A.M. Heath | amheath

A.M. Heath: Behind the pages...

My bookshelf:

As any writer, I'm also a huge fan. But who are my favorite authors?

Jane Austen, Max Lucado, Tamara Alexander, Lynn Austin, John Bunyan, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Julie Klassen, C.S. Lewis, Miralee Ferrell...

Family Life:

I married a calm and quiet man in the summer of 2003. We have 4 children: 3 boys and 1 girl and 0 pets :) Believe me, children are messy enough!

Now this is relaxing:

How do I relax?

Like any lady, of course: With tea! Lol There is nothing like sitting back with a hot cup of tea (or coffee) and a good book after a long day.

My absolute favorite way to relax is in front of a lit Christmas tree after the kids are in bed. The trees are normally up before Thanksgiving for maximum enjoyment. :)

Watching the sunset or rise also makes my "how to relax" list. And I can't leave off a wonderful cup of greek yogurt!!

Hobbies:

What do I like to do when I'm not writing, cleaning, in church, or hanging out with the family?

I love to shop, cook, garden, read, bake, tinker with photography, browse art museums, visit flower gardens and historical sites, and sew.

My first sewing project

This is a shirt turned apron

Civil War Reenactment

Tea Time

Yummm

White Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake

Flowers

These were some of the few that actually grow in my flower bed :)

My Bible:

What are my favorite Bible versions? What study Bible do I use? What is my favorite book of the Bible? What is my favorite verse?

I love to read from various versions. The NIV has always been a favorite. I also really like the HCSB, ESV, and NKJV

My first Bible was a gift to me from my dear Aunt. It's the Life Application Study Bible from Zondervan. I LOVE this book. The commentary in this study Bible helps you understand what the verse means AND how it applies to your life. I bought it as a gift for a friend and highly recommend it.

When I have to choose only 1 favorite book of the Bible, I always choose Proverbs. The other books on the top of my list are: Jeremiah, James, Psalms, Malachi, Acts...

My all time favorite Bible verse is Proverbs 4:14, 15 "Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way."

My Work:

Like many women, I wear many hats. Actually I NEVER wear hats...except for that day in the picture above when I tried on a bonnet :) But I am a woman with many responsibilities.

I had only 1 real job in my life. It lasted over 8 years and has made a lasting impact on me in several ways. I worked at McDonalds since I was a senior in high school till I left to become a stay at home mom. I met my husband while working there as well as several life long friends.

Since I was in high school I wanted to own a bakery and I have the makings for starting one in my home. My every plan was moving down this road, but God had other plans for me. I'll share more on this further down the page.

Today, I still bake and decorate cakes on the side, but most of it is for my family or church family. I am a happy house keeper, a busy chaser of children, a loving help meet, an encouraging friend, a faithful church member, a good cook, a children's Sunday school teacher, and now a writer. And I do all of these things for the glory of God. There is not one area that glorifies Christ more than the other. Each role has its purpose and each role has its rewards.

My inspiration:

Each book has its own source of inspiration and even though I'm fairly new to this writing business, I've already learned that inspiration strikes at the most random times. Most stories start with the smallest spark of an idea that leads into a hypothetical question, "What if?", which after some mental toiling leads to a solid story plot. But what inspired the Ancient Words Series? Keep reading to find out....

Inspirtation for the Ancient Words Series:

There were several little things that inspired me to write this particular story. For one, I've always been fascinated with the Civil War. It helps when you live in the south and have access to various battle sites.

I love to read a Christian series called, Love Finds You In... This series centers each book on a real town with a unique name and history. The hypothetical question was simple, "What would I write about if I could write a book for this series?" But the answer was much more difficult. It was so difficult, in fact, that it took over a year to develop! But I'll never forget the day that it all came together. I wanted to tell a story from the real town of Wartrace, and since the story line had to fit the town's name, I wanted to tell about war: both spiritual warfare and the civil war. But after some quick research, I learned that my book was all wrong for their series and chose to change the town name and go at it alone :)

More inspiration was found in another love of mine: old fashioned mail. You know, snail mail. There is something warm about sending and receiving letters or cards in the mail box. One of my hypothetical questions was, "How could I write a story centered on letters?"

