INSPIRATION | Simplicity of the Heart

My brother got married a few weeks ago. As his best man, I had the best seat (or standing-room) in the house.

It turned out beautiful. I’m so proud of them. I relate to people who dive into something over their heads and overcome anyway.

I watched the couple plan this wedding from start to finish. Brides dream of their wedding day from childhood, it seems. My sister-in-law has a type-A personality like I do, so I like to tease her about her three-inch-thick binder, which contained every piece of information that made the wedding a seamless one.

The tables. The chairs. The music. The symbolic unity sand the bride and groom chose to pour together—and the vase they would pour it into. Then we had the colors—of flowers, of ribbons, of tablecloths, and the list goes on.

But the detail I remember most can’t be found in my sister-in-law’s binder. (And I reiterate, three inches thick!) It wasn’t their spontaneous re-enactment of the climactic Dirty Dancing scene as “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” played during the reception.

You see, something happened during the ceremony … during the vows.

My brother choked up with emotion.

I’ll apologize to him right now for embarrassing him here. But you should know this: He never shows emotion in public. But as he spoke his vows, he fought tears. And it proved contagious, because as his bride peered deeply into his eyes, something unspoken existed between them—and she fought back tears in response.

In that moment, the preliminaries didn’t matter. Instead, it boiled down to the bare essentials: He loves his lady. He chose to commit to her for life. He wants to awaken to her eyes each morning.

In each other’s eyes, they found the simplicity of each other’s heart. And emotion welled up in response.

Simplicity of the heart. It’s part of the essence that makes us human.

And it’s this simplicity that causes us—or me, at least—to choke up with emotion as we read a novel. It’s not so much the action, but the heart expression that reverberates underneath.

The simplicity of a father’s love drives him to risk his life for his son. The simplicity of one’s love for another can manifest in a touch that speaks volumes.

Recently I finished reading The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood. In a pivotal scene (no spoilers here!), Charlie must make a choice: Hold on to the memory of his brother or move forward in life by trying to rescue Tess. The angst of a man torn between past and future—between two kinds of love—tugged at my heart and almost brought tears to my eyes.

We haven’t always experienced the characters’ circumstances, but we’ve experienced those core emotions. It’s the simplicity of those emotions that enables us to relate to the characters—and to each other.

Hope this helps. Never give up!

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Thanks Bloggers and Readers!

I just wanted to take a moment to give a big THANK YOU to all the readers who have spent time reading From The Dead so far. Thank you also to all the bloggers who have taken time to review the novel or welcome me to their blogs as part of the tour.

All of you are the primary reason authors have the privilege of seeing their books in print. It's a blast hearing from you. I appreciate you all.

John

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NEWS | KFRU Interview Now Online

For those who had asked to hear it, my KFRU-AM From The Dead pre-publication radio interview is now available on my website. Click here to head over to my media page. The mic audio is a little low, so you may need to turn up the volume.

Thanks for everyone's support as the novel makes its way through people's hands.

Never give up!

John Herrick

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Tiffany's Bookshelf: From the Dead, by John Herrick

Tiffany's Bookshelf: From the Dead, by John Herrick: "Jesse grew up the son of a preacher, whose mother died in childbirth with his little sister, Eden. At the age of 18, Jesse longed to escape..."

NEWS | September 15 Tour Stop

As the From The Dead blog tour continues, today I'll stop by Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers for an interview opportunity. They gave the novel a great review yesterday. (And I appreciate the time they invested doing that!)

See you there!

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Monday Blog Tour Stop

I'm excited to stop at Book Reader's Heaven for today's From The Dead blog tour stop!

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From The Dead - The Phantom Tollbooth's Review

New book review for From The Dead found on The Phantom Tollbooth. They looked at the book as fiction from a Christian perspective.

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September 8 Tour Stop

From The Dead blog tour stop continues! On Wednesday, September 8, I'll stop by The Bookish Type. See you there!

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September 1 Tour Stop

Today's tour stop: Kent Holloway Online!

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