$25 Gift Card Giveaway: Healing Notes by Maggie Jaimeson

Original Title: Healing Notes
Series: Sweetwater Canyon #2
Author: Maggie Jaimeson
Publisher: Windtree Press
Release Date: July 26th 2012
Genre: Romance

Forgiving yourself is the first step, but helping others forgive may be just too hard.

Rachel Cullen grew up in Scotland with a fiddle in her hand from the age of four. She couldn't imagine life as anything but a musician. When her husband brought her to America she was immediately embraced by the Celtic and Bluegrass communities. But after her divorce, Rachel's life is a mess.

A year of trying to prove to herself that she's woman enough for any man, and then a vicious rape while on tour with the band, leaves Rachel reeling. When she meets Noel Kershaw, an English teacher who is poetry in motion, she is definitely attracted. But he has a young child and he's suffering from his own divorce. The last thing Rachel needs in life is more baggage.

First, Rachel must reconcile who she is, what she wants, and how to get there. Maybe then she'll know how to be a part of the family she's always wanted.

Why I Write About Wounded Heroes and Heroines

- Guest Post by Maggie Jaimeson

I am the oldest of nine children and have always been what some people call “sensitive.”  That means I naturally empathize with what is going on in people’s lives, whether it is someone I know personally or current events around the world. Growing up I was surrounded by numerous cousins, as well as foster children (I also call cousins) raised by grandmother and my aunt.  I learned early in life that the world wasn’t always fair.  Some siblings and cousins died as children, others are physically and/or mentally disabled. Several of the girls in my extended family have been molested or raped at some time in their life, and most of us have gone through a divorce.

At this point you may be saying, “Gosh, that is so depressing.”  It could be for many people. However, in spite of all of these experiences, I am a very optimistic person as are most of my siblings and the rest of my extended family.  The optimism comes from our knowledge that most people in the world are kind, generous, and will help in times of need. We also know that as a family we will always support each other, and that we have the ability act together and find viable solutions to problems. With our constant practice at overcoming obstacles, we always learn something important from them and it makes the next time a little easier, or teaches us how to avoid a similar obstacle in the future. In the end, most of us have managed to make wonderfully happy lives for ourselves—not perfect lives, but happy self-fulfilling lives.  It is this same ability to keep moving forward with confidence, no matter the obstacle, that I provide my heroes and heroines.

When I approached writing my first novel, I naturally gravitated to characters with major challenges that reflected what I and my extended family had experienced. Later my novels also included worldwide challenges, like war or the unwise use of technology or science, based on current events. When I finished my first novel and the hero and heroine successfully overcame major obstacles, and the villain ended up in jail, I felt as if a great burden had been lifted from me. For once I could completely control the world. I could give voice to the wounded, and I could always make sure the villain was punished. I was completely hooked and have not been able to give up writing since.

There is not a human being who hasn’t suffered at some point in his or her life—whether because of misguided personal choices or because life simply dealt them a raw deal.  It is in the way we choose to face the challenges of life, and the attitude we take, that makes the difference between those who end up worn down and depressed and those who move ahead with confidence and satisfaction. The real world is not always fair, but in Maggie Jaimeson’s world the characters find a way to overcome their past and determine a future that is fulfilling.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maggie Jaimeson writes romantic women’s fiction and romantic suspense with a near future twist. She describes herself as a wife, a step-mother, a sister, a daughter, a teacher and an IT administrator. By day she is “geek girl” – helping colleges to keep up with 21st century technology and provide distance learning options for students in rural areas. By night Maggie turns her thoughts to worlds she can control – worlds where bad guys get their comeuppance, women triumph over tragedy, and love can conquer all.

Website: http://maggiejaimeson.com
Blog: http://maggiemeandering.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Maggie-Jaimeson/118916694787820
Twitter: @maggiejaimeson

GIVEAWAY

Maggie will award one autographed cover flat to a randomly drawn commenter at each blog stop.  In addition, she will award  a $25 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner's choice) as a grand prize to one randomly selected commenter on this tour, and a $25 gift certificate to either Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner's choice) to a randomly drawn host.  You must leave an email address to be entered into any of the drawings.

Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY and ends January 28th 2012!