Karen (Furcht) Fitzsimmons's favorite job is being a mother. She has two sons and one daughter, whom she has prayed for and enjoyed watching learn to depend on the Lord. One day, Karen sat down and prayed to God, What would you like me to do? She had already been a teacher, a photographer, a UPS employee, and a caretaker for her elderly parents. Yet she felt God had so much more planned for her. The answer came-she heard a small, gentle voice, the voice of the Holy Spirit, saying, I want you to write books and use your creativity to spread my Word. Tell the people in the world that I love them. Karen gives all her gifts to the Lord, knowing He is the reason for this time in her life. He is still in charge. The Joy of Forgiveness is Karen's second book with the Write Place. Her first book, The Secret of Happiness, was published in April 2017. Born in Mishawaka, Indiana, in 1927, Rowena Hoover has followed in the artistic footprints of her maternal grandmother and two uncles. She majored in art at Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky, and attended what was then called Iowa State Teacher's College in Cedar Falls. She was a United Methodist pastor's wife and played piano and organ. She also taught youth Sunday school classes and adult Bible studies in various locations. Rowena helped raise two daughters and a son. She has taught adult education evening art classes, as well as classes in her own home. She has exhibited her work in galleries and other venues over the years. She also illustrated a set of First Ladies of America and their gowns, as well as a children's fairy story written by her mother. In addition to The Joy of Forgiveness, Rowena illustrated The Secret of Happiness by Karen Fitzsimmons.