Ellen Gable's Blog, page 10

An Open Book – March #openbook

I’m joining Carolyn Astfalk and Catholic Mom for An Open Book. Here’s what I’ve been reading and working on:

Season of Mercy: Lent and Easter by Catherine Doherty

Synopsis: Catherine Doherty leads us into the riches of God’s boundless mercy as she teaches us the spirit, the liturgy, and the customs of the Lent and Easter season, including:

Practical guidance on preparing for the internal spiritual pilgrimage that is Lent.Meditations on the meanings of the many holy days preceding and following Easter.Traditions and customs which will help your family live the holiness of the Easter season.

After-dinner talks by Catherine Doherty, spiritual readings around the dining room table — on the spirit, liturgy and customs of Lent, Holy Week, the Easter Triduum and Paschaltide.

Catherine speaks on such topics as how to Prepare for Lent; Why Fasting; The Motive is Love; Sin, Repentance, Conversion. Also on Palm (Passion) Sunday; Holy Week; Holy Thursday: Priesthood and Eucharist; Good Friday; Holy Saturday: Christ’s Descent into Hades; and Christ is Risen! Then Paschaltime and Christ’s Ascension, Pentecost. A rich tapestry of scriptural reflections and Customs and Traditions to bring it all to life!

Excellent for personal and group study.A wonderful resource for preachers and teachers!

My review: As we begin Lent today, I’m sharing one of my favorite Lent and Easter books. This beautiful book can help anyone maneuver through the “Season of Mercy.” Highly recommend!

Good Men and Grace by Alita Ngo

Coming Soon from FQP: Good Men and Grace is the story of an orphaned young man, Abel Wheaton, of mixed Anglo and American Indian descent, set in 1860, with flashbacks about 20 years into the past, in the U. S. Territories and states of the period.  Abel is a rider for the Pony Express.  On a few days’ break from his duties, he comes across the Pearces, a lost family of freed slaves traveling west from Chicago to Sacramento.  During Abel’s time with them, both heartwarming and heart-rending exchanges, and a life-threatening situation, take their toll as he gains greater insight into slavery in the South and a deeper understanding of himself and his own circumstances.  Join Abel, Jake, William, and of course, Grace, in a journey toward an unexpected, triumphant friendship.

Hooper Humperdink…Not Him by Dr. Seuss

Amazon Synopsis: From Alice and Abe to Zeb and Zipper, an alphabetical array of guests turns out for the biggest birthday party ever. But Hooper Humperdink isn’t on the guest list!

My review: I’ve been reading this one frequently with my two-and-a-half-year-old grandson. I say “with” because he knows this one by heart (like many books). This one is especially entertaining! At first, it seems the author wants to exclude Hooper from his birthday party, but in the end (spoiler alert), he decides he wants to invite Hooper to his party. A fun read!

In Pieces by Rhonda Ortiz

Amazon Synopsis: BOSTON, 1793—Beautiful and artistic, the only daughter of a prominent merchant, Molly Chase cannot help but attract the notice of Federalist Boston—especially its men. But she carries a painful secret: her father committed suicide and she found his body. Now nightmares plague her day and night, addling her mind and rendering her senseless. Molly needs a home, a nurse, and time to grieve and to find new purpose in life. But when she moves in with her friends, the Robbs, spiteful society gossips assume the worst. And when an imprudent decision leads to public scandal, Molly is tempted to take the easy way out: a marriage of convenience.

Merchant sailor Josiah Robb is as familiar to Molly as a brother—as dear and as exasperating. Yet she is no sister to him. He hopes to marry her before anyone else does, but sailing the high seas leaves no time for convincing Molly that he is more than her teasing childhood friend. Josiah wants a new job and a fresh start, and when he agrees to carry a confidential letter to President Washington, his life is forever changed.

In the wake of tragedy, these longtime friends discover a new intimacy. But slander, confusion, absence, and a wealthy, conniving bully stand between them. And with French spies on the loose, they not only have to rescue their reputations—they have to protect their lives.

My review: Wonderful story and beautifully written. Highly recommend!

The Forgotten Victims of Clergy Abuse (Updated)

My latest post at Catholic Mom is a revised and updated article I originally wrote in 2018.

The Road to Hope copyright Joshua Hrkach

Almost four years ago, the revelations about the now-defrocked Theodore McCarrick and the Pennsylvania Grand Jury report were disturbing, especially to the most devout Catholics. Since then, many members of the Church have left in disgust. 

