Saturday 21 March 2020

Heaven Heals Author Interview



Heaven Heals (By Understanding Abraham’s Covenant) is the first book of the Heaven Heals series. 
It is the story of Sarah & Abraham, the covenant God made with them, and how their covenant benefits every one of us. It describes the promises He guaranteed them and guarantees everyone who commits to walk with him. It is valuable in introducing Christ's gospel of love for all, the reality of the everlasting family, and the hope and healing that comes from the knowledge gained in understanding Sarah & Abraham's covenant with God.  Also, the book explains the universality of all religions united in their goals to serve and love each of God’s children.  
The second book in the series is, Heaven Heals (Finding Hope in the Reunion with Your Lost Loved One.)  It is due to release in late 2020.






Kristy Landgren was born in Rockford, Illinois, where she began her piano education at age 4.  She won the” best poet” award in first grade and has “run with it” ever since.   She took part in school and garage bands, sang and provided accompaniments for A Capella choir, participated in musicals, community Corrales, and began playing the organ in church at age 16.  

Through music, performance and writing, she affirms the ideals of hope and optimism, faith and love, and incorporates her lessons learned among the wild rides of life.  Importantly, she is a dedicated student of the Bible and finds comfort and peace in the study of the scriptures.

Kristy graduated from Chicago’s Loyola University – School of Dentistry/Dental Hygiene Program and is licensed to practice Dental Hygiene in California, Illinois, and Arizona.  In 1995, she was appointed by then-Governor, Pete Wilson, to serve on the California State Dental Board’s Committee on Dental Auxiliaries.  She served the citizens of California for nine years, completing two terms of service and a grace year, in 2004.  She enjoys juggling the world of science, art and religion, practicing dental hygiene by day, moonlighting as musician by night, and attending study or worship sessions amidst the free time, in pursuit of the latest enlightenment that will inspire a blog, poem, lyric, song or book.



