Guest Blog: How Workaholism led to Angie Breidenbach's new book, A Healing Heart

I am so happy to have Angie Breidenbach stop by for a visit again, this time to tell us about her new book A Healing Heart. And Angie is offering an e-book when they come available to one person who leaves a comment by next Saturday. She will email it to you ASAP. Now, let's hear from Angie.

Are you a workaholic? I am. I started to wonder about women like me. How do we change? How do we figure out the path God intends versus the path we think we are supposed to walk? I get asked often how much of myself is in my characters. Well, in this case, she has one of my strongest traits. She's a different person with different talents, but the strength she has is misused. And that's something we all can slip into—misusing our gifts and talents. I realized other people must deal with the same issue of workaholism and the best way to share the struggle might just be through fiction.

Have you heard or said yourself, “I could write a book about that experience!” You knew it had an appeal for the drama/plot twists/and maybe someone could relate. Or maybe it was fascinating and complicated like the movie Frequency or Sixth Sense. Maybe, just maybe, you should write that experience into a fictional character and reach other people who want a solution to the same dilemma.

I took it one step further. I went public with the real story of the topics in A Healing Heart. Now I speak on workaholism and several other issues women face. Do you need a speaker for your special event or conference? I'd be honored to be that speaker. Contact me at: http://www.AngelaBreidenbach.com

I encourage you to share your story to uplift and help others too. After all, it's possible the challenges you face, like me, are your ministry.

About the book: Widowed workaholic mother of three, Mara Keegan, has decided on the perfect gift for her daughter's graduation—a photo memory quilt recounting the family's loves and losses. But when a heart attack stops her in her tracks, Mara's perfect gift hangs by a thread. Little does she know, this quilt—and the memories it bolsters—are the key to her rehabilitation. So as graduation day approaches, Mara struggles with past choices and burgeoning feelings for Joel Ryan, the one man who tried to destroy her business. Can Mara balance past memories with her new attraction? How will the pieces of the quilt fit together? Can Mara mend her faith, trust, and love in time?

Sales link: http://ow.ly/jl4he

About Angela: Angela Breidenbach's family tradition is giving unique quilts of memorable moments spanning birth to graduation to their graduating seniors. Mrs. Montana International 2009, an inspirational speaker and author, Angela is also a weight loss/fitness and life coach in Missoula, Montana. http://www.AngelaBreidenbach.com

Endorsements:

More Praise for A heart-warming and romantic story of new beginnings and hope through the fog. A story of real life filled with true emotion and characters you can't help but love. --NY Times bestselling author, Tosca Lee, Tosca's latest book: Iscariot

A Healing Heart is an emotional story of learning to let go of the past and embracing the future. Angie Breidenbach deftly creates lifelike teenagers, a frazzled mother, and a caring hero you will love. This charming book tugs at your heart and encourages you to reevaluate what's important in your life." --Vickie McDonough, author of 25 books and novellas, including End of the Trail

"Restoration and hope drive this emotionally charged novel by Angela Breidenbach. Mara Keegan's healing journey will keep you turning the pages as she uncovers promises of a life she never thought she would have again. Family dynamics, made richer through the process of gathering photos for a memory quilt, come full circle as Mara learns to let go, let God, and let love into her heart; a truly healed heart." --Lindi Peterson, award-winning author of Her Best Catch and Summer's Song.

"Breidenbach's latest novel, A Healing Heart, paints a knee-bending word picture of our Healer God. Whether the physical, spiritual, or emotional heart, the Big Guy can handle it. Laden with conflict, sweet romance, and humorous contradictions, the story propels the reader forward while giving her pause to wonder . . . 'What places in my heart need healing? What wounds will I allow God to stitch?' A Healing Heart sports an endearing and motley cast of characters, and the frigid Montana landscape contrasts nicely with the hero's warm, sigh-worthy persona. It's a unique and touching addition to the Quilts of Love series."
--April W. Gardner, librarian and award-winning author

Angie hopes you will stop by for a chat at these sites:
Come visit me: http://www.AngelaBreidenbach.com
A Healing Heart, Abingdon Press, April 2013
http://www.quiltsoflovebooks.com

Review of Coral Moon by Brandilyn Collins

Another Big Honkin' Chicken Attack

Those of you who know me well, know that I don't usually read scary books because I'm a BHC! I even have the mouse pad by my computer to prove it! And those of you who have followed my blog for awhile may remember the picture of me in a hot tub reading Brandilyn's first book in this series Violet Dawn about a lady who finds a dead body in a hot tub. (Go to my post on June 5, 2008 if you need a reminder.)

So, you'll be happy to know that it took me less than 5 years to read the second book in the series, Coral Moon. Not because Brandilyn Collins is not a fabulous writer, because she is. But because Brandilyn told me that Coral Moon was much more scarier than Violet Dawn, so it took me this long to get up my courage!

So, if you like books that scare you to death, make sure you read Violet Dawn, Coral Moon, and the next two in the series. I am not sure how long it will take me to get up the courage to read them, but I hope not 5 years because I do love BC's writing!

