I recently had the privilege of attending the Christian Authors Showcase (Queensland) in Brisbane, and one of the highlights was the launch of the anthology Palette of Grace, published by Armour Books. It’s a collection of short fiction, nonfiction, memoir and poetry by 18 authors.
I asked Anne Hamilton (publisher and editor) and Ruth Bonetti (co-editor) to tell me a bit of the background behind the anthology; and I also asked some of the authors to tell me a little about their stories. Here are their responses.
Insights From the Editors
Anne, congratulations on the release of the anthology. What prompted you to put it together and publish it?
Back when I was first starting out as a writer, there were many avenues for aspiring authors to get small ‘runs on the board’ towards eventual acceptance by a traditional publisher. Most of those avenues have now disappeared. I realised how much harder it is for people starting out now and I wanted to pass on the blessings God has placed in my writing life over the years by giving opportunities to others.
Almost as soon as the anthology was announced, I lost my distributor, then later my major retail outlet. They both closed down. I thought seriously about cancelling the anthology but decided I’d prefer to express my faith that God would provide and open up the way—somehow—for the book to get out to a wider audience. After all, the common element in each story is FAITH.
Your memoir piece ‘An Angel in Nazareth’ is included. Can you tell us a little about the story?
You know those incidents in life you look back on and think, ‘That was strange to the point of miraculous?’ This is one like that.
I wrote it to honour my mother who loved to collect real-life stories about angelic intervention. I don’t really know if the taxi driver in the story was an angel, but he was certainly God’s provision when I wound up in the emergency department of a hospital in Israel.
Ruth Bonetti was the co-editor of the anthology. Ruth, you and Anne wanted to give new authors a chance at publication. Can you tell us more of your vision for the anthology?
We were prompted by a desire to give fledgling writers an opportunity to break through that pain threshold into print, and also to give scope for celebration with fellow contributors at a Showcase launch.
Those aims have since been reinforced by hearing many of the contributors express their sheer delight, even far beyond my expectation. Their vision stretches further, their confidence grows and they’re on a roll for the next story. That truly was a delight and well worth any effort on our part to bring this to print.
Your contribution to the anthology, ‘Justen’s Story’, was written in conjunction with Justen Wani Nasona. Can you tell us a bit more about it?
I felt drawn to assist Justen, whose gripping story needed to be heard. He was a Sudanese child-soldier and came to Australia as a refugee, where he is now studying for the priesthood. (In the photo, Justen is second from the right, partly obscured by the rifle.)
Justen speaks five African languages, but his English is a work in arduous progress. He is delighted that I could share his strong faith through our anthology, and is now writing further stories.
Thanks Anne and Ruth. We really appreciate your vision for the book. Now let’s highlight a few of the other contributors and find out more about their stories.
Insights From Some of the Contributors
Pamela Julian has three stories in the anthology–one Biblical fiction and two nonfiction. Pamela, can you tell us a bit more about the background to your memoir piece ‘Faith and Grief’?
I’ve struggled with hearing loss over many years, and many activities which include listening, are now closed doors to me. I have grieved this.
Getting a cochlear implant sooner than I expected was a shock. I knew there was a rehabilitation process, but did not realise it involved learning to completely hear again. It was like changing planets! I had some good friends who helped me see the funny side—it was either laugh, or I’d cry.
Disability can be either an obstacle, or a complete obstruction in life. I have often asked my Father for purpose as I navigated two disabilities and he has been faithful and given me direction and, yes, even success. I wanted to share my experiences with others, and give them hope that God can still give a purpose despite a disability.
Bishop M. Lester Dighton’s Biblical fiction story ‘A Trader in Jerusalem’ is an interesting tale. Bishop Lester, can you tell us what it’s about and what prompted you to write it?
This story is about an encounter with Jesus by a gentile trader visiting Jerusalem; comparing it to how he has been living, and how it changed his way of thinking. As a teacher of the Word of God, it is important for me to bring understanding to as many as possible about what is really being told to us, for us to know and understand our Holy Bible.
