Welcome Inspirational Romance author, Charlotte Hubbard...

What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?

Hmmm . . . dreams are elusive creatures. When I was growing up, I didn’t dream of being a writer (my dad had quite a speech about how he refused to support a starving artist, even though at that time I aspired to become a concert pianist). But when I was about eight years into my teaching/school librarian career, approaching thirty, fiddling with putting words on paper, I had visions of doing something different with my life even though teaching is a noble, worthwhile profession and it’s what I had gone to college to do.

So I suppose writing, and eventually getting published, ushered me into a new phase of my life even though I had no idea at the time how that phase would materialize. I felt my way along. It’s only looking back that I realize my life is so very different than I believed it would be when I graduated from college. It boggles my mind that my words have gone all over the world and have been read by gazillions of people I will never meet. And even now that my early books are technically out of print, I’m still hearing from readers who’ve discovered them in used bookstores or online. The digital age has once again changed my writing life, because now my royalty statements show that nearly two-thirds of my sales come from e-books. And digital versions of earlier books that would have disappeared after they went out of print are still selling now, and theoretically will be available for sale forever. This is huge!

So, while I had to put away dreams of wowing audiences in concert halls because my wee-little hands just wouldn’t stretch to fit the “bigger” pieces, the pen—the computer keyboard—are very much within my grasp. Writing gave me a way to reach an audience, to express myself, to create. And for that, I’m so very thankful.

Do you have any tattoos?

Nope, no way. Don’t like needles. Don’t like tattoos. Don’t like piercings. I’ll stop there!

If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

It would be a very, very boring life, that’s what! I love to cook and I love to eat a lot of different foods, so if for some reason I had to limit myself to one item . . . oh, just shoot me and put me out of my misery, will you?

However, forced to choose, I would go with pizza . . . because pizza has a lot of different stuff on it. Love the tomato sauce, love olives and bell peppers and mushrooms on it, love love love the cheese. Don’t waste any pepperoni on me, though. If there’s meat, it’s gotta be sausage or ham—or shrimp.

How did I do at evading that question?

HARVEST OF BLESSINGS

by Charlotte Hubbard

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BLURB:

The tranquil little town of Willow Ridge is facing a startling challenge. Wealthy Nora Glick Landwehr is determined to make it her home again—and put her past to rest. Cast out by her own family, Nora can’t reconcile with Old Amish ways or her strict father. But she’ll do anything to help her community embrace the future . . . and make amends to the daughter she had to give up. She certainly has no time for her reckless new neighbor Luke Hooley. They disagree about almost everything. And how can she trust him if he always seems to believe the worst about her? Somehow, though, his unexpected support and passionate heart are helping her find her own way in faith. And Nora will discover that even in the face of insidious lies and unyielding judgment, God creates unexpected chances for forgiveness—and love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT

Nora focused on Miriam through her tears. “I’ve really, really made a mess of things, haven’t I?”

Miriam stepped forward to wrap her sturdy arms around Nora’s shoulders. “Now you’re talkin’ like the gentle, sweet Nora I remember,” she murmured. “You’re on the right path, but it’s not gonna be a walk in the park. When ya left, your dat insisted that none of us speak about ya ever again, and he’s maintainin’ that silence now. Your mamm, bless her heart, is out of bed for the first time in months, so excited that she saw ya.”

Nora eased away from the embrace that felt so heavenly, so welcoming. “She knew me?”

“For sure and for certain.” Miriam’s face creased with her smile. “You’ll always be her little girl, Nora. And your little girl is the spittin’ image of ya when ya went away.”

While that information formed a sweet, sentimental picture in her mind, it didn’t make her situation any easier. “What’ll I do?” Nora whispered. “How can I tell Millie about why I left her with Atlee and Lizzie? And what if she won’t have anything to do with me, or—”

“One thing at a time,” Miriam murmured. “If God has brought ya to this situation, He’ll get ya through it. Ya believe that, don’t ya?”

Nora sensed she was being tested, yet hadn’t she known she would have to deal with the Old Order faith if she was to reconcile with her family? “He’s about the only chance I’ve got left, ain’t so?”

The words sounded lame as they tumbled from her mouth, yet Miriam’s lips quirked. “Most of us find ourselves in that position at some time in our lives. But when you’ve landed at the bottom of the pit, the only way to go is up.” She glanced toward the back window. “Ben just went into the smithy. Let’s go introduce ya.”

Nora wasn’t all that comfortable with spilling her story to a total stranger, but she didn’t argue. “Ben’s your husband now—Luke and Ira’s brother, right?” she asked as they stepped out into the pale daylight. “Some of the stuff those guys told me yesterday might not have sunk in. I was pretty tired by the time the moving van pulled out.”

“That doesn’t mean Ben’ll have any control over what they’ll say this morning,” Miriam added with a short laugh. “He’s a gut man, though. He’s a preacher now, on account of how your dat’s retired because of his failin’ health—”

Nora sighed as they approached the small white smithy she remembered from her childhood. “I had no idea he and Mamma were doing so poorly,” she remarked. “I wondered about them and Millie the whole time I was away, but one thing and another kept me from getting here any sooner.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Drawing upon her experiences in Jamesport, the largest Old Order Amish community west of the Mississippi, longtime Missourian Charlotte Hubbard writes of simpler times and a faith-based lifestyle in her Seasons of the Heart series. Like her heroine, Miriam Lantz Hooley, Charlotte considers it her personal mission to feed people. Faith and family, farming and food preservation are hallmarks of her lifestyle. She’s a deacon, a dedicated church musician and choir member, and when she’s not writing, she loves to try new recipes, crochet, and sew. Charlotte now lives in Minnesota with her husband and their border collie.

Seasons of the Heart, Book 5
Zebra (February 24, 2015)
ISBN-13: 9781420133097 •• ISBN-10: 1420133098
Click on these links to buy this book now!
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Ebook: • Kensington Books •• Kindle •• Kobo •• iBooks •

www.CharlotteHubbard.com

Facebook page =  Charlotte.Hubbard1

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