Why This Novel, Why Now

Christian fiction stands at an interesting crossroads. Readers are hungry for stories that honor faith without sanitizing the human experience. They want characters who wrestle with God the way Jacob wrestled the angel — not politely, not gracefully, but with the kind of desperate, full-bodied struggle that leaves a permanent limp and a blessing in equal measure. Two Decembers was written in that wrestling ring.

Natasha Stewart doesn’t arrive at faith through a tidy conversion scene. She arrives battered and scarred — literally. A helicopter crash following her Christmas Eve wedding in Maui leaves her with dissociative amnesia, a disfiguring facial scar, burns across her body, and the loss of the child she was carrying. When the novel opens in December 2024, she cannot remember the last three years of her life, including the man she married.

Yet, despite all she has lost or forgotten—her love story, her career, her wedding—her faith remains untouched. This paradox lies at the beating heart of the novel. How is it that the mind, in its effort to protect us from unbearable trauma, releases everything except God?

Wrestling with Faith in the Midst of Pain

Natasha’s story reflects a deep truth many readers will recognize. Faith is not always a smooth journey. It often comes through struggle, loss, and confusion. Her experience shows that faith can survive even when memory and identity are shattered. This is a powerful message for anyone who has faced trauma or doubt.

Two Decembers does not shy away from the hard questions. Natasha’s amnesia forces her to rediscover everything, not blindly, but with the eyes of faith. Readers see her wrestling with God in a way that feels authentic and relatable. This wrestling is not about easy answers but about holding on to faith when everything else feels lost.

The Power of Discovery

Discovery is a key theme throughout the novel and a detail I did not plan. It arrived during the rewriting process, after my own course correction, and it stunned me as much as it may stun readers. It told me something profound about the nature of faith — that it lives in a place our defense mechanisms cannot reach, in a chamber of the heart that even amnesia cannot lock. The discovery process mirrors the spiritual journey many readers experience in their own lives.

Two Decembers invites readers to reflect on what remains when everything else is stripped away. For Natasha, faith is the one thing that survives. This discovery challenges readers to consider their own faith foundations and what they hold onto in difficult times.

Why This Year Matters

Setting the novel in December 2024 is intentional. The timing places the story in a near future that feels immediate and relevant. It allows readers to connect with Natasha’s journey as something unfolding now, not just a distant story.

The Christmas Eve wedding and the December setting add layers of meaning. Christmas is a time of hope, renewal, and new beginnings. Natasha’s story, beginning at this time, echoes those themes even as it confronts loss and pain. This contrast deepens the novel’s impact.

What Readers Can Take Away

Two Decembers offers more than a story; it offers a mirror for readers’ own faith journeys. It shows that faith can survive trauma, that healing is possible even when scars remain, and that discovery is a lifelong process.

Readers who enjoy Christian fiction romance will find a story that respects their desire for honest, complex characters. Natasha’s journey is not perfect or easy, but it is real and full of hope. This novel encourages readers to hold on to faith, even when life feels uncertain.