SET THE STARS ALIGHT by Amanda Dykes~Prepare to be Carried Away! 5-star Review

Posted on June 22, 2020 by marykaymoody

In an aged brick cottage in London, the magic of the past comes alive each night for the family of a humble watchmaker. In her father’s fireside stories, Lucy Claremont’s fascination with the high seas begins, leading her to devote her life’s work to discovering the whereabouts of a legendary lost ship. But when tragedy strikes, it’s childhood friend Dashel and his knowledge of the stars that may help her solve the puzzle.

Two hundred years earlier, three young lives are altered forever when a shepherd rescues the privileged son of a powerful admiral. As the children grow, war leads to unthinkable heartbreak, deep love, and a story of betrayal, sacrifice, and redemption that fades into obscurity as centuries pass.

As Lucy and Dash explore mysterious ruins on the East Sussex coast, their search leads them to a community of souls and a long-hidden tale that may hold the answers–and the healing–they so desperately seek. [back cover]

In SET THE STARS ALIGHT Amanda Dykes has penned a story that captivates completely from page one. I couldn’t have been more absorbed if I watched the tale unfurl while flying over it with Peter Pan.

Settings come alive with Amanda’s use of specific, sensory details. Whether an ancient, sooty match factory or a wireless, fairy-tale-like farm ~ the reader is there, hearing the song of the bells and feeling the breeze, tasting the flavors it carries. Amanda’s poetic, lyrical writing evokes memories of fables and fairy tales, enticing readers to ignore the thrum of our frenetic planet, and fall into life with Lucy and Dash.

Characters are so well developed, that it takes no time at all to bond with them. To feel the excitement when Papa begins a riddle or a story. Or the breath-stealing, carved-out realization that a loved one is … gone.

And though this book is only the second of Amanda’s published novels, she’s already a master not only at spinning stories, but balancing the mechanics of producing a dual-time book. Like the storytellers in this yarn, Amanda sprinkles clues to links between the two timelines. And the story flows unimpeded even when she switches between the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries. I dare say, no reader will have to flip back to an earlier chapter to reconnect with a storyline in order to move ahead.

Amanda displays great skill in story craft, but SET THE STARS ALIGHT is so much more than the sum of these skills. This story is art. Magic. Delightful. Full of imagery, symbolism, and surprises! The intriguing characters—on quests for belonging, truth, love, forgiveness, lost things, or answers to mysteries—deliver us to wonder and light. And to the reward of learning that everyone’s actions reverberate through time. That every single life matters. The journey introduces us to The Maker of Wonder, Light Himself.

I could fill pages with favorite quotes. (I nearly wore out the yellow marker!) But lest I rob you of the joy of discovering your own, I include below just a few. An appetizer if you will. This gem of a story will satisfy on every level.

“When things seem dark, Lucy, that’s when you fight for the light.” p 21

For who were they to one another now? A shadow. An outline. A question mark. p 67

The woman … gave the impression that she’d been born and raised in a confectioner’s shop and trailed a dusting of sweetness wherever she went. p 73

“Looks as if he ate anger for breakfast.” p 79

“I wonder if it’s even possible to overestimate the significance of a single life … Words spoken, hearts changed, a meal provided to a hungry sojourner, who knows? Who knows how far everyday actions reach?” p 196

As if every moment between then and now had been leading up to this, the homecoming of their hands. p 178

[image credit: Peter Pan, disney; couple by Vecteezy]

SET THE STARS ALIGHT releases June 30, 2020. I’m blessed to have read an early copy from NetGalley for review. Usually I don’t find the e-versions of a book nearly as engaging as paper. But STARS knocked that problem to the curb! This is a 5-star recommendation. I feel my words don’t to this fabulous story justice!

You can meet Amanda on social media, where she likes to hang out and talk about wondrous things. So visit her on Instagram or Facebook if you want to learn more about this amazing author.

Links to some places you can purchase SET THE STARS ALIGHT if you’re so inclined. And a word from Amanda: Available in Paperback, Audiobook, and Hardcover. May we encourage you to support an independent and/or local bookstore with this purchase? Even one book can help these cherished stores regain their footing amid the COVID-19 circumstances. Thank you, fellow bookstore lovers!

Baker Book House

Indiebound (Find a bookstore local to you.)

