It's Raining Books: Blooming Into Life by Kristie Booker

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Blooming Into Life by Kristie Booker

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Kristie will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

What was the hardest part of writing this book?

Blooming Into Life is my first book. I’ve always loved writing and creating stories but I had a huge fear of sharing my work. The hardest part of writing this book was getting out of my own way. I had to work hard to shut down all of my fear-based thoughts of not being a good enough, experienced enough, or smart enough. I kept the writing of this book a secret until I was almost finished because I worried that people would think I was some crazy middle-aged woman with a pipe dream. I grew a lot as a person throughout the process of writing this book. I learned how to have power over my fears and to stop conforming to what I thought others expected of me.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

I enjoyed the entire process of creating and perfecting this story. As a wellness coach, I loved creating a character with similar issues that I see women face every day. I also enjoyed taking my main character through the same type of detox diet that I have taken many of my clients through. I loved creating the characters, the scenes, and rewriting and restructuring my sentences. I could spend an hour pouring over one sentence and I loved every minute of it. The mornings I spent writing over the course of the eighteen months it took me to write this book were the most magical moments I have ever experienced. I’ve never felt more joy or fulfillment from any other experience in my life.

What inspires you?

Nature inspires me most. A sunny blue sky, flowers, trees, sounds of crickets chirping and birds singing always gets my creative juices flowing. I’m also inspired when I see people allow their love and light conquer their doubt, fear, and sadness.

Who are some of your favorite authors that you feel were influential in your work?

I’ve always been a fan of Elizabeth Berg’s writing. Her stories leave you feeling like you just had a really nice cup of tea. I love the way her words dance across the page. After reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat Pray Love many years ago, I was inspired to write an inspirational novel. And, the quick beach reads that Elin Hilderbrand creates made me want to write books that were fun and easy to read.

What do your plans for future projects include?

I plan to write more stories about women overcoming difficult life circumstances and self-imposed roadblocks. I’m currently working on a story about a young widow with a ten-year-old son that has great talent as a youth hockey player. She and her son relocate to Chicago,IL from St. Paul, MN to be closer to her parents and her late husband’s best friend who happens to be the hockey director of an elite youth hockey program. She must manage her overbearing mother, the political nuances of the hockey organization, help her son adjust to his new environment, and figure who she is and what her life purpose is.

Growing up on a farm in Brockville, Illinois, did not prepare Colleen O’Brien Adler to be the wife of a wealthy entertainment lawyer living in Chicago. It certainly didn’t prepare her to be Dinah Adler’s daughter-in-law. The stay-at-home mother of two has more than she’s ever wanted—a personal stylist, a prestigious country club membership, a multimillion-dollar home—but she finds herself not only struggling with depression and body image but also failing as a parent and fearing for her marriage. Her life is about to change when an invitation to a wellness meeting arrives in her inbox. With some coaxing from personal coach Kory Stone, she commits to a new beginning. But will she be able to overcome the things that are holding her back?

Read an excerpt:

“How many of you are here to lose weight?” Kory asked.

Colleen raised her hand along with every other woman in the room. Noticing how skinny over half the room was, Colleen wondered why they were raising their hand.

“While your goal is weight loss, my goal is to help you find yourself, your true self,” Kory said.

“What if our true self just needs to lose weight?” Beth said.

The women around the table laughed. Kory smiled at her. “I want to help you see beyond your physical body and dig deep into what makes your heart happy.”

Beth’s smile faded as she considered Kory’s words. Colleen had no idea what made her heart happy. She loved the girls and Jay. They made her happy. They also made her exhausted. Besides her bed, a vanilla latte and a bottle of wine, she couldn’t put her finger on anything that truly made her happy.

“The hardest part about finding out what makes you happy is being truthful about what isn’t making you happy,” Kory said. “In order to lose weight and keep it off, you have to commit to working hard to overcome the things that are holding you back.”

Colleen wasn’t sure she could commit to doing whatever work Kory was talking about. Some things in her life were too difficult to overcome.

About the Author: