Inspy Romance

Inspy Romance—Fall in Love With a Good Book

He Loves Her… He Loves Her Not #giveaway

by

Did you ever sit amid a field of flowers, plucking petals while murmuring, “He loves me… he loves me not…”?

Jasmine Santoro was once that kind of romantic. She’d fallen in love with Nathan Hamelin back in high school, and she could glance at a wildflower and know whether to start with “he loves me” or with “he loves me not” to get the outcome she wanted. She had their future planned: their careers, their kids, the neighborhood where they’d build their dream home.

Until the day Nathan transferred colleges and ghosted out of her life without a backward glance. It’s been eight years. He’s dated. Well, and more. She hasn’t. She’s done with love. And now he’s back in Bridgeview, thanks to his friendship with Jasmine’s older brother, who lives to make her life miserable.

Nathan figures they were just kids back then. Their marriage likely would have ended in divorce, so he’d really done her a favor by leaving. Funny she didn’t see it that way… still doesn’t. He has no wish to fall in love with Jasmine all over again, but it would be nice if she didn’t spit daggers at him. Would a truce be too much to ask? Maybe. Maybe it is.

I wrote the first 80% of Wishes on Wildflowers in September and October. I was on track to send it to beta readers by mid-November when my husband and I would leave for a very much-needed vacation. A cruise. My body — and God — had other ideas. On October 27, I suffered a heart attack. The cruise disappeared. The deadline (ha, do you even SEE the parts of that word???) vanished. Everything faded away except survival. And then a slow recovery.

It was mid-December before I even opened the file to discover I’d been in the middle of a scene I had no clue how I’d intended to complete. Delete, delete, delete. My fingers were rusty. My brain, rustier. Where before, two or three thousand words before lunch was typical, now I worked painstakingly to nail down two to three hundred words in an entire day. Slowly I found my groove, wrapped up the novel, and sent it off for beta and then editing.

Wishes on Wildflowers is up for pre-order on Amazon for $2.99 with an expected release date of February 22, when it will rise to its regular price of $3.99. The pre-order will be going live on other retailers later this week.

He loves me… he loves me not.

Having a heart attack made me take a long, hard look at… well, everything. For one thing, I had a lot of unaccustomed time on my hands, especially for the first while. Can I examine that experience and assume God forgot to care about me? That the petals were plucked and ended with “He loves me not”?

Not even a little bit. My family, my friends, my church held me up in prayer. I could literally feel many hands supporting me. Those hands raised in prayer were as real to me as the stretcher beneath my body, as the IVs in my hands, as the oxygen mask over my face, as the beeping machines and antiseptic odor, as my husband’s face beside me and the pressure of his fingers against mine.

God loves me. He would have loved me just as much if He’d welcomed me through the pearly gates as He loved me by allowing me to stay a while longer. I’m thankful every day for the chance to bless my family, my church, and my readers with more love, time, prayers, and attention.

He loves me. He loves you, too.

I’m giving away one advance copy of Wishes on Wildflowers to someone who comments on this post before Saturday, Feb 10. The winner will be chosen randomly.

“Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.”

Valerie Comer (341 Posts)

Valerie Comer is a USA Today bestselling author and a two-time Word Award winner who writes where food meets faith and fiction. She injects experience laced with humor into her green clean romances. Her 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 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.


Comments

  2. Hi Valerie, I love your comment that God is using you to bless others- so very true and beautiful. Thank you for sharing God’s love:) In a world that too often focuses on darkness, it is wonderful and a blessing to have those committed to sharing and spreading God’s light.
    This book sounds great, I am looking forward to reading it.
    Blessings:)

  3. Thank you, Valerie, for sharing your life and love of God through all your stories!
    I am blessed to have found you!

  4. Thanks for sharing. Wishing on Wildflowers sounds like a wonderful book that I would love to read.

  5. Hi Valerie! Inspiring and thought provoking post. God’s ways are definitely NOT our ways. Thankful you are feeling better and able to do what you love – writing. My book is on pre-order. Enjoy each day – as a retiree, take life slower. You deserve it. In SW Michigan, I am so over winter. Not much snow, but the cold and up and down temperatures have given me a bad case of cabin fever. Stay warm and healthy. Best wishes.

  6. Valerie, I’m thankful you can use your experience to glorify God instead of blaming Him that this life isn’t perfect. It’s obvious He still has plans for you here.

  7. Your story is a good reminder that God does love us no matter what our circumstances are. So glad you had friends, family, and a church family who were there for you! Wishes on Wildflowers looks like a good book – I’m adding it to my TBR list.