Author Interview with Kristin Landgren
If you had 3 wishes, what would they be? 1) I would love to be a writer full time; 2) I remember back in Oprah’s early days, she was becoming so successful, she was able to help a lot of people one-on-one, individually in their personal & financial situations.  She said she had to stop because she just couldn’t keep up with all the heartbreaking requests of assistance from people in need.  Now she focuses on contributions to all her favorite charities.  Since I am not as famous and in demand as Oprah, I would love to be able to work individually with people to help them financially and personally, especially in their professional & vocational educations and in their spiritual development.; 3) I love to swim so I would wish for a heated pool in back yard so I could swim year-round 🙂!
Given unlimited resources, what would be your ideal work/writing environment?  The ideal working environment is sitting on the beach, working to the inspiration of the sun, the waves, the ocean, and the skies.
Where do you actually work/write?  I actually write, working at a desk or at the piano/keyboard, at home, with my little pouch usually right at my feet.  It’s not the beach but it is quite ideal.
Describe yourself in 50 words or less.  I am an eternal optimist.  Of course, I have days of discouragement and moments of frustration, just like everyone else, but I am a big believer in “everything will work out.”  Sometimes, it works out quickly but other times, it seems to be taking forever .  Still,  I believe that, in the end, it just will!
What inspired your book?  I suffered my own loss in life.  I spent years of searching the world for answers, angry at God for my loss and not finding solutions.  Eventually, I realized that, since God is the source of all answers, I’d better get back on track and begin a search of the Bible, in hopes of finding what I was looking for.  After many years of scouring the scattered pieces of biblical truths, (with a lot of Providential guidance,) I was finally able to put the puzzle together by coming to an understanding of the covenant God made with Sarah & Abraham and its benefit to all of us.  God gave them many guarantees, if they would commit to walk with him, and he wants to make their same covenant with everyone.  One of their promises was that of an everlasting posterity or, in other words, an everlasting family.  I finally realized I didn’t need to feel angry or resentful any longer at losing my brother to schizophrenia.  Thanks to Christ’s Atonement and Resurrection, my brother would be healed and he would restored to that adorable sibling I once knew.  I believe God wants all of us to walk with him, receive the same promises as Sarah & Abraham, and return, with our families, to Him.  I hope that the Biblical truths revealed in the book will provide a shortcut for others who are searching for their own hope, happiness, and healing.
How do you spend your free time?  I love books & music, visiting friends & family, outings to concerts, theatre, hockey games, amusement parks, and historic or music museums. 
What do you love most in the world?  I mostly love my relationship that I have developed with the Savior, and I love my family and friends.
What do you fear most?  I’m afraid I will drop dead before I have finished everything I am suppose to do.  It’s crazy, I know.  They say we all go when it’s our time but I get overwhelmed and feel a sense of urgency to get everything completed before my number is up!
What is your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it?  I dream that all religious folks in the world would not dwell on their minimal differences but would focus on everything they have in common.  There is so much strength and power in a united conglomerate of God’s people.  I am in hopes that the Heaven Heals books will contribute to my unfulfilled dream.
What is the hardest thing you've ever done?  Losing my brother was hard, then losing both my parents, in their old ages, was still hard, too.  I think losing all loved ones is the hardest thing in life because, emotionally, the separation feels so permanent, even though I know, intellectually & spiritually, it’s only temporary.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?  I learned I could write a book!  Who knew?
What is your favorite part of writing?  I love the inspiration that flows when you get into the quiet places of the mind.
Do you have any advice for other writers?  Kary Oberbrunner, the Chief Author, Entrepreneur, Coach, & all-around amazing mentor of the Igniting Souls organization, says that 81% of the world has a book in side of them but 99% never publish their story.  I would recommend all to tell their stories or spread their life’s messages because there is a treasure trove of resources to help them broadcast what’s in their hearts.  We may not necessarily think we are accomplished enough to become successful writers but there are fabulous authors, ghostwriters, editors, and publishers/marketers who can help us bring our visions to life!
What was the hardest part of writing your book, and how did you overcome it?  I think my biggest fear was that I wouldn’t have enough content to fill up a whole book.  But I just took the first action steps to write.  My fear dissipated quickly because inspiration flowed.  One chapter just led to the next and eventually I had 10 chapters of a small book.  So, the moral of the story is to just start, try, power on, never give up, and --- voila, mission accomplished!
Now that we've gotten to know each other, tell me a story. It can be long or short. From your childhood or last week. Funny, sad, or somewhere in between. Just make sure it's yours. What's your story?  Once upon a time there was a little girl who was afraid of her music shadow.  She loved to sing and play the piano so her mother officially enrolled her in lessons.  But she use to cry whenever her teacher insisted she perform in the inevitable recital.  She was emphatic that she loved to sing and play but she just couldn’t do it in front of people.  She only wanted to entertain herself with the music.  She felt like a worm for thinking that way – selfish & inadequate – but the pain of brain-freeze, mistaken notes & miserable failure was too debilitating.  For a while, she even dug her heels in the sand and refused to participate in any more recitals.                     
Fortunately for the little girl-turned-early teen, her Church encouraged the acceptance of amateur callings, where talents and skills could be developed, and performance fears could be managed (if not completely overcome.)  She agreed to accompany the children’s singing.  Her music shadow continued to taunt her, though, because there were plenty of mistakes and she always felt that sickening pit at the bottom of her stomach, whenever she would go home to obsess over and relive every one of them.  She was certain all the onlookers were mocking her minimal music abilities and ridiculous competency imaginations.  But, she enjoyed playing and listening to the children sing about Jesus, so she persisted in her commitment.  Oddly, there was a tiny flickering glow inside that seemed to increase as each week passed. She began to acquire a minimal amount of confidence and, eventually, ventured out to accompany other soloists, choirs, bands, and high school theater productions.  She even volunteered to learn the organ and substitute for the frequent vacationers.  Although she never quite shook the shadow, she noticed its stature shortened, as the flicker began to flare. 
Then one evening she was invited to a professional concert – it was magnificent!  How on earth did those musicians perform so brilliantly, she wondered?  They were just ordinary human beings, who put on their pants (or stockings) one leg at a time, as did she.  Didn’t they have a fearsome shadow or a pit at the bottom of their stomachs?  It was all very intriguing, but thrilling, so more performances followed until she became somewhat of a consistent concert-goer.  Every one of them was absolutely splendid – the lights, the music, the enjoyment filled the hall!  But in one performance, she abruptly noticed that the singer seemed to lose his place in the song.  Oh, no!  She felt the music shadow overcome her, as that big pit fell to the bottom of her stomach, and she was embarrassed for the performer.  She froze momentarily, then finally regained control and looked to the left, then to the right, up to the front, and finally behind.  The audience just sat there!  They were smiling in their seats – some singing and swaying to the music.  Didn’t they notice that’s not the way the song goes?  Weren’t they worried the shadow would paralyze the singer?  Surprisingly, the orchestra followed along.  She wondered, were they all just so brilliant at effortlessly camouflaging the flaw?  Suddenly, the thunderbolt of reason struck!  No one even cared about any flaw because no one was looking for perfection, and no enjoyment was interrupted by any error. The audience was simply delighted by the enchanting ambience and the entertaining atmosphere.  It turned out to be a marvelous evening for all, in spite of the dreaded mistake.
So it was; that was the evening she said goodbye to the shadow.  Of course, she still felt nervous and anxious before performances.  But she gave it no more power to immobilize her.  She finally realized the gifts and talents of humanity shouldn’t be buried.  At that moment, she learned the music of life is to be shared, spread around to benefit others.  It should glorify the Giver because darkness and fear feed the shadow, while light and love feed the flame.  That way, there can be lots of happy tales that lead to…
The End





