Welcome to my Second Acts Series!

Today, we have Lorna Faith sharing lessons and insights from a jam-packed life.

Here’s Lorna!

Act 1

My first act was filled with the adventure of learning new things. Being the youngest child in a family of 11 children, I knew the value of hard work and the freedom of living on a farm. I have many unique memories of growing up in that large Northern B.C. farm. Running to the outhouse in -30 Celsius weather, learning to milk cows and drive tractor as a young child, and riding the calves in the pasture with my neighbourhood friend, Skippy.

A love of singing and playing the piano grew right along with a love of storytelling from the age of 5 years old. I continued exploring that love of creativity, concentrating most of my efforts in singing and piano, through High School and Bible college, where I met my husband. When I graduated, we moved back to his neck of the woods and I soon found myself at the University of Lethbridge where four years later I graduated with a Bachelor of Music.

Our first son was born 5 months before Graduation.The next three children quickly followed. As our children got older I started to give piano and voice lessons again. I still sang at different churches and events for their special music, which was a lot of fun. However after teaching piano and voice lessons for so many years, I really longed for a change.

This longing for change, is what triggered the second act in my life.

Act 2

This stage of my life didn’t really begin until our youngest daughter was in her last year of being homeschooled. We moved to a different community to start a church plant, that was a big change for all six of us.

With so many new things happening in our lives, I felt like it was time for me to shift, so I started blogging and began to write my first Historical Romance novel. This was a story I was passionate about. It was set in 1913 Russia and inspired by my dad’s background as the fourth child of fifteen children, of parents who had escaped the famine in Russia to come to Canada.

However, even though I was inspired to write this story, it was a real fight to finish it. Fear attacked me on so many levels: maybe I wasn’t good enough to be a writer; what if I failed at this; was I too old to start something new? With encouragement from family and friends, I continued to write and finally published my first novel, Answering Annaveta on Mother’s Day in May 2013.

I have continued to write, but the next book in this series has taken a little longer to finish because I’ve done many other things in between.

I completed my Life Coach Certification as well as Social Media Masters training this past year. So now I help other people share their compelling stories with the world, on social media. As well I continue to share the stories I love as I write them. It’s the best of both worlds.

Lorna’s Advice

The best advice and the biggest Aha moment I had was when I read Jeff Goins’ book You Are a Writer. His words Don’t wait for someone to pick you.

Pick yourself, was a light bulb moment for me.

I realized all these years of struggling with fear and insecurity, I had actually been waiting for permission. I had been waiting for that unknown someone, to pick me and confirm that I was a writer.

If you’ve been waiting for permission, let me encourage you to go ahead and pick yourself. Embrace the freedom of who you are.

The following quote inspires me to keep trying new things, takes the pressure off and helps remove the fear of not being good enough. I hope it will do the same for you.

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
Walt Disney

So give yourself permission to learn, grow and become all of the amazing you, you were meant be.

Blurb

Annaveta Travotsky, a young girl in 1913 Russia, is poised at the dawn of womanhood.

In the span of a few short weeks, Annaveta finds her world turned upside down. Prevailing over trauma, tragedy and loss she moves on, but the guilt and rejection she carries from past abusive relationships, cause her to struggle with feelings of unworthiness.

Her heart holds her back from receiving the love of the man who longs to protect her.

As her past catches up to her, Annaveta flees to St.Petersburg, a place where she seeks safety. However, unrest in Russia makes the country ripe for an uprising, where terrorist groups like the Black Hand are flourishing. In the middle of this city filled with turmoil and rebellion, Annaveta and Alex discover a murderous plot devised by members of the Black Hand.

When terrorists threaten their lives, she faces a choice: Hold onto the lies of her past or believe in the power of love.

Comment for an opportunity to win 1 of 2 FREE ebooks of Answering Annaveta

Other Publications

“Mom’s Gift to Me” in Christian Fiction Online Magazine

“You’re a Writer. Pick Yourself” in Southern Writer’s Magazine

Bio

Lorna Faith loves all things romantic, historical and filled with adventure. A graduate of the University of Lethbridge with a degree in Music, she teaches students by day and scribbles away on her next novel by night. She also helps other people tell the stories they love on Social Media. She and her husband have 2 College age children and 2 teenagers and live in Southern Alberta near the Rocky Mountains. Answering Annaveta is her 1st novel… with Book #2 coming in May 2015.

Where to find Lorna…

Lorna Faith Blog | Raw Story Life Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon

Joanne here!

What a lovely tapestry you’ve woven! Thank you for sharing your journey and best of luck with all your literary endeavours.