Welcome to April—the month we remember Palm Sunday, Passion Week, and celebrate Easter, the Day that changed everything, the Day of our Risen Lord!
*Library Journal gave this Starred Review:
After the death of her war-wounded husband, recently retired Ginny Boyden is now free to travel the world and realize her dream of planting heritage roses on a grand estate in England. When she receives a surprise inheritance from the family whom she thought disowned her, she travels to Virginia to settle her brother’s papers. Rather than a windfall, she finds the Pickering Christmas tree farm, which is saddled with debt, a grouchy nephew who views her as an interloper living on her “promised land,” and near-starving great-nieces and nephews sleeping in the barn. As Ginny works with handsome estate lawyer Will Skipwith to try and sell the farm, she is confronted with her own life’s choices and regrets. VERDICT Gohlke (Ladies of the Lake) delivers another heart-stopping family drama that reminds readers that everyone is a prodigal searching for the way home. Infused with wry humor and the beautiful language of flowers and plants, many will see themselves in the brokenness of the Pickering-Boyden clan. Read-alikes include The Heirloom Garden by Viola Shipman and Leota’s Garden by Francine Rivers.—Library Journal
*Set against the beautiful and rugged landscape of the Blue Ridge Mountains, This Promised Land is the story of a daughter’s longing to make sense of the past and of the unbreakable bonds that bring prodigals home.
- A modern take on the prodigal son story, written by a four-time Christy award–winning author
- Contains discussion questions ideal for book clubs
Every story, including This Promised Land, begins with an idea—but where do those ideas come from, how do they grow and transform into a story, a book? Join me at Crazy4Fiction for “Birth of a Story.”
Dear friend and Author Terri Gillespie interviewed me on her Author 2 Author YouTube station—her 51stepisode of interviewing well known authors. Besides allowing me to read from and share the heart of This Promised Land , she asked me what one of the silliest things I’d ever done was . . . . Can you believe barking at a snake—in front of strangers???? Unfortunately, it’s just one more episode in the never-to-be-forgotten-or-lived-down Mom/Grandma stories. You can listen here:
You can read more in Terri’s newsletter here: https://authorterrigillespie.c…
As Terri wrapped up our discussion of This Promised Land and the Parable of the Prodigal Son and Running Father, she said in her newsletter, “if you are a prodigal who longs to return to our Heavenly Father, know that the moment we walk toward Him, He’ll run to us. Maybe you’ve wandered far–or not so far–it doesn’t matter. His arms are open.”
Did you catch that? “ . . . the moment we walk toward Him, He’ll run to us.” I LOVE that imagery. That eagerness, that grace and mercy and overflowing, exuberant love is so true of our Heavenly Father. Just look what He did for us through Jesus—the very Jesus Whose suffering and death we’re about to remember and Whose miraculous, lifechanging, lifegiving resurrection we’re about to celebrate! Praise God!!
 Robin Lee Hatcher, gifted writer and tech wizard, has been helping me step into the waters of indie publishing to have the book rereleased. I’m excited to share that as of April 22, 2025 William Henry is a Fine Name will once again be available in paperback! You can find it on Amazon, or it can be ordered through Ingram Spark—which means that any bookstore can order it for you. I’m so excited to see this book returning! Next month I’ll share more of the story, but I couldn’t wait to share this good news with you. Some schools and home school programs are still using this book in their curriculum. I hope it will now be available for a long time!
Maggie is now seven months old and just received her first professional haircut. Isn’t she beautiful? I love those soulful eyes! She’s fully potty trained now and is an absolute joy—except when she decides we need to wake up in the middle of the night for some unknown reason.
What’s For Easter Dinner:
Menu: Leg of Lamb with Mint Sauce, Wild Long Grain Rice, Corn Custard, Asparagus, Bridal Salad, and for dessert, Aunt Bethany’s Pineapple Upside Down Cake—a dessert recipe from This Promised Land.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake was one of my mom’s favorite recipes and now it’s one of mine—a delightful burst of spring and summer sunshine!
You can find this recipe and several more recipes mentioned in This Promised Land on my website in the free This Promised Land Book Club Kit.
Quote from This Promised Land: Bethany hoped her cheerful cake would bring a little sunshine into the lives of the children. They’d certainly brought sunshine into hers!
Aunt Bethany’s Pineapple Upside Down Cake
I pray that you find these days leading to the anniversary of our Lord’s crucifixion, death, and especially His glorious Resurrection meaningful and filled with thanksgiving.
|
Comments 1
I loved William Henry is a Fine Name. I must have read it when you first wrote it. I have a Hardcover copy.
Maggie is a beautiful dog.