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Saturday 14 March 2020

Roman and Jules Review and Interview




When Jules meets Roman Verona at an exclusive Vegas party, she doesn’t suspect the bad blood that runs so deep between Roman and her boyfriend, Ty, until the two men have it out in front of her. Even worse, Jules finds out that Ty has never loved her. She storms away, only to have her ex’s sworn enemy offer her a ride into town... as well as a shocking proposal.

A nice girl wouldn’t even consider making her ex jealous with a sham marriage, so why does she chance it with Roman?

Acting the role of devoted husband, Roman soon becomes fascinated with more than Jules’s sweet smile and poetic soul. As her band’s fame grows in Vegas so do his feelings for her and what started out as revenge against his miserable cousin turns into something deeper.

But bad boys don’t settle down. So why does Roman risk everything to win Jules’ heart?

All bets are off in this modern and sleek tale of star-crossed love!





Stephanie Fowers loves bringing stories to life, and depending on her latest madcap ideas will do it through written word, song, and/ or film.

She absolutely adores Bollywood and bonnet movies; i.e., Jane Austen. 

Presently, she lives in Salt Lake where she's living the life of the starving artist.







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5 Out of 5 Stars

I wasn't sure if I would like this book as I am kind of worn out with Contemporary Romance right now. However I really enjoyed it, so much so that I got another one of her books to read.

The story in and of itself isn't full of surprises, the Drama was minimal (thank goodness, I hate excessive drama) and the plot was fairly predictable. Yet with that I found this to be the perfect book to read during a rainy afternoon. It was a very fast read and the writing was enjoyable and pulled you into the story. There wasn't swearing, sex, or anything else like that. It was a completely clean read even to the point there was minimal kissing. But it was still a great easy to read romance.


Author Interview With Stephanie Fowers

1 - Tell us about your writing - What genre do you prefer to write? What books, stories, other publications that you've written are your personal favorites? Anything new coming up?
 
I started out writing fantasy, of all things. I turned to writing romance while I was at college because dating was sooo MUCH stranger than fantasy! I've written everything from screenplays, articles for magazines, epic historicals, dystopian, and romance, lots and lots of romance. I write romantic comedy, romantic suspense, romantic mystery and just plain romantic romance. "Roman and Jules" is a simple romance. I based it off Romeo and Juliet... with the ending I've always wanted for the story.

 
2 - What about you as a person? What do you do to relax? Favorite movies or tv shows? Hobbies?

 I love to hike and exercise and just recently have taken up dogwalking my friend's two hulking labradoodles. They've forced me to run lately, and they've even "encouraged" me to take up trail running. Of course, that's caused more than my share of owies, but I sincerely enjoy it and I'm willing to chance the risk for the fun experience of breathing in good mountain air. I love bingewatching documentaries, and the Bachelor is fascinating because of all that dating psychology going on--I swear some of those girls have stockholm syndrome. I feel like a lot of what I watch is used for research. I just finished writing a fireman book and everything I watched HAD to have a fireman in it. I'm looking forward to broadening my horizons now! My guilty pleasure is scary movies, but I think it's because there is just so much emotion and characterization going on. Nothing gets me more attached to a character than rooting for them to stay alive.
 
3 - What gets your creative juices going? Do you write to a music, and do you want to share your playlist?
I have plenty of playlists on Spotify. I make one for each book I write. Some are more in depth than others, but you can follow me on spotify to see what I listen to. Here's my playlist for Roman and Jules: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4p41uOiM45dTbfobLIge4k?si=2RuzqxzEQoG9xgW1NG2nMA. It's like a 7 hour playlist so be prepared! And yes, I DEFINITELY listen to music when I write. Sometimes it will be the playlist that I've put together for my book, and then at other times, if I need to concentrate a little harder, it will be music with no words like classical or ambient forest noises or something.

