Ever since Anne Shaw Heinrich says she fell in love with writing in high school, she's been a journalist, columnist, blogger and nonprofit communications professional, 35 years and counting.
Anne’s debut novel, God Bless the Child, is the first in a three-book series, "The Women of Paradise County," published by Speaking Volumes. She dedicated the book to her two high-school English teachers, who she affirms were instrumental in igniting her interest in writing, and launched an annual $1,000 'The Reed Moore Scholarship' in their honor and namesakes for a Cuba High School senior to pursue a communications or teaching career.
"I'm passionate about the power of storytelling. I just love to watch people. I like to imagine where they've been, where they might be going next," admits the Kirkwood resident. "I love listening to how people relate to one another and move themselves through their circumstances. I always start my stories by developing characters first and the stories seem to unfold."
The plot of the new book: Whether it’s needy heavyweight Mary Kline, her rebellious surrogate daughter, Elizabeth, or Ruth Pullman, the pastor’s wife who can do nothing but look the other way when she learns about her charming son’s nasty backseat reputation, the women of Paradise County are a hot mess. Some of their men started it, and others are on loving standby as these tough cookies feel their way toward redemption. Especially when Pearl Davis turns up pregnant after a church-basement encounter with James Pullman, the pastor’s son, Mary and her parents swoop in and “adopt” Pearl and her baby, Elizabeth. It’s a disastrous move.
Anne adds, "The women in God Bless the Child have been tangled in knots since I first created them nearly two decades ago. Bringing them back out into the light for a fresh look with older eyes and a wiser heart has led even their creator to marvel and wince anew at the raw ferocity that motherhood represents. Whether it comes about naturally, by human design, and even when it leaves a gaping, unanswered void, the mother/daughter sphere offers much to explore."
She says the story spans nearly four generations, beginning in the late 1950s through the 1990s, and that every character must reckon with their past as they seek forgiveness.
Some of Anne’s prior writing has been featured in The New York Times bestseller The Right Words at the Right Time, Volume 2: Your Turn (Atria 2006) and Chicken Soup for the Soul's The Cancer Book: 101 Stories of Courage, Support and Love (2009).
She says book two in the Paradise Series, Violet Is Blue, is scheduled to be released during June 2025, followed by book three, House of Teeth.
Anne's book is available via Barnes & Noble and Amazon, including a Kindle version, or locally at The Novel Neighbor in Webster Groves.
She shares she hopes readers perhaps leave with an empathy not only for the flawed characters, but also just humanity in general. "We never know what people are managing, so it's important to have a well-developed empathy muscle."
"One book published is a win; a three-book series feels like a great big piece of cake waiting to be devoured. It has been worth the wait." ~Anne Shaw Heinrich