Kendra Norman-Bellamy ~ FamilyFiction Plus

In the March issue of the FamilyFiction magazine, Kendra Norman~Bellamy's final novel in her Shelton Heights series was highlighted in my News & Notes column.

I'm pleased to share with you now, Kendra's detailed response which could not be included in full in my column. Enjoy!

BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF UPON THIS ROCK

After spending nearly a quarter of a century in prison, the felon known only as “Rocky” is finally a free man. He knows that the overturning of his life sentence was largely due to the prayers of the men’s ministry at New Hope Church, but when he is released, Rocky only intends to live for good . . . not for God.

Rocky’s unquestionable brawn won many fights behind the iron gates, but a divine calling on his life brings him full circle, and Rocky soon realizes that despite his physical strength, he’s no match for an almighty God. Trying to live holy comes with its price too, however, and as Rocky connects with his new friends in the infamous community of Shelton Heights, his world turns upside down for reasons he can’t explain. He soon finds out that the price he has to pay for Christianity may just break the bank for good.

REL:~ WHAT INSPIRED THIS NOVEL?

Kendra:~ Upon This Rock is the fourth and final book in a series I created called The Shelton Heights Series. Each book is a healthy mix of drama, romance, and mystery. The lead characters change in each installment, but all of them are connected because they live in or are directly connected to an infamous community called Shelton Heights, an upscale subdivision that is known for the bizarre misfortunes that befall its residents. I introduced Rocky, the lead male character in Upon This Rock, in the first book of the series (In Greene Pastures). His character was never meant to become anything more than the minor personality that it was in that first novel, but somehow, he captured a piece of my heart and wouldn’t let go. I didn’t include him in the second book of the series (Battle of Jericho) but I was happy to bring him back in the third book (The Lyons Den) when I made the prison ministry of the featured church a major part of the story. After The Lyons Den, I had readers that were emailing me wanting to know what happened to Rocky. I found out that I wasn’t the only one who was intrigued by this “bad boy” character. Readers loved him too, and they wanted to know if his prison sentence was ever overturned as was hinted in the storyline of The Lyons Den, and if so, they wanted to know what became of him and how he fared as a free man after so many years in prison. So, when I decided to write one final book, I determined that Rocky was the perfect lead; it would give me a chance to expand on the development of his character and answer all those probing questions at the same time. I was also inspired to write Upon This Rock because I desired to take a person that society would label as “worthless” and build a story around him that showed that no one, regardless of their background or how many mistakes they had made in life was hopeless in God’s eyes. In fact, sometimes they are His cream of the crop.

Relz Reviewz Extras

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