I just signed up to do a contest to give away 5 free copies of my book on Goodreads
the contest should start in a few days click on this link to check it out.
I’ve had people ask me where I got the idea for my book Eternal. I love to tell people that it came from real life experiences. Now I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is no, I didn’t have a talking relationship with an angel, but a lot of the other stuff in there came from my real life. When I first got the idea for writing a book I wanted to write the story around the beginning flashback from chapter one. That really did happen to me. I was very upset as a thirteen year old when my parents got divorced. I really did go outside in the dark and pray to my Heavenly Father to tell me that it would all be okay, and I really did feel the arms of the angels around me. It’s true!
That event has had an impact on my life ever since. I don’t feel the need to search and wonder if there really is a God out there, because I already know it.
I also met my husband at the very young age of 15 and we dated all through High School. He looked familiar to me like I knew him from somewhere else, but he had just moved to my High School from about two hours south of where I lived. One of my criteria for choosing a husband did include the same criteria I have in my book. I knew that the man that made me feel unafraid at the thought of eternity was the one I was meant to be with. That’s how my husband made me feel. Now we don’t have a fairytale life all the time. We live in the real world with kids and bills and jobs and sickness and problems, but the fact that he is with me for eternity helps us to get through all that stuff.
The names in my book are from real life too. My son’s name is Destry and I have a nephew named McQuade so I put those two together. I have a little brother named Codee just like Emma in my story. I also have a brother named Brandon and his name is mentioned in the book as one of Destry’s friends. Grandma Lettie is also named after my great grandmother who’s name was Caletta but they called her Lettie for short, and she seemed to have the same spit-fire attitude as the Grandma Lettie in my book.
Eden, Utah is a real place, but I’ve only visited it once. However I do now live in a town a lot like what I described Eden to be. We have dirt roads and a tuff shed post office. Even though I grew up in a larger City and had a large High School, the High School where we live now is very small and takes in 5 towns but still only has a graduating class of about 60.
The dates that Destry and Emma go on are dates that my husband and I went on when we were in High school. He really did teach me how to fish, and took me on my first four wheeler ride. We also used to go to the gas station a lot to get corndogs and soda.
Little did I know that the events from real life could be blended with fantasy and make such a great story. I guess we all have a story inside of us, we just have to put in on paper and let it out!
Chantelle Nay : Opinions from an overly opinionated girl. 