This week I’m excited to host talented author and columnist,
Paula Hrbacek
Paula Hrbacek has a BJ in magazines and an BA in art from the University of Missouri, and certification on both elementary education and after school care in the state of Florida. She and her husband have four children, and are active in Boy Scouts and other youth programs.
She writes two columns for The Examiner, a free online newspaper. Her arts and crafts column, http://www.examiner.com/childrens-arts-and-crafts-1-in-panama-city/paula-hrbacek has local events for children, crafts for youth groups, after school care and summer camp, as well as art lessons and beginning crafts. Her book review column, http://www.examiner.com/book-review-8-in-panama-city/paula-hrbacek, features books for women and self published authors. Click on the subscribe button at the bottom of the page, and follow her articles for free.
Paula has published four trade paperbacks and a long list of magazine articles in publications such as Highlights, Flower and Garden, Modern Romances, Family Fun, Scouting, Instructor, Am. Scouting Digest, and others. She has several lesson plans for art posted on The Lesson Plan Page.
How do you solve a problem? Where do you find the answer? That’s what the three main characters of Stars Shine After Dark must discover. Each of them has a problem: an unfulfilled dream, a love triangle, impending divorce, a lack of love. Each of them finds the inspiration, the guidance, to solve the problem, but from different sources, in different places, at different times in their lives. Yet, the answers they find are all good. The answer is love.
Stars Shine After Dark Excerpt:
“No, Ron,” she said with emphasis. “It won’t work. Not another, movie, not now, anyway.” Mona Poole tossed her head of raven black hair, placed her delicate hands on her slim waist, and gave her agent that look that said she was all business now. There were times when Ron’s advice had been helpful to her career, but those times were over.
“But, Mona…” the middle-aged man raised his hands helplessly at his sides.
Mona knew he had as much chance of changing her mind as he did of saving his thinning hair. He had often sat in Mona’s living room like this, he had often come with news of an acting job, but he was not accustomed to this kind of treatment. Mona usually followed his leads and advice. This time she wouldn’t. It was a different character, a different attitude, than usual, but it was time for a change.
Mona knew today was different in many ways. Her parents weren’t here, for one, and she was speaking for herself, and standing up for what she really wanted. Mona was not used to doing that. This wasn’t the first time that producers and directors had asked her to do something that wasn’t in her best interest. Usually, it was Ron or her parents that made the choices.
They all agreed on what was and was not suitable for her to do. Her parents were conservative. They believed that her reputation, her image, was more important than making millions of dollars doing something “crude”. They all agreed that someday Mona’s career would end, and then all she would have left was her name, her reputation, and her memories. They all agreed that any choice should protect these things, not sacrifice them for the sake of a buck.
Review
inthelibraryreviews.net/archives.html
The characters all have a strong moral foundation and want to do what’s right in the eyes of God. Readers who enjoy a pleasant story focusing on love and commitment.
–In the Library Reviews
When I wrote this book, I was upset about two different issues. A dear friend was getting a divorce, and I felt that if I couldn’t give her a happy ending in real life, I could give her one in fiction. the last thing you want to say to a friend is “I know what you should do!”, so I took those emotions and feelings and poured them out onto a page. It was my hope that maybe someone else would be able to find the courage to see it through, rely on their faith, and find a way to stay together.
The second issue that bothered me was a bunch of unfounded rumors that were going around. They twisted the truth to make the story appear to be something that it wasn’t. I wanted to show the difference between the truth and a rumor so that the reader would stop and consider both sides of the story the next time a rumor started up in their own lives. Rumors can ruin a person’s career. I wish there were less of them.
There have been several people who said just what I needed to hear at just the moment I needed to hear it. I am hoping to repay that kindness by doing the same thing for someone else.
Stars Shine After Dark, a sweet Christian romance, available in paperback, Kindle and Nook.
