Author/Novel Spotlight: Melinda Viergever Inman

Today, I am spotlighting novelist, Melinda Viergever Inman. When I first read the description of Fallen, I was hooked and knew that this would be one novel of blessing and honour God and His Word. I felt the same when I read her biography. The reviews of this first novel in this series only confirmed this. Then did the description and reviews of its sequel, Refuge. 

When I discovered that on a personal level, Melinda suffers from Lupus, I felt even more of a connection as my wife suffers from this same disease. I definitely understand and empathise with Melinda and her husband concerning what this debilitating disease can do. But like my wife, Melinda has not let this define her and has let the light of Christ shine through this condition and in her novels. She has an amazing testimony.

From this point of view, it is my pleasure to spotlight this author. I have yet to read both novels, but from everything I have read about them and Melinda, I am in for a real treat and blessing.

So without further ado, let's investigate Melinda Inman as a successful author, her writing and her passion for a God honouring story.

First, let us view her bio:

Melinda Viergever Inman was raised in a storytelling family. There her roots were sunk. During years of relocation, tragedy struck. Wounded and heartbroken, she forsook her roots and ran from herself and from God. A journey of trial and heartache brought her home again. A prodigal now returned, she writes with passion, illustrating God's love for wounded people as He makes beauty from ashes. Fallen is her second novel; Refuge, the sequel, is her first. No Longer Alone, a story set in the time of WWI, will be released on  July 26, 2017. Until recently, she shepherded women in prison ministry and wrote inspirational material at http://melindainman.com/blog/. With her family, she was also involved with Mission India/RIMI, rescuing orphans and providing theological and job training for impoverished students. However, a chronic illness has forced her to greatly curtail these activities. For now, her professional focus is on her fiction writing.

I have often said in my reviews that an author leaves part of themselves in their novels and these show their heart towards God. Listen to this video about Melinda's life that is reflected in her novels. It plays for 10:24 mins and is well worth listening to it in its entirety.

Based on this video, Melinda explains why she writes her stories: 

God has restored me from heartache and deep personal wounds made beauty from the ashes of my life and invited me to sink my roots deeply into Him. In coming home to Him and learning to depend on Him, I have found the mission for my life. Whether it’s in prison ministry, in faraway lands, in my own church Bible studies, or from my home where I’m now largely confined because of Lupus, the message is the same. I broadcast the Gospel and the message of God’s saving grace toward broken people like me. I follow in Jesus’ footsteps by using His favorite format for conveying truth—the story. He used parables with expert precision, and I attempt to weave His truth into my stories in like manner. My fiction wrestles with our human story, our brokenness, and the storms that wreak havoc on our lives. A story reaches into the heart and impacts the emotions, thus personalizing the message. Fiction is the modern-day parable. This is why I write it.

Now, let's have a look at Melinda's novels Fallen and Refuge: Novels of Biblical Good and Evil, and the third but final novel, Proclaim:

Adam's naive bite of the forbidden fruit shatters his blissful marriage to Eve and damages the core of his very self. Stunned when God banishes them from the Garden, Adam yearns for what they've lost, but now God seems absent and Eve won't speak to him. Why does he keep hurting her? How can he control his new impulses and emotions? Can they ever recover? Has God abandoned them?

Fallen recreates the story of the beginning. In the Garden of Eden, we all came into being. This is the story of life, death, and the beginning, a novel of our family, the human story.

Fallen, its sequel Refuge and the upcoming and final story Proclaim were inspired by the earliest events recorded in the Bible and the ancient tales that swirl around those events. The series has been thoroughly researched from Biblical and theological reference sources, yet each book is crafted as a story, pure fiction, bringing these intriguing stories to life to illustrate God's passionate love and mercy toward humanity.

Of the decade it will take for all three books to have been written and published, I spent one entire year researching demonology and angelology. Since I wanted to write the angels and demons in the series as close as possible to Biblical norms, I needed to discover everything the Bible says about these supernatural creatures. Then I conveyed all I had learned into my fictional characters with thoughts and dialogue.

Reviews of Fallen are either in 4 or 5 Star ratings:

All Verified Customer Reviews can be found here.

Some Amazon Editorial Reviews:

"Lush and sensual, deftly capturing the newness and wonder of creation through the eyes of the first human beings" - Barb Best

"A poignant love story of the first two humans" - Liz Muller

"The author's sparkling description gives us insight into the beauty of our unsullied world at the dawn of Creation." - Kim Fisch, Writer

"This book is a triumph both of scholarship and in its demonstration of God's grace" - Jo Ann Pevoto

"Inman has managed to take a too familiar story and make it fresh." - Katie Andraski

Amazon Best Sellers Rank:

 #184,097 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

#1053 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction >
Religious & Inspirational Fiction > Christian > Mystery & Suspense

#1124 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > Religious

#1148 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction >
Religious & Inspirational Fiction > Christian > Historical

Description of Refuge:

Intent on total destruction, Satan notices Cain’s obsessive lust for Lilith and dark roots of jealousy toward his do-gooding brother Abel. Satan goads Cain to the point of madness, barraging his mind with thoughts of hatred, lust, and futility. In a blinding rage, Cain wrecks everything. Wracked with shame, he flees into the vast wilderness, unable to possess the one thing he truly desires—Lilith. His life is destroyed. Will he ever find his way home again? He longs for refuge and wonders if he’ll ever find God again?

Reviews of Refuge are either in 4 or 5 Star ratings:

All Verified Customer Reviews can be found here.

Editorial Review: 

Refuge has been named a 2014 Official Finalist For The PARANORMAL AWARDS for Supernatural Fiction. The Paranormal Awards writing competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Supernatural Fiction and Legends & Lore. The PARANORMAL Awards is a division of the Chanticleer Awards International Writing Competitions.



Amazon Best Sellers Rank: 

#176,922 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

#1094 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > Religious

#1116 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction >
Religious & Inspirational Fiction > Christian > Historical

#1568 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Literature & Fiction > Historical 

Melinda has even created photos/images of the characters and the environment she envisioned for her stories in both Fallen and Refuge. Check them out on her Pinterest boards:

https://www.pinterest.com/melindavinman/boards/  

Melinda's new novel, No Longer Alone, will be released in kindle and print formats on July 26, 2017. Let's take a look:

Manhood arrived prematurely. At the tender age of fifteen, Prentis lost both his father and his confidence that God loved him. He grew up fast after that day, abandoning his education to take on the responsibility and hardship of supporting his mother and siblings.

Now, in Prentis’s twenties, Avery reenters his life. A Sunday School teacher with a passion for learning and theology, she is intelligent with a captivating spirit. Prentis finds her irresistible. The audacity of attempting to court such a woman in no way weakens his resolve. He’s determined to win her heart. But male competition, vicious gossip, Avery’s unspoken fears, and the ruin of his livelihood hinder his efforts. How can Prentis win her? And if he does, how will they overcome their differences, the hard life on the Oklahoma plains, and a world at war? 

Click here, to pre-order Melinda's new novel, to be released on 26/06/17.

If you would like to find out more about Melinda as an author and her novels, you can find her at the following social media connections (titles below are links):

    

Author website   Twitter  Facebook Author Page   Pinterest  Instagram  Google+  LinkedIn 

If all of the above has whetted your appetite to read an excerpt or buy one or both of Fallen and Refuge novels, please click on the BUY or PREVIEW icons below:

Readers and reviews are an author's best asset, so I encourage any reader who likes reading in the genres of Christian inspirational, biblical history, fantasy, to consider reading Fallen and Refuge and submit a review on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest (or any other social media you subscribe to).