Chatting with The Catholic Foodie about The Kiss of Jesus

October 31, 2015 - Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Jeff Young AKA the Catholic Foodie.

He writes: “I have wanted to have Donna-Marie join me here on The Catholic Foodie Show for quite a while, and the recent release of her new book provided the perfect opportunity. The Kiss of Jesus is the name of the book, published by Ignatius Press. In The Kiss of Jesus, Donna-Marie tells her story, the good and the bad. She doesn’t shy away from the dark corners. She tells her story because she knows that so many of us are suffering. We are hurting and we are trying to make sense of it all. We are trying to find God in the midst of it. Donna-Marie understands the power of stories, and she shares hers knowing that doing so might just give hope to you and to me. Listen now to our conversation. Full show notes are available at CatholicFoodie.com.

Jeff has recently interviewed me on his radio show. You can listen to that here.

The Kiss of Jesus Blog Tour Day # 16!

October 31, 2015 - Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

Today’s The Kiss of Jesus Blog Tour stop is over at The Snoring Scholar.

Sarah begins with an excerpt of my book and then gets into some personal stuff:

I had been writing Catholic articles whenever I could fit them into my schedule. After careful reflection and prayer, I decided to retire from my preschool program and to devote myself to full-time writing. Mother Teresa and Father Hardon had encouraged me to continue writing. Mother Teresa had said that she prayed my writing would “do much good” and that I should do it “for the glory of God and the good of the people.” Father Hardon had given me positive feedback and had reminded me that “many mothers are overwhelmed” and need encouragement and inspiration.

After many years of storing away my writings in cardboard boxes, I heard from a publisher who asked if I would be interested in writing a prayer book for Catholic mothers. They had seen some of my writing in the past, and I was thrilled to be invited to write for them. Before long, I signed my first book contract and got to work. Dave was very supportive of my writing work, and I thoroughly enjoyed the writing process, praying as I wrote that God would use my words for His glory and to help and encourage mothers of all ages. I drew from some ideas I had during my long bed rest while pregnant with Mary-Catherine.

I’ll never forget the day that the copies of my first book arrived…

[see the entire blog post here]

Visiting with Sheila Liaugminas on the airwaves.

October 28, 2015 - Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

Sheila Liaugminas

I was blessed last night with the pleasure of speaking with Sheila Liaugminas on her great show “A Closer Look” on Relevant Radio. If you missed it, you can listen anytime here at your leisure.

It’s about a half hour show. Our segment starts at about the hallway point. So, feel free to slide the little marker down to the 25:41 time and start listening there. Or, listen to the whole thing knowing my interview is in the 2nd half.

Enjoy!

The Kiss of Jesus Blog Tour Day # 14!

October 28, 2015 - Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

Today our The Kiss of Jesus blog tour stops at “Water Into Wine.”

Lisa writes:

“I love when a memoir provides both the shock of the unfamiliar and an intimate sense of shared humanity. Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle’s new memoir, The Kiss of Jesus: How Mother Teresa and the Saints Helped Me to Discover the Beauty of the Cross, does all of that and more.

With incredible courage, through the gripping story of her life, Donna-Marie reveals to her many fans that she is wounded, like they are. She has made mistakes, suffered from abuse and humiliating losses, lived in poverty, fought to protect her children and clear her name, and struggled alone as a single mom.

Walking in faith sometimes seems like walking in the dark. I seemed to grope blindly a lot throughout my life, but with a certainty, or at least a strong hope, that there would be light–somewhere. I needed to trust God fully with my life and I prayed to do so. When I found myself in darkness I continued to search for God there, and I strove to serve Him each day in the people He put around me, starting in my own family. (p. 116)

Life, she admits candidly, has not gone according to plan. But because she has persevered in handing it all over to God, step by step and day by day, it has all come right; and she has done more than just survive: she has triumphed by joining her own suffering to that of her crucified Lord:”

[See the entire review here]

The Kiss of Jesus Blog Tour Day # 12!

October 26, 2015 - Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

Today our blog tour stops at Catholic Mom. Lisa Hendey writes:

“I’ve lovingly called Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle a mentor and friend for over a decade. Her work has inspired, edified and blessed me in countless ways over those years. And while I’ve known for some time that Donna-Marie faced personal challenges along her spiritual journey, nothing could have hinted at the level of hardship she retells in her new memoir The Kiss of Jesus.

