𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 & 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫: 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐕𝐨𝐥. 𝟔

This week’s Heart & Soul is a test.
Hang on…don’t scroll by. Give me a minute.

Here’s the test: If you’ve read any of the previous Heart & Soul Posts over the last five weeks, what’s different about this week’s Heart & Soul Title?

Honestly, if I didn’t write these posts I wouldn’t know either.
That’s my point.

We have become a society of skimmers, scanners and scroll-on-byers. It’s not our fault. More, it’s the by-product of the world of immediacy in which we’re immersed, primarily due to social and online media.

I’m not complaining about such advances. Many of them are amazing---life changing. It’s just that there are times I wonder if, in our hurry to be the quickest, most well-informed society, we’re missing out on the elements that make us human. Things that connect us in ways that encourage kindness and consideration---true communication.

That’s why I’ve decided to launch a podcast.

Yeah, I know. Me and a million others. But hold on---hear me out on how this podcast will be different.

Each week I will invite you into my virtual home. Like any home, it will contain a collection of rooms, each with their own décor---themes, if you will. The podcast topic will be centered on the décor/theme of the room in which we’re gathering that week.

Now, here’s where it really gets good.

These podcasts will be broadcast LIVE online via zoom. They will be free and open to the public and will encourage interaction. And by interaction I mean your voice being heard.

The podcast will debut on Thursday, March 12th at 7:30pm. More information will come as the date draws near. I just wanted to start sharing the news and hopefully engage and encourage you to join me.

As for this week’s test? If you think you know the answer, reach out to me via this website’s contact page. (www.christinaabt.com/contact). If you send me th the correct answer by next Thursday (Feb. 26) you will be entered to win a signed copy of one of my books, including my newest The Secret Sand Circle (winner’s choice.)

Have fun!
#HeartandSoulStoryteller.

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 & 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫: 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐕𝐨𝐥. 5

As I write this, I am faced with two facts:
Today is Friday the 13th.
Tomorrow is Valentine's Day.

Since the purpose of this post is to discuss words and why...

I've never truly bought into the idea of Friday the 13th being unlucky. Nor did I know that there is a term for such a belief..."paraskavedekatriaphobia."

I can't even begin to try to sound out the word!

Anyway, it seems that Friday the 13 and/or the number 13 is NOT universally acknowledged as unlucky.

#1 In Italy 17 is considered unlucky
#2 In China 4 is unlucky because it sounds like the word for “death.”
#3 In Spain & Greece only Tuesday the 13th is an unlucky day.
#4 In some cultures 13 is actually a lucky number.

I take great umbrage with those who consider the 13th an unlucky day, since it is the date of my birth! And for those who wish to mount a counter argument (yes, I'm looking at you James Abt save your breath....and typing skills!

Onto February 14th....

Like a lot of holidays, a date dedicated to love can be tough on people. Before you start typing a counter comment to my observation, hear me out.

I am divorced. I live alone. I am not currently dating.
Those three things alone could qualify me as a Valentine's Day hater.

I will admit there have been years when my heart day celebration consisted of spoonfuls of ice cream straight from the carton, washed down with a few glasses of pinot noir--- all while warbling along with Frank Sinatra on his "In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning" Album.

(If you don't get the reference, get yourself to Spotify or Prime and search/listen. It's a classic.)

Thankfully, I am now a recovered Valentine's Day hater, after finally realizing that love is far more meaningful than the "Prince Charming Fairy Tale" version that defined my young world.

While there may not be a singular person to whom I'm connected by a ring or a license, I am surrounded by love---

From family, friends and neighbors, readers and writers, people for whom I work and who work for/with me, and from total strangers who smile, say hello, or comment on whatever crazy hairdo or outfit I've chosen for the day.

And though it may sound trite---knowing full well my faults and shortcomings--- I've come to love and even like me. To quote Academy Award Winning Actress, Sally Fields," I really like me!"

And that just may be the best reason to celebrate a day dedicated to the heart.

Well, there was that one year when dozens of roses arrived.....

Happy Friday the 13th and Valentine's Day to all ❤
Cheers!

