AWARD WINNING,BEST SELLING AUTHOR of Women’s Fiction
I grew up reading just about anything, as long as it was fiction. Some of my favorites were Judy Blume, V.C. Andrews, Francine Pascal, Roald Dahl, and even Stephen King. Often, I would sneak a romance novel off of my mother’s nightstand and easily become lost in the land of happily ever after.
After a divorce in my mid-twenties and the blending of my family in my thirties, I still believed in happily ever after, and continued to read many of these books to escape from the drama of my own life. But many times, I was left disappointed because I, along with others, didn't live up to the standards I had been reading about. I felt like a disservice was being committed against men and women when it came to lasting love because of unrealistic expectations.
I realized I wanted real. I wanted relatable. I wanted authentic. I wanted characters who went through the struggles, the trials, and the tribulations similar to the rest of us.
I wanted hope that love could last.
Author Elite Award Winner
Like many areas of my life, the rebel in me loves to debunk myths, stereotypes, and free things that have been pigeon holed. I have a need to make things unique, different, and one of a kind.
Which is exactly what I do with these stories. I choose to write women’s fiction so I can blend romance and suspense along with challenging topics, into a story of connection, hope and healing.
Statistic and Data show that ultimately we all seek human connection and love.
A whole industry of ROMCOM's and romance novels are built around the intensity, passion, and inspiration of new love.
But what makes love last when real life and conflict get in the way?
The rates of divorce are skyrocketing.
Second and even third marriages are not lasting.
People stay in loveless, unhappy marriages forever.
Many settle, having lost faith in love and the union of partnerships.
Individuals in our society have been impacted by trauma, toxic stress, grief and loss that has left them depleted and living with anxiety and fear.
Many struggle in silence worrying about ridicule and judgment or have become an expert at wearing a mask, finding the disease of being busy an easy escape.
The idea of sharing deep emotional pain, even with those we love, is paralyzing, making it hard to move forward and scary to seek help.
Is happily ever after even possible when so many of us have a past that seems to define our life in negative ways?
I use my books to bring a voice to the exact scenarios that break us. Trauma, suffering, grief and loss impact the relationship we have with ourselves and how we show up in relationship with others . . our intimate partners, our children, our friendships.
My goal is to reach the heart of the reader by taking them alongside my characters' raw emotions as they stumble in the darkness. By planting seeds of hope and adding in a toss of suspense, readers won’t be able to put these book down as they wait to see if the characters allow the shame of their past to sabotage any chance for a future or if they can find the courage to heal.
Happily Ever After is not for the Faint of Heart
Somewhere in the shadows of regret and despair, magic stirs up a hope that allows a second chance at life and love. Suffering and mistakes do not have to be our weakness. Instead, they can be our teachers.
As a child, Desiree Severs was fascinated by God, Angels, and the power of faith. Years later when tragedy strikes, she quickly learns there is no angelic hero coming to rescue her from despair.
Drowning with a bitter heart, a broken soul, and consumed with fear, Desiree isolates from everyone and everything except her children. After an emotional breakdown leaves her embarrassed by her behavior, healing begins. An encounter with a helpful stranger establishes new friendships, and through the eyes of a child, mysterious messages begin to appear. But Desiree finds that these messages, along with her guilt, make it difficult to move forward.
After a nasty divorce, police officer and single father, Kurt Bixby and his son Mike, move to Red Oak, Minnesota. In this new town, he starts over by picking up the pieces of his broken family. Although he remains jaded and overly cautious about his future with another woman, he is content with the stability and simple life he and Mike are creating. When his instinct to help someone in distress kicks in, he finds himself caught up in a friendship with someone who’s past is still very much the present.
Will Desiree and Kurt continue to relive their history and remain stuck in the past, or could divine miracles be playing a role in restoring their belief in love after heartache?
Deeply emotional and inspirational, Angel Kisses is a romantic, spiritual novel about the ability to walk through the darkness of the grieving process.
Is Every Soul Truly Worth Saving?
2021 Young Adult Author Elite Award Winner
In the summer of 1996, eighteen-year-old Jessie Cody thought she had the perfect life until she discovers her sister has a horrifying secret.
Then a violent assault silences her from exposing a truth that could tear her family apart. Jessie feels her only choice is to run away.
Thirteen years later, when Jessie learns her father is terminally ill, she returns home. There she finds her sister has a family of her own, the boy who once captured her heart is haunted by demons from long-ago, and her current relationship is not what appears to be. Confronted with memories of the past, Jessie is determined to release the hatred that has darkened her heart to find a place with the loved ones she left behind. Yet, she is afraid if she reveals the truth, the nightmare she never escaped will ruin any chance of happiness.
