I seriously considered who I wanted to ask to
potentially endorse my latest work. I was so grateful the four women I’m
highlighting in this post today responded to The Flower Girls with such praise
(read their reactions below).
Each of the authors who endorsed The Flower Girls has
somewhat recently released a book of their own.
Today I wanted to shine the
spotlight on them.
Susan’s first published novel, "A Watershed Year,"
won the 2006 gold medal for novel in the William Faulkner William Wisdom
Creative Writing Competition. She’s agented by Jessica Regel with Foundry
Literary + Media.
Her second novel, "The Virtues of Oxygen," released
by Lake Union in July. Susan works as a communications director and teaches
writing.
A Massachusetts native, Michelle DeRusha moved to Nebraska
in 2001, where she discovered the Great Plains, grasshoppers the size of
Cornish hens ... and God. She writes about finding and keeping faith in the
everyday at http://michellederusha.com,
as well as for the Lincoln Journal Star, Prodigal Magazine and The High
Calling.
She's mom to two bug-loving boys, Noah and Rowan, and is married to Brad, an
English professor who reads Moby Dick for fun.
Christy Award finalist and Carol Award winner, Katie
Ganshert, graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison with a degree
in education, and worked as a fifth grade teacher for several years before
staying home to write full-time. She was born and raised in the Midwest, where
she lives with her husband, their young son, and their goofy black lab, Bubba.
When she’s not busy writing or playing or reading or snuggling, she is
obsessing over the paperwork and the waiting that comes with adoption.
Lisa Verge Higgins
is the RITA-nominated author of sixteen novels that have been published
worldwide and translated into as many languages--quite a switch for this former
PhD candidate in chemistry. Now this opera loving mother of three is creating
heartwarming new stories revolving around women's lives and women's friendship.
THE PROPER CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF FRIENDSHIP,
her first foray into mainstream women's fiction, won the 2011 Golden Leaf Award
for Best Single Title, and was chosen as one of the top twenty novels of the
year by the Barnes & Noble General Fiction Book Club. Her second book, ONE GOOD FRIEND DESERVES ANOTHER,
cracked the same list in 2012. Find out more about Lisa--and peruse the first
few chapters of her books-- at www.lisavergehiggins.com. If you'd like to hear about her
"life with three teenage daughters," she'd love for you to join her
at www.facebook.com/lisavergehiggins.
Lisa currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and their three teenage
daughters, who never fail to make life interesting.
Cheers Susan, Michelle,
Katie, & Lisa!
May you continue to
find joy in writing, may your readership grow, and may characters and ideas meet
you in your dreams until you make a home for them on the page.
Here’s what these talented authors had to say about my
recent release, The Flower Girls:
“Alternating between
identical twin narrators with tragic secrets between them, Wendy Paine Miller’s
THE FLOWER GIRLS examines what it means to recognize -- or not recognize --
ourselves in others. It’s a moving contemporary tale of blame, jealousy,
longing, and how old scars can finally mend.”
–Susan Schoenberger,
award-winning author of A WATERSHED YEAR and THE VIRTUES OF OXYGEN
“An expertly woven tale of drama, mystery,
suspense and romance, THE FLOWER GIRLS is, at its core, a deeply moving story
about the intricacies of sisterhood, the unshakable bonds of family loyalty and
the power of forgiveness, healing and above all, love. Thanks to Wendy Paine Miller’s unique gift
for creating approachable, compelling, intriguing characters, you’ll find yourself
pondering her two narrators – identical twins Daisy and Poppy – as well as your
own familial relationships – long after you turn the last page of this riveting
read.”
–Michelle DeRusha, author of SPIRITUAL MISFIT:
A MEMOIR OF UNEASY FAITH
“Deftly told and beautifully written, THE FLOWER
GIRLS is a story about the bonds of sisterhood, the power of forgiveness, and
the pain and the freedom that comes with letting go. Add in some long-buried
secrets, intriguing family lore, a splash of romance and readers are in for a
real treat!”
–Katie Ganshert, award-winning author of A BROKEN KIND OF
BEAUTIFUL
“Wendy Paine Miller writes with gentle wisdom
about the complexities of family relationships burdened with blame, secrets and
loss. A poignant, emotional story about guilt, love, family, and the indestructible
ties of sisterhood. Fans of Kristin Hannah will love THE FLOWER GIRLS!”
–Lisa
Verge Higgins, author of RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS