Spotlighting Rachel J. Good and a Giveaway of a Print Copy of "Love’s Thankful Heart."

About the Author

Inspirational author Rachel J. Good writes life-changing, heart-tugging novels of faith, hope, and forgiveness. She grew up near Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the setting for her Amish novels. Striving to be as authentic as possible, she spends time with her Amish friends, doing chores on their farm and attending family events. 

Rachel is the author of several Amish series in print or forthcoming – Sisters & Friends series, Love & Promises series, and two books in the Hearts of Amish Country series – as well as the Amish Quilts Coloring Books and the contemporary novella, Angels Unaware, part of the Hope Chapel series. In addition, she has stories in the anthologies Springs of Love and Love’s Thankful Heart. 

Rachel also juggles freelance editing and illustration careers. She loves reading (of course!), traveling, and spending time with her five children and three grandchildren. Visit her at her website, Facebook, author page, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads. You also can sign up for her newsletter here.

Interview 

1 What is the first book that made you cry?

This is going way back, but as a second grader, I remember crying when I read in One Hundred and One Dalmatians that Cruella de Vil kidnapped the puppies. And I cried for joy when they escaped and got home again.

2 What book title best describes your life?

Happily Ever After

3 If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

I gave up writing for about seven years because of all the rejections, so I’d tell that younger me: “Keep going. You may feel discouraged right now, but you don’t know how close you are to an acceptance.”

4 What made you want to become a writer?

Two reasons: 1) I loved to read; and 2) I did it to keep my sanity when all five of my children were age seven and younger.

5 What book that you have read has most influenced your life?

Mr. God, This is Anna by Flynn.  Interestingly enough, it wasn’t written as a Christian book, but the little girl in the book had such a deep trust and unshakeable faith in God, it made me want to have a faith as pure and simple as hers. Although she’d been abandoned and abused, no matter what happened, she viewed it as God’s plan. She also rejoiced in everything she learned – about mathematics, patterns, nature – as a beautiful gift from God. In her mind, He’d hidden all these wonderful secrets for us to discover. Although some of her views were unorthodox, her heart was always in the right place. 

6 Does your family support your career as a writer?

Yes, my children like to come to my events, and my grandchildren often help to promote them by telling their teachers and friends’ parents that I write books. One nine-year-old grandson even arranged an autographing session for me at his school open house.

7 Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?

For the most part, they come from my imagination, but I do sometimes pattern certain personality traits after people I know. I also find that the characters are often struggling with lessons I need to learn, so I suppose there’s a tiny bit of me in each character too.

8 Does your book have a lesson? Moral?

All my books have an underlying theme. The one that occurs most often is the importance of forgiveness – forgiving others, forgiving yourself, and most of all, believing in and accepting God’s forgiveness.

9 What has your experience been like as an Author? Bruises, Highlights, and lessons?

It’s been an interesting journey. The most difficult part had to be the years when I was racking up rejections. Often editors would write encouraging notes, but they turned down the manuscripts. As I said earlier, I actually gave up writing for quite a while. The biggest highlight of my career came soon after I began writing again. I signed with an agent who sold not just one book, but got me a three-book contract.

It would be nice to say that everything flowed well from then on, but many bumps and bruises followed. My agent died right before the first book came out, which was heartbreaking. Her assistant took over and has proved to be a wonderful champion for my books. Then my publisher decided to close their fiction line, so one of my books ended up orphaned. My agent came to the rescue and pitched a new series to another publisher. And then a real miracle happened. A different publisher offered to take on the orphaned book and its sequel. If it sounds like the writing life is like a roller coaster ride, you’re right. It definitely is. I’ve also had to learn to depend on God through all those ups and downs.

10 What are you most looking forward to in the next 10 years? 

I have a lot of travel planned and quite a few books I want to write. I’m looking forward to spending time with my family and seeing my grandchildren grow up. 

Thank you so much for such insightful questions, Debbie. I really appreciate you having me on your blog.

Social media links

www.racheljgood.com

https://www.facebook.com/racheljgoodnovels/

https://www.facebook.com/people/Rachel-J-Good/100009699285059

https://twitter.com/RachelJGood1

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14661177.Rachel_J_Good

https://www.pinterest.com/racheljgood1/

https://www.amazon.com/Rachel-J-Good/e/B019DWF4FG

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rachel-j-good

https://www.instagram.com/rachelj.good

 

 Book Spotlight 

LOVE’S THANKFUL HEART is an anthology of three Amish stories by Laura Hilton, Tom Nye, and me. Laura’s story is “Gingerbread Wishes” and Tom’s is “Thanksgiving Frolic.” Here’s a bit more about my story:

Thanksgiving Strangers

Faithe Beiler believes God wants her to feed the poor at her family’s restaurant, but when she mistakes Crist Petersheim for a homeless man and gives him a free breakfast, he’s offended. Yet he can’t help being intrigued by this pretty waitress with a giving heart.

Crist blames God for the tragedies in his life, so the last thing he wants is to get involved with an Amish girl, who trusts God in all circumstances. He fears for Faithe’s safety, though, when she invites every homeless person in the neighborhood, including drug dealers and criminals, to a free Thanksgiving dinner. Street savvy, Crist risks his life to protect her from danger.

As Crist’s heart softens toward God, Faithe finds herself falling him. Then she discovers his deception, and her world is shattered. Can she ever trust him again?

GiveAway

One commenter will be chosen to receive a copy of Love’s Thankful Heart. 

Make sure to LEAVE CONTACT INFO SO WE CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOUY WIN!