Seeds
April 9, 2014
God is not a simulation expert.
May 8, 2014Indie publishing can be very lonely and when I found another blogger/author named Miranda A.Uyeh I clung to her like white on rice, almost like an annoying younger sister. Anyway she’s a geology lecturer based in Makurdi city and To die once is her debut novel. Let’s all show her some love and support her.
About the novel
A NOVEL
Two men, one woman, a rosebush …
… a terrible past, an uncertain future
Jennifer, a woman unexpectedly trapped in a path of love and passion against everything she believes.
Rodrigo, a man set to get what he wants at the cost of what matters most.
Stefano, a man with a past, a story to tell and passion to offer.
Chidi, a friend in need, a friend indeed. Or not?
From a culture where good girls follow the norm and live as they’ve been told, Jennifer is no different from any other girl until by happenstance, she meets and falls in love with Rodrigo, a man who’s handsome, rich and foreign. Different. She has no idea who he is or what he does, and is swept into a world of romance and passion. It is not long before she discovers a shocking truth that shakes both her world and his.
Then he is gone.
Stefano shows up at a time when Jennifer has made up her mind about the rules of life. He thinks she’s beautiful and is in love with her. In a bid to convince her to give him a chance in her life, old memories once buried are brought to life. And the events that follow don’t leave anyone unaffected by the truth of the past that was left unsettled.
Meanwhile, Jennifer with her friend Chidi, find themselves on a self-discovery journey that has one of them raising questions.
Some just have to ask, where is God in all this?
… an inspirational romance, from Lagos to Italy.
Praise for To Die Once
“A little mystery, a bit of intrigue, a lot of romance. To Die Once is a Christian romance with real characters facing deep issues. The emotional writing is truly heart-felt. This is Ms. Uyeh’s debut novel and thankfully, this won’t be the last.” —K. Victoria Chase, Bestselling author of From Across The Divide, Virginia Justice, Raphael: volume 1, Santiago Brothers book series.
“Miranda Uyeh has penned a novel full of heart. To Die Once is a story alternately thorny and tender that tackles the various forms of love – romance, friendship, and faith – in unique settings and situations. Often surprising, consistently intriguing, Uyeh’s debut is a bold start to her blossoming writing career.” — Amber Stokes, Author of “The Heart’s Spring” Series
“A fun inspirational romance read” — Rektok Ross, Best selling YA Romance author of Prodigal
My review
The characters in this novel were very intriguing to me. It is set in Nigeria with Nigerian characters but is not typical. Most of the action takes place in Italy. It made me feel that I needed to be more open about who I thought a typical Nigerian was. Its not the typical Naija Lagos girl that is the norm. 🙂 Anyway I enjoyed how Miranda portrayed the passion and uncertainty one feels during a budding relationship. I could relate with Jennifer’s reluctance to give in to her emotions. In my head, I was like hmm girl you shouldn’t have let him in. It taught me about letting go and actually trusting God and a few human beings. The Christian themes in the novel were also very apparent. You could feel the hand of God through out the novel. You could almost feel the desire of the writer to speak God to the readers. The biggest message in the novel was grace and its ability to reconcile us back to God again. However, it was not overpowering or preachy. It was actually very passionate. The scenes between Jennifer and Rodrigo were smoldering yet clean. You have to read it to really understand where I am coming from. 🙂 There was also a twist in the novel which I did not see coming and that is rare in romance novels. Kudos to Miranda for her stunning debut. You can visit her blog with the link below to enter a giveaway to celebrate the release of her novel. She’s giving away 10 ebooks ! You can enter the giveaway below
Miranda A. Uyeh is an assistant lecturer at a local college in Makurdi City, Nigeria, where she teaches two geology courses. Her love for books goes as far back as when her father placed Disney’s Rapunzel in her hands—her very first storybook! By the time she was thirteen she knew she was going to be a writer. You can find Miranda on her blog where she shares her love for books, entertainment and Christian spirituality with her readers. Miranda holds a B.Tech (Hons) in Applied Geology from ATBU, Nigeria. To Die Once is her debut novel, #1 of the Child of Grace book series.
Author Interview
Tell us a little more about yourself?
A – A little? Okay! I’m blogger, book/entertainment reviewer for Christian works, a judge for the INSPY Book Awards, a professional blurb/premise/promo sentence/sales handle constructor for Christian works, and an assistant lecturer at a college. I know! It sounds like an essay.
What inspired you to write this story? What was your underlying message?
A – Nothing in particular. Lots of books/movies came together in my head and gradually formed a plot. I did, though, have a burning desire to write for God. So I prayed fervently that He’d take control of my story and turn it into His masterpiece.
My underlying message is grace. I want people who read this book to walk away with the knowledge of the saving power of God’s grace. I want them to know that no matter how low a person sinks, absolute restoration is possible by the power of God’s love. There’s no sin God can’t heal; there’s no mistake He can’t repair; there’s absolutely no situation He can’t turn around. What’s impossible with man is very possible with God. You just have to be earnest and willing. Even when you’re not, He’s working in the background to lead you to the point that you’ll realize that you should be.
Tell us more about how you created Jennifer and her back ground? Is there a little of you in there somewhere in the mix? 🙂
A – When I first started creating Jennifer, I wanted a heroine that was a Christian, but one who would fall from grace and rise again stronger, through the power of God’s grace. The fleshing out and details came in later. And oh, there’s a lot of me in Jennifer, far more than I recently realized. I have her dreamy nature and adventurous heart. I don’t believe so much in keeping to the norms if it will stand in the way of God’s truth and human progress. But I promise, I’m not as crazy as she is—a money launderer? No way!!
Why do you write?
A – Without blinking, I write for God! I’ve always desired that God would use me to bless, encourage, uplift, and tell people the truth using entertainment and books! I, personally, have benefited much from other wonderful authors like Francine Rivers, Karen Kingsbury, MaryLu Tyndall, Julie Lessman and Janet Oke. God has provided answers, comfort, and cleared some of my confusions through their work. I could see that their writing was God-inspired. I wanted the same with mine, and I prayed that God would turn me into a wonderful fiction writer that would pass on healing and truth to whomever would pick up my book/s. You can find a post about my journey to writing in this post, Why I Believe In Christian Fiction.
What’s next for you?
A – Presently, I’m working on book #2 in the Child of Grace Series, To Lie Once. The story is centered on Jennifer’s sister, Joyce. It’s a “good girl gone bad” story. The prologue will be in the last pages of To Die Once. I’m truly excited writing this one! I also hope to begin another series soon.
What is your story?
A – How in the world do I answer this? Let me try … I can’t say that I have a story—not really. I’m just an extra-ordinary girl leaving in an ordinary world, with a super extra-ordinary God as her Lord and Savior—her King, Father and Closest Friend! Believe me, I’m still scratching my head on this question.
Author Pages