Growing up, Zane Stecks did not feel safe at home. To avoid the never-ending turmoil, he and his brother found solace with their neighbors, the Cody’s. Under their roof, he found a role model, learned the true the meaning of family, and fell in love with their daughter, Jessie. Zane finally felt like he belonged somewhere. But the hope of a promising future vanished instantly the day Jessie ran away.
For over a decade, Zane blamed himself for not protecting the Cody’s from the actions of a monster. Now, he lives a lonely existence on the ranch he inherited, but never gave up hope that Jessie would return to put the pieces of a lost life back together. When they accidently cross paths, a love he could not let die resurfaces. Yet, as fragments of history begin to unravel and deep, dark family secrets are discovered, Zane wonders if he will lose Jessie all over again once she learns what he has kept hidden.
Will Jessie and Zane find the courage to confront the truth and realize they are both worthy of love? Or will they allow the shame of their past to define them?
Piece by Piece is a story of heart-wrenching loss, acknowledging deep wounds, and trusting in the power of God’s grace. It is a novel of redemption, the mystery of eternal love and the forever bond of family.
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Angel Kisses
Piece by Piece
Bibliotherapy
Research has shown that literary fiction enhances our ability to empathize with others; to put ourselves into another’s shoes; to become more intuitive about other people’s feelings (as well as our own); and to self-reflect on our problems as we read about and empathize with a fictional character who is facing similar problems.
Reading specific pieces of literature and talking about them with a therapist (or in a group therapy setting) is thought to help patients understand perspectives other than their own, make sense of a difficult past or upsetting symptoms, or experience feelings of hope, contentment, and empathy. Reading is also thought to improve self-esteem, self-awareness, and feelings of self-efficacy.
Trauma, suffering, grief and loss impact the relationship we have with ourselves and how we show up in relationship with others . . our intimate partners, our children, our friendships.
My goal is to reach the heart of the reader by taking them alongside my characters' raw emotions as they stumble in the darkness while planting seeds of hope as they overcome adversity through the healing process.
These books can be powerful Bibliotherapy tools to help patients understand perspectives other than their own, make sense of a difficult past or upsetting symptoms, or experience feelings of hope, and contentment.
Book Hope to Speak at Your Next Meeting or Event!
Reader Reviews
I listened to ‘Piece by Piece’ audio book on a recent trip and it made the trip fly by! As a matter of fact, I had to drive around the block twice on the way home to finish it! Hope's story telling draws you in and keeps you interested in her deep dive into the characters from start to finish. I love the different perspectives included in the story. I was so invested in all the characters. Definitely worth your time!
‘Angel Kisses’ is a second-chance romance with a widow/single mom female heroine and police officers/single dad hero. I had the privilege of reading the ARC copy of this book and was drawn in by the realistic emotions and dynamics grief has on a spouse, parent, children and friends who have lost a loved one. The author weaves the characters' choices, messiness, fears and emotions artfully, and I found them both relatable and endearing. The paranormal overtones added a delightful twist at the end that I enjoyed."
"I picked up ‘Piece by Piece’ because the author described the story as getting real with life's messiness and I was curious to see how she would tell such a story. It took me a few months to read the first third of the book because it was hard to feel the protagonists' pain. The reward of climbing a steep hill is the delight of rolling to the bottom, and that's how it felt as the characters, mystery and longing propelled me through the rest of the story. While the pain the characters experienced was a sobering reminder of many people's reality, it was a reminder I needed, told through a delightful love story."
Great read! I’m not really much of a fiction reader. I’m too obsessed with personal development. That’s probably why I loved ‘Angel Kisses’- it had a mix of fabulous advice and real characters that were developed very well and super relatable. The author weaves personal experience and wisdom into the plot that makes it a quick and easy book hard to put down. As a mother who’s experienced loss, I relate very much to both the grieving and supernatural explained in Angels Kisses.
Hope Flansburg's characters jump off the page and capture your heart. "Piece by Piece" captivated me, and I could not stop reading. I found myself caring and really needing to know what happened and what is going to happen. The author is a master of foreshadowing and keeping you in suspense. Loved this book, which has you on an emotional roller coaster, sheds light on the terrible world of abuse, and offers hope and redemption. A must read!
The messages of faith and divine miracles that are laced through the story of ‘Angel Kisss’ and the surprise ending is worth every moment. The family conflict was incredibly relatable, but the healing, unity and unconditional love that came out through their experiences was encouraging.
