LaGRANGE — Author, speaker and musician Connie Carey will serve as keynote speaker at West Georgia Health’s ninth annual Heart Truth for Women Luncheon on Feb. 18.

Carey will present “Laugh More, Live Better” at the luncheon, which will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Callaway Conference Center at West Georgia Technical College.

Carey, who lives in Macon, blends comic relief with music to bring messages of motivation and inspiration. Her new book, “Falling Up: Lessons Learned on the Way Down,” earned her 2015 Georgia Author of the Year honors in the Inspirational-Religious category. It also became a No. 1 Amazon bestseller in two categories.

In the book, she chronicles with humor and honesty her journey through the grief, guilt and anger she experiences after her father’s suicide. She writes that “although we all go through times when we feel like we’re falling, we can do more than just fall. We can fall up. We can make it to the other side of hard times, stronger in our broken places.”

Carey also serves as a speaker coach, using her background in teaching and performing to help others overcome the fear of the stage and then leverage that fear to inspire, motivate and encourage others. In 2013 she finished in the top 18 of more than 30,000 contestants in the Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking. She also is a member of the National Speakers Association.

An accomplished pianist and flutist, Carey holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music. She has taught music at First Presbyterian Day School in Macon and was music director at two of Macon’s largest churches, Ingleside Baptist and Mabel White Memorial Baptist. In 2013 she released a CD of classic hymns and contemporary worship songs on the piano.

Emory at LaGrange and Heart of West Georgia are Kind Heart Sponsors of the event. Luncheon tickets are $30 per person or $250 for a table for 10. Seating is limited. Call 706-845-3600 to reserve a spot.