Healing Luke by Beth Cornelison

As I write this guest blog post, I'm sitting on my back porch, enjoying a beautiful day of cooler-than-average temperatures for Louisiana. After getting my morning writing done (with the window open–oh, how my inside-only cats loved that!) I couldn't resist the chance to move outside to work and maybe steal a nap. While I pondered what aspect of my new release Healing Luke to expound upon, the thing uppermost in my thoughts was that beautiful days like this one were not to be squandered or taken for granted. This led me to think about what a beautiful day it had been in Destin, Florida, for Luke Morgan when Healing Luke opens. A beautiful day when Luke took so much for granted— his family, his health, his place in the world. All it took was one spark to change Luke's perception of everything he thought he knew.]

Burned and bitter, Luke has to relearn everything from how to use his right hand and manipulate objects to his relationship with his father and brother. He has to accept a new self-image, a healthy view that allows him to love himself again before he can share his love with the woman who helps give him a second chance at life.

So ... that is the plot of Healing Luke in a nutshell, but this gift of a beautiful day leads me to ask: What do you take for granted? You may not think you take anything for granted, that you're pretty aware of your blessings and you are grateful every day for things like your job, your education, your home. But sometimes we find out there are things we take for granted when those things are taken from us unexpectedly.

For example, I learned to appreciate my bathroom when I went camping with my son on a Cub Scout trip years ago. A dark hole in the ground in the midst of bug infested woods is not where I want to be when nature calls in the middle of the night!

A power outage due to an ice storm on Christmas day made me appreciate the electricity to run my coffee-maker. And having the local airport close before my husband made it home from a trip that same icy Christmas made me appreciate holidays when my family is together and safe. I really try not to take for granted anything about my health, or my family, my friends, or my safe bed at night. But who knows what I count on being there every day, that I pay little attention to until it fails or disappears. My reliable car? A safe school for my son? Clean drinking water at my beck and call?

Today as I sit on my back porch, enjoying a beautiful day, I count among my blessings (and cannot take for granted!) the great positive reviews that Healing Luke has received so far, a supportive publisher in Sourcebooks, and the opportunity to share my enthusiasm for books and writing with readers like you.

So how about you? What blessings did you once take for granted that you now don't? And why? Like the camping trip that taught me to appreciate indoor plumbing, what happened to remind you not to take that thing for granted? Share your fun lessons in appreciation with us!

Happy reading!

Healing Luke—in stores now!

Covered with burn scars, having lost an eye and a thumb in a nearly fatal accident, Luke Morgan's days as a ladies' man are over. But his bitterness, far more than his injuries, threatens to tear apart his family and their business.

Abby Stanford is a physical therapist on vacation in Florida. When she meets Luke, she understands everything he's going through. She finds herself powerfully attracted to him, damaged though he believes he is. Abby can look beyond his pain and anger to see the man he is inside, enabling Luke, too, to see himself as whole and desirable once again…

About the Author
Georgia native Beth Cornelison worked in public relations before pursuing her love of writing fiction. She has published five category romances, winning numerous honors for her work, including RWA’s coveted Golden Heart. Cornelison is active in her local RWA chapter and presents writing workshops across the country. She lives in West Monroe, Louisiana. For more information, please visit www.bethcornelison.com.

GIVEAWAY
Sourcebooks is sponsoring a giveaway of TWO copies of this book! This giveaway is open to the United States and Canada. To enter, leave a comment (don't forget the email addy).