Help me welcome author April Kidwell as she shares her journey to publication. She has also generously offered a giveaway, so read through to find the details and enter the random drawing.

Writing Through Pain: Crafting Stories of Love and Resilience

Little pieces of me end up on the page when I write a story. Sometimes it’s a fear, hope, or dream. Always it’s a woman waiting on that elusive happily ever after. But when I wrote “A Love for All Seasons,” my heart broke for Claire as she battled the pain of chronic illness.

Because I know.

Although her specific condition is not formally identified, many of her symptoms are consistent with lupus, fibromyalgia, or psoriatic arthritis. Conditions I’ve either personally experienced or observed in loved ones. And before her story could be released, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Chronic pain requires an individual to be brave. Get out of bed. Do the hard things. Show up when you don’t feel like it. Personal value diminishes. Accomplishments wane. Emotions run wild. And you ask yourself, “What do I have to offer?”

It’s not much different than a woman waiting on love.

She longs for acceptance. Belonging. Connection.

She wants to be more than her pain.

She needs to feel loved.

Women in my stories have either loved and lost, or never really known love. Some characters, like Claire, rely on themselves. Others press fully into reliance on God.

But the truth is, pain is universal. And it doesn’t have to be physical.

It can be doubting your self-worth, questioning your value, experiencing heartbreak, loss or brokenness.

But despite the pain, there is hope.

And that’s what my heroine discovers. Hope. Once she has hope, she can accept the love she already has been offered by the One who created her.

Despite years of waiting, despite restrictions she places on herself, despite limits—real, imagined, or external—she was created to love and be loved.

I write Christian romance to reflect God’s love for each of us. It’s not just about finding a man to walk beside you in this life, it’s about discovering who God created us to be. We don’t need a man to be fulfilled, but for some, happily ever after may include one.

A Peek Inside: “A Love for All Seasons”

        In theory, being the maid of honor for her best friend required much less effort than the typical wedding duties. Show up. Hold the bouquet. Stick around for the party.

        But for Claire Forsythe, the hardest part proved to be wearing the floor length burgundy chiffon all evening. The hem of the dress sparkled gold as if someone had dipped the bottom third into a vat of glitter. The Grecian neckline exposed her shoulders and emphasized her height. With every movement, a different seam grated against her sensitive skin, and the utilitarian undergarments poked her in spots that never saw the light of day. Her saving grace was that she’d been able to remove her heels and slip on comfort shoes under the long dress after the ceremony.

About April:

April Kidwell is a writer, story coach, and ovarian cancer warrior. She writes contemporary romance sprinkled with history for the waiting heart. She is married to a Science geek, mother to two grown children, devoted to her six four-legged rescues, and lives in beautiful Central Oregon. She has two contemporary novellas available on Amazon, and will release an historical Christmas novella in October 2024.

Bonus: Receive a free novella with newsletter sign up: https://aprilkidwellauthor.com/newsletter-sign-up/

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Website: https://aprilkidwellauthor.com/

Giveaway:

One randomly selected winner may choose the ebook version set of two novellas, “Next Christmas” and “A Love for All Season,” or the print version, “High Desert Romance Collection" which includes both novellas in one paperback.