Rachel Writes...

Please welcome my friend and author Susan Meissner. I've known Susan for a few years now and love her heart and spirit. She's a beautiful, fabulous woman in love with Jesus. Check out her latest release.

Blue Heart Blessed

Left standing at the altar, Daisy Murien, a wounded but hopeful romantic, opens a secondhand wedding dress boutique, hoping to soothe her broken heart while giving doomed wedding dresses a second chance at love.

Her predictable days take a sharp turn, though, when the retired Episcopal priest who blesses the tiny, blue satin heart she sews into each dress falls ill.

When the priest's brooding and recently divorced son arrives with plans to take his ailing father away, a contest of wills begins between two stubborn - and hurting - souls.

While fighting to keep Father Laurent close by, Daisy finally begins to understand why she has routinely convinced potential buyers not to buy the one gown that started her business - her own.

She doesn't want to give up on the dream of a fairytale romance. This compelling story is about the magnificence of unconditional love and God's impeccable timing in bringing it about.

Publisher's Weekly said this about Blue Heart Blessed:

"Meissner tells her story well, and her Christian themes are interwoven throughout with a deft touch. Readers will appreciate some fresh elements: an Ecuadorian couple that cooks for the apartment dwellers every Sunday, and the one gown in Daisy's inventory she does not want to sell.

The ending is well told if conventional, with all the loose ends neatly tied up, which should please fans of "happily ever after" romance novels."

Romantic Times gave it 4½ stars and chose it for one of their Top Picks for February:

"Meissner's unique story is a treat. It's filled with realistic, wounded characters who rely on God's grace and guidance to see them through. Themes of learning to trust God and waiting for His perfect timing exude warmth and love."

Where did this story idea come from?

I was on a long car ride with a friend one afternoon a couple years ago. She had just seen her roommate's wedding dress and she was describing it to me. It sounded so beautiful. I said something like, "It's kind of a shame such a lovely dress will only be worn once."

As soon as those words were out of my mouth, a story began to bloom in my head about a woman who opens a boutique and sells second-hand wedding dresses.

I began to imagine what kind of woman would open a shop like that and by the time we got to our destination, I had a title for this book, my quirky character Daisy, and a reason why she can’t seem to sell the one dress that began it all.

And I knew this would be a story about waiting on God for true love - that is, love that is true.

I've got a great blog started that will dovetail nicely with this book. The blog, called Blue Heart Blessed by the way, will feature stories, ideas, op-ed pieces, poems, jokes, lists, you name it, on quirky engagements, second chances at love, proposals, laughable wedding stories and the like.

I'd love to hear from readers and writers alike, especially if they've a story to share. Here's the web address:

Published by Harvest House, Blue Heart Blessed will release on February 1.