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DISCLAIMER:

I do not read every book/author I spotlight or book tour I host!
Readers, Please research and use wisdom before buying

Thursday, July 7, 2016

#ThursdayThoughts Guest post by Gail Kittleson

Good Morning Friends,

It is my pleasure to introduce you this new-to-me author....

Gail Kittleson taught college expository writing and ESL. She now writes women’s fiction and facilitates writing workshops and women’s retreats. She and her husband enjoy family in northern Iowa, and the Arizona Ponderosa forest in winter.

WhiteFire Publishing released Gail’s memoir, Catching Up With Daylight, in 2013, and her debut women’s historical fiction, In This Together (Wild Rose Press/Vintage Imprint) released in 2015. She also contributed to the Little Cab Press 2015 Christmas Anthology,
The first novel of her World War II series released recently (In Times Like These), and Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas will release the sequel in February, 2017. You can count on Gail’s heroines to make do with what life hands them, and to overcome great odds.
Find out more about Gail by visiting her Website, Facebook Page, Amazon Author Page and following her on Twitter!
Now let's see what's on Gail's mind....
 My tea bag this morning says, “Aspire to inspire before you expire.” 
Not bad advice, eh?
How do people become inspirational to others? Start! What we overcome makes us stronger, more aware of others’ struggles, and gives us perspective.

But if we’re in the midst of anguish, we certainly don’t want to hear this old line. What doesn’t kill you makes you strong . . . you’ll emerge from this period wiser, believe me . . .

Yada, yada, yada. At the time, we just want to get through this pain! Who cares about inspiring others? 

But when the worst has passed, the inspiring comes naturally—we don’t even know when it’s occurring.

 “Start by doing what’s necessary, then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” Saint Francis of Assisi

Perhaps the same might be said of doing the inspirational. Paying attention to inner and outer guidance, we work hard at our passions—necessary labor. We start with the possible, and as we toil away, the meaning of possible expands. Our vision enlarges, new ideas flow, and voila! We’re inspiring others.

I’ve found this with my writing. The first step, starting, challenged me. All kinds of arguments formed from voices I’ve listened to my whole life. But I had to move beyond what they said in order to follow my vocation’s rhythm. WRITE, WRITE, WRITE . . . for years, unsure of the outcome.
            
And now, readers tell me my work inspires them. This must be how it works, but doing the necessary and possible initiated the process. I’d love to hear how it’s worked for you. 

*********
You are so right, Gail....there is always a purpose to our pain.

Gail's latest book, In Times like These can be found at Amazon.


Thanks for joining us! I hope you enjoyed today's thoughts and that you'll come back weekly for more Thursday Thoughts, Tuesday Treasures and Saturday Spotlights.
Until next time...take care and God Bless.
PamT




20 comments:

Linda Yezak said...

Great to see you here, Gail. After chatting with you on LinkedIn, this is quite a coincidence! All the best!

Marissa Garner said...

Thought provoking post. Best of luck with your book!

Tanya Hanson said...

Hi Gail, I certainly feel inspired just hearing about the time periods of your books. WW 2 is the setting for my next one... (From publishet's series Bible...I'm old but not that old lol) . It's hard for me to revisit pain from the past, but I find inspiration at the horse rescue where I volunteer. There is a beautiful horse there, recovering from a tragic past, who actually "tells" me what to do when I seek him out lol. Best wishes with your books, Gail, and thanks, Pam, for showcasing another fine author!

Gail Kittleson said...

Thanks, Linda. I'm glad to get to know you, and so enjoy "coincidences!"

Gail Kittleson said...

Thanks, Marissa. Glad you stopped by.

Gail Kittleson said...

Tanya, what a worthwhile volunteer choice - I understand being guided by my surroundings - thanks for sharing that.

marilyn leach said...

I'm glad to say Gail, that I found your piece inspiring! Like Moses, what do we have in our hand? Start there. Those directives never get "old". They are always bang-on. Cheers

Gail Kittleson said...

Thanks, Marilyn. I've found it takes time to figure out what to do w/what we find in our hand! Glad to connect w/you.

Susan Coryell said...

Ahhhh! Inspiration--so important for the writer and for the mentor, teacher, parent, friend. Thanks for reminding us about this vital facet of life and best wishes with your books.

Jacqueline Seewald said...

I agree with Susan. Inspiring books are a joy.

Gail Kittleson said...

Thank you Susan and Jacqueline. It's also inspiring to meet new writer/reader friends like you!

Kara O'Neal said...

What a lovely post! Thanks you so much for sharing. I enjoyed getting to know you. Good luck and many blessings to you!

Gail Kittleson said...

Thank you, Kara. I wish I could read a blog by each of your commenters, to get to know you better, too.

M.J. Schiller, Romance Author said...

I think you are so right. God brings us through those times of crisis and while you're in the midst of them, you can't see past your pain. But, when you're on the other side you think, "Wow. That was bad. How did I get through that?" Like the story goes, He carries us when times are troubled and sets us down on the other side. Thanks for sharing, and best wishes for all of your writing!

Leah St. James said...

You're so right that when you're in the midst of deep pain, advice like "Keep smiling!" really doesn't help! And you can't process what you're experiencing while you're going through the experience. Great post. Best of luck with your books!

Gail Kittleson said...

Thank you M.J. and Leah, and are you writers?

Alicia Dean said...

Fabulous post. I love your outlook...found it very inspiring! :) Your books sounds wonderful. Best wishes!

Gail Kittleson said...

Thanks Alicia. Maybe age helps in honing that attitude? Smile…thanks so much for the encouragement.

Elizabeth Alsobrooks said...

Hi Gail, you certainly did write about some trying times. Your books sound like they would be as challenging to write as they would be spiritually uplifting, for both you and your readers. Thanks for sharing. And thanks for hosting, Pam.

Gail Kittleson said...

Challenging to write … Elizabeth, for me, writing memoir was cathartic, although I did really have to work to make it public instead of private writing. Then the novels … I love doing research and figuring out how to blend those historical facts with a character's growth, so as the story unfolded, I was thrilled to see how it all came together. That's my process, I guess. Thanks for your interesting comment.