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 & 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫: 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐕𝐨𝐥. 4

I'm a day late posting this week’s Heart and Soul Writer. One of the reasons is that, as I sat down to gather my thoughts, I became totally immersed in the afternoon broadcast of the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies.

I didn’t push aside my workday chores cavalierly. The redirection of my attention was instead an innate response to that first glimpse of the intertwined rings and the stirring strains of The Olympic Hymn.

The thing is, there was little in my growing-up years that connected me and my parents---common interests we could relate to and enjoy. For whatever reason, the Olympics was one of those.

Now, decades later, the sights and sounds of the 14-day global competition take me back to those childhood memories. Yet the 2026 Opening Ceremonies provided me something else--something different from my cherished Winter Olympics memories--which brought me to tears.

It happened during one of my favorite parts of the opening ceremonies---the United States Olympic Team’s part in the Parade of Nations.

It’s fun to see the new design of our country’s official uniforms.

It’s inspiring to witness our team’s looks of awe and excitement as they begin realizing their Olympic dreams.

It’s a matter of national pride as the camera pans to the VIP seating area where leaders from around the world are seated. The lens focuses on our nation’s President, or his representative, and cheers rise from the audience as other leaders nod and applaud in respect.

Until this time.

This time, when the camera lens focused on the individual representing America, there weren't cheers, nods of respect or appreciative applause. This time, boos echoed throughout the massive Olympic stadium. And in that moment, I realized that the world’s long-held admiration of the United States is no longer the standard---and that brought me to tears.

Tears of embarrassment for U.S. athletes carrying our country’s banner.

Tears of frustration and anger for we, the people of America. desperately trying to survive the dysfunction of our nation.

Tears of sadness for the tarnishing of my childhood Olympic memories long held in my heart and soul.

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 & 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫: 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐕𝐨𝐥. 3

I started this weekly post to offer a glimpse into my author/writer's world--- the words I write, and why and how I write them. I envisioned sharing pithy phrases and touching tales about the story behind the stories of my work, both as an author and a multimedia storyteller.

Then I received a reminder of one of the most integral parts of my word work, which has NOTHING to do with grammar or sentence structure.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending two hours with a group of women---sharing engaging conversation and delicious food. Our gathering was actually part of a "meet and eat" tradition we have honored three times over the last ten years---all of them connected to books I have written, and they have read.

This group was one of the first in line to invite me to speak about Crown Hill, after its launch in 2014. I can still remember the thrill of sitting in a circle of book lovers who wanted to listen to me talk about MY BOOK!

In 2019, I was again invited to speak to this group about my newest work of historical fiction, Beauty & Grace. The hostess of the event went so far as to craft mini leprechauns for all in attendance in honor of the Irish backdrop of my book.

Yesterday, this group and I came together in friendship and food once again, this time to discuss The Secret Sand Circle. This time I approached the women with slight apprehension---wondering how comfortable they had been reading a book about a psychologist specializing in cases of abuse and trauma.

As my mother often said, "Oh ye of little faith."

These women were engaging, observant and sensitively intelligent in our book talk as it wound around and across our dining table. And at the end of our lunchtime discussion, they thanked me for writing this book. Then asked what I was going to write next.

Why do I write?
Because telling stories is an integral part of who I am. And because for more than a decade these women, and readers like them, have cared about me and my books.

Thank you ladies from the depths of my heart and soul.

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 & 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫: 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐕𝐨𝐥.2

I don’t write books in a specific genre.

Rather, I write what touches me deeply enough that I’m inspired to spend years imagining characters, developing storylines, and undertaking endless edits to craft a book worthy of a reader’s money, time, and support.

That said, I do have one constant in all of my books—food.

I actually became fascinated by the idea of elevating food to character status when I started reading the work of award-winning author and prolific mystery writer Lawrence Sanders. While Sanders wrote and co-authored 46 books, my favorites were his Deadly Sin series—primarily because of the main character, Frances X. Delaney.

Delaney was a retired NYC cop who did some of his best detective work while putting together unimaginable sandwich combinations in his kitchen—which generally required him to lean over the sink to safely consume.

Not only were his layered creations outrageously imaginative, they provided readers a breather from whatever violent and disturbing murder case Delaney was trying to solve. It was brilliant!

