Jencey's Writer's Corner

  Karen White released her book That Last Carolina Summer last year.  Karen is known for her many writing projects, which means multiple book releases sometimes in one year.  This book centers around one family, a mother and her two daughters—a choice made within a family that had devastating consequences for those affected. Also, if you like birds, you will learn a lot from this book.    Synopsis: “As a child, Phoebe Manigault developed the gift of premonition after she was struck by lightning in the creek near her Charleston home. Plagued throughout her life by mysterious dreams, and always living in the shadow of her beautiful sister, Addie, Phoebe eventually moves to the West Coast, as far from her family as possible. Now, years later, she is summoned back to South Carolina, to help Addie care for their ailing mother. As Phoebe’s return lures her back into deep-rooted tensions and conflicts, she is drawn to Celeste, whose granddaughter went missing year...

  Who's up for a good thriller?  Sarah Pekkanen is good at taking people through many twists and turns.   Her book Gone Tonight is full of many twists and turns.  The story centers around a mother and her daughter.  Will they ever be safe? Synopsis:  “When Ruth Sterling was a teenager, she slipped away one night, desperate to escape an abusive home and a troubling boyfriend. Pregnant, alone, and prepared to do anything to survive, she eventually makes a life for herself―and soon, for her newborn daughter Catherine. For more than twenty years, Ruth has lived quietly and has provided for her daughter. But she is always ready to run at a moment’s notice, and never allows either of them to put down roots too deeply. Now, Catherine is grown and craves a life for herself. This is something her mother will do anything to prevent―but for what reasons? It has always been just the two of them against the world. But how well do they really know each other? When Ruth’s...

  Have you ever struggled with people pleasing?  Have you ever felt like you didn’t have the permission to be you? I know these struggles well.  Joyce Meyer, in her book Authentically Uniquely You:  Living Free from Comparisons and the Need to Please, shares biblical concepts for overcoming these issues. Synopsis:  “ God has given you gifts so you can fulfill His purpose for your life, but if you're like a lot of people, you may not have recognized your talents yet. Start asking God to show you something special about the way He's made you. To some people, He's given a very tender, compassionate heart, and some He has wired to lead others effectively. Others, He has given a gift of being able to communicate clearly, to teach, to make scientific discoveries, or to write beautiful music. Only you can discover all the dynamic gifts He's placed in you. Become Authentically, Uniquely You because God is never going to help you be anyone but yourself. He loves you just...

  When a family goes through a grieving period, often the question can become “What’s next?”  Nancy Thayer tells the story of a family that has to recover from two losses.  What better way to recover than to visit Nantucket?  Will they be able to move forward? Synopsis:    “Eddie Grant is happy with her life and her work as a personal assistant to Dinah Lavender, one of the most famous and renowned romance authors in the business. But being a spectator to notoriety and glamour isn’t as fulfilling as she once thought. Thankfully, Eddie has the perfect excuse for a vacation: Her hardworking younger sister, Barrett, is opening her gift shop on Memorial Day weekend, and could use all the help she can get.  But going home to the beautiful island of Nantucket means facing the family’s difficult past. Shortly after the death of Eddie and Barrett’s brother, their mother left them and their father made the spontaneous decision to buy a small farm. Eddie stayed ...

  Sarah Sundin introduces us to the events that took place in Scotland during  World War II, in the Scottish setting.  I was unfamiliar with these events myself. The author has written many books about the World War II era, so writing about Scotland would not be a stretch for her.  The other topic in this story is the story of Nazi spies in the United Kingdom and the Counter Espionage program.   Synopsis:  “The only way Cilla van der Zee can survive the German occupation of the Netherlands is to do the unthinkable--become a spy for the Nazis in Britain. She soothes her conscience with a plan to abandon her mission and instead aid the Allies. Her scheme is thwarted when naval officer Lt. Lachlan Mackenzie finds her along the Scottish shore and turns her in to be executed. But perhaps she is more useful alive than dead. British intelligence sends her to Scotland to radio misleading messages to Germany, messages about the naval base at Scapa Flow to be cr...

  Sonia Purnell tells us the story of  Virginia Hall in the book A Woman of No Importance .  Virginia Hall is a very important woman in history.  Her work during World War II was God-inspired.  There is no one that he can’t use. Synopsis: “In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: "She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her." The target in their sights was Virginia Hall, a Baltimore socialite who talked her way into Special Operations Executive, the spy organization dubbed Winston Churchill's "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." She became the first Allied woman deployed behind enemy lines and--despite her prosthetic leg--helped to light the flame of the French Resistance, revolutionizing secret warfare as we know it. Virginia established vast spy networks throughout France, called weapons and explosives down from the skies, and became a linchpin for the Resistance. Even as her face covered wanted posters and a bount...