My Review of "Awakening Avery" by Laurie Lewis and Contest to Win Your Own Copy

Avery can't cope with the death of her husband and is finally convinced by her son to return to the family's Anna Maria Island vacation spot.
With the help from some new-found friends, Avery swaps her house with a widower named Gabriel. As Avery and Gabriel step into each others lives, they begin a correspondence that leads to spiritual and emotional awakening for each of them.

Laurie Lewis, well known as L.C. Lewis, author of the "Free Men and Dreamers" historical fiction series, has written a heart warming and very emotionally driven book. There are many feelings that are brought up in the reader as this novel progresses. I was hooked from the very first page.

"Everyone knew it was inevitable-everyone but Avery Elkins Thompson herself. She smashed the television first, though she hadn't intended to. She had fumbled with the remote for ten minutes, trying to figure out how to record an NBC special, and when the TiVo brought up the screen with the list of programs to record-his list...she lost it. She hurled the remote across the room, not intending for it to hit the center of the screen, but it did."

Right after you read this first paragraph, you want to know more about Avery. Why is she so angry? Why did she lose it? What happened to her to lead to this point in her life? As a reader you are drawn in so quickly to the emotions of Avery and her heartache. She is someone that is flawed, but you choose to cheer for her from the start.

Avery is turning 50, so she is not a young female that is usually seen in many novels. Avery is a woman who has loved and lost. She is being pulled in so many directions, from her grown-up children and their problems to dealing with the loss of her beloved husband. In "Awakening Avery" we go on a journey of healing with her. I found the characters to be so real, with emotions seen in all of us. The grief was portrayed realistically, as was the loneliness and pain of being single again.

In the book, Avery is a famous author. She sets forth to write another novel. As she tries to find the muse to jump start her writing career again, she remembers what her Grandfather told her many years ago.

" 'Don't just tell a story, Avery Xandra. Take me somewhere. Teach me something.' The challenge had always seemed so daunting at first. 'What could I possibly teach you Grandfather?' She still remembered his soft, encouraging rebuke, delivered with a cock of his head and a rapid click of his tongue, 'Has anyone else dreamed your dreams? Asked your questions? Seen inside your heart? Show me those things-teach me about those things.'
Avery thought again about her life. She had seen, lived, loved, and lost much. What have I learned from these things?' "

This was my favorite part of the whole book. I felt like Laurie was talking to me, an aspiring author. I am going to keep these words somewhere close to me as I write. This was a lesson for me from a master storyteller. My heart also loved the character of George, Avery's fellow LDS friend. She learned many lessons from this wise, older friend. I wish that more of the relationship had been played out between Gabriel and Avery, but the way it was presented, was clever and it worked in the long run.

Laurie truly knows how to draw the reader in and never let you go until the very last page. "Awakening Avery" is a story that will stay with you for a very long time. You can visit Laurie at her blog here.
This book can be purchased at Amazon.com



Summer's here and what better way to kick it off than with a blog tour for
Awakening Avery by Laurie Lewis as Awakening Avery
is the perfect poolside read.



Walnut Springs press is giving away 3 fabulous prizes.
Two readers will win their own copy of Awakening Avery! Yeah. There will be one lucky grand prize winner who will the beautiful necklace below. The contest opens June 2 and
will close June 13 at midnight MST.

June 1 Sheila Staley
Why Not? Because I
Said So!

LDS Women's Book Review


June 2 Alison Palmer
Tangled Words and Dreams

June 3 Kimberly Jobs
Scribbled Scraps

June 4 Nichole Giles
Random-ish by Nichole

June 7 Deanne Blackhurst
The Book of Deanne

June 8 Tristi Pinkston
*Tristi Pinkston, LDS
Author

June 9 C.S. Bezas
For the Love of the Written Word

June 10 Joan Sowards
Joan Sowards

June 11 Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen
The Write Blocks

Entering the contest is easy--all you have to do is blog, tweet, follow, or
comment and then fill out this little form HERE.

1. Follow our reviewers blogs.
(1 entry for each blog you follow.)

2. Leave a comment on a
review. (1 entry for each review you comment on.)

2. Blog about Awakening Avery, the contest, or a review. (3 entries
for each blog post.)

3. Follow us on twitter. (1 entry
for each person you follow.)
Walnut Springs Press
http://twitter.com/walnutspringspr
Nichole Giles
http://twitter.com/nicholegiles
LDS Women's Book Review
http://twitter.com/LDSWBR
Sheila Staley
http://twitter.com/ssdawn2002
Kimberly Job
http://twitter.com/kimberlyjob
Joan Sowards
http://twitter.com/joansowards

4. Tweet about the contest. (2
entries for each tweet.)

5. Post about the contest on your
Facebook. (2 entries for each facebook post or status update
about the contest.)

6. Become a fan of Walnut Springs Press on Facebook. (1 entry for becoming a fan.)

7. Anything else you can think of that
will spread the word. (3 entries for every social media site you post
on.) If you mention it on goodreads, shelfari, google buzz, make it your
status on gmail chat, MSN or yahoo messenger let us know. We'll reward your
creativity with entries.


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