Only the River Runs Free

Bodie & Brock Thoene captured me in another of their excellent novels, Only the River Runs Free. The story is set in early-to-mid-19th century Ireland, complete with Mad Molly, the eccentric old woman of Ballynockanor who lost her marbles when her employer and his son died on the same day. But she kept the secret of their demise locked away for years, later slipping the mysterious key to a young lame boy and his wee sister.

When a stranger comes to Ballynockanor on Christmas Eve, Mad Molly proclaims a miracle will come to the town through this young man. His intention to become a priest is thwarted by his secret love for Kate, the widowed (and scarred) daughter of town drunk, Tom Donovan. In typical Thoene fashion, this novel is woven together by a well-designed plot. I sailed through it in a week and found myself lamenting at the end, not because the ending was unhappy. Oh, no. The happy ending makes it all the more worth the read. I lamented because I wasn't ready to leave Ballynockanor and its colorful characters. I'm looking forward to reading Ashes of Remembrance, another masterpiece in The Galway Chronicles.

Highly recommended.

Buy two - one for yourself, and one to give as a gift.

Heavenly Humor

"I shared an apartment with my tuxedo cat, Sammy. Aside from not kicking in his share of the rent, he had all the attributes of a roommate anyone could want. He didn’t borrow my clothes, leave dirty dishes in the sink, or take long showers depleting the source of hot water." - Excerpt from Silhouette on the Shade I'm very excited to announce Heavenly Humor for the Cat Lover's Soul is available for pre-order, either through Barbour Publishing (www.barbourbooks.com) or Barnes & Noble. I haven't checked with LifeWay or other book stores yet. In this anthology, you'll find my story, Silhouette on the Shade, about sharing my apartment with Sammy, my first cat (often referred to as my first love). He was a delightful little guy - black & white with soft amber eyes - who never complained about frequent relocations, and accepted other animals into our home with aplomb.

(Note of appreciation to: http://www.i-love-cats.com/catgraphics.html for the above image)

Barbour is working on another anthology, Heavenly Humor for the Mother's Soul. I wrote seven stories for that book and pray they'll publish all of them. Looking forward to sharing more good news with you as blessings find their way to me.

http://www.intouch.org/resources/140-days-of-prayer

http://www.intouch.org/resources/140-days-of-prayer Take the challenge. I did!