I doubt it surprised anyone when the first book I wrote was set on Christmas—the first Christmas to be exact. Little Shepherd tells the story of Obed, a young shepherd in the hills outside Bethlehem on the night of Christ’s birth. What might surprise readers is that this was never meant to be a children’s story.
When God first planted this idea in my heart, the story was of an adult Obed who seeks out the apostles after the Resurrection to see if Jesus is the Savior he met as a child. I decided to try out this idea in 2006 for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). My girls were little at the time (5 and 3), so I didn’t have enough hours in the day to perform the necessary research to give it a good go. I felt proud of the seven chapters I cranked out, but could go no further without stopping to get a feel for the world in which Obed lived.
That’s when I started talking to my pastor about the project. I can only guess God led me to say the right words or for the pastor to hear a different story concept than the one I told him about, because he asked, “Is this a book for kids?” I answered no, but then the wheels started turning. Why couldn’t this story be about the night Obed met Jesus? With some additional help from my critique group, Little Shepherd was born. The book was accepted by Guardian Angel Publishing and released in 2010.
Thank you for letting me visit your blog today. Wishing you and your readers a blessed Thanksgiving and a joyful Christmas.
About the book:
Obed is in the hills outside Bethlehem when the angels appear to announce the Savior's birth. Can he trust that the miracle of the first Christmas will keep his flock safe while he visits the newborn King?
Excerpt:
Off in the distance, a wolf howled. Obed moved closer to his flock, scanning the hills for any sign of a pack that might race in and steal his sheep. His family depended upon the sheep for food and their wool for clothing. No sheep would be lost under his watch.
He shivered inside his cloak. While the days were getting warmer, the nights still chilled him. He walked over to the large fire blazing inside the pit. He rubbed his hands together and held them up to the fire to warm them.
Above him, the sky twinkled with millions of stars. Obed couldn’t remember a night so clear.
Suddenly, a bright light filled the sky.
Obed trembled. “Father, what is happening?”
Purchase your copy from:
Guardian Angel Publishing
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Indiebound.org
About the author:
Cheryl Malandrinos is a children’s author and freelance editor. She is the author of Little Shepherd, released by Guardian Angel Publishing, and A Christmas Kindness, released by 4RV Publishing, under her pen name, C.C. Gevry. A digital version of A Christmas Kindness will be released in 2013.
Since 2007, Cheryl has been an online book publicist specializing in virtual book tours. She is a member of the SCBWI, a book reviewer, and blogger.
Ms. Malandrinos lives in Western Massachusetts with her husband and two children. She also has a son who is married. Visit her online at http://ccmalandrinos.com/ or http://ccgevry.com/.
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