Every book has a “working title”. Her Mother’s Hope had several. The first one, Floodwaters, fit what I was feeling when I started working on the story: drowning in memories, being swept toward the sea. In other words, I was way over my head. Would I find the answers I was seeking? I held Mom …
While working on the story, I saw how four generations viewed faith differently. My grandmother thought “God helps those who help themselves.” Grandma knew she would have to leave Switzerland if she wanted a better life. So she set out on her own. She made her way in the world through fierce determination and hard …
My mother kept a diary. She had a favorite fountain pen and bought a new hardbound journal every year and seldom missed a day. When dying of breast cancer, she walked me through her house and asked what I would like to have. I asked for her journals. They are the most important part of …
Her Mother’s Hope started with something Mom said shortly after Grandma died. After Grandma had a stroke, Mom and Dad drove south, speeding to be at her side. She died before they arrived, and Mom said, “I think she willed herself to die so we couldn’t talk things out.” Mom and Grandma had been estranged …
Over the next few weeks, I’m going to blog about the “back stories” in my new novel, Her Mother’s Hope, which will be released on March 16. Every story I have written has come from a question with which I’ve struggled or an issue in my life. This book (which became two books) started with …