Christianbook

Powell’s

Barnes & Noble

Walmart (paperback link)

A GEM of a Story ~ AN UNCOMMON WOMAN by Laura Frantz, 5-star review

Posted on January 16, 2020 by marykaymoody

AN UNCOMMON WOMAN by Laura Frantz is a treasure of a story. It has everything ~ engaging storyline, plot twists aplenty, characters that move into your home! All this presented in Frantz’s lovely prose with the sensitivity and insight into people and cultures that is rare and a pleasure to read.

Unflinching and plainspoken, Tessa Swan is not your typical 18th-century woman. Born and bred on the western Virginia frontier along with her five brothers, she is a force to be reckoned with.

Quiet and courageous, Clay Tygart is not your typical 18th-century man. Raised by Lenape Indians, he returns a hero from the French and Indian War to the fort that bears his name, bringing with him Tessa’s long-lost friend, Keturah, a redeemed Indian captive like himself.

Determined to avoid any romantic entanglements as fort commander, Clay remains aloof whenever he encounters the lovely Tessa. But when she is taken captive by the tribe Clay left, his hand–and heart–are forced, leading to one very private and one very public reckoning. [back cover]

Once again Frantz has captured the tenor of the setting, and so skillfully planted her characters in that setting that it’s impossible to imagine them hailing from elsewhere.

Tessa Swan, born and bred on the western Virginia frontier with five brothers is tough and resilient as a willow branch, competent and caring, and weary of having to live always looking over her shoulder and yearning for a pretty petticoat.

Keenly aware of possible consequences meted out by the clash of cultures of settlers and Indians, she just sets to work daily whether on their farm or at the family’s ferry across the Buckhannon River. She doesn’t waste time dwelling on possibilities or losses, but uses wisdom gained through experience to make cautious choices.

Frantz draws Tessa ~ and indeed, all characters in this story ~ so intimately connected to their land and experiences, we feel we’re peering into the viewer of a time machine to meet these frontier folk and watch living history. The cast of characters is realistic and flawed, and so deftly drawn that even five brothers have clear, distinct personalities. For example, “Ross always dwelt on the light side,” while “Jasper was all pounds, and pence and position.”

When Colonel Tygart from the nearby fort meets the Swan family, we watch as interest and attraction spark and grow between him and Tessa. Readers will enjoy walking with them as the tension grows and we wonder ~ Will these two souls, fractured by loss, be able to see each other as anything other than a threat? Will their environment and culture give them opportunity to develop any sort of relationship? Life is hard out there. Crops, animals, gardens, friendships, dreams—so many things die early on the frontier.

Frantz builds her story world so well that readers feel the tentativeness of life on the edge of the wilderness. Everything but God must be held loosely. And when we hear a snap, we spin around to see who’s creeping up on us…though it be just a bit of wood in our own fireplace.

And Frantz’s delightful way with words gives everything in this story a fresh and new view—setting, people, dilemmas, decisions. I collected quite a list of favorites to send her. I’d like to share them with you, but that would rob you of the joy of seeing them light up the page as you read. Frantz has again given us a book that rings with truth, delights the sense, surprises with plot twists, and takes the reader on a journey that just might make you stay up reading later than you intended. Enjoy the journey.

Meet Laura on her website, chat with her on Facebook, or share on her Pinterest or Instagram pages. Or leave a comment. She usually answers them!

Kicking Fear to the Curb

Posted on September 16, 2019 by marykaymoody

Fear and I have had a relationship. More than a casual acquaintance.

But we’re going our separate ways! Hallelujah!

Why? “Courage is fear that calls on God.” *

You see, I don’t feel very courageous, never have. Always had an attack of nerves before reading a paper aloud in school. When I went to college, Speech 101 was recommended for first-semester freshman. I took a history course, then Spanish. I ended up postponing Speech 101 until it was clear I had enough credits to graduate if I took it.

MOUNTAIN Old Rag KARL MK I may have acted courageously as a mom protecting my young son ~ but I never felt courageous. I dismissed those instances as a mother’s instinct acting without thinking.

And like many of us, I gritted my teeth and faced anxiety-provoking events like a job interview, first day at a new job, driving over a bridge on a mountain, moving to a new city, killing a spider. Some of these things one must face if they’re going to live a normal life. And even if I appeared put-together for a job interview ~ believe me, inside was a quivering chicken.

CASTLE - ARMORY entrance hall And, yes, there were occasions that, with a God-stiffened spine, I sailed into without anxiety ~ like leading a Bible Study class or spinal surgery (yeah, that’s real. LOL) Because we have a God whose armory is beyond comprehension.

