I am delighted to share the book launch of my fellow author and friend, Janet S. Grunst. Her debut novel, A Heart Set Free, is releasing today! Welcome Janet!
1. God often teaches us something through our writing. What did you learn about life, faith, or yourself in the process of writing?
About life: I have and continue to learn that it is never too late to pursue a dream. It may take many years, but with perseverance and a willingness to learn and not give up in spite of failures, if it is within God’s will, it will happen.
About faith: I believe that God can use my failures, inadequacies, and disappointments to encourage others as they walk through tough times.
About yourself: Over thirty years ago, when I began writing this story, I discovered that I thrive with structure. It is so much easier for me to maintain a habit than to initiate one, whether it is exercise, daily quiet time, or having a devoted time to pursuing one’s craft.
2. Is there a message in A Heart Set Free that you want readers to grasp?
The theme of A Heart Set Free is forgiveness and the power it has to remove the barriers that separate us from God and from each other, and even the need to forgive ourselves.
My Review:
While seeds of war are germinating in 1770 Virginia, seeds of hopelessness have brought Heather Douglas to a desperate decision: Submitting herself to indentured servitude an ocean’s distance from her home in Scotland.
Her life is no less desperate than Matthew Stewart’s, a widower whose loneliness for his children prompts him to purchase an indentured woman to help rear his family.
But can two scarred individuals find healing in hearts enslaved by lack of forgiveness?
A Heart Set Free by Janet Grunst is a tender historical romance that will captivate your own heart with charming characters and threads of faith that weave a lovely, enthralling tale.
Back cover blurb
In 1770, Heather Douglas is desperate to escape a brewing scandal in her native Scotland. Penniless and hoping for a fresh start far away, she signs a seven-year indenture and boards a British merchant vessel headed to Virginia.
Widowed planter Matthew Stewart needs someone to help raise his two young children. The tall blonde standing on the Alexandria quay doesn’t look like much after her harrowing sea voyage, but there’s a refinement about her that her filthy clothing cannot hide. Could God be leading him to take this unknown indentured servant as his wife?
When Matthew purchases Heather’s indenture, marries her, and takes her to his farm, she is faced with new and constant challenges. And Matthew wonders if they can ever bridge their differences and make a life together.
It is in the Virginia countryside that Heather begins her greatest journey, one of self-discovery and of maturing faith. Here, she discovers that her emotional and spiritual scars bind her far more than her indenture . . . and love will finally set her heart free.
Author Bio
Janet is a wife, mother of two sons, and grandmother of eight. . Before pursuing a long-held dream of writing fiction she was employed in the banking industry for ten years and as a freelance writer for two regional publications. After taking a break to raise her children, she worked for an international ministry, Community Bible Study, most recently as the Executive Assistant for the Executive Director. She continues to serve as a leader in her local Community Bible Study class and in her church.
She lives in the historic triangle of Virginia (Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown) with her husband and West Highland White Terrier. Her love of writing fiction grew out of a desire to share stories that can communicate the truths of the Christian faith, and entertain, as well as bring inspiration, healing, and hope to the reader.
A Heart Set Free can be purchased at: Amazon.com
| Visit her online: http://JanetGrunst.com
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Hartline Literary Agency