Blake Blackman grew up on a turkey farm in rural North Carolina, listening to her grandparents, parents, and aunts recount timeless stories of life in the South. Along the way, spinning a good yarn became embedded somewhere deep inside her-and then life gave her some tough stories to tell. In her first book, "The Journey of the Black Heart," Blake narrates how she did (and didn't) cope with the loss of a child, a marriage, and the life she thought she wanted. In 2006, Blake fell madly in love with Jesus, and she has been talking and writing about life, faith, love, doubt, and grief ever since. These days she focuses her time on volunteering at a local hospital, going back for that college degree she skipped, and pursuing her love of writing and storytelling. More than anything Blake is passionate about her husband, Jason, her teenage son, Noah, her two rambunctious cats, cooking for friends, The Indigo Girls, a good laugh, and beautiful tragedies. She believes with her whole heart in the redemption of all things and that no experience in this lifetime is wasted.