Little Lamb Book Spotlight on Kind Soup by Jean Petersen

Interview with Jean Petersen, author of Kind Soup:

Congratulations on writing this story “Kind Soup” for children! Let’s talk about it …

Alexis: Why did you write this story?

Jean: I wrote this story as a framework for children to not only learn about the Fruits of the Spirit listed in Scripture, but as an opportunity to look around us and see how many things we have and work that are chances to develop and live in the virtues daily. There are simple ways to show kindness, love, joy, peace, patience, self-control, faithfulness, and gentleness throughout our days, and sometimes we don’t even know we’re sharing these values. Writing this book was a way to share an intentional and impactful example of sharing the Fruits of the Spirit.

Alexis: Who are you hoping to reach with this story? Why?

Jean: The book is written for children, with target ages Kindergarten through third grade, however I have many younger and older readers of all ages who have shared their interest and love of the book. The target audience’s age is centered within a time formidable learning for children. However, it’s a great reminder to readers of all ages about these virtues, and their gifts that help us, and others through our journeys and adventures together.

Alexis: I think that the concept of “soup made with fruit” as a tie-in to the Bible-based “Fruit of the Spirit” is pure genius! What (or who) inspired you with this concept?

Jean: Thank you! I was inspired as my children and I were making our homemade chicken soup. I tend to create characteristics and silly antics with animals, nature and other objects, just to have fun with our children. When we dropped the chunks of chicken into the stock pot one afternoon, they bubbled and bounced in the hot water. It made think of ‘Joy’ as the chunks bubbled up and down. We were also making a batch of soup to share, and the ideas kept rolling from there with the story.

Alexis: Why did you choose Kate and her Mom to be the main characters of this story?

Jean: I used these two characters ultimately, however I had started out with a brother and sister, and additional family characters being introduced. My story began to get too long, and off target. So I revised, and I removed those additional characters. I also have several additional children’s books penned incorporating fathers and sons, groups of boys and girls, mothers and sons, and fathers and daughters. So I knew I had a couple opportunities to showcase those relationships and their development.

Alexis: Describe the personalities and heart of Kate and her Mom. What do they look like?

Jean: Kate is a curious little girl, filled with kindness and acceptance, hope, joy and wonder. Her mom has a heart to share a deeper meaning to a task, and story the themes of the virtues, but also the depth of having a friend in Jesus as the one who taught her the lessons found in the book. She is kind, happy, patient, loving, faithful and humble.

Alexis: In what ways do you hope that real-life mommies and their baby girls will bond as they read this story together?

Jean: My hope is that mommies and their littles will develop a love for being together in the simple moments. Sometimes cooking can feel routine and mundane, but when you’re intentional, creative and put God at the center it takes the ordinary to extraordinary. Kind Soup is a multi-layered book, also. There’s the opportunity to share random acts of kindness, along with spreading the ‘Fruits of the Spirit’ in many ways, and there’s the part of the ‘friend’ in Jesus that the momma talks about who taught her. Having our children and readers know that they have a friend in Jesus is important. He’s with us in every action, supports us, cheers us on, and smiles with us, as our Friend, when we share the goodness of Him that’s indwelling in us. There’s also the community spirit of getting out and helping others. Through our actions, we can be a light for someone, no matter the size of the gesture...doing something for another helps them as well as us.

Alexis: Is this story for boys and their daddies to read together too? In what ways do you make this story relatable to males?

Jean: This is a very applicable read for anyone. When I read it in school and public events, the boys love to talk about how they cook with their Dads, or that they go to their neighbors to help shovel snow. It gives me such joy to listen to them share how they each resonate the concepts within the story.

Alexis: Describe the setting for this story. What makes it special?

Jean: The setting is a warm and cozy kitchen filled with the aroma of homemade soup wafting throughout the air. It’s a place that resonates the ‘feel’ of the fruit of the Spirit. There’s love between the characters, joy in the moments together, peace as they learn and work together, patience when they’re preparing the soup and taking it out into the community, kindness in their heart for each other and those they want to share their goodness they’ve prepared, self-control in equipping themselves as they make the soup and carry it beyond their home, and faithfulness as Kate finds the most important part of making the soup, and how the Jesus is at the heart of it all from the very first idea and ingredient, to the last friend it was shared with, and Kate realizing who her friend is and how much of a friend He was to her mommy too.

