Her Clothing is Spandex and Old Glory

October 13, 2015October 10, 2015 SJ17 Comments

The post title is taken from Proverbs 31:22. It’s the Modern American Version.

I was recently given this outfit by a friend who snickered a lot as I opened the box. I squeezed into the star-spangled suit — I think I need a size up — and we beheld my modest self with wonder.

It would be much admired in the Fellowship, especially if a woman is a high enough level of virtuous womanhood to make it herself. Note how it smooths out most of those pesky female curves that are such a trial to men.

But a woman can never be too guarded against immodesty. It lurks under every hem.

Do you know what the outfit is?

Comment below (whether you know or not) and be entered into a drawing for a free copy of The Fellowship, which actually mentions one of these in passing.

Warding Off Superstition

October 10, 2015October 10, 2015 SJ1 Comment

A couple of friends have pointed out that my launch date (ahem, November 13, ahem) is, in fact, a Friday the 13th.

And that’s kind of like poetic justice because nobody in the Fellowship is superstitious. God controls everything, so there’s no such thing as “unlucky days.”

Instead, Fellowshippers (and a lot of Christians outside of fiction) adhere to straight Biblical truth about cause-and-effect:

But saying bad luck is because we don’t complete certain rituals to ward off evil? Utter malarky.

Answers, in Novel Form

October 2, 2015October 16, 2015 SJLeave a comment

Why would you read this book?

Well, besides the fact that it’s a good story, it’s got realistic characters, and some pretty funny lines (if I may say so myself)?

Right, besides that. The novel isn’t just entertainment, nor is it revenge for the hurts of my past. I wrote it to answer some of the questions that all of us from this background encounter all too often.

It was already in the final stages of editing when Josh Duggar from “19 Kids and Counting” turned up as having serious sexual issues underneath the respectable clothes and boyish face. Those of us who knew how he grew up weren’t really surprised, but a lot of others were. And we started hearing those questions from a much wider audience.

They run along these lines:

Why do people get involved in cults?
Why do people stay once they realize something is wrong?
What’s wrong with a woman wanting to be “just” a wife and mother? Look at [fill in blank of wife of patriarchal figure]. She’s obviously happy!
Why won’t a woman in a system like that leave her cheating or abusive husband?
Why can’t they move on from the spiritual abuse? Can’t they “eat the meat and spit out the bones”? Why do they always try to throw the baby out with the bathwater?

The Fellowship attempts to answer these questions. The story shows the effect that an authoritarian culture has on its members — and how the system is designed to protect itself at the expense of anything (or anyone) else.

Of course, one novel can’t fully answer all these questions. My own experience is far too limited to do them justice. I chose to illuminate what it’s like to be part of an almost-normal cult. No dark rituals or demonic encounters. Just your basic selfish, abusive humans. Just an angry, distant deity ready to punish you if you step out of line.

So if you’ve ever asked any of those questions, or ever tried to answer them… well, there you go. That’s why you’d read this book.

And there are some good lines in it, too.

******

The Fellowship will be released on November 13. Click on the title to preorder your copy!

Coming Soon: The Fellowship

September 21, 2015September 21, 2015 SJ1 Comment

This past Friday, I lived and breathed one thought: Is that the UPS guy with my book?

It wasn’t, about 976 times throughout the day. But finally, on the 977th glance out the window, I saw the truck.

I restrained myself from tossing rose petals at the guy as he lugged my boxes into my house.

After three years of staring at a screen, I finally got to hold my novel in my hands

For the record, self-publishing is not an easy way out. I’ve had to do everything from writing the book, to paying for an editor, to coming up with the cover art concept, to arranging the interior formatting, to writing the back blurb. Over and over, I’ve done the emotional equivalent of flinging myself over the edge and hoping I was right about the soft landing at the bottom.

But I am pleased with the end result. It’s not flawless, but it will let me hand over my story to the world.

The Fellowship will be officially launched on November 13.

It will be available on ebook through Amazon, Nook, and a host of other sites that I’m still reading up on. Amazon also offers Print-On-Demand, allowing you to buy a physical copy which they will print, bind, and ship to you. (For anyone who ever looked at self-publishing in the 80s and 90s, when you had to order a run of 500 books or else, you know that this is practically magic.)

Meanwhile, I have copies on hand. I can autograph these, or inscribe them with something snarky or something inspirational. (I’m better at snarky.) I’m saving some for local book parties, but I’ll be giving interested readers chances at some copies. It’ll be fun! For me, at least.

53 days until launch, when you can step into the Fellowship — a community where nobody knows who Paul McCartney is, but can sing all nineteen verses of “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” from memory; where nobody swears, except by referencing obscure Bible verses; and where everybody knows all the right answers — even if they’re actually wrong.

And you’ll meet Bekah, whose courage, integrity, and… well, obstinacy… and okay, a tendency to take dramatic stands… turns the church upside down.

It’s a good story. I can’t wait to share it with you.

Welcome!

August 26, 2015November 14, 2022 SJ5 Comments

Have some coffee… or I’ve got iced tea, do you like sweet or unsweet?… and take a seat. Let’s visit.

If you’re here for my books, you’re in the right place! You can find all of them on Amazon:

The Fellowship

Go Right

A Bowl of Pho

Late Check-Out

Also, The Fellowship and Go Right are available on my Bookbaby bookshop (links also in the sidebar).

If you’ve come to the blog to see what I have to say, I discuss issues that I write about: writing, reading, common-sense relationships, womanhood, marriage, Christian authoritarianism, patriarchy, recovery from legalism, coming to terms with racism, and just being a good person.

You can find me on Facebook as Sara Roberts Jones Author; but that page isn’t very active because I didn’t feel like playing Facebook’s engagement game.

Check under the Writing > Blogging menu above to find links to posts I’ve written elsewhere.

And thanks for dropping in. I hope you’ll stay with me!