NWHerald.com • Sunday, October 23, 2016
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Author Spotlight
KIMBERLEY SCHUMACHER
Hometown: Crystal Lake Latest Book: “My Letters to Amy: A Search for Generational Healing” Publisher: WestBow Press Release Date: Sept. 1, 2016 Available: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/ products What’s your new book about? When Amy comes of age and is confronted with a past she knows nothing about, she reaches out to her half-sister Katherine, 20 years her senior. Born a generation apart, the two women share a father, a heritage and a story. Together, they struggle to unravel past pain and share the gift of connection. It is a fictionalized tale that explores healing in family relationships through the five pillars of strength: humility, respect, understanding, grace and acceptance. Where did the idea come from? The idea came out of my own experiences and hopes. Every family has a story. People want to know where they came from. People want to find hope for redemption. People want happy relationships for their children. “My Letters to Amy” tells the story of a family gone terribly wrong, it’s healing journey and provides hope for a good and prosperous future. What genre is your book, and why were you drawn to it? “My Letters to Amy” is a work of didactic fiction. So, at the end of each of the chapters, there is a reflection and a challenge eliciting response from the reader. I wanted to bring the story home and encourage readers to explore how they approach their own relationships. Fiction, or storytelling, makes for an easy read, and I wanted my story to be meaningful. Who is the intended audience? The intended audience is anyone with interest in families. This includes parents, step parents, adult children and anyone who might have experienced difficult family relationships. My hope is readers take away that broken relationships are not our story’s end. If we can learn to use the five pillars of strength, we can be empowered to drop the rocks (or forgive the heavy and hurtful parts of life) and then, we are free to share the gift of relationship. Why is this story important to you? It is my story ... the details have been massaged with creative license, but I own many of the experiences. My desire has always been to make life better for my children, their children and the people I
interact with. Hopefully, this story will do that for others who grew up hurting or give perspective to people who were fortunate enough not to. How long did it take you to write? What was your process? This was a lifetime project. It began with my journals in high school, then about 15 years ago I revisited writing as a way to think through challenges I was facing. Five years ago, I started writing “letters” that could be left behind as a legacy, hopefully to explain some hurts and guide forgiveness and healing. Three years ago, I added “glimpses into the past” between the “letters,” and the story came to be known to me as the project “My Letters to Amy.” So, you see, it really is a search for generational healing. What did you enjoy most about writing this book? What was the hardest part? The reviews and support from friends are what I enjoyed most. I asked a few people to walk beside me when I got serious about publishing. They are acknowledged in the beginning of the book. Their help in guiding me, keeping me honest to my purpose and encouraging me along the way was priceless. The hardest part was revisiting hard moments of my past and recrafting memories into fictions that could carry the same lessons. How are you publishing this book and why (traditional/indie/self-publishing)? I chose to publish independently with the support and strength of a traditional publisher. WestBow Press is a supported self-publishing alliance between HarperCollins Christian Publishing and Author Solutions, LLC. Titles published through WestBow Press are evaluated for sales potential and considered for publication through Thomas Nelson and Zondervan. With WestBow, I received guidance through the process, publishing and public relations support, but still was able to tell the story my way. What is your education/background? I graduated high school in 3½ years, and went on to supplement my knowledge with college courses as needed or as my interest in a specific topic grew. Professionally, I have worked as an accountant, a salesperson, a trainer, a marketer and a communicator. Privately, I am a dreamer, a philosopher and a lay-study of human nature. I really enjoy studying personalities, communications and human relationships. I want to truly understand people. Who are your favorite authors? CS Lewis, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Eldredge and Orrin Woodward. They write about the real human spirit as they search for truth. C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy all have a searching quality to their storytelling. It is captivating.
Pick one: Danielle Steel or John Grisham? Neither Pick one: Stephen King or Nicholas Sparks? Maybe Stephen King, searching, philosophical, (“The Stand”) Pick one: Ebooks or hard/paperbacks? Hard cover. I need the paper, the cover, and the full experience. I guess that I am what they call me an “old soul.” Have you written anything else? “Agapetoi: Blessings of Friendship,” a devotional journal that still is in development, and a few feature articles for local publications. What’s next for you? I need to complete “Agapatoi,” then I’m on to exploring the development of a project I call “Your Search.” It would be a workbook that could guide people in a search for their own generational healing. Also, I like to do invitational presentations that I call “Yesterdays Tomorrows.” I guide audiences through some of Katherine and Amy’s story, plot the family history, and challenge people to do the same with their family’s story so they can see their own culture, history and beliefs. It’s really fun.
“MY LETTERS TO AMY” RELEASE: Sept. 1, 2016 PUBLISHER: WestBow Press INFO: Learn more at: Website: www.myletterstoamy.com/ Blog: www.avallonsvoice. com/blog Facebook: www.facebook. com/avallons-voice1312020618823429/ Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/ My-Letters-Amy- Kimberley-Schumacher/ dp/151273862X/ ref=sr_1_sc_1? ie=UTF8&qid=1473955159 &sr=8-1- spell&keywords=my+lettersto+amy Goodreads: www. goodreads.com/book/ show/31253356- myletters-to-amy?from_ search=true