CelebrateLit

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Book:  Why Can’t We Trust God?
Author: Thomas Wise
Genre: Non-Fiction/Personal Growth
Release Date: January 17, 2020

So you think God turned his back on us?

Why else would this world be so miserable?

While this world is spinning out of control, we are left with the tough questions:

Why is this happening to me?

Why won’t God stop this?

Why am I in pain?

Why did my child die?

Why do they hate me?

WHY CAN’T WE TRUST GOD?

Well, at the time my wife and I were suffering financially due to her loss of a good job. We wondered how we would pay our bills but chose to continue to trust in God as we paid our tithe and held our breath, hoping my income would cover our bills each month. We prayed for relief but never expected the answer would include the total destruction of everything we owned. The tornado crashed through the town, causing death and destruction to everything in its path.

After the grief subsided at the loss of life suffered by our neighbors, we came to realize that we also lost all of our debts and the decay of the older home we owned. We received so much more than we lost.

NOTE: I WAS GIVEN A COPY OF THIS BOOK BY THE AUTHOR. ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE MY OWN. LINKS IN THIS POST MAY BE AFFILIATE LINKS

My Thoughts:

I struggled to read this book. That was not because it wasn’t worth reading, but because I have a hard time reading theological books like this. It was a very worthwhile book, but I found it hard to keep focused. I also struggled at times to tell how the content related to the title. However, it was a very inspiring book, and short enough that I read it through twice to get more out of it. Some of the things that stood out to me were that we cannot love until we can truly trust. Children trust anyone who loves them first. Even though this world is filled with things that seem bad (sickness, sorrow, death), God is Lord over all things and will make us conquerors. The story the author told from his own life to illustrate this point made me cry, but I have experienced almost exactly what he did—and found God faithful to use painful, hard experiences for good. As the author experienced, this made me, too, more able to trust God.

About the Author:

Tom and Nancy Wise are award-winning authors. Their first novel, The Borealis Genome, is the grand-prize winner of the Chanticleer Book Reviews Dante Rossetti 2013 Award for YA Novels and 2014 Cygnus Award Lab Lit Category.

Thomas grew up in a military family moving from base to base as the child of a Marine, living the life of an officer’s brat in times of war while Nancy was raised the youngest child of a WWII veteran. When not working together on their novels, Tom teaches at University and authors articles on project management topics and nonfiction books published by Gower Publishing in the UK.

More from Tom:

“Why Can’t We Trust God?” reflects my struggle with the purpose of suffering. I identify with Jacob, wrestling with God, holding on to my pain and anger, determined to find God’s blessing in compensation for a life that didn’t seem to meet my expectations. I dug my feet in, refusing to be moved, and I was determined to find some confirmation of why life hurts, why I suffer from failure, health, setbacks, and the meaning of life.

“Why Can’t We Trust God?” published by Zion Press, a CrossLink Publishing imprint, describes my exploration of the word WHY in relation to God’s more excellent plan for life on earth.

Why did I write the book, “Why Can’t We Trust God?”  Because we need answers.

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here. (Scroll down the page to see the stops.)

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

About the Book

Book:  Good Grief
Author: Sue Borrows LaRue
Genre: Religion/Christian Life/ Death, Grief, Bereavement
Release Date: August 13, 2019

NOTE: I WAS GIVEN A COPY OF THIS BOOK BY THE AUTHOR. ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE MY OWN. LINKS IN THIS POST MAY BE AFFILIATE LINKS.

This is a true story of love, loss and new life. Suzie Borrows battled for her husband’s life praying for a miracle. God answered her, but not in the way she imagined. He had a plan that exceeded her dreams, and through undeniable revelations His purpose became her purpose.

My Thoughts:

Some books I choose to review because the subject appeals to me. Good Grief didn’t appeal all that much. I don’t necessarily like to read books that have to do with loss and grief; my own experience with that is still fairly fresh and raw and I don’t enjoy reading stories that trigger those feelings. However, when Celebrate Lit was asking for more reviewers for this tour, I decided to sign up. It turned out to be an inspirational book!

Life was great for Daryle and Suzie Borrows. Everything was going well for them in their marriage, their work, and their family, and they were happy. Then one day, Daryle suddenly began experiencing strange symptoms. What was going on? Soon they received the unwelcome diagnosis of a brain tumor. Then they began the battle for Daryle’s life—but he died a year later, leaving Suzie paralyzed with her grief.

