Today, we welcome a new-to-me (and highly recommended) author to the blog! I just finished reading The Heart Between Us by Lindsay Harrel (YAY!) and she has all kinds of giveaways going on, including one exclusively for y’all!
about the author
Lindsay Harrel is a lifelong book nerd who lives in Arizona with her young family and two golden retrievers in serious need of training. She’s held a variety of writing and editing jobs over the years, and now juggles stay-at-home mommyhood with writing novels.
When she’s not writing or chasing after her children, Lindsay enjoys making a fool of herself at Zumba, curling up with anything by Jane Austen, and savoring sour candy one piece at a time. Connect with her on her website and social media!
website | facebook | twitter | instagram | pinterest
five favorites
Favorite tradition
Lindsay: My mom always made a huge deal out of birthdays when we were growing up. She’d bound into our rooms in the morning singing “Happy birthday.” All day long, we would get to choose our favorite meals and what we wanted to do with the day—usually I chose to go see a movie as a family (my birthday is right around Thanksgiving, so we were usually out of school). I plan to do this with my own children and remind them every year how special they are.
Beth: What precious memories, Lindsay! ❤
Lindsay: Oh man, I was obsessed with the Baby-Sitters Club books by Ann M. Martin. I would go to the library and load up on as many as I could find. We could check out up to 25 books on our cards, I think, and I maxed out my card every visit!
Beth: YES! Those books are the one thing every girl had in common around the 4th or 5th grade!
Favorite fictional couple
Lindsay: Hands down, Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe. I love how he challenges her and makes her rethink her ideas of romance. And I love how they began as enemies, then became friends, then dear friends, and finally fell in love. Sigh. Nothing more perfect than that!
Beth: We are officially friends forever. I couldn’t agree more!
Favorite place to write
Lindsay: I love to write at the library. It’s where I wrote almost all of my first book (not the published one…I mean The Book That Must Not Be Named). There’s something really inspiring to me about being surrounded by words and other authors who have been doing this longer than me. It’s always been a dream to see my own book shelved at that library, and soon I hope to have that experience!
Beth: Your first book sounds ominous, I’ve heard about that kind of first book! 😉
Favorite recipe
Lindsay: My mom didn’t like cooking much, but every Christmas morning, she’d make a breakfast casserole with blueberry muffins. The blueberry muffins were from a box, but that’s beside the point! I’ve continued the tradition and make the same casserole every year at Christmastime. Since my mom is no longer on this earth, it’s a very tangible reminder of her presence at the holidays. Here’s the really easy recipe (not sure where it’s from originally!):
Ingredients
1 lb Jimmy Dean Mild Sausage
8 pieces toast
8 eggs
8 oz grated cheddar cheese
2 cups milk
1 tsp dry mustard
Salt and pepper, to tasteInstructions
Brown sausage. Drain off excess grease. Dump into bowl. Cut toast up into little squares and mix into bowl. Mix in eggs, cheese, milk, dry mustard, and salt and pepper. Grease bottom of pan. Dump mixture into pan. Set in refrigerator overnight. Place in oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour or a little longer.
Beth: My mother-in-law always made cinnamon rolls from scratch for holidays and it has taken us years to master them. Sometimes food is more than something to fill your belly. ❤
books
Tell us about your latest release
Lindsay: The Heart Between Us is truly the book of my heart. I put so much of myself and my own experiences into my characters, especially Crystal. From dealing with a sick family member in my formative years (my mom had cancer when I was young and died when I was 19) to tying my identity to my achievements, fearing becoming a mom, and desiring to live life to the fullest, the characters are very much an embodiment of my own doubts and the cries of my own spirit.
Beth: It shows! This story is full of heart (and I’m not trying to be punny this time!)
The Heart Between Us by Lindsay Harrel
Megan Jacobs always wished for a different heart. Her entire childhood was spent in and out of hospitals, sitting on the sidelines while her twin sister Crystal played all the sports, got all the guys, and had all the fun. But even a heart transplant three years ago wasn’t enough to propel Megan’s life forward. She’s still working as a library aide in her small Minnesota hometown and living with her parents, dreaming of the adventure she plans to take “once she’s well enough.” Meanwhile, her sister is a successful architect with a handsome husband and the perfect life—or so Megan thinks.
