Shauna Williams is an Alabama native, a stay-at-home mom, and a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers. She is a born-again Christian, saved by the grace of God. She is married to the man she considers to be her best friend and soul mate, and together, they have two beautiful children and one spoiled-rotten calico cat. When she’s not attempting to snag little snippets of free-time to write, she can be found spending time with her family and reading. Even from a young age, she has always enjoyed getting lost in the midst of a good book, and in 2014, she finally found the courage to release her very own novel. Her goal as a writer has always been to inspire and encourage others to seek God and remain faithful to His calling in their own lives through the struggles, lessons, and triumphs her fictional characters experience. “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” (II Peter 3:18).

Freedom from Abuse

by Shauna Williams

Abuse is all too prevalent in our society, perpetuated by greed, lust, envy, anger, hate, and pride. It knows no class distinctions, ethnicities, genders, or age. It’s most definitely not a respecter of persons. It enslaves its victims through fear and shame. It crushes hope, twists love, and inflicts pain whether physically, emotionally, and/or psychologically. Its victims oftentimes seek no justice, know no way of escape, and live in constant fear. Its wounds aren’t always visible. Its perpetrators aren’t always obvious. It takes relationships and perverts them so they are nothing like what God originally intended; but even in the most horrific and obscene of these circumstances, God can provide a way where there seems to be no way. He can rescue, cleanse, and renew those who feel alone, worthless, and ashamed if they would only call upon Him. He is the only One who can change a life from the inside out and set a soul completely free. He is the true Healer of the brokenhearted and the Giver of good gifts to those who love Him.

In writing Serene Courage, the second novel in my debut series, Surrendered Hearts, I wanted to draw the reader into Emily Faith Johnson’s world. I wanted her pain, sorrow, and hopelessness to be palpable. I wanted the realities so many children and women suffer on a daily basis to be revealed through her journey. I wanted to show the power of redeeming love—the power of Christ’s love revealed and the power of His love expressed through those He indwells. I wanted her story to serve as a reminder that love and forgiveness cover a multitude of sins. I also wanted her story to be a source of encouragement for those struggling with their past. I wanted to show how hopelessness can be turned into hope, fear can be turned into courage, and shame and unworthiness can be turned into love when one surrenders their all to Christ, picks up their cross, and follows Him.

I pray Emily’s story touches many lives and brings glory to God in unimaginable ways. I pray that, as Christians, we seek to be more like Christ so His love will shine through us reaching those lost in sin. May we surrender all and follow Him—the Author and Finisher of our faith.

More about Serene Courage:

Emily Faith Johnson is no stranger to the dark recesses of loneliness, pain, sorrow, and despair. Her life is marked by unrelenting abuse, from the verbal onslaught of her bitter, alcoholic mother to the physical aggression perpetrated by godless men. She copes as best she knows how—existing in a fog while numbly going through the motions of life. Then, one day, four months before her twenty-first birthday, everything changes when she wakes up in the cab of a tractor trailer, faced with the fear of the unknown, the offer of a man she barely knows, and the promise of a complete stranger. Will she be able to find the courage necessary to attain a better life free from abuse? To trust a man who makes her question everything she knows to be true? To believe in a God whom she knows nothing about? To rise above her past to become the woman she was meant to be?

This second novel in the Surrendered Hearts series is a beautiful story of redeeming love. Both novels can be read as stand-alones.

Both can be found at Amazon:
Imperfectly-Perfect Love
Serene Courage

To learn more about Shauna:
e-mail: sswilliams2@crimson.ua.edu
Facebook: shaunawilliamsbooks
Twitter: @_ShaunaWilliams
Blog: recreatingeverafter.blogspot.com
Website: authorshaunawilliams.wix.com/recreatingeverafter

Happy Reading,