Black-eyed Susan among the Roses: A New Orleans Memoir is the first published novel for author Fran Gervais, who grew up in New Orleans and along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I recently had the pleasure of conversing with Fran about her background and her story.

Q: Tell us a little about where you grew up.
A: I grew up in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Q: Who was the most influential person in your life?
A:The most influential person in my life was my maternal grandmother, who was a gracious, artistic, Christian lady who made me feel safe and worth something.

Q: What is your favorite book of all time?
A: Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott.

Q: Is there a book that you can say changed your life, and how?
A: To Kill a Mockingbird created more awareness in me about civil rights and love of fellow man. Even though I already practiced those values, I became more compassionate toward others of all walks of life.

Q: What was your favorite childhood book?
A: Heidi.

Q: Who is your favorite hero or she-ro?
A: Condoleezza Rice.

Q: If you could meet anyone in the world who would it be, and what would you say to that person?
A: Laura Bush. I would tell her that I would like to have had her as one of my childhood friends.

Q: Is there any book out there that you just have to read next?
A: The Help is the next book on my list to read.

Q: What inspired you to become a published author?
A: I wanted to tell my story to the world, and what better way would there be?

Q: In a sentence or two, make me want to read your book.
A: My story is a passionate one, filled with both joy and sadness. It will help you heal from any hurt you may have experienced throughout your life.

Q: What is your favorite quote?
A: “Never, never, never give up.” — Winston Churchill

Q: Where can others purchase your work and find out more about you?
A: Black-eyed Susan among the Roses is available on Amazon.com. I plan to open a Facebook page soon.

Hello Everyone, I am so tired of coming to the end of the year and having boxes of receipts and dreading the upcoming tax season.

So I am going to try the portable Neat Desk (Click Here Now to read more about it)

I will let you know what I think. If you have used it please comment below and tell us if you like it. The reviews on Amazon are pretty good and I have a friend who loves it too.

Here goes.

1. Your past pain and present pain are gifts that shape the person you are today and the person you will become. Let your trials produce patience, kindness and understanding for today.

2. What really matters is what you think about yourself. Put on the mind of Christ–or in other words, think as he does. 1 John 3:20-21 states, “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” Beloved, if our heart condemns us not, then have we confidence in God.

3. You have heard the saying, “Time heals all wounds.” Well, God says that he is time. He is the alpha and the omega; the beginning and the end. Trust in Jesus, for he is the king of the brokenhearted, and he cares for you personally.

4. When you judge others, you are setting yourself up for the same treatment. Rather, when you see someone who is doing something that you do not approve of, realize that that person was sent into your life as a warning to open your eyes to your future.

Jesus himself prayed that we would all be one. If you believe he will have all of his prayers answered, then treat others as if they are already one with you. Pray for others and yourself. Realize that others are your mirror. The Book of Matthew tells us that by the same measure we judge others, we will also be judged. Jesus later said that your own words will judge you. Ouch. Wouldn’t you rather be judged through eyes of mercy than eyes of disapproval?

5. Trust that God has a plan for you and is working everything out for your good, even when it does not look or feel like it. In the Book of Jeremiah, he said he has plans to prosper us and plans for our future. The Book of Romans also tells us, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

6. Your understanding will affect your happiness. Joy is found in knowing the truth. God is truth. He is speaking truth through all that has been created. Seek understanding, and know this as well: Opposites attract. So if you have a negative thing in your life at the present, that negative is your evidence that a positive is on its way to you.

7. In all of this you can rejoice. So smile and remind yourself that all is well; this too shall pass. Life is a circle. It is bittersweet. So have a cup of coffee or a piece of chocolate, and be reminded how wonderful life is even in the midst of hard times.

In this post, I will spend a few moments just being really frank with you about my passions. You see, as a writer who planned on writing something for others to read for approximately 25 years before I actually did it, I feel qualified to talk about this subject.

Dreams are great, but until I decided to act on them, that is all that they were: just my dreams. For much of my life, strangers, customers and sometimes acquaintances would often ask to purchase my books. It always came as a surprise; I did not realize they thought I was a writer. You see, they knew before I did that I was a writer. They could see my passion and my dreams when I spoke. My problem was that I never had any books to sell them. I was not living my life to the fullest, so I would answer, “Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t have any books.”

“Well, you should,” was typically their reply.

At first I would feel honored and flattered, but then I would feel disappointed in myself. I was never moved enough to actually accomplish anything that I dreamed of doing. So I continued serving as a speaker when asked, and co-hosted women’s retreats whenever and wherever I could. I did write some articles and a homemade manual for these retreats, and I started a book about money matters, but I never actually followed through to the end. I would work on them in my spare time or when I needed last-minute resources for my role as a guest speaker. Again and again I would suffer this disappointment when an interested, enthusiastic participant asked to buy my book, and I would have to repeat that I was sorry, but I had not completed my work. It was a dream, but not a priority.

That was until last year, when my husband Michael began to prompt me to publish “that book” I was working on. As you can imagine, I had so many that I had started that I did not know which one he was referring to. “You know, the one that everyone needs,” he said. “You have to finish it. People need it.” Well, as a writer, I felt like everything I wrote was needed by my readers–whoever they were.

I often hear people ask, “Where do you get the energy? What makes you think you can do this? Who do you think you are?”, while others say, “Please write more! Your book changed my life! Oh . . . you are a self published author? Where can I buy your books? What else are you writing?”

As you can see, I have those who are my encouragement, while others seek to tear me down and are actually insulted that I had the audacity to believe in my work.

What I have come to realize is that my work is valuable. I do have stories, and lots of them. I find joy in telling them and I find more joy in hearing what others have to say about them. It is simply rewarding to accomplish my dreams. We all have them, or at least we’ve had them at some point in our lives.