A couple years ago I met Janet Thompson on-line. She impressed me and one of her projects intrigued me. She talked about bravery in everyday life. When I stopped to think of the battle that Christians are immersed in just by becoming Christians, and thought about the pitched battle raging in our culture, I realized one may be brave even if one isn’t asked to stand at the flag with a Bible, stand up in court, speak truth to the powerful like my friend Jill Stanek who testified to Congress again, or forced to kneel on a beach in Tripoli awaiting an ISIS sword.

EverydayBrave7-red Janet’s written a book, Everyday Brave, and I suspect I may find more incidents in my life that could require bravery. And I also suspect I’ll find encouragement and tools to use to exhibit bravery.

I’m so eager to read Everyday Brave! In the words sung by the Marvelettes, “Please, please Mister Postman, …the sooner the better.”

You can connect with Janet on Facebook. And the book at the publisher’s site here or your favorite bookseller.

*Janet Thompson, Everyday Brave

Dazzling story-telling ~ THE NUMBER OF LOVE by Roseanna White, 5-star review

Posted on July 9, 2019 by marykaymoody

THE NUMBER OF LOVE by R White Cover

Three years into the Great War, England’s greatest asset is their intelligence network–field agents risking their lives to gather information, and codebreakers able to crack every German telegram. Margot De Wilde thrives in the environment of the secretive Room 40, where she spends her days deciphering intercepted messages. But when her world is turned upside down by an unexpected loss, for the first time in her life numbers aren’t enough.

Drake Elton returns wounded from the field, followed by an enemy who just won’t give up. He’s smitten quickly by the intelligent Margot, but how can he convince a girl who lives entirely in her mind that sometimes life’s answers lie in the heart?

Amid biological warfare, encrypted letters, and a German spy who wants to destroy not just them but others they love, Margot and Drake will have to work together to save themselves from the very secrets that brought them together. [from back cover]

Room 40

I enjoy puzzles and word games. I like World War II stories, especially with a thread of intrigue and romance, so why not World War I? Hence, Roseanna White’s latest book, The Number of Love, was a definite for my TBR stack.

First, the cover is captivating ~ filled with mystery. And on Margot’s face, a hint of something more. Suspicion? Wariness? Longing? Warning? This is the first in The Codebreakers series ~ so what does 18 written in the fog of her breath on the glass mean? Is she doodling? Sending a clue? Answers must be found.

Zimmerman Telegram as decoded by Room 40 – WW I

The heroine, Margot De Wilde, is an unusual woman. I love her quirky personality and penchant for numbers. But the various ways this aspect of her is displayed in the story reflect sheer genius on White’s part. Other characters are drawn equally well, resulting in a book you don’t want to put down.

When your country is at war and you work intercepting and decoding messages from the enemy, your days are already filled with tension. When threads of that war come alive in your small enclave, the tension soars. White takes readers on a twisty, roller-coaster ride as “assets” interact, and safety for England—perhaps even the world—is at risk. Who has even a moment for romance in such perilous times?

When Drake finds a way to grasp a few moments for romance, White’s mastery of creating memorable characters and spinning a yarn are on full display. This story brilliantly clasps your hand and pulls you in from chapter one. And never disappoints. I savored it, and had difficulty writing a review because I want to talk about everything!

Rich, Powerful Romantic-Suspense ~ THE LOST HEIRESS by Roseanna White, 5-star Review

Posted on June 18, 2019 by marykaymoody

Brook Eden has never known where she truly belongs. Though raised in the palace of Monaco, she’s British by birth and was brought to the Grimaldis under suspicious circumstances as a babe. When her friend Justin uncovers the fact that she is possibly a missing heiress from Yorkshire, Brook leaves the sun of the Mediterranean to travel to the moors of the North Sea and the estate of her supposed family.

The mystery of her mother’s death haunts her, and though her father is quick to accept her, the rest of the family and the servants of Whitby Park are not. Only when Brook’s life is threatened do they draw close—but will their loyalty come too late to save Brook from the same threat that led to tragedy for her mother? [from back cover]

The moment we meet Brook Eden, her playfulness and audacity invite us to join her. And from page one when she cajoles best friend Justin to teach her to drive the Rolls Royce he’s parked in front of her, we dash off with them on adventures from Monaco to England.

