As I write this morning, I am struggling to feel festive. I wanted to write something happy and uplifting to hopefully brighten your day and send you on with warm feelings, but I am not sure if I can deliver. A blow has been dealt to the Realm Makers Community, of which I am a part. If you do not know what Realm Makers is you can find out more at realmmakers.com, but to condense I would say that it is a community of believers in Christ who love to write and read speculative fiction. Aaron and Mary Schlegel were a couple who were first brought together by Realm Makers. They married and started a family, first with their daughter and now with another child on the way. Due to a car accident over the weekend, Aaron has gone home to be with our Savior leaving Mary with their daughter and unborn child to raise. I am not sure if these sentences feel clinical or too direct, but I am doing my best to distance myself from the strong emotions that threaten to dissolve my attempt at confidence. If this was a story, I wouldn't write it like this. I would write of Aaron's joy for the written word. I would write about his deep love for Mary. I would write of a wonderful father doing his best to provide for his little ones. But this is not a story, and I cannot fix it with words. I am asking for the help of the Clean Fiction Community. I ask foremost for prayers for Mary, her children, and her family. I also ask that, if you can, please contribute to their GoFundMe set up by Mary's cousin https://www.gofundme.com/f/schlegelfamilydonation . I do not know if they had life insurance, but I can tell you that everything going forward is going to be VERY expensive. Also, our friends over at Lorehaven have set up a way for those who did know Aaron personally to contribute to a book of memories for Mary to share with her children. You can send memories and photos to lacy@lorehaven.com by Sunday, January 1st 2023 to have your contribution included. I will end today's missive with a quote of Aaron's shared by Enclave Publishing:
"Hope is greater than death, hope is greater than the darkness. Hope is the anthem of pain. Hope is the strength that carries us through the pain. As writers we are here to create that anthem of hope." ~ Aaron Schlegel, Realm Makers 2018
This Week's Community Activity:
Don't Miss FREE Friday & Saturday on Amazon
December 16-17 - FREE Short Story "Angie's Will" Ebook
DECEMBER 20th WINTER EDITION 2022 EBOOK LAUNCH!
The paperback version of Clean Fiction: Winter Edition 2022 is available NOW for purchase! This Edition as well as any of the others would make the absolute PERFECT gift for the book lover in your life and for a limited time the Winter Edition 2022 is $1 OFF of the normal price! The price will go back up after the Ebook launch so don't wait! The Ebook version will launch as planned on December 20th (unless you are one of our Patreon Subscribers who have already received theirs), and to celebrate check out the Community Activity below for FREEBIES! Click the link below and order your copy today!
May your day be bright and your reading be epic!
~ Amy Lynn McConahy, Clean Fiction Publisher
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