Write Now Literary is pleased to announce His Last Resort, a Contemporary Christian Romance by author M.A. Malcolm, March 27-April 7, 2017.
ASIN: B06XQDPTT1
ISBN-10: 9769581550
ISBN-13: 978-9769581555
ASIN: B06XQDPTT1
ISBN-10: 9769581550
ISBN-13: 978-9769581555
About the Author
M. A. Malcolm, a native of Jamaica, is a wife, mother, stepmother, daughter, sister and aunt. She is a freelance copy editor, administrative service provider and self-publishing consultant who also works part-time as an educator. With a passion for enhancing the work of Christian writers, she is certified in copyediting and is the founder of Nitpicking with a Purpose (NitpickingwithaPurpose.com). Over the years, she has worked with a host of local and international authors and authors-to-be.
When she published her first book, "His Last Hope: A Contemporary Christian Romance" in July, 2015, she fully expected it to be ‘one and done.’ She had no intention of writing another book of any kind; however, readers have demanded more, and the Lord has made it possible for her to comply. Not only has He allowed her more time to write; He has also given her more messages to share.
With the anticipated publication of "His Last Resort," the first part of her relatively recent vision of turning "His Last Hope" into a series has come true. She is currently working on two more manuscripts in the series, and has plans for a third.
In 2016, she also became a children’s author with the publication of her first children’s book, "So very… Max!"—a modern-day response to Hans Christian Andersen’s "The Ugly Duckling."
Mrs. Malcolm has been a part of Faith in Christ Ministries in Westmoreland, Jamaica, for more than ten years. She divides her time among her family; work and writing projects; dogs; to-be-read list, and catching up on much-needed sleep.
When she published her first book, "His Last Hope: A Contemporary Christian Romance" in July, 2015, she fully expected it to be ‘one and done.’ She had no intention of writing another book of any kind; however, readers have demanded more, and the Lord has made it possible for her to comply. Not only has He allowed her more time to write; He has also given her more messages to share.
With the anticipated publication of "His Last Resort," the first part of her relatively recent vision of turning "His Last Hope" into a series has come true. She is currently working on two more manuscripts in the series, and has plans for a third.
In 2016, she also became a children’s author with the publication of her first children’s book, "So very… Max!"—a modern-day response to Hans Christian Andersen’s "The Ugly Duckling."
Mrs. Malcolm has been a part of Faith in Christ Ministries in Westmoreland, Jamaica, for more than ten years. She divides her time among her family; work and writing projects; dogs; to-be-read list, and catching up on much-needed sleep.
About the Book
Driven and focused, business owner and future pastor Robert Marsden knows exactly what he wants… and what he doesn’t. The Do Not Disturb sign he’s placed on his heart is his way of discouraging the ‘wanna-be first ladies’ who’ve set their sights on him... ladies like Claire Foxwood. The way he sees it, Claire and others like her are clearly more focused on impressing others than on their eternal souls.
Claire can’t help her attraction to Robert, but his decision to make a public spectacle of her hurts to the core. Part of her wants to give him a piece of her mind, but the rest of her remains infatuated with the man who’s too attractive for his – and her – own good. If only she didn’t feel like he has a role to play in her destiny!
Can Ruby “Aunt Ruby” Crawford’s words of godly wisdom peppered with a hint of humor help the misguided pair look deep within themselves and discover God’s plan for their lives?
Connect Socially
Website: http://authormamalcolm.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Marsha.A.Malcolm
Purchase link: Amazon http://a.co/bzm7ba7
Kobo: http://tinyurl.com/lkgrmfm
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1217027499
Claire can’t help her attraction to Robert, but his decision to make a public spectacle of her hurts to the core. Part of her wants to give him a piece of her mind, but the rest of her remains infatuated with the man who’s too attractive for his – and her – own good. If only she didn’t feel like he has a role to play in her destiny!
Can Ruby “Aunt Ruby” Crawford’s words of godly wisdom peppered with a hint of humor help the misguided pair look deep within themselves and discover God’s plan for their lives?
Connect Socially
Website: http://authormamalcolm.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Marsha.A.Malcolm
Purchase link: Amazon http://a.co/bzm7ba7
Kobo: http://tinyurl.com/lkgrmfm
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1217027499
Read an Excerpt
“Do you go out of your way to be offensive to everyone? Or am I special?” She folded her arms and looked crossly at Robert. Chaz stood alert, as if he was aware of his owner’s mood.
“Excuse me?” He wondered if he’d heard her right.
“I’ve wracked my brain, Mr. Marsden. I’ve gone over every minute of every conversation we’ve ever had, and the only time I remember being even a little bit rude to you was that day at your church. Clearly, my defensiveness that day made more of an impact than I thought, so please let me apologize. I’m sorry for my behavior that afternoon. I was annoyed that you had so easily forgotten me, although I obviously remembered meeting you. It was childish, and if I was rude or out of line, I’m really sorry. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to go.”