Alexis: What life lessons are you trying to teach the children who read this story?

Jean: The life lessons are how to incorporate the Fruits of the Spirit in everyday life, and Jesus is at the heart of it all. These virtues are fostered and grow with us, and the more we fill ourselves with Holy water, the more these grow and spread to those around us. We can share them, as they have been shared with us, in many ways and on any given day. Why? Because that what the good Lord has asked us to do, to be a light for Him.

Alexis: In what ways did you pray yourself through writing this book?

Jean: I began this book praying this scripture, Galatians 5:22-23, and it truly developed from there, notebook and pencil I started writing. I did not realize how much I would lean onto this scripture as the book developed, and it became the heartbeat of the whole process.

Alexis: How does your real-life faith in God affect your storytelling?

Jean: The good Lord prompts me strongly to write, and He weaves the characters and scenes into play. Many times, as I write my weekly children’s column, I start with a base idea, and the words just come freely and create the story that is meant to be told for the week I am writing. The good Lord weaves the story, and I just write it down.

Alexis: What do you want readers to remember most about this book?

Jean: Kindness, Love, Learning, Jesus and Togetherness

Alexis: Thanks for the interview! Would you like to share closing comments?

Jean: Thank you so much! This has been an honor. I truly appreciate your interest in Kind Soup, and your time.

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Author Bio:

Jean Petersen is a Montana author, freelance writer, and columnist. She is the author of award-winning books, Kind Soup, a children's picture book published by Little Lamb Books, and The Big Sky Bounty Cookbook-Local Ingredients and Rustic Recipes cookbook published by Arcadia Publishing and The History Press. She and her family live on a small farm near the Beartooth Mountains in southern Montana.

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About the Book:

Soup made with fruit? Yes, please!

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control–it's these traditional Fruits of the Spirit that Kate and her Mom are cooking up in the kitchen today. 

An ordinary day in the kitchen turns into a celebration of the extraordinary gifts that Jesus offers not just to Kate and her mom, but to all of us as well. Kind Soup is wrapped in prayer and ladled out with love.

This divine recipe is as much a joy to make as it is to share and invites readers to pour, mix, and stir, while each spread features a Bible verse to reflect on and memorize.

Kind Soup is a treasure that will encourage and inspire families for generations to come.

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Connect with Jean:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jeanpetersenauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeanpetersenauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jpetersenauthor

Devotionals for the Heart: Cooking

Cooking up some love
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

When I was younger, I didn’t know how to cook, nor did I want to learn. I had it in my head that as a strong, independent, intelligent “career woman” I just needed to know enough to get by, enough to eat healthily on a regular basis. If I needed fine dining, I could go to a restaurant, thank you very much.

That thinking changed as the years passed. The first time my sister came to visit, I was excited and wanted to do something special for her, so I hauled out my grandma’s old Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. How hard could it be?

It turned out not to be so hard, but also kind of fun, too.

I started pulling out that cookbook at other times, too—a homemade instead of a store-bought treat for my office potluck, a yummy appetizer for my friend’s Super Bowl party, a special dessert for Thanksgiving. One year I was tight on funds at Christmas, so I decided to make homemade biscotti cookies as presents. It was hard but deliciously worth it.

When I had kids, cooking became not just something I needed to do so they could stay alive. It became a way I could love them and care for them. If they were sick, I could fix them their favorite meal as a way to comfort or cheer them. When my son was diagnosed with severe food allergies, I didn’t panic. I just figured out how to cook things without his allergens. Easy peasy.

I’ve hosted my share of family Thanksgivings and dinner parties, I eat at home 99% of the time, and I still love my Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. But I’m no master chef, nor do I ever want to be. Most nights, we get by on leftovers. And I get frustrated if anything I cook takes longer to prep than twenty minutes. Who has time for that?