During the next few years, Suzie learned how to walk with Jesus as her heavenly husband. She learned to talk to God about the things she needed, and to ask for His help with them. Little by little, she discovered what God wanted her to do with the things He was teaching her.

This is a great story about a woman learning to rely on God for everything. It is a great story about how God cares for His people and plans everything in our lives—even the hard things. I am glad I read it, and recommend it for people who like to hear other’s testimonies of how God worked in their lives. In closing, one quote that really stood out to me was from Chapter 10: “I made a concious decision that I needed to change. I began to meditate on the positive things.” This is such a good point to remember—think about the things we have to be thankful for, rather than wallow in the negatives!

About the Author:

Suzie moved from N. Ireland to America as a child, accepted Jesus at 11, married the preacher’s son at 18, had two children, and a loving marriage for 32 years. Nothing she had experienced prepared her for the devastation she would face. She depended completely on God for comfort and direction. Which led her to begin a widows group, Boston radio show, and www.sueborrows.com. Suzie now lives in Westport, MA with her husband Bruce.

More From Sue:

What do you do when writing a book was never on your radar? Answer, you write it in tune with the Holy Spirit in three weeks! An amazing hand-written letter from God, original poetry, and prophetic words from the Lord delivered to my doorstep and so much more! You are never alone when you are hurting or grieving and if you allow Him, God will be undeniably present and you will know His heart for you.

To purchase your copy, click here.

Book:  A House with Holes
Author: Denise Mast Broadwater
Genre: Christian Memoir, Marriage
Release Date: October, 2019

NOTE: I WAS GIVEN A COPY OF THIS BOOK BY THE AUTHOR. ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE MY OWN. LINKS IN THIS POST MAY BE AFFILIATE LINKS.

Seasoned renovators Greg and Denise Broadwater dream of owning and restoring a historic home in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. What follows are six years of unimaginable challenges and successes concerning the renovation of their condemned 1920s Charleston Cottage, their place in a transitional neighborhood on Congress Street, and their thirty-year marriage.

In a community that struggles to feel like home, alongside normal stressors of full-time work and family weddings, the heightened tension taxes the Broadwaters to the brink. Nothing is left untouched in their hundred-year-old cottage full of architectural and historical details, from the rotted floorboards to the hole in the roof and the knob-and-tube wiring that causes a fire. But through Denise’s fascinating memoir, A House with Holes, the Christian author and therapist shares how she and her craftsman-architect husband strengthened the holes in both their home and their relationship during this wearying time in order to survive and thrive.

Using Broadwater’s counseling experience, marriage principles have been woven seamlessly into the text, demonstrating ways to maintain relationships in the midst of struggles. Reflective questions close each chapter so that readers may ponder their own relationships with growth and understanding.

My Thoughts:

When I look at books that are available for review, one of the first things I look at is the genre. I really enjoy memoirs. When I saw that A House With Holes was not only a memoir but also a book about marriage, I was quite intrigued. The topic of the memoir is unusual, as well. How many stories have you heard about restoring old houses? This one happens to be in Charleston, which is not a common setting, either.

Denise Broadwater, a counselor, and her husband shared a dream, a dream of owning a house in Charleston, South Carolina. In order to afford one, they had to buy the type of house that most of us wouldn’t look at twice—a small cottage with a leaky roof and rotting floors. Because of local regulations, the house needed to be restored to its original condition, a project that took much more time than the couple had expected! Along the way, they experienced many challenges, such as a brick through a window, a raccoon in the kitchen, and walls or floors missing at times. Every so often, Denise reached a point where she felt like she couldn’t take any more—and to tell the truth, I’m not sure I would have been able to handle the conditions she was living in!

Throughout the book, Denise includes sidebars with advice for marriage. Each of these is quite thought-provoking, and would be good for me to go back to and ponder often. One that especially spoke to me talked about regulating our response to triggers. The advice she gives is very good! Many chapters also end with several questions about relationships, helping me, as the reader, to search myself and find ways to improve my marriage.

I could identify with the author in so many ways! One in particular that stood out was when she exclaimed to her husband, “When does this ever get better? Over thirty years, and we are still fighting the same battles!” We haven’t been married that long, but I find myself struggling with some of the same things I always have! I am happy that I had the chance to read this book, and recommend it to anyone who likes to read advice for marriage in the context of a person’s life story.

