Book Review: Faith, Hope and, Gravity by Merrill Osmond and Shirely Bahlmann

 

 

 

 



 In Merrill Osmond and Shirely Bahlmann's inspirational fiction  Faith, Hope and Gravity a young boy, Liam, is prone to being able to see things before they happen. It is a special gift he is given. Unfortunately many around him don't understand his special ablities and tease him because of it. And one such event leads to Liam being severely injured which caused him to stay away from others and hold onto his misunderstandings and inablitity to find forgiveness for those who hurt him. But as he grows he is sent off to his uncle's farm in England and his adventures begin as he learns about who he is, and how to best use his special gift to help others, and eventual find a way to find forgiveness for those who hurt him. Along the way he finds great freinds who help him see the truth in others around him and help him to grow.

 

Many fascinating things happen as Liam travels the world and finds others who are like him. And he finds that even though he is afraid to trust and move out of his comfort zone,  he develops the ability to be strong and find true freinds around him who would help him be the best he can be. And through harrowing events in his life and unexpected twists and turns and new developments in his abilities to see beyond the every day norm, he learns who he can truly trust and how to use his abilities to help others around him.

 

Here are some questions I wanted to ask Merrill about his experiences writing Faith Hope and Gravity. I hope you enjoy this opportunity to learn more about the creation of this book.

 

Can you share a little about writing Faith, Hope & Gravity and your road to publication?

Well…”Faith, Hope and Gravity” has been in my head for a long time, more years than I care to say. It’s so much a part of me that many people have a hard time understanding sometimes about my deep thoughts and the way I look at the world. I thought that maybe this book would use the stories in a way that people would get to know who I am and ask, “Is this really fiction, or is this Merrill Osmond?” As you read the book, you will see pieces of my thought process and how I viewed the world.

 

Tell us something you'd like readers to know.

I want the readers to know that this book I’ve dreamed of, I’ve lived, and I think it will be a story that will help you get to know me as a person more than just the singer/songwriter. It has a wonderful story line of Liam who goes though a lot of trials in life but somehow in the end comes out of life with a lot of lessons and learning more about himself and the world and that is what I want people to take away with this book. Bad things sometimes happen to good people, but there is that balance in the world that you may not really see, but I believe that what you put back in the world will eventually come back to you. If you go after someone to destroy them for position or power, that victory will be short-lived. If you give out goodness in your life, you will at some point be rewarded in a time of need. I just believe in never judging anyone and placing a label on them or getting in the way of accomplishing their dreams. I believe we came to earth to learn about each other, to learn to lift each other up to get though the trials of life and at the end know that it was all worth it. Not easy, but worth it.

 

 What inspired you to write it?

It was a dream I’ve always had of writing a novel. I had written two previous books. “Let the Reason be Love” which was titled after a hit we had in the 70’s and was a sort of autobiography of my life. Then I wrote“The Plan Revisited” which was my experiences with my brothers in writing our statement album called, “The Plan” which was a story within itself.

I have had the story of “Faith, Hope & Gravity” in my head for many years and it just seemed like the right time to finally go forward and get it all done. It took over a year to get published because I kept changing things. I probably drove my co-writer Shirley crazy as my mind never stops, so I kept throwing ideas at her to add, but I finally said, “This is it. This is what I want to say. “ 

 

What can we expect from you in the future?

You can expect me to keep on writing and singing the music I love. I want to do more songwriting, that’s one of my favorite things to do. In fact, I wrote a song that is dedicated to the people that read this book. I would like to do more writing, maybe a children’s book series and more books that challenge people to understand who I truly am.

 

Book Blurb:

Faith, Hope and Gravity is the spiritual, magical adventure of teenage Liam Kane as he discovers some of the same lessons Merrill Osmond learned as the world-traveling lead singer of the Osmond Brothers. Merrill, like Liam, was often misunderstood for his visionary quests to understand those who looked for answers to life's questions. Liam's talents gain him international notoriety as "The Prophecy Boy" who swims with dolphins, dreams of a mysterious red door, and champions those who are misunderstood. Surviving kidnapping, near-drowning, and imprisonment ultimately leads to the discovery that despite inherent differences, when people respect one another's unique abilities, the thread of commonality that runs through mankind grows ever stronger. Turn the pages and join the unforgettable journey

 

 

here is a list of book reviews for Faith Hope and Gravity that you can check out.

August 24^th-http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/

Aug 27- http://shirleybahlmann.blogspot.com/
Aug 28-http://ldswritermom.blogspot.com/

Aug 30- http://1000wrongs.blogspot.com/

Aug 31
http://tristipinkston.blogspot.com/

Sept 4- http://moniquebucheger.blogspot.com/
Sept 5-http://joansowards.blogspot.com/

Sept 7-http://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com/
http://www.ldswomensbookreview.com/wordpress/

Sept 10 - http://tamarahartheiner.blogspot.com/

Sept 12- http://bythebecks.blogspot.com/
Sept 13- http://fireandicephoto.blogspot.com/
Sept 14- http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/
Sept 17- http://www.debbiesinkspectations.blogspot.com/
Sept 18- http://gettingyourreadonaimeebrown.blogspot.com/

Sept 20- http://www.kathiswritingnook.com/
Sept 24-http://www.queenoftheclan.com/

Sept 27- Susan http://www.blogginboutbooks.com/
Sept 28-http://thebookbug-hogan.blogspot.com/

October 1-Jewel Adams www.jewelsbestgems.blogspot.com
Oct 3- Rachelle’s Writing Spot http://rachellewrites.blogspot.com/

Endorsements:

“Fiction rarely resonates with more truth that ‘Faith Hope and Gravity.’ Merrill Osmond's music has made him part of our lives. His delightful debut novel is a journey into his heart. It is a journey you don't want to miss."

