The Birth of "Finding Beth" by Linnette R. Mullin

Every author’s journey is different when it comes to publishing their first novel.

When I started Beth’s story, I never dreamed it would become a novel. At the time, my husband was placed on the company’s to-be-laid-off list and I went back to work for the first time in our marriage. In an effort to continue honing my writing skills I started the blog “An Odyssey in Prose” and my first short serial story, “Finding Beth,” was born. One and a half years after posting one to two chapters a month, I realized it wasn’t going to be a short story, but rather a full-blown novel.

I’m often asked, “Where did you come up with the story line?”

Every day, writers begin stories with a “what if” question. Beth’s story was born out of a desire to

explore “what if” a young woman found herself engaged to a guy she considered her knight in shining armor only to begin seeing signs of a darker side? “What if” she became so confused, so distraught, and so scared of making a mistake that she decided to disappear for a while? What would happen if she skipped town? Where would she go? Would she stay away and start a new life? What about her family and friends who would worry about her? Would her fiancé come looking for her? What would happen to this young woman? Where would this decision to leave town lead her? How would it impact her life?

These questions led to the birth of “Finding Beth”.

But that’s not all…

During the years I worked outside the home, I learned of women I knew and loved who had suffered some form of abuse. I saw the devastation this created in their lives even years later in some cases and my heart grieved. I also met women and girls who had either been abused, were being abused, or were heading in the direction of an abusive relationship. What could I do to help them?

As wicked as abuse is, it’s a fact of life.

I decided to explore the journey of this girl who realized before she said “I do” that the marriage she was heading into was suspect. What should she do? Could she be strong enough to call it off? If she did, what would be the outcome? What if breaking off the engagement drug her deeper into abuse as is often, but not always, the case? How would she ever be able to overcome the aftermath?

Through countless stories of abuse, I was compelled to reach out to hurting women with a message of hope.

Needless to say, it does my heart good to read reviews, emails, or comments speaking to the very things I aimed to accomplish with this story. God be praised! Readers have found validation and encouragement and hope, as well as entertainment through this life-changing romantic tale. If you read or have read “Finding Beth”, will you let this writer know if God used it to encourage you?

“Finding Beth”

 A run-away-bride-to-be and a southern-boy-next-door…

Trapped by the reality of past choices... lost in confusion and pain, Beth Gallagher must fight her way back to God. Just when she makes a new friend in Adam Blythe and finds peace with God, tragedy strikes. She faces new demons that steal her new-found peace and threaten to steal her future. Could she possibly find true love with Adam? Or will this crisis tear them apart? Will she ever find her way amidst such an emotional mine-field?

 

Purchase links:

LinnetteRMullin.com (autographed copies)

CrossRiverMedia.com (specials for book clubs/women’s groups)

Amazon.com

 

                                                                                             

 

About the Author

 

LINNETTE R. MULLIN is an author of life-changing romance. Married for over twenty years, she’s been blessed with four amazing sons. Some of her writing credits include Charles Stanley's "In Touch" magazine, "101 Facets of Faith", Guidepost's "Extraordinary Answers to Prayer", and "Public Health Alert" - a nationally distributed newspaper for the chronically ill. A member of ACFW and HACWN, she is also the founder and coordinator of Palmetto Christian Writer’s Network (PCWN) in Lexington, SC, and she runs the “We Are Writers” group on Facebook. Her favorite things in life are her family, her church, reading and writing, and her Savior most of all. For more information including her social media links, visit LinnetteRMullin.com.