In the years that followed, revelations that homosexual networks exist within seminaries and dioceses have caused some Catholics to have a crisis of faith. Numerous seminarians have tried to alert higher-up prelates to no avail. It’s unacceptable that a bishop – or as in the case of McCarrick, a cardinal – would not only be complicit but also participate in the abuse. 

For every abuse reported, there are likely hundreds, perhaps thousands over the past 70-plus years, that were not—and have never been—reported.

Whenever I hear a story about clerical sex abuse, it opens a wound, not only because I’m Catholic but because my father was abused more than 70 years ago. He is one of many who never reported the (likely ongoing) abuse. I recently wrote a novel, Where Angels Pass, based on his story of abuse and the consequences on him and our family.

My father’s abuser was a priest who happened to be one of his teachers in high school. This information was something that my siblings and I didn’t find out until after my father died in 1978, as he had only told my mother about the abuse.

Back in the 1940s, Catholic laity viewed priests as sacred and placed them on a pedestal. My father couldn’t go to his parents or anyone else because he was ashamed, and he didn’t think anyone would believe him. To say the abuse confused him is an understatement. 

Dad later met and married my mom and tried to settle down into married life. But his troubles were far from over. He dealt with depression and other mental illnesses on and off for a few years before he had a mental breakdown in 1961 and was committed to the local psychiatric hospital. I remember visiting him there and, despite the odd surroundings, I was always happy to see my dad.

He was eventually diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and manic depression (now called bipolar disorder) and was prescribed a regimen of medication.

My dad continued to battle with mental illness for the rest of his life. He eventually became an alcoholic and died tragically at the age of 49. His life ended not unlike many other abuse victims.

When I first found out my father had been abused, I was angry, but my father’s troubled life made a lot of sense in light of his abuse. Of course, I wanted to strangle the priest who traumatized him.

There are many like my father out there, some living and some already deceased, who are/were unknown victims of clerical abuse.

But we as a family were (are) victims too. As a family, we watched my father struggle and suffer. We watched him go through drunken stupors and depressive episodes. We watched him get on and fall off the wagon too many times to count. It wasn’t unusual for him to break down and cry. While I know that many factors someone to have a mental breakdown or become an alcoholic, I believe the abuse contributed substantially to his ongoing despair.

To read the rest, click here.

Charlotte’s Honor #FREE on #Kindle

Charlotte’s Honor (Great War Great Love #2), is FREE on Kindle today through Tuesday! Just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Synopsis: After receiving notification that her brother –and only relative — is killed in action during the Great War, 21-year-old Charlotte Zielinski enlists as a medical volunteer. She eventually begins working in the death ward of the field hospital near Soissons, France, holding dying men’s hands and singing them into eternity.

Dr. Paul Kilgallen is a Canadian surgeon working at the field hospital. During a siege by the enemy, everyone evacuates except for Paul and Charlotte, who volunteer to remain in the basement of the chateau to care for the critically ill soldiers.

During those three days, Charlotte sees a side of Paul that very few have seen and finds herself falling in love with him. Before Paul leaves for the front, he abruptly tells her that he cannot love her, and it would be best to “forget him.”

Just when the war is coming to a close, Charlotte is surprised by two events that are destined to change her life forever.

Reviews:

“Ellen’s ‘Great War~Great Love’ series illustrates on several levels how God is present even in the darkest times of human history. Amid enormous pain and suffering there is always a chance for mercy and redemption and often human love acts as the channel for God’s plan. Charlotte finds deep and lasting love where she had not thought to find it; it is through her imperfections that she finds that love. God can bring good out of the worst disasters as well as out of our failings. Not only did the novel remind me of those truths but it also brought home once again the price paid by our veterans. War is hell, yes. It brings out the worst in people and in societies. Yet even war can be turned to serve God’s purpose, as a testing ground for honor which many heroes and heroines uphold even in the bleakest of times.”   Elena Maria Vidal, author, The Paradise Tree

