Memories of trials and triumphs
Sitting down with a copy of Linda Hawkins’ new memoir, On the Wings of Words Given, is like snuggling under a blanket in the crook of mom’s or grandmother’s arm to listen to stories about her life. Hawkins’ transparency and conversational writing style create a comfort in her readers, resulting in an immediate sense of kinship.
Hawkins laments that this short-story collection covering childhood to grandparenthood came about as a means of working through grief after losing seven family members in a two-year span. Recalling memories of those she had lost helped her to process and work toward healing.
“Writing our life’s stories incorporates gratitude into our days, giving us a heart of joy,” she explains. Sadly, Hawkins’ husband of almost 50 years recently died in a tragic accident. Still, she chooses to focus on the blessing of being able to give him the first copy of this latest book, a tradition they shared, just before his passing.
You can purchase On the Wings of Words Given, $14.99, from Hawkins’ Heart to Heart Publishing company. See more of her award-winning books, including Alexander and the Great Food Fight as well as its spinoffs.
Learn more about Hawkins’ educational children’s programs and speaking schedule, or connect with her at www.lindajhawkins.com.
“If you share a book, you enrich a life,” says Hawkins.
Hawkins’ childhood stories of simpler times and carefree days will produce a smile and a chuckle. “Dressed Chicken or Chicken Dressed,” for example, recounts the time her grandmother asked her to help prepare the evening meal. What a shock to discover dressing the chicken from the yard did not involve a cute little doll dress!
Other stories such as “Heart to Heart is Born” detail the path her life has taken and connects the events to her deep faith in God.
Hawkins is an avid supporter of traditional family values and promotes children’s literature about nutrition. “I enjoy dressing in Southern belle or Victorian attire during engagements where, in addition to healthy eating, I speak on tea history and etiquette,” she says. Her goal and passion in life is to continue helping families be healthier and happier.
Over the course of her successful writing career, Hawkins, a consumer-member of Warren RECC, has received numerous awards: the Independent Book Publishers Benjamin Franklin Award, the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award, and she was an International Book Awards Finalist.
In addition to running her own publishing house, Heart to Heart Publishing Inc., for 20 years, she is the founder of the Butler County Child Abuse Prevention organization.
