I am quite happy to welcome one of the writers from the publishing family at Cedar Fort today, as I am going to be highlighting this beautiful novella full of the warmth of Christmas and the allure of living in a small towne where people not only know who you are but they care about your well-being. I am putting together more interviews for some of the lovely authors I have recently reviewed on behalf of Sweetwater Books, as I am always thankful for the time the authors can give me to hosting a conversation with them whilst responding to questions that sparked a curiosity in me to ask!

As you will see throughout this conversation, Ms. Jacobs is has a kind spirit and a gift for compassionate joy – in both her handicrafts and in her writings. I hope this conversation will inspire you to pick up this beautiful hardback edition of a Christmas story set in a place and time where anything is truly possible when individuals remember to reach out to each other in their community when tragedy strikes. It is a heart-warming story I will be sharing my thoughts on lateron today!

Book Synopsis:

Tragedy brings heartache to the community of Apple Blossom. A car takes the life of 6 year old Mary Noel Simmon’s best friend – her dog – and nearly destroys Mary Noel’s spirit as well. Now she lies in the hospital, traumatized and silent, while the medical bills are piling up with no way for her parents to pay them.

That is, until Mary Noel’s teacher, Amber Kellen, breaks out of her quiet, lonely life to help.

With the help of her new friend Paul, Amber sets out to solve the family’s financial problems by involving the entire community. And as the two friends work together, they discover that creating a Christmas miracle may also have some unexpected benefits. Filled with romance and kindness, this story of hope and faith will warm your heart.

“I wanted to portray a wholesome relationship between a man and woman with similar values where their friendship and common goals were the basis for developing a love relationship,” said McCrary Jacobs. “The community of Apple Blossom pulls together to help a family in need and is very successful in their efforts.”

 

As your Christmas Romance novella was the winner of the 2013 Holiday Tale Contest, could you share with my readers a bit about what inspired you to participate in the contest?

McCrary responds:  Hello, Jorie. Thank you for inviting me to share with your readers. I’ve been working toward the goal of becoming a published fiction author for the past years. When I saw the call for submissions for Cedar Fort’s 2013 Holiday Tale Contest I carefully reviewed their website. Their mission statement about publishing uplifting books that help people relax and feel better about themselves made me think our working together to publish a book would be a good match.

You’re a handcrafter as much as you’re a writer, the creative arts seem to infuse your spirit with an overflowing well of joy. What do you find sewing and writing give back to you as much as you create the happiness in the moment of creating something out of the materials in your hands and heart?

McCrary responds: I’ve always been a creative person. From a young age I was constantly coloring, cutting, pasting, painting, and the like. When I was eight years old I learned to sew by hand. I remember I was so excited about learning how to sew a button to fabric. When I was twelve, my Grandma McCrary taught me how to sew on a sewing machine. She was an expert seamstress. I have a linen tablecloth she embroidered by hand close to seventy years ago. Her workmanship is stunning. For me, sharing this love of creating something with my hands with such a special grandma is a treasured memory for me.

I’ve been a voracious reader for my entire lifetime, so it seems like a natural progression for someone who loves the written word as much as I do to create her own stories.

I receive a deep satisfaction when I create something with fabric and thread or when I write anything—from a handwritten message in a card to a friend or family member to a short story to a novella such as ‘A Holiday Miracle in Apple Blossom.’ I guess that’s part of living a creative life. I’ve been told by family, friends, and other people throughout my life that I am blessed with many gifts and talents. I’m grateful for the opportunities these skills have presented to me in the past few years. I’ve been fortunate to have had my first book and over a hundred sewing designs published. I’m very humbled by this success, and I try not to forget my good fortune when things aren’t going so well.

As you’re a crafter who gives to charity (as I am a knitter who knits prayer shawls for charity) which national sewing, quilting, etc charity organisations do you recommend for other crafters to give their handmade items too? I applaud anyone who takes the seeds of their own joy and passes it forward to those in need.

McCrary responds: With the drastic budget cuts in California in the past half dozen years, I do my sewing for organizations in my county of residence. There is so much need here, and I imagine that’s the situation across the United States.