“Charlotte’s Honor is a beautiful, tender, and moving story set during World War One.  The perfect mix of historical detail and romance, this second installment in Gable’s Great War Great Love Trilogy will not disappoint. Charlotte Zielinski,  to whom we were first introduced in Julia’s Gifts, is a strongly positive role model for our daughters. She endures trials throughout this story that most of us cannot imagine facing today, yet the genuine manner in which the characters react and respond rings true for all time. I would add Charlotte’s Honor to the must-read list for any historical fiction, mother-daughter generational, or virtue-based book club. Of course, Gable’s tales are perfectly delectable as a personal poolside treat as well!”       Jean Egolf, author,  the Molly McBride series

“Charlotte’s Honor includes a little bit of everything: WW1 history, sweet romance, and a little mystery/suspense. This page-turning love story (it’s a fast read!) is built on a foundation of faith and above all, the dignity of human life.  Charlotte (whose honor has more than one meaning here) devotes herself to the care of dying soldiers. It is through this calling that Charlotte meets and falls in love with Paul, a skilled surgeon who has closed his heart to the possibility of romance. Expect a little humor amidst the backdrop of wartime brutality and a couple of surprises along the way. Charlotte’s Honor is not only a pleasant romantic escape but edifying as well.” Carolyn Astfalk, author, Ornamental Graces, Rightfully Ours

“Set toward the end of the Great War, Charlotte’s Honor allows readers to glimpse ugliness and death, blossoming relationships, and the most challenging experiences a person could face, juxtaposing the brutality of war with the beauty of sacrificial love.”  Theresa Linden, award-winning author

“A charming story set in WW II France where love and faith endure through times of trial. Though Charlotte must face death every day, her commitment to kindness leads to hope and a new life.” A.K. Frailey, author of Last of Her Kind

“Ellen Gable delivers another impressive historical romance novel, a worthy sequel to her first book in the Great War Great Love series. When Charlotte Zielinski, a medical volunteer, meets skilled surgeon Dr. Paul Kilgallen at a field hospital in France during World War I, they face great hardships that require courage, dedication, hope—and faith. Charlotte’s Honor is an authentic story filled with compassion, self-sacrifice, and the true meaning of love. A wonderful read and highly recommended!”  Therese Heckenkamp, award-winning author

Excerpt:

May 1918,  Vauxbuin Field Hospital,  Near Soissons, France

The air was thick with the mineral stench of blood. Inside the canvas tent that served as Barrack Number 48, Charlotte searched for a place in the unconscious soldier’s body to insert the hypodermic.  The poor gentleman had burns and wounds everywhere, but she managed to find a one-inch diameter spot on his thigh in which to plunge the needle.  The man didn’t flinch, and Charlotte suspected that his injuries were too grave for him to survive.  She recited a silent prayer for this man’s soul, then moved onto the next soldier.

The large canvas tents that were part of the field hospital covered the lawn in front of the chateau. Most volunteers referred to it as a chateau because it looked the part with its high ceilings, plentiful rooms and marble floors. However, it wasn’t a castle. It was a 19th century country manor.

A tendril of dark brown hair slipped from her headscarf, and she tucked it back in. Charlotte Patricia Zielinski didn’t care much whether her unruly hair was tame, but she did care about keeping healthy. She wasn’t a large girl, nor was she small.  However, roughhousing with her brother Ian for so many years made her strong.

After preparing another soldier for the operating theater, she took a short break and sat on a bench near the tent.

She glanced up at the dark sky, enjoying the quiet. After the sunrise, she’d hear the distant booming that came with being ten miles from the front.

After her bout with influenza last month, she’d felt fatigued for weeks.  In the past few days, she had enough energy to move a mountain.

Sister Betty, the medical volunteers’ middle-aged supervisor, called to her from the barrack beside her, Number 49.  She was a big-boned woman who seemed taller because she always stood so straight.  Charlotte wasn’t sure whether it was because she was British or because she was a big woman, but she also had a booming personality and a loud voice.

Charlotte stood up to speak with Sister.

“How many more men have to be prepared for the O.R., Miss Zielinski?”

“Four, Sister.”

“Maybe you’d be of more use in this barrack.” She pointed toward Number 49.

“Certainly.”  She turned to alert her co-worker in 48, when Sister yelled, “Wait.”

Charlotte stopped. “Yes?”

“Perhaps you’d better stay where you are. If there are only four left to prepare, finish that duty, then report to this barrack.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

It took a bit of getting used to, but here in Europe, nurses were referred to as sisters.  And all sisters – and most medical volunteers – wore headscarves that looked like habits.

