“Nick, you shouldn’t have written in the Bible,” Elizabeth said.
“No, it’s all right.” Zachary took the child’s hand and pulled him close. “Boompah’s right. We’re all in the family of God, aren’t we, Nick? And I guess Montgomery needs that old Bible right now a lot more than we do.”
“Oh, yes,” Nick said. “She does. You see, she remembered that when I took the Bible to the park, it helped us find her father. So now that Bible is going to help Magunnery get a new mother.”
Elizabeth gazed into her son’s eyes as Zachary drew the three of them close. There had been so many surprises on this night of wonder that she would believe almost anything. Two sons on this porch had found fathers. Two fathers had welcomed sons. And a man and a woman had been blessed with love beyond imagining.
Perhaps an old Bible inscribed with the names of those whom God had chosen to form into a family could somehow bring a little girl a brand-new mother. And maybe, just maybe, it could lead a broken man into the arms of a forgiving grace and a healing love.
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Dear Friends,
I write these words in my office—a turreted room inside a beautiful brick mansion much like Chalmers House. My windows look out on blossoming dogwoods and fragrant lilacs. Gentle breezes drift across the nearby Missouri River.
When I moved into this office three years ago, I decorated the limestone walls with sprays of ivy, lengths of crocheted lace, and photographs of my family and friends. This is my creative cocoon.
Last weekend I learned the building had been put up for sale, its future undecided. My first reaction, of course, was total panic! My second was to remember my favorite verse: Jeremiah 29:11. Like Elizabeth Hayes, I’ve learned that God knows the plans he has for me, plans for good and not for evil, to give me a future and a hope. Though it’s not always easy, I surrender my own will in the matter of my little office, my writing, my family, my future. And I lay all these things in the lap of Christ, my Savior.
My deepest thanks to those of you who faithfully read each of my books and to those who write to share such wonderful words of encouragement. I praise God that my stories touch your lives and help you grow in your faith walk.
Watch for my first hardcover novel, due out in the summer of 2000. The sequel to Finders Keepers, to be titled Hide and Seek, is due for release soon after that. Meanwhile, be sure to read my novellas in With This Ring and the Victorian Christmas series: A Victorian Christmas Cottage, A Victorian Christmas Quilt, and A Victorian Christmas Tea. We’re also planning a Prairie Christmas anthology for Christmas 2000, in which you’ll be able to get reacquainted with the characters from A Town Called Hope.
May God Bless you with peace of mind and heart, Catherine Palmer
About the Author
Catherine Palmer lives in Missouri with her husband, Tim, and sons, Geoffrey and Andrei. She is a graduate of Southwest Baptist University and has a master’s degree in English from Baylor University. Her first book was published in 1988. Since then she has written thirty books and published more than twenty. Catherine has also won numerous awards for her writing, including Most Exotic Historical Romance Novel from Romantic Times magazine. Her novel Prairie Fire was a finalist for both the Holt Medallion Award and the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award. Total sales of her novels number close to one million copies.
In addition to Finders Keepers, her Tyndale House books include Prairie Rose, Prairie Fire, Prairie Storm, The Treasure of Timbuktu, The Treasure of Zanzibar, and novellas in the anthologies A Victorian Christmas Tea, With This Ring, A Victorian Christmas Quilt, and A Victorian Christmas Cottage. Catherine welcomes letters written to her in care of Tyndale House Author Relations, P.O. Box 80, Wheaton, IL 60189-0080.
Current HeartQuest Releases
A Bouquet of Love, Ginny Aiken, Ranee McCollum, Jeri Odell, and Debra White Smith
Dream Vacation, Ginny Aiken, Jeri Odell, and Elizabeth White
Faith, Lori Copeland
Finders Keepers, Catherine Palmer
Freedom’s Hope, Dianna Crawford
Freedom’s Promise, Dianna Crawford
Glory, Lori Copeland
Hope, Lori Copeland
June, Lori Copeland
A Kiss of Adventure (original title: The Treasure of Timbuktu), Catherine Palmer
Prairie Rose, Catherine Palmer
Prairie Fire, Catherine Palmer
Prairie Storm, Catherine Palmer
Reunited, Judy Baer, Jeri Odell, Jan Duffy, and Peggy Stoks
A Touch of Betrayal, Catherine Palmer
A Victorian Christmas Quilt, Catherine Palmer, Debra White Smith, Ginny Aiken, and Peggy Stoks
A Victorian Christmas Tea, Catherine Palmer, Dianna Crawford, Peggy Stoks, and Katherine Chute
A Whisper of Danger (original title: The Treasure of Zanzibar), Catherine Palmer
With This Ring, Lori Copeland, Dianna Crawford, Ginny Aiken, and Catherine Palmer
Other Great Tyndale House Fiction
As Sure As the Dawn, Francine Rivers
The Atonement Child, Francine Rivers
The Captive Voice, B. J. Hoff
Cloth of Heaven, B. J. Hoff
Dark River Legacy, B. J. Hoff
An Echo in the Darkness, Francine Rivers
The Embers of Hope, Sally Laity and Dianna Crawford
The Fires of Freedom, Sally Laity and Dianna Crawford
The Gathering Dawn, Sally Laity and Dianna Crawford
Home Fires Burning, Penelope J. Stokes
Jewels for a Crown, Lawana Blackwell
Journey to the Crimson Sea, Jim and Terri Kraus
