About the Book
Caleb hurried to the post office. He had to get in and out before his sister finished at the general store. “Any mail for the Stuarts?” he asked the postmaster.
The postmaster took a lazy look at him over the top of his eyeglasses and gave a heaving sigh as he turned around to check. “Yep. Somethin’ from Ohio and somethin’ from Montana.”
Tapping his foot, Caleb waited until the large man put the letters lazily in his hand. As he left he wondered why Anna had written someone in Montana and who she knew in Montana. It was really none of his business, but he was still curious. He folded the Ohio letter in half and stashed it in his back pocket. It would get wrinkled, but at least Anna wouldn’t know about it.
As Caleb struggles through some inner battles, he secretly starts a correspondence with a widow and her daughter. Their unabashed faith in God convicts him and increases his inner struggles.Unable to find a steady job, Maggie places an advertisement to become a mail-order bride. Her daughter, Rachel, is her motivation and encouragement, but if Maggie doesn’t find a job or husband soon, Rachel might not survive through the next year.
Can Caleb learn to trust God despite his past? Can Maggie and Rachel hold onto their faith despite all their trials? What will happen when they meet in person?
An Interview with One of the Characters:
Name: Caleb Iain Stuart
Age: 32
Appearance: Brown hair with reddish streaks, tan, tall, muscular, the perfect farmer build
History: Caleb’s mother died in childbirth when he was eleven. His father beat his little brother, Jed, almost daily from age six through fourteen. When Jed was fourteen, he beat up his father and ran away. Since then, Caleb has just been living one day at a time and became more reclusive than he was before.
What was going through your mind when your brother ran away?
After I learned he’d run away, the first thing that ran through my mind was, “Will he be okay? Will he survive? Did he learn enough morals from his limited church attendance to keep him from doing wrong things?” When I tried to find him and failed, all I could think about was if we would ever know what happened to him.
When Da was beating your brother did you want to stop it?
Definitely! I hated the way Da treated Jed. But he threatened Anna and me with the same beating or giving Jed a second beating if we interfered. When I was big enough to actually do something, I didn’t because Da’d threatened us so many times I didn’t question it anymore.
What do you remember and hold dear to your heart?
Any memory of Mama. She was the bright spot in my life. All the stories she told kept me going after she died. Some of the stories were from the Bible and others were made up. Sometimes I wonder if she made them up or if she just retold them.
What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
I’d like to get married and maybe have some kids someday, but I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to. Between my reclusiveness and Da’s drinking problem, I doubt I’ll be able to. I guess just live the life I’m given and go from there.
Was there a time when you were certain things just were not going to turn out right?
When wasn’t there? When Mama died, I couldn’t imagine how things to turn out right. When Da started beating Jed, when Jed ran away, when we got Jed’s letter. Sometimes I wonder if life is even worth living. But then other times I wonder why it isn’t.
About the Author
An avid reader, Faith Blum started writing at an early age. Whether it was a story about the camping trip that summer or a more creative story about fictional characters, she has always enjoyed writing. When not writing, Miss Blum enjoys reading, crafting, playing piano, Captaining on the Holy Worlds Historical Fiction Forum and playing games with her family (canasta, anyone?).As a history enthusiast who has been fascinated for years with the Old West, Faith has endeavored to create a clean, fun, and challenging Western story. Faith lives with her family on a hobby farm in the Northern Midwest, where she enjoys the many cats they have.
Links
Blog Tour Schedule
May 7…………LeAnne Douglas………...Book Review
May 18……….Dawnita Fogleman………Book Review/Author Interview
June 1…………Raechel…………………..Author Interview
June 15……….Jaye L. Knight……………Character Spotlight
June 25 ……….Karilyn Putt………………Book Spotlight