Guest Post: Moira's Song

Please join me in welcoming Andrea Renee Cox to the blog today with a guest post and with information about the new anthology in which she has been published!

My favorite CD this year has been Phillips, Craig and Dean’s “You’re Still God.” There’s a song on there that could easily have been the theme song for the leading lady of my new novella, The Cottage on the Hill, which is one of eight stories featured in Springtime in Surrey, the debut anthology published by Wild Blue Wonder Press.

Moira Wood has been through the wringer. At the peak of her balletic career, she suffered an unfortunate accident that brought a sudden and permanent halt to her ballerina dreams. Her hope seemed lost, buried with her shattered dreams. But when a new sheep-farmer neighbor tried to cheer her up, she was reminded that God was still there, holding plenty of possibilities for her future, if she’d be courageous enough to chase them despite her disability.

The song “There Is A God” by Phillips, Craig and Dean (you may listen to it on YouTube) could well have been Moira’s theme song. It speaks about how God never leaves even when we’re hurting, that we have to choose to believe even when we can’t see God’s work in our lives in the midst of our difficulties.

That was the exact encouragement Moira needed.

While I couldn’t add the song to Cottage for copyright reasons, I like to think the tone and message of the song were infused into the character of Adrian Davis. He came alongside Moira in her hour of need and tried his very best to lift her spirits. He showed her through his tender care and attempts to bring her joy that there could still be bright spots in her days and, further, more to her life than a spoiled cup of tea.

It was such a blast exploring what it meant to both Adrian and Moira to know that even when we’re hurting, even when our world is crashing down around us, God is still there in every moment. He’s right next to us, walking through every ounce of our pain with us. He never leaves, and He always has bright plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

Those are lessons that Adrian and Moira had to learn firsthand. It was beautiful to see their story take shape, but it was even more fulfilling to see how God came alongside me in the midst of a season of illness, busyness, and overwhelmed feelings that I experienced while working three jobs (including writing Adrian and Moira’s story). He was there in every moment, even when I couldn’t sense Him. He showed me He was with me in the kindness of people I chatted with at banks and grocery stores throughout the springtime. He revealed His tender love in the letters I received from a dear friend I haven’t seen in a long time. He helped me through some physical pain and vertigo as well as a strange fever that came over me one weekend.

Through it all, I knew without a doubt that there is a God Who wouldn’t let me take one step on this life journey without His presence walking alongside me. He has never left me, and for that, I’m completely grateful.

I’m also appreciative that He’s helped me pen a story that brings honor to His name and showcases a few ways He can work to bring people together to make each other better, to give them both new dreams when their old ones were too lost or elusive to grasp. God really does have higher thoughts and greater plans for us than we could ever imagine for ourselves.

Author Bio and Links

Born and raised in north Texas, Andrea Renee Cox is a born-again child of God who enjoys writing stories that inspire, copyediting fiction manuscripts, tutoring middle school students, and going on road trips with her family. Whether she’s writing historical or contemporary, women’s fiction or romance, she uses her skills in research and writing techniques—as well as prayer and guidance from God—along the journey to produce the best stories of her ability. Her books may
be found on her website, and readers are welcome to follow her blog for the latest updates in her journey.

Website: https://andreareneecox.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/andreacox
Twitter: https://twitter.com/screenwriter87
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/andreareneecoxauthor/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/andreareneecox
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/andrea-renee-cox

About Springtime in Surrey, published by Wild Blue Wonder Press

This collection of novellas, set in County Surrey, England, features both historical and contemporary stories by new and old authors!

Springtime in Surrey contains the follow eight novellas:

Jesus, I Am Resting by Faith Blum
An orphaned young woman must fight to survive after WWI breaks out, praying her beau doesn’t die on a foreign battlefield like her father did years ago.

The Cottage on the Hill by Andrea Renee Cox
A former ballerina seeks hope amongst her lost dreams, as a sheep farmer tries to bring her joy.

If I Knew You Were Coming by Bailey Gaines
An exhausted mother balances her duties to both her biological and evacuee children with preparation for an unexpected visit from her soldier husband.

Her Heart’s Home by Grace A. Johnson
A destitute woman is pursued by an unexpected suitor and finds blessings from God in the way she least expected.

The Tussie-Mussie by Katja H. Labonté
A disgraced debutante flees to the country, only to meet a reclusive writer who may change her life forever.

The Odd Duck Society by Rachel Leitch
An insecure university student returns to a tea shop after a mysterious letter summons her there.

Fear Not Tomorrows by Erika Mathews
A hard-working sister-of-seven struggles with contentment as her marriage is postponed by her fiancé’s absence.

Courage to Stay by Kellyn Roth
A young bride chases her husband into the forest to rescue him from himself, which goes about as well as one would expect.

About The Cottage on the Hill by Andrea Renee Cox

She cried into her tea every afternoon.
He wondered why.

Moira Wood lost her ballerina dreams when she suffered an unfortunate accident. During every teatime at her cottage hideaway, it hits her afresh what she won't again be able to obtain.

Helping out on his uncle's farm, Adrian Davis worries he'll never earn a place of his own. While sent on a bevy of errands, he observes a woman crying into her tea and wonders why... and what he could do to cheer her up.

When forced to confront their own regrets, will Moira and Adrian trust that God has a good plan even through crushed dreams and far-off hopes?

Preorder Springtime in Surrey on Amazon, add it to Goodreads, and learn more at Wild Blue Wonder Press.