Author Book Giveaway: Song In The Night by Pamela Thorson

Synopsis:

As a young Christian, Kevin Thorson was a normal, healthy 19-year-old. Music was his life, and he planned to play his guitar and use his talents for God. Abruptly, all seemed to end July 11, 1997.

His mother recalls the words from that dreaded phone call: Pam, you need to sit down . . . Kevin has been in an accident . . . paralyzed . . . ventilator . . . hospital . . . She could only comprehend the bits in between those horrifying words. Kevin was lying paralyzed on a ventilator in a foreign country with a broken neck.

Pam Thorson, with painful openness, recounts the true story of her family's nightmare as they struggled to live out their faith in the face of impossible odds. Song in the Night traces the journey of her family to find peace in the midst of so much darkness.

Pamela Thorson is graciously giving away an autographed copy of her book Song In The Night. Some of you might know this, but this specific author happens to be my mom =) This is a biography on our family and my brother - all told by her perspective. *Note* Feel free to stick around and ask her a question!

Book Info:

Title: Song In The Night: One Family's Journey From Darkness To Dawn
Author: Pamela Thorson
Format: Hardcover *Autographed*
Pages: 208
ISBN: 978-1930580381
Publisher: Pine Orchard Publishing

Rules:

We're giving away Song In The Night to one bookworm! In order to enter, you must leave a comment with your e-mail address (so that we can contact you if you're the winner). US and Canada only, please. This giveaway starts today and ends on the 27th of this month. A winner will be picked randomly and announced on the 28th. We will contact the winner and notify them by their e-mail address. If the winner doesn't respond within a few days, we will have to pick another. Good luck! =)

Extra Entries:

+2 Mention this giveaway on a blog post or add a link to this giveaway from your blog
+1 Mention this giveaway on your Facebook wall
+1 Follow Pamela Thorson's blog (pamthorsonsblog.blogspot.com)
+1 Follow Pamela Thorson on Twitter (@SongintheNight)
+1 Become a fan on Facebook (SongInTheNight.net)

God bless!
~Grace

The Winner of Song In The Night is...

Marjorie!!! Congratulations on winning Song In The Night by Pamela Thorson! I would like to thank everyone who entered to win this book. It's always so much fun to give books away! We'll be having more giveaways in the near future, so be sure to follow our blog.

God bless!
~Grace

May Book Giveaway: Song in the Night

Song in the Night: One Family's Journey from Darkness to Dawn by Pamela Thorson.

Synopsis:

As a young Christian, Kevin Thorson was a normal, healthy 19-year-old. Music was his life, and he planned to play his guitar and use his talents for God. Abruptly, all seemed to end July 11, 1997.

His mother recalls the words from that dreaded phone call: Pam, you need to sit down . . . Kevin has been in an accident . . . paralyzed . . . ventilator . . . hospital . . . She could only comprehend the bits in between those horrifying words. Kevin was lying paralyzed on a ventilator in a foreign country with a broken neck.

Pam Thorson, with painful openness, recounts the true story of her family's nightmare as they struggled to live out their faith in the face of impossible odds. Song in the Night traces the journey of her family to find peace in the midst of so much darkness.

Book Info:

Hardcover
Pages: 208
ISBN: 978-1930580381
Condition: New *autographed*

Giveaway Rules:

You must leave a comment with your e-mail address, so that we can contact you if you're the winner. US and Canada only. This giveaway starts today and ends on the 17th of May. A winner will be chosen on the 18th. The winner will be chosen randomly and notified by e-mail. If the winner doesn't respond within a week; we will have to pick another. Good luck! =)

God bless!
~Grace

Writer's Groups: To Join or Not to Join? by Pamela Thorson

If you have done any writing on a serious level, you've surely at least heard of writer's groups. Many agents, seasoned authors, and writer's conferences routinely encourage writers - especially novices - to get involved in local groups. Soon after publishing my first book, I was invited by an acquaintance to join theirs. I jumped at the chance, eager to connect with other local writers. A year later, I was invited to join a local author's group. Since then, I've juggled my time between both groups and have discovered a few striking differences:

* One group is mostly a critique group. We meet often (every two or three weeks) in order to stay disciplined and writing. The group is informal but serious. We e-mail our submissions to each other before the meeting, so we can come prepared with our critiques. We set a certain amount of time to discuss each submission. The group strives to make the critiques positive and non-critical. The focus is on learning: learning how to write better and learning more about the writing profession in general. We attend writer's conferences together. We cheer each other's victories in getting published and encourage one another through the rough weather of life in general. In some ways, we're a support group, too.

* The other group is comprised mostly of self-published authors learning how to market their products in a tough economy. This group is varied and fiercely independent. The leader makes sure that any new writers understand that "This is not a critique group." Several of these authors are either active or retired professors from nearby colleges and universities. This group has organized such activities as an open house for local authors, open-mike nights for book readings, and presentations from the university book store and a local publisher. 

