Author Karen Ingalls shares her journey....

6/3/2016

by Gwendolyn M Plano

It is my pleasure to introduce author Karen Ingalls.  She is a retired registered nurse with a master's degree in psychology and human services. She is the author of the award-winning book, Outshine: An Ovarian Cancer Memoir. All proceeds from sales are donated to gynecologic cancer research.

Her first novel, Novy’s Son challenges the reader to examine the issues of alcoholism, sexual addiction, and family dysfunction. Her second novel, Davida: Model & Mistress of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, is a very special love story.

Karen joins us on the first stop of her Blog Tour sponsored by 4WillsPublishing.wordpress.com

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THE FIRST BOOK....

It has been an exciting journey to my first published book. It was a dream I was not sure would ever come true. Sometimes the best things in life can come out of a tragic, sad, or negative event.

Here is my journey and I am grateful for everything, even the bad! I often learn the most from the not-so-happy events.

*Due to my parent's divorce when I was but two years old, I grew up not knowing my father very well. I saw him for only a few weeks out of each year.

*My mother married a second time to a man, who took advantage of my innocence through abuse. He did the same to my older sister.

AT NINE YEARS OLD I BEGAN TO JOURNAL...
I WROTE POEMS, SHORT STORIES...
I RELEASED EMOTIONS, FEARS, AND DOUBTS.

*When I was 16, I moved out of my mother's house and went to live with my father. A new home, a distant city, and a different school were my new challenges.

*I rarely saw my mother and my sisters were sworn to never mention my name in her house.

*For the first time I started attending a church. I went there by myself, but I found God!

MY WRITING BECAME A BIGGER PART...
MORE POEMS, SHORT STORIES & A NOVEL...
I DID NOT SHOW OR TELL ANYONE.

*I learned the powerful healing experience of forgiveness. I released my mother and stepfather and now found a new life.

*I knew that I had a story to tell that could help others who have been abused.

I DEVELOPED A LIFE-THREATENING CANCER…
I JOURNALED EVERY DAY, SOMETIMES OFTENER...
I RESEARCHED AND WROTE ARTICLES.

*A friend who read my journal said, “You must publish this.”
*My first book was published in 2012...
*It won first place in the category of women's health.

I STILL JOURNAL…
I WRITE TWO BLOGS A WEEK...
I AM PROUD OF THREE PUBLISHED BOOKS

SO MY JOURNEY AS AN AUTHOR HAS BEEN AN EXCITING ONE AND I KNOW THAT WHAT I WRITE COMES FROM MY HEART AND SOUL.

       I hope my story brings encouragement to other authors.

To connect with Karen, please visit any of her sites:
www.kareningallsbooks.com
www.kareningalls.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/KarenIngalls1
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Karen-Ingalls/1473379352893458
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/karen-ingalls/37/509/ba8

26 Comments

John Fioravanti link

6/5/2016 07:35:40

Thank you for sharing your life journey with us, Karen. I bleed for your agonies and I celebrate your joys. I wish you great success with your tour this week and with your three books - which I must add to my TBR list!! Thanks for hosting on your lovely site, Gwen!

Karen Ingalls link

6/5/2016 16:02:04

John, thank you for your help not only with this blog tour, but for all you do for RRBC. You will find each of my books quite different, but hopefully you will read the life lessons in each one.

Gwen Plano link

6/5/2016 20:46:44

Thanks so much for visiting, John. It's an honor to host Karen.

Yvette M Calleiro link

6/5/2016 08:31:14

Wow! You are a true example of overcoming the odds. You had one horrifying hurdle after another thrown on your path, and yet you survived them all AND chose to share it with the world to help others. Thank you for having the courage to share your journey with others so that they, too, can believe there is light to be embraced on their own journey.

Karen Ingalls link

6/5/2016 16:03:38

I believe the purpose of my life is to learn from each experience and share with others. Thank you for your support and encouragement.

