By Light & Darkness
A Novel
I am so excited to get to share the title of my 2024 standalone novel! By Light and Darkness is coming in 2024!
The title for this book was taken from Exodus 13:21: “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.” By Light and Darkness is the story of a young woman and her brothers and sisters who travel hundreds of miles without knowing where their food and shelter will come from. Reading this verse in my personal study one day changed the title of the book when I thought I had decided on a different one. Shortly after writing several variations on the title page, I settled on “By Light and Darkness” but was still holding it loosely, thinking I may change it again. A few minutes later I came across these verses of Psalm 139 completely at random: "Even there shall Thy hand lead me and Thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall cover me'; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee, but the night shineth as the day. The darkness and the light are both alike to Thee. For Thou hast possessed my reins. Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise Thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well."
That was not the only time I came across it either. It happened over and over again at the most random times. I saw the word “light” accompanied by the word “darkness” so many times that week that I felt as though I was tripping over them. Needless to say, I did not change the title again.
The theme of dark vs. light is prevalent in our everyday lives. Almost every story ever written/told is a battle of good vs. evil. The characters of this book battle the known enemy of the Great Depression, but as the story unfolds, it becomes increasingly obvious that there is more than one battle being fought. The darkness that is unknown is the enemy hardest to defeat.
Thank you all so much for your support and encouragement! It means more than you know! I am so incredibly excited to share this book with you all! The story is dark at times, but the night shineth as the day!
- Brianne
Coming 2024!
Several months ago I was excited to realize how soon this book could be completed. The original release date of Christmas Day was very doable! To think that 2023 would be a book year for me felt like Divine provision. I have come to realize that it was just that - this year has been a high point in my writing journey so far. By Light and Darkness has brought new height and depth to my journey as an author in the hands of THE Author. But this year was not meant to be the publication date. As the story goes on and becomes deeper and wider, I see that its time will take just that - time.
As I have grown to know these characters I've learned that there is a deeper side to who they are and the story that they are trying to tell. In search of that, I've decided to postpone my release date to 2024 (probably April or May). I truly believe it will be worth the wait to get to know this book in a more lofty way. My prayer is that I can know its characters well enough to be able to tell their story in a way that honors the Creator who so graciously put their names in my mind four years ago. They are not real people and their story is fictitious but they depict life. In that is the weighty responsibility to steward their story well, because breath and blood and heart and soul belong neither to them nor to us, it is the gift of God.
In the past the greatest part of writing was reaching "The End", but with this book I believe it will be the in-between - the space separating "The End" from the title page. As I walk that space I pray that you all will enjoy it half as much as I have so far when it is finally time for you to walk it to.
I covet your prayers over this process and storyline. Deadlines for the book's completion and editing are still coming fast. That said, his journey has been in God's hands way before I ever knew I wanted to be a writer and He will see it through to its end. I know that releasing By Light and Darkness to my wonderful readers will be one of the highlights of my year!
The Cover
There were several people who poured into the completion of this cover! A million thank yous to Diren Yardimli, who took my limited description of the story and captured it all into one beautiful design; Neslihan Yardimli of Book Cover Zone; Olivia Merritt Photography, who took all the promotional photos; Hannah Knowles, for her portrayal of Reen; and several others who worked hard to bring this story to life. This cover would not have happened without this amazing team!