Which group would I recommend? It depends on what you're looking for. One woman in the second group said she had tried a critique group and hated it. Personally, I have learned a lot from the critique group. If a writer can't take the critical eyes of a small group, that big, brutal world out there is going to be a rude awakening. On the other hand, for those who already have a product and want to devote their time and energies solely to marketing, the second group is valuable.

I've found that I need both. I have a lot to learn. The critique group keeps me disciplined and writing; the marketing group forces me away from the computer and out there where the readers are. The interaction and wisdom of others is vital to growing as an author, whether novice or seasoned. Any writer who pretends to know it all is in danger of becoming proud, irrelevant, or just plain stale.

 As Christian authors, our words are living letters from God's heart to others. To be filled the breath of life and anointing that comes from the Spirit of God, they need the fresh air of new ideas, the nourishment of mentoring, and the revealing light of gentle correction.

It's always exciting when a group of Christian authors can be co-laborers instead of competitors. So if you're not in a writer's group yet, I encourage you to find one. Or start one today.

Visit Pamela Thorson's website:

songinthenight.net

Interview With Author Pamela Thorson

Pamela Thorson is busy being a full-time caregiver, an author, and a college student. She has written a book titled Song in the Night, which follows the life of her son Kevin and their family. She was able to take some time out of her tight schedule to do this interview with me.



 

How has being an author changed your life?

• My life has changed on several levels since writing Song in the Night. First of all, I was surprised to discover just how hard an author works. Today's author is expected to be knowledgeable and proactive in every aspect of his/her craft, including research, writing, working with publishers and agents, marketing, public relations, social networking, and speaking. I just wanted to write for Jesus. It's so much more complicated than that today.
  
  Since my first book is the true story of tragedy in our family, its publication has given me the sense that my life is no longer my own. Writing our story meant opening painful areas of my life to strangers and allowing myself to become vulnerable to others. My life and the lives of my entire family are now open for inspection. It makes me more aware of what I do, where I go, and how I live out my faith. I have a greater revelation of my own weakness. It is my very great passion to get myself out of God's way, so when people look at me, they see Jesus.
  
  The best part of writing is seeing people connect with God through something I've written. Through the ministry of Song in the Night, I've met the most wonderful people - many of whom have endured their own dark nights waiting for the dawn. God is doing a beautiful thing on this planet.

It's clear from reading your book that God led you to write this amazing testimony. Was it hard for you making the decision to write it?

• Thanks so much for the encouragement! It was very hard to begin the writing process. People began asking me early on to chronicle our story, but it took me seven years to finally sit down and start typing. Re-living those first days and weeks after Kevin's injury were incredibly painful. Some days I spent more time crying at the computer than typing.
  
  

How has writing about your experiences been therapeutic for you? Has it improved your fellowshipping?

• It was terrifically therapeutic to write the book. Not only did it help me work through the pain, but it helped me to step back and see all that God has truly accomplished through our tragedy.
  
  It has greatly improved my fellowship, both with God and with others. The Bible speaks of the "fellowship of sufferings" (Philippians 3:10). Suffering is a great purifier. Suffering gives integrity to our message. It burns away all that hinders our walk with Christ and our love for others. What is left is a greater appreciation for God and His precious creation. So my relationships are deeper, sweeter, and much more meaningful.
  

What Bible verse has really encouraged and strengthened you?

• This is a hard question, because I love all of God's Word so much. But I have to say that the most encouraging was the passage given to us by a friend six hours before Kevin's accident. The first eleven verses of the first chapter of 2 Corinthians reads nearly like a script of how our lives changed after July 11th of 1997. It speaks of affliction, hardship, deliverance, and comfort - all of which we have experienced. My favorite verse says: "indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves in order that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead" (2 Cor. 1:9). Kevin literally received a death sentence from the doctor in Canada. Each day since has been a gift of life

What are some of your favorite books?

• The Bible tops the list, of course. My favorite books are those that have had a great influence on shaping my faith, books like Hinds Feet on High Places, The Screwtape Letters, Why Revival Tarries, Vanya, Through Gates of Splendor, and Of Whom the World Was Not Worthy. Today I have little time to read, but when I can, I love books that inspire me. Give me anything by Beth Moore and Joni Eareckson Tada.
  

What book or books do you recommend for people to read if they would like to learn more about disability in America?

• I would greatly recommend books by Joni Eareckson Tada. She has lived for decades with quadriplegia. She has a vibrant international ministry to the disabled and to those who want to understand how God works through suffering. Her website joniandfriends.org is a valuable resource. I am honored that Song in the Night is listed on her recommended reading resource list.
  

Do you have any more books planned?

• Oh, yes! Stay tuned...
  
  

Website: songinthenight.net
Blog: pamthorsonsblog.com
Twitter: SongintheNight
Facebook Fan Page: Song In The Night

You can order from these sites: amazon.com, songinthenight.net, barnesandnoble.com, pineorchard.com.

God bless!

~Grace