Heidi Chiavaroli's Blog, page 4

End of the Year Ebook Sale!

Now’s the perfect time to start this fun Little Women-inspired series that readers are loving!

Find out more here!

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A Shift Inside the Walmart Smock

I pressed my lips together beneath the mask I wore and blinked back tears at the older gentleman’s hard, angry words coming from the other side of the Walmart pharmacy counter. They found my heart like pinpricks of metal darts finding their target. Frustration stirred as I assured the man that the staff—limited as we might be—were doing all we could to get his medicine to him as quickly as possible. 

As I shoved the tears aside and called the next customer in line, a man with glasses and a blue mask, I berated myself. Wasn’t I past this? I’d worked in retail for more than five years, now. Angry customers weren’t exactly an anomaly. Why did I let it get to me?

As I punched the next customer’s name and information into the computer, I thought about quitting. I could walk out of here right now and never look back. Sure, the ten hours a week was a small financial help, but we could do without it. I’d even have more time to write. (A lovely, perfect job in my head in that moment. A job where characters must obey my every command and where no one can be mean to one another without my permission!)

Instead, I swallowed down my frustration, and talked myself out of quitting—mostly because I couldn’t leave my co-workers on such a busy day. The pandemic had worn on all of us, as it had with all of humanity. The rollout of vaccines and boosters had doubled our workload, it seemed we were always short on COVID tests or masks or hydrogen peroxide or medications. And all while the normal business of a pharmacy must continue.

I handed a prescription bag to the customer with the glasses and blue mask and told him to have a nice day, my heart not really in the words. His kind eyes caught my own though, hinting at a smile beneath his mask. “You’re doing a great job,” he said.

It was almost enough to start the tears again. Such a small thing, to be encouraged. And yet there was more to it. This man had seen me. He had seen my struggle with the previous customer. He had spoken something so small, and yet so powerful in that moment. I am grateful for him, and for those who choose patience and encouragement in the midst of the rush and chaos that is so often the retail world—and, our world in general.

This season has so many blessings, and yet the consumerist frenzy can consume us in its tornado-like turmoil. My oldest son now works at the same Walmart I do in the online grocery pickup department. He came home after his shift Saturday night and told us that a woman on the phone had yelled at him to grow a part of his body he already has, and tell his managers how the orders weren’t on time (they know). With not enough workers and the Black Friday rush, there’s only so much one team can do.

On the surface, it seems my sixteen-year-old son can handle these comments better than I can, and yet they pull a deep sadness from me. This is the humanity my son is learning to accept. It can stir up criticism and judgment from the best of us. More than once, I’ve doubted the wisdom of encouraging him to work in what can be such a soul-sapping place.

And then I remember the encouragement and smile of the man with the glasses. I remember a customer who offered to pay for another customer’s much-needed prescription. I remember the kind notes and sweet gifts many customers have shared with the pharmacy staff. I remember those on the other side of the counter whom I have come to truly care for. I remember the way my co-workers make me laugh. I remember how, in our own way, we love one another.

This is why I still choose to work at Walmart. This is humanity—in all its messiness, with glimpses of grace between. In many ways, this is life.

Photo Credit: Andrew Bui on Unsplash

If I tuck myself behind the safety of my computer screen day-in and day-out, I’m certain my stories will be stifled. People—the good parts, the bad parts, and everything in-between—are what inspire me to write as I chase after light in the dark places.

And I pray and trust that my son isn’t just seeing the bad at his job, but that he’s seeing good as well. I pray that we both will be a part of that good.

Dear reader, I pray you would be a part of that light too, this Christmas season and all year round. In a world of hurry and impatience, of quick tempers and quick words, may we offer a kind smile, a word of encouragement to those trudging away, day after day, in the world of retail. Many of them are feeling the weight of constant aggravation from customers who want what they want now. 

A kind word, a kind smile can truly make a world of difference. Compassion, gentleness, patience, understanding. Will you please offer it? If not for me, then perhaps for the sake of my sixteen-year-old son, for the sake of future generations, and for the sake of hope for our hurting world?

Merry Christmas! May light and hope find you this season and may God bless you with His presence and joy.

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Where Memories Await Releases and Autographed Copies for Christmas!

I’m so pleased to introduce readers to my first Christmas novella, a dual timeline book featuring Aunt March’s parallel character in Little Women, Aunt Pris!

Let’s face it…Aunt March isn’t a lady to exactly write home about. She’s a bit crotchety and has a sharp tongue, and yet there’s something generous enough in her for her to leave her home to Jo after her death. What events in her life caused her to hold such a hard-to-love personality? Or was this simply the character she was born with? 

I had tons of fun writing Aunt March’s parallel character, Aunt Pris, in The Orchard House Bed and Breakfast Series. Priscilla shares some qualities with Aunt March, and I looked forward to diving into her history in this dual timeline Christmas novella, Where Memories Await. I hope you can cuddle up with some hot chocolate or tea and maybe read this one by the light of the Christmas tree! Most of all, I hope you enjoy! 

