Today is another big day for me. Hope’s Design, Book 2 in The Daughters
of Riverton series, is now available for readers. Hope’s story picks up in the
small town of Riverton in 1904, two years after my novel, Sarah’s Smile, takes place.
Hope has big dreams of becoming a fashion designer
and seeing her designs included in the popular women’s magazine, The Delineator. Published out of New
York by the Butterick Company, the magazine contained articles of interest to
women, and it also kept ladies up-to-date with the latest trends. Along with
promoting fancy “duds,” the company included clothing that could be made by
using Butterick’s patterns.
But like many of us “dreamers,” success doesn’t come
fast or easy for Hope . . .
The back cover copy for the book:
In
1904, Hope Andrews, an aspiring fashion designer, struggles with leaving New
York City. But with no job, her parents leaving the country, and an abusive
ex-fiancé refusing to accept their broken engagement, Hope doesn’t have much
choice but to give in to her parents’ wishes that she move far away and live
with her cousin indefinitely.
Talented
Benjamin Greene can’t deny his passion for painting, but guilt over a painful
incident in his past keeps him from sharing his gift. Instead, he devotes much
of his days to helping his younger sibling rebuild a farm inherited from a
great-uncle. Only his brother is aware that Ben spends his spare time in a
studio on their property.
There’s plenty of tension in this story as Hope has
a difficult time understanding why Ben can’t see that he needs to use his
God-given talent—especially when she’s trying so hard to use her own.
Hope’s
Design raises many questions. For instance:
1. How do we handle envy when we see others around us
achieving their dreams but the door keeps closing on our own?
2. Hope longs to find someone who will support her
dreams. Would you marry someone who wasn’t enthusiastic about your aspirations?
3. When Hope’s designs are rejected, she tries to trust
God to show her the path he’s designed for her. How can having faith in God’s divine plan help us through
disappointment?
4. Hope comes to a point where she must
ask for help with her designs. Are there situations in our own lives that might have gone better if we’d been willing to ask for help?
5. Have there been times when we’ve held back on sharing our
gifts/talents because we’ve been afraid of not being good enough, or that others might
criticize our work?
6. How are we being accountable—or not accountable—for
the abilities God has given us?
Hope’s
Design can be found on Amazon in e-book and paperback.
If you have a chance to read this latest novel in
the series, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the story. Thanks!
Dawn
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