Wounded Warrior's Wife

In September, Hannah Conway released her debut novel, The Wounded Warrior's Wife.

I asked her to share a bit about the book with you and to take us a step closer to her main character, Whitleigh Cromwell. 

Read the post below and be sure to comment…you could win a copy of The Wounded Warrior's Wife for your eReader or a $10.00 Amazon Gift card.  You must leave a comment to be eligible to win.

Just Doing What My Character Would Do by Hannah Conway

My debut novel, The Wounded Warrior’s Wife, debuted in September. What a blessing it’s been to be on various blogs and get to meet so many wonderful readers. So much love and support! This novel has many deep, heavy themes, but I worked to lighten the mood by intertwining scenes that display some of my character’s talents and abilities.

For example, my main character, Whitleigh Cromwell—a young Army wife, has quite the crafty knack for refurbishing and repurposing various items. Others notice her ability and she finds herself using mason jars to help create centerpieces for military events.

Whitleigh’s talent intrigued me, so I began to look up other Mason jar crafts she might be interested in and there it was—a Mason Jar Tumbler. I dove into a different aspect of Character development and decided to create something my character would love to create. Ya’ll it was such a blast that I’m here to share with you how to make one for yourself or a friend. Whitleigh Cromwell would be proud!

What you will need.

·       Straws: I bought BPA Free Plastic Straws from here.

·       Rubber Grommets: These are harder to find, AND you will need to buy your straws BEFORE you buy the grommets. Take your straw with you when grommet shopping at Lowes or Home Depot. I bought the 3/8 of an inch grommet for this project, but you could need another size. Grommets will be in the specialty section in the screws and rubber stopper area. Ask for help...I had to! They are fairly cheap no more than a dollar for each and if you’re lucky, sometimes they are two for a dollar and some change.

·       Mason Jars with lid: You can find these at Walmart, Target, Rural King, Tractor Supply, online etc. Any size will do, but I REALLY like the bigger size jars.

·       Drill or Dremell tool: You want to use a bit that is a little bigger than the straw.

·       Old Scrap Wood: This will be used to lay the lid on when you drill.

·       Marker: Sharpies work just fine.

·       Protective Eye Wear: Glasses and sunglasses should suffice, but you can get a cheap pair of safety glasses for a dollar or two. It’s better to be safe than end up with Mason jar-lid metal in your eye.

·       Any ribbon/décor etc you’d like to tie around lid (optional).

·       Any tea or drink mixes you’d like to place in the jar for a gift (optional).

Cost: $1.50-$3.00 per jar/makes 8/use the other 4 remaining Mason jars for other awesome crafts!

Let’s get started:

·       Take the lid and ring off the Mason jars you will be using.

·       Make a small x or mark with a marker at the place on the flat, round lid where you want the straw to be. Some choose the middle, but I marked mine off to the side.

·       Put your safety glasses on. Lay the round, metal lid on the piece of scrap wood and drill your hole on the x/mark. At this time, some people will use the sanding tool on their Dremel tool to smooth out the metal drill hole. I have done this both ways—sanded and unsanded—and either is fine.

·       Put the grommet on the straw and work it in place on the hole. The grommet has two lips so that each side of the metal hole of the Mason jar lid will be sealed by the grommet once it’s in place.

·       At this point you can put tea packets and drink mixes in the jar if you’d like. Then put the lid along with straw into place, screw the lid on with the metal Mason jar ring, WHAAA—LAA! You’ve got a Mason Jar Tumbler!

·       At this point you may decorate your jar.

·       Remember to wash the cup and straw before drinking out of it.

If you’re like me and need a visual on a DIY, here’s a video that I found very helpful when preparing to make my Mason jar tumbler and I hope you will too! Click here for the video tutorial.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little twist on developing your character. I wonder…what would your character create? I’d love to hear the wonderful talents your characters have and let me know if you found the time to make a Mason jar tumbler for yourself or a friend.

 Stop by my pinterest page for The Wounded Warrior’s Wife when you get a chance for more ideas and photos inspired by The Wounded Warrior’s Wife. Be sure to grab a copy of the novel here to journey along with Whitleigh Cromwell as she learns about love, life, forgiveness, and restoration through God’s power.

The Wounded Warrior’s Wife can also be found at Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, Googleplay, and iTunes.

About the Book:

Battles Raging Within Are The Ones You Must Fight To Win

Army wife, Whitleigh Cromwell, struggles after an unexpected deployment during the height of the Iraqi war sends her husband, Collier Cromwell, away for another year. Their lives tumble down a path marked with strife, and fatalities, crippling their faith when Collier brings home a war of another kind leaving Whitleigh wondering if some wounds are beyond God’s ability to restore.

About the Author:

Hannah Conway, a Kentucky native, Army Wife, Stay at Home Mother of two, and Speaker, lives in Clarksville, TN near Fort Campbell, KY where she and her family are currently stationed.  

Hannah holds a BA in History from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, is an active member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and My Book Therapy.