When her heart donor’s parents give Megan their teenage daughter’s journal—complete with an unfulfilled bucket list—Megan connects with the girl she meets between the pages and is inspired to venture out and check off each item. Caleb—a friend from her years in and out of the hospital—reenters her life and pushes her to find the courage to take the leap and begin her journey. She’s thrown for a loop when Crystal offers to join her for reasons of her own, but she welcomes the company and the opportunity to mend their tenuous relationship.
As Megan and Crystal check items off the bucket list, Megan fights the fears that have been instilled in her after a lifetime of illness. She must choose between safety and adventure and learn to embrace the heart she’s been given so that she can finally share it with the people she loves most.
goodreads | amazon | bookdepository | christianbook
Beth: Y’all are going to love this story! I’ve been a little under the weather this week (hard for me to sniffle and swoof simultaneously) but I’ll be getting my review up ASAP!
What are you working on now?
Lindsay: I’m currently working on edits for my next book, which will release in February 2019. It’s about a broken woman who travels from America to Cornwall, England—the setting of her favorite author’s novels—to find the courage to write her own story.
Beth: Sounds inspiring!
q&a
What is your comfort food?
Lindsay: Ice cream. Hands down. It doesn’t matter if it’s hot or cold outside, if I’m sad or celebrating—ice cream is perfect all the time.
Beth: Best answer! I love ice cream too! Especially with cookies ????
Lindsay: I am about to dive into Jessica Dotta’s Price of Privilege trilogy
Beth: Oooooo! I’ve read some of those! I love the covers!
Describe yourself in five words.
Lindsay: Empathetic, list-lover, boy-mom, dreamer, emotion-filled (I kind of cheated by using some hyphens…hehehe)
Beth: Clever! Thank you so much for visiting with us today, Lindsay!
giveaways
Lindsay has several giveaway opportunities listed on her website and she is giving away an amazing prize package during release week.
Enter HERE to win a copy of The Heart Between Us, a $25 Amazon gift card, and several fun travel-themed items.
The giveaway is open to U.S. residents and ends Sunday, 3/18, at midnight Pacific time.
PLUS Lindsay is generously offering one Faithfully Bookish reader friend a paperback copy of The Heart Between Us!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
Do YOU have a special recipe or food that reminds you of a loved one?
Do you share any of Lindsay’s favorites, reader friends?
Faithfully Bookish 
Thank you for introducing us to another author. ???? I look forward to read this book.
Thank you,
Stephanie
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I hope you enjoy it, Stephanie!
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My mom always made “date roll” at Christmas and served it with homemade whip cream (which by the way I have NEVER made). Date roll is much better than the traditional fruit cake.
And gasp, I have never read any of the Baby-Sitter Club books (showing my age here). I was all about Laura Ingalls Wilder and Nancy Drew.
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Well, I’ve never had date roll, so we’re even. 😉
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Mom loved to bake and taught me just about everything I know when it comes to the kitchen. I was fortunate enough to have the foresight to write down a lot of those passed down recipes a few years before Mom went to her heavenly home. Some of them meant being there as she made it taking what she had poured in her hand and measuring it before it went into the bowl. I made my own little tried and true cookbook. So, it’s now just one recipe that I love to make but rather any of them in that book that are my favorites and bring back such sweet memories just as Lindsey does with her Mom’s Christmas morning specialty.
I’d very much love the chance to read “The Heart Between Us”. It sounds like a book that I would love and definitely share with others.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
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Kay, what sweet memories for you! My mom was sick for awhile, so I ended up making the traditional holiday meals the last few years she was with us. But she was pretty precise about her measurements…definitely a recipe follower, as am I!
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My mom always made her famous Fresh Orange Layer Cake for our birthdays. I now make it for Christmas as our birthday cake for Jesus. Love how certain foods remind us of loved ones.
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Ooo, that cake sounds delicious! I’ve never had an orange cake before. You’re making me hungry!
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Yes, I make a pork tenderloin casserole that my grandma always used to make. I’m so looking forward to reading this book!
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Yum! Sounds amazing. Is there cheese in it? Everything is better with cheese. 😉
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There isn’t… but there should be! ????