Roseanna White has penned complex characters with competing wants that make each person’s journey one filled with difficult choices. Add to that the fact someone desperately wants what Brook or Justin have—and will go to any lengths to get it. How can a mere slip of a girl, a newly restored heiress, protect herself from schemers hidden all around? How can two young people negotiate those dangerous days and have room left for falling in love? The journey to find out if they can will make you fly through the pages of this fascinating story.

White spins the story so well that almost all distance between reader and characters vanishes like a morning fog. We walk so intimately with Brook as she eventually finds out her name, her place, and her history that when she’s overcome with emotion because she finally belongs somewhere, our own breath catches. It all comes alive for us as if we traveled through time to the Edwardian era in sun-drenched Monaco or the chilly mists of Yorkshire.

From inciting incident, to growing trouble, to resolution, White fills the story with surprises, twists and turns like a mountain road. I particularly admire a scene when the family has been praying for a missing member, White gives the reader a glimpse of the amazing, unique way that prayer is answered, while no one in the story ~ even those who are the answer ~ has a clue. Masterful plotting and writing, there and throughout. I highly recommend this riveting tale to fans of historical romance and suspense.

BOOK REVIEW ~ COTTAGE BY THE SEA By Debbie Macomber

Posted on May 22, 2019 by marykaymoody

Annie Marlow has been through the worst. Rocked by tragedy, she heads to the one place that makes her happy: Oceanside in the Pacific Northwest, the destination of many family vacations when Annie was a teenager. Once there, Annie begins to restore her broken spirit, thanks in part to the folks she meets. [from front flap]

Debbie Macomber’s Cottage by the Sea drew me in at my first glance of the title. Most of my life I’ve dreamed of living in such a place. And it invited me into the tender story of Annie Marlow who is trying to reorient her life in this small town with happy memories after a terrible tragedy.

We are with Annie when she learns a horrific incident has struck her family. The telling is frustratingly slow, but that may be completely realistic. Having not experienced such a thing, I can’t say. But I did want to tell the speaker to spit it out. The devastation to Annie is clear and compelling.

The cast were all interesting characters, some with enjoyable, unusual quirks. And their interactions, for the most part, helped Annie take steps toward healing. Some of Macomber’s descriptions are delightful and bring the story alive:

~ Disapproval dripped from her words like melting wax.

~ “What do you want?” he demanded in a voice that rattled from years of tobacco use.

But a few issues slowed the story’s unfurling. In some spots character motivation either wasn’t clear or seemed contrived. Another issue for me was the author often repeated things in the first quarter of the book, explained something from a character’s past in an awkward way/time, and told us things that we’d just read the character doing.

I wanted to love this book. And there were many things I did like, but enough of the other to make reading at times trudging, not sailing, and prevent me from giving it 5 stars. I’m not sorry I read it, and the story is memorable. I just wish reading it had been smoother.

Captivating Story ~ WHOSE WAVES THESE ARE By Amanda Dykes Book Review

Posted on April 30, 2019 by marykaymoody

In the wake of WWII, a grieving fisherman submits a poem to a local newspaper: a rallying cry for hope, purpose . . . and rocks. Send me a rock for the person you lost, and I will build something life-giving. When the poem spreads farther than he ever intended, Robert Bliss’s humble words change the tide of a nation. Boxes of rocks inundate the tiny, coastal Maine town, and he sets his calloused hands to work, but the building halts when tragedy strikes.

Decades later, Annie Bliss is summoned back to Ansel-by-the-Sea when she learns her Great-Uncle Robert, the man who became her refuge during the hardest summer of her youth, is now the one in need of help. What she didn’t anticipate was finding a wall of heavy boxes hiding in his home. Long-ago memories of stone ruins on a nearby island trigger her curiosity, igniting a fire in her anthropologist soul to uncover answers.

She joins forces with the handsome and mysterious harbor postman, and all her hopes of mending the decades-old chasm in her family seem to point back to the ruins. But with Robert failing fast, her search for answers battles against time, a foe as relentless as the ever-crashing waves upon the sea. [from back cover]

In Whose Waves These Are Amanda Dykes has constructed the woodsy seaside village of Ansel-by-the-Sea so clearly we can see the wind-pushed ripples and waves, smell the wood smoke, and hear the silvery sound of DIY wind chimes.

