Interview With Author Elise Abiel

  

1. What inspired you to write this book?  

Millions of people are alone and don’t understand or experience the deep love God has for them.  God wants us to know him!  Yet, we as American Christians have often misrepresented his character and isolated ourselves from each other. Why would anyone seek God when they don’t feel loved and witness all the rhetoric attached to his name?  I have experienced God’s love firsthand! In sharing the struggles and miracles of my life, along with a glimpse of God’s compassion, I hope to encourage others to seek him.   

2. What exactly is it about and who is it written for?  

The Love Tree, Journey to Everlasting is the story of mankind and our dreams—the universal story of our hopes and expectations coming up against reality.  God’s character is challenged in the struggle!  Yet the hard times have a purpose; it’s here that the healing leaves of life can teach us how to navigate relationships and glimpse the meaning of true love. Illustrated with true stories, Abiel reluctantly yet openly shares her life, along with God’s enduring message to mankind. As we identify with and explore each imprint along our path, The Love Tree becomes a practical guide for our journey from this beautiful yet treacherous world to a perfect everlasting home.  

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book?  

I hope and pray that readers come away with a new understanding of God’s love. New relationships can be forged as people explore the discovery questions of each chapter together. I pray that hearts will be open and families healed from the disappointment of unmet expectations and mistrust. I hope that communities will thrive as they make time to do life together. Most of all, that everyone would become a part of God’s eternal family. I pray that God uses The Love Tree to help accomplish his goals. 

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? 

The title, The Love Tree, Journey to Everlasting was chosen for its multi-layered meaning.  The book’s prologue starts with the Tree of Life and ends with God’s invitation to become a part of his family tree. The subtitle gives added clarity to help buyers know what the book is spiritual in nature. The cover image of the light flowing through the bright green leaves was chosen to instill hope. 

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!?  

Share your story! When you write you grow—you understand yourself and those around you in a more complete light.  You have the opportunity to inspire others with your story, one book at a time.  

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?  

Honestly, I don’t know much about book trends but with publishing being accessible to more and more people it is bound to change.  Some people will write so that history is recorded or to pass on what they’ve learned to their grandchildren; others to teach or entertain. The publishing industry is finding a way to make a profit on a much wider array of writing.  

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book?  

The Love Tree, in part, is a memoir. The stories of my life are woven from chapter to chapter with the greater story of how God has revealed himself to mankind. Finding our way home is a personal journey for each of us. My life story illustrates the progression and purpose found within the good and bad we encounter during our lifetimes.  

8. How would you describe your writing style? 

I strive to write in an understandable way that breaks down misconceptions within theology. Yet, I long to reach the heart, so a poetic style is also used at times.  

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? 

The Love Tree, Journey to Everlasting is my third attempt at the same goal. It takes time to learn the craft of writing and understand what moves the heart.  Sometimes, I had to learn by living—I needed to change before I could write what I sensed God wanted known. We are all a work in progress😉. Near the end of writing my first book I went through a difficult cancer treatment. The following two books were more transparent. Technology was also a huge challenge.  There is a significant amount to learn in order to format and create files for publication. 

10. If people could buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? 

The Love Tree, Journey to Everlasting is a book that can truly change your life.  All of us are born to grow in our relationships with each other and God—to be made ready for a new world where nobody has an evil thought.  We all hope for life after death and that this difficult life leads to something more!  The Love Tree paraphrases what God’s message reveals about being made ready, intertwined with relatable stories to illustrate those truths. My prayer is that it will help each reader in their journey to find their way home. 

About The Author: Elise Abiel is quite ordinary yet has experienced some extraordinary adversity and adventure. She experienced the fragility of life, as a young mother of an infant and two-year-old, when sudden tragedy left her widowed. Later in life she battled stage 4 cancer, yet lived.  A zeal to experience God, see his creation, and live fully, motivated her to pursue adventures throughout the world. Elise has also lived coast to coast, in seven states, giving her a wide array of cultural experience.  Her pen name, Abiel, means “God is my Father,” a wonderful truth that has carried her throughout her life.

Abiel has a love for both art and science, with an associate’s degree in mechanical design, an art and design focus at a CA state university, and a bachelor’s degree from Washington Bible College. She was blessed to be a stay-at-home parent when her children were young, and as they entered high school owned and managed a homemade ice cream shop with the purpose of funding world missions. A quiet problem solver, with the heart of an advocate, Elise desires to see others find God and live a purposeful life.  And so, she tells her story, and a glimpse of God’s, in The Love Tree, Journey to Everlasting. 

 

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 4,900+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.