Interview with Karen Leigh Gruber, WHEN LIONS ROAR

What group did you hang out with in high school?

Oh my goodness, high school was far from the most enjoyable time in my life. I was very awkward as a teenager, a late bloomer. I just did not feel like I fit in with any particular group. I did have a cluster of close friends who I experienced a lot of firsts with, and we had a wonderful time together.  It wasn't really a group you could classify; you know, we weren't the popular girls or mean girls or athletes or actors or geeks. There was a little bit of all of that from everybody. It was really a very interesting blended group.

What are you passionate about these days?

I'm passionate about a lot of things, but right now in my field of vision is around what is transpiring in this world and in the United States in particular, since that is what I'm most familiar with and the inequities that have gone on for so long. I recently heard the phrase transcend and include, and that hit me dramatically in my world thinking. 

It is so important that colored people have equality, that women have equality, that the planet has equality, that animals have equality, that it all comes into equilibrium. We cannot do that based on ostracizing and shaming white people. 

To be heard and to create sustainable change, the model of shaming and guilt will result in horrific backlash. To transcend, we must find a way to include the glorious gifts from everybody. The white patriarchal system has offered us and has created for us amazing opportunities here in America. The goal is not to lift others at the detriment of whites, but rather to include everyone going forward and lift everyone.

If you had to do your journey to getting published all over again, what would you do differently?

I did not have a lot of confidence starting out that this would be a product I would put out in the world. There were some difficult moments in When Lions Roar, writing about a missing child and a mother's heartache. The child, Hannah, was very much crafted after my own daughter. Some of these scenes were tumultuous to write, and I would set the book aside for too long. I believe I could have had the book completed in half the time that it took me. Next time I would be more diligent in pushing through, facing my fears, and my being comfortable with being uncomfortable. Quite honestly, I don't know enough yet about how my experience is all going to shake out to know what else I would do differently.

Ebook or print? And why?

Ebook and print for sure. I love paper and I know that is not very ecologically friendly, yet I love the feel of a book in my hand, the weight, the sound the page makes as I turn the page. It is such a visceral experience for me reading a real live book. Plus having it sitting out with the artwork is like another piece of art in my home. There are so many benefits to a printed book.

I fought Ebooks for forever. Coincidentally my first Ebook I had borrowed from a dear friend when we went to Africa, because we had to pack very lightly, and I couldn't carry the books that I would need for three weeks. Having all those books at my fingertips was phenomenal. Both print and Ebooks have their place and suit wonderful purposes.

What is your favorite scene in this book?

Oh my gosh, by far my favorite scene in When Lions Roar is the bathtub scene between Akilah and Maggie. Akilah gives Maggie a bath and is loving her unconditionally as a mother would, as a sister would, as a best friend would. Still after reading it and editing the book, I've probably read it 50 plus times, this scene brings tears to my eyes every time I read it.

BLURB:

 

Two women from different lands, each struggling to survive; a child’s mysterious disappearance will alter both their lives forever…

Maggie has become unrecognizable to herself, succumbing to the predictability of being a mother and wife. Every day she reminds her daughter to brush her teeth, has the same conversation with her husband about what’s for dinner. Maggie struggles to cope with the disenchantment of the monotonous tedium that has become her life. Despite her boredom, when her husband David is called on assignment to South Africa, Maggie resents having to rearrange her life just because David has decided they all need to traipse halfway across the globe.

While on safari, Maggie awakens one morning to a mother’s worst nightmare; their daughter Hannah has gone missing. Just when things can’t get any worse, Maggie is confronted with the harsh truth of her emotionally abusive marriage and what she has allowed her life to become.

When Lions Roar is set against the backdrop of the exotic and intriguing landscape of South Africa, when the country is reeling from the aftershocks of apartheid. Will Maggie find the strength and courage to abandon the fragile ties of her marriage and confront her self-destruction in time to save the life of her daughter?

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/When-Lions-Karen-Leigh-Gruber/dp/1734976004

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Karen Gruber is an international #1 best-selling contributing author, inspirational speaker, and a Leadership Development Coach for women and moms. She specializes in inspiring moms to realize their potential as mothers, women, and leaders. Karen has had extensive specialized training in parenting, feminine spirituality, and leadership.  Over the past 15 years she has provided innovative leadership coaching for moms and has dramatically transformed her own life.

Sharing her life with her husband Jim and daughter Jaymie, presenting her message to other women, and traveling the world bring her the greatest joy.

She is the founder of The Inspired Mama, a company located in gorgeous Denver, Colorado that focuses on the inspiration, leadership, and wellbeing of women and moms.

When Lions Roar is Karen’s debut fictional work. She is freakish about Christmas lights and loves to play Baccarat.  

Website:            https://theinspiredmama.com/

Facebook:            https://www.facebook.com/karen.kraussgruber

Instagram:            https://www.instagram.com/inspiredmama/

Book Pre-sale:            https://theinspiredmama.com/product/when-lions-roar-pre-sale-copy/

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