On the rugged Oregon coast, mail carrier Mary Gerritse is no stranger to hardship. With her daughter betraying her, her husband John escaping to sea, and her heart carrying fresh sorrow, Mary finds herself stretched thin in every direction. When she rescues a stranger from the shore, his talk of petroleum investments begins to feel like providence. Hoping to secure her family's future while her husband is away, and to soothe her grief, Mary mortgages their property and puts her trust in th...

A Tale of Uncharted Adventure and Discovery Inspired by a True StoryIn 1888 Mary Edwards Gerritse is a witty and confident young woman who spends as much time as possible outdoors on the rugged Oregon coast where she and her husband, John, have settled. The two are a formidable pair who are working hard to prove their homesteading claim and build a family. But as Mary faces struggles of young motherhood and questions about her family of origin, she realizes that li...

BASED ON A TRUE STORYIn a land occupied by foreign powers and torn by confusion and conflict, a mother seeks to weave her family and her past into a fabric that will not tear.Their Lives Were Woven by Wars and Wilderness Places, and Tied by the Peace of Family and Faith.As the 1840s bring conflict to the Pacific Northwest’s rugged Columbia Country, new challenges face Marie Dorion Venier Toupin: the wife, mother, and Ioway Indian woman who crossed the Rocky...

Continuing the Tender Ties Historical Series, Every Fixed Star brings readers more of the dramatic, fictionalized account of Marie Dorion: the real-life woman who was the first mother to cross the Rocky Mountains and remain in the Northwest. In Book Two of the series, Marie learns the value of a tender heart, the faith of distant friends, and the act of holding life’s circumstances in open hands.Following the family tragedy, the great battle for survival, and the test of f...

Set in turn-of-the-century Florida, this frontier saga traces the life of Ivy Cromartie Stranahan, the first English-speaking teacher in the region, as she struggles to teach school in the Seminole Nation and lead Indian families to Christ. Ivy is disliked by tribal leaders in spite of her obvious love for their children, yet she eventually overcomes their resistance and serves as their spokesman in negotiations with the U S government. Already scarred by her mother's tragic death in child...

Did photography replace an absence in her life or expose the truth of her heart’s emptiness?While growing in confidence as a photographer, eighteen-year-old Jessie Ann Gaebele’s personal life is at a crossroads. Hoping she’s put an unfortunate romantic longing behind her as “water under the bridge,” she exiles herself to Milwaukee to operate photographic studios for those owners who have fallen ill with mercury poisoning.Jessie gains footing in her dream to...

The Change and Cherish trilogy, based on the true story of Emma Wagner Giesy, now available in one volume:A Clearing in the WildWhen Emma’s outspoken ways and growing skepticism lead to a clash with the 1850s Bethel, Missouri colony’s beloved leader, she finds new opportunities to pursue her dreams of independence. But as she clears a pathway West to her truest and deepest self, she discovers something she never expected: a yearning for the warm emb...

A Story of Resilience, Redemption, and Friendships That EndureOn the rugged Oregon coast in the early 1900s, the lives of a group of women intertwine through their shared pioneering spirit and the steadfast presence of Mary Gerritse. Struggling with her daughter Belle's desire to live with her grandparents, Mary discovers her own mother facing illness and her father hiring a caretaker with a troubled past. Despite tensions, Mary leaves Belle with her grandparents, ...

The first book in the Change and Cherish trilogy from the CBA bestseller and WILLA Literary Award Winner, Jane Kirkpatrick.Young Emma Wagner chafes at the constraints of Bethel colony, an 1850s religious community in Missouri that is determined to remain untainted by the concerns of the world. A passionate and independent thinker, she resents the limitations placed on women, who are expected to serve in quiet submission. In a community where dissent of any form is ...

From bestselling author Jane Kirkpatrick comes this relational story about a close-knit group of five women and their pursuit of life goals. You’ll be encouraged and entertained!In the tradition of Neta Jackson’s Yada Yada Prayer Group series, Kirkpatrick invites you into the lives of five women friends who promise to help each other achieve their life goals. Annie Shaw's goal is far from simple: become famous. But she’s in trouble after quitting her day job to write full-time. Her second ...

"An unforgettable story of hardship, survival, and the bonds of family, based on true events. Tabby's indomitable spirit proves that women, as well as men, helped to tame the West."--Suzanne Woods Fisher, bestselling author of Anna's CrossingTabitha Brown refuses to be left behind in Missouri when her son makes the decision to strike out for Oregon--even if she has to hire her own wagon to join the party. After all, family ties are stronge...

Their lives would be tempered by adversity, expanded by faith, polished by perseverance.Based on an actual 1852 Oregon Trail incident, All Together in One Place, Book One in the Kinship and Courage series, speaks to the strength in every woman and celebrates the promise of hope that unfailingly blooms amidst tragedy and challenge.For Madison "Mazy" Bacon, a young wife living in southern Wisconsin, the future appears every bit as promising ...