Unconditional is a beautiful story of God's never-ending love. Throughout its pages, Tanya Eavenson evokes a myriad of emotions in her readers, from deep despair to heartfelt praise. The characters gripped my heart, showing me the reality of man's sin but also the depth of God's grace. Unconditional is a well-written, heart-stirring novel written by a talented new author."

~ Jennifer Slattery, Novel Reviews

Unconditional is available to purchase for $2.99

http://www.amazon.com/Unconditional-ebook/dp/B00AZL8F5G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1357883999&sr=1-1&keywords=tanya+Eavenson+Unconditional

@http://www.astraeapress.com/#!/~/product/id=17092226

Hope... and a Happy New Year

Hope...

Hope is the eternal dream. The essence that gives one the courage to face life knowing that in every endeavor, win or fail, one can try again and maybe, succeed.

Hope is the tender desire of first love. It's the gentle wedding kiss, sealing a promise. 
Hopefully, forever.

Hope is the glistening tear in a mother's eye at the stirring of new life in her womb.

Hope is a parent's prayer. A sincere longing for the wisdom to raise the precious child 
they've been given.

Hope is the soothing miracle that all things change; Ugly ducklings can become graceful swans. Tadpoles lose their tails and become bullfrogs. And fuzzy caterpillars, turn into elegant butterflies and glide on the wind.

It's the calming assurance that the harshest winters turn to spring. And the darkest night is followed by the dawn.

Hope is the knowledge that though life's path may be hard at times,

there are always smooth spots and shady places, where weary traveler's can rest 
and renew their strength.

Hope is the unshakeable belief that you're never alone.

There is a God and he loves and cares for even when you feel unworthy,

too unlovely to be loved.

Hope is the assurance that the pages of life turn, and when your book comes to a end your story can be written in Eternity.

Each word spelled out with love by the One who tells your story. 
Who gave his life so you'd have a story to tell.

Hope is life.

Without hope, dreams couldn't be dreamed. Lover's couldn't love, and there were be no pot of gold at the end of rainbow.

How does one seek the gold when they can't see the rainbow?

I hope you see the One who brings hope and life, the one that creates the rainbows. 

the One who created you.

My hope is that your year is filled with everything this Hope can bring and that you will taste His Blessings and share in His hopes and dreams for you.

Happy New Year.

But these three remain, Faith, Hope and Love. And the Greatest of these is Love.     I Corinthians 13:13