Why was I so surprised when I read this book? The reason comes from the love and peace that Donna-Marie exudes. When reading of her hardships over the course of so many years, one might imagine that a “victim” mentality or a bitter worldview would be the result of such suffering. But the truth of the matter is that Donna-Marie has found a key to peace and joy in her life: her faith in and love for Jesus Christ. Her ability to convey this life-changing love is what’s at the heart of The Kiss of Jesus and it’s also what you feel when you meet this lovely author, speaker and television host in “real life”. This is also what takes this book from being simply a “tell all” story and turns it into a major gift for anyone who has faced challenges and hardships along life’s path…”

[See the entire blog post here]

The Kiss of Jesus Blog Tour Day # 11

October 25, 2015 - Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

Today’s Blog tour stop is at the Military Council of Catholic Women (MCCW.org.) Elizabeth Tomlin, President of the MCCW writes:

“When I was asked to review Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle’s memoir and latest book published through Ignatius Press, The Kiss of Jesus: How Mother Teresa and the Saints Helped me to Discover the Beauty of the Cross, I felt honored and wanted to do my best. I approached this project like I did any other project – mathematically – it’s just the way God made me. I noted that the book has 181 pages and did the math. With ten days to complete the task, I set out to read 20 pages a night and reserved day 10 to write the review. Two evenings later, I was finished with the book.

I have spent the remaining eight days re-reading and considering how to distill a book with such profundity to a review of 900 words. BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) – Read this book. Pray for Donna-Marie’s ministry. Pray that God gives us all the grace to thirst for Jesus amidst whatever adversity we face.

If you have not met Donna-Marie in person, she is soft-spoken and gentle. She makes an impact in her gentleness, so much so, that my two-and a half year old son saw the book cover with Donna-Marie’s face several months after she visited my family, and remembered her, saying, “Dat’s Donna-Mawie! I want her to come back to me.” Her personality is imbued with a genuine care for others, so it’s not surprising that she states often, ‘I think I was born to be a mother.’”

[Continued here]

The Kiss of Jesus Blog Tour Day # 10!

October 24, 2015 - Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

Today’s blog tour stops at the Patheos blog, Season’s of Grace with Kathy Schiffer.

In her post titled, Hope for the Suffering: Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle Inspires in Candid Memoir, Kathy writes:

I remember the first time I saw Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle on EWTN. She seemed so delicate, so mild-mannered, so firm in her Catholic faith. Later I met Donna-Marie at a meeting of the Catholic Writers Guild, and her image as a strong faith leader and an inspirational speaker was reinforced in my mind.

Her writing is truly inspirational–reading her books, one can’t help but resolve to be holier. When, in December 2012, I participated in the blog tour for Donna-Marie’s book Rooted in Love: Our Calling As Catholic Women, I wrote:

“Donna-Marie brings to her writing a softness, a peaceful witness born of time spent in prayer.”

Such grace-filled encouragement must, I thought, be born in a childhood of devotion, a youthful hunger for Christ, and a model family life.

That’s why I was shocked–really, SHOCKED!–to read the earthy revelations about her earlier life in Donna-Marie’s deeply moving memoir, The Kiss of Jesus.

[You can read the full review here.]

The Kiss of Jesus Blog Tour Day # 9!

October 23, 2015 - Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

Today’s Blog tour stop is at Peace Garden Passage.

Rozane writes:

“I am finding it more and more difficult these days to carve out adequate time for indulging in my longtime passion of reading. But Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle’s memoir, “The Kiss of Jesus,” had me blissfully rediscovering the delights of sneaking a flashlight and book under the covers each night, and staying up to the wee hours, quietly turning pages while my husband snored nearby.

For when you have a jewel that shimmers in your hands, the thought of it collecting dust becomes quickly dismantled, and “where there’s a will there’s a way” makes room.

It doesn’t hurt that Donna-Marie is a personal friend, and that memoir happens to be my favorite genre. Through that friendship, I knew this book was percolating a while before it came to light. In fact, Donna-Marie and I met in person for the first time, after a years-long online friendship, at a conference where she was set about the task of setting her memoir in motion…”

Meeting up with Roxane at the Catholic Marketing Network

[See more here]

My reflection on praying the Hail Mary

October 23, 2015 - Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

Sarah Reinhard has a new book out. It’s quite lovely–a perfect size to carry with us or set on our night table. Sarah has gathered some folks together to share reflections word by word on the Hail Mary prayer. From the publisher’s description on the back cover, we read:

Most Catholics can recite the Hail Mary from memory but haven’t actually reflected on the meaning of the prayer. Blogger and author Sarah Reinhard invited forty of the most popular Catholic voices–including Lisa M. Hendey, Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, Lisa Mladinich, and Brandon Vogt–to write a brief reflection on each word of the Hail Mary…

Over at “Catholic Mom,” Sarah Reinhard writes:

“The book inspired by the blog series, Word by Word: Slowing Down with the Hail Mary, is now available and today, Donna-Marie graciously agreed to join me to talk about the Hail Mary, her word in the book, and her tips for us as we try to slooooooooow down in our prayer.”

