The heart behind my novel, Keeping Promises
Come sit with me for a minute. Grab your coffee, get comfortable, and let me tell you about my Keeping Promises novel and why it’s so close to my heart.
Do you remember the pinky promise? When you were little, it was the most serious thing in the world. You hooked your smallest finger around someone else’s, and that was it. It was sealed. You didn’t break a pinky promise, not ever.
In my Keeping Promises novel, Beth and her twin sister Sissy sealed everything that way. Every secret, every dream, every “I’ll always be there for you.” Two little fingers hooked together, and the whole world felt safe.
Then Sissy was gone at just 17.
I can’t tell you how much that kind of loss changes a person. Beth lost her other half, the one who knew her better than anyone. But the promises didn’t die with Sissy. Beth carried them forward. She kept her word to her family, to the people she loved, and to the memory of her sister. She became the woman everyone could count on.
But here’s the question that sits at the center of this story: who was keeping promises to Beth?
The Woman Who Gives Everything
I think you know someone like Beth. Maybe you are someone like Beth.
You’re the one who says yes when you’re exhausted. You’re the one who remembers every birthday, every appointment, and every little thing everyone else needs. You tuck your own wishes in a drawer and tell yourself, “Maybe someday.”
And you do it out of love. I know that. There’s nothing wrong with giving. God made us to love and care for one another, and that’s a beautiful thing.
But somewhere along the way, a lot of us forget that we’re supposed to be on our own list too.
When the One Thing You Wanted Is Denied
Let me ask you something, and I want you to really think about it.
Have you ever wanted something so badly your heart ached for it? Something you asked for, hoped for, and prayed over? And the person closest to you, the one who promised to stand beside you, kept telling you, “I just don’t want that.”
So you let it go. You swallowed the disappointment and told yourself it was worth it for the sake of peace. You kept smiling. You kept giving. You kept your promises.
And then you find out the truth.
The very thing he swore he never wanted, he has with someone else.
Oh, friend. I feel that one in my chest. It’s not only betrayal. It’s the heartbreak of realizing you set down your dream for someone who handed the very same dream to another person. It’s the shock, the tears, and that terrible question: Was any of it true?
That kind of pain can stop a woman right in her tracks. If you’ve ever been there, I want you to hear me say this: you are not foolish, you are not weak, and you are not alone.
The Keeping Promises Novel: Making a Promise to Yourself
This is the heart of the Keeping Promises novel. It’s a story about sisterhood and grief, about love that lasts and trust that breaks, and about the courage it takes to finally make one more promise, this time to yourself.
I believe God never meant for us to disappear into everyone else’s needs. I believe He put dreams in your heart for a reason, and that you are worth keeping promises to. I believe the angels are cheering you on every single time you choose to stand back up.
Beth’s journey isn’t a perfect one, and neither is ours. But there’s something healing about walking through it with someone who understands, even if that someone is a character on a page.
Your Turn
So I’d love to hear from you. In the comments below, tell me:
Who was your pinky promise person? And has life ever broken a promise to you?
Sometimes just saying it out loud, in a place where people understand, is the first step toward healing.
If Beth’s story sounds like one you need, the Keeping Promises novel, subtitled To everyone but herself, is a women’s fiction book by me, Marilyn L. Hart, and it’s available now at Barnes & Noble. Grab a cozy blanket, a warm cup of coffee, and maybe a few tissues. Take your time with it. You deserve it.
And please come back and visit me anytime on the Finding Life’s Magic blog, where I share a little encouragement every day.
Keep your promises to the people you love. But please, dear one, keep a few for you too. 💛
📖 Get your copy of the Keeping Promises novel at Barnes & Noble
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With love and faith,
Marilyn 💜