  8. It’s so easy to forget that our circumstances aren’t a way to measure God’s goodness or His love for us. I’m so glad you were able to feel His love and presence during that time and not just during easy times.

  10. Congratulations on finishing and releasing this book.
    Bigger congratulations on your recovery! I’m so glad you are feeling better. I had a very much unexpected heart incident (not an attack) when I was only 31. There was nothing like feeling the prayers of people. You described it very well.
    I had such an odd feeling of peace. I look back in the 22 years since and can say it was like nothing else.

  15. Thanks so much Renate. Yesterday my writing time was interrupted twice by people. Real, actual people who wanted to talk! (Hubby was at work – he knows better, LOL). I’m so glad I took the time instead of stressing about not getting my words in. Life has to balance.

    Spring is coming!!

  16. What a great post, Valerie. Thank you for sharing your experience and the reminders of how much God loves us no matter where we are in our lives or what we’re going through. Congratulations on the upcoming release of Wishes on Wildflowers. The cover is beautiful, and the book sounds great.

  17. I’m reading Job these mornings in my devotional time. It’s clear blaming God isn’t helpful, right? But the temptation is still there! I’m thankful to be here… thinking which future character to hit with a heart attack!

  21. I’ve discovered heart disease is no respecter of age. I’ve heard so many stories of women much, much younger than me in the past few months. I honestly had no idea, living in my little bubble, how common it is. :(

    I’m so glad you, too, could feel that peace that passes understanding. Amen?

  23. Thank you for blessing us Valerie and thank the Lord that you are still here to continue blessing us. :) I have this series, but have not read yet, typical of me, lol. Sounds like another delightful read from you. <3

  24. Thanks for sharing, Valerie. I have yet to read anything by you, but this sounds like a great story and a good one with which to begin. Thank you for the chance to do so. ?

  25. So glad you’ve come through that heart attack! I’m really looking forward to the book.

  26. I am glad that you are feeling better now. Your family is blessed to still have you here, as it was not your time to go yet. Your new book sounds great Valerie.

  27. I’m glad you are feeling better. Your writing is a blessing to many but your health takes precedence. Sometimes things happen, or maybe I should say frequently, that we can’t control but God is faithful. Recovery can be annoyingly slow going, but even small steps are progress. I’m thankful for the many times He’s healed and saved me. Lord bless you as you continue to recover and walk in His grace!

  33. this is a great post. reminds me of the sermon we heard this last Sunday. the pastor was talking about the cornerstone of a building, both in a building and in our spiritual lives. soooo good and brought a lot of thinking into our minds.

  36. Hi Valerie, so glad you are doing much better. I am a retiree like you and have learned to take it easy. I had enough terribly busy days in my past taking care of 2 toddlers and a MIL who was recovering from a stroke. I look back on those days and wonder how I did it but know God was with me. I will be pre-ordering Wishes On Wildflowers. I remember those days fondly picking flowers and saying he loves me he loves me not. Those were the days!

  42. Great post, Valerie! And I’m sure the book will be a wonderful read, too. I’m very glad it wasn’t your time yet and we got to enjoy having you here for a lot longer! <3

  43. Love your post….so inspiring! So glad you are improving. Would love to read your book….am an avid reader. My hub had a heart attack and triple bypass just after we moved here….we did not know the doctors (but were near very good ones). I felt so alone and shocked and claimed Ps. 73:26….imagine my surprise when the surgeon later handed me his business card and it had the same scripture on it! God is good!

  44. Congratulations on your soon coming book release! The cover is fun, and I’m looking forward to reading it. Praying you will continue to heal and recover, and thankful to still have you here. ~Hugs~

  45. Thanks for sharing your journey through this recent life event. Things like that can certainly change your perspective. I am looking forward to this latest release. Love all your books!

  51. A couple years ago, I found out that I have MS for sure. That is what caused me to reevaluate my life. Finding out that this is why I was falling. So I understand what you say about changing your perspective. I’d love to read your book. Thanks for this opportunity.

  54. Oh my Valerie! I’m glad you are doing better and will continue to lift you up in prayers for a full recovery!

    I always think the covers for your books are so cute! I think I remember you saying your daughter does the designing, she does a marvelous job. This story sounds good, thanks for sharing about it and your recent struggles. Sometimes we need a change of perspective….just not that severe though! :-/

  57. Love your post, Valerie :) We’re glad you’re still here with us. Thanks for sharing your journey and congrats on your upcoming release. Sounds like a great story!

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