I’d never read a book where food played such an unmistakable part in a storyline. Yet from the first oversized sandwich Delaney layered and inhaled, I was hooked. And why not? What’s more essential to any of us than food?

Perhaps, on some level, that’s one of the reasons my first book—Chicken Wing Wisdom—was focused on food. Yet as I’ve continued to write, food experiences have become part of my six subsequent books: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, prepared and enjoyed in fine-dining restaurants, diners, and home kitchens.

I won’t lie. Most of my book/food passages are based on my insatiable hunger for chocolate, cookies, ice cream, and cake—my four basic food groups! However, with age comes wisdom. In The Secret Sand Circle, I made sure that the main character, Dr. Jo Harkins, indulges in healthier food options.

Interestingly, last week a fan of my books wrote to me about one of The Secret Sand Circle’s “healthy” food passages. It’s a section where Jo enjoys a midday treat of yogurt and homemade granola mixed together.

“I am loving this book. I’ve never had granola for lunch. I have never bought granola for lunch, but like Jo, I am now eating granola and yogurt for lunch!” — Diane D.

It’s wonderful to know that readers are enjoying The Secret Sand Circle and benefiting from trying out the book’s healthier food offerings. Now if I could just write a story that would help me realign my major food groups into fruits and vegetables!

#HeartandSoulWriter #TheSecretSandCircle

Click to order The Secret Sand Circle

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 & 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫: 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐕𝐨𝐥.1

There are so many authors in the world---best sellers, self-published, Indie, ghostwriters and aspiring. Together it is estimated that they publish more than one million books a year.

Again---𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐚 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫.

Now imagine what it takes to be an Indie author, like myself, competing for your book lover's attention in the midst of 999,999,999 other books! My only hope is to find words to effectively describe how my books are different than the rest--- then find ways to entertainingly share those words with readers anywhere and everywhere.

𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 & 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫: 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐡𝐲

I was inspired to undertake this project while watching the recent Golden Globes Awards. Stay with me here....

Towards the end of the show, Director, Chloe Zhao, accepted the Best Drama Award for her movie, "Hamnet." Though visibly stunned, she managed to eloquently explain her artist's passion for making movies. In listening to Zhao, I found myself relating to her words as they perfectly reflected why I write books---and especially why I wrote, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘦

So, for my inaugural 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 & 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫: 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐡𝐲 , I am proud to post the words of someone other than myself. And as you read them, know that they represent everything I put into my books to share with you, from my very heart and soul.

#HeartandSoulWrite #TheSecretSandCircle

The Best Ever....Until Now

A few weeks ago, I received the first professional book review of my author's career for 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩 𝙎𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙞𝙧𝙘𝙡𝙚. (https://www.bestthrillerbooks.com/teresa-brock/the-secret-sand-circle-by-christina-m-abt).

It was written by Best Thriller Books Reviewer, Teresa Brock, and it was the most amazing and well written review I could have imagined---until now.

Today, Teresa posted another review of The Secret Sand Circle on her Instagram page—- fullybookedinkentucky---and I cannot quite wrap my brain around her words and the five stars she gave the book. Posting part of it here with deep gratitude....

The Secret Sand Circle ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
by Christina M. Abt

This book is a reminder that we rarely know what others are carrying and that the world could be so much kinder if we remembered that. It honors the courage required to face what hurts and celebrates the slow, brave work of becoming whole.

Christina Abt is an exceptional storyteller and an exceptional woman, and her compassion shines through every line. If you want a novel that stays with you, challenges you to see people more gently, and offers genuine hope alongside hard truths, you absolutely need to pick this up.

Abt should be on everyone’s radar. She is more than a writer. Christina Abt is the kind of writer whose compassion shapes every page she touches. She listens deeply, writes bravely, and tells stories with a rare blend of honesty and grace. Her insight into human resilience is extraordinary, and it’s clear she understands both the weight people carry and the quiet power of healing.

She is an artist, an advocate, and a force of empathy.

A portion of the proceeds from this book will be used “to help create/help fund peer-to- peer mental health counseling for the counselors who go out into our communities during time of tragedy or disaster and help us get through the trauma of such events. But then when they go back to their desks or to their homes or finish the counseling that the community needs , they carry all that trauma with them with no place to offload it. There are no counselors for the counselors in effect.”

