Meet Me

Brianna M. Hoyle, the person behind this collection of crazy. This lovely artwork of me was done by my sister, Dana.

My Home

I grew up in North Carolina, a beautiful southern state that has always been my home. While I could (and often do) complain about the over abundance of mosquitos, viciously hot summers, and lack of winter snowfall, I appreciate my state’s fascinating history, gorgeous landscape, and absolutely top notch zoo (best in the world hands down). Unless God moved me, I don’t think I’d ever want to live anywhere else other than our Old North State.

My Family

I grew up as the second oldest child of six siblings. I quite enjoyed having a large family, as they were the first people to hear most of my early stories. Many early mornings (when we were supposed to be doing school) you could find me and my sisters and brother sitting around with our stuffed animals playing out some hilarious stories and adventures. Now, I am married with young children of my own, and I enjoy building stories with them, as well as sharing all of my book ideas with my husband.

My Church

I have attended Little River Independent Baptist Church in Spring Lake, NC since I was born. It was where I got saved, where I met my husband, and where I made so many wonderful friends, friends who to this day have been crucial parts of my life. I am so thankful for such a wonderful place to serve God and such a beautiful group of people to serve God with. It has not always been easy and our church has seen some dark days, but God has seen us through to the other side every single time.

Where It All Began

I have been telling stories and writing for a long time. It all started on a normal Sunday when I was six years old. Being six meant I had graduated from the toddler Sunday School class to the big kid class. That was quite the milestone for us, but also a significant transition. There I was, dealing with the fact that snacks would no longer be handed out regularly at the end of the lesson, when my teacher began telling us a story. The story of Esther.

A Grand Tale

As the story was told, I was glued to my seat, eyes on the teacher as he explained all the characters and set the stage. There was a sweet and kind main character, a loving mentor and father figure, a powerful king, an exotic kingdom as a backdrop, a conniving wicked advisor… so many things that I would have assumed would be in a movie or storybook, but not in the Bible. And then the plot itself! Conspiracy and threat of battle, hidden identities and the wicked advisor planning to kill Esther’s beloved mentor, all because Mordecai refused to bow to him! How Esther had to go before the king when she could be risking getting thrown out of the palace like the queen was in the beginning, but she did it! She was so kind and beautiful and the king loved her, she was able to save her people and Mordecai!

Telling Others

For the rest of the day, the story of Esther echoed around in my mind. I found myself staring off into space, just thinking about how brave Esther was, how she was able to convince the king, how Mordecai loved the young girl he had taken in. That night, when I went to bed in the room I shared with my two younger sisters, I couldn’t help myself. The story was brimming inside of me and I had to get it out.

“Hey, guys… wanna hear a cool story?”

Of course they wanted to hear a cool story. So I told them the story of Esther in exactly the same way my teacher had told me. The following night, they asked me to tell the story again, and from then on, a tradition began of me telling my younger sisters stories when we should have been going to sleep.

Developing A Gift

To this day, I have never forgotten how that story made me feel. The Book of Esther is a precious book of the Bible to me, and every time I go back to it, God shows me so much more in it. I am so grateful that the first story I clearly remember was a story directly from the pages of the Bible. My love of stories stems directly from that moment.

Storytelling is a fascinating tool and gift that the Lord has chosen to bestow upon us, and it is a skill that quickly grew in me over the years. First, I was simply retelling stories I had already heard. Then, I started adding characters to books I had read and movies I had seen and creating new story lines for those characters to follow. It was not long before I was working with completely original tales, and not much longer after that where I began writing them down. I would sketch the characters and design their outfits and dream about the day I would write a book of my own.

Inspired to Share

This website, the Oasis Archives, is meant to be a place not only for me to share my stories, but a place where people can be inspired to create some of their own. I know there was a moment in everyone’s life where they heard a tale they will never forget and it has stuck with them for so long. Everyone I have ever met has a story of some kind buried deep in their heart. It won’t always show itself by way of written word. Some people share their stories through song, through art, and through spoken word. My hope is that, in seeing the vast worlds I have created, you will be brave enough to create and share some of your own.