Cover Reveal for A HEART MADE OF TISSUE PAPER

         This is the big COVER REVEAL for a book that has been six years in the making. In the spring of 2018, I penned a simple poem that echoed a heartbroken moment in my life. It made me think about how fragile and yet at the same time how resilient the human heart is. That poem sparked the idea of creating a compilation of poetry based on emotional experiences every human heart endures in a lifetime. The following short poem was the beginning of this book:

 

It seems
my heart is
made of tissue paper;
I wish
the world would
handle it more delicately.

—Richelle E. Goodrich © 2018

       From 2018 to 2023, as trials and triumphs occurred in my life, I penned a variety of verses to add to the book. A few deeply-personal poems were a creative and healing outlet for me, a way to put my emotions as well as a portion of my story into writing. Other verses were written purely for lighthearted fun. Each one—whether simple or complex, lighthearted or severe—has relatable lines that every heart in the world can appreciate. 

       About the cover... I tried a variety of possible cover ideas before settling on the final artwork. I even took photographs of pink tissue paper folded into the shape of a puffy heart! But nothing spoke to me (so to say) until a painting on the wall caught my eye. It hangs in a sunny room of our house where my husband keeps his keyboard. When we were dating, I painted that modest acrylic picture of him and me, our features basically undefined. He loves that painting because I made it for him. I love it because it was my attempt at expressing tender feelings for him in a simple work of art. Seeing it on the wall reminded me that I have dedicated this book to my wonderful husband. How perfectly appropriate to incorporate aspects of our cherished painting into the book. 

       So, I took the woman from the painting and placed a big, delicate heart in her arms. The background was created as an abstract marriage of a bright sun cutting through a dark storm. The final artwork pleases me. So, with no further delays, here is the cover reveal for my latest book. . .

 A Heart Made of Tissue Paper. 

Look for it now to preorder on Amazon.

Richelle E. Goodrich Copyright 2023

Celebrating our Independence

       It is a hot summer day in my corner of the world, and luckily the sky is clear and blue. It is perfect weather for Fourth of July festivities, something my family and I look forward to every year. In the United States of America, this time is set aside for celebrating as a nation our independence and associated freedoms. This holiday commemorates one of the most significant events in American history—the 1776 signing of an inspired document, the Declaration of Independence. It was a historic event for which I have immense gratitude. This important document was drafted by people who suffered under strict rule, people who yearned for the liberties and freedoms this great country now enjoys. Many profound phrases penned on that parchment are a reminder to us that liberty and personal freedoms are treasures worthy of defending.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness... ...We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America… solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States.” —Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence

       Across this country, as we come together to celebrate the Fourth of July with barbeques, picnics, parades, and fireworks, let us not forget why we are able to gather at such events. Let us not forget those who took a stand to demand that there be a nation founded on liberty, justice, equality, and the free pursuit of happiness. Let us not forget the sacrifices of men and women throughout the decades who have fought to protect those rights and freedoms for our benefit. Let us value those rights, and keep them as an inheritance for generations to come. As fireworks light up the sky this night, relish the freedoms gained by our forefathers' fight for independence.

Happy Independence Day!