GENIE GABRIEL BIO
For years I've been fascinated by the puzzle of why some people collapse under life's traumas and others emerge triumphantly stronger. In a job surrounded by social workers and in my personal life, I saw the effects of abuse, incest, and violence. Yet amid the stark realities of addictions, anger, abandonment, denial and betrayal shone the bright light of strength, hope and forgiveness. These triumphs of the human spirit over the ugliest of adversities became the basis for my stories. My passion for writing romance stories became an outlet for the powerful messages that people can overcome great difficulties, and that true love can turn life’s heartaches into happily ever after.
LINKS
Web site: www.GenieGabriel.com
Blog for The Legacy Series (PICTURE PERFECT LEGACY is the first book of the series): http://oshealegacyseries.blogspot.com
I am so excited to have Genie Gabriel here to talk about 5 Things You Probably Never Guess About Her in a guest post here at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews.
Genie is currently touring to promote her newest release Picture Perfect Legacy.
Thanks so much Genie and Goddess Fish Promotions for allowing me to join your blog tour with a Giveaway and Guest Post!
Please take it away, Genie!
FIVE THINGS YOU'D PROBABLY NEVER GUESS ABOUT ME!
Wow! I feel like I should clean my house because people are coming to visit. First, I want to thank Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews for having me as a guest blogger. Now, my company manners are on and here goes!
1. I grew up in small town surrounded by a passel of brothers and male cousins. (And no, Mom, my real hometown and family are NOT the models for my LEGACY series. I don't recall that my brothers ever blew up a town. Set fire to the upstairs of our house, yes, but no explosions. :) However, living in a small town gave me a lot of experiences to draw on when writing my LEGACY series, which is set in a small town and centers on the O'Shea family -- a widowed mom with eight adopted children, one girl and seven boys--all adults at the time of the series. Though small towns are stereotyped as "everyone knows everyone else's business," I also discovered small towns have secrets nobody talks about. In PICTURE PERFECT LEGACY, the main characters scratch the surface of some of these secrets in fictional Halo, Oregon. Throughout the books of the series, more secrets will be revealed, perhaps about citizens no one would suspect had shadowy pasts.
2. I worked twenty years in social services, and developed an awe of caseworkers like Marly in PICTURE PERFECT LEGACY. Yes, there are people who shouldn't be caseworkers, just as there are bad plumbers, and auto mechanics who can't change the oil in a car without messing something up. But I also saw the best of the best. Caseworkers who were committed to helping people change their lives. Who could look at the broken pieces of families and see not just the problems, but the promise of a loving, nurturing future for kids. I also saw kids who went through horrific experiences, yet turned their lives around and became honor students, star athletes, community leaders, and more. Amazing young people! That's when I became fascinated by people who didn't self-destruct after experiencing trauma, but grew into shining examples. I explore the oftentimes challenging journeys of everyday people who become heroes through the characters in my LEGACY series.
3. I attended a Citizen Police Academy several years ago and was intrigued not just by what my local police department did, but by the divergent personalities of the officers who presented the information. Yeah, there were one or two whose style bordered on bullying. But there were others whose passion and idealism still shone in spite of knowing they might not make it home alive after their shift was over. I also saw some quirky law enforcement humor and used that personality trait for one of the O'Shea brothers in my LEGACY series. I drew heavily on my experience with the Citizen Police Academy in shaping the law enforcement heroes of my LEGACY series, and added my own perspective of why some cops become criminals and why others find the path of integrity the best law enforcement officers walk.
4. I share my life with a small herd of dogs -- seven at the moment. Many of these fur babies came to me through the local shelter; others came from different experiences but needing new homes. They all have their own personalities and try to keep me on task with feeding and walks. Because of my experiences with animals, pets with great intelligence and quirky personalities often show up in my stories. PICTURE PERFECT LEGACY has a hound, the second book introduces a kitten--um, you get the idea. Don't worry -- the people in my stories may face danger and challenges through most of the story, but the pets are on a fast-track to their happy homes. :)
And one more ...
5. I believe miracles are alive and well and happening every day! I was on the receiving end of a few miracles when I was younger. Big ones like the auto accident where I slid across the road and remember seeing the grill of a semi truck coming straight at me just before I hit a rock embankment. The truck didn't hit me, I walked away without even any bruises, and my brother drove the car back to my friends' house. And smaller miracles like being flat broke with car insurance due and a check coming in the mail in the amount I needed. However, since I became a Reiki master several years ago, I've become more aware of miracles that happen every day. The fun ones like hitting all the traffic lights green and finding the one parking place left downtown just where I needed it. And the more humbling ones like one of my foster dogs healing from major surgery in a fraction of the time the vet expected. Sometimes these miracles are subtle. The inner voice that urges a particular action and sets in motion a series of events that needed to happen right then, or a phone call from a friend you had been thinking about. As I have observed more of what some people call "coincidence" or "luck," these kinds of occurrences have also found their way more and more into my writing. There will be a full-fledged angel and an Indian shaman later on in my LEGACY series, but there are also subtle miracles that many people might dismiss. Miracle or coincidence? I'll let you read and decide.
