Interview with Jean Matthew Hall about her book,
God’s Blessings of Fall (Bountiful Blessings):
Congratulations on writing this book “God’s Blessings of Fall” for children! Let’s talk about it …
Alexis: Why did you write this book?
Jean: I love God’s creation in the natural world. I find the Fall season to be especially beautiful. I want young children to appreciate the beauty and gifts of Fall, too.
Alexis: What was your inspiration behind this story?
Jean: When my grandson, Mikey, was about four years old we were playing in my backyard one fall day. He was so delighted by the falling leaves and having such a wonderful time that I wanted to capture that feeling for other children.
Alexis: Why did you choose the Fall season to be the theme of this book?
Jean: There are four books in the Bountiful Blessings series. God’s Blessings of Fall was the first one we published. Hopefully the next book will be coming out soon.
Alexis: How does your real-life faith in God impact your storytelling?
Jean: Wow! That’s a mouthful. Every manuscript comes out of the mind God gave me, the imagination He blessed me with, the hope and joy and peace He gives me. I hope the manuscripts all reflect His gifts, His love, His redemption to those who read them.
Alexis: What role does belief in God play in this fictional story?
Jean: The animals, the colors, the signs of the season of fall are all gifts to us from God’s Hand. I don’t think I can write anything without remembering that it all comes from Him.
Alexis: How do you tell this story? Do you use main characters or do you tell it through your voice as the narrator speaking about all of the elements that make up the Fall season?
Jean: I told this story as a narrator. I am trying to give the reader a panoramic view of the natural world around them in the Fall of the year.
Alexis: What lessons are you trying to teach children through this book?
Jean: That all the beauty around us is a gift from our loving God. It all flows from His creative heart to ours.
Alexis: In what ways do you hope that parents will bond with their children as they read this book?
Jean: Each great picture book is designed to be an experience shared between adult and child. I hope many parents and grandparents spend chilly afternoons cuddled up with their kids, reading and oohing and ah-ing over God’s Blessings of Fall. I also hope they make it a Fall family tradition to read it to their kiddos at Thanksgiving to remind their kids to be grateful to God during that season.
Alexis: What is your favorite feature about the Fall season? Why?
Jean: Oh, my goodness! The colors, the smokey/musty smells, the chilly winds, warm sweaters and hot teas.
Alexis: Do you have a favorite Fall treat that you like to indulge in every year, such as pumpkin flavored drinks from Starbucks or cinnamon apple flavored candy from the store?
Jean: I bake! During the fall I try every apple, pumpkin and squash recipe I can find. And then, I share the goodies with people I love.
Alexis: Thanks for the interview, Jean! Would you like to share closing comments?
Jean: Thank you, Alexis, for letting me share about God’s Blessings of Fall. Your readers can purchase it on any online book store. Or, they can go to www.littlelambbooks.com to buy it.
~*~
Author Bio:
As a pre-teen Jean dreamed of being an architect or an interior decorator.
As a high school student she dreamed of being anything BUT a teacher. As a college student she dreamed of being a vocalist. As an “over-fifty” woman she dreamed of writing stories for children. But, as life unfolded it seemed that none of those dreams would come true.
But, Jean spent twenty-six years teaching children and teens–and loving it! Then twenty more years teaching women’s Bible studies. She never designed a house, but she lived in, and decorated on a shoestring, more than a dozen houses. She never performed before thousands, nor recorded any music. But she sang hundreds of times leading people in praise to the LORD. Now, she is working hard and trusting God to lead her down the road to traditional publication.
In 2016, Jean signed her first book contract with Little Lamb Books for the Bountiful Blessings series of four picture books about the seasons. The Blessings of Fall was released in September 2019.
Sometimes our dreams come true in ways we couldn’t imagine. Jean’s have. Jean has spent most of her adult life singing songs, reading books, playing games, cutting, coloring and gluing with children of every age. And she has loved it! Creating encouraging board books and picture books is her idea of fun, but her favorite times are those she spends with her own eight grandchildren.
Both things are HUGE blessings!
It is Jean’s daily prayer that The Christ within her shines through the cracks and broken places of her dreams, and that Christ shines through the things she writes to uplift, encourage and inspire others through:
But, Jean spent twenty-six years teaching children and teens–and loving it! Then twenty more years teaching women’s Bible studies. She never designed a house, but she lived in, and decorated on a shoestring, more than a dozen houses. She never performed before thousands, nor recorded any music. But she sang hundreds of times leading people in praise to the LORD. Now, she is working hard and trusting God to lead her down the road to traditional publication.
In 2016, Jean signed her first book contract with Little Lamb Books for the Bountiful Blessings series of four picture books about the seasons. The Blessings of Fall was released in September 2019.
Sometimes our dreams come true in ways we couldn’t imagine. Jean’s have. Jean has spent most of her adult life singing songs, reading books, playing games, cutting, coloring and gluing with children of every age. And she has loved it! Creating encouraging board books and picture books is her idea of fun, but her favorite times are those she spends with her own eight grandchildren.
Both things are HUGE blessings!
It is Jean’s daily prayer that The Christ within her shines through the cracks and broken places of her dreams, and that Christ shines through the things she writes to uplift, encourage and inspire others through:
Poems and devotionals for adults and children
Picture books and board books
Stories and poems for children’s magazines
~*~
About the Book:
The whoosh of the wind, the crunch of the leaves, squirrels skittering about, the aroma of freshly baked pie: these are God's blessings of fall!
Children will love getting up close to the sights, sounds, and smells of fall. See an owl swoop to her nest in the hollow tree. Watch a mouse roll an apple all the way home. A spider weaves a web, while bear prepares for a long winter's nap.
With lyricism and whimsy, debut author Jean Matthew Hall celebrates the beauty of this magnificent season and the One who created it all.
~*~
Connect with Jean:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/jean_hall/
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/jeanmatthew_hall/
Thanks, Alexis. It was fun talking with you.
ReplyDelete