Venturing to Other Worlds

How would I live if I knew the day I’d die?

Ugh. This is such a tough question! How would I live if I knew the day I’d die?!? I’ve avoided the answer for many weeks. Would I finally work up the courage to jump from a plane? Would I go into Forest Gump mode and run across the country? (Admittedly a strange dream, I know. But I love to run!) Would I travel to Australia, France, England, and New York to follow the Grand Slam tennis tournament? Would I go home, to Maine? Would I spend time sharing sentiments with those I love, or even with those I’ve hurt? Would I let go of regrets?

You may be wondering why I’m attempting to answer such a question. Well, my answer is part of a blog hop to promote Nadine Brandes’s  debut novel, A Time to Die. But my answer is not just about promotion. My answer is also about friendship. You see, Nadine is not just a fellow author. She’s my dear friend. You can read a bit about our friendship on Nadine’s website. Since her post, which was a complete surprise to me, we’ve met in person. You know, cyberspace friendships will either blossom or fizzle when finally meeting in person. Ours blossomed, and I’m grateful to God.

And that’s why I’m answering such a tough question. For Nadine. For our friendship. As a result of her inspiring debut effort, A Time to Die. Hopefully you’ll reflect on what is most important to you too.

So, if I had one year left to live, I…

Wouldn’t skydive. Wouldn’t Run, Angie, Run! Wouldn’t follow the Grand Slam tennis tournament. I’d take my kids to school. I’d go to work. I’d pick up my kids from school. I’d help my kids with their homework. I’d cook supper and clean house. I’d go to games (mostly football in my family). I’d run. I’d find a good book to read. I’d write into the night. And I’d wake up and do it all over again. Of course, I’d participate in other non-weekday activities. Church. Holidays. Summer vacation. The occasional spontaneous activity. You get the idea, I wouldn’t change much. Though I would pray more and hug more…share more sentiments. Continue to learn from mistakes.

Why such a boring choice? Because this is the path God has set me upon. Each day, though I may be completely oblivious, I touch lives because that is part of God’s plan for me. Hopefully, I glorify God. He’s brought me so very far. Through abuse and abandonment. Through self-doubt (okay, He’s still helping with this). Into family and friendship. Into love. So when my clock ticks down to the last seconds, I pray my legacy is in the small things.

How about you? How would you live if you knew the day you’d die?

Parvin Blackwater believes she has wasted her life. At only seventeen, she has one year left according to the Clock by her bedside. In a last-ditch effort to make a difference, she tries to rescue Radicals from the government’s crooked justice system.

But when the authorities find out about her illegal activity, they cast her through the Wall — her people’s death sentence. What she finds on the other side about the world, about eternity, and about herself changes Parvin forever and might just save her people. But her Clock is running out.

This is the first book in the Out of Time Series. Released September 23rd from Enclave Publishing.

Nadine learned to write her alphabet with a fountain pen. In Kindergarten. Cool, huh? Maybe that’s what started her love for writing. She started journaling at age nine and thus began her habit of communicating via pen and paper more than spoken words. She never decided to become a writer. Her brain simply classified it as a necessity to life.

Nadine is a stay-at-home author and writes stories about authentic faith, bold living, and worlds soaked in imagination. She lives in Idaho with her husband and works as a freelance editor. When she’s not writing, editing, or taste-testing a new chai, she is out pursuing adventures. A Time to Die is her first novel. Visit Nadine at www.nadinebrandes.com.

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