The Story Behind the Story with Author Chantal MacDonald of Moncton, NB, Canada.

 

We are more than happy to have Chantal back as our guest this week.

She has a new book out and it is generating a lot of interest. The Scribbler is most fortunate to have her share the good news with you.

She’s been with us before and if you missed her visit please go HERE.

Read on, my friends.

  

A teacher by trade, Chantal MacDonald began pursuing a writing career with the first book in the Sadie Jones Series. She has a Master of Arts in English Literature from the University of Ottawa and has spent over fifteen years teaching students in both virtual and brick and mortar classrooms. Passionate about loving people, Chantal volunteers on her church frontline team and mom’s group. In addition to the Sadie Jones Series, she has released two picture books. One about a clever lobster from Prince Edward Island—Lester the Lobster and the Great Escape—and the other about an ordinary lobster who paints her shell blue to feel special—Lorraine the Lobster Feels Blue. Chantal is a married mom to three young children, an amateur baker, and a resident of Moncton, New Brunswick, where she enjoys copious amounts of seafood.

 

Title: A Promise on the Windy Shores

 

Synopsis:

Sometimes the journey home is the hardest one of all.

After ten months in Mwanza, Tanzania, Sadie Jones returns to her hometown of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, carrying more than just souvenirs. She brings home questions, heartache, and the weight of uncertainty of where she truly belongs. When devastating news from Africa arrives shortly after her return, Sadie’s emotions unravel, and she’s forced to confront the ache of loss and the struggle to move forward.

Navigating decisions about school, starting a new job, and her growing romance with Tom Carter, Sadie finds herself caught between who she was, who she is, and who she longs to become. While grief once again threatens to overwhelm Sadie’s hope, gentle whispers remind her of something deeper: God’s promises still hold.

As her heart wrestles and heals, Sadie must decide what it means to move forward—into love, into purpose, and into the fullness of who she was created to be.

A heartfelt story of grief, love, and becoming, A Promise on the Windy Shores is for anyone learning to trust again—even when the winds of life blow you into an all too familiar storm.

 

The Story Behind the Story:

This book has been the culmination of almost six years of work. When I first had the dream to write a novel, I knew where I wanted my main character—Sadie Jones—to start, and I knew where I wanted her to end. What I did not know was everything in between. I originally thought that I would be able to conclude this series in three books, but it has turned into four.

As a “pantser” (a writer who tends to let the story lead over story mapping), I have been surprised at some of the places that my characters led me. It has been both a struggle and a joy to let the writing be a process of discovery.

With this book, in particular, it has required an enormous amount of research. The first third of the novel is set in Africa. It was important to me to be as accurate as possible to the culture and the locale. Since I had never visited the city that is used in my novel, I relied heavily on the information and anecdotes provided for me from a dear friend who lives in Mwanza.

I have been stretched by the process of writing this book—and the entire series for that matter. The writer who has emerged at the end of A Promise on the Windy Shores is a far cry from the woman who picked up a computer in 2020 with glossy-eyed aspirations to write a book. I cannot wait to see what I learn and how I grow from my next project.

 

Chantal’s Website: please go HERE.

A question for you Chantal:

Scribbler: What has been the most enjoyable about your writing journey? The least enjoyable?

Chantal: The most enjoyable part of the writing journey has easily been sharing these stories with others. When you spend so much time in these fabricated worlds, the characters and their problems become a part of you. Watching others become invested in these characters and love them the way that I do has brought me so much joy.

The least enjoyable part has been the struggle to maintain accuracy and consistency throughout my books (and series). Over time the details get fuzzy. It’s hard to remember what colour eyes someone had, or what their middle name was, or even the layout of a specific home. But these are the details that readers (especially those who reread) will catch. I did not want any inconsistencies to pull my readers out of the story so it required keeping notes or rereading my previous works to ensure that I kept the storyline true to what had been previously written.

An Excerpt from A Promise on the Windy Shores:

Sadie Jones had just finished showering when the power flickered, buzzed, and dimmed before the room went dark. Silence replaced the familiar hum of electricity inside the modest African home—a common occurrence, yet one that Sadie still found frustrating. She stood with a towel wrapped around her small frame, water dripping from her body onto the concrete floor, and peered through the dusty windowpane over the bathroom sink. Sadie felt grateful the morning sun was beginning to crest over Mwanza—a major port city in the southeast African country of Tanzania. At least in the daylight she would be able to see her way around.

Third time this week, she thought. Glad I was able to finish my shower. Looks like it will be fruit for breakfast.

Checking the clock on the wall, Sadie knew that if she did not leave in the next fifteen minutes, she would be late to meet up with her team for their forty-five minute trip to the village health centre. She threw on a t-shirt and a billowy skirt that hung to her ankles without much care as to whether or not the outfit matched. Her life was now about function over fashion. Looking in the mirror, she ran her fingers through her damp auburn curls. She would have to let it air dry today. Flipping her head upside down, Sadie wrapped a silk bandanna tightly around her head to hold the curls in place. Her roommate, Sasha, had taught her the trick and the bandanna had been a gift from a local woman working with the organization.

The apartment was tiny, yet cozy. Sasha was still sleeping in a room behind the closed door off the kitchen. She was about ten years older than Sadie, native to Mwanza, and worked nights as a medical aid. Sasha had graciously agreed to host Sadie on a temporary basis partly because Sasha believed in the mission of the organization and partly because she needed the extra money.

Sadie threw a few necessities in a canvas bag and tossed it over her shoulder before stepping outside onto the concrete step in front of her temporary home. The morning dew clung to the leaves of the mango tree, which was casting a shadow across the front walk. A soft breeze fluttered her skirt, bringing some relief from the heat and humidity that was already causing her to perspire, even at this early hour. Thankfully, the region was in a rainy season, which meant some form of precipitation was inevitable.

Scanning the road, Sadie saw no sign of her ride. She checked her watch to make sure she had not misread the clock.

African time, she thought with a sigh. It was a common occurrence, yet one that she still struggled to internalize. The relaxed approach to arrivals, start times, and departures was something that had been an adjustment for Sadie. Being a type A recovering perfectionist, Sadie spent the first couple months of her time in Mwanza trying to make everything move faster—meetings, projects, social gatherings. But, as had been pointed out to her on multiple occasions by the locals, things happened when they happened. She could no more change an entire culture than she could stop the sun.

 

Buy the book HERE.

 

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Thank you for being our guest this week, Chantal. We wish you continued success with your stories. 

 

Thank you to all our visitors and readers.

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