Ansel is a place where God’s presence and provision hovers over the residents like the fog hovers over the coast, and gossip is shunned but residents are not. Each one’s well-being is valued by the townsfolk who see beyond behavior and into a person’s heart, needs, and broken spots—which are handled respectfully and tenderly. Ansel residents help each other find ways to stitch together the rent pieces. In short, it’s a place anyone would like to live in.

The characters ring true as we accompany them on the journey of living and losing, finding and forgiving, heartbreak and reconciliation; learning the importance of each decision made, each step taken, and the impact of the consequences. Because a person chooses his actions but not his consequences. And make no mistake—there will be consequences.

Whose Waves These Are is a dual-time story. For those put off by dual-time stories, there’s no need to avoid this one. Dykes has mastered the techniques, and this story slips from World War II era and contemporary smoothly. It’s the easiest to follow of the many dual-time stories I’ve read.

Dykes tells this tale in a lovely, lyrical style. And displays a keen understanding of loss, pain, grief, guilt; and the courage required to make peace with them and move into hope and living again. A few quotes serve to prove my point—and whet your appetite.

“If everything around you is broken, it’s time to unbreak something.” [p 75]

[Annie arrives at her uncle’s home after a twenty-year absence] “A step inside feels like she’s trespassing, the house assessing her every step as if to say Who … are you …?” [p 60]

“She’s learning that this guy is never in a hurry. Whatever he’s thinking, he gives it time to be thought.” [p 92]

[conversation Robert observes about a man missing after World War II]“Your husband,” Eva says gently. “He hasn’t returned … yet?” Her wording is hopeful but gentle and Robert wants to kiss her for it. He would have blundered that question a thousand ways. [p240]

“Fire dimming … He drops to his knees, grips earth, grips jagged hope.” [p 348]

Themes of brokenness and mending, hope, purpose, and light are woven through the stories of these realistic, flawed characters as they struggle and prevail. The journey through this story is thought-provoking and light-filled; a trip you’ll want to repeat with a second and third read. Whose Waves These Are is a captivating story that is sure to become a classic. I heartily recommend this glorious story.

You can meet Amanda on her website here and share all sorts of beauty and bookish things. You’ll also find links to her other cyber-spaces.

I thank Baker Publishing Group for a free review copy of this book. I was under no requirement to write a positive review.

Photo credits: Mary Kay Moody

BOOKS THAT TAKE YOU PLACES

Posted on April 2, 2019 by marykaymoody

ED n Karl w giant redwood copy

A heather-scented wind, salty-sea air, the ding-ding of cable cars, the hushed morning atop a mountain with snow unsullied by footprints, the sighing of wind through the redwood trees, the odd slant of the sun.

These are a few deeply etched memories of good times spent traveling. Many places still remain on my wish list. But I must say, I thoroughly enjoy armchair travel too. When an author crafts a setting that comes alive, that book skyrockets in my estimation. BOOKS that take us away Pictured are a few that come alive in locations beyond the standard foreign fare of England or Paris.

I’ve visited a slice of Scotland. But Liz Curtis Higgs, in her masterpiece of Scotland-love, My Heart’s in the Lowlands, takes us on a detailed tour along roads bordered by dry-stone dykes or hedgerows. We stop at her favorite inns and tearooms, moss-covered castle and abbey ruins, shops, and, of course, bookstores. It’s an insider’s tour of delights gathered over years of research visits to the Scottish Lowlands.

Laura Frantz continues the Scotland-love, introducing us to a rugged Scottish island in the fabulous A Bound Heart. I still want to visit those islands, but at least I’ve had a wee visit to one wild spot.

Tracy Higley’s Petra: City in Stone took me to an arid location I’d likely not choose and had assumed would be boringly repetitious. But she brought it alive. She and Nancy Rue in Healing Sands [not pictured] made the sandy/rocky setting anything but monotonous, and made me rethink my belief that deserts were boring. Michelle Ule joins them for making WW I Egypt come alive in A Poppy in Remembrance.

As I mentioned in my review of Kate Breslin’s Far Side of the Sea, many stories are set during the World Wars in the customary settings of England, France, Germany and such. But Breslin brings us to colorful, bustling war-time Barcelona. Davis Bunn in Florian’s Gate immerses us not only in post-war London, but poverty-stricken Poland with miles of decaying, gray farmhouses smothered with colorful flowers. His is a gripping mystery and romance in a come-to-life setting—well worth reading along with the others in The Priceless Collection set. Kristy Cambron in The Lost Castle spins a WW II tale of mystery and romance set in The Loire Valley of France. Perhaps this isn’t as unusual a location as the others I’ve included here, but it is outside the usual Paris-London-German-Italy quartet. Cambron brings her setting alive, and I’m eager to read her latest, Castle on the Rise, which is set in Ireland.