Here's my review of Coral Moon that I hope will inspire you to take the plunge and read it:

If you want to catch up on Paige Williams and Leslie Brymes and all the other characters in Kanner Lake that you met in Violet Dawn, I suggest  you take another trip to this beautiful area. As you get into town, stop by Bailey's Java Joint for a double shot of expresso to fortify you for the journey through more murders and mayhem with some supernatural stuff thrown in, too.

But, know that with Brandilyn Collins's writing, not only will you be frightened out of your wits, but you will also leave the place at peace, knowing that as one character says, "Jesus is stronger than any demons." And that's a good place to be!

Hey! I think I just talked myself into visiting Kanner Lake again by reading Crimson Eve and Amber Moon, the final books in this series. See you all there!

Joi Copeland's newest book--and pdf giveaway of Letters of Love

Two men fighting for their country.

Two women dealing with tragedy alone.

Two different stories, two different eras, one common thread.

Sophia Philips, a wife and mom, finds herself missing the two most important people in her life. One ripped from her because of war, the other by death.

Sophia's grandmother, Lucia Snell, gives her an early inheritance; letters written to her by her husband while stationed in China during World War II. Lucia believes these letters will help her granddaughter heal from the heart-wrenching tragedy she faces.

Will Sophia carry the anger, bitterness, and guilt within her or go to the only One who can heal her from the pain? Will she find the strength to carry on and the will to survive through her grandparents' Letters of Love?

To enter the drawing for the pdf giveaway of Letters of Love, leave a comment with your email info on one of Joi's blog posts.

Interview with author Joi Copeland and a pdf giveaway of her new book

This is the first time I have interviewed Joi Copeland, and I have enjoyed getting to know her. Hope my readers will, too.  And please come back tomorrow for more info on her newest book.

Welcome, Joi. Tell us about your favorite book as a child and your favorite book as an adult. Can you see a connection between those books?

As a young adult, I read a lot of V.C. Andrews (before I became a Christian.) As an adult, I loved Francine Rivers A Voice in the Wind series. These two authors are different as night and day! No connection at all! :)

Yes, those are very different, genres, but perhaps you are the one who is now different! What is your favorite Scripture? Do you also have a favorite Scripture that encourages you in your writing?
My life verse is Philippians 4:6-7. This scripture encourages me in my everyday life, including writing. :)

If you could go to any place in the world to research/write a book, what setting would you choose?
England. As a matter of fact, I have a book idea in my head that I was asked to write about. Part of the setting is in England, and I long to go there to do research!

I often wonder if I would write if I had to do it the old-fashioned way without computers and spell-checks and email. Is there anything about technology that you don't like? Or anything about it that you feel enhances your writing?
I probably would since that's how I started my first novel, Hope for Tomorrow. Then, I copied it onto the computer. I love writing on the computer, but I am constantly in prayer my laptop doesn't die on me!

As a writer how have you had to grow and stretch out of your comfort zone?
Oh my, in so many ways! My critique partners have really challenged me and stretched me like I didn't think possible.

What advice would you give to a beginning writer that you wish someone had given you?
Join a critique group as soon as you can. Listen to their advice. Determine whose point of view you're writing from, and please, don't head hop in the same scene without making it obvious.

Do you want to add anything about your book such as how to order it?
You can order any of my books through amazon.com. Letters of Love is my newest book and loosely based off of my grandparents.

Thanks for having me, Rose!

Author bio: Joi Copeland is married to a wonderful man, Chris, and has three amazing boys, Garrison, Gage, and Gavin. She is living the dream in beautiful Denver, Colorado. Joi loves being a wife and mom! She enjoys spending time with her sister Steffanne, and loves to sit and have a cup of coffee or tea with friends! She's been a Christian for over twenty years. Following Jesus has been the best decision she has ever made. Joi's other books are Hope for Tomorrow, Hope for the Journey, Christmas Rayne, and Sheriff Bride Rob's Story. 

To enter the drawing for the pdf giveaway of Letters of Love, leave a comment with your email info on one of Joi's blog posts, either today or tomorrow. the drawing will take place on March 10th.

Monthly winner and new book giveaway for April--Women's Intuition by Lisa Samson

Congratulations to karenk for winning a copy of Nightingale by Susan May Warren. I know you will enjoy it!

And I bet a reader/commenter will also enjoy reading Women's Intuition by Lisa Samson, another KY author. This is an autographed edition. Here's the back cover blurb to give you an idea: "Lark Summerville's life has few surprises--and that's just how she likes it. All she wants is to live our her angst-riddled life in her blue-collar Baltimore neighborhood, punctuated by weekly trips to her local parish, where Lark is the organist, and telephone conversations with desperate souls who dial her hotline at 1-777-IPRAY4U...Then an unwelcome visitor appears, and Lark finds that she must face her own lies--and her past--before her new life can unfold."

Want to win? Anyone with a US mailing addy can enter by leaving a comment by midnight on March 31st with some kid of contact info.