I have made baby quilts, wall hangings, and indoor games for the Mary Graham Children’s Shelter in our county. http://www.sjgov.org/hsa/childrens_services/mary_graham.htm and http://marygrahamfoundation.org/

This facility houses foster children ages newborn to teens. When a baby or child is placed in a home, the people at the shelter like to send a quilt with them so the little one has something familiar to take with them for comfort and warmth.

I’ve also made Christmas stockings and ornaments for a hospital in our county. They give these items out to their patients who are in the hospital during Christmastime or on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I think it would be very dreary to be in the hospital during the holiday season, and my goal is to brighten a patient’s day with a cheerful ornament or stocking that can be hung up on their room to remind them someone is thinking of them during their hospital stay.

In the past, I’ve made dolls, doll clothes, doll quilts, soft toys, patchwork quilts, hats, scarves, and gloves during the holiday season for other organizations such as the Salvation Army, an elder care organization, and various homeless shelters.

On my blog, I’ve published a couple of posts listing various national organizations I’ve learned about through sewing magazines which accept handmade items from sewers, knitters, crocheters, and quilters. Here are the links to these posts:

http://www.junemccraryjacobs.com/charity-sewing-2014

http://www.junemccraryjacobs.com/more-charity-sewing-ideas

Readers will find a blurb about each organization along with a link to the websites of these national organizations.

As this is your second blog tour for Apple Blossom (my endearing name for the story), what have you noticed about reader interpretations of the story itself? Were there any collective thoughts shared which surprised you?

McCrary responds: I’ve been delighted by the response to the book’s cover. I can’t take any credit for the design, but the designers at Cedar Fort did a tremendous job capturing the feeling of the story and the character’s love for each other in the details of the cover.

The other overwhelming comment from my close friends and other readers and reviewers whom I don’t know is that my book would make a perfect Hallmark movie! I am honored whenever people make this comment because in my experience watching movies produced for the Hallmark channel, the message they broadcast to viewers is exactly the messages I’d hoped my book would inspire. Love, community, and doing for others in their time of need.

Several bloggers and readers have mentioned the ‘Holiday Miracle’ story made them feel in the holiday spirit and the story helped them rethink the meaning of Christmas in their own lives. Many spoke of the lovely relationship our heroine and hero developed during the course of working together on the community project. Anytime someone says they enjoyed my book, I’m pleased and very touched.

As every writer genuinely has favourite authors they love to snuggle inside their stories – what can you share that grabs you into the writing styles of the following authors:  Jane Austen, Debbie Macomber, Laura Ingalls Wilder and Tracie Peterson as we share them in common amongst our favourites!

McCrary responds: In the romance genre, Jane Austen and Debbie Macomber are unsurpassed in their storytelling abilities. Their stories are fluent and the situations in which their characters find themselves are sometimes humorous, but believable. I love historical fiction, and Jane Austen does a beautiful job of setting the scene and describing the setting and characters in her books. Debbie Macomber creates interesting and original settings and characters which I continue to enjoy even after reading dozens and dozens of her books. (Thank you for sharing your gifts with us, Debbie Macomber!)

My attraction to the Laura Ingalls Wilder books began when I was in grade school. I read all of the Little House on the Prairie books at least once back then. A few years ago, I began at the first book and savored each one again. My perspective as a grown woman was different than as a child, obviously. The fact that I thoroughly enjoyed those stories as an adult speaks to Mrs. Wilder’s ability to draw her readers into fictional Laura’s world. The books are very touching and educational from an historical standpoint.

Tracie Peterson’s work is awesome! The detail about daily life she includes in her books is astonishing. She also has an ability to create unusual characters who don’t seem to fit the stereotypical mold readers (including me) may have about women living in a certain time or place. I loved her recent ‘Land of Shining Water’ series. ‘The Icecutter’s Daughter,’ ‘The Quarryman’s Bride,’ and ‘The Miner’s Lady’ were so enjoyable. I’d love to read these three novels again when I have time.