But I’ve come to understand that cooking for others is a way I can love them. It has nothing to do with my so-called status as a career woman, wife, woman, or mom. It’s a sweet act of service I can do, a loving gift, and an investment of time all rolled into one. Plus, it saves money!

As the apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Colossians, serve with a cheerful heart.

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24 NLT).

And as he wrote the Corinthians, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT).

Whatever we offer in love—whether that’s a meal, a handcrafted piece of furniture, a piece of writing or other artwork, a sermon, or a good word of advice to a friend—remember that we are reflecting the love of God with it.

As Jesus Himself said, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:14-16 NLT).

Bon appetit!

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Author Bio: 

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden. 

She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism, and a member of the Wholly Loved Ministries team.

Learn more about her fiction and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com/shiningthelight.

Author interview with Valerie Comer, Valentine’s Day edition

The holiday that celebrates love and romance is soon approaching! What better way to celebrate than by hosting an author on my blog who wrote a book just for this occasion and is willing to give a free, Kindle e-book copy of her book away?

Secretly Yours is Valerie Comer's latest book and it promises to be a delight for readers of romance and people who love a good Valentine's Day story! :)

Ready to read about Valerie's book? Here's the interview (questions by Alexis in bold, answers from Valerie not in bold)...

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Alexis: Tell me about your latest novella, Secretly Yours.

Valerie: Chef Lindsey Solberg agrees to cater the church's Valentine's Day fundraising banquet as a favor to her teen sister, but she's shocked to discover the bad boy from her high school days is now Riverbend's youth pastor. Seriously? How could he have changed that much? Nick Harrison has prayed for years for an opportunity to make amends. Now Lindsey's back in Riverbend and won't give him the time of day. What's a guy to do except leave a trail of gifts from a secret admirer?

Lindsey's heart takes a beating when she realizes the boy who was never good enough is now a far better man than she deserves.

Secretly Yours is A Riverbend Romance Novella 1. What is the Riverbend Romance series all about? How many books will be in the series? When is the release date for each book?

The Riverbend series is intended to include 20-25K Christian contemporary romance novellas. At the moment, I am planning five stories for 2015, one for each season plus Christmas. Secretly Yours takes place from early January through mid-February, so it is the winter novella. Pinky Promise takes place from mid-March through mid-May, covering the spring season. It's already written, and I plan to release it in early April. I don't have titles for the other three yet, but I'm aiming for June, September, and November. I'm fitting three full-length Farm Fresh Romance novels into 2015 as well, so things are still a bit fluid after the next couple of months.

When and why did you write Secretly Yours?

I started this story in early December, then set it aside to complete my March Farm Fresh Romance release, Dandelions for Dinner. I wrote most of Secretly Yours in the first two weeks of January…and wrote Pinky Promise in the remainder of the month!

Part of the "why" has to do with needing a bit of a break from all the togetherness on Green Acres Farm as featured in the Farm Fresh Romance series. It was time to create a new world and play with some new characters—ones with fewer connections to the characters in all the other Riverbend stories. The novellas will be more of a collection than a series.

Who is your leading lady? What are her desires and flaws?

Lindsey Solberg is a young professional chef. She'd been part of an innovative start-up restaurant, but left when her mother died so that she could return to Riverbend and spend time with her teenage half-sister, Madison. Her primary goal at the beginning is to buffer Madison from her dad, who's not an exemplary father. She plans to stay in Riverbend only until Madison graduates from high school in a year and a half.

One of her flaws is that she doesn't truly believe people can change. She has her step-dad in a box, but there's also room in the box for Nick Harrison, who was a suave jock in high school.

Who is your leading man? What are his strengths and weaknesses?

Lindsey isn't wrong about Nick Harrison. A decade ago, he was a complete jerk. Even he has painful memories about those days! But God got hold of his life during college and rerouted him to seminary. He's now Madison's youth pastor with a passion for introducing people, especially teens, to Jesus.

He's never forgotten how he treated Lindsey years ago. God has forgiven him, but it's not easy to convince her to give him another chance.

Your leading lady is a chef! What is her specialty?