And she asks me a few questions:

Donna-Marie, what’s your relationship with the Hail Mary as a prayer? How does it help you grow closer to Mary and, through her, Jesus?

I have always loved the Hail Mary prayer since I was a little girl. It was taught to me by my mother and often prayed in my presence by my mother and grandmother when they prayed the Rosary.

I believe that the Hail Mary prayer helps me to grow closer to Mary and, through her, to Jesus. It is a wonderful meditative prayer which reminds us of Mary’s role in our salvation and which asks Her to pray for us which will ultimately bring us closer to her Son Jesus.

Your reflection was on the word SINNERS. Tell us a bit about what this word means to you in the context of the Hail Mary.

We are all sinners. We are all in need of prayer to be able to reach Heaven one day. We must pray for our own souls and in the Hail Mary prayer, we also pray to Mother Mary asking Her to pray for us too. It really is an awesome privilege to receive and benefit from prayers from the Mother of God! It would be beneficial to pause and ponder that fact alone.

In the Hail Mary prayer, we ask the Blessed Mother to pray for us now for our daily needs within the nitty gritty details of our lives. As well, and equally as important, we pray to Mother Mary requesting that she pray for us at the hour of our death. We need Her to lead us to Heaven.

What’s your top tip for slowing down as you pray the Hail Mary…or any prayer, for that matter?

My top tip for slowing down to pray is to strive to put myself in the presence of God and offer Him my full heart in love and respect. I could easily race through my prayers, but where will that get me? Would I be truly praying? Is that being respectful to God?

I believe that we need to pause often to pray and also to carve out time for heartfelt prayers, no matter how busy we think we are so that we can be in continual conversation with our Creator. Some of our prayers might be very brief as we tend to the needs of those to whom we are responsible. But, we can certainly offer our hearts in those busy moments and strive to schedule other times to meet Our Lord in prayer.

***

Donna-Marie has a new book out herself, The Kiss of Jesus: How Mother Teresa and the Saints Helped Me to Discover the Beauty of the Cross, which is touring the blogosphere right now.

[BY THE WAY, MY REFLECTION WHICH APPEARS IN THIS BOOK IS DIFFERENT AND LONGER THAN WHAT APPEARS HERE IN THIS SHORT INTERVIEW]

[See more here at Catholic Mom]

Visiting with “Live Hour” on Archangel Radio

October 22, 2015 - Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

I recently spoke with the hosts on the “Live Hour” on Archangel Radio sharing about my life and my memoir The Kiss of Jesus. You can listen here at your leisure. I hope that you enjoy it.

Sharing about The Kiss of Jesus at Spirit Mornings

October 22, 2015 - Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

In case you didn’t get a chance to tune in to my visit on Spirit Mornings radio you can check it out here when you have about 20 minutes of time.

Chatting with John Harper on Morning Air!

October 22, 2015 - Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

I recently visited with John Harper on “Morning Air” on Relevant Radio. In case you didn’t have a chance to tune in initially you can listen here at your leisure. In my memoir The Kiss of Jesus I have revealed a lot of crazy stuff and I share things that I haven’t revealed before. This is the first time I tell of these things in this interview on Morning Air.

In the radio interview (and my memoir), I spoke about the many challenges, crosses, and deep joy in my life. I shared about the saints and dear Mother Teresa in my life. We also spoke about courtship, marriage, and family in this interview. I hope that you enjoy it.

The Kiss of Jesus Blog Tour Day # 8!

October 22, 2015 - Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

Today’s blog tour is hosted by the Practicing Catholic who writes:

“I’ve scaled back on participating in book reviews and blog tours, primarily because I want to safeguard my holy leisure reading time for whatever the current book is for Well-Read Mom. But when I received the request to participate in the blog tour for The Kiss of Jesus by Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, my intuition told me to give the book a good look before declining participation.
30 seconds into the book, on the first page of the preface I read,

… I had been a single mother to five children for many years …”

Now you may know Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle as I do, strictly from her public persona. She’s that lovely woman with the soothing voice who has two first names and two last names and is frequently heard and seen on Catholic media. You know, the woman who knew Blessed Mother Teresa personally and wrote about their relationship in the book Mother Teresa and Me: Ten Years of Friendship.