About the Author:

Denise Mast Broadwater is a licensed professional counselor in South Carolina, treating anxiety, depression, life adjustments, and marriages. She began her career as a family therapist working with at-risk families and youth. Previously, she was an elementary teacher in private education. She is a wife and the mother of three children and recently became a grandmother. She enjoys rowing at the gym, cooking new recipes, sewing quilts, and blogging at Life Lights Blog (emptynestmarriage.com) and Charleston Renovator Blog (www.freedmanscottagerenovation.blogspot.com).

More About A House With Holes

Marriage comes with the struggle of making life work—but with a promise of home, a place to rest, to be who we are in all our mess, to feel loved and accepted in the truth of who we are. Opening up our mess means adjusting to our anxieties, habits, and struggles.

We all know marriage can be tough. Marriage requires commitment and flexibility, allowing for each spouse to develop his and her own gifts, to work together through challenges, and to communicate in a way that draws the couple closer through any issues that arise. The same can practically be said for renovating a house—especially an old house.

In A House with Holes: One Marriage Journey in a Charleston Renovation, author and therapist Denise Broadwater shares the challenges and successes of the restoration she and her craftsman-architect husband embraced after their purchase of a 1920s Charleston Cottage that was slated for destruction. Oddly enough, the project began to mirror the ups and downs of their empty-nester marital relationship.

Through this intriguing memoir describing the architectural style and details of their historic home on Congress Street in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, Denise shares her struggles and disappointments during the six-year upheaval. They lived with open holes in the floors and roof, wild critters, and in an old neighborhood that was unsure of their intentions. As her attitude changed with her living situation, Denise discovered her marriage rising to meet the challenges they faced and this struggling community opening to become a place of belonging.

“All marriages have holes—that’s a given,” Denise says. “The holes are places you disconnect: a container for selfishness, for disappointment, and for addictions as people try to find alternatives for unmet needs. Intimacy opens up the holes. Growing means making small movements toward each other, coming together to reduce friction.”

Principles and questions about marriage have been worked seamlessly into each chapter so that readers can “shore up” their own relationships and grow in understanding while

vicariously watching the progress of the Charleston Cottage through the eyes of a seasoned DIY renovator.

The Broadwaters’ experience of doing life in the midst of a major house renovation demonstrates marriage recovery, and her expertise as a counselor shapes lessons for married people everywhere in an honest, easy-reading, and relatable telling.

I have read more than my share of books about relationships, but A House with Holes is refreshingly different. Reading this book feels like binging on a Netflix series because you have to see what happens next. Denise is a therapist who has an in-depth understanding of relationships, and she has invited you to have a front-row seat to view what it took to create an amazing marriage while undertaking an almost impossible renovation.

—Dr. Larry Wagner, PhD, professor of counseling,

Columbia International University, Columbia, South Carolina

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here. (Scroll down the page to see the stops.)

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

About the Book

Book:  Crown
Author: Nancy Kaser
Genre: Christian Non-Fiction, Biblical Marriage
Release Date: August 20, 2019

NOTE: I WAS GIVEN A COPY OF THIS BOOK BY THE AUTHOR. ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE MY OWN. LINKS IN THIS POST MAY BE AFFILIATE LINKS.

Whether you’re in the honeymoon stage or celebrating your fiftieth anniversary, you have never before been in this season of your marriage. Your family dynamics, finances, health, emotional state, location, ministry, employment status—all the factors of your life—are in a perpetual state of transition. As a married woman, you are continually wife-changing. The Scriptures never change, but they can always be freshly applied to every season of marriage.

Crown is a resource that combines solid Bible teaching, humorous and humbling tales from the author’s own marriage journey, and dozens of compelling stories from real women just like you. Based on Proverbs 12:4, “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,” Crown includes concrete Scriptural truths and real-life examples that will equip you to be the excellent wife God created you to be. Complex issues such as biblical roles within marriage, physical intimacy, communication, forgiveness, and home management are all addressed with candid honesty, encouragement, and biblical substance. In thirty wife-changing lessons, you will be instructed, challenged, and motivated to walk in obedience to God’s beautiful design for marriage.