I want to encourage you to live your dreams. If you have lost them, ask God to resurrect them or to birth in you a new dream. Reach deep inside of your heart and discover what it is in life that makes you tick. What brings you joy? What puts a kick in your step? Then talk about it, write about it, brainstorm about it and then act on it. When you encounter resistance or are discouraged by those who tear you down, remove yourself from those influences. Find people who will support you. There are plenty online who will offer encouragement and inspiration by way of blogs, Facebook, websites, etc. Look for us. We are here, just waiting to share our dreams and to help you to believe in yours.

Resistance can make you stronger. That is why lifting weights is such a popular form of exercise.

Failure, on the other hand, is just learning what not to do next time. Everyone falls down. That is how we learn to walk.

Have you ever asked, “Why all this suffering? How can God be a loving, compassionate God and yet allow all this suffering to exist on the earth?” Well, I have.

You see, I know and hear his voice and my life is mostly happy and joyful, but when I see others suffer it breaks my heart and my soul cries out for mercy on all mankind.

One day while I was lying on the floor and weeping over the atrocities that happen in this place we call Earth, I asked God why. Why did he allow such horror?

I do not like to admit that I questioned God, but he knows my heart and knows that I long for the peace on Earth and good will toward men–all men and women all over the world.

Well He did give me an answer. I am not sure I like it, but it did give me hope and a sense of peace.

I was silent as I reflected on his response to me. He then proceeded:

“The farmer knows that if the grapes are not transformed from grape juice to wine, they will rot and will no longer be useful. The corruptible grapes become incorruptible through the process of being crushed and then aged. Wine is also called strong drink or spirits. Likewise, mankind is being transformed from corruptible to incorruptible. If you look at all that is around you, the answers are there for you to behold. Wisdom waits and even cries out to you. Seek to understand and truth will be revealed in all that you do. I have given you faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love. In time you will see, understand and behold true love. In that day peace and joy will abound. Take courage and remember I am with you and even in you.”

I still cry over the suffering, but I do know and feel His love. I am able to remember this story and find trust in knowing that God’s love is greater than anything. I must remember that I lack knowledge and understanding, but I do have his love and I must trust in him. I hope that I can make a difference in this wounded world and I hope that you will do the same. Be you, be true and be courageous. Let love rule in you.

This life is truly amazing. All across this world lives are being lived while others are ending. Some lives end in tragedy, while other people simply fall asleep after a long, wonderful life. So many questions about why, how and when elude us all.

So what do we do with all of these unanswered questions? For me, the answer is to live one day at a time and live it to the fullest. I never know if or when tragedy may strike me, or if I will be afforded the kind of life where I live my dreams and one day simply wake up on the other side. A new-found social inspiration called “Get Stronger, Girlfriend” inspired this post.

Since I desire the latter, I live as though peace and joy is my fate; however, knowing that each day is a gift, I desperately don’t want to take it for granted.

Every day I wake up and pamper myself just a little to remind myself that I am valued and loved. I drink a warm cup of coffee, sometimes alone (just me and God) and sometimes with my husband. I always seem to find laughter, smiles and a great sense of peace in this daily ritual.

After that, I plan my day and ask myself what I can do this day to live out my dreams. As you can imagine, I love to write, so most of the time that’s the first thing I do in the morning–usually when I’m still barefooted and in my PJ’s. Sometimes, I write on my blog. Other times I simply connect with friends through social media and comment on what inspires me most.

I am passionate about my heart and yours. Our hearts are where our treasures lie. Have you ever considered that in storybooks and fairy tales, the King buries his treasure in a chest under the earth? Well, my King is no different. Jesus says that I am his treasure, and he has placed his treasures in a chest under the earth. That’s me. I am made of dust and my heart is in my chest. I just love how all of creation tells me little truths like this. You too are his treasure. You may have to dig deep to find it, though. It depends on how deep you have buried yourself.

Are you loving and living your life? If not, why? Start today. Make just one change and do something that shows yourself that you are wonderfully made.

Do you think the world will treat you well first, and only then will you follow suit? That is backwards. Love yourself, take care of you and watch how the world begins to change around you. As a man (woman) thinks, so is he. Maybe it all starts in how you think. Just something to consider.

It is almost here. I can hardly wait. Last year when my mother asked me to write a story about Mary, I thought it was a great idea, but the sorrows associated with losing her quickly pushed aside the thoughts of writing. It wasn’t until I was asked to write a Christmas story for “Hug” magazine, created by Scott Innes (the voice of Scooby Doo), that I remembered my mother’s request.

One day while I was caring for my mother, she asked me if I had ever considered what Mary’s life was like as a child. I had spent some time thinking about the sorrow she must have suffered as a mother, to watch Jesus die, but I had never thought of her life in any other way. Mom’s gentle urging pushed me to think about it. We talked about being moms and how she missed us being little (“us” being my five sisters and me).

She asked me to write a fiction story about Mary and her little lamb. The story had to parallel the story of her and Jesus, but it also had to be about how God might have prepared Mary for this amazing and difficult request. I truly can’t imagine being the mother of the Son of God.

Once I began “Mary’s Christmas”, I could not stop writing as the story became so dear to my heart. I have since written two more books. My Easter version will be released March 2013, and the last of the trilogy will be released sometime next fall. The Kindle versions will be interactive with voice over and music, so they are taking longer than normal. “Mary’s Christmas” Kindle version should be out next fall.

I will continue to keep you posted as my calendar fills with book signings, festivals and story time for schools and churches. Thank you for your continued support and for spreading the news about “Mary’s Christmas.

May this story bring children of all ages back to the true meaning of Christmas. I see this book becoming a family tradition as year after year, as moms and dads read this story to children all over the world on the night before Christmas.