AND if you are looking for a perfect bookish gift for that special reader in your life, I’m now offering autographed copies for purchase directly from me!

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Where Love Grows is Here!

I was driving into Providence several years ago, flipping through the radio stations when the voices on a morning show caught my attention. They were in the middle of playing a game (I can’t remember what they called it), but the idea was to connect two people who had passed one another in some way in life. At a gym. Directing traffic. Walking down the street. I’d heard it before, and while I often rolled my eyes at the dramatics of the radio game, I also couldn’t help but listen, either. 

That day, a woman called into the radio station, searching for a man who had paid for her coffee in a drive-thru line. She thought he was cute. Obviously generous, too, and she wanted to know more about him. I listened, fascinated, as the man did indeed call into the station. The DJ’s went wild. They had a connection. 

As the woman who had called spoke with her mystery drive-thru man, I couldn’t help but be excited for her. He sounded like a really sweet guy who was big on random acts of kindness and building other people up. Wouldn’t it be nice if they found true love from a simple act of generosity?  

But then the man from the drive-thru seemed to grow hesitant. “I’d be interested in a date, but there’s something you should know about me.” 

“Okay,” the woman said, her guard up. 

“I’m in a wheelchair. I can’t walk.” 

Wow. Didn’t see that coming. But still, what did it really matter? The guy was a peach. Come on, lady! Have a date with him. (By this time, I was clenching my steering wheel in anticipation.) 

But the woman’s pause spoke volumes. “Oh, wow. That does change things…” 

What? No–no, it didn’t!  

“I’m sorry. I think it might be better if we don’t go out,” she finished. 

The man laughed, but it lacked cheer. “Sure. Sure, I understand.” 

My heart broke for the man, but I was already giving him a big pep talk in my mind. He could do better than this woman, anyway. 

I would write him another story. I would give him a different ending. 

And here it is.  Where Love Grows is now available! And while I’m so enjoying writing The Orchard House Bed and Breakfast Series, this one may be my favorite so far!   I hope you enjoy, dear readers! 

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A New Little Women-Inspired SERIES!

I am so excited to finally share this surprise series I’ve been working on for the last year! It’s fun, it’s filled with heart, and it features some Little Women-inspired characters!

Ever since I completed research for my dual timeline novel, The Orchard House, I wondered if I could really be done with Louisa May Alcott and her Little Women. This new series, it seems, is the result of that wondering.

I hope you enjoy the Martin family—how they struggle, how they learn, how they love one another. It’s been fun being in their company during these pandemic days, and I look forward to continuing the adventure with you!

The first book in the series, Where Grace Appears, releases NEXT week, April 22nd, and is now available for preorder!

Download a Sample Here!

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Congratulations to the Winners of My Scavenger Hunt Giveaway!

Congratulations to the winners of my scavenger hunt giveaway!

Hosanna Tabor

Judi Imperato

Jacinta Meredith

Happy Reading!

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Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop #16

Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all the stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes!

The hunt BEGINS on 3/18 at noon MST with Stop #1 at LisaTawnBergren.com.Hunt through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not Explorer).There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt–you have all weekend (until Sunday, 3/21 at midnight MST)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way. Our hope is that you discover new authors/new books and learn new things about them.Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at the final step, back on Lisa’s site. Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!

Hello! My name is Heidi Chiavaroli and I write New England-based dual timeline stories. I love a great contemporary story, and a great historical story, so I usually combine the two! You can learn more about me and my books here on my site and on Facebook, Twitter, BookBub, and Instagram. My newest release surrounds some of the history behind Louisa May Alcott and her time as a nurse during the Civil War.

Everyone has a story worth telling.

In 1865, Johanna, a burgeoning poet, befriends Louisa May Alcott. Their friendship and writings inspire two modern-day sisters, Taylor and Victoria, to find common ground again amid family turmoil.

My stories are always inspired from a nugget of real-life truth. This time, I found that truth with Louisa May Alcott’s “prince of patients.” Johanna and Louisa come to know one another through John Suhre, Johanna’s brother and Louisa’s “prince.”

LOUISA MAY ALCOTT’S “PRINCE OF PATIENTS”

In the fall of 1862 after her thirtieth birthday, Louisa departed Concord to serve in Washington as a nurse. There she met John Suhre, her “prince of patients,” a “most attractive” and “comely featured” blacksmith who was badly wounded at Fredericksburg. Louisa was greatly moved by John’s quiet dignity in the midst of his suffering and was determined to nobly share in it with him. 

Louisa was given the task of telling John he did not have long to live. She helped prepare him for the time, writing letters home for him to his mother, sister (Johanna!), and brother, and staying by his side until the end when John “held my hand close, so close that when he was asleep at last, I could not draw it away.” 

She later wrote that, “The army needed men like John, earnest, brave, and faithful; fighting for liberty and justice with both heart and hand, true soldiers of the Lord.” 

The beautiful language and sweet affection Louisa used to write of John in Hospital Sketches inspired the historical storyline in The Orchard House.

Here’s the Stop #16 Basics:

If you’re interested, you can order The Orchard House on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook, or at your local bookstore!