My Thoughts:

I have read quite a few books about marriage. They are always inspiring, but I rarely think about them after I have finished. A friend of mine reviewed Crown a few months ago, and her review made me want to read it—it sounded great. When the chance came up to review the book myself, I grabbed it, just because of her recommendation! I now know firsthand why she gave the book such a glowing review. This is one that (I hope) will stay with me for a long time.

Nancy Kaser has divided her book into 30 wife-changing lessons. These are grouped into six sections, so the reader is intended to study one topic a week. These topics are Yield, Help, Smile, Order, Gift, and Increase. She begins the study with the need to lay a foundation on the Word of God, and be yielded to Him, and then goes on to the practical, daily life things. She ends the study with several chapters about keeping our eyes fixed on our heavenly bridegroom. All the way through, she keeps the focus on Jesus, and refers to the Bible frequently. This book is based on the Bible!

I would say that the topic that I think about the most, after reading the whole book, is Smile. What I took away from it is to delight in being with my husband. Greet him with a smile and show him how special he is to me! I also appreciated the encouragement in the Order section. Nancy points out that our primary sphere, as Christian wives, is the home. Keeping the home in order and running smoothly is the Lord’s work! If you know me, you know that I like to be at home, keeping things going here. Another thing she points out in this section is that our home is the bridge between our family and the outside world. I was thankful for the affirmation that this is a good thing. Another thought that keeps coming back is from the Increase section. This is the quote that I keep mulling over: “I have been to more than one Bible study where the first question asked after reading a passage of Scripture isn’t “What do you learn about God in this passage?” But rather, “How does this apply to you?” This thought has been challenging me as I read my Bible the last several days.

There is only one thing I found in this book that I didn’t agree with 100%. In chapter 3, she is talking about the permanence of marriage, and discusses situations where it may be all right to divorce. I agreed with everything she said except for one sentence in which she states that a believing woman who is abandoned by an unbelieving husband is free to remarry. Other than that one statement, I wholeheartedly endorse Crown. Every wife should read this, probably more than once. I just finished a quick first read through it, and now I plan to go back through and read it as it is intended, a lesson a day, five days a week for six weeks. (That’s what I should have done for the first time through, but didn’t open my review copy till three weeks before the review was due! Oops.) And, if you want any further proof as to how I feel about this book? I just ordered two print copies, one for myself and one for a friend.

About the Author:

Nancy Kaser is a passionate pastor’s wife and veteran missionary. For over twenty-five years, she has taught women’s Bible studies, provided biblical counseling, and been a dynamic women’s conference speaker. Based in Southern California, Nancy teaches literature and history classes at The Writtenburg Door. She and her visionary husband also lead short-term mission trips with the Calvary Chapel movement and run a child-sponsorship organization.

More From Nancy:

Closing the church door after my seventh counseling appointment that week, I was overcome with the realization that every appointment had been relatively indistinguishable. The women I counseled from our congregation were generally unsatisfied, disappointed, and disillusioned with their marriages, and some were downright rebellious in their role as wives. The same anxieties, the same troubles, (and the same sins creating the anxieties and troubles) came up in almost every meeting. Though these church ladies may have been well-versed in the scriptures, no one had taught them how to live out biblical principals in their everyday lives.

As a pastor’s wife, I wished I could meet with every married lady in my church and offer practical discipleship with this hope: that a glorious, fulfilling, and God-honoring marriage—to the same guy she is married to right now! —is absolutely possible through obedience to God’s word. 

Crown – 30 Wife-Changing Lessons is a resource that combines solid Bible teaching, humorous and humbling tales from my own marriage journey, and dozens of compelling stories from real women just like you. Based on Proverbs 12:4, “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,” Crown includes concrete, scriptural truths and real-life examples that will equip you to be the excellent wife God created you to be. Complex issues such as biblical roles within marriage, physical intimacy, communication, forgiveness, and home management are all addressed with candid honesty, encouragement and biblical substance.

Whether you’re in the honeymoon stage or celebrating your fiftieth anniversary, you have never before been in this season of your marriage. Your family dynamics, finances, health, emotional state, location, ministry, employment status— all the factors of your life—are in a perpetual state of transition. As a married woman, you are continually wife-changing. The scriptures never change, but they can always be freshly applied to every season of marriage. In thirty wife-changing lessons, you will be instructed, challenged, and motivated to walk in obedience to God’s beautiful design for marriage.

