Anita Higman - Winter in Full Bloom

It's my pleasure to welcome best-selling and award-wining author, Anita Higman. Anita has thirty-four books published (serveral co-authored) for adults and children. She loves good movies, exotic teas, and brunch with her friends. Anita recently won her second Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award, and her latest novel, Winter in Full Bloom (Moody Publishers) is available now.  Please visit her website at www.anitahigman.com 

Winter in Full Bloom ~ Lily Winter’s wings are folded so tightly around her daughter that when empty nest arrives, she feels she can no longer fly. But Lily’s lonely, widowed life changes in a heartbeat when she goes to visit a woman who is almost a stranger to her—a woman who also happens to be her mother. During their fiery reunion, her mother reveals a dark family secret that she’d been hiding for decades—Lily has an identical twin sister who was put up for adoption when they were babies. Without looking back, Lily embarks on a quest to find her sister, which takes her all the way to Melbourne, Australia. But her journey becomes a circle that leads her back home to reconciliation and to the one dream she no longer imagined possible—the chance to fall in love again. 

Anita says ~ If could go anywhere in the world tomorrow, it would be...Norway. My husband and I have enjoyed some wonderful travels since empty nest, such as Alaska, Canada, France, Italy, Hawaii, Australia, and recently Ireland. But we can’t wait to see the fjords of Norway! 

One thing I enjoyed today is...Walking on the lovely hiking/biking trail that was built right by our house. It has been a beautiful addition to our area, and it starts right outside our backyard fence. It’s a great way for me to relax in the evening, taking a walk by the woods. 

A secret pleasure of mine is...Going to the spa. I go almost every week for a massage, and it is one of the highlights of my week. But it’s not just a pleasure, it’s a necessity. After many long hours at the computer I usually wind up stiff as an ironing board. Not good. So, I have this amazing masseuse who knows how to make that board into a bendable human being again. Yea! I with you on the massages, sister! Bliss for author shoulders. :)

A moment that changed my life is... About thirty years ago I was reading a novel in my bedroom, and something just hit me—Providence—and I yelled to my husband in the next room, “I think I can do this!” Meaning, I think I finally have enough confidence to fulfill a calling I’d had since I was a little girl, to give writing a try. Decades later—even though it’s been a rough ride at times—I’m so glad I follow the desire of my heart and began to scribble down those first words. 

When I was a child I wanted to... Write stories. When I was a wee one, I tried writing a novel about a guy from Mars who tried to make a go of life in New York. I didn’t get very far with that book, but I knew then that the seed of storytelling had been planted in my heart. It’s just that it took many years for that seed to grow into a tree with any fruit that was worth eating. 

I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but...I still think writing is amazingly and impossibly difficult. I still can’t believe that when I push the send button and that manuscript flies off to the editor that I actually pulled it off. Again. It always seems like birthing children—pure miracle. 

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Thanks for visiting with us, Anita. It's not every day I get to share a novel set in Melbourne, my home town. I'm really excited about this story and look forward to cuddling up under a blanket with it, while winter still has its grip on Melbourne. 

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If you'd like the chance to win Anita's Winter in Full Bloom, please leave a comment below. Tell us if you're a spa girl like Anita. Do you love a girly visit for the full works, or do you drag your weary bones over for a good massage? I'll admit, I've made a weekly massage a priority. Anita's right. Authors are good at calcifying at the computer if they're not careful. How about you?

BONUS... This week I'm offering a packet of Melbourne Breakfast tea in addition to Winter in Full Bloom. This way you can really set the mood for a story set in the world's most liveable city. (True. It is. Big smile.)

I'll announce the winner in the comment thread on Friday.

Good luck and happy reading,