Christina is working with the National Alliance of Mental Illness Buffalo and Western New York (NAMI) in her hometown. One of her books, Beauty & Grace, was chosen by the South Dakota Women’s Prison Book Club where she was invited to participate in The South Dakota Festival of Books, and allowed to go into the prison and speak to the book club

To order a signed copy of The Secret Sand Circle w.bookmark: www.christinaabt.com
#TheSecretSandCircle #HeartandSoulWriter

Small But Mighty

I am the mother of two children and nana to two grandchildren. We are a small but mighty tribe who can fight as well as we love, but in the end, we show up. Never did I understand that more than yesterday---launch day for my new book, The Secret Sand Circle. Let me set the stage.

My grandson and granddaughter have been a part of my book launches since they were toddlers. Now at ages 21 and 19 respectively, they have their own lives and schedules that keep them busy and often out of town. I had no expectation that they would be involved in The Secret Sand Circle Launch. Yet yesterday my granddaughter called to check on how I was doing and she was front and center watching the livestream of the event last night. By the time the launch wrapped, she had already sent a text telling me that I’d done a great job.

My grandson happened to be in town this week. Still as a grown man, I didn’t imagine he would have the time, or desire to attend the launch. Last week I mentioned he would be welcome and before the words left my mouth, he was asking about proper “book launch” attire. Last night, he was the first one in the door, almost an hour early so he could help if I needed it. And I did. And he did.

My son, James was present at my very first launch but has lived out of town ever since. Even so he has always checked on the progress of my launches and offered advice from his perspective as the marketing/branding person for NY Times Bestselling Authors and the creator of Best Thriller Books Reviewers.

With this book, he raised his support to a new level by creating a haunting video trailer for The Secret Sand Circle (https://youtu.be/joIuHL4feQg ). Then yesterday, on launch day, he promoted my book across his social media platforms, with more than 11,000 followers. All day complete strangers from across the United States were sending me messages of congratulations and wishing me well with my book. I felt like I was Jodi Picoult!

My daughter, Lisa, has been a driving force at every one of my book launches---collaborating on the planning, advising on details and serving as the emcee for the launch presentations. Yet with The Secret Sand Circle, that tradition changed. Her successful event business has had her on a two continent, multi-city event project for the last two months. Finding dates when she was in town and I could schedule the launch just didn’t jive. Neither one of us felt good about it, but we agreed that we had to do what we had to do.

On my way to the launch, I called my daughter. I wasn’t sure if she was still in her event, but I wanted to touch base. I wanted to tell her that I was wearing the new dress she had gifted me and that I would miss her. My call went to voice mail, so I spoke my words and hoped she would hear my love when she listened to the message.

When I arrived at The Twentieth Century Club for the launch, the food/banquet manager welcomed me by pointing out a vase of gorgeous flowers that had been delivered for me. The card read, “Welcome to the World, Secret Sand Circle.” No name was included.

In the rush of getting everything set up and ready, I put aside my curiosity about the identity of the sender, knowing at some point, the person would reveal themself.

Finally, at the appointed time, I took my seat among the presentation panel of six mental health experts for our discussion. The topic was The Secret Sand Circle Community Benefit Initiative that will raise money to help provide Peer-to-Peer Counseling for Mental Health clinicians and first responders. Taking a look around at the audience, I noticed a late comer entering the room. I felt a sort of brain freeze as I struggled to process how that person looked so much like my daughter—-who I knew was in Boston running an event.

Then she smiled---that 1000 megawatt smile that warms the heart of everyone who sees it. And I knew that, despite her business commitments, and regardless of the challenges of scheduling last minute air travel these days, my daughter had found a way to be at the launch….as she had for every other one.

And the flowers? They were sent by my daughter BEFORE she made her last-minute decision to get on a plane and uber to the book launch.

Like I said, we are a small but mighty tribe who can fight as well as we love, but in the end, we show up.