This story was inspired by hearing so many sermons on this very passage of Scripture by people who clearly do not understand Jewish Law, and how I could explain it easily in a simple story.
It is my prayer that, through this story, people now understand what this story means to them today.
Donna Albrecht’s nonfiction piece ‘The Brillianteer’ has a fascinating title. Donna, can you tell us a bit more about it?
I like the expression, ‘We are wounded in relationship…and we heal in relationship’. The Brillianteer is about God reaching deep into my wounds and longings to bring hope and reconciliation. I had been writing a longer story about my past, and had become stuck. When the opportunity came to write a short story I said, ‘God, if you’ve got a short story for me to write about you, let me know’.
Within a few hours I had an image in my mind that was enough to recognise the story. Writing it has encouraged me to believe that He will provide the words for the stories He wants written.
Judy Rogers has two fiction stories in the anthology. Judy, your story ‘Papa’s Journey’ had an interesting route to publication. Can you tell us more?
It’s a piece of Biblical fiction. After Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry Jesus’ cross, I envisaged him falling into a deep depression. This is the story of his journey through mental torment, discovery of ancient prophecies and epiphany of realising that Jesus is the Messiah.
I wrote it years ago for a competition called ‘Marked Art’, a creative competition to illustrate any part of Mark’s gospel. I’m thrilled it could be included in ‘Palette of Grace’.
Linda Barton’s nonfiction story, ‘Through the Lens of Grace’, concludes the anthology in a powerful way. Linda, what was the inspiration behind the story?
‘Through the Lens of Grace’ is a narrative of my mother’s transformation from sorrow to faith after my father’s unexpected death in a car crash, witnessed through the innocent perspective of my seven-year-old self.
Stanley Kubrick said that ‘however vast the darkness, we must supply our own light’.
The matriarch of our family, my mother Jessie, will celebrate her 90th birthday this coming September. Despite her legal blindness, she maintains her independence, living in her own home with the aid of our family and aged care services. Her remarkable spirit serves as a beacon of inspiration to myself and many others. As a single mother, she raised seven children and then dedicated herself to community service. Her contributions include fundraising for various charities, assisting in the church’s charity shop, visiting nursing home residents, engaging in environmental activism, and offering support to families at the local hospital’s oncology unit. The story I penned is a tribute to her extraordinary life. She is adamant that the choice to follow the course charted by God’s will has been the best and most rewarding decision she made in her life. She has consistently transcended her challenges, transforming adversity into positive action.
Some Final Words
Thank you, everyone, for sharing a bit more about your stories. They are truly inspiring, as are the contributions of the other authors in this volume– Hazel Barker, Ross Clark, Diana Davison, Miranda de Jager, Terry Gatfield, Lynda Hammond, John Hughes, Jim McPherson, Rosemary New, Jo Wanmer and Emely Weiler.
And a special shoutout to Beckon Creative for the fabulous cover and design.
The publisher has recently announced that there will a second volume of Palette of Grace, so stay tuned for that one!
If you would like to read these inspiring stories and more, you can purchase the book from Amazon.
6 Responses
I’m very pleased to have some of my work published in such a professional book. Congratulations Annie and Ruth and thanks for giving us this opportunity.
It was great to see your story in there, Jo. A beautiful-looking book, as well as fabulous content.
Thanks, Nola! I was fascinated to learn the inspiration for some of these stories, even though I was the editor!
Yes, indeed. I feel I know some of those people really well, but I didn’t know the stories behind some of the stories. Great to get some further insights. And thanks again for the fabulous job you did.
So many inspiring stories. So grateful to Anne and Ruth for providing me the opportunity to have my story included in this beautifully printed book. They are a blessing to budding authors like me.
Yes, it was a great opportunity. I loved your story. Thank you for allowing yourself to be vulnerable. I think it will touch a lot of people.