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Local author talks guardian angels in debut children?s book
BY BRYCE KELLY
Mt. Pleasant News
Despite having left her profession as a teacher, Gina Burns says she isn?t anywhere near done teaching, and hopes her children?s book proves just that.
On Thursday, Burns, of Mt. Pleasant, celebrated the release of her debut work, ?We All Have Guardian Angels?, an illustrated children?s book that teaches young children about guardian angels. To celebrate the book?s release, Burns ...
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Sep. 30, 2018 9:50 pm
BY BRYCE KELLY
Mt. Pleasant News
Despite having left her profession as a teacher, Gina Burns says she isn?t anywhere near done teaching, and hopes her children?s book proves just that.
On Thursday, Burns, of Mt. Pleasant, celebrated the release of her debut work, ?We All Have Guardian Angels?, an illustrated children?s book that teaches young children about guardian angels. To celebrate the book?s release, Burns held a book signing at The Sip, in Mt. Pleasant, on Thursday evening.
?God tells us about guardian angels in the Bible that he will keep over you to guard you, and I feel like that is really important for kids especially to know that they are always loved and protected by their angels,? said Burns.
A former teacher at Van Allen Elementary and a mother of six children herself, Burns says she has always loved teaching and spending time with children, and says the book is something God called her to write.
?It was complete divine intervention,? she insisted, saying that she had been looking for ways to make more of an impact on the lives of kids after she had resigned from teaching a few years ago. ?One morning in January of 2015, I woke up before dawn with these words running through my head, and I knew I had to just write them down. I?ve learned over the years that when God speaks, we need to listen.?
And thus, ?We All Have Guardian Angels? was born only a year later. For Burns, she says that the book?s completion went much faster than she had expected, especially considering this was the first time she had ever published a written work.
?I used to be a first-grade teacher, so there were times prior to this that I had considered writing books for that age group that taught reading and writing skills, but had never really had that push to do the work to get it done,? she said.
And if her experience in teaching and being a mother to six children wasn?t push enough, Burns says the death of her son Canaan, who was stillborn, was.
?From the time that I was little, I think I have always had a connection with my guardian angels,? she said. ?And with different things that have happened in my life, I have come to understand that all things happen for a reason.?
Today, Burns works with her husband, who is an electrician and farmer, and says getting to spend more time with him and their kids on their farm in Mt. Pleasant is what brings her the most joy in life. She has also spent more time expanding her love of art, and has started her own art collection, Angel Army Productions. And with the release of her new book, Burns says she plans on spending some time promoting it at local churches and youth centers.
?We have a lot going on right now, but it?s good. I really love that God has given me the opportunity to do things that I love and that can impact people,? she says.
?We All Have Guardian Angels? is illustrated by Sara Burrier and was published by Balboa Publishing.
To contact Burns about her book or to arrange a book talk, contact her at 319-931-5725, email her at gina.burns@live.com or visit her website, www.AngelArmyProductions.com.