Meet the Characters in Sown In Peace!
Hello,
We’re so glad you’ve visited us here at Heidi Dru Kortman’s blog.
Our author, Joy Avery Melville has given us life in her latest release ~ SOWN IN PEACE.
My name is Tori… well… it’s Victoria Kinsey Archer, but other than my battle buddies I’ve served with, I’m Tori. Oh, wait! To my dad, I’m Torrent, ’cause he says I have gone through life torrentially. O… kay, maybe I have. I’ve served in the Army for nearly ten years and ended up in an IED bombing at our U.S. Army Forward Operating Base in Afghanistan. Would you believe that was on July 4, 2014?
Changed my life in huge ways… Ever hear of PTSD? Might want to see what that’s all about… sure has done a number on me. Not just me, though. Some of my buddies have suffered, too. There’s a tag our author wrote for ACFW FICTION FINDERS… pretty much fits my story before the story. Check it out below ~
The war she was forced to leave behind was nothing compared to the battle she faces within and at home.
Hi, there. My name is Griff McKay. I’m a MWD (Military Working Dog) and handler trainer. I was before I retired from the Army about five or six years ago. I had some major anger issues over how things were being dealt with, concerning returning veterans and the dogs they’d bonded to. My sister helped me through some major anger when I returned to Three Rivers, Michigan.
I’m his sister, JJ Mckay Russell… actually it’s Dr. Russell. I’ve worked hard to achieve degrees in psychology and physical therapy in order to work with wounded warriors, specializing in PTSD and the physical wounds as well. I’m married to a driven guy, Ethan Russell, and we live in Three Rivers, Michigan.
I opened a practice in Three Rivers in January of 2015 and have been working with others suffering psychologically, while I establish the wounded warrior platform. My brother, Griff, has been working out at his farm to get a therapy dog program going for veterans. He’s had two successful matchings of dogs to vets, training both the dogs and the vets in handling them.
It’s been hard work, but he’s seeing how beneficial his new program, Paws That Care, is. He’s had a lot of help getting buildings ready. A contractor by the name of Rex Archer has been busily making Griff’s goals come to fruition as far as housing vets during training.
Rex Archer here. You may remember me from a few weeks back at journeystojoy.net… I kind of spilled my gut, concerning the things I did to dig a ditch… deep and wide… between me and my daughter, Torrent. I won’t repeat all I said in that other post ’cause you can check it out over there from back in July… the sixteenth, I think it was, but you know, I’ve got more work cut out for me in filling in that ditch than anything I’ve been doing out at the Paws That Care therapy dog farm.
If you read our story, you’ll meet some other mighty fine people… Marty and Pam Douglas… they were there for me when I was floundering in grief. You’ll meet Deana Kinsey Langford… I’ll let you get to know her on your own. The less I say here, the better. Let me see… without spoiling any of the new novel Joy Avery Melville has written, I think I’ll just recommend you read it for yourselves.
One of the two men who gave much of their time and heart to this story, as I asked question after question of them, Keith Youngblood of Bryan, Texas, left a comment on my Facebook page after reading his wife’s e-book copy this last week. His post follows just as he wrote it:
“Everyone needs to get a copy of this book!! It is a Faith Based Fictional, yet very realistic story about a Wounded Warrior (IED explosion) returning home after being medically retired from the Army. She has to learn to live with her physical and mental injuries. I also have a personal connection to this book, as the author, Joy Avery Melville was initially put in contact with me in order for her to get technical info for the book. Well it turned in to much more than that. Throughout the process, I got to know Joy and got comfortable enough to start sharing stories about my life and my struggles in the Army and since retiring. We have now become life long friends. I love you Ladybug.”
Needless to say, when I, the author, read Keith’s post, my eyes leaked. He’s right. We’re lifelong friends now… I consider him and Jeremy Rockstroh family!
~ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~
Joy Avery Melville’s heart’s desire is to be the author God has called her to be by sharing Him with readers in such a way they long to have a deeply committed personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord.
Fully intending to write Historical Romance—had in fact— she had no plans to deviate from that. God had something else in mind for that ‘call’ He’d made on her life back in 1967. A mere eighth grader at the time, she had no clue about the topics she’d be drawn to write about.
Surrendering to the genre God placed on her heart has given Joy new insight into the hearts and lives of those who too often hurt in silence.
The settings of Joy’s books are near where she lives in Schoolcraft, Michigan with her husband of nearly 47 + years and their 21 mo-old Yorkie, Is-A-Bella Bindi, (Is-a-beautiful little girl) who thinks she’s a much larger breed with tomboy tendencies.
Joy loves to hear from readers and will respond!
Joy will award one signed copy to a person in the U.S. who leaves a comment on this blog.
Author Connections for Joy Avery Melville:
Email joyjournaling@gmail.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/Journeystojoy
Website https://www.joyaverymelville.com
Blog https://www.journeystojoy.net
Facebook Author Page http://facebook.com/jamauthor
Facebook Personal Page http://facebook.com/joy.averymelville
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/joyaverymelville
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/joyjournalinggmailcom
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/joy-avery-melville
If you haven’t already found and enjoyed the first book in Joy’s other series, find a link to it here.
Ruth De Maat
Heidi Kortman
Heidi Kortman
Joy Avery Melville
Joy Avery Melville
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