I’m happy to welcome one of our industry’s up and coming new novelists today. Regina Jennings has just released her second novel, Love in the Balance, and it’s a must-read for anyone who is a fan of Mary Connealy, Deeanne Gist, or Rosslyn Elliot. Somewhere between raising and homeschooling four kids she manages to write, blog, and read a lot of great books. Whew! You can learn more about Regina through her website as well as on her blog.
Before Regina joins us, let me introduce you to Love in the Balance.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Molly Lovelace dreams of a life without cars in Lockhart, Texas. She also has dreams of handsome wrangler Bailey Garner, her ardent but inconsistent beau. The problem is, with Bailey’s poor prospects, she just can’t fit the two dreams together.
Then mysterious stranger Edward Pierrepont sweeps into town – and her life – and for the first time Molly wonders if she’s met the man who can give her everything. But he won’t be in Lockhart long, and while it certainly seems like he talks about their glorious future together, she can’t quite get Bailey out of her mind.
What’s a girl to do with all these decisions when love is in the balance?
Welcome, Regina!
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
If you ask me about my latest novel Love in the Balance, I’ll most likely tell you about Molly Lovelace, a stylish court clerk who wants to marry handsome cowboy Bailey Garner even though his lack of employment and Molly’s sense of duty make such a dream unlikely.
That’s the short hook, the back cover copy, but if we had more time I’d tell you the question that inspired me to write this story—
What does it mean to live an authentic life?
We talk about being transparent, being real, but how does that look? Does it mean that we refuse to fake cheerfulness and say exactly how we’re doing today, thank you? When introducing ourselves do we summarize our past failings so no one gives us more credit than we deserve? Should we routinely update our Facebook status with our latest sins and temptations?
OK, so I’m exaggerating, but where is the line? How do we survive the wasteland between who we are meant to be and who we are currently?
The opening of Love in the Balance finds Bailey and Molly in such a situation. Bailey is an earnest young man with a reputation for godliness, but he knows he’s got everyone fooled. In a search for accountability, Bailey pops up before the church and confesses that a temptation continues to beset him. Of course it doesn’t take much imagination for the congregation to surmise that the block he’s stumbling over closely resembles beautiful, sassy Molly Lovelace. And when Molly, in an effort to save her family’s business, makes a terrible mistake, she earns notoriety that she doesn’t deserve.
The more Bailey tries to convince people he’s a sinner, the more they applaud him for his humility. He’s stuck trying to live up to a reputation he hasn’t earned, afraid to ruin the “godly example” for which he’s so lauded.
And Molly must find the courage to rise above her community’s expectations. She, like Bailey, desperately wants to live authentically before God, but her intentions are often misunderstood.
So what’s Love in the Balance about? It’s about a handsome cowboy with an awe-shucks attitude and an ambitious court clerk who isn’t sure what she wants out of life.
It’s also about two people striving to get it right and live genuinely before their God.