An Unexpected Journey
I didn't set out to write a novel. I was sitting on the beach in July of 2017, with my toes in the sand, when a character introduced herself in my brain. Literally, while watching the waves, this wandering, restless, longing woman, who would eventually be named Colleen, was born as a book character, and God allowed me to use her story as a platform for foster care and adoption advocacy- a cause near and dear to my heart. "Grace and Lavender" will be released by Ambassador International on March 1, 2019, and you can pre-order it now on Amazon. Also available free with your Audible subscription. It's an inspirational story about purpose and possibilities!
When the first book was finished, I immediately began working on my second. The manuscript was completed in early May 2018. Written from the perspective of a young boy, set in 1961, "Where I Was Planted" is another fictional story that shares the very real redemptive love of God, and will also be published next year.
The first book is set in a fictional town in the Piedmont of North Carolina; the second is set in the Mountains. So, you know what that means! The next book, a story that includes retirement home pranks and geriatric romance (it has a title, but it's a secret), will be set on our magnificent coast!
For now, read about both completed stories below.
When the first book was finished, I immediately began working on my second. The manuscript was completed in early May 2018. Written from the perspective of a young boy, set in 1961, "Where I Was Planted" is another fictional story that shares the very real redemptive love of God, and will also be published next year.
The first book is set in a fictional town in the Piedmont of North Carolina; the second is set in the Mountains. So, you know what that means! The next book, a story that includes retirement home pranks and geriatric romance (it has a title, but it's a secret), will be set on our magnificent coast!
For now, read about both completed stories below.
Grace & Lavender
Recently retired Colleen Hill is always busy, constantly on a quest to make life more interesting. When the ladies’ group at her church partners with the local children’s home, Colleen jumps in as usual, volunteering to share her passion for cooking with a troubled teenager named Grace. Colleen must balance the new project with her pursuit of becoming a contestant on a television game show, along with all the other ideas her brain continually spins out.
Colleen’s daughter Melody is quite different. She lives a calm, simple life and is content with who she is. That is, until an unexpected opportunity to work with Grace, too, pushes her to reevaluate life and dare to take on bigger dreams. The path starts with a newly-found interest in soap-making and leads her to responsibilities she didn't even know she wanted. |
Where I Was Planted
What good can come from being abandoned?
In the spring of 1961, ten-year-old Nate Dooley, also known as Weenie, has a revelation—his father is not a good one. Inspired by National Geographic, his favorite thing next to the Bible storybook his mother gave him before she died, Nate plans to leave his father and their home in the Smokies to set out on adventure. When he discovers his father has left him first, it takes the help of a stray dog, some kind neighbors, a one-man-band, letters from a long-lost aunt, and a new understanding of God, to figure out he isn’t really alone. He’ll also discover that he must leave Copper Creek after all. Will he ever be able to come back?
Fathers may leave, but our Heavenly Father is faithful, and he has a plan for all of us.