#GreatfulThankfulBlessed #TheSecretSandCircle #HeartandSoulWriter #Family

To order The Secret Sand Circle

Meet the Characters of The Secret Sand Circle Week Three/Pt.3

Today you are meeting Dr. Bennett Redmond.

Dr. Redmond is the Director of the graduate psychology program at the University at Buffalo, where Jo Harkins is working on her degree.

Jo quickly becomes a disciple of Dr. Redmond initially, for the ways he challenges and cajoles her through some of her most difficult courses. Eventually, for his mentorship, which helps shape the focus of her practice into a specialty of trauma and abuse counseling.

When Jo completes her residency, she throws herself into developing her own practice. The work becomes all-consuming, leaving little room for anything or anyone else. Bennett continues in academia. Their paths run parallel but apart—each fulfilled, each moving forward.

Years later, a mutual friend invites them both to a holiday gathering. The reunion feels effortless—an easy return to a rhythm they hadn’t realized they’d missed. What begins as a conversation about research and career paths turns into something warmer, steadier.

Over time, the bond between mentor and student shifts into one of friendship, and then something more---grounding each other in ways that feel natural and necessary.

But balance is a delicate thing. And sometimes, even the most well-intentioned relationship can lead two people places that neither of them expected.

To purchase launch tickets or preorder a signed copy of The Secret SandCircle: https://www.christinaabt.com/secret-sand-circle.../preorder

#TheSecretSandCircle #HeartandSoulWriter #FictionThatHeals #DrBennettRedmond


Meet The Characters of The Secret Sand Circle Week Three/Pt.2

Today you are meeting the last of five patients that Psychologist, Dr. Jo Harkins, is writing about in her book: 56-year-old, Constance MacGregor.

Constance is a corporate wife and mother of three grown sons, struggling to navigate the dual challenges of menopause and an empty nest life. She turns to Jo for help, troubled by a deep sense of disorientation—unsettled in both body and mind, and uncertain about what life could possibly offer next.

Together, the women forge an unexpected bond in discovering medical conditions that validate Constance’s physical and emotional struggles, giving her new purpose. And over time, transcends their roles of counselor and patient,---forever changing Jo’s life.

To purchase launch tickets or preorder a signed copy of The Secret SandCircle: https://www.christinaabt.com/secret-sand-circle.../preorder

#TheSecretSandCircle #HeartandSoulWriter #FictionThatHeals


Meet the Characters of The Secret Sand Circle Week Three/Pt.1

This week you are meeting the last two of five patients who Psychologist, Dr. Jo Harkins, is writing about in her book.

Today's character is Dr. Kit Parker, a 42-year-old, highly-respected ER physician specializing in cardiac and thoracic surgery.

Kit and Jo meet at a seminar on the long-term health consequences of childhood abuse. As their relationship develops, their professional roles shift to counselor and patient as Kit discloses the abuse and trauma that has affected generations of his Native American family, through to himself.

Jo focuses on the man’s Native culture to help heal his mind, in the process realizing the emotional burnout and mental exhaustion borne by those who heal for a living---including her 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇.

For tickets to The Secret Sand Circle Book Launch, or to pre-order a signed copy of The Secret Sand Circle: https://www.christinaabt.com/secret-sand-circle.../preorder

#TheSecretSandCircle #HeartandSoulWriter #FictionThatHeals #Kit

Meet the Characters of The Secret Sand Circle Week Two/Pt.3

Meet the Characters of The Secret Sand Circle: Week Two Pt.3
This week you are meeting three of the five patients Psychologist, Dr. Jo Harkins, is writing about in her book. Today's character is twenty-four year old Aiysha Jackson.

Aiysha shows up unexpectedly at Jo’s door on a Saturday explaining that a friend assured her, “….it would be cool if I swung by to grab a few minutes.” Tears forming in the woman’s eyes encourage Jo to welcome her into The Garden counseling space in what becomes the first of their regular Saturday patient sessions.

The willowy Black woman with intricately beaded braids, striking jade green eyes and high-fashion clothing appears like a hybrid of a celebrity and a runway model. Yet as Jo soon discovers, beneath Aiysha’s sophisticated appearance is a frightened child hiding within the deepest recesses of her body and mind. A child entrapped in a life where her beauty has invited unwanted touch and exploitation.

