The Tribune | Weekend | 11
Friday, August 27, 2021
books
A new type of Christian romance novel By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Reporter acadet@tribunemedia.net FOR many, the pandemic has really brought home the fact that life is short. Aniska Stevens Gibson, a veteran elementary school teacher and kids radio producer, is among those who felt inspired not to waste any more time and simply go for it when it came to fulfilling one of her dreams. In her case, this dream consisted of writing and publishing a Christian romance novel. Her new book, “Loving You”, is now available in Kindle format from Amazon and in paperback from the author herself. Aniska, a wife, mother and mentor, describes the book as a “clean, creative and unique” piece of fiction. “It is not like your traditional romance novels. It takes the reader on a ride with several different romantic stories that are all Christ-centered and brings to the forefront friendship, love, trust, dating, waiting, anticipation and simply doing it God’s way,” she told Tribune Weekend. “Loving You”, she said, includes several different stories about Christians who fall in love while also staying true to the values and standards they follow as believers. “Get ready to fall in love 13 different ways with ‘Loving You’,” she said. The message portrayed in the book, she added, is that love can happen unexpectedly, and it flourishes once given time. “There is nothing wrong with having values, standards and expectations when you choose to date and settle down. The book wants readers to grasp that love is possible, it does not give up on you, it is not rushed, it develops with trust, respect
and friendship. Furthermore, it can be lovely when you state or communicate what you want from the start with a partner. ‘Loving You’ wants readers to grasp that God is interested and wants to be fully involved with your love story,” she said. “The love stories from the book are realistic. There are love stories about college romance, best friends, falling in love after the death of a spouse, falling in love in church, on the job, falling in love after a divorce, abuse and more.” Aniska believes there is a definitely a market for more Christian love stories. “I am a lover of romance and love the Hallmark movies, timeless romance movies from the past and romance movies of the day. I enjoy a romantic flick like anybody else. You can call it corny or mushy, but I dig a good romance movie any day. I do feel God is positioning and calling His people into industries that was once considered secular for years. Christians love romance too,” she said. For Aniska, the Bible is the greatest romance book ever written. “Truly, we learn about all the different types of love from the word of God. It is time for romance novels to be synonymous with Christian love and dating. Therefore, I was motivated to bring Christian love and relationships in a book that mentions the scripture, talks about love despite a person’s background or past, and presents loving relationships built on friendship, trust and God’s guidance. I have not seen enough romance novels out there that cater more to believers or anyone who chooses to date or love differently from what the world portrays,” she said. Aniska said she is not someone who normally
enjoys being in the spotlight, but nevertheless, she is preparing an official launch for the book, to be announced at a later date. “I am looking forward to the public’s views and support of the book. I want the book to be loved and accepted, to help motivate and encourage others in their love stories. I want ‘Loving You’ to impact and cross over from pre-teen to adulthood with falling in love with God’s help. In addition, I want to attract both female and male (readers),” she said. “Finally, I pray that ‘Loving You’ will attract marriage ministries, single persons and individuals who are currently dating. The support would greatly be appreciated. If one person says it inspired them, it would feel like a million to me.” Aniska has been writing since she was a teenager but was always too afraid to show her work to anyone. “Loving You” finally saw the light of day thanks to the efforts of the True Vine Marketing and Publishing Company, which is headed by Dr Felecia Archer. Following “Loving You”, Aniska will be publishing the sequel, “Endless Love”. “I have three other Christian romance novels slated for later dates, such as ‘Fighting Rejection’, ‘Love at First Sight’, ‘A Chance at Love’. In the near future, I will have a book on effectual prayers, bullying and witchcraft in the workplace, and overcoming obstacles,” she said. “Don’t peg me as a romance writer alone. I love variety. I can also write non-fiction stories and share my life story and experiences as well. Furthermore, I love raps, skits, poetry and art. Therefore, I can see also colouring books, teaching resources and children’s literature in my future. Who knows? If it is God’s will, one day I might even write scripts for a romance movie.” For more information and to purchase paperback editions of “Loving You”, contact Aniska at 423-6047.
