FACING FEARS IN THE DIVIDED NATION| BLOG TOUR, DAY 2 (RELEASE DAY!)

RELEASE DAY IS UPON US. You can now buy the ebook version of The Divided Nation on Amazon. Here’s the big shiny link because I like looking at it. And it is on SALE! It will NOT be on sale for 99 cents for long so grab it fast and share the link! 🙂

So the HTML description is a bit wobbly but Amazon takes a while for updates to change. AND for those wondering, YES, paperback and hardback are coming! Had some technical difficulties so it will be slightly delayed.

THE DIVIDED NATION

WHEN THE NATION DIVIDES, THE INFIDELS MUST RISE.

The United States has fallen. Three years after the 2024 presidential election and the declaration of martial law, the nation is at war against itself. Gangs battle, civilians struggle for survival, and officials of the United Nations  thrive. West Johnston, heir to the most powerful ganglord in the country, refuses to continue the family legacy. But, in order to defeat his father, he must become him: bloodthirsty and willing to do whatever it takes for control.

West gains control by helping fellow gangsters, Nate and Simon, when they form an alliance with one of the last remaining townships in America. After years of surviving and winter fast approaching, Springtown is in desperate need of supplies from the two teenagers. When the town leader’s daughter, Rene’, is kidnapped by an unknown rival, Nate and Simon risk their reputations to save her and the town they now love. But without help from West, their rescue mission will fail.

Told in multiple bold, abrasive narratives, THE DIVIDED NATION steps into a future where brotherhood bonds must be stronger than iron to survive a broken world, and faith without courage is dust in the wind.

Goodreads | Amazon

 

GIVEAWAY

US shipping only. If an international winner is drawn, they will receive an ebook only.

1st place: hardback copy of The Divided Nation. A custom mug with a quote from the book, bookmark, and an exclusive snippet from The Infidel Books.

2nd place: paperback copy of The Divided Nation, bookmark.

3rd place: ebook copy of The Divided Nation.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SCHEDULE

 

August 12th

Author Interview @ Taking Up My Cross

Book Spotlight @ Unicorn Quester 

TODAY’S STOP | August 13th (RELEASE DAY)

Author Interview @ Coffee, Classics, and Craziness

I had a BLAST being interviewed by my dysto loving pal, Eva!

Author and Character Interview @ HauntingGhostTown

Shine is a delightful interview and I think y’all will like the answers to these questions… 😉

Character Interview @ Imperial Scribis 

Merie is a fantastic friend and I ADORED watching Gideon respond to her questions. Chaos ahead!

Character and Author Interview @ FaithLaneAuthor

Another FANTASTIC interview, though I’m not sure if the character isn’t still traumatized… *spoilers*

August 14th

Book Spotlight @ The Writer’s Song

Guest Post @ Jaye L. Knight

August 15th

Book Review @ Kaitlyn Krispense, Author

August 16th

Book Review @ We’ve Got Pockets 

Book Review @ Bella Putt: Writer. Reader. Follower of Christ.

August 17th

Author Interview @ Gabriella Slade

Book Spotlight @ Stories by Firefly

Book Review @ Scribes and Archers 

August 18th

Author Interview and Guest Post @ Tangled Up In Writing

Guest Post @ Read Write Breathe

August 19th

Book Review @ Reveries 

Book Review @ Just Writing

Author Interview @ Allison’s Well

Book Review @ Books, Life, and Christ

 

FACING FEARS

Fear is something every single one of us face. Fear is something everyone fights or worships. Fear is the thing we all feel so strongly, yet constantly pretend doesn’t exist. Fear is real. For some of us, our greatest fear might be the loss of a loved one. Maybe we fear flunking chemistry or speaking to someone in authority. It seems we have a lot to fear, right? Sure. But I don’t like living in fear. I love facing fears. I love taking on challenges. I love glorifying God as I make the finish line.

Which is ironic, if you read my previous post, because I did not want to face the fear of writing The Infidel Books. But I did. I did not want to face my personal fears of loss, grief, rejection, and fear of the future. But I did. I did not want to write some of the scenes in The Divided Nation, but I did, with God’s help. Noticing a pattern? The very things I dreaded were the things God used for His glory. The scenes that I didn’t want to do were the ones that impacted my beta and ARC readers.

God tells us to fear Him and when I started writing The Infidel Books, I really tackled the meaning of that. Fear Him? As in, quake at the idea of Him striking us down for sinning? That couldn’t be it. I came to the conclusion that we worship what we fear. We put it first. We think of it often. Right? But what if we feared God, and not just fear Him enough to try to do well and repent, but fear Him like we do failure? Could you imagine? Working so hard like that, but instead of fighting for love from people we have no control over, we let our fear of rejection turn into love. Love for Jesus, who will always love us. See, without love, you really can’t have fear. Think about it for a second. If we loved God, how big can our fears compare?

What if we feared God like we fear other things? What if we put God as our number one? What if we rested in His love? What if instead of stepping away from the shadows of evil, we walked right through?

The characters in The Divided Nation wrestle with fear often. Some don’t. Some have come to terms with the world they face and the things they do. Some fight it and try to control all they can to help the ending turn out better. Some are afraid of themselves and some are afraid of others. Some fears I wrote but didn’t relate to. Some fears I wrote but tried to keep away with a 100 foot pole because “I really don’t want to think about this fear, God.” And guess what? I faced my fears. I cried over them and I put the book down as I wrote and I turned on praise music to get through it all. Because it wasn’t easy. Wasn’t funny. Fears aren’t easy to face. And it isn’t easy watching characters face their fears, too. 

My goal with The Divided Nation was to show more than just nonbelievers surviving and Christians clinging to blind faith. I wanted to show Christians fighting for more than a silly bedtime stories. I wanted to show nonbelievers being human. I wanted the characters to face fears and show how differently facing fears is with and without God.

I didn’t write this novel to preach. I didn’t write this novel strictly for Christian readers or secular readers. I didn’t sugar coat, didn’t try to belittle fears in order for us to feel more confident that we can conquer all, didn’t shy away from showing the realism of the fallen world that’s whole job is to terrify us and make us give in.

If you have read The Divided Nation, you know the characters won’t give in. If you haven’t read it, it is on sale now, so act fast and take the plunge if you’re hungry. I pray their determination, faith, and the fact many of them have unfinished stories, will inspire others. I know these characters inspired me. 

God bless,

Angela