IT'S HERE!!! We've all been so busy during the duration of this tour, so we were unable to get Lydia's post together in time for her original date, and we decided to post on the 25th instead! This is coming in very last minute, but it's here!
I am SO excited to have Lydia M. Jupp on to share about her story and a Q&A with the characters from Sarah Lawton's story Till Death Do Us Part!
Without further ado, here's Lydia!
Hello lovelies!
Tell Me You Love Me is soon to be released, isn’t that exciting?!?! First of all, I want to thank the wonderful Grace A. Johnson for not only hosting me on her blog, but also for putting this beautiful anthology together. My name is Lydia M. Jupp, and my short story Forever Loved is featured in the Tell Me You Love Me Anthology with many other amazing authors and their stories. Today I’m going to tell you a bit about my story and interview a few characters from Sarah Lawton’s story Till Death Do Us Part. Let’s dive in!
forever loved
Forsaken, Unloved, and Alone.
Those were three words that Charity Reynolds knew all too well. When a war threatens to take away her last hope of being loved, will a chance meeting help her understand a new kind of love, one that will last forever?
It is May 1915 in Spruceville, Ontario, and WW1 is becoming real to all the people in this little town. Hearing that the Canadian troops had held their own during the second battle of Ypres had sparked enthusiasm, and many young men began to see the need to defend their country on the battlefield. One young woman is searching for stability, friendship, and even love, in the midst of her own turmoil.
Go check out Sarah Lawton’s interview with Charity and Michael on her BLOG!
Now here are two printable quote bookmarks featuring a bible verse and a quote from Forever Loved. Hope you enjoy!
*Disclaimer: Graphics and Bookmarks were created in Canva using pictures from Pinterest and/or royalty free pictures*
till death do us part by sarah lawton: an interview with jon and carlie
Hello Jon and Carlie! Thank you so much for joining me today, and allowing me to interview you! I have around 5-6 questions to ask each of you, so who would like to go first?
Jon: Thank you Lydia! I’ll go first, if that’s alright with Carlie.
So Jon, what do you do for a living?
I’m a software developer, which has been a big blessing, since I’m able to work from home and have the flexibility to be there for Carlie when she needs me.
That is such a blessing! Speaking of Carlie, what do you love most about her?
*smiles softly* She is incredibly selfless. Even in the time where she was nearly dying, all she was thinking about was her family. I also love her faith. Nothing will ever take her faith away from her. If you ever met her, within the first minute you’d know she’s a Christian. I’d never be able to live without her.
*smiles Carlie* That is such a cute and great testimony to have said about you, Carlie, and meeting you now, I can 100% agree. *faces Jon* What was the hardest part about hearing that Carlie was in the hospital?
*sighs* Just the fact that I could lose her. I couldn’t imagine my life without her. When you have a loved one in such a critical condition, you try to prepare yourself for the worst, but you can never truly be ready for their death.
*gives Jon a sympathetic look* That must have been hard, but through this whole experience, what was the most valuable lesson you learned?
The most valuable lesson was definitely to trust God. When Carlie was dying, my faith was not as strong as it should have been. Through this whole experience I’ve really learned a lot about myself and our mighty Father in Heaven.
Beautiful. *quickly wipes tears threatening to form and clears throat* Now, let's move onto some different questions. Who shared the gospel with you?
After Carlie broke off our relationship, I went to church right away, hoping that if I could go through the motions, Carlie would take me back. After a few months of attending this church, the pastor approached me to ask about the state of my faith. *shifts uncomfortably* It felt wrong to lie to a pastor, so I told him the truth - that I was only attending for Carlie. He took me to his office, and started to tell me about the Gospel from the beginning. I didn’t believe right away, but after almost a year of these meetings, I accepted Jesus into my heart. It’s the best thing I could have ever done, for me and for Carlie.
Amen to that! Salvation is the best decision anyone can ever make. Now your final question-and I tried to make this one a little fun*wink*. What was your initial reaction when you met Aaliyah Mae?
I didn’t really have much of a reaction. Looking back on that moment, I should have felt compassion for this little girl with cancer, but instead I was caught up in my own emotions and feeling sorry for myself. She really did snap me out of my self-pity, though, and helped to distract me for at least a little while. I still love to visit Allie. She’s in worse condition now, and in the hospital more often, but her personality is brighter than ever.
She is such a sweet girl, isn’t she? I’m glad that Allie was able to help you. Well, thank you so much for letting me interview you, Jon! Looks like it’s your turn next Carlie.
Carlie:
I want to start at the very beginning. Were you angry at God when you first got diagnosed with cancer?
I was. As an active, sixteen year old girl, it was really hard to comprehend what the doctors were telling me. I was on bedrest when I wasn’t at the hospital, so that cut out a lot of things for me. I also lost a lot of friends. But I am ever so thankful for Jon. We reconnected after my first surgery and he never left me again. *smiles*
Aww! That must have been really difficult for you. Speaking of Jon, was it hard breaking up with Jon before he became a Christian?
It was incredibly hard. He didn’t understand why, and so he sent me tons of letters, apology notes, flowers, and more. I just knew that it wouldn’t be good for either of us to be in a relationship like we were until he became a Christian. I also knew that his faith needed to be his own, and not just him trying to please me.
That’s understandable, but I’m also glad that you both got back together! What do you love the most about Jon?
His love for God, me, and others is beautiful. He is also loyal, and a wonderful provider and protector. He can get a little worried sometimes, but I know it is only because of his love for me. I would never be able to live without him.
*grins* That’s so sweet! Now, here are some more personal questions. What is your favourite Bible verse?
Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Knowing that Jesus has prepared a place for me in heaven helps a lot in those moments when I’m not sure how much longer I have on this earth.
Oh, I love that verse too, and it must hold so much meaning for you. Now here’s your last question, why do you like roses? Do they remind you of anything special?
I love roses because when you spend a lot of your life in a hospital, you learn to appreciate the little things. After my first surgery, when Jon came to apologize and to ask me again to be his girlfriend, he brought me the biggest bouquet of roses I have ever seen. *giggles and looks at Jon*
Thank you so much Carlie, and thanks again Jon! I am so glad that I had an opportunity to interview and learn more about you both, and I’m sure our readers did as well! Goodbye for now!
giveaway
Now who's ready to hear about the giveaway? Yep you heard that right! There is a giveaway consisting of an e-copy of Tell Me You Love Me and many more surprise prizes. To enter just comment on the posts in the tour! Each comment equals an entry, but replies to other comments do not count.
The giveaway ends January 31st , so don’t be afraid to tell us what you think of the posts and this tour by commenting below. Winner will be announced in Grace’s post at the end of the tour. Entrants must be eighteen years of age or have their parent’s permission to enter.
tour
Grace A. Johnson – tour kickoff – January 17th
Michaela Bush - January 18th
H.S. Kylian – January 19th
Michaela Bush - January 19th
Amelia Cabot on Of Blades and Thorns – January 20th
Issabelle Perry – January 23rd
Maggie Copeland on Of Blades and Thorns – January 24th
Sarah Lawton – January 25th Lydia M. Jupp on Of Blades and Thorns – January 25th
Saraina Whitney – January 26th
Katherine Perry – January 27th
Mackenzie Hendricks – January 30th
Lucia Molano – January 31st
Grace A. Johnson – tour ends – January 31st
I hope y'all enjoyed Lydia's Q&A and learning more about her story! Forever Loved is such a sweet, touching story, and so is Till Death Do Us Part! I can't wait for y'all to read them!