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Awards don’t always mean much except to the person receiving them. However, the award of 1st Place for Fiction for Shatter My Heart came with a review of the book. The words in that review were significant because they captured so much of my intent and hopes for the book.  Perhaps sharing this review will help to bring the story to others who need to hear the words and feel the compassion. Here is the review:

Shatter My Heart
This novel is well written, well organized, well researched and simply great storytelling.

The characters were well developed, emotionally complex individually as well as how each interacted with other characters. The storytelling was amazing as the author added details about each individual through a natural progression of time. The emotions of each character are believable and remain raw and personal throughout the story instead of wrapping things up nicely and neatly. The struggles of Dr. Lauren Wimberley point to a very real problem for people dealing with an undiagnosed illness or chronic illness.

The use of the journal from, Dr. Ian Blackburn’s ancestor provides a unique approach to this character’s own personal and deeply emotional struggles. The story is captivating and even though it’s fiction, it also reads like a self-help book for patients and their families who are dealing with chronic illness.

by The National Federation of Press Women

I will add to this review that my hope was that this novel raises the visibility of all “invisible” illness and that it brings information, support and acknowledgement to patients, their friends and families, but also, perhaps even more significantly, to educate those who are unaware of these diseases and help them to realize how powerful their role is in offering validation and compassion.