It Started With a Lima Bean by Kimi Flores Blog Tour ( Blurb, Review, Character Casting, Character Interview & Giveaway)

Blurb
A past that haunts can be laid to rest through the act of forgiveness, even if the person you forgive is yourself. It must be gifted freely.
Abby Sullivan cherishes the life she is creating for herself in her hometown of Santa Barbara, California. She adores her best friend and supportive family. Her job as a kindergarten teacher offers her life hope and purpose. She is very talented at many things, especially hiding the pain of her past. That is until her world collides with Caleb Hunter’s, giving them both a lesson in forgiveness and love.A life changing love is cruelly snatched by sickness and death. A person must be willing to give love, the greatest gift of all, to receive love.A successful writer, Caleb is living life day-to-day. Giving refuge to his sad and lonely heart since his wife's sudden death from cervical cancer, his primary focus becomes honoring her memory by rearing their five-year-old daughter, Madison. Yet, when Madison Hunter walks into Miss Abby’s kindergarten class, everything changes for all three of them.With a little nudge from a loving mother-in-law who has everyone’s best interest at heart, anything is possible, especially when forgiveness and love gift even more blessings than ever imaginable.

Review
It Started with a Lima is full of joy that you will literally be crying happy tears throughout the book. Caleb is a widower who didn’t realize that he would be able to find love again after his young wife, Rene, passed away tragically from cancer. After grieving her death for 4 yrs he laid eyes on the most beautiful person, Abby Sullivan, who is his daughter Madison’s kindergarten teacher. Abby thought that all of the skeletons that she hold on her past would have Caleb running for the hills, but what she doesn't know is that he too have some things in his past that he wasn’t to proud of. After overcoming those obstacles they started to develop a very loving relationship. The relationship that Caleb & Abby share is one for the story book folks; he is what one would call a true gentleman. I literally feel in love Caleb, he is one would call “Prince Charming.” He was a very good father & he had Abby’s best interest in mind, the things he said would have you falling in love with him & he is just a fictional character. Has for Abby you just can’t help but to love her, she was so selfless, noble & it was very easy to love her. Abby’s best friend, Leah, is the spicy Latina who does take shit from no one, she has Abby’s best interest in mind & she has her back no matter what. Has for Caleb’s cousin Stefen & Bri, you can’t help but to shake your head because they can’t see reason, but on the other hand once you see what kind of upbringing they had you can’t help but to feel sad for them. The whole background from this story is so well put that I actually cried towards the end. Kimi Flores you have out done yourself & I can’t wait to read “An Exceptional Twist.”

Character Casting

Character Interview

Character Interview (Abby)

Hey Abby how’s married life treating you?

~Fantastic! We just got back from our 2 week honeymoon in the mediterranean and had the best time. I'd never been there before and Caleb surprised me by setting up the whole romantic getaway. God I love that man.

So I am totally enchanted with Madison, was it the same for when you first met her?

~Absolutely. I'd met her at my mom's house when she was a bit younger. I had just heard the story of Madison's mom's passing and thought how sad it would be if she never got to have a mommy in her life. Who would have thought several years later that I would have the honor of being her mama.
Now your friendship with Leah is one that I respect so much, has it always been that way since you’ve known each other?

~Leah and I hit it off from day one. I was very reserved when we first met because of the things I had just experienced but Leah pulled me out of my shell. You've met her. She is hilarious.

How’s Leah doing by the way?

~Funny you ask. I was just telling Caleb how worried I am about her. She just doesn't seem like herself since we came back from our honeymoon. Caleb suggested that maybe she was feeling a little lonely now that I'm married and although that may be a part of it, my girlfriend instincts tell me there is something else going on. I will get it out of her.

Ok now, I know a lot of folks would like to know this, now that you & Caleb are newlyweds, are you still in bliss & when to we expect to meet your new “lima bean”?

~Caleb is everything I've ever dreamed of in my perfect husband and it's a little too early to be talking new lima beans LOL.

Is Madison asking for a baby brother or sister?

~yes, Madison asks everyday when her brother or sister will be coming. She will make a incredible big sister one day.

Have you & Caleb been back to Chicago to visit his parents since the wedding, since they never showed up?

~No, Caleb still needs to cool off a little about it.. There's very little that upsets him but I think this was one of those final straws for him.

Did it disappoint you at all they weren't even there for their only child’s wedding?

~The part that upsets me is seeing Caleb hurt. He won't call it that but I know him well enough to see when he's been hurt.

Alright last but definitely not least, did you return to teaching kindergarten or did you stay with the fifth graders?

~I don't receive my assignment until next week but I'm really fine with either grade. They each offer something special.

Kimi lives in So Ca with her high school sweetheart, prom date, and now husband of over 20 years as well as with her two boys that bring so much joy and laughter to her life. There is never a dull moment in Kimi’s day with these three guys by her side. Her family and she are happily involved in volunteer work with several local non-profit organizations. They believe that everyone needs to do their part and a portion of her sales will always go to charity.
At an early age, Kimi discovered the magical world of imagination. Many stories were written as well as illustrated by her as a child. Not realizing at the time that she had dyslexia, schoolwork became extremely difficult, and her confidence as a reader and writer dwindled. Thanks to a high teacher who took the time to invest in her, Kimi found a love for literary legends such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Washington Irving and Jane Austen. This teacher helped Kimi create one of the happiest school memories she holds. Discovering in college that she had the learning disability was terribly discouraging since help was not readily available and her reading and writing confidence fell once again.
Needing to find a distraction when her husband unexpectedly ended up in the hospital for a week, Kimi explored the indie reading world. Jumping in with everything she had, Kimi pushed herself to read over 150 books last year. During that process, many characters reappeared in her imagination and insisted that their stories be told. Putting all self-doubt and barriers aside, she started writing the outlines and drafts for the four books in her Intertwined Hearts Series as well as bits and pieces of the three books in her next series, Down by the Bay.
Her message to you is similar to that of pop icon, will.i.am’s: ~You can focus on your problems or you can focus on your dreams ~

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