Guest post by Sara Beth Williams
After my mom passed away, I kept some of her journals. One of them was nautical themed and had Bible verses on the bottom of each page. Whenever I would write in it, I would often highlight ones that resonated with me.
In 2020, after I submitted my manuscript for what is now Anchor My Heart, I had yet to come up with a decent title that fit the genre of contemporary Christian Romance. This is how it is with me typically—either the title comes in a snap, or it takes years. For my first manuscript, When Hearts Collide, it took years to decide on a title. For A Worthy Heart, it was an immediate thought of, this is what I want my title to be.
Back to Anchor My Heart… I knew as I was writing this that I wanted to come up with a title that would allude to the theme of the story, which is Tara helping anchor Matt to reality as he grieves. There’s a common practice for people with anxiety called grounding techniques. Grounding techniques are physical or mental actions that distract you from oncoming anxiety or panic attacks. Matt does many of these internally, but the presence of someone to motivate him to keep going was vital for him. That was Tara.
While going through this nautical journal, I ran across the verse, Hebrews 6:19. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
As the lockdown began in March of 2020 in the United States, I began to take this verse to heart, to really focus on the word hope as a reminder for myself during such an uncertain time in our world. But the word anchor also resonated strongly. While working through content edits for my manuscript, I began formulating a title around the word anchor.
I love titles with double meanings. In fact, all of my published titles (so far) have double meanings. Not only does Tara anchor Matt at times through her friendship and devotion, but throughout the story, they each embark on their own faith journey, in which they must realize where their hope lies. Where they can truly anchor their souls.
And that is in the One who holds all things in His hand.
About Sara Beth Williams
Sara Beth Williams is a contemporary romance author and has 3 published novels, and a short story, all available on Amazon. She is a wife, mother of two daughters, and temporary caretaker of a lovable old lady pit and a spunky Pomeranian-Shih Tzu mix. She lives in Northern California. When she’s not held hostage by the keyboard, she enjoys music, teaching, reading and spending time with her family. She is all about connecting with readers! Find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads and Bookbub.
Find out more on her website here.
Anaiah Press 