How alive some settings become surprised me. As I read one of Liz Curtis Higgs Scottish historicals, I could feel the different sensations on my tongue of the wooden spoons the poor used versus the silver utensils of the well-off, and it astonished me. If I cannot journey to a location, I look forward to traveling there via an excellent writer’s story.

So, as my friend Wendy Macdonald says, “I’m nosy to know:” What about you?

What places call to you?

Are you interested in locations outside the foreign settings that usually appear in U.S. published books? Perhaps Iceland? Albania? The Philippines? South Africa?

BOOK REVIEW ~ FAR SIDE OF THE SEA by Kate Breslin

Posted on March 18, 2019 by marykaymoody

A fresh, fascinating World War I puzzle ~

In 1918 England, Lieutenant Colin Mabry spends his days decoding messages for MI after suffering injuries at the front. When he receives an urgent summons by carrier pigeon from Jewel Reyer–a woman who saved his life and who he believed to be dead–he can only hope he’ll regain the courage he lost on the front lines as he’s driven back into war-torn France. But Jewel isn’t the one waiting for him in Paris. … [back cover]

Kate Breslin’s new novel, Far Side of the Sea, is a jam-packed tale set in WW I. It’s a great adventure of spies and espionage that introduces new places and unexplored aspects of a war that was fought in locations besides muddy trenches of France and Belgium. It’s the intriguing puzzle that all good spy movies must be with interesting characters, most of whom we’re only certain if they’re trustworthy at the final, gripping end. The exception, of course, is Lieutenant Colin Mabry who’s been injured already in this war but perseveres in spite of that, proving himself a worthy and admirable hero.

Breslin’s ability to populate her story with realistic, fully-developed characters whose personalities and actions shift in and out of shadow to guide or misdirect us is excellent. As is her skill at researching and weaving interesting historical nuggets into the dramatic storylines. Her settings are vibrant; the romance sweet and believable. And into her tale she sprinkles touches of humor—a nice counterpoint to the tension.

I enjoyed reading this, as I have all Breslin’s books. But I had an issue with pacing. At times the story seemed to amble forward rather than charge ahead with the intensity of the life-and-death issues at play. This was only an occasional issue and occurred less often in later chapters.

If this were a class, I’d give Breslin extra credit points for her stellar research and weaving in gems of new information in fresh ways. For example, numerous scenes involve carrier pigeons. The details of how they were used and the extensive impact they had on the troops were all new to me. Including the birds allowed new dimensions of characters to be explored as well as new plot twists to rev up the tension.

Breslin’s stories are compelling and I look forward to reading more of them. To learn more, you can visit her website here.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher to review and was not required to write a positive one. Opinions expressed here are mine.

With God ~ It’s all good

Posted on March 1, 2019 by marykaymoody

Hi, friends. It’s good to be back and say “hey.” But being away on a writing sabbatical was an amazing experience. This was different than writing any other story I’ve done ~ and way more fun than many, too.

Story of With cover That in itself is noteworthy because due to some changes in family plans and publishing plans, I ended up with a firm deadline for an open submission and only a few weeks to plan and write half of the story. Long, painful days but it was FUN! Only God could do that. And Allen Arnold’s unique book, The Story of With, helped.

In it, Allen invites readers to consider a creativity paradigm shift. God is with us. Matt 1:23 says Jesus would be called Emmanuel, God With Us. Allen asks since God is with us, why do we try to do our creative activity on our own.

I’ve always asked God about what to write and where to submit. How to write the story. But spending time with, and inviting God ~ not to join me as I write but ~ to let me join Him in what He aims to do through me and my words led to an entirely different experience.

FAR SIDE OF THE SEA Someday I’ll pen some posts about the ah-ha moments that made me laugh. Or cry. Or simply stop and praise God.

For now I just wanted to say “hello.” I’m back. And this is the next book I’ll be writing a review of. It looks to be a taut and compelling read. Roseanna White says this: “A complex and riveting tale that you won’t be able to set aside. Bravo!”

Meanwhile, I’d love to know what you’re reading now. Shalom.

Mary Kay Moody

Writing at the Intersection of Our Plans and God's Purpose

Author Archives: marykaymoody