And now, as an adult where she struggles to navigate the landmines of her modeling, make-up artist and fashion photographer career, where her value is based on the way she looks, far more than her 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇.

For tickets to The Secret Sand Circle Book Launch, or to pre-order a signed copy of The Secret Sand Circle: https://www.christinaabt.com
#HeartandSoulWriter
#FictionThatHeals
#Aiysha

Meet the Characters of The Secret Sand Circle Week Two/Pt.2

Meet the Characters of The Secret Sand Circle: Week Two Pt.2
This week you are meeting three of the five patients Dr. Jo Harkins is writing about in her book.
Today: Sixteen year old Solana

Solana is a Cuban teenager who has been caught up in a human trafficking ring, operating out of Buffalo. Growing up in deplorable and impoverished circumstances, she is easy prey for the smooth-talking trafficking recruiters and their promises of a better life in America. Yet where she ends up is trapped in a dilapidated apartment building on Buffalo’s lower west side, working in the dark and threatening shadows of sex trading.

Jo becomes involved with Solana after reading about the arrest of the trafficking organizers. Outraged, she contacts Buffalo’s Social Services Department and offers counseling help. A team leader on the case asks her to work with Solana, describing her as, “…the youngest and most impacted…” of all those trafficked.

Between their language barrier and the Cuban girl’s complete disorientation, Jo struggles to find ways to reach Solana and assure her that she is now safe. Yet the world of fear and mistrust into which the teen has been thrust takes hold of her young mind, causing her to spiral into painful isolation, And pulling Jo into the shadows with her.

For tickets to The Secret Sand Circle Book Launch, or to pre-order a signed copy of The Secret Sand Circle click here

#TheSecretSandCircle #HeartandSoulWriter #FictionThatHeals #Solana

Meet The Characters of The Secret Sand Circle Week Two/Pt.1

Meet the Characters of The Secret Sand Circle: Week Two Pt.1

This week and next you will meet the five patients that psychologist Dr. Jo Harkins is writing about in her book.

We begin with eight-year-old, Tristan Cruz

Tristan is an only child whose black/brown hair, soulful eyes and compact build mirror his mother’s appearance. When the woman initially reached out to Jo for counseling help, she confessed that her son had started behaving inappropriately at school and home---and she had no idea why.

This was not the first time Jo had listened to a parent share such a confession. Further, experience had taught her that such sudden shifts in a child’s behavior were often rooted in abusive treatment at home and/or at school

Before Tristan’s appointment, Jo looked up the meaning of the boy's name, hoping to gain a sense of this child she was about to meet. What she found offered a compelling lens through which to understand his behavior.

Yet what no name could reveal was that, in time, Tristan would become a guiding light for Jo, in her own life.

For tickets to The Secret Sand Circle Book Launch, or to pre-order a signed copy of The Secret Sand Circle CLICK HERE

#TheSecretSandCircle #HeartandSoulWriter #FictionThatHeals #Tristan

Meet The Characters of The Secret Sand Circle Week One/Pt.3

Meet the Characters of The Secret Sand Circle: Week One Pt. 3

Dr. Jo” Harkins — accomplished psychologist specializing in cases of abuse. Creator of The Secret Sand Circle Therapy Tool.

*********************************
As the central character of The Secret Sand Circle, Jo's storyline runs through all twenty-seven chapters of the book and the Epilogue.

Yet, it's the way her story unfolds that sets this novel apart from others you have read.

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The first twenty chapters of The Secret Sand Circle are divided into two timelines of Jo’s life: “Now” and “Then.”

Each “Now” section is a single page in length. Collectively, they span a twenty-four–hour period in Jo’s life. At the top of each page there is an advancing timestamp, marking the exact hour and minute of the day, grounding the reader in real time.

Throughout these brief chapters it is revealed that Jo is staying at a retreat center, working on a book about five patients who deeply shaped her career. However, as time passes and she continues her work, a growing unease begins to whisper that this is far from a peaceful writing retreat—both in her surroundings and within her self.

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In the “Then” sections of the first twenty chapters, readers are drawn into the lives and counseling journeys of the patients Jo is writing about.