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here. (Scroll down the page to see the stops.)

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

About the Book

Book:  Made for Brave
Author: Alyssa Galios
Genre: Christian Memoir, Widowhood, Cancer
Release Date: November, 2019

NOTE: I WAS GIVEN A COPY OF THIS BOOK BY THE AUTHOR. ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE MY OWN. LINKS IN THIS POST MAY BE AFFILIATE LINKS

From the testimony viewed over 100 million times on the internet:

“I am so sorry I have to deliver such awful news.” Shaking his head, the doctor muttered, “You are both so young.”

A young woman in her twenties with a future and a plan for her life comes up against a tragic nightmare when her handsome and otherwise healthy husband is suddenly diagnosed with a rare inoperable cancer. As her husband’s beliefs grow stronger, Alyssa’s dreams evaporate, and her faith slips away when the worst happens.

Experience soul-searing pain and miraculous moments of joy in this poignant true-life account. Journey with Alyssa as she grapples with life and death, faith and unbelief, disappointment and hope in a search for answers that takes her beyond grief to peace and a surprising new love.

Along the way, you’ll find answers to the questions you may be asking in your own life:

• Where is God when it hurts?
• Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?
• Can God make something good come out of bad?
• Does true love ever strike twice?

Made for Brave is a striking example of how God can create overwhelming good from even the worst of life when we choose to partner with Him.

My Thoughts:

This is an incredible story. So many times as I read it I had to wipe away tears. I don’t remember exactly why I signed up to review Made for Brave, but I’m glad I did. What a triumphant story!

This book is absolutely amazing. I can’t begin to comprehend the agony of watching someone you love die a horrible death, slowly. I have experienced sudden death of a child, but nothing like Nick and Alyssa went through. Nick’s attitude of thankfulness and love to God as he neared the end of his life reminds me of my father’s testimony as he died of cancer. The last part of this book, where Alyssa is able to use what God has given her to help others, is very encouraging. If we allow Him to, God can use experiences that feel terrible, for our good. In fact, in chapter 13, Alyssa discusses why evil exists at all, if God is all love. I highlighted a lot of that section—I want to remember the conclusions she came to. Her discussion about grief and “getting over” hurts and loss is well worth reading, as well.

Who should read this book? People who like to read about what God can do to transform a person’s life. People who need encouragement that God can use painful experiences for good. People who struggle to know how a good God could allow bad things to happen. And, anyone who loves to read a true love story—there are two of them in this one book!

WARNING: Chapter 1: darn, dang. Chapter 2: dang, twice. Chapter 3: dang. Chapter 7: dang. Chapter 8: oh my gosh. Chapter 14: darn proud. Chapter 15: Holy cow. Chapter 20: darn. Also, two or three times after Nick died, Alyssa felt that he visited her. I’m not sure what to do with those experiences; they don’t quite fit in my theology! (Just warning anyone who wouldn’t want to read a book that includes such a thing.)

About the Author:

Alyssa Galios is a writer, speaker, social media influencer, and coach. Founder of the #MadeforBrave movement and CEO of the Made for Brave Company, Alyssa is known for helping countless people create better lives through faith, family, and fitness. Her life story has been featured on sites like Yahoo News, Christian Post, Fox News, HuffPost, and Viralized. Alyssa and her husband Jay run their business out of their home north of Seattle, where they happily raise their daughters. For more information, visit alyssagalios.com.

More from Alyssa:

Some people come into your life as bright as shooting stars. They zip across your horizon then, all too soon, drop back into the blackness. Though you can no longer see them, you are forever changed by their brilliance. This is just as it was with Nicholas Magnotti. Six beautiful years changed the person I will always be.

Before my strapping, young and handsome 25-year-old husband got sick, I missed a large part of the point of living. I was a workaholic mainly; a worry wort often; and I got really good at playing the comparison game. As such, I spent the first three years of our marriage living in selfish fear. Nick’s presence in my life taught me something I won’t ever forget… It taught me that every single moment counts and that what we do in love for others is the only thing that truly makes a lasting impact. And, eventually, the strong faith he exuded through his trials would cause me to question and rebuild my own faith.