Lindsey is a chef at a farm-to-table restaurant. Even in the short novella length, I was able to include a fun scene with her boss, Antonio, as they discuss the menu for the church Valentine's Day banquet. This event is a youth group fundraiser for an upcoming missions trip Madison will be going on… and which Nick is coordinating as the youth pastor.

If you could order and eat a meal by Chef Lindsey, what would it be and why?

I would love to enjoy the lamb chops she hoped to prepare for the banquet before the realities of her budget caught up with her!

Nick Harrison used to be a bad boy when Lindsey knew him. How is he different when he re-enters her life? Or is he (different)?

He's just as devastatingly hot as he'd been a decade before, but his rude cockiness has been replaced with a mature self-confidence. The biggest difference, though, is that he is now a believer on fire for God.

Tell me about your story world of Riverbend. Is it a town, city, suburb or country? What does it look like, smell like, feel like? Is it fictional or found in real-life and if so, where?

Ah, Riverbend! It is the quaint Canadian town you wish you were from, where everyone knows everyone, seasons are celebrated, and love is in the air. It's also a fictional community in southeastern British Columbia, where I live. Except where I live is real.

Riverbend is a long, skinny town beside the Sandon River with a riverside park and bike path (good for snowshoeing, too!). The downtown is filled with unique shops and eateries, helping create an idyllic setting.

It smells like glacier-fed streams, sunshine on wildflowers, and fragrant forests…but maybe I'm getting ahead of Secretly Yours. The aromas for the winter novella are more along the line of "snow is in the air!"

Why did you choose Riverbend as the setting for your story?

I knew I wanted a place readers and I would all enjoy revisiting many times. Fans and friends on my Facebook author page have had a hand in suggesting businesses and features. Riverbend was created for just this moment.

What do you hope readers will cherish the most about Secretly Yours?

I truly hope readers will catch a glimpse of the passionate love God has for them through this story.

What is the significance of including Valentine’s Day in this story?

I daydreamed a set of seasonal stories, knowing I wanted a bonus for Christmas. Thus, the winter novella was not Christmas—I was always good at those deductive puzzles. But Valentine's Day is firmly in winter, so it seemed a good angle for a crispy, snowy tale.

Should readers buy this book before Valentine’s Day or after? Why or why not?

Valentine's Day is the finale for the story. Sorry if that is a spoiler, lol. But the focus on the novella isn't February fourteenth per se. It's a romance that takes place in winter, and happens to include that date. Read the story anytime of year where you'd like a heartwarming tale with the scent of falling snow.

How will you spend Valentine’s Day this year (in real-life)?

Interestingly enough, our church youth group is hosting a fundraiser banquet, and my husband and I expect to attend. I'll be surprised if the menu and presentations are similar to the ones in Secretly Yours, though!

Thanks for the interview, Val! Thank you for offering a free, Kindle e-book copy of your book Secretly Yours! Please leave a question for my readers which will automatically enter their names in the random drawing after they answer your question in the comment section. In order to qualify, the readers must leave their e-mail address with their comment so Valerie can contact the winner and send their e-book. The contest starts Feb. 15 and ends at 11:00 p.m. EST on Feb. 22. The winner will be announced on  Feb. 23 and will receive the e-book from Valerie soon after.

Valerie’s question: In what way has God revealed His passionate and personal love to you?

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Author bio:

Valerie Comer’s life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local foods movement as well as their creation-care-centric church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily ever afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughters. 

Valerie writes Farm Lit where food meets faith, injecting experience laced with humor into her award-winning Farm Fresh Romance stories.

Connect with Valerie:
http://valeriecomer.com
http://valeriecomer.com/blog
http://twitter.com/valeriecomer
http://pinterest.com/valeriecomer

Buy Valerie's books:
Secretly Yours: A Christian Valentine's Day Romance (Riverbend Romance Novella Book 1)
Raspberries and Vinegar: A Farm Fresh Romance (Farm Lit) by Valerie Comer
Wild Mint Tea: A Farm Fresh Romance (Farm Lit) by Valerie Comer
Sweetened with Honey: A Farm Fresh Romance (Farm Lit) by Valerie Comer
Snowflake Tiara: 2-in-1 Christmas Collection by Angela Breidenbach, Valerie Comer