My guest today is Author Julianne MacLean who writes secular romance. I’ve invited her to share about a very different book she’s written, based her on her own experiences. In order to let her readers know that this book is different, she has written it under the name of E.V. Mitchell.  Here’s Julianne:

“I have a new book out now called THE COLOR OF HEAVEN, a novel I have been working on for the past six years.  It’s been getting nice reviews, and I’ve received many touching letters about the story from readers who amaze me with their personal stories.

The book has touched a nerve for many people I suppose, and the reasons for that are not easy to explain.

Let me backtrack a bit.

I was late delivering this blog to Lyn, because the subject matter is not an easy thing to write about, and I kept putting it off.  THE COLOR OF HEAVEN is autobiographical in many ways, based on the most traumatic and difficult events from my own life.

In the book, Sophie, the main character, is a writer and she endures the unthinkable hardship of caring for her sick child.

My own daughter was diagnosed with Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome when she was two years old, and we almost lost her.  We spent six weeks in the hospital, hitting rock bottom for a few days in the ICU when I was certain we were going to lose her.

I will never forget the panicked nurses and doctors rushing around her bed, administering drugs, calling in a team of workers in the middle of the night for an emergency kidney dialysis.  I wept and prayed for a miracle during those terribly dark 24 hours.

It’s a difficult thing to revisit, but in these twelve years since, I have watched my daughter grow into a beautiful young woman, and have never stopped feeling grateful for my prayers being answered.

But not a day goes by that I don’t wonder… What if they had not been?

Let me tell you about another experience that is part of my life and part of the book.  Sophie crashes her car into a frozen lake and drowns in the water, which is the near-death experience that teaches her something about her own life and her past.

I, too, had a similar car accident when I was twenty-five years old. I hydroplaned at high speed on a rain-soaked highway and skidded off the road.  Clutching the steering wheel and bracing my body for the worst – and praying, dear God, that everything would be okay – I rolled down a steep embankment.

By some miracle I survived, and I am still astonished by the fact that I walked away from that wreck with only a few scratches, when half the car was flattened like a pancake.

There are times I am certain there was an angel beside me.

So why did I write this book the way I did?  I took those terrifying situations and asked the question, “What if?” What if my prayers had not been answered, and I had not walked away from the wreck?

I suppose I needed to face such possibilities, because sometimes our prayers are not answered.

I believe, however, that it’s important for each one of us to know that our precious lives, no matter how difficult at times, are a gift from above.  Every moment should be cherished, and it’s important to give thanks, to be grateful and humble for what we have been given.

Sophie learns this in THE COLOR OF HEAVEN.  I have certainly learned it in the years since my two close brushes with death – my own and my daughter’s.

I sleep with a small ceramic angel over my head at night, and I am grateful for all that I have been blessed with.

Please be grateful, too.  Give thanks and enjoy your blessings every day.  No matter what happens, you are not alone.  Be strong, and always hold your faith close to your heart.”–Julianne

For more about THE COLOR OF HEAVEN – an E-book original available now, drop by www.juliannemaclean.com

I’ve been attending a Beth Moore study of the book of Daniel. Recently she made the point that God can deliver us FROM a trial, or he can deliver us THROUGH a trial. I think Julianne’s story shows both of these. God led her daughter through this illness and brought her out safe on the other side while Julianne was delivered from the auto accident. We don’t like times of testing but IMHO, we learn the most about ourselves and heaven from them. Thanks, Julianne, for being so open and sharing what has touched your life.–Lyn