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I actually never read The Babysitter Club books. I gravitated to other series, like Magic Tree House, The Boxcar Children and The Bailey School Kids. Such nostalgia over these books. And yes, I checked out several at a time, too.
I’m so excited to read The Heart Between Us! Thanks for the chance to win.
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I read The Boxcar Children too, and lots of Nancy Drew. I don’t think I knew about the Magic Tree House or Bailey School Kids books.
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When I make macaroni salad I think of my Daddy. He always loved it. I wish I could make it for him one more time. I have never read The Baby-Sitters Club books but I bought them for my girls when they were young. I still have them.
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Did your girls like them? And that’s so sweet about your Daddy. I wish I could have one more meal with my mom too. Hugs.
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What a nice interview! And I can’t wait to read this book!
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Thank you, Jennifer. It was a fun one to do. And I hope you enjoy Megan and Crystal’s journey.
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I have a homemade cheesecake recipe passed down from my grandma that makes me think of her every time I make it. Love always makes it taste better.
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Hmmm, cheesecake. I’ve actually never made one myself. I totally should, though.
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My mom made these lemon yeast rolls which remind me of her. My grandmother made peppernuts so when I get some from my sister at Christmas, I always think of my grandma.
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That all sounds amazing. I love how certain foods make us think of certain memories and people.
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Pomegranetes always remind me of my grandparents since they had a tree in their yard. Boysenberries and raw honeycomb remind me of my father because we had berry bushes in our yard growing up, and my dad was a beekeeper hobbyist.
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Sweet memories!
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Our family has a Swiss bread recipe that we love. My Swiss grandmother used to make it often, then my mother and father made it. Now that they are all passed on, some of my siblings still make it. I’ve tried to make it, but mine just never turns out quite as good.
Thanks for the fun spotlight, Beth and Lindsay! I’m reading Lindsay’s book now and loving it!
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Don’t give up, Winnie! (could your altitude be messing up the bread?)
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My mother and my grandmother always made a Swedish dish called Oostakaka for the holidays, and now I make it, and my children have all learned to make it. My mother also made a pineapple salad that when I make it, it reminds me of her. Anne & Gilbert are one of my favorites (Darcy & Elizabeth are my top favorite). Her birthday tradition is much like what we did with our children when they were growing up. We celebrated their birthday all day! And I read The Babysitters Club books because my girls were reading them.
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I love that your family is passing down that recipe, Becky! How wonderful!
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Great interview Beth & thanks for introducing me to a new-to-me author.
Like you Lindsay, I love Anne Shirley & Gilbert Blythe. As to a favorite recipe that reminds me of a loved one I’d say my grandmother’s chocolate pound cake recipe & my mother’s carrot cake recipe (my very favorite).
Blessings, Tina
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Mmmmmm, cake! ????
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I have a recipe for a banana split cake that my sister used to make
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Sounds yummy!
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Hi. Our family has my grandma’s recipe for old-fashioned cream pie.
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Folks love the desserts! ????
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Thank you for the recipe! I love breakfast casseroles and never put dry mustard in one. 🙂
My comfort food is mashed potatoes and gravy. I seriously would buy the container of potatoes and gravy from KFC when I was in college because it reminded me of home. Well as close as I could get. 🙂
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Mmmmm, taters and gravy! That’s a good one!
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I’m so excited about Lindsay’s book–it sounds wonderful! I love foreign settings. And as far as recipes, I do love making my mother in law’s cinnamon rolls. Oh, and I think Lindsay already probably knows I like Gilbert Blythe so much I named my son after him (Blythe Gilbert). 🙂
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You win the Gil-fan award, Heather! ????
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I love Gilbert and Anne and ice cream toooooooo!
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YAY! ????
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meatloaf
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Oh yeah! And leftover meatloaf sandwiches the next day!
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Baking cookies, especially at Christmas ALWAYS takes me back to baking cookies with my grandma. I get a lump in my throat even now, remembering my grandma. She has been gone many years. Food is kind of like music in that it evokes memories and it nourishes more than the physical it nourishes the emotions.
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Awww! Yes, you are so right!
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Sounds like a good read.
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I enjoyed it very much!
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My Mom made the best pork schnitzel. We always remember her when we make it.
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Fun interview. : ) Looking forward to reading the book!
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