She was a single mother to five children?! I had no clue…”

[Read the full blog post here]

God’s “wrong number”?

October 21, 2015 - Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

This is not Suzanne. It’s a photo of two women I know and I think it’s a sweet photo. 🙂

I am very thankful that God keeps my life so interesting. Recently, a week or so ago I received a most interesting phone call. As I headed towards the ringing phone, the answering machine came on and I heard a woman’s shaky voice leaving a message. I quickly picked up the call and learned from the woman that it was a “wrong number.” So, I tried to explain how she might find the right number after she told me who she was trying to reach. I also told her that I would pray for her because she also disclosed the reason she needed to reach her son at his work.

She asked me my name and I asked for hers. Her name is Suzanne and she is 88-years-old. She was sincerely interested in sharing her life with me–a complete stranger who she called by “accident.” In that moment I decided to pause from what I was doing to take the time to listen to this serendipitous caller. Suzanne zig-zagged me way back to her family’s ancestry and then lead me back to her life now. She chattered on. I could tell that she had so much more to tell me and I didn’t know where I could possibly insert a suggestion that I thought might help us both because she was thoroughly enjoying talking with me.

Since it was obvious that Suzanne was very interested in continuing a conversation with me, I decided to ask her if she’d like me to call her back to talk some more sometime. So, when she paused briefly from her artful sharing, I ventured to quickly ask her my question. She was so delighted about the idea. A half hour later (yes, a half hour!) we parted company on the phone with my promise to pray for her and her situation and I also promised that I’d give her a call soon.

I’ll tell ya–that woman has lived an extraordinary life. I learned a lot about it in that half hour. I told her that I am confident that God gave us a gift of our chat this morning. With my promise of an upcoming phone call, she said, “I’ll be right here, Honey.”

Perhaps it wasn’t a wrong number after all. Maybe–just maybe–it was a phone call arranged by God to bring two complete strangers together. Just maybe I was meant to take that time to be kind to a stranger, to offer my gift of time even though I was quite busy that day and could have let the answering machine answer the phone or could have been brief with the caller.

How many shut-ins and lonely people are forever waiting for a phone call or for a visit from someone–even a short one? They hope that maybe they’ll hear from a loved one today. Or, possibly even a stranger.

Opportunities for grace unfold when we pause, ponder, and listen to God’s gentle whispers to our soul. We can become such a beautiful spark of joy in someone’s life if we would only take the time to reach out to connect with them, visit with them, or give them some of our time when they reach out to us. Our simple loving gestures can make all of the difference in the world!

Who can you reach out to today or some time very soon? I know who I am going to call–Suzanne!

The Kiss of Jesus Blog Tour Day # 7!

October 21, 2015 - Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

The Kiss of Jesus Blog Tour # 7

Author and blogger Kevin Lowry writes:

Holy people are made, not born.

Such is the case with a woman I am privileged to count as a friend, Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle. I first met Donna-Marie when I was but a lowly, first-time author with absolutely no idea how to promote my new book Faith at Work. Donna-Marie’s gracious intercession and encouragement during this time period was, and has been ever since, a tremendous witness of Christian charity in action. She’s the real deal.

Well, this real deal has a new book out, The Kiss of Jesus: How Mother Teresa and the Saints Helped Me to Discover the Beauty of the Cross. If you’ve ever had a cross to carry in your life (and who hasn’t?) this book will help put your struggles into perspective – and give you hope.

You see, back in 2011 when we first met, what I perceived in Donna-Marie was a…

[See more here].

The Kiss of Jesus Blog Tour Day # 6!

October 20, 2015 - Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

Today is The Kiss of Jesus Blog Tour Day # 6

Maria Scaperlanda writes…

Although I am still in Jordan—and will continue to write posts from our Catholic Bloggers Press Tour, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to tell you about a special new book, The Kiss of Jesus: How Mother Teresa and the Saints Helped Me to Discover the Beauty of the Cross, by Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle.

Donna-Marie needs little introduction. She is a prolific author, a well-known inspirational speaker, a popular radio and TV personality, and a respected Catholic personality.

Although we have never met in person, I have been blessed for years to call Donna-Marie not only a colleague, but also my friend!

I am honored and grateful to be part of Donna-Marie’s Blog Tour in celebration of her latest book’s release, The Kiss of Jesus.

Question: Donna-Marie, can you tell me your favorite Scripture? [You can see the interview here]

The Kiss of Jesus Blog Tour Day # 5!

