{"title":"François Houle","description":"François Houle's books can best be described as character-driven stories that explore the importance that love, family, and friends play in helping us get through the many imperfections and challenges that life has to offer. François grew up one of five boys so it's no surprise that family is a strong theme in his books. A lot of his inspiration for his first two novels \"It Happened to Us\" and \"Beautiful Midnight\" and his two novellas \"We Became Us\" and \"Broken Hearts\" came from the passing of his father in 2005. François grew up in a small town outside of Montréal, moved to Toronto when he was ten, and currently lives in Ottawa. An avid reader from a young age, he tried to create a comic book when he was twelve, penned hundreds of song lyrics as a teenager, and wrote his first novel in 1985, a sci-fi influenced by the novel Dune. Several horror novels followed, and although none of these books will ever be published, they were important in his development as an author. In 1985, at the age of 22, he graduated from college with a Programmer\/Analyst diploma and then went into the ice cream business with his family, owning three Baskin-Robbins franchises for about 6 years. In 1991, he started his IT career which now spans 27 years, and from 2003 - 2017, he was a Certified Professional Résumé Writer and operated a part-time business writing résumés for professionals at all levels. If you'd like to get your free ebook copy of his novella \"We Became Us\" and to stay current with what he's working on, please visit his website at www.francoisghoule.com.","products":[{"product_id":"beautiful-midnight-a-young-womans-unstoppable-spirit-paperback","title":"Beautiful Midnight: a young woman's unstoppable spirit - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Such an amazing storyline both moving and heartbreaking . . .\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cem\u003e NetGalley Review\u003c\/em\u003e (5 stars)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen you first meet Fifteen-year-old Midnight Madison, you notice the short purple hair, the multiple earrings in each ear, the steel exterior. Your first thought is probably \u003cem\u003ethat girl is a little weird.\u003c\/em\u003e And then you wonder how can she and the most beautiful and popular girl in school, Samantha Carmichael, be friends? On the surface, they are as opposites as two people can be.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMidnight comes from a broken family, raised by a father whose intimacy with the bottle forces her to be the caregiver. Samantha comes from a well-off family and her biggest concern is what latest fashion she should wear to school.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut things are rarely as they appear, and when tragedy strikes, not once, but twice, two families are forced to confront their past, re-examine choices made . . . and find the strength to carve a new future that seems as unlikely as Midnight and Samantha's friendship.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cem\u003eBeautiful Midnight\u003c\/em\u003e is the story of two young women coming to understand who they truly are while navigating the imperfection of their lives and friendship, and learning to let go of a past marred with regrets, denials, and painful truths. Perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah, Nicholas Sparks, and Kate Hewitt.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67873277182175,"sku":"9781775049029","price":21.58,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/dojf8JAkRk9781775049029.webp?v=1790891565"},{"product_id":"the-trees-have-buds-paperback","title":"The Trees Have Buds - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat \u003ci\u003emakes\u003c\/i\u003e a family?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor seventeen years, Hailey Cormier has known exactly who she is: Jack Cormier's perfect daughter. Driven by fear of her father leaving like her mother did when she was four, Hailey pushes herself to excel at everything she does.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the age of twenty-nine, Sarah Kincaid is still haunted by her past. Dragged from town to town all her life by a mother whose idea of love was a backhand or turning a blind eye to her creepy boyfriends, Sarah has never felt worthy of anyone's love or kindness.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUntil Sarah meets Jack. Within months, they are married.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut can Sarah-fragile and afraid to believe her life has finally turned around-and Hailey-an angry and distrustful teenager who sees her dad's new wife as an adversary-learn to accept each other and become the family that Jack so desperately needs?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Trees Have Buds\u003c\/i\u003e is a poignant and heart-rending journey of two women who struggle to shed their past, learn to trust, and define the true meaning of family.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67905066500319,"sku":"9781989734025","price":21.58,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/HK6ZxJSqYU9781989734025.webp?v=1790963603"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/francois-houle.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}