Clue to write down: fiction!

Link to Stop #17, the next stop on the loop: Angela Hunt’s site!

But wait! Before you go, I’m offering three books to three entrants–winner’s choice of Freedom’s Ring, The Hidden Side, or The Tea Chest. Use this Rafflecopter Form to ENTER! (Print books for US only. If an International winner is drawn, I will be happy to gift an e-book!)

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The Boy on the Mall Escalator

The boy was about eleven years old, and frantic. He stood at the top of the mall escalator with his hands on top of his head and glasses skewed across his face.

“I can’t!” He yelled down to the bottom of the escalator to where his parents waited.

“Yes. You can,” his mom encouraged.

My own sons–one holding a new birthday present skateboard and one a small LEGO bag– stood back to give him some room.

The boy took one step back and a big breath, and launched himself forward, but stopped short of getting on the top step. He hovered there, arms spread wide, then backed away, shaking his head, his internal struggle apparent and painful.

His dad called up to him in a more forceful tone, telling him to get on the escalator.

My heart went out to both the boy and his parents. Most boys his age didn’t have a problem getting on escalators, but obviously this child struggled. I felt for him. I felt for his parents.

He took another step back and propelled himself forward with what seemed like newfound determination. But again, he stopped short, shaking his head and backing up. “I can’t,” he said.

An older man pushed impatiently by him to go down the escalator. Realizing he was in the way, the boy moved to the side. 

My teenage sons moved onto the escalator. My husband and I held back.

“Do you want to go down with us?” I asked.

He didn’t hesitate. “Yes.” He scurried in front of us.

“We’ll be right behind you,” I encouraged as we neared the top step. We pressed as close as was socially-distant-proper, and when the boy hesitated at the first step, he looked around and saw me and my husband. He faced forward with determination.

I chatted about how I didn’t love escalators either but how he was doing a great job. My family sandwiched that boy down the escalator, giving him a measure of protection.

At the bottom, he took off running to his parents.

It was such a small thing–to help a stranger, and yet it made me realize how much I miss interacting with strangers. It made me realize how we are all on different journeys, but how we can all help each other on whatever road we find ourselves on.

This is a theme that runs through The Orchard House. While the story focuses on women helping women, the crux of it is the same–we need one another. We need to cheer one another on. We need community. It’s something I’ve missed this last year, something I’ve even fooled myself into thinking I didn’t always need, but I was wrong.

We were made for one another–to live, grow, challenge, and change each other. To help one another live better stories.

Today, I’m praying someone will help you along in your journey, and that you will be a help to them. I’m praying that we will glimpse our purpose and God’s goodness and grace in the eyes of another. I’m praying you and I will walk this road with courage and hope and love, seeking out the best story–and Author–of all.

Escalator photo by: Rich Smith on Unsplash

Boy on Mountain photo by: Yuriy Bogdanov on Unsplash

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Celebrating The Orchard House Release with a Little Women Bundle Giveaway!

Woohoo! We’re really here! The Orchard House is finally available to readers everywhere!

For more on the inspiration and research behind The Orchard House, click here.

I do hope you enjoy this story, my friends. It’s a story about three women who find the power to tell their stories. I hope it encourages you, and I hope it speaks to your heart. I hope you find truth and grace buried in its pages.

To get this celebration rolling, I’m offering a Little Women Bundle Giveaway to one U.S. resident! Click here to enter, and happy reading!

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Inspiration Behind The Orchard House

Visiting Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House as a girl was the first time I experienced the power of history. Standing in her bedroom, staring at the very desk where she wrote Little Women, the power of history washed over me. Louisa had been in this room. She had written a novel known around the world and dear to many girls and women. And right now, in this snapshot of time, I was the closest person to where it had all happened.

Looking back, I see this place as the birth of my fascination with history. And as I revisited my childhood writing dream as an adult and began publishing books, there was one story that called out to me. One story that had to be told. And it was here, at Louisa’s Orchard House.

Going back to Concord as an adult was no less magical. Only this time, my mission was more than my fascination with Little Women. This time, I was going to find my own story.

For me, there’s nothing like setting to get things stirring. My creative mind comes alive. I visited Orchard House with my mother. At the time, I didn’t know what an integral part she would play in the story. (The poems contained in The Orchard House were written by her years ago.)

I thought it’d be fun to share a few research pictures so my readers could have a different view of the story. I sincerely hope you enjoy The Orchard House. I hope its message of hope and trust resonates within you.

Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House. Her bedroom, and where she wrote Little Women, is contained in the upper two windows to the right of the main house. To the left, you can just make out Bronson Alcott’s School of Philosophy, which plays a big part in my book.Bronson Alcott’s School of Philosophy, where Victoria finds Johanna’s poems.The Orchard House on the steps of Louisa’s Orchard House!With Henry David Thoreau at Walden PondWalden PondGardens of the March SistersMe and My Mother in front of Louisa’s Orchard HouseMain Streets Market and Cafe, where Taylor meets Will for the first time.Outside Orchard House with a copy of Little Women!

For more research pictures, click here!

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