The day that I said yes to a blind date with a gorgeous man I had never met… the God of the universe set into motion a series of miraculous events that I couldn’t have possibly ever predicted. He didn’t cause the bad parts of my story. Not at all. But, He saw those parts, from way off in the distance and game-planned so that it would all still work together for good and for His glory. You’ll be amazed at all the good He was able to create. And, the craziest part? He is so not finished yet.

Made for Brave: A Journey Through Devastating Loss to Infinite Hope is an uncommon love story and, at times, a harrowing journey but, more than that, it’s my true life journey that I know I have been called to share. I hope you will walk it with me and come away knowing you have always been made for brave, too.

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here. (Scroll down the page to see the stops.)

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

Book: Adventures in Poverty
Author: Nancy Bolton
Genre: Memoir
Release Date: July 30, 2019

NOTE: I WAS GIVEN A COPY OF THIS BOOK BY THE AUTHOR. ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE MY OWN. LINKS IN THIS POST MAY BE AFFILIATE LINKS.

Faced with eviction, living on union strike pay, our time for making a decision was running out. Where could we go to live with our five small sons? We had few options. The scariest possibility was also the one that fit best with our tiny income. But could we really make such a difficult move? To transport our family, and our mobile home onto a five-acre parcel of rural, undeveloped land? No electricity, no running water, with winter fast approaching. It sounded a little crazy…….

My Thoughts:

I’ve always enjoyed reading true stories about people who move to a farm and work to make a living. A story told by a person about his or her own life has always fascinated me! I used to look for books like that in the library; most of the stories happened in the 1950s or 60s. When Adventures in Poverty came available for review, I was immediately intrigued. Here was a story of a family moving to the land in the 1980s!

Nancy Bolton tells her family’s story of living on next to nothing. Her husband, a salt miner, went on strike with his co-workers, and their income dropped to a mere pittance. What could they do? I thought their answer was rather creative—and very brave. They bought undeveloped land via land contract, and moved their house trailer to it, living without electricity or running water, or even gas for the stove, with five little children, and winter coming. What a challenge!

I thoroughly enjoyed Nancy’s account of how they managed. From hauling water in buckets from a nearby reservoir and living on canned foods that needed no refrigeration, to planting a garden in the spring and raising all the food they could, the family found ways to feed themselves and make every dollar stretch. Gradually, life grew easier, and this creative family found ways to work around each difficulty they were presented with.

This is not only a story of physically surviving and thriving, it is also an inspiring story of faith in God. Nancy doesn’t talk a lot about their faith, but it is very definitely a part of who they are. I appreciated her final thoughts at the end of the book: “We experienced firsthand that hardships will come and go, but with God’s help, we didn’t need to fear them—just remember that we’d learn something useful from them.” I was also challenged by this thought, from about halfway through the book: “Again, I was faced with the dilemma of how to appreciate the generosity of others and thankfully receive a blessing, while at the same time I felt inside that if we couldn’t manage things ourselves, it was somehow a failure to accept help from others.” I recommend this story to anyone who enjoys reading personal memoirs, and real-life stories of country living (warning—it’s not all pretty; the Bolton boys saw firsthand some of the cruelty that exists in nature).

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

WARNING: Yikes is used in chapter 1. Darn appears once each in chapters 23, 27 and 29.

About the Author:

Nancy Shew Bolton is a wife, mother, grandmother, jewelry maker, crochet crafter, and of course: a writer! She lives in upstate New York in a lovely scenic region known as The Fingerlakes. Widowed last year, she is comforted by her five sons, two grandchildren and a marvelous array of family and other loved ones. She loves the creative process, and puts her whole focus into the stories she writes. May you be entertained and uplifted by them!

More From Nancy:

Sometimes life hands out an unexpected challenge, and the direction you mapped out for your family comes up against a big roadblock. And there you are, trying to navigate back to a path that makes sense. One that would be as close to the previous path as you can get. But our only options led us in directions far away from what we were used to.

Faced with eviction, living on union strike pay, our time for making a decision was running out. Where could we go to live with our five small sons? We had few options. The scariest possibility was also the one that fit best with our tiny income. But could we really make such a difficult move? To transport our family, and our mobile home onto a five-acre parcel of rural, undeveloped land? No electricity, no running water, with winter fast approaching. It sounded a little crazy…….

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here. (Scroll down the page to see the stops.)

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.