The Last Sin Eater, Francine Rivers
Leota’s Garden, Francine Rivers
Like a River Glorious, Lawana Blackwell
Measures of Grace, Lawana Blackwell
Passages of Gold, Jim and Terri Kraus
Pirates of the Heart, Jim and Terri Kraus
Remembering You, Penelope J. Stokes
Song of a Soul, Lawana Blackwell
Storm at Daybreak, B. J. Hoff
The Scarlet Thread, Francine Rivers
The Tangled Web, B. J. Hoff
The Tempering Blaze, Sally Laity and Dianna Crawford
Till We Meet Again, Penelope J. Stokes
The Torch of Triumph, Sally Laity and Dianna Crawford
A Voice in The Wind, Francine Rivers
Vow of Silence, B. J. Hoff
HeartQuest Books by Catherine Palmer
Finders Keepers—Home, family, security … three things that lovely, independent antiques dealer Elizabeth Hayes is determined to provide for her adopted son, Nikolai. And Ambleside, Missouri, is just the place to do it. The beautiful Victorian mansion next door is an ever-present reminder of the stable heritage and gracious, old-fashioned ways Ambleside represents. Zachary Chalmers is shocked to receive an inheritance from an aunt he barely remembers—even if it is just a decrepit old mansion. Once cleared, the site will be perfect for the architectural firm he’s designing. Out with the old, in with the new. That’s Zachary’s motto. Even as they clash over the fate of Chalmers House, Elizabeth and Zachary begin to discover dreams of a shared future—an idea vigorously supported by the irrepressible Nick! But are they willing to surrender to God’s plan, which is greater than their own? Then a suprising revelation makes them wonder whether even a wrecking ball can put to rest the shadows of the past.
Prairie Storm—Can one tiny baby calm the brewing storm between Lily’s past and Elijah’s future? Evangelist Elijah Book is a fearless warrior for God—or so he believes. When a helpless infant is entrusted to his care, his zeal becomes sidetracked, as the fate of an innocent child rests with a woman Eli must trust in spite of himself. Storms of hurt and bitterness threaten to overwhelm Lily Nolan after the death of her husband and child. If there is a God, how could he abandon her so completely? Can she risk opening her heart to the orphaned Samuel? United in their concern for the baby, Eli and Lily are
forced to set aside their differences and learn to trust God’s plan to see them through the storms of life.
Prairie Rose—Kansas held their future, but only faith could mend their past. Hope and love blossom on the untamed prairie as a young woman, searching for a place to call home, happens upon a Kansas homestead during the 1860s.
Prairie Fire—Will a burning secret extinguish the spark of love between Jack and Caitrin? The town of Hope discovers the importance of forgiveness, overcoming prejudice, and the dangers of keeping unhealthy family secrets.
A Victorian Christmas Cottage—Continuing the popular Victorian Christmas anthology series, this collection of four original Christmas stories once again leads off with a heartwarming novella by Catherine Palmer. In “Under His Wings,” a young widow leaves her home in Wales to settle with her beloved mother-in-law in a small cottage in England’s Lake District. Finding work in the kitchen of the dashing earl of Beaumontfort, Gwyneth soon attracts his attention. He is charmed by her wit, her love for her mother-in-law, and her devotion to Christ. But unexpected developments at the lavish annual Christmas gathering threaten their growing love.
A Victorian Christmas Tea—Four novellas about life and love at Christmastime. Stories by Catherine Palmer, Dianna Crawford, Peggy Stoks, and Katherine Chute.
A Victorian Christmas Quilt—A patchwork of four novellas about love and joy at Christmastime. Stories by Catherine Palmer, Ginny Aiken, Peggy Stoks, and Debra White Smith.
The Treasure of Timbuktu—Abducted by a treasure hunter, Tillie Thorton becomes a pawn in a dangerous game. Desperate and on the run from a fierce nomadic tribe looking to kidnap her, Tillie finds herself in an uneasy partnership with a daring adventurer.
The Treasure of Zanzibar—An ancient house filled with secrets … a sunken treasure … an unknown enemy … a lost love. They all await Jessica Thorton on Zanzibar. Jessica returns to Africa with her son to claim her inheritance on the island of Zanzibar. Upon her arrival, she is reunited with her estranged husband.
Heartwarming Anthologies from HeartQuest
A Bouquet of Love—An arrangement of four beautiful novellas about friendship and love. Stories by Ginny Aiken, Ranee McCollum, Jeri Odell, and Debra White Smith.
A Victorian Christmas Cottage—Four novellas centering around hearth and home at Christmastime. Stories by Catherine Palmer, Jeri Odell, Debra White Smith, and Peggy Stoks.
A Victorian Christmas Tea—Four novellas about life and love at Christmastime. Stories by Catherine Palmer, Dianna Crawford, Peggy Stoks, and Katherine Chute.
A Victorian Christmas Quilt—A patchwork of four novellas about love and joy at Christmastime. Stories by Catherine Palmer, Ginny Aiken, Peggy Stoks, and Debra White Smith.
Reunited—Four stories about reuniting friends, old memories, and new romance. Includes favorite recipes from the authors. Stories by Judy Baer, Jan Duffy, Jeri Odell, and Peggy Stoks.
With This Ring—A quartet of charming stories about four very special weddings. Stories by Lori Copeland, Dianna Crawford, Ginny Aiken, and Catherine Palmer.
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