Launch Day! Dreams Can Come True!

It’s finally here! The day I’ve been working toward for over ten years—the day my first novel is released.

Yes, there have been tears of joy, as well as some related to other emotions wrapped up in this experience.  A bottle of champagne is chilling in the frig as you read this.

Over the past four years, I’ve focused on writing a Christian historical romance series. Book 1, Sarah’s Smile is now available in e-book and paperback on Amazon, and it will be available on other online sites in the future. Hope’s Design—Book 2—will be released on November 11.  I'm still working on Book 3.

In reference to my stories, my husband occasionally asks, “How do you come up with this stuff?” The setting for Sarah’s Smile was inspired by my hometown in Wisconsin—a small rural village called Prairie Farm, built along a river back in 1848 by a lumber company. From that time until now, the population has remained around 500 people. I grew up there, as well as my parents and grandparents. My parents moved away for two years after marrying, then returned.

It was a great place to live as a child, but by the time I graduated from high school, I couldn’t wait to leave for college. Then one day, about four years ago, I began to wonder what it would be like to have lived in Prairie Farm during another time. I’d heard stories of  past glory days, and as I researched, I began to get a deeper understanding of what I’d dismissed in my youth.  As I wrote the story, I changed the town’s name and the names of some real-life people so I could take more liberties, but most of the places mentioned in the book actually existed. Some buildings still remain.

The story begins back in 1902. Our heroine, Sarah McCall, is waiting to leave for the mission field when the man she once loved steps back into her life. Abandoned as a child by her mother and gambler father, she strives to overcome a tarnished history she didn’t create and a heartbreak she can’t forget.

Peter Caswell returns to his Wisconsin hometown a pastor, dedicated to his four-year-old daughter and new congregation. But no matter how hard he tries to move on with his life, he can’t forgive himself for his wife’s death.

When Sarah learns that Peter is returning to Riverton, the letter giving her departure date for Africa can’t come soon enough for her. They were best friends—she loved him and supported his dreams—but he married another and broke her heart. Although ten years have passed since he left Riverton, Peter hopes Sarah still cares enough to give him a second chance. But a charming newcomer pursues her affections—and Sarah’s childhood nemesis manipulates her way into Peter’s life.

And of course the question is . . . will Sarah and Peter find their way to forgiveness and each other, or will past mistakes make a life together impossible?

I started out writing a romance about a young woman, who like me, couldn’t wait to leave her small town and make a difference in the world. I believe readers will identify with wanting to find God’s purpose for their lives.

But I also ended up writing a story about forgiveness—the grace to forgive, the willingness to accept forgiveness from others, and the ability to forgive ourselves. Most of the characters deal with those issues—just like many of us do.

When you open the pages to Sarah’s Smile, you’ll find romance, heartbreak, secrets, scandal, and second chances.

When I open the book, I see all those things—and proof that dreams can come true.

What dreams have come true for you? What dreams are you now pursuing?

Dawn