What a title, and what a story.

A Rush of White Wings: An Irish Historical Love Story (Out of Ireland Book 2) by Pamela Ford released in October in the historical romance genre.

The best journey brings you home. Boston, 1849. Shattered by the devastating loss of his wife and children during the Irish famine, Sean Deacey has given up on love and happiness. So when he rescues an infant from an immigrant shipwreck, he gives the orphaned babe to his sister Kathleen and her husband. They raise the boy as their own – until Ailish Sullivan arrives two years later claiming the child is her last living relative and demanding his return. A legal fight ensues, and Sean befriends Ailish, determined to change her mind and keep her from destroying his sister’s family. But when friendship leads to understanding, he is torn between the desires of both families. And as his feelings grow for a woman he knows he should not want and can never have, he faces an agonizing choice – stand with his sister or follow his heart. Award-winning author Pamela Ford explores the bonds of family as she takes readers on an uplifting emotional journey through grief, sacrifice, and the power of forgiveness.

B&N ~ Apple ~ Kobo ~ GooglePlay
Add to Goodreads

Meet the Author:

Pamela Ford is the award-winning author of historical and contemporary romance. She grew up watching old movies, blissfully sighing over the romance; and reading sci-fi and adventure novels, vicariously living the action. The combination probably explains why the books she writes are romantic, happily-ever-afters with plenty of plot. After graduating from college with a degree in Advertising, Pam spent many years as a copywriter and freelance writer before inserting a plot twist in her career path and writing her first book. Pam has won numerous awards including the Booksellers Best, the Laurel Wreath, and a gold medal IPPY in the Independent Book Publisher Awards. She is a National Readers’ Choice Awards finalist, a Kindle Book Awards finalist, a Maggie Awards for Excellence finalist, and a two-time Golden Heart Finalist.

Making New Year’s Resolutions Stick

by Pamela Ford 

Here we are, just into 2021, and already my New Year’s resolutions have fallen to the wayside. I know I’m not alone. Change is hard. Stopping one behavior on December 31 and replacing it with a different one on January 1 is easy…for a day. 

As a writer, I know that if I want my characters to seem real to readers, I can’t change their behavior too quickly because, in real life, people don’t change that fast. I often remind myself that my characters need to be hit upside the head with a 2×4 multiple times before they change (figuratively speaking).

Knowing that, I decided to look into why we sometimes achieve change and other times fail at it. I discovered The Stages of Change, a model created by two professors of psychology at Rhode Island University, James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente. Though they were studying how to help people stop smoking, their model clearly identifies how we succeed or fail at making change:

Stage 1: Pre-contemplation. During this phase, people don’t intend to make behavioral changes, even though they often know they should.

Stage 2: Contemplation. People know they have a problem and are beginning to consider taking action. They are aware of the benefits of, and barriers to, changing. Many people don’t get past this stage.

Stage 3: Preparation. People are committed to changing. They write down their goals, make a plan, and experiment with some small steps.

Stage 4: Action. People actively take steps to change their behavior and are determined to continue. This is the stage with the most risk of relapse. 

Stage 5: Maintenance. People work to sustain the new behavior and are generally successful at resisting temptations to return to the old habit.

I learned that it’s normal for people to reach one stage, fall back, and then move forward again. And that people are more likely to relapse if they skip the Contemplation and Preparation stages, and dive straight into Action. 

I love having an understanding of this. It’s all good information to know as I create the characters for my next book. And of course, when I set my New Year’s resolutions…next year! Happy 2021 to you all!

Connect with the author: website ~ twitter ~ facebook  ~ instagram ~ goodreads

Giveaway

Win signed copies of A RUSH OF WHITE WINGS and TO RIDE A WHITE HORSE (1 winner) (USA only)(ends 2/9)

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/518e7284112/

~*~

https://www.ireadbooktours.com/blog—current-tours/book-tour-a-rush-of-white-wings-an-irish-historical-love-story-by-pamela-ford