As an author, if I could incorporate the qualities and skill these authors exhibit, I would be modeling myself after some of the great fiction writers of our time and in days passed.

I had to smile immediately when I saw your choice for meeting someone via a time machine:  Edith Head! Do you think your fondness for her creativity and designs might spark a story?

McCrary responds: I would love to write a story inspired by Edith Head’s classic, innovative, and timeless designs. I hadn’t thought about this premise before. This is a good idea, Jorie! Let me put on my thinking cap as we used to say in grade school and jot down some notes . . .  Thanks for the tip.

A Personal Note to my Readers from : June McCrary Jacobs

I love to hear from readers about their reading and sewing adventures, Jorie. Here’s where you can find me online:

–My website and ‘Writing and Sewing’ blog can be found at:  http://www.junemccraryjacobs.com.  I write about books, book reviews, textile shows, museum exhibits, and sewing tips there with a new post each Wednesday. The first Wednesday of each month (and sometimes additional times throughout the month) I post free patterns and instructions for one of my original-design sewing or crafting projects for readers’ use and enjoyment.

–My Author’s Facebook Page.  If you Like my Facebook page you’ll receive automatic notifications of new postings and the free projects, etc.

–My Amazon Author Page

–My Goodreads Author Page

–My Email Address is:  junemccraryjacobs@gmail.com

I enjoyed our time together, Jorie. I’d wish you and your readers a very happy and memorable holiday season filled with love, joy and miracles.

My gratitude is extended to Ms. Jacobs, of whom I was most happily delighted in seeing I had inspired her to ponder a story-line involving Ms. Head! How very lovely!? I will look forward to seeing where her muse takes her in this regard as I have become quite fascinated myself with Edith Head the more that I set my dial to Turner Classic Movies and envelope myself in the dashing & enchanting world of classic motion pictures! More times than naught, Ms. Head is at the helm of the costume designs — I am always in awe at her graceful eloquence and her eye for fitting clothes of whom compliment the wearers in such a way as to re-clarify their characters!

In regards to the national charities, I had ask a bit of a broader net as my blog is happily read across the United States, the UK, and other parts of the world; so I was thinking if other knitters, crocheters, and needle artists were curious which charities are available to send items to and which items were most in need at any given time, I was hopeful it might encourage them to see if their local communities could use the same and/or they could find a charity they can mail their handmade items to that would not break the postage budget they have to use. I always try to not limit what I am writing about to my one part of the world but to be mindful of the closeness of the world as the community of book bloggers and the readers who alight on our blogs truly do live around the world.

On a personal note, I was thankful a foster children’s home was being highlighted as I have been open and honest about being a Perspective Adoptive Mum; as I will be adopting out of foster care in the future. I am thankful to draw a light on a charity that gives back to children who may not even realise so many of us care about them and want to send them a bit of goodwill.

I am thankful to Ms. Jacobs for being such a kind heart to give her readers a chance to contact her personally and by providing them with so many wonderful links to explore! It was a true honour to have Ms. Jacobs on my blog today! I am always blessed to be a tour hostess for Cedar Fort, of whom has blessed me tenfold by the breadth of their stories and the friendliest of their writers! I am always thrilled to bits when I can host for them and bring such a wonderful diversity of stories, writers, and characters to my readers! If you hadn’t noticed already they are one of my favourite Indie Publishers!

This Blog Tour Stop is courtesy of Cedar Fort, Inc:

 Be sure to follow the rest of the blog tour:

I happily shared my thoughts on this heart-warming story “A Holiday Miracle in Apple Blossom”!

Similar to blog tours, when I feature a showcase for an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog.

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{SOURCES: Book Cover Art for “A Holiday Miracle in Apple Blossom”, author biography and author quote on behalf of the novella and author photograph were provided by the author June McCrary Jacobs and used with permission. Blog Tour badge, book synopsis and badge for Cedar Fort Publishing & Media is provided by Cedar Fort Publishing & Media and used with permission. Post dividers badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Blog Tour badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. SFN November Book Review badge & #IndieWriterMonth badge created by Jorie in Canva.}

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