EEK! I am so excited to connect with Julie Hall and for her to share her #LiveChosen thoughts on my little blog. I mean we both write about awesome chicks who kick demon butt. #demonslayers #girlpower
Seriously though, Julie's words are beautiful and encouraging. So grab a cup of coffee or tea and cozy up for a few minutes to really let the truth of this message sink in and then stalk Julie online and buy her book. Pretty please and thank you. :)
PS: Make sure you read all the way through so you don't miss the GIVEAWAY info at the end. ;) (Books and Starbucks are on the line people!)
When I first read about Tabitha’s #LifeChosen mission, I thought, “Oh yes! This! This people! This is the thing!” I looked around, desperate to share this truth with someone else, but . . . I’m a writer. Meaning I work from home with my two trusted writing buddies—Bear and Coco, my furry “babies” who incidentally don’t understand people talk. Bust! But nevertheless, it’s a topic I’m excited to get the opportunity to share my take on and how it relates to Audrey, the main character in my novel, Huntress.
You see, my excitement over Tabitha’s #LifeChosen mission is because one of my greatest fears has always been that there isn’t, and will never be, a plan and a purpose for my life. I easily believe this Biblical truth for others, but when it comes to my own life I’m suffocated in doubt. A lie is buried deep inside me that there’s an elusive ‘secret’ to unlocking God’s best for me, and unless I figure it out, I’m going to aimlessly waddle through the rest of my life—purposeless. I battle this fear sometimes on a daily basis.
What fuels this lie is that I keep believing I’m just not . . . enough. I’m not smart enough, witty enough, perfect enough, engaging enough, pure enough, bold enough, or important enough for God to give me a purpose.
Sometimes we can recognize lies for what they are—falsehoods—yet still struggle to combat them with the truth.
The Bible is chock full of verses that dispute this lie. Not to mention stories of broken people who, through the Lord, accomplished amazing things. God doesn’t wait until people reach some sort of pinnacle of perfection, but works with them just as they are. With all their sins and ugliness hanging out for the world to see. And that means God can use us wherever we are.
Our greatest purpose lies within—as Tabitha so beautifully penned—being daughters of Zion. In other words, my (and your) true purpose isn’t tied to titles such as author, doctor, teacher, astronaut or any of the other remarkable things you might do. Instead it is rooted in being God’s daughter (or son) and having a relationship with him.
My main character, Audrey, is not me. Audrey is her own person—in her own fictional way, of course. She acts different, behaves different, interacts different and does a truckload of things I would never do (good and bad). But in this one area—the longing to have a purpose but fear that she’s not enough to deserve one—we are the same.
Huntress—at its heart—is about a girl and her relationship with her God. And sometimes even about her lack of relationship with or understanding of God. Do you ever struggle with your relationship with God, or is it perfect all the time?
On the surface Audrey’s problems are very different from yours. That is unless your job for eternity is to fight demons—the physical embodiment of evil—to protect unsuspecting people on Earth. If that’s true for you, call me! I’d love to pick a real demon hunter’s brain. ;-) But have you ever felt God’s asking you to do something for which you feel ill equipped? For you, it might be talking to a friend about the Lord. It might be loving someone who seems unlovable. It might even be cracking open the Bible and reading scripture. Those things can seem insurmountable.
Perhaps you are one of the many who feel forgotten. You’re convinced God has left you adrift and unconcerned with your life . . . after all, things haven’t turned out the way you expected, bad things have happened, so how could God still have his loving eye on you? Audrey feels that way, and sometimes I do too.
Whatever your demon, you are not alone in your doubts and fears. I’m not belittling what you are going through. It’s probably big, scary, and heartbreaking, but the great hope lies in the truth that we do have a loving God who cares for us, who has a plan and a purpose for our lives, even when we can’t see it. So when the fears and troubles role in—and they will because we live in a broken world—remember you always have someone to turn to for help and that there is a greater plan at work that is good.
About the Author
Julie Hall was a late blooming reader, but once captivated, writing became her dream.
Going the practical route in college she earned a business degree from the University of Michigan. After school, she worked in marketing and publicity for both television and film, until she'd had enough of selling other people's creative expressions.
She miraculously convinced her dashingly handsome husband that having ten years of experience mentoring youth, the idea of quitting her job to write a young-adult novel was the sensible thing to do.
Since then she's become a puppy mama to a goldendoodle named Bear, and an actual mother to her adopted daughter.
Connect with Julie:
About Huntress
No one’s afterlife is as dispiriting as Audrey’s―at least that’s what she believes after waking up dead without her memories and being promptly assigned to hunt demons for the rest of eternity. She’s convinced God’s made a cosmic mistake; after all, she’d rather discuss the color of her nails than break them on angelic weapons.
It doesn’t help that her trainer, Logan, is as infuriating as he is attractive. And just when Audrey and Logan appear close to developing an amicable relationship, a decision made under duress pushes their hearts in a direction neither of them saw coming.
Despite her sub-par fighting abilities, an ancient weapon of unparalleled power chooses Audrey as its wielder, attracting the cautious gazes of her fellow hunters and the attention of Satan himself. With Satan’s eyes now fixed on Audrey, a battle for the safety of the living looms in the shadows.
Note: Julie Hall is rereleasing Huntress with a new cover on April 19th.
Purchase Huntress:
Julie has generously offered to give away four signed copies of Huntress and bookmarks as well as a grand prize pack that includes: one signed paperback of Huntress, bookmarks, $10 Amazon gift card, and $5 Starbucks gift card. Open to US only. CLICK HERE TO ENTER!