Guest Blog: Stephanie Cardel and This Isn't Shakespeare *Giveaway of E-book to Chosen Commenter! **WINNER: Cyndi Newlan
- ChristinaSinisi-Author
- Sep 7
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 14
Dear Readers, I just got home from my local American Christian Fiction Writers group meeting and I feel so uplifted. I hope each one of you has a community like that--my church is another one--and I pray that each of you finds a little joy today. Now, please help me welcome a new-to-me author. Feeling blessed!
Introduce yourself—name, where you’re from, and something people notice when they meet you?
Hi! I live in middle Tennessee with my husband of thirty-eight years. We have three adult married children, and five grandchildren and are blessed to have them all living close. I founded Lighthouse Literary Agency to help authors get published that want to shine the light of Christ in their writing whether it’s secular or Christian. My debut is a YA Christian Contemporary that came out last week. There is a companion book titled, Whatever Is True that is a Youth Bible Study/Devotional that speaks to the same themes that are in the novel.
I think people notice that I’m tall and hopefully that I have a friendly smile.
Tell us about your book—title and back cover blurb.
This Isn’t Shakespeare is a hopeless romantic who loves quoting Shakespeare and dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer—a dream she hides, afraid of disappointing her mom and her boyfriend. But when her dreams fall apart, she believes it’s the sign from God she’s prayed for.
When she realizes God wouldn’t give her a sign that points her to sin, the happily-ever-after she’s planned crumbles. Now Madison must confront the lies she’s told herself and all the red flags she’s ignored. In the process, she begins to understand that seeking God’s will may not lead to a perfectly scripted ending—but it might just lead to something real.
This book takes a realistic approach to a rarely talked about topic: being so caught up in love of a relationship that makes us feel good about ourselves that we lose sight of our relationship with God. With our sex-saturated society, many girls end up in sexual relationships, and when it ends, start believing they aren’t good enough anymore for God to love them. They also romanticize relationships and have trouble recognizing when they are in a toxic relationship, sometimes believing they deserve bad treatment. The story speaks to both of these hard issues like no other while pointing to Jesus.
The companion Bible Study/Devotional is a three-week study with four days of devotional and a fifth day of discussion questions. Week one is on Identity in Christ. Week two speaks to purity in all aspects of life. Week three looks at biblical love and relationships. You don’t have to read the novel to get something out of the study.
Share one thing that you found difficult or challenging about writing this book.
The most challenging thing was selling it to a publisher. Secular publishers aren’t interested in a Christian main character and Christian publishers aren’t interested in stories with pre-marital sex, underaged drinking, and toxic relationships even if there is a redemptive ending.
Ask the blog reader a quirky question or two?
What hard lesson did you learn in high school or college about love and relationships?
I learned that I shouldn’t date anyone that wasn’t someone I would want to marry. I also learned that once you cross lines with sexual boundaries, it’s awfully hard to go back to those boundaries. I believed in God in high school, but I didn’t know Christ as my Savior. I made lots of mistakes and have lots of regrets. But praise God, I know Him now, and those hard lessons were part of my journey.
Share your social media and buy links!
Paperback: https://amzn.to/4mFIrmS
Bible study: https://amzn.to/45QkC4A
Thank you, Stephanie, for joining us today! I'm excited to preview your book! Blessings, Christina
I grew up in Wisconsin in a small city on Lake Michigan. I’m now a snowbird spending half the year in SE Florida and half the year in central Wisconsin. First thing one would notice about me, I smile a lot. I also try to listen to what they are saying
I’m interested in your book. Life doesn’t always go according to one’s plan. Even though I dated in HS and college I never entered into a serious relationship until my Senior year of college when I met my future husband. Guys will always try to get into a sexual relationship. Luckily no one ever forced me.
Best wishes to you. I hope you have continued success with your writing.
This book sounds so good and needs to be promoted! So many situations like this one out there! I learned in high-school that love is not only a physical attraction. It so much more, and something that doesn’t start as a physical attraction but as friendship first may turn into a love -and attraction- so deep that it won’t waver when those physical attributes are gone. Falling in love with the soul of another person -hence the word soulmate- is the most plentiful thing! Thanks for sharing!
This book sounds so good and needs to be promoted! So many situations like this one out there! I learned in high-school that love is not only a physical attraction. It so much more, and something that doesn’t start as a physical attraction but as friendship first may turn into a love -and attraction- so deep that it won’t waver when those physical attributes are gone. Falling in love with the soul of another person -hence the word soulmate- is the most plentiful thing! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for sharing Have a Blessed Day
Christians need to hear more about these topics, they are real and happening within the church community. Thank you.