EVERY LIFE TREASURED

EVERY LIFE TREASURED
Friday, November 21, 2025 by AUBREY REISS TAYLOR

Categories: Friday's Fiction / GUEST AUTHORS

PLEASE WELCOME

AUBREY REISS TAYLOR

FICTION FRIDAY

THE AUTHOR’S STORY

Have you heard about the novella collections available this fall from Brave Authors?

I am so grateful to be part of this group and to have had the opportunity to contribute one of my stories to these books. For those who aren’t familiar with Brave Authors, the group was formed two years ago to support Christian authors whose books delve into difficult topics while maintaining a Biblical worldview. One of our visions has been to begin releasing novella collections, and this fall, that dream became a reality with these three volumes:

Every Life Treasured: Three Novellas About the Value of Life

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FBLGJBMJ

Every Captive Freed: Three Novellas About Human Trafficking

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FGB96352

Every Voice Heard: Three Novellas About Church Hurt and Abuse (Releasing December 3rd)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FKHRWP3L

My story, “Born for Adversity,” appears in the first collection, Every Life Treasured. It might be the toughest story to actually enjoy in this collection because it doesn’t resolve the way one expects it to, but for me, that’s part of the reason I love being a member of Brave Authors.

Being brave as an author isn’t just about the topics we cover; it’s also about how we choose to approach our writing. Am I going to write what I think people want to hear, or am I going to be brave and write the less popular, less accepted thing?

I’ve been doing that for four and a half years by writing WWII stories from the German perspective. People still don’t want to read about that side of the war—they are used to hearing the narrative a certain way (even though in other parts of the world, people don’t see it the way we see it in the West).

A number of readers mentioned that they liked “Born for Adversity” but struggled with the way it ended. They also noted that it was written from a Catholic perspective, but my reasons for that are outside the scope of this article.

A few readers mentioned that their perspective changed when they read the Author’s Notes. This brings up a good point: to truly understand a writer’s heart behind the story, readers should take a moment to do this. I am preaching to myself here, because I often neglect to read the Author’s Notes myself, except when I am listening to an audiobook. It is easy enough to let the Author’s Notes play through.

It is also an encouragement for authors to take the time to write these commentaries, especially when they have had to make difficult decisions in their writing. This is also a good time to mention that we should keep our Author’s Notes concise, so that readers are more encouraged to read them!

I have never been comfortable wrapping my stories up neatly. My writing is very much true-to-life, and I almost feel as if I’m being cliché if I am intentionally too positive. Yes, I’ve written happy-ish endings, but they are not often the ending one expects or wants.

On the other hand, I don’t have a problem reading a book that wraps up more positively, and I admit, I’ve been brought down by books and films that ended differently than I had hoped.

I must note that my daughter is usually no fan of love stories, so I was surprised she even cared. Anyway, I explained that the character did it for many reasons—but more importantly, they were both married, so she definitely did the right thing.

I know, romance tugs at the heartstrings, and that’s one thing people didn’t like about my story, “Born for Adversity.” People want the main character Lani Schumacher to end up with the guy she deserves, but in reality, we all know she’s not ready for that. Rather than giving the reader a fairy tale ending, I give readers an example of a young woman who makes a difficult choice, which in her particular set of circumstances is the better choice. That is not to say that Lani doesn’t want to fall in love and get married—and I was sure to leave the door open for the future—but she knows she needs to heal first.

I think it’s an example many women need, and to me, that is as important as giving someone a heartwarming, romantic story. Maybe even more important, in some cases.

As I mentioned earlier, I feel like being a “Brave Author” isn’t just about the topics we cover. It’s about the way we portray life. We can learn things through fiction that we might not learn simply by being told—and for those of us who are called to write, we can encourage others and teach them that there is more to life than happy endings.

We can accept the not-so-ideal and allow it to strengthen us,

bringing glory to God.

ABOUT AUBREY REISS TAYLOR

Aubrey Reiss Taylor unites a fascination for history with a passion for redemption, creating a unique brand of gritty, honest wartime sagas, written from the German perspective. She is the mother of three and married to her best friend Brian. When she’s not writing or taking care of home and family, she enjoys making music, dancing, reading, and spending time with friends.