Gwen Plano link

6/5/2016 20:48:24

Thank you for visiting, Yvette. Like you, I am amazed by Karen.

Jan Sikes link

6/5/2016 11:03:04

Wow, Karen. What a brave soul you are. I have not read Novy's Son yet, but I can assure you it is soon to be downloaded to my TBR list! Thank you for hosting Karen, Gwen!

Karen Ingalls link

6/5/2016 16:05:00

Jan, you will find each of my books uniquely different but each one has life lessons to learn. I hope you enjoy them. God bless.

Gwen Plano link

6/5/2016 20:50:01

Thank you for visiting, Jan. I agree with you that Karen is a brave soul. It's been a pleasure hosting her on this Tour.

Jennifer Hinsman link

6/5/2016 14:30:21

Thanks for hosting Gwen!
Great post Karen, I look forward to following your tour! Best of luck to you.

Karen Ingalls link

6/5/2016 16:06:23

Jennifer, thank you for your comment and support. I will look for you on the rest of the tour.

Gwen Plano link

6/5/2016 20:51:18

Hi Jennifer! Thanks for visiting. Like you, I look forward to following Karen on her Tour.

Bill Ward

6/5/2016 15:22:54

Karen, brave of you to write about such tough, personal experiences but I am sure others will benefit from reading your story. All the best for the future!

Gwen Plano link

6/5/2016 20:52:21

Thank you for visiting, Bill. It's been an honor hosting Karen on her first day of her Tour.

Karen Ingalls link

6/6/2016 06:38:33

Thank you, Bill for your kind words. I believe we are all to become better people from whatever challenge(s) we face.

John Howell link

6/5/2016 16:37:37

It is so nice getting to know you better, Karen. I have Novy's Son in my kindle and will get to it soon. Thanks, Gwen for hosting.

Gwen Plano link

6/5/2016 20:53:57

Thank you for visiting, John. I think we'll all be reading more of Karen's work. It's be a pleasure hosting her today.

Karen Ingalls link

6/6/2016 06:40:23

I appreciate your interest in reading Novy's Son. There are life lessons there from which we all could learn. Thank you for sharing, John.

Karen Ingalls link

6/6/2016 06:42:18

Gwen, you were a very supportive, helpful, and kind blog hostess. Since this was my first time to do a blog it was easier because of you. Thank you,
Karen Ingalls

Jan Hawke link

6/6/2016 08:18:42

Having read Novy's Son and had the pleasure of hosting you in the Book Club disussion, I'm in awe of your abilities as a writer. To write in first person is always a challenge, but to tell your story from your fathers perspective is just stupendous. I'm looking forward to the rest of your tour and, in time, to read your other titles. :-)
Thank you Gwen for hosting today.

Karen Ingalls link

6/6/2016 09:31:42

I am humbled by your words of praise, Jan. Thank you so much.

Natalie Ducey link

6/6/2016 13:20:22

Such an incredible journey of strength, courage, and forgiveness. Thank you for sharing with us, Karen. Blessings to you.
Thank you, Gwen, for the warm welcome as always. :)

Shirley Harris-Slaughter

6/6/2016 14:15:43

Karen you are a woman of great courage. Congrats on your published book and have a great tour.

Beem Weeks link

6/6/2016 15:55:08

You have an extraordinary story, Karen. I am so glad you're sharing this with the world. There is certainly going to be many other lives touched by yours. You didn't find God, God found you. He found you and chose this book, this story, to be used as a tool for helping others. God bless you in all your endeavors.

Joy Nwosu Lo-Bamijoko link

6/7/2016 17:38:50

Karen, writing is so liberating. Thank God you chose that way to deal with your pain. Good luck with your tour. Thank you Gwen for hosting her.

Karen Ingalls link

6/12/2016 10:41:17

I love to write and wish I had the time and opportunity to do it more. And yes, I thank God everyday for giving me this gift to deal with the pain of life's challenges.
Thank you, Joy. Your name is powerful.

Author Karen Ingalls shares her journey....

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