I also loved the idea of telling a story about sharing the gospel through letters. The gospel, the letters, the war, and a love story...now we're getting some where special!

Of all the books I could write, there will never be a series that best represents who I am like this one. Sharing the gospel, telling a love story, and digging through history is who I am from the inside out. Where Can I Flee isn't just dear to my heart, but it IS my heart. It's me poured out.

It's tv time:

What do I watch on tv? What are my favorite movies?

I love to watch Food Network. But oddly enough, Food Network is the only current tv show I watch, everything else are reruns. I LOVE Matlock, Murder She Wrote, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Andy Griffith, I Love Lucy, and Everybody Loves Raymond

Some of my favorite movies are: Lord of the Rings/Hobbit, Jane Austen movies, You've Got Mail, and Wizard of Oz

My First Love: Cakes

Before I attempted life as an author, I decorated cakes and I still do on occasion. I was still working at McDonald's and waiting for the chance to start my own business when I came across a suggestion that changed my life. The idea was to pray for God's will by praying that He remove anything from your heart that He doesn't want for you and replacing only the things that He does. It made sense to me and I began praying this way. One day, I received a call from a well known catering company in the area. She asked me if I would be their full time baker. This is the kind of chance that I was looking for, but without hesitation I knew the answer was no. I already had a job and wasn't called to leave it yet. Eventually the time would come when God would open the door for me to leave McDonald's, but even then the timing wasn't right to open the doors of my bakery. And now that I find myself writing, I realize that I can't possibly do both full time and so once again, I learn that God's plan was best. Here are some of my favorites cakes.

The other me:

Everything you've read about me so far is true. But I want to show you the other side of myself. That "not so perfect" side of myself.

Why would I do that?? Everyone knows you're only supposed to show off your best side!

There is a sickness that has crippled the women of our generation and likely every generation before us. It starts off slowly and discreetly. It starts by comparing yourself with another woman. Does she homeschool? Does she work outside the home? How many kids does she have? What is her husband like? How does she dress? What shoe size does she fit into? What is her workout routine? How organized is her coupon book? Will she sew her children's costumes? Does she garden? What does her home look like? How many hours does she sleep? How clean is her home? Where does she shop?

Then before you know it, you are no longer good enough for your family. You don't measure up to the world's standards for a woman. You're a failure and you're on the brink of hating yourself. What you should be doing is feeling grateful for the place of service, that God has given you. You should be in awe at the talents and gift that God sovereignly gave to you in order to serve where He placed you.

I have shown you who I am and what my life is like behind the pages. But I also want to show you the imperfections that I have. Those areas that I usually try to hide, I want to show you now, so that you will not be able to look at me as if I'm an image of the perfect woman. When you read Proverbs 31 we meet the image that God has given for the perfect woman and sadly even this gets miss used. Read the message again and see what God really wants you to see: A woman ought to love the Lord with all her heart, all her soul, all her mind, and all her strength. She should serve lovingly in her home AND in the areas that God has provided for her outside of it. This may look like a full time job, or volunteer work, or a work at home sort of job. She should give to the poor and be a guide to the lost. She should love mercy, do justly, and walk humbly before the Lord.

Random Info:

My favorite tea is Twinnings Earl Grey.

I don't drink milk.

I LOVE Christmas trees and Christmas lights, but you've probably already guessed that :)

My all time favorite song is How Great is our God

Before I settle in to write, I normally clear my head with some pinterest browsing.

Most of my writing happens at night which means I've picked up 2 terrible habits: napping and late night snacking

About You:

Now it's your turn. Tell me something about yourself. Do we have anything in common? Send me a message. I'd love to hear from you and I make every effort to answer each message!