A Christmas Excerpt from SEA OF HOPE

     SEA OF HOPE was my first published book and a 2002 EPIC Award Winner for Best Inspirational Novel. It is set in a small New Jersey fishing community. The heroine's father passed away and his fishing trawler, the Merrichase, has been willed to a stranger. The heroine's uncle is the pastor of the local church in that community where she grew up. Below is her uncle's Christmas homily.

     Then Uncle Walter reminded his congregation of the joy everyone should have in their hearts at the celebration of the birth of their Savior. “Christmas is not about who gets the biggest and best toys,” he whispered close into the microphone and then paused again. “It’s about eternal life, God’s great gift to us all,” his voice grew in intensity. “And it is about forgiveness. You are saved by the grace of God who sent His Son to wash away your sins with His blood.” 
     Uncle Walter’s words thundered through the speakers and filled the church. For a moment, her uncle stopped speaking. Total silence reigned in the nave. Then, slowly, he drew in a great breath, an act made more dramatic by the amplification. “Thank Him,” Uncle Walter spoke softly. “Thank Him with all your heart.” 

     Doria dared to glance up in time to see him turn and walk heavily back to his chair to sit. A hush gathered over the people as Uncle Walter’s words sank into their usually cluttered minds. With bowed heads they mulled over their pastor’s message. The tightness grew in Doria’s throat. Her uncle’s words had touched everyone, even her. How could she have stayed away from church for so long? How could she have ignored the truth? She needed the Lord in her life. He was her only hope. Especially now.

     I've heard many, many Christmas homilies over the years and while the one in Sea Of Hope is brief, I hoped to convey in it the conversion of the heroine's heart. 

     Christmas is over in the minds of many people. The gifts have been opened, the cookies eaten, and the family visits are completed. But Christ can always be in our hearts all year long. The true gift of Christmas is His love for us. 

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

     

Newest Review for MAKING CHRISTMAS AGAIN!

I received a wonderful review for Making Christmas Again from Lynn Goodwin at Reedsy Discovery. She said she, 

"Loved it! 😍 

With a warm tone, well-rounded people, and a plot that won’t stop churning, the author skillfully lets you into the character's lives."

Visit:

 https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/making-christmas-again-penelope-marzec#review

You can read the entire review AND a preview of the book. 

The Galley for Love’s Gift

 

A few day ago, I received the galley for Love’s Gift, my historical romance, which is due to be released in March. I was very excited and told some friends of mine who aren’t authors. They never heard of a galley in reference to a book.

The word galley goes back a long way, from the ancient days of printing. Before computers, printing was done with metal pieces of the alphabet set in lines and placed into a metal pan, which was called a galley. Despite the advances in printing, the word continues to be used.

Since my father was a journalist, I had the advantage of seeing printers using hot lead to set the news stories for the day. It was rather fascinating, but definitely time consuming and working with hot metal type seemed dangerous to me, but that’s how it was done before computers took over.

I think it was a great idea to do away with the hot lead process.  

In today’s publishing world, the galley arrives as a pdf. I read through it, line by line, and make sure there aren’t any mistakes. Unfortunately, there always are things that need fixing. Though at the galley stage, an author cannot make any big changes in the document. When I find an error, I have to record it in a separate document, noting the page number and line number. I cannot make any corrections on the pdf.

After the galley is sent back to the publisher with the corrections, the errors are fixed and the book is ready for publication. So, getting a galley is a huge step toward publication. In fact, you can pre-order the book now at https://www.amazon.com/Loves-Gift-Penelope-Marzec-ebook/dp/B0D49BZ5P4