Paula Wiseman

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Home » Razed

Posts about Razed, Foundations Series Book 1

Razed is 2 Years Old

By Paula

Razedhiressm1-199x30021

 

Tomorrow marks two years since the release of Razed. More than one author has compared producing a book to giving birth, and the books then become like your own children. Razed is one of those kids that I worried over more than the others. It had a very tough job, starting a new series and trying to follow the success and popularity with readers that Contingency and the rest of the Covenant of Trust books enjoyed.

Razed was a little different. Some readers didn’t like it. One reviewer was critical of my portrayal of Christians, even to the point of questioning my own conversion. The reviewer missed the point. The book wasn’t about Christians. It was about Doug. In Doug’s world, that’s how the Christians appeared. Regardless of what may have been in their hearts, they came across as harsh, dismissive and judgmental towards him. I know Christians like all those portrayed in the book – black and white types like Paul Hammell, ones like Judy and Mark who have a hard time with credibility because of their past attitudes, shrill ones like the babysitter who accused Doug of being an alcoholic and unfit to care for his grandson, and ones like Debbie Hammell, whose kindness and grace connected with Doug.

In Razed, I wanted you to sympathize with Doug, and with his frustrations because it’s worth considering whether there are people like him in our lives. Are there good people around us who are put off by the name of Christ because we’ve met them first with judgment instead of compassion? Would the unbelievers around us, maybe in our own families, characterize us more like Paul, or Judy or Mark? What would it take to be more like Debbie? In a culture where Christians are best known for what they oppose rather than stand for, those might merit a second look.

I really like Doug, and I’m very happy to celebrate sharing his story with you.

 

 

 

(If you’ve not read Razed, I invite you to check it out. You can preview it at the Razed website or grab a copy. If you have read it, and haven’t left a review, I’d really appreciate it if you would do that for me. It will only take a couple minutes of your time and two or three sentences. Many thanks!

Also, you can read the first ten chapters of Resolute, Book 3 in Doug’s Foundations series at the Resolute website.)

Filed Under: Writing Friday Tagged With: Razed

Update: Razed Free Kindle Download Through May 26th

By Paula

Razedhiressm1-199x3002Starting today and running through May 26th RAZED, Book One in the Foundations series will be available as a free Kindle download.

Feel free to pass this on.

Get your copy here.

Filed Under: Writing Friday Tagged With: Razed

Update: Refined E-Book is Now Available

By Paula

refined_front_small1REFINED is now available as an e-book.

Get the Kindle version. (Amazon UK)

Get the Nook version.

 

Also, May 22-26, Razed will be a free Kindle download.

Filed Under: Writing Friday Tagged With: Razed, Refined

2 Quick Reminders

By Paula

Tomorrow, September 8th – 

 

 

 

 

If you are in the Terre Haute area, I'd love to see you at The Open Door. 11:30 -2:30 ET, (10:30 – 1:30 CT). I'll be signing copies of Razed and the Covenant of Trust books. (I'm always afraid I'm gonna misspell my name or something when I sign books…)

 

Monday, September 10th –

 

RAZED for Kindle releases. Be sure to download your copy and let your e-book, fiction-reading friends know. Thanks!

Filed Under: Writing Friday Tagged With: Razed

Update: About Razed

By Paula

 

(Razed releases August 10th)
 
In Contingency and the books that followed, the characters found themselves in difficult positions, and struggled with God and their faith. They turned to Scripture, and to trusted counselors to find an answer and then rose to the challenge to live out what God directed them to do.
 
Razed is a little different. Mark still goes through those struggles, but they are more subtle, more "offstage" from the story's main action. (We'll get the struggles back on stage in book two, Refined.) In Razed, the question is, "What does my faith look like to others?" How do Judy, Mark, Julie and her family live their faith and how do they impact Doug? What draws him? What pushes him away? In examining their actions, it made me question my own.
 
Am I more concerned with being right than showing compassion?
 
Do I genuinely care about the struggles or questions people have?
 
Do I see the good and redeemable in people first?
 
