How We Made Love Bloom: An Adoption Story by Matthew and Gina R. Briggs

 

Florida Author & Book Feature:

How We Made Love Bloom: An Adoption Story by Matthew and Gina R. Briggs

It is a whimsically educational tale of the domestic infant adoption process.

Release Date: May 13, 2023

Author's names: Matthew and Gina R. Briggs (husband and wife collaboration) 

Authors Matthew and Gina R. Briggs with daughter Sophia.

Preferred pronouns: 

Matthew: He/Him 

Gina: She/Her 

Genres you write in: We both write contemporary fiction and have previously published novels. This is our first children's book.

Special category: BIPOC adoptee characters. 

Author location: Tallahassee, FL 

Publisher: Self-published 

Do you have a "day job"? Matthew works for Costco Wholesale as a Supervisor. Gina is a stay-at-home mom and owns the small business, Poppy & Rose Adoption Profiles. 

Tell us what makes you unique: We are adoptive parents who advocate for adoptee rights, pregnancy and infant loss support, and birth mother voices. 

How long did it take you to write and publish your first book? We both wrote novels previously--these took roughly two years. However, the children's book writing, illustrating, and editing process only took about 3 months. 

What would you like readers to know about you or your books? We hope How We Made Love Bloom: An Adoption Story will help fill the noticeable gap in adoption education. At least 1/3 of Americans have considered adoption, but not many of us know the ins and outs of the journey. 

Your best tip for other authors: If you have a story that you want to tell, just go for it. Don't wait for a publisher to give you the green light. You can do so much on your own in this day in age. Self-publishing is a wonderful option for complete artistic control. 

What do you wish someone had told you about book publishing years ago? We both wish we would have known that there is just as much credibility in self-publishing as trade publishing. 

When did you know that you wanted to publish a book? For this book specifically, we knew we wanted to write it as soon as we brought our daughter home. There are other books about adoption on the market, but not many that describe the step-by-step process and showcase the birth mother in a positive light. As we have a wonderful open adoption relationship with our child's birth mother, we wanted to highlight the birth mother's thoughts and feelings in our story. 

What inspires you as writers? We are inspired by our daughter, Sofia. Writing strong female protagonists and characters that undergo personal transformation is important to us because we want to model these attributes for her. 

Where is your favorite place to write? We love writing in our home on our kitchen table, surrounded by our pets and while our daughter snoozes in her baby swing. 

Where is your favorite place to read? We both read in bed every night. 

What are your favorite genres to read? 

Matthew: Contemporary fiction, sci-fi, classic literature, and poetry.

Gina: Domestic drama, thrillers, and horror. 

How does Florida inspire you in your writing? The lush greenery of Tallahassee inspired the garden theme of How We Made Love Bloom: An Adoption Story. 

How do you get most of the ideas for your books and characters? Most of our ideas stem from people we know and experiences we've had in real life. Or we'll get inspired by a topic that is important to us such as adoption, mental health awareness, etc. 

Do you have a favorite Florida bookstore? My Favorite Books in Tallahassee, FL. @mfbtlh 

Who's your favorite author: Our favorite children's book authors are Nancy Tillman (@nancytillmanauthor) and Elena S. Hall (@throughadoptedeyes). 

What is your favorite social media platform to use as an author? We love to use Instagram because the Bookstagram Community has been so welcoming! It's a great place to find book recommendations and cheer on other indie authors. 

Tell us about your latest book: How We Made Love Bloom: An Adoption Story is a whimsically educational tale of the domestic infant adoption process. Our main characters are Mr. and Mrs. Daisy. Their daughter, Rosebud, asks them about her adoption story, and they recount all the people who helped them grow their garden. 

What was the inspiration for this book? We wrote this book for our daughter, Sofia. But we also saw a gap in the market for adoption books that describe the adoption journey and all its ups and downs. 

Author social media accounts: 

Gina: @ginarbriggswrites on Instagram.

Matthew: @mattderkomponist on Instagram.

Adoption Account: @poppyandrose_adoptionprofiles 

Gina R. Briggs' author page on Amazon

Matthew Briggs' author page on Amazon

Buy How We Made Love Bloom: An Adoption Story by Matthew and Gina R. Briggs on Amazon

Other books by author:

Gina: The Isa Project (Sept. 30, 2022),

Matthew: This Was Not a Dream (April 20, 2023) 

List some of the places your books can be purchased: Amazon, My Favorite Books, and Common Ground Books (both Tallahassee bookshops).

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