She stepped away from him, but Robert moved in front of her and stood with his legs wide apart and his hands on his hips, effectively blocking her path. It was amazing how attractive she was with her face free of makeup and covered in perspiration. If circumstances were different, he might be tempted to lean forward and kiss the bead of sweat from just above her top lip and then maybe he’d
He caught himself mid-thought and tried to remember what she had just said.
As if she were aware of the direction his thoughts had taken, she retrieved a small towel that had been tucked into the waistband of her pants and mopped her face.
“Thank you for the apology, as unnecessary as it was. Exactly how have I ever been offensive to you?”
She gave a wry laugh. “I guess the word is not so much offensive as it is judgmental.” She moved towards the nearby park bench, but remained standing.
“Me? Judgmental?” He was quite confused. Was he hearing right?
“You. Judgmental...."
“Excuse me?” He wondered if he’d heard her right.
“I’ve wracked my brain, Mr. Marsden. I’ve gone over every minute of every conversation we’ve ever had, and the only time I remember being even a little bit rude to you was that day at your church. Clearly, my defensiveness that day made more of an impact than I thought, so please let me apologize. I’m sorry for my behavior that afternoon. I was annoyed that you had so easily forgotten me, although I obviously remembered meeting you. It was childish, and if I was rude or out of line, I’m really sorry. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to go.”
She stepped away from him, but Robert moved in front of her and stood with his legs wide apart and his hands on his hips, effectively blocking her path. It was amazing how attractive she was with her face free of makeup and covered in perspiration. If circumstances were different, he might be tempted to lean forward and kiss the bead of sweat from just above her top lip and then maybe he’d
He caught himself mid-thought and tried to remember what she had just said.
As if she were aware of the direction his thoughts had taken, she retrieved a small towel that had been tucked into the waistband of her pants and mopped her face.
“Thank you for the apology, as unnecessary as it was. Exactly how have I ever been offensive to you?”
She gave a wry laugh. “I guess the word is not so much offensive as it is judgmental.” She moved towards the nearby park bench, but remained standing.
“Me? Judgmental?” He was quite confused. Was he hearing right?
“You. Judgmental...."
Character Interview
Q. Please tell the readers who are the main characters.
The main characters of “His Last Resort” are Robert Marsden, a business ownet who is studying to be a minister, and Claire Foxwood, a makeup artist with her own store.
Q. What conflict is there in the story?
The conflict between the two characters centers around the fact that Robert has certain beliefs about what a woman should look like, and he disapproves of Claire’s profession. As a result, he judges her very harshly for her choices. Claire’s conflict is more internal, as she is confused about whether Robert is right in his judgement of her.
Q. Which characters in “His Last Resort” are you most like?
These characters are completely fictional, but I guess I’m like Robert in that I can often be judgmental of others whose decisions I don’t understand. I’m also like Claire in that I have questioned a lot of my life choices and sometimes suffer from low self-esteem.
Q. Take us inside “His Last Resort.” What are two major events taking place?
Shortly after meeting her, Robert invites Claire to a Bible study, where he ends up talking about her in a way that hurts her feelings. Afterwards, they both end up (with the help of a middle-aged woman called Aunt Ruby) undertaking some serious soul-searching. Eventually, they run into each other in the park and there’s a major confrontation there. Of course, since this is a prequel to an existing novel (“His Last Hope”), and they are married in that novel, we know how it will turn out… eventually!
Q. Do your characters portray real people?
The two main characters are completely fictional, but Aunt Ruby is a combination of a lot of older women in my life.
Q. Describe each character in three words.
Robert is focused, driven and judgmental. Claire is gifted, intelligent and insecure.
Q. If your book became a movie who would play the characters?
Hmm. That’s a tough one. Jill Scott and Lamman Rucker, maybe.
Q. Your lead characters have “baggage” that keeps them from wanting to pursue a new relationship. Do you think sometimes we let our past get in the way of what God has planned for our futures?
I think that’s one of the predictable things about being human. We don’t get to see the big picture in the same way that God does, so we may find it difficult to let go of the past, because we don’t know what God has in store for us. We judge new people based on the shortcomings of people from our past, and we sometimes bypass our major blessings that way. I have to make a conscious decision to accept people as they show themselves to me, and not compare them to others.
Q. How do you see yourself in your character’s story, if at all?
I suppose that like Robert, I have to learn to stop judging people who sin differently than I do. At the end of the day, only Christ is perfect and like Robert, I have to constantly remind myself that Christ would have died for each individual I meet. I’m no better or worse than anyone else; I’m just different. Like Claire, I have to learn to trust God and work on my relationship with Him directly, and not try to understand Him through people who profess to hear from Him. I need to hear from Him for myself.