Julie and her family and Mark are all good Christian people. They are folks we would want in our churches. They may be us. They do everything they are supposed to do, but they fail miserably when it comes to pointing Doug toward Jesus. Well, Debbie, almost succeeds.
 
In the editing stages, I made a comment that the Covenant books are about trusting God, while this series is more about submission. In Razed, we see how things go when Mark operates on his own schedule and his own agenda while claiming it comes from God. In Refined, he, Julie and Doug will all learn what submission to a holy, sovereign God is. (Don't worry, it's already drafted and I'm working on editing it.)
 
The characters are really close to my heart. I hope you enjoy the book.

Filed Under: Writing Friday Tagged With: Razed

Update: New Books

By Paula

 

typing awayEach day I am humbled by the response to Contingency & Indemnity, especially the emotional connection readers have with the characters and their struggles with the God they cling to. This week we contracted to produce three more books. This is a scary prospect. What if the first ones were a fluke? What if these aren't as good? What if they don't engage readers? What if they aren't as deep, or though-provoking or genuine? (You see, being a writer is a lot like mental illness…)
 
I love Bobbi and Chuck dearly, but in the next books, the Foundations Series, I'll introduce you to my favorite characters. Here's a quick peek at what's ahead.
 
Book 1: Razed
Razed means to destroy something utterly. You can't repair. You must rebuild.
A God who lets a 40-year-old woman die from cancer can't be good. That's Doug Bolling's theology. He can't seem to connect with his son, Mark, who found Jesus because of his mother. The more Mark grows in his faith, the wider the rift becomes. A series of events in Mark's life, from a call to preach, to a pastorate, to seminary, to the mission field are utterly incomprehensible to Doug, and he interprets them as extremism bordering on insanity. God may have ripped away his wife and now his son, but Doug draws the line at his grandchildren. In a desperate attempt to snatch them back from a life of who knows what, he files a lawsuit, seeking custody of the children.
 
Book 2: Refined 
To be refined is to have all the impurities removed, to be distilled to your true self.
Mark has been obedient to God's call every step of the way, but now God issues the most difficult challenge of all- surrendering his children. Mark and his family are forced to leave the mission field in Kenya and come home for the legal battle of a lifetime. I can't tell you any more without spoiling the surprises. But Bobbi, Chuck and 14-year-old Jack make appearances in this one. 
 
Book 3: Resolute
Resolute is boldly committed, settled and sure.
Doug is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and his and Mark's relationship must undergo a final adjustment. Mark gives up the mission in Africa for his father. It's a story of holding on to faith even when the path leads in a direction you never anticipated, and requires more from you than you want to give. (Shannon Molinsky has married Doug's oldest grandson so she plays a role in the story and Chuck and Bobbi pop in briefly. )  
 
Refined was drafted before Contingency, so with this series, you'll get my actual "first" book. Doug Bolling was supposed to be a villain, but from the moment he stepped onto the page, I liked him. A lot. Working with him, he's become my favorite character of all. Cassandra Grayson, showed up after the outline was done and promptly stole every scene she was in. They have a unique relationship and a beautiful love story.
 
When will Foundations release? Good question. We'll see how the summer goes, how Precedent does, how homeschooling for high school works… I'll keep you posted.
 
Thank you for all your encouragement and your support!

 

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Filed Under: Writing Friday Tagged With: Contingency, Foundations Series, Indemnity, Precedent, Razed, Refined, Resolute

Encounters Series

From the opening pages of Scripture, no one who has encountered a holy God has come away unchanged. Adam, Abraham, Hagar, Moses and many, many others realized that God is not distant but a God who … Read More

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Covenant of Trust Series

A covenant is a solemn, binding agreement. God chose to unilaterally enter into a covenant with Abraham. No matter what Abraham said or did, God vowed to uphold the terms and bless Abraham. Marriage … Read More...

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Jesus told a parable about a wise builder and a foolish one, underscoring how important it is to have a solid foundation. He declared that obedience to His word was the surest foundation of all. In … Read More...

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