Kieth Merrill, Academy Award Winning Filmmaker

“Merrill Osmond's autobiographical fiction ‘Faith, Hope & Gravity’ gives insights to the man that people have never seen before. If you want to know more about Merrill than you've ever discovered in any interview or article, then you need this book.”

Gino Tutera MD. F.A.C.O.G. Medical Director SottoPelle®

"Not everyone who has a great gift leads a charmed life. In his novel ‘Faith, Hope & Gravity,’ Merrill Osmond gives readers an insightful look at a young boy, Liam Kane, whose life and challenges, in part, mirror his own. The lesson imparted in the book is the importance of rising above adversity, taking miracles as they come and keeping faith with what you know to be true. "

Senator Orrin Hatch

“Having Merrill Osmond as one of my closest friends has always meant so much to me. I have been with him through the ups and the downs, but no matter what the circumstances, Merrill has proved to be one of God's chosen people, as he lives his life spreading goodness to all those around him.

Merrill’s new book, ‘Faith, Hope and Gravity,’ is a fascinating story, well conceived and beautifully written. It tells the story of a fictional character, a young boy by the name of Liam Kane. It shows how having a gift does not always mean everything will be laid out for you. The book leaves you wonderiwhether the main character is Liam Kane, or is it indeed Merrill Osmond.

A wonderful read, and hailed by critics as a great piece of fiction.

To my true friend Merrill Osmond. You are one of life's heroes, and spread the light wherever you go. Long may you continue to do so.”

David King, Executive Producer, Spirit Productions Worldwide

 

Merrill Osmond is a world-class entertainer, producer, author, motivational speaker and renowned lead singer of the Osmonds. Merrill and his siblings have produced 47 platinum & gold records and Merrill has written the lyrics for five #1 hit records. Merrill is a co-founder of the Osmond Foundation, which originally produced “The Children’s Miracle Network” Telethon. He has produced presidential inaugural events for both Reagan & Bush. Merrill is excited to release his first novel, Faith, Hope & Gravity.

Shirley Bahlmann has written a wide variety of genres, including historical fiction, novels, biographies, how-to, and how-not-to books. One of her favorites is a children’s book titled “When the Chicken Crossed the Road” which comes with instructions and a chicken-colored washcloth so you can roll your own chicken! Shirley finds the most annoying thing about being a prolific writer is sleep, because she’d rather be writing.

 More great ways to learn more about the authors of Faith, Hope and Gravity by Merrill Osmond and Shirely Bahlmann

Website: http://shirleybahlmann.com/

Blog:

http://shirleybahlmann.blogspot.com/

www.merrillosmond.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/merrilldavisosmond

Twitter:

                                       http://twitter.com/#!/merrillosmond

you can get your copy of Faith, Hope and Gravity here and here.

Book Review: Choosing Charity by Terri Ferran

Choosing Charity by Terri Ferran is the last in a trilogy written around the characters Kit and Adam and their continuing relationship now that they are married. Kit still is dealing with the circumstances of being abandoned as a baby and her adoptive parent's recent divorce.

Kit tries to work through the changing issues in her life and find a way to forgive her parents for getting divorced and find the right way to go about things, this time she isn't all alone in trying to work through the tough things, she has Adam right beside her helping her sort it all out.

Then the unexpected happens and Kit's birth mother contacts her in a desperate bid for help. It takes everything in Kit to find a way to work through her birth mother's choices, and find forgiveness and she wants some answers. With the discovery of life changing news, Kit  that she needs to understand and learn what the real meaning of charity is. As she does, she applies it to the ever changing aspects of her life which teaches her that charity is to have the love of Christ within her. And it helps her to see things with a new perspective and gives her the ability to move forward inspite of the things in her life and find a way to rise above it and grow as a person and in the gospel. Hared decisions must be made as ways around obstacles are discovered.

As with the first two stories in the series Finding Faith, Having Hope and also in Choosing Charity, Terri Ferran does a wonderful job of helping her characters to grow through profound experiences and weaves that growth with gospel principles. Ones that touch the heart and feel the spirit and cause one's testimony to grow. I laughed, I cried and I wondered what would happen when there seemed to be no easy answers.


Book Blurb:

When Kit learns that her biological mother wants to meet her, it seems her perfect life is about to come tumbling down. With a new job, a husband she adores, and friends all around her, can Kit possibly be expected to risk everything for a woman who left her in a dumpster to die?
Of course, love comes in many forms. Now Kit’s about to learn that when faith and hope aren’t enough, charity can make things right.
Can Kit learn to forgive and let goof the pain in her past? Expertly written and full of heart, this captivating conclusion to the Finding Faith trilogy will delight fans of all ages.:

Choosing Charity is a wonderful end to the trilogy and I even though it is a part of a series of other books it has the ability to stand on it's own.  It is a book I would recommend to everyone who wants a wonderful way to spend some time and come away feeling uplifted.

Get your copy of Choosing Charity here and learn more about it here.