**I did not read this book, but a friend told me some of what she read. Based on that, I would not read this book personally.
About the Book
Book: Heaven and the Afterlife
Author: Kathy Carmichael
Genre: Christian Non-Fiction
Release date: October 25, 2020
*Has an angel ever brought you a message, protected you from harm, or visited you?
*Has your soul ever been transported to Heaven?
This book explores events such as these, and you will learn you are not alone. You may come to a deeper and abiding love for God and humanity. It’s likely you will no longer have as much fear relating to death or dying. Heaven, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are real.
*Thinking About Heaven: Reader Questions
*Map of Near-Heaven and parts of Heaven
*Meaningful Scripture and Quotes
*Photos relating to Kathy’s life and hospital stay
*Foreword by John Carmichael
Click here to get your copy!
Author Interview
Who would you say inspired you the most in your life?
My grandmothers both inspired me in very different ways.
My mother’s mother, Mama, was an aspiring writer, but she lived in an era and location where she didn’t have paper to write on nor much free time to write. She turned soup can and other can labels inside out and wrote on the backsides. Can you imagine being driven to write and tell stories, and not having the basic tools to do so? I’m so proud of her for finding a way to make it happen, even if life didn’t permit her to write as much as she would have liked.
My father’s mother, Mema, was a natural-born story teller. Whenever we were with her she told us bedtime stories about our ancestors or Biblical stories. Her father (my great-grandfather who I never met) was an itinerant Methodist preacher. They moved from town to town where he would put on Revivals. Mema told us many Bible stories from his perspective, as well as about actual events at Revivals. She told me that her father said if you’re only going to read a little bit of the Bible, then you can’t go wrong with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, because that is where you find Jesus’s story. When I was a girl, those were the chapters I read and reread until I realized I was allowed to read the whole Bible ☺
If you could spend the day with anyone (living or dead) who would it be? Why?
I feel as though I’m cheating by replying Jesus of Nazareth, but I am totally sincere. It’s a no-brainer. He’s the most interesting, fun, beautiful, peaceful, loving, endearing and wonderful human ever created. I look forward to the day I can again spend time with him.
How do you balance writing time with the demands of life/family?
This is such a tough subject and can be especially hard on women authors who often have the responsibility for their job, their children, and their households all by themselves, even if they are married or have a significant other.
When I began writing, I had two sons, one seven and the other two. I could only write when my youngest was in Mother’s Day Out (twice weekly for three hours) or when my husband was home and I could sneak away for a little while on Saturdays. My husband traveled back then and he was generally out of town Monday through Thursday or Friday. Later, when both children were in school, I found that even though I had many hours more writing time, I produced approximately the same number of finished pages. My psyche knew what I had to create and exactly how much time it had to work to get there. I can laugh about it now, but back then I was so disappointed. I thought I’d double or triple my output when I had more time.
My kids are grown now and only one son remains at home with my husband and me. My current difficultly isn’t the necessity of caring for children, it’s having a retired husband. I don’t have a dedicated office, so now and then I get testy about being interrupted. But you know what? With all this time, I still produce my standard 35 pages per week. It’s just how it works for me.
Do you read much?
I am a huge reader. I love reading so very much. When I was a girl, I couldn’t get enough books. I read all of the books, and I mean all, in our small school library. My mother would take me to the library once a month where I was allowed to check out five books. Because my youngest sister was too little to read, the librarian allowed me to also check out three books on her card, for a total of eight books per month. Later the Bookmobile began coming only a mile from our house and I was allowed to return two books and check out two more—thus making 10 books per month. I read them all right away, then reread them throughout the month. Did I mention how much I love reading?
To this day I still read every single day—at least something religious every day and often also fiction if I have time. Generally, I read scripture or a religious script or book that resonates for me. And as time permits, I’ll read something related to writing or a mystery or romantic comedy.
What is different about writing non-fiction vs fiction? Would you say one is easier than the other?
I feel rather guilty saying this, but for me non-fiction is in general easier to write than fiction. I’m sure some writer’s subject matter is much more difficult than what I write about, which is where my guilt springs from.
You need to know what you’re going to write about, and have some sort of knowledge base in which to write non-fiction, but that makes it easier to write. Once you decide what your book is about and how you’re going to structure your book, you sit down and write it. It doesn’t always need to be linear.
With fiction, I need to understand my characters as well as the plot. I have to make sure there will be surprises for the reader, that the book isn’t too expected or formulaic, and that there are appropriate turning points and conflicts. It’s a little more complex for me, but in either genre, my goal is to deliver a book that will work for the reader.
Writing both fiction and non-fiction delight my muse and give me happiness. I hope they provide the same to my readers.
About the Author
With a deep and abiding love of our Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who came into this world to save us, Kathy Carmichael is compelled to share her astounding spiritual experiences with others. She believes part of her mission on this Earth is to help people feel better, whether it’s through her writing or her (at times, sophomoric) sense of humor.
A USA Today bestseller and award-winning author, she lives on a canal along Florida’s west coast with her Scottish husband of over 40 years, one son, two cats, a part-time grand-dog, and a bevy of dust bunnies and seagulls.
Kathy has written primarily comedic clean/sweet romance, cozy mysteries, and non-fiction articles and workshops. She has been recognized by the American Library Association’s
Kathy loves hearing from readers.
More from Kathy
Many times as I sat down at my keyboard to work on this book, I have been encouraged by Holy Spirit to count my blessings.
Has anyone reminded you to count your blessings? If so, when you examine the numerous ways you’ve been blessed and begin to list the numerous blessings in your life, do you feel eternally grateful?
It’s part of our humanity that we tend to lose sight of those blessings while dealing with our day-to-day cares. Yet when we stop to think about how many good things are steadfast in our life, outside of the setbacks, gratitude washes over us.
I believe I was encouraged to look at my blessings as a means for me to overcome my obstacles. Healing from my physical ailments has been time consuming and difficult.
Yet, when I look at my blessings…
Like you, I have been blessed in a multitude of ways. Recently I have been blessed even more so. A large part of that blessing was my being allowed to remain alive and still walking God’s green Earth. An even bigger blessing was the amount of time I was granted to spend in Near-Heaven, which is a setting running immediately beside Heaven, and the glimpses I was permitted of Heaven itself.
Not everyone has such amazing opportunities, and even fewer have the chance to tell about it afterward. Please allow me to share my story with you.
Blog Stops
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 10
Texas Book-aholic, March 11
Cats in the Cradle Blog, March 11
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 12
For Him and My Family, March 13
For the Love of Literature, March 14 (Author Interview)
deb’s Book Review, March 15
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 16
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, March 17
Blossoms and Blessings, March 18 (Author Interview)
Godly Book Reviews, March 18
Locks, Hooks and Books, March 19
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, March 20
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 21
Through the Fire Blogs, March 22 (Author Interview)
Inklings and notions, March 23
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Kathy is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/1095b/heaven-and-the-afterlife-celebration-tour-giveaway