Care to share one of your own "hidden" personality traits or experiences with miracles?
Giveaway Rules
Genie will be giving away a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour and a smaller prize TBD to one commenter at every stop.
To enter please answer Genie's question and don't forget to leave an e-mail, thanks!
16 comments:
Thank you for hosting Genie today.
I had to laugh at the "herd of dogs". No hidden traits here. Everyone knows I'm a neat nut.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
I can not wait to read this story. It sounds really awesome. I also believe in miracles.
Hidden traits..hmmm it's hard to think of anything so I asked my hubby...he said that I can give out good advice *and I thanksed him* and then in the same breath he said, *but you can't take any*...
So I believe my hidden trait is patience..LOL Because in order to have lived with this wise guy for the past 22 years, I've had to have had a lot of it...;P
miztik_rose@yahoo.com
Hi, Marybelle! Well, when all my doggies are charging out the back door after a squirrel, they are like a stampeding herd! Love my babies soooo much!
And if you're a neat nut, could you pass some of that my way? My office especially could use some "neatening up." Not quite at the dumpster stage, but close. Oops! Guess that's another "secret" about me.
Good to see you again!
Hi, MomJane! Hope you enjoy PICTURE PERFECT LEGACY. I'm still living with these characters as I write later books of the series and am still really liking them. :)
Miracles--oh, yeah. I experienced another one yesterday when a savings bond that went missing years and years ago came to me in the mail. It had been tucked in a book given away at a workshop and fell out when the person picked up the book by the spine. Again, many thanks to my friend who sent it back to me. It's not just the bond but the positive emotions of what was happening at the time that made this a very humbling miracle that fills me with gratitude.
Guess if we believe in miracles, it opens the door for them to happen.
So good to see you again!
LOL, Mary! You are a brave woman for asking your hubby about a hidden trait. Don't think I'd ask any of my family members that question, because I don't want to hear what they'd say!
So glad you stopped by today!
And, once again, many thanks to Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews for hosting me today! I'll be in and out a bit today, but shouldn't be too far behind in responding to comments.
Though I might slip outside to enjoy the sunshine we're having at the moment, because who knows what the weather might be like in fifteen minutes! We had snow a couple days ago--just a bit on the ground that turned into slush fairly quickly, but Mother Nature is definitely keeping us guessing here in western Oregon! How's the weather in your part of the world?
It's fun following your tour. Thanks for posting it.
Hi, Chris! Glad you're enjoying the tour. It's been fun for me also!
Probably a little too much of a clean freak, I hate dirt!
dsadler53 at yahoo dot ca
I love all the tidbits you shared today, Genie. I like your point about small towns having lots of secrets. They DO talk about them...amongst themselves...but never to "outsiders." LOL.
I, too, worked in human services for many years and have an appreciation for people who are that committed. There's so much turn over and burnout.
catherinelee100 at gmail dot com
Hi, Diane! Is a clean freak the same as a neat nut? If both you and Marybelle send some of that mojo my way, my office will be shipshape in no time, right?
Glad you stopped to say hello!
Hi, Catherine! Good to see you again!
Yes, lots of burnout in human services professions, but lots of good things happen too. I very much admire people who can do this work!
Day late again! But this interview setup is just too good to not leave a question so I hope you'll be checking back to leave an answer.
As I've read in blogs by other authors, I'm struck by the fact there is a lot more to the writing process itself than just sitting down and writing a book. In your opinion, what percentage of 1) book-learning including but not limited to, college courses, reading how-to books); 2) seminars, workshops, association membership; 3) talent/imagination/life experiences; and 4) actual writing of a story is really involved in getting a finished published book?
kareninnc at gmail dot com
LOL, Karen! Math and I are not bosom buddies, so setting percentages is a challenge for me. However, I'm pretty good at making things up, so I'll take a stab at answering this, but please don't hold me to these percentages--they could change tomorrow. :)
1) book-learning, etc. -- probably the smallest percentage for me. I do have a lot of how-to books, but I'm more of an on-the-job learner. I'm going to say about ten percent.
2) seminars, workshops, association membership -- when I was first learning to write, this was the majority of what I was doing. I was fortunate to find the Romance Writers of America, and their chapters excel in teaching the craft of writing. Learning from New York Times best-selling authors is a priceless gift from these generous people. Now that I know the basics of writing, this item is probably about ten percent also. I'm still learning, but that's not my main focus.
For the other eighty percent, I'd lump together 3) talent/imagination/life experiences and 4) actual writing, along with research, as these things are very intertwined for me. Even if the Muses don't want to come out and play, I still have deadlines. Once I start putting words down, or playing "what if" or find an intriguing bit of research, creativity kicks into high gear and the writing flows. It may need to be fixed later on but at least I have something to work with.
And a piece that you didn't ask about in getting a published book--unless you're self-publishing--is writing query letters and looking for an agent or editor who wants to publish your book. These steps can take a lot of time and involve a lot of waiting. Once the contract is signed, there's an entirely new set of steps like making requested revisions from the publisher, filling out art questionnaires or designing the cover, etc., etc. Then an author puts on their promotion hat. :)
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