Aimee Martin is a wife, mother of 3 and author, among many other things. I’ve known this cool chick for many, many years, and let me just tell you that she can handle all of those life roles, and then some. Aimee is strong, smart, kind and loyal. She knows how to handle business, she’s got a good plan for everything, and on top of all of these incredible traits, she’s FUN. I’m so incredibly thankful that she’s my friend, and I’m so happy that she was willing to answer a few questions so that Kind Kiddo readers can get to know her. She is releasing her latest novel in the beautiful and inspirational Lake Shores Series which is making this a very exciting time for her and her readers. So, everyone, here’s Aimee…
KK: Congratulations on the release of your third novel! What can readers expect from this most recent installment of the Lake Shore Series?
AM: Thank you so much! The thing that’s so great about this series is that each book is what we call a stand-alone. You don’t have to have read the previous two in order to follow along in this one. But of course, it helps! The series follows a family from a small South Texas country town. The first one, Forever Home, begins with the lone daughter-turned actress. She and her best friend get into an automobile accident, and her friend dies, which causes our heroin to be angry with God and herself. We follow Brinley’s journey back to God again, and eventually, true love and happiness. The second book, Forever Grateful, is a little more intense. It starts with a young woman in college who goes through, in my mind, one of the worst ordeals a woman can go through. This is when Brinley’s brother, Alex, enters the story. He helps her to forgive herself for her mistakes and those committed against her. And now we make it to my third, Forever Treasured. This book is about one of the most common problems we see in the world today – divorce brought on by adultery. The hero in this book is Brinley’s other brother, Aaron, who got married in the first story. He “catches his wife in the act” and realizes what a mistake their marriage was and ends up divorcing her. The heroin, Ally (who had a brief part in book 2), is a tiny slip of a woman with a big attitude and no trust when it comes to men, being the victim of a cheating husband and a divorcee herself. They have to fight extra hard to get past their own insecurities about the sanctity of marriage, and it’s working, but there’s a threat on their life that works to stop their happily ever after at all costs.
KK: What inspired you to write the Lake Shore Series?
AM: It all started when my youngest child was getting out of her “baby phase.” My older two children were growing up and had their own little child-lives starting. My life was changing all around me, and at the time, I wasn’t sure I was ready for it. I got depressed. So what did I do? I went to my own mother and asked for advice. And she told me to do what has always put a smile on my face… she told me to write. So I got a stack of notepads and a bundle of pencils and went to town. No outline, no development. Just writing. Six weeks later, I had a story! All of my stories are Inspirational Romance, which means that, in addition to a love story, there’s an underlining message about faith. One of the most positive things readers have said is that they love that my characters are real people. Christians in everyday life are not perfect. But we seek redemption, and God gives it to us. That’s how I portray my characters. My inspiration for the Lake Shores series, the reason I keep writing, is because if one person, just one, picks up one of my books and takes away a message of faith and forgiveness and eternal love, then I’ve done my job.
KK: You take care of your 3 kiddos, your husband, your home and lots of animals! How do you find the time to write?
AM: My husband is a Rock Star who is incredibly supportive and helps me out in any way he can… when I let him… which, I’ll admit, is not often. But his support of my writing, and knowing how happy it makes me, is a big help all on its own. When my kids were younger, I’ll admit that it was difficult to write. I just had to squeeze it in when I could. But my kids have supported me, too, because even they see how happy I am putting stories together. They constantly ask me, “Momma, how’s the new book coming? How many words did you write today?” Now that my youngest is almost six, and she started kindergarten this year (where did the time go?!?), I’ve worked out a new plan of writing attack. I write when my husband is at work and my kids are at school. When they come home, the computer goes up and we focus on each other as a family. My older two children, who are 13 and 10, help out a lot with our animals (chickens, dogs and a calf) by feeding them in the evenings, usually when I’m fixing dinner. As a stay-at-home mom, I write and take care of our household all day alone, so I’m very excited when my family is home for evenings and weekends. It’s a great balance.
KK: How do you think your books will inspire your children when they grow up?
AM: Well, they aren’t allowed to read my books just yet. They’ve all been told that when they turn 18, they get a copy. It is romance, after all. But my hope is that if and when my kids read my stories, they’ll see that no matter what hardships life throws at them, no matter what trials and tribulations they have to go through, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. I hope my stories inspire them to go out into the world with an open heart just ready and willing to accept the love and commitment from another person so that they, too, can experience this fun, roller coaster ride we call parenting. Plus, I really want grand babies!
KK: And finally, the traditional Kind Kiddo question… How do you teach kindness in your home?
AM: The number one is probably always expressing the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you’d have done unto you. It’s amazing to me how convincing those nine little words are… even to kids. But we, my husband and I, try to lead by example, too. We always use manners, to each other and to strangers. We use kind words to talk about how we feel about each other. We help each other out without having to be asked. Our kiddos see that and learn from that and realize that we’re not just telling them how to grow up kind and respectful. We’re acting on those same principles ourselves, which makes it easier for them to want to be kind people, too. One of my favorites though on how we show a kind example is usually brought on by my husband. He often comes into the kitchen while I’m cooking and listening to music and gives me a kiss or tells me how good dinner smells. Or, and probably my favorite, stops me from stirring that pot of spaghetti sauce to swing me around in a dance. Our kids see that. They see the love and respect and kindness we share, and they want to be like that, too.
Forever Treasured is available for purchase February 29, 2016 from Amazon.
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