Ten Equals One

See, that’s a misleading way to start. There are actually eleven of us and twelve stories. I’m talking about a group I fondly refer to as the Authors of One and our series, simply called One. The Authors of One consist of ten authors, plus me. Ten equals one. I think we have the math straight now.

 

       In the synopsis, I call it “a spiritual anthology examining True-Life experiences of Authors and their Faith. As the series evolves expect to discover what it means to have faith, no matter what that faith is and no matter where they live. Remember that we are all part of this One World.”

 

I think it has grown beyond that. What’s more, it has really taught me a lot.

 

We are nearing the end of the series. Story Eleven, by well-known Amish author Sarah Price, is available now. After that, I am going to put the bookends on it with Story Twelve.

 

In between my first story, Meant To Be, and the last, which I am calling Choices, a myriad of talented authors opened my eyes. I felt like they stuck out their hand and when I grabbed hold, they carried me around the world. Along the way, I watched them learn, live, fall in love, and even confront death. We shared more than one out-of-body experience and time-travelled.

 

The best part is that it is all true. These experiences are honest and emotional. Time and again, they bared deeply personal parts of themselves, taking risks that allowed we readers to become that much richer for looking into their lives.

 

Another thing that should be said is these are generous people. They are not preaching from some obscure pulpit. They each have a message and want to give something more. Each author in this series is giving at least half, some all, of their proceeds to charity. These stories support a variety of worthy causes.

Why not enrich your life and help someone else too? Each story is ONLY 99 Cents and the Amazon Kindle links are here:

Mark Miller – Meant To Be – http://goo.gl/E2HWn

De Miller – Twelve Steps – http://goo.gl/ZGsCp

Sudè Khanian – Dr. Candy – http://goo.gl/HhB0G

Giovanni Gelati – The Hand of God – http://goo.gl/P0uVY

Melissa Studdard and Scott Lutz – For the Love of All – http://goo.gl/GssqE

George Michael Loughmueller – Snake in the Water – http://goo.gl/m1TI3

Rachel Hunter – Perfect Nothing – http://goo.gl/NnJs8

Crystal Linn – God’s Counterpoints – http://goo.gl/gzZlw

Ron Starbuck – Wheels Turning Inward – http://goo.gl/p2QBE

Don Lubov – 1971 – http://goo.gl/ojf3z

Sarah Price – The Power of Faith - http://goo.gl/zPxzm

Coming Soon

Mark Miller – Choices

Please connect with the Authors of One on Facebook – www.fb.com/MarkMillersOne

Authors of One Interviews: Crystal Linn

We are talking today with the author of Story Eight: God’s Counterpoints of the One series. Crystal Linn writes both fiction and non-fiction, as well as being an award-winning poet. In her story she shares an emotional journey of her husband’s ordeal with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma, a rare form of cancer.

MM: To start things off Crystal, what inspired you to share this story?

CL: There were so many people involved and so many miracles preformed that it was incredible.

MM: It was a harrowing journey, but I was touched how all those people came together right when you needed them most. I imagine they support you in your writing as well. How long have you been writing?

CL: I’ve written all of my life and in the year 2000 decided to get serious about it.

MM: I get your meaning. It takes a lot of discipline. You and I both know that writing is not always serious. We have to find outlets for our creativity. What is one of your writing habits that helps you deal with the work?

CL: I color-code my writing projects.  Yellow is the color for my fiction projects, blue is for non-fiction, pink is for my children’s projects, purple is for my journal/memoir-type projects and my poetry projects are multi-colored.

MM: That sounds fun. Your writing space must be a rainbow even on dreary days! Speaking of your writing space, I want to get more personal. Can you share something about your faith that readers can’t get from your story?

CL: My personal faith has empowered me to overcome many challenges in my life’s journey and has enabled me to become a better person in all areas of my life.

MM: That is a common theme in the stories of One. I am always excited to see new aspects of faith, regardless of religion. Your journey seems to have been filled with many ups and downs. In the area of writing, who influences you and helps you make it through?

CL: There are so many that it is difficult to choose. 

Agatha Christie wrote more than sixty mystery stories using only seven or eight basic plot lines, and thirty-some years after her death she is still a beloved author.

Dick Francis always had some interesting tidbit for the readers to learn about in addition to the basic

story line. An example is that in one of his novels he discussed the hostage industry in the Near East. 

Mary Higgins Clark began writing novels to support her five children after the death of her husband.

MM: Those are some greats. I saw in your bio that you are a big mystery fan, so I’m not surprised by your choices. Now, who are some of your spiritual influences?

