NEW WEEK NEW FACE – DANELE ROTHARMEL

 

 

 

Danele Rotharmel—Romans 8:28

 

Sometimes, it’s really hard to understand why things happen the way that they do. I was a Christian my whole life, and I thought that being a Christian would protect me from “bad things.” Unfortunately, my viewpoint was rather naive. I’ve learned through experience that when we become Christians, God doesn’t promise to keep us from every hardship, but He does promise that He will be with us always. This message was demonstrated to me in graphic detail when I almost died.

You see, after college, I began to feel ill. My doctors were puzzled, and they grew even more puzzled as my symptoms became more severe. Eventually, I couldn’t walk without staggering or talk without stuttering. My body was shutting down, and no one knew why. Finally, it was discovered that a low-level leak from a faulty furnace in my home was slowly poisoning me. If the leak hadn’t been exposed, I wouldn’t have lived much longer.

I thought that when the furnace was replaced, things would get back to normal, but the carbon monoxide had triggered severe Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, and whenever I was around perfumes or other chemicals, I would become extremely ill. This illness progressed until I ended up quarantined in my home. I thought the quarantine would last for a few months; instead, it lasted for seven years. For seven years, I could only talk to friends and extended family through a closed window. For seven years, I couldn’t go to church, restaurants, stores, or out to lunch with friends. Seven years is an extremely long time.

During quarantine, I began reexamining my faith. I felt betrayed by God, but I came to the conclusion that Christianity isn’t a magical formula for warding off bad things—it’s an invitation to experience God’s peace through the good times and the bad times too. Eventually, I decided that in spite of quarantine—and in spite of all my shattered hopes and dreams—God was still real, God was still good, and God was still trustworthy.

I began using my time to study the Bible and write my books. I’d always enjoyed writing, but I’d never had the hours needed to pen my novels—now, I had all the time in the world. I began immersing myself in “The Time Counselor Chronicles.” I would sit at my computer for eight to eighteen hours a day—it was as if I couldn’t stop writing. Once I finished my first book, “Time Tsunami,” I couldn’t stand parting with the characters I’d come to love, so I began immediately writing “Time Trap.” Once I finished “Time Trap,” the other novels quickly followed: “Time Search,” “Time Awakening,” “Time Inferno,” “Time Nightmare,” and “Time Flashback.”

I used my novels as a distraction from pain and loneliness. I filled my books with comedy, romance, friendship, action, and suspense. I used them to brighten my days and bring me joy. I also used them as vehicles to explore my journey back to faith. In the novels, my characters explore hard questions about God, and eventually, they find the answers that I personally found—God is real and God is trustworthy.

My books are clean, and I filled them with plot twists and surprises. When you read them, you’re not just reading a book, you’re looking at how I dealt with disillusionment and pain. I included a time travel aspect in my novels because I wished desperately that time travel existed. I wished that I could go back through time and warn my younger-self to buy a carbon monoxide monitor. I included serial killers in my books because I was facing a serial killer of my own. Many people don’t survive what I went through. Each time my characters stood up against a killer and won, I would cheer—knowing that I was metaphorically trying to do the same thing in the real world.

Eventually, my quarantine began to work. As I slowly recovered, I took brief fieldtrips from the safety of my “chemical-free” house. Going into a grocery store and choosing my own vegetables felt amazing! During this time, I felt God telling me that it was time to publish my books. I still became ill very easily, but I stepped out in faith and went to the Colorado Christian Writers Conference in Estes Park. While I was there, I had an interview with a representative from Prism Book Group. Prism took an interest in my books, and they published the first book in “The Time Counselor Chronicles,” “Time Tsunami,” in January 2016. “Time Trap,” the second book in the series, was published by Prism in June. The third book, “Time Search,” is scheduled to be released soon.

Prism encouraged me to start a blog, and after prayer, I decided to name my blog https://dragonflydanele.wordpress.com/ and write about the lessons I learned in quarantine. I wasn’t sure that anyone would read what I had written, but to my surprise, my articles about God’s faithfulness resonated with the public. Currently, my blog is being read in over 80 nations around the world.

When I look back on my life, I have to admit that things haven’t gone the way I expected. The plans I made before my illness have all faded and withered away. During the first part of my seven-year quarantine, I really thought my life was over, but God had new plans in mind for me. These plans were better than the ones I had made for myself. If I hadn’t become ill, I never would have written my books or become a blogger. God took what I thought was a death sentence, and transformed it into a doorway of ministry, and now my words are reaching people all around the globe.

Romans 8:28 says that God will transform everything into something good in our lives. Before I became ill, I didn’t comprehend the reality of those words—but I understand them now. Christianity doesn’t ensure that we won’t have problems, but it does ensure that we have a God to run to when those problems hit. Even though I’ve spent almost a third of my life ill—and even though I’ve spent over seven years in quarantine—I can say without reservation—God is real, God is good, and God is trustworthy.

 

 

My newest book, “Time Trap,” has just been released by Prism Book Group. Here’s a look at the back cover blurb: When problems arise during a field exam, Director Peter Matthews and Dr. Laura Nelson are sent through a time portal to investigate.  While they search for their missing cadets, they encounter an enemy who is calculating and brutal—a mysterious nemesis who is holding a grudge against the TEMCO program.  As Peter and Laura race to unravel clues directing them to their kidnapped cadets, their own survival comes into question.  A deadly trap has been set, and they are forced to pit their wits against a serial killer who is intent on playing a deadly chess game through time itself.

 

 

 

Danele Rotharmel’s life took an unexpected turn when a mysterious illness brought her close to death. Eventually, she learned that a carbon monoxide leak from a faulty furnace was poisoning her. This poisoning triggered Multiple Chemical Sensitivity causing her to be put in quarantine. For seven years, she could only talk to friends and extended family through a windowpane. During this time, she wrote the first six books in The Time Counselor Chronicles.  Although her journey back to health was difficult, it provided her the opportunity to grow closer to God and write her books. For that, she’s forever thankful.

 

If you would like to learn more about me, please visit my blog.

My Blog: https://dragonflydanele.wordpress.com/

Amazon: http://amzn.to/24LKruh

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/time-trap-danele-j-rotharmel/1123886056?ean=2940153055428

 

 

 

 

Danele Rotharmel, New Week New Face, #NWNF, Guest Post, Romans 8:28, Time Trap