 4 - "All writers must have cats, especially if they write fantasy or speculative fiction." Do you have a stand on this one? Any cute pictures of your kitty or other pet?
I WISH I had a pet! Everyone in my family is allergic, especially my mother who lives with us. She's got some respiratory problems BUT, I do cheat sometimes since I'm not allergic to dogs. Like I said, I walk my friend's dogs on a regular basis and just recently another friend who has a labradoodle too (go figure!) just asked me to help her deliver her puppies. And so I did! That was a week ago--it was a long labor. The first stage of labor is 24 hours, which we had NO idea would be so long. As soon as it started happening at 5 o'clock in the morning, my friend called me over. I drove over and that was a long day of trying to make the momma comfortable and watching reality TV (I felt like a guy watching the football game while his wife was in labor). The noise disturbed the momma and once we figured that out, my friend and I shared her wireless earphones that she got for Christmas. It was magical. Night came and still there were no babies. So my friend took the couch near the momma and I took the couch downstairs.
 I don't think my friend got ANY sleep. She kept walking through the living room where I was sleeping to take the momma outside who kept barking at her because she thought she needed to "use the facilities" outside. So finally I woke up and told my friend to go to her room and try to get some sleep. She gratefully headed to bed, and I turned around and saw the momma was missing. She was back outside! I somehow convinced her to come back into the house and she tried to take the couch where I was supposed to be sleeping. When I tried to get her back into her whelping box, she growled at me. Not knowing what to do, I counted to five like I would to my nieces and nephews and she jumped off and got into her whelping box, but she was shaking so bad and I felt horrible. I thought, "Oh no! It must be cold outside!" So I threw a blanket around the dog and kneaded her shoulders trying to get her warm again. And then she started to bear down and I was thinking, "Oh dear! She's in labor." But my friend had been so tired that I didn't dare wake her up. There was a lot of consulting my phone to figure out what was normal. I was at the point where I was thinking that maybe we should just give up and take her to the vet, and as I was doing so, I heard a tiny baby sound and looked and the first puppy had come into this world. I ran to get my friend, and there was a lot of consulting our phones after that to see if it was normal for the momma to lick the baby so flat (it was), and then after that, how to help the baby to eat. Not soon after, the second (and last) one was born (the ultrasound had only shown two in the litter) and the whole process of licking and getting the baby to eat started again! Anyway, it was quite the adventure! If I could have any pet in the world, it would be one of these puppies!
*I attached the pic of me and the puppies and my niece and nephew*
 
5 - What organizations do you recommend for those wanting to become writers? Any advice you'd like to share about writing? 
I've been a part of storymakers for years! http://ldstorymakersconference.com/ They hold a writing conference every year that I think is so educational. It's a great way to hone your craft, learn about marking, and network with other authors. It's really important to connect with other authors in the business--both to mentor and to be mentored and back and forth. I helped mentor an author who in turn mentored me years later, so I'm serious when I say that what goes around, comes around. Don't ever be stingy about helping other authors. Sometimes you might be tempted to think of them as competition, but no! It doesn't work that way at all. Authors can only write so much and readers always want to find a good book, so we authors recommend each other to our readers all the time. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it's smart too. Everyone has some sort of experience or connection that you don't have.
As for advice about writing--there are a few things that I'd like to share. First of all, treat it like you would any goal or profession. Use the techniques that work best for you--like checklists, breaking down the goal into manageable chunks, making deadlines, setting aside specific times, accountability partners, rewards, alarms, breaks, planning sessions, etc. Another thing you should do is to throw away your inner editor while you're writing your rough draft. If you want what you write to be perfect then you will be tempted to not write anything at all. Just remember that everyone's rough draft looks horrible. Just accept that and get something down on paper. You can fix it later. Get lost in the writing flow and find ways to enjoy the work. Remember what drew you to writing in the first place and revisit that often. In order for me to get really into the writing flow, I need to set alarms. After awhile, I'll be super into the project and I won't need that help. And finally, keep a writing journal. Write in it every time you get distracted, lose hope, feel frustrated, etc. That way you can start to see patterns in your writing. I've recently found out that it's normal for me to be distracted by EVERY LITTLE thing when I first start the rough draft of a project, and that about midway I start to feel hopeless like no one will ever like it. I feel panic every time I get my edits back because I feel overwhelmed and I try to postpone working on them. This is helpful for me to know because I'm not surprised every time. I can start saying things in my writing journal, like, "This is normal. Don't worry, you were afraid it was a horrible book and then people liked it, etc".I can try to work out why I'm stuck in certain parts in my story and even problem solve my ways out of those situations. I find it super helpful!
And FINALLY, if you're someone who likes to write, I want to remind you that there was a reason you wanted to write. You might do it for the joy of it, because it's a great outlet and it makes you feel good; you're creative and you love to build worlds and stories and characters; maybe you like bringing meaning to the world and exploring different themes; it could be something else. Whatever the reason, don't let anything or anyone take that away from you--bad reviews, financial problems, time constraints, fears, disorganization, stress or difficulties. Find ways to get around those things. Don't give up because at one point you thought this thing you cared about was really important, and spoiler alert--it still is! 




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Thursday 12 March 2020

Guinevere; The Legend




I’m a retired high school English teacher. A devourer of books growing up, my profession introduced me to writings and authors from times long past. Through my studies and teaching, I fell in love with the Ancient and Medieval Worlds. Now, I hope to inspire young readers and those Young-at-Heart to read more through my Tales and Legends for Reluctant Readers set in these worlds—Ancient Egypt, Medieval Wales, and coming soon, a hair-raising adventure through ancient worlds in search of 5 rare Phoenix Feathers.

All of my books come with Free study guides and/or extensive Back-of-the-Book materials.

My husband and I love to travel. In 2008, we spent three weeks in Egypt traveling by local train from one end of the country to the other; in 2014, we spent three weeks in the UK driving over 1700 miles through England, Wales, and Scotland; and in 2016, we spent a week in Iceland. We’ve also traveled to Mexico, Jamaica, and Aruba. Our next big adventure will be to Greece and Italy.


When I’m not writing or traveling, our 4 grandkids keep us busy.


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Their friendship put him in harm's way. Will it be enough to save him?

Across the dark water to the land of ancient Gaul, renegades take Cedwyn and the littl'uns farther from home and rescue.

Led by her heart rather than her head and without any thought for her safety, fifteen-year-old Guinevere sets out alone to save Cedwyn. And if she fails…?

Eleven-year-old Cedwyn's trust in Guinevere is absolute. But will his sacrifice to save her and protect the littl'uns end with the loss of his own life?


And now for the Cover
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Friday 6 March 2020

Mercy





Rachel Rossano is a happily married mother of three children. She spends her days teaching, mothering, and keeping the chaos at bay. After the children are in bed, she immerses herself in the fantasy worlds of her books. 

Tales of romance, adventure, and virtue set in a medieval fantasy world are her preference, but she also writes speculative fantasy and a bit of science fiction.




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The royal wedding approaches and the country is alive with anticipation. 


 Among the craftsmen traveling to the capital is Constance Rendare and her family. An artist, a widow of an unhappy marriage, and the mother of a young son, she dreams of escaping the cruel servitude of her father’s household. 

 Wilard Naron serves the Earl of Dentin. He returns to the capital, his childhood home, to collect his earnings and finally free himself from his father’s reputation. 

 Kidnappings, bandits, and a plot against the king complicate the journey. The conflicts throw Constance and Wilard together as their circumstances grow steadily worse. The more the pair uncovers, the direr the future looks for the country and for them.

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Top Ten List
10 Fun Facts about Rachel Rossano
(In no particular order)

1. Diana Wynne Jones is one of my favorite authors. At least once a year, I go on a massive rereading binge and consume a whole bunch of her books at once.
2. Growing up, I loved dressing up and acting out plays. As a preteen, I directed three plays and put them on with my local homeschool group.
3. I took four years of Biblical Greek in high school, and I am currently trying to learn Latin.
4. Science fiction has been a major part of my life for as long as I can remember. Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate (all except the SGU series), Firefly, and Farscape.
5. I am a Marvel fan (mostly of the movies).
6. I have three children in scouts.
7. I am married to an engineer who comes from a family of engineers.
8. I collect dramatizations of Jane Eyre and Jane Austen.
9. From my teens, I have been completely fascinated with English history and studied the Tutor dynasty extensively for years. I still have the book collection to prove it. Since then, I have expanded my interests, though.
10. I enjoy watching, dissecting, analyzing movies and plays.

Character Casting
For my heroine, I only had one image in mind, and that was the one on the cover. Constance is an ethereal beauty with a heart as down to earth as one can get. Artist, mother, and hard working woman, she spends all of her time serving others. Despite her beauty, expect to find her hands calloused and skilled.
Wilard, my hero, resembles a younger Jude Law quite a bit. His hair is definitely curlier, more toffee colored, but the lean physique, and easy smile definitely fit Wilard’s laidback approach.







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