CL: There are so many that it is difficult to choose. 

C. S. Lewis was not afraid to be vulnerable and publicly shared his struggles in his journey to faith. 

Fred Rogers (Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood) was a quiet-spoken, gentle man with a strong faith. He was not afraid to do something different and, as a result, had a positive impact on millions of children (and parents) around the world. 

George Mueller spent most of his life without faith and after he became a Christian he had an unusually strong faith and founded the most successful orphanage in England where the children were well cared for.

MM: Very good. I grew up with Narnia and Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. Definitely some positive influences. Let’s go behind the curtain. Tell us something about you that is not in your bio?

CL: I joke that writing is in my DNA because there were serious writers on both sides of my family, including Henry Luce, the founder of TIME magazine, and the writer of “Let your fingers do the walking through the yellow pages.”

MM: That is exciting. You seem to be enjoying some success as a writer now, so don’t worry about having big shoes to fill. Maybe you will leave the next marker on the family writing legacy. You are co-writer of the best-selling series AmishForever with Roger Rheinheimer. What other projects are you involved in right now?

CL: Like every passionate writer, I have many projects in the works. I am co-authoring an Amish romance novel, Amish Forever, with Roger Rheinheimer. It is an on-line serialized novel and can be purchased as an e-book from both Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Roger’s novel, Amish Snow, is a great ‘first’ novel.

A cousin and I are co-authoring a book together. My first blog should be up and running within the next month or so.

MM: When your blog is up, we will post a link on the Facebook “One” page (http://www.facebook.com/MarkMillersOne). I like to end on a happy note, so here are a couple fun questions. First, if you could ask your supreme being one question, what would you ask?

CL: I’m not sure I can answer that question as God is respectful and always answers my direct questions, even when I ask why bad things happen.

MM: So you don’t hold back? It is great for anyone to have that kind of connection with their diety. Lastly, if you were a flavor of ice cream, what would it be?

CL: Half vanilla and half chocolate because vanilla is the most versatile of all flavors; and chocolate is the most favorite of all flavors.

MM: That suits you. You are quite versatile in your writing, but also a kind and generous person, which probably makes you a favorite to many friends and family. Thank you for taking the time to share with us today, Crystal! Please remember that Crystal is donating a portion of her proceeds to World Concern (http://www.worldconcern.org/).

God’s Counterpoints, story eight of the One series, is available now from Trestle Press for $0.99 on Kindle (http://goo.gl/32G4W) or Nook (http://goo.gl/Jdxtf).

What is a Counterpoint?

I'm glad you asked. Crystal Linn, best-selling co-author of Amish Forever, can give you the answer in Story Eight of the One series.

God's Counterpoints

by Crystal Linn

A portion of the author’s proceeds will be donated to World Concern, a Christian global relief and development organization. World Concern’s efforts reach deep into the most remote corners of the planet, where climate and geography, societal instability and scarce infrastructure create incredible challenges to the people living there, including disaster response, clean water, education, food security, child protection, microfinance and health. Visit WorldConcern.org for more information. The series creators and publisher are in no other way affiliated with this organization.

Mark Miller’s One is a spiritual anthology examining True-Life experiences of Authors and their Faith. As the series evolves expect to discover what it means to have faith, no matter what that faith is and no matter where they live. Remember that we are all part of this One World.

In Story Eight, another award-winning poet, Crystal Linn, shares her moving experience with a rare form of cancer. The author’s husband was diagnosed with cancer and Crystal tells how they came through it with faith. This story is an inspiration to anyone facing life’s difficult challenges.

I think it took a lot of courage for Crystal to share this story. She presents us with a harrowing, detailed account of a challenge she faced with her husband. I have never heard of Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma, but it is a rare form of cancer.

Crystal tells of the ordeal in a matter-of-fact way, accounting for each visit to the doctor. In between these medical insights, she reveals her miracles. Each time something worse happened, Crystal explained how it worked out for her.

Crystal calls these unexplainable events by the musical term counterpoints. I am no musician, but I understand the concept and see exactly what she means. She compared their journey to Handel’s Amen Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. I searched for the piece on YouTube and found it to be beautiful and inspiring, much like Crystal’s story.

The one thing I notice is how she removes herself from the writing. She does mention she went through a dark period. However, she humbly approaches the entire story and does not spotlight herself at all. I want to point out how amazing she is and how she bravely stood by her husband through pain and adversity. To me, that is its own miracle to see her faith working in her.

Thanks for reading,

Mark

Get it today for $0.99 on Kindle: http://goo.gl/ILb85