Though these individuals differ in age, gender, and cultural backgrounds, they are connected by the abuses that have seared their minds and scarred their souls and bodies—and by Jo’s compassionate, empathetic efforts to reach into their pain and help them heal.

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By chapters twenty-one through twenty-five, the “Now” sections have swelled to five pages in length. Jo’s time at the retreat center becomes more about herself than her book, blurring the storylines between the healer and those needing to be healed.

Meanwhile, the “Then” sections continue to follow the five patients as they reach pivotal, often painful turning points in their therapeutic relationships with Jo.

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By the final two chapters of the book, only the “Now” sections remain. Within them, Jo is forced to face the reality that, by giving herself so completely to the healing of others—listening to their pain, absorbing their trauma, and carrying their stories—she has reached a breaking point.

It is within that reckoning that Jo discovers the only space where she can safely survive—The Secret Sand Circle.


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Book Launch: The Secret Sand Circle
November 14th, 6–8 PM
The Twentieth Century Club
To purchase launch tix / preorder signed copies CLICK HERE

#TheSecretSandCircle #HeartandSoulWriter #FictionThatHeals

 

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Meet the Characters of The Secret Sand Circle Week One/Pt.2

Meet The Characters of The Secret Sand Circle: Week One Pt.2: Dr. Juliette Olivia “Jo” Harkins

As the book's main character, Jo is a compassionate and visionary psychologist and creator of The Secret Sand Circle Therapy Tool. While dedicated to her counseling career and her patients, Jo's personal life is centered on her home and her passion for gardening.

She first experienced the wonder of growing plants and flowers while working alongside her grandmum in her gardens. It was there she realized the emotional benefits of blending seeds with soil in bringing Mother Nature's beauty to life.Those gardening lessons led Jo to incorporate the wonders of nature into her patient work, filling her counseling space with blooming plants and incorporating a greenhouse addition to the space.

It is in that greenhouse that Jo creates a unique therapy tool she names The Secret Sand Circle---changing the lives of her patients, and unexpectedly, her self as well.

Do you love plants and gardening? How does working with seeds and soil impact your wellbeing?

For info on the Nov.14th 6-8pm Secret Sand Circle Launch at The Twentieth Century Club, or to
prepurchase a signed copies CLICK HERE

#TheSecretSandCircle #HeartandSoulWriter #FictionThatHeals

Meet the Characters of The Secret Sand Circle Week One/Pt.1

Introducing: Dr. Juliette Olivia “Jo” Harkins: visionary psychologist and creator of The Secret Sand Circle Therapy Tool.

Jo is an accomplished psychologist who pushes beyond the traditional boundaries of therapy, blending method with her intuitive, empathic insight.

She counsels patients in a comfortably furnished treatment space filled with blooming plants that she changes with the seasons. It is, by her design, a comforting atmosphere that supports patients as they face what they fear most: their own memories.

Jo extends her compassionate counseling through the use of unique practices and treatment tools she has conceived, including one learned from her grandmum.

The intuitive Irishwoman advised her granddaughter at a young age that “...every name tells a story.” She then shared the meaning of Jo’s first and middle names:
Juliette: a caring, intuitive soul
Olivia: a healer striving to make a difference.
Those meanings led the determined young girl to declare she would no longer be known by her given names. Instead, she combined their initials and rechristened herself “Jo.”

Years later, in launching her psychology counseling career, Jo incorporates her grandmum’s “every name tells a story” belief into her practice. She quickly learns that the meaning behind a person’s name can indeed reveal hidden truths about their character, their destiny and the secret memories they carry within them selves.

Jo’s belief is tested when, after ten years in practice, she decides to write a book about five patients who profoundly shaped her career—including the meanings of their given names. Yet with each story she writes, the edges of Jo's own identity begin to blur.

Do you know the meaning of your given first name? Here are links to two websites where you can find out---if you dare!

For tickets to The Secret Sand Circle Book Launch, or to pre-order a signed copy of The Secret Sand Circle CLICK HERE


https://www.behindthename.com/
https://biblepulze.com/biblical-meaning-of-names/
#TheSecretSandCircle #HeartandSoulWriter #FictionThatHeals