“In The Painting by Kathleen J. Shields, the author has taken one of the most controversial topics and written the most inspiring, heartfelt story I have had the privilege to read in a long time.“
My big surprise of the day was being notified of a fabulous 5 Star Review from the Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews and Awards Contest. I had posted this book, along with many others, quite a while ago, and waited to see if it was ever picked up for a review. Low and behold, an email comes in this afternoon, Congratulating me an receiving a 5 Star Review!
“The reader will find that they will pick up this book not once but many, many times.“
The Painting was released in late 2015 to a few good reviews and little fan fare. It only really struck home to a decisive few. Over the course of the years, a second Painting and a third book were completed. Hoping to connect to, and continue the push for this inspirational trilogy to land in the hands of more readers. The standalone stories focus on appreciating the beauty of the world, loving the people within the world, and doing good while you are there. The symbolism of the characters, hiding in plain sight, are those of The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit.
“The Painting by Kathleen J. Shields will have the reader crying, being angry with the inconsiderateness of mankind, laughing at the joy, and wishing that mankind would be more understanding about the world around us…“
When the trilogy was complete, I thought I was done. I had three fair-sized paperback books (and ebooks) for sale. I was promoting them at every event I went to. It wasn’t until one slow workday, when a picture came to my mind, that the next step of this journey, began. I opened up Photoshop, collected some images and began manipulating them to create a design. When that design was complete, I realized it was now time for another book – a Hardback Book – combining all three stories into a collectors edition!
When the collectible hardback book (with dust-jacket) came out, I was blown over by the response. I did the dust jacket because it felt substantial, big-time. Plus, I had always dreamed of having my picture on an inside flap. 🙂 Yet most of the sales I receive of the trilogy are through the hardback book. At one point it reached Amazon Best Seller Status.
- #50 in Christian Fantasy Books!
- #53 in Children’s Christian Friendship Fiction
- #77 in Christian Fantasy Books
- #185 in Children’s Inspirational Books
This was such an amazing feat for little ‘ol me.
It may have been years in the making but I feel when the story needs to be read, it will make it into the right readers hands. Today. it got yet another big boost.
Read the Review it received below:
Five Star Book Review from the Readers’ Favorite
In The Painting by Kathleen J. Shields, the author has taken one of the most controversial topics and written the most inspiring, heartfelt story I have had the privilege to read in a long time. As simple as the story is, it will hold the reader’s attention from the beginning to the end. The reader will find that they will pick up this book not once but many, many times. The main characters are Gerald, his parents, Dereck, Tiffany, and Sadie. There are minor characters that only emphasize how someone who is different will stand out as society has dictated throughout the centuries how people act, respond to certain events, dress, eat, and behave. The author shares with the reader that we are all blank canvases and it is up to us what medium we use to paint ourselves.
The Painting by Kathleen J. Shields will have the reader crying, being angry with the inconsiderateness of mankind, laughing at the joy, and wishing that mankind would be more understanding about the world around us and that it is only on loan; we will have to answer questions. This book brings the creation of the earth and the coming of Jesus together and explains it in such a beautiful way. The end of the book is the most surprising of all. Any teacher of religious studies would love to have this book on their shelf as it is very enlightening. Thank you to the author for granting me the privilege of reading this book. I highly recommend it to others and will always keep it close just for inspiration when the rest of the world is going to pot.
Review by Bernadette Longu – Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews
And now, that outstanding book review is going to be sent to 500,000 libraries, book stores, and schools across America via a Press Release from Readers’ Favorite!
I keep thinking about the success of the book “The Shack” by William P. Young. It was a self-published book that the author put out for family and friends. It went largely unnoticed for a good amount of time, but then, you, the readers started talking about it. Word of mouth promotion helped his book hit #1 on the New York Times Best Seller status. All it took was readers telling others about the book. Now it is a movie. Now that story is huge – and my prayer is that you, my readers, will help my book do the same thing.
- If you haven’t read the book yet, I encourage you to do that.
- If you have read the book, and liked it, have you thought about leaving a review? Amazon, GoodReads, Facebook, Twitter?
- Did it touch you in some way that helped you in this crazy journey of life?
- If so… Have you told your friends, family, co-workers about the story?
You could be instrumental in helping make a girls dreams come true. You could help get an inspirational book into the hands of someone who may need it. Who knows, you may even be inspired to look at our chaotic, scary world, just a little bit differently.
Kathleen, I couldn’t be any HAPPIER or PROUD of you…..(I need some heart emoji’s here….about 2 dozen please)