{"id":15757,"date":"2013-10-03T16:33:54","date_gmt":"2013-10-03T21:33:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=15757"},"modified":"2013-10-03T16:48:37","modified_gmt":"2013-10-03T21:48:37","slug":"anita-higman-talks-about-winter-in-full-bloom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=15757","title":{"rendered":"Anita Higman Talks About Winter in Full Bloom + Giveaway"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Anita<\/td>\n\"separate\"Anita Higman has written over 30 books, both fiction and nonfiction, some of which have been best sellers. Anita has also won numerous awards for her books and her contributions to literacy. Her most recent novel “Winter in Full Bloom” was published in July and “A Marriage in Middlebury” will be released in November.\"separate\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
GIVEAWAY: <\/strong>Anita has generously offered to give one reader of this blog a copy of “Winter in Full Bloom”. To enter, please leave a comment on this post with a reason(s) that you would like to read this book. I will choose a winner on Monday, October 7 by using Random.org. U. S. Residents only please.<\/p>\n

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\"Winter<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\u00a0The following questions and answers give readers some inside information about Anita and “Winter in Full Bloom”.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Q & A:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Winter in Full Bloom<\/i> is set in Texas as well as Australia. What made you want to set the novel in these two places?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, I live in Texas, and so I wanted to make use of my home state. After living here for about thirty years I have a soft spot for Texas now. Also, I\u2019d visited Melbourne, Australia for about three weeks and had taken notes, and since it was such an exotic place and I\u2019d had such an amazing time there, I wanted to share some of my experiences with readers.<\/p>\n

The cover is beautiful. Did you have any input in this cover?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Yes, actually, I did. The publisher sent me a few samples to look at, and I chose this one. But the cover you see now was tweaked a number of times. One of the changes was the addition of the red tulips all along the snowy path. I\u2019m so glad the publisher was open to changes. I\u2019m very happy with the final cover. It reflects the story even better than before, and I think that bit of unexpected intrigue along the road will be eye-catching to the bookstore browser.<\/p>\n

That title is unique. How did you come up with Winter in Full Bloom?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Sometimes I brainstorm titles, and then sometimes I use a phrase I find within the manuscript that works well as a title. Winter in Full Bloom<\/i> was created during one of my brainstorming sessions. As a side note, there are a couple of meanings to this tile. The heroine\u2019s name is Lily Winter. Also, half of the book takes place in Houston at the advent of winter, but when she flies to Melbourne at the same time of the year, Australians are experiencing the beginning of spring. So, even though Lily has begun getting ready for winter, she suddenly enters into a season of springtime\u2014literally and in her personal life.<\/p>\n

Are the characters from your imagination, or do they come from real life?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

My characters are a mixture of both. I\u2019ll be watching someone at the airport or the mall or at church, and I\u2019ll think, \u201cWow, that gesture or laugh or walk is perfect for my character.\u201d Then some of my character\u2019s traits will come straight from my imagination. Usually, it\u2019s a fun brew of all the above.<\/p>\n

Do you and your husband travel a lot?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

We travel much more now that we have empty nest. Last year we went to Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada. This year we\u2019ve been to Mexico, California, and right now as I type this answer, my husband and I are waiting at the airport to fly to Ireland. Can\u2019t wait. I\u2019m hoping to set one of my future novels in Ireland.<\/p>\n

Why do you write?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I have a real need to express myself creatively\u2014guess I was born that way\u2014and writing and I fit well together.<\/p>\n

Your heroine, Lily Winter, is experiencing empty nest. Why did you add that element to the story?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I was going through this same rough phase of motherhood, and I thought it would be good to add this to the story. I hope it added an element of authenticity to the tale. And too, forcing myself to write about the pain surely helped me deal with it better.<\/p>\n

How long have you been writing?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been in this profession for about thirty years. It\u2019s been a long, stumbly kind of journey. I\u2019ve had some dark hours\u2014those moments when I really didn\u2019t know what I was doing or why I was doing it. Moments when rejection swept me under like a scary undertow. Moments when getting published seemed pretty much impossible. But I never gave up, and I\u2019m glad I didn\u2019t. I\u2019ve had thirty-four books published in many genres, and even though it\u2019s been a rough ride, it\u2019s also been deeply satisfying.<\/p>\n

This story is about twin sisters? Are you a twin and do you have a sister?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019m afraid I have to say no to both of those questions, but I\u2019ve always wanted to have a sister. And that desire I suppose fueled the dialogue and some of this story.<\/p>\n

Winter in Full Bloom<\/i> is a love story but also a story of family reconciliation. Have you experienced that last part in your own life?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, I have known the miracle of family reconciliation, and it has brought me great joy!<\/p>\n

Any final words for your readers?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you have ever taken the time to read one of my novels, I thank you with all my heart. I sincerely hope that Winter in Full Bloom<\/i> inspires you and makes you laugh, and when you come to the last page and close the book, I hope your heart and your step feels just a little lighter.<\/p>\n

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You can purchase a copy of Winter in Full Bloom HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can purchase a copy of A Marriage in Middlebury HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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  Anita Higman has written over 30 books, both fiction and nonfiction, some of which have been best sellers. Anita has also won numerous awards for her books and her contributions to literacy. Her most recent novel “Winter in Full Bloom” was published in July and “A Marriage in Middlebury” will be released in November. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,149],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-questions-answers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15757"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15757"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15757\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15780,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15757\/revisions\/15780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}