PIECES OF YOU
April Farlow
GENRE: Christian Living
BLURB:
Knowing who you are has always been challenging, and in today’s world, more and more voices are coming from more and more places telling us who we should be. The result? A broken sense of identity that we’re struggling to put back together.
In Pieces of You, April Farlow shares how she discovered her identity is formed by the God who made her. Along the way, she’s learned that if we want to put the pieces of who we are together in a real, lasting way, we have to look to Whose we are for help.
It’s time to take a look at the unique pieces that make up who you are …
The pieces you compare …
The pieces informed by the father figure in your life …
The painful pieces …
The pieces of your relationships …
The pieces on which you’ve built your beliefs …
The pieces that give you rules and boundaries …
The pieces that show what you value …
The pieces that give you purpose …
The pieces that help you build a vision for what’s to come.
As we work to put those pieces together, we’ll look to the God who made us, knows us, and loves us to guide us. Because when you take all your pieces—the good, the bad, the broken, and the beautiful—and place them in your Heavenly Father’s hands, there, you’ll find peace. There, you’ll find security. There, you’ll find a real sense of who you are and Whose you are.
Excerpt:
Remember that forgiving someone doesn’t mean what they did is okay. It doesn’t mean you have to trust that person again. It doesn’t mean you have to be close in relationship with them. All it means is that you choose to heal. You decide to release the wrong done in favor of what’s best for your heart.
One Kaleidoscope … recalled her parents getting a divorce when she was six years old. The visits with her dad were infrequent for the next two years until he moved out of town and completely lost contact with her. She heard nothing from him till seventeen years later when her brother found a distant relative … and was given a phone number for their father.
With one text, they were back in touch with their dad. At first, their conversations were surface-level as they got to know one another again…. Emotions ran high, but thanks to his willingness to show up, my friend was able to forgive.
Fast forward another six months, and her dad abruptly stopped answering the phone again. All the work they'd done to repair the relationship was gone like that. Her emotions of abandonment came flooding back. My friend had to make the tough decision to forgive again, this time without the promise of a relationship. Through counseling, she learned she didn’t have to keep reaching out only to be let down. She learned to set boundaries and to let forgiveness heal her hurts, all without inviting the relationship with her father back to the place that it was.
Interview with April Farlow
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
It is always energizing to look back at what you have written and see it come together, but how I arrive there looks different! Sometimes writing leaves me feeling creative and on top of my game and then at others it brings out doubts and frustration. I have learned to stop what I am doing when I get creative thoughts rather than trying to force myself to write when I have blocked time, and it is much more enjoyable that way!
What is the first book that made you cry?
To Kill A Mockingbird had a big impact on me as a young reader and is still one of my favorites!
How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
I learned so much about writing, especially having someone edit my work – and I am not talking about the grammar edits. In some ways it felt like a life edit to have someone else reading my stories and telling me which ones to keep/toss out.
What do you owe the real people upon whom you base your characters?
The book is largely inspired by my dad. He named me after a song called “Pieces of April” and that is where the name “Pieces of You” derived. Everyday on the way to school, my dad would say, “Remember who you are and remember I love you. Each chapter in the book ends with 2 sets of questions: Remember who you are and Remember Whose you are.
Also, I gathered 30 women together to write this book and their stories appear throughout the book. More than helping me write, they have shown up for the events, shared on social media and pushed me forward in every way. I hope I can repay them by showing up for them when it’s their turn to try something new!
Where did your love of books/storytelling/reading/writing/etc. come from?
More than anything, I love words. I collect Instagram posts/quotes and stories! I teach communication classes that include storytelling sessions, and I love to hear people express their ideas through words. I once had a student start a story “I smoked a cigarette that saved my life.” He then went on to tell about how he heard the explosion of Tower 1 on 9/11 and went to smoke a cigarette to see what was going on. He walked outside just before his office was struck. Through tears, he shared how he left New York and never returned even to his apartment.
I have seen how sharing stories is healing and a way to connect people together and it inspires me every single time.
What do you like to read in your free time?
I read mostly leadership and self-help books because of my work, but when I vacation, I love to read romance – yes, I know it is cheesy.
Can you share some stories about people you met while researching this book?
Throughout the book, I refer to the thirty friends I gathered for their ideas as my kaleidoscopes. I defined a kaleidoscope as someone who speaks truth, shares new perspectives and always shows up (in the book I call this “voting with your feet.”
The stories I gathered from my kaleidoscopes were funny, powerful, encouraging, heartbreaking and made me think!
A few of the stories that stand out (and aren’t in the book):
I asked the ladies about their relationship with their biological fathers – and then referenced how this can impact our view of our Heavenly Father. One of the ladies shared with me that her own father had sexually abused her for 8 years until she finally got the guts to leave home. Years later, she reconnected with her dad. She forgave him and introduced him to the grace that is extended from our Heavenly Father. I was absolutely astounded by her strength and courage to share her story.
One kaleidoscope shared about living life with bi-polar disorder and how it is hard to show up every day.
One friend talked about living in shame because she never finished high school (yet she runs her own business today).
The best part of our meetings to prepare to write this book was honesty. I let everyone know ahead that I would be looking for them to share their real life – and it was bonding to sit in a room together for 3 sessions and be vulnerable. We quickly moved past the highlights you often see on social media, and we discovered that we have a lot more in common than meets the eye.
Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre? If you write more than one, how do you balance them?
All my work has been in corporations, and I wanted a way to connect faith with the things I teach in a corporate setting. I am very hopeful that this content will help me speak in more churches and faith-based settings.
How do you begin writing a new book? What challenges come with it?
I think the hardest thing about starting a new book is narrowing down all the ideas you have so that you stay focused. Since I love to collect words and quotes, I keep albums of screenshots in my phone to refer too. For example, one quote I found today, “Don’t blame a clown for acting like a clown. Ask yourself why you keep going to the circus.” I love ideas like this that I can hold onto for the right time.
Also, I got some great advice that was very helpful in working with a writing coach. She had me collect all my ideas about anything related to this project on index cards for two months (one idea per index card). Then we met and in one day we grouped all the ideas and created an outline for the book. The outline helped me stay on track throughout the writing process.
I’ll also add that the name of my book changed mid project and so quite a few of the references changed. I think it helps to have the focus of the book but be flexible in the way you deliver it for the reader.
Share a place that inspires you to write
I almost always write in my dining room, but I get inspired before I write by looking out my window. We have two horses and a beautiful view of the sky and I often sit in a chair quietly to pray and listen to music before I write.
And, I have my best brainstorms while I am driving and so I also frequently pull over to write down ideas or dictate thoughts into my phone.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
April Farlow has spent the last 20 years motivating audiences to get out of their comfort zone, speak up, and represent their values. In corporate environments, one piece is missed—the ability to talk about forming your identity in God. Today, as a speaker, author, coach, and non-profit leader, April is changing this by sharing her faith journey and helping others do the same with clarity and conviction.
In 2017, after speaking to a group of foster youth, April founded Lydia’s Place, a ministry serving young adults who have experienced foster care or homelessness. April and her husband have four girls and live on a mini-farm outside of Athens, Georgia.
Connect with April Farlow
7 comments:
Thank you so much for featuring April and PIECES OF YOU.
Thanks for sharing. Sounds like a good story.
Great interview! Thos looks like a great read.
I liked the excerpt.
Great excerpt and sounds like a good read.
looks like a fun one
The title is fabulous
Post a Comment