Welcome to the debut episode of the Christian Romance Podcast! Kelly Jo Wilson talks with Heidi Chiavaroli, an award-winning novelist and hope-inspired storyteller who writes Christian romance novels.
Heidi shares her experiences as an author, including her writing background and faith journey. She discusses her unique writing style, which combines contemporary and historical romance in dual-timeline books.
She also talks about the challenges and perseverance required in the writing journey. Heidi shares her favorite Bible verse, Hebrews 12:1, which encourages endurance and keeping our eyes on Jesus.
Heidi’s latest book, The Way Back, is about a woman who seeks shelter at her estranged grandmother’s seaside inn while facing the uncovering of family secrets.
Heidi Chiavaroli is a hope-inspired storyteller writing from the deep curiosity of her own heart. Her debut novel, Freedom’s Ring, was a Carol Award winner, Christy Award finalist, Romantic Times Top Pick, and Booklist Top Ten Romance Debut. Her second Carol Award-winning novel, The Orchard House, is inspired by the lesser-known events in Louisa May Alcott’s life and led her to write The Orchard House Bed and Breakfast series, a contemporary twist on Little Women. Heidi makes her home in Massachusetts with her husband and two sons.
Young love means everything . . . until it leaves you with nothing.
The summer before her senior year of high school, Laney Jacobs and her best friend jump from a six-story beachside cliff to impress their boyfriends. Laney rose from the water. Her friend did not.
Six years later, when Laney’s troubled mother’s memoir hits the bestseller list airing the family’s destructive secrets, Laney is forced to relive the trauma, this time in the public eye. To escape the scrutiny, she seeks shelter at her estranged grandmother’s seaside inn.
But she can’t reconcile the loving woman with the heartless parent in her mother’s book. As she looks for answers, the ex-boyfriend who’d witnessed her darkest days reappears, stirring up both pain and hope.
When her mother’s vindictive fans threaten her grandmother’s livelihood and the lighthouse Laney has come to love, she turns to the century-old words of a young lighthouse keeper to help her find the courage to move forward. But once truths from the past come to light and old love finds new beginnings, will Laney discover that forgiveness is the only way toward true healing?
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Kelly’s Personal Update:
My debut novel, Finding Forevermore, is coming soon to Kickstarter! I’ve been working on this book for a long time, and God has shown me so much in the process. I can’t wait to share more about it with you as it goes through the editing process.
Welcome to the Christian Romance Podcast, where we go behind the books with inspiring Christian romance authors, exploring faith, love, and the journey to bring the story to life.
Listen to the podcast overview:
Each month, we’ll host themed book giveaways, offering you the chance to win a custom selection of Christian romance novels. These giveaways celebrate different themes, from patriotic love to holiday romances, ensuring there’s always something exciting to look forward to.
Subscribe to our newsletter to enter for your chance to win and add inspiring reads to your To-Be-Read list!
Thanks for listening, and I look forward to sharing these wonderful stories with you!
Today’s devotional episode of the I Witness Podcast dives into the profound message of Matthew 5, where Jesus calls us to be the light of the world. Kelly Jo Wilson shares actionable insights and personal experiences illuminating how we can embody this divine mandate daily. Join us as we explore how to live out one of Jesus’s most empowering teachings and truly be a beacon of hope and love in our world.
Matthew 5:16, NKJV: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven
Ephesians 5:8-9: For you once were darkness, but now you are the light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth)
Ephesians 5:10-11 Finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them
Ephesians 5:12-14 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says:
Awake, you who sleep
Arise from the dead
And Christ will give you light
Matthew 9:37-38 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
Focus on your relationship with God by spending deliberate time with Him
Journaling or writing down what He’s saying to you
Resources for You
Want to start journaling your walk with God?
I have a resource to help you walk with God in your own unique way.
The Stillness Prayer Journal is a printable prayer journal with over 100 customizable pages all dedicated to simplifying your walk with God.
The journal has cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques combined with Bible verses and Christian-based encouragement to guide your time with Him in a simple, thoughtful way.
Stillness Prayer Journal Includes:
A one-page daily journal for simple goal-setting and reflection
In this episode of the I Witness Podcast, we uncover the inspiring story of Stephanie Flohr, an unlikely servant of God who, amidst profound grief, found herself in a dark place, even planning the date she would take her life. Through unwavering courage and a renewed trust in God, listen to how she discovered her true worth and purpose.
Stephanie Flohr is an unlikely missionary, but she follows God’s call anyway. On May 4, 2020, her husband unexpectedly passed away, and her desires, dreams, and goals went along with him.
Stephanie has traveled to a dark place, planning her own time to meet Jesus in heaven, but God had other plans. Through her unique ministry of encouragement and compassion, she spreads the transformative message of Jesus’ love, offering hope to those who need it most.
Stephanie is determined to share her uplifting story of faith, resilience, and obedience to help others come to know their beautiful worth in Jesus.
“I can’t spend a lot of time dwelling on what I am leaving behind, the tears start to flow and the heart hurts. Yes, I will miss so many people. But I know beyond any doubt where the Lord is leading me, allowing me to go and He has a plan and purpose for my life.”
-Stephanie Flohr
Bible Verses for Encouragement
Psalms 147:3, NKJV: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
Are you inspired by Stephanie Flohr’sstory but not sure how to reconnect with God in a difficult time?
I have a resource to help you walk with God in your own unique way.
The Stillness Prayer Journal is a printable prayer journal with over 100 customizable pages all dedicated to simplifying your walk with God.
The journal has cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques combined with Bible verses and Christian-based encouragement to guide your time with Him in a simple, thoughtful way.
Stillness Prayer Journal Includes:
A one-page daily journal for simple goal-setting and reflection
In this inspiring devotional episode of the I Witness Podcast, host Kelly Jo Wilson explores the profound concept of God’s unconditional love. Through a heartfelt devotional, she delves into the idea that this divine love cannot be earned but only accepted.
Join Kelly Jo as she shares wisdom on embracing this boundless love and how it transforms our lives.
Struggles are real and when we feel empty we can lean on God and Jesus
We can’t earn God’s love
God’s love is present whether we accept it or not
When we struggle, the Holy Spirit helps speak for us when we don’t have words
Jesus’ life is the evidence of God’s love for us
God loved you before you were created
Nothing can separate you from the love of God
Bible Verses for Encouragement
Romans 8:26, NKJV Likewise, the Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Ephesians 2:4-8, NKJV But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
John 3:16-17For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
John 15:9As the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
John 15: 12-13This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
Resources for You
In the depths of despair, can one woman find the strength to accept the love of God?
Sarah’s world was shattered two years ago with the loss of her beloved husband. She has been a mere shadow of herself, drifting away from her faith and the God she once leaned on. As she navigates the turbulent waters of grief and single parenthood, her resolve is constantly tested.
This Christmas, Sarah’s struggle reaches a tipping point. With the mounting pressure to provide for her children and the weight of her sorrow, she finds herself at a crossroads.
Will she continue to turn away from God, or will she find the courage to face her pain and embrace the love that has always been there for her?
Hope for the Holidays is a poignant tale of loss, resilience, and the redemptive power of faith. It’s a story for anyone who has ever questioned God’s love in the face of suffering. Join Sarah on her heartfelt journey as she learns to trust in the divine embrace, finding hope and healing in the most unexpected of places.
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