What makes a book one you’ll remember for a long time and will recommend to others? For me it’s about relevance to real life and voice. Stories that don’t shy away from the nitty-gritty, not-always-so-fun stuff that surrounds and invades our everyday lives. Those stories get inside my head. Story lines with fleshed out characters whose unique, quirky personalities spill across the pages, whose “voice-y-ness” oozes between the lines, whose pain and joy ripples through me—those stories seep into my heart. And when a stuff-of-real-life plot with engaging, memorable characters is threaded with God’s love and grace, well, it doesn’t get much better than that.
My friend, indie author Stefne Miller, writes those kinds of books. Her first book,“Salvaged”, tells the heart-wrenching story of seventeen-year-old Attie Reed and the tragic events that lead to a life transformation. When a car accident leaves her seriously wounded and takes the life of her mother and best friend, Jesus comes to Attie in an amazingly personal way. Her past and present meld when she spends the summer with the Bennetts, the family of her deceased best friend. Reminders inhabit every corner of the familiar and once loved home. Questions assault her sleep deprived mind. Is this the right place to heal? Do they really want her there? And what about Riley Bennett? His sole purpose in life used to be to torment her. Has that changed? The biggest question that looms is whether 
Attie can ever rebuild her life? Their story will leave its mark on you long after you flip the final page.
Fans of this great story were thrilled to learn “Salvaged” is now in development to be a television series! In May, a production team shot a forty-four minute pilot episode that is being released as a six-episode web series. The first episode aired on September 25, 2013, with new episodes posting every Wednesday through October 30th. Installment four airs this Wednesday, but you’ll want to start with episode one and watch Attie and Riley’s story come to life in this high quality introduction to Miller’s novel.
Each episode is available for viewing on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/salvagedseries
Once you get acquainted with Attie and Riley, you’ll be chompin’ at the bit to read the sequel “Rise”.
A great story line and interesting characters tied together with God’s heartstrings—that’s my kind of story.
What Christian book stayed in your heart and mind the longest? Answer in a comment below for a chance to win a digital copy of “Salvaged”!
The Scriblerians 
Have you watched the videos? Are they as good as the book?
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Yes, the video segments are very good. It’s interesting to “see” the actual story characters. I’ll be anxious to watch the segments in a continuous stream.
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Totally agree with you on what constitutes a good book–I love books that stick w/you b/c the characters seem so real. It’s actually why I love many classics. Those characters like Tess of the D’urbervilles or Daniel Deronda just stay with me. Definitely my goal when writing, too. This book sounds interesting!
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Heather–I’m not that well read when it comes to the classics. Sadly, I haven’t read either of the books you mentioned… shame on me! But I too want to create stick-with-the-reader characters. It takes a lot of time to develop fleshed out characters but it’s time well spent! Thanks for stopping by.
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Well done! I’m amazed that it’s going to be a tv series!! Plus to see it on you tube is so cool!! Loved your first line grabbers! I was grabbed!
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It’s so cool for the fans of “Salvaged” and for Stefne Miller that this great story has the opportunity to become a mini-series.
From Stefne’s blog: “The goal is for the series to find an audience that will prove to television networks that there is a place in the market for family friendly programming with Christian messages. So, please help spread the word to all of your friends and family to support this series and ask their friends and family to do the same.”
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A TV series. I will be interested to see how they change things to make it work as a series, or if a network picks up the pilot.
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Stefne wrote an interesting blog on the journey from a book to TV studio. http://stefnemiller.com/2013/09/10/the-struggle-to-add-backstory/
I sure hope a network picks it up. We need a lot more shows that reflect positive values while addressing the issues of real life.
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You’re right – for a book to stay with you it has to have more substance than some. I’ve been trying to think of the books I read as a kid that I still carry with me and reread and recommend. A Story Like the Wind and A Far Off Place by Laurens van der Post, The Trumpet of the Swan – my favorite E.B.White book, The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas, and more. Probably the biggest influence would be the Narnia Chronicles – I reread those every single year and have since I was in third grade!
I’m going to watch those videos and recommend them to my friends. It would be wonderful for something positive and family-friendly to be on television. We recently got rid of Dish because we were so sick of the garbage. We have been watching classics on hulu instead.
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I’m really hoping this story gets picked up. Thanks, Sparks, for spreading the word!
Some of the books I remember reading are Mr. Popper’s Penguins, Caddie Woodlawn, and The Pink Motel. I also read most of the Boxcar Children–I could easily imagine them as real people. And then I went through a biography stage. Our school library had a biography room that kept me in reading material for a long time!
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I loved the Boxcar Children, Bobbsey Twins, Happy Hollisters. I just looked up Caddie Woodlawn and I know I read it but I don’t really remember it. Sounds like we had similar reading habits – I went through phases, too. Biographies, history, I’d start on one shelf and just work my way down the row. Even just reading the encyclopedia sometimes, one volume at a time. And at one point I decided to start with the A’s and work my way through the children’s section. Not reading every single book but at least looking at each one and reading the excerpts and then deciding.
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Wanted to say I watched the episodes that have been released so far last night and it was fantastic. I’ll be spreading the word!
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I just found a copy of READY MADE FAMILY published by Scholastic, a book I still remember vividly.
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