She approached a soldier on a cot, noticing the maple leaf on his collar. Canadians tended to be an agreeable bunch.  He pursed his lips as she stripped his clothes, wincing as bits of skin came off with his pants.  The poor fellow tensed, but Charlotte could only offer, “I’m so sorry.  I am doing my best not to hurt you.”

The dark-haired man attempted a smile.

An ear-piercing explosion caused the world around Charlotte to vanish, and she reflexively collapsed on the cot, falling across the soldier lying in front of her. Ears ringing, she remained still for what seemed like an hour but was likely a few minutes. Blinking, she opened her eyes and stared at the metal side of the cot in front of her and felt the soldier moving underneath her.

An Open Book – February 2022

Please join Carolyn Astfalk and Catholic Mom for An Open Book.

Here are the books I’ve been reading and/or working on.

Pondering Tidbits of Truth by Michael Seagriff, OP

Amazon Synopsis: This book contains 150 informative and challenging quotations of countless spiritual writers from across the centuries. Just commit to spending five minutes each day (preferably in the morning) reading, meditating, and pondering just one of those quotations. What is God trying to tell you? How will you respond? If you get stuck, you will find some helpful questions after each quotation to steer you in the right direction.

Put your thinking cap on and let God speak silently to your heart.

I can assure you, in God’s perfect timing, you will recognize that five minutes will not be enough for your daily conversation with Him. You will find a way to be with Him for a more extended period of time.

My review: Pondering Tidbits of Truth Volume 6 is a beautiful collection of challenging quotes from many spiritual writers. This is an ideal book to take to Adoration, on retreat, or just to have on hand for meditation/prayer time at home. It will help anyone who wants to grow in their relationship with God. Highly recommend! 5/5.

A Little Book of Reparation: First Friday Devotion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Anne Costa

Amazon Synopsis: An indispensable prayer companion for those devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and for those who want to know more about His loving Heart. This treasury of prayers explains the Nine First Friday Devotion and offers practical and relevant ways to offer reparation to Jesus in our troubled and faithless times.

My review: This is a beautiful little book that teaches and guides those who are interested in offering reparation during our troubled times. Highly recommend. 5/5.

Come My Beloved: Inspiring Stories of Catholic Courtship

Amazon Synopsis: Come My Beloved: Inspiring Stories of Catholic Courtship is a celebration of faith and enduring love. This compilation includes 12 courtship/dating stories that will inspire, captivate and entertain readers. Included are the following stories: A widow with eight children meets a widower with six children; a woman prays to God for a husband and years later, finds herself falling in love with a seminarian; a man asks his live-in girlfriend “What if we stopped having sex?” and is greeted with tears of joy; an atheist falls in love with her Catholic Prince Charming; a couple meets through a Christian introduction service. What these couples have in common is a deep faith in God and faithfulness to the Catholic Church’s teachings.

My review: This was an absolute labor of love that is now eleven years old. Come My Beloved is only 9.99 USD for paperback and .99 for Kindle. Ideal for couples preparing for marriage and anyone who wants to read true stories of real couples meeting and marrying.

The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier

Amazon Synopsis: In this luminous memoir, a true American icon looks back on his celebrated life and career. His body of work is arguably the most morally significant in cinematic history, and the power and influence of that work are indicative of the character of the man behind the many storied roles. Sidney Poitier here explores these elements of character and personal values to take his own measure—as a man, as a husband and a father, and as an actor.

Poitier credits his parents and his childhood on tiny Cat Island in the Bahamas for equipping him with the unflinching sense of right and wrong and of self-worth that he has never surrendered and that have dramatically shaped his world. “In the kind of place where I grew up,” recalls Poitier, “what’s coming at you is the sound of the sea and the smell of the wind and momma’s voice and the voice of your dad and the craziness of your brothers and sisters…and that’s it.” Without television, radio, and material distractions to obscure what matters most, he could enjoy the simple things, endure the long commitments, and find true meaning in his life.

Poitier was uncompromising as he pursued a personal and public life that would honor his upbringing and the invaluable legacy of his parents. Just a few years after his introduction to indoor plumbing and the automobile, Poitier broke racial barrier after racial barrier to launch a pioneering acting career. Committed to the notion that what one does for a living articulates to who one is, Poitier played only forceful and affecting characters who said something positive, useful, and lasting about the human condition.

Here is Poitier’s own introspective look at what has informed his performances and his life. Poitier explores the nature of sacrifice and