October 19, 2015 - Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

It’s blog tour stop # 5 and we are at the Catholic Blogger’s place today. Pete Socks has interviewed me and we see the beginning here:

PETE: Your memoir The Kiss of Jesus is a deeply personal volume. Was it difficult to write such personal details?

DONNA-MARIE COOPER O’BOYLE: Some parts of it were difficult to write because I needed to revisit some very dark and painful episodes in my life.

PETE: Your life has been filled with many highs and many lows. By telling readers about these what do you hope they take away from this book?

DONNA-MARIE COOPER O’BOYLE: I hope and pray that my readers will feel a sense of hope for their own lives after reading my book. I believe that so many people suffer from deep wounds for all kinds of reasons. As well, they struggle and suffer due to strenuous life circumstances. They can sometimes feel all alone in their suffering and many times don’t know where to turn for help. I am praying that my book will help them and even heal their wounds, by God’s grace. I pray it will inspire them to want to grow in holiness as we are all called by God to do. [See the rest here.]

The Kiss of Jesus Blog Tour Day # 4!

October 18, 2015 - Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

Day # 4 along “The Kiss of Jesus” blog tour!

After months of anticipating The Kiss of Jesus: How Mother Teresa and the Saints Helped Me to Discover the Beauty of the Cross, I read it from cover-to-cover in the span of a single day. This isn’t unheard of for me when it comes to books that are engrossing, well-written, and/or particularly inspiring. Since The Kiss of Jesus is all of the above, I stopped reading it only to eat and go to an interview.

I expected to be impressed by the caliber of the writing, and I was. I figured I’d be surprised by some of the trials Donna-Marie has faced, but I was actually floored by the amount of suffering she endured. The most miraculous and inspiring part is that she always remained trusting of God and a persistent prayer warrior.

Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle has long been in the eye of the public as the author of many best-selling Catholic books, a popular speaker, as well as the host of EWTN’s “Everyday Blessings for Catholic Moms” and “Catholic Mom’s Café.”

My first time meeting was at the Catholic Writers’ Conference in August 2009. She was one of the presenters. Two of Donna-Marie’s books that I have read, reviewed, and loved since our meeting in 2009 are Mother Teresa and Me: Ten Years of Friendship and A Catholic Woman’s Book of Prayers. I highly recommend both of them!

Donna-Marie uses social media incredibly…[see the rest here].

The Kiss of Jesus Interview with Karen Edmisten

October 17, 2015 - Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

Day # 3 of The Kiss of Jesus blog tour!

Catholic author and blogger Karen Edmisten has recently interviewed me about the writing of The Kiss of Jesus.

She began: It’s an honor to be a part of Ignatius Press’s blog tour for Donna-Marie’s latest book!

The Kiss of Jesus: How Mother Teresa and the Saints Helped Me to Discover the Beauty of the Cross is a beautiful memoir of suffering, faith, courage, and hope.

Some of Donna’s past work has offered peeks into the challenges she’s faced in life but in The Kiss of Jesus we find the entire, compelling tale. Donna-Marie’s story is an illustration of the powerful truth that God’s grace bursts through all barriers, that He can and will transform every suffering, no matter how bleak our lives feel in times of great trial, into redemptive beauty.

In a brief interview, I asked Donna-Marie to share a little more about the process of writing her memoir…

You can find it here.

“I don’t feel so alone now.”

October 17, 2015 - Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

Here are some reactions thus far to my memoir The Kiss of Jesus:

First of all, I thought this one was very sweet. This woman is having trouble putting the book down so she is reading it on the treadmill.

Some serious and heartfelt responses follow. After reading my book, one woman shares…

“Thank you for writing your latest book. I don’t feel so alone now. Please pray for my husband who decided on his own to admit himself to our local hospital’s behavioral health department. I pray he gets the hope he needs and perhaps our marriage will last as it should. I’m so afraid. I don’t want my children to suffer the consequences of any of this. Please pray for us…This book has really become a turning point for me. It came when I needed it most.”

Another…

After listening to my interview on ‘Kresta in the Afternoon” with Al Kresta about my memoir, The Kiss of Jesus, a woman told me, “Thank you for sharing. I was blown away by your testimony. I will be getting your book!” She said she wanted me to know, “just hearing you touched my heart and gave me hope.”

Another person said: “I was blessed by your book. I was especially blessed by the tenacity of your faith in your circumstances. So many situations that you described, I don’t know if I would have pressed in like you did. I just want you to know that I was moved by your relationship with God and how you let Him hold you up through all of your struggles.”

I am immensely thankful to God who seems to be powerfully working through the testimony of my book.