Looking Out The Window: Pamela Thibodeaux Talks About My Heart Weeps, Her Book That Parallels Her Own Journey Through Grief. She's Giving Away Lots of Goodies At The End Of Her Blog Tour

 

 A Warm Welcome to Pamela Thibodeaux

Hi Gail, thanks for having me on your blog today! I am a mother, grandmother, insurance agent and multi-published author of “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ romance and women’s fiction.

Hi Pamela. It's my pleasure to have you. Lots of writers were avid readers as children. How about you? If so, what did you read?

Oh yes! From Dr. Seuss to Walter Farley’s Black Stallion series, I’ve read as long as I can remember. I began reading sweet romances around age twelve and evolved to Historical and traditional romance in middle/high school. Other than paranormal, I pretty much read across the board, but I almost always choose romance. I also read a lot of spiritual/self-help non-fiction.

Tell us about your latest book.

My Heart Weeps is the story of a woman’s journey through grief and parallels my own…

After thirty years married to the man of her dreams, Melena Rhyker is devastated by her husband's death. Relief comes in the form of an artist's retreat at the Crossed Penn ranch in Utopia, TX. She rediscovers a forgotten dream as her artistic talent flourishes into that of a gallery-worthy artist. Will she have the courage to follow the path she was destined to travel?

Garrett Saunders has been on the run most of his life. Abused and abandoned as a child, he escapes the clutches of a past filled with pain and shame, and hides from his calling as a Native American healer. His years as a CIA agent aid in overcoming his childhood and honing his talent and skill as a fine art photographer. 

 Follow their journey as two people who come from totally different backgrounds, but share gifts of gigantic proportions, find meaning and purpose in the Texas Hill Country.

What inspired you to write this particular book? 

The title for this book came from a remark I made to a gentleman whom I dated after being widowed more than a year. “I feel your love for me through every fiber of my being and my heart weeps because I’m just not ready….” My Heart Weeps took about eight (yes, 8!) years to complete. The story was just too up close and personal to get through all at once.

 What do you love about this book? And what do you hope readers will tell others about it?

I love the hope My Heart Weeps offers. God is not finished with you yet so don’t stay in that deep, dark pit of apathy! There IS life and even love after your soul mate dies. 

In three words describe your style of writing. 

Seat of my Pants – Ok that’s 4 words but describes my writing completely. My stories may start from a dream or vision, a comment or just a thought but develop only as the characters reveal themselves and their circumstances to me.

How do you get to know your characters?

Basically, I beg them to talk to me LOL! Seriously though, my characters develop the same way the story does (see answer above).

What themes do you write about?

I love to write about love, hope, forgiveness, and second chances. 

What is your writing schedule and where do you write?

Members of my writing group get together on Facebook on Tuesday’s and I try to make that my regularly scheduled time to focus on my current WIP but I write when/where and as often as I can. 

Does your faith affect your writing? If so, how?

Oh, yes! My characters are as humanly flawed as I am. My characters do many of the things I love to do that are sometimes frowned upon in a “typical” Christian novel… Dancing, drinking (in moderation of course!). They may curse or rage at God, come close to (or even fall completely) into temptation but they love, honor and revere God/Jesus as much as I do and strive to know Him on an intimate, personal level. 

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Keep learning, stay teachable and never give up! Writing is a gift. Don’t hide your gift or bury your talent.

What people are saying about My Heart Weeps

"Pamela Thibodeaux uses her masterful story writing art to create a powerful story of how God heals a woman’s heart ─broken by grief─ through recovery, love and triumph.” ~ CBA Best-Selling Author DiAnn Mills.

“Be prepared for tears. Expect laughter. Enjoy the experience.” ~ Delia Latham, Inspirational Romance Author.

"Ms. Thibodeaux perfectly evokes the pain Melena endures and then brings us a ray of light and hope when Melena gets a second chance at love. A heartwarming must-read.” ~ Author Alicia Dean.

Buy on Amazon

My Heart Weeps is on sale for a limited time @ 99cents and FREE on Kindle Unlimited!

Excerpt:

“So did all this frivolous energy give you any ideas about the future? There’s a light in your eyes that wasn’t there this morning.”

Melena smiled. “You always could look right into my soul. Actually, I’m thinking I should take your advice and quit my job or take an extended leave of absence.”

“I think that’s a great idea. Have you put numbers together with your finances to see how long you could go without a regular income?”

“Only in my head, but I think I have enough for the better part of this year.”

“What will you do? I mean, staying holed up in the house is definitely not healthy.”

Melena leaned back in her chair with a sigh. “It’s never easy, is it? I mean, I get all excited about finally making a decision for myself, and up pops a dozen other issues to consider.”

She thought a moment, shrugged. “Maybe I'll work on my art. Jon always said I have talent and that I should do something with it. But I’ve been content to use it only as a means to gift others. Maybe if I put as much passion and energy into painting and glasswork as I did my marriage, our home, and our life together, I could be successful enough to earn a decent living.” She blew out a breath. “I don't know...I can't think past tomorrow or next week, much less the future. It's all so overwhelming.”

Bio: 

 Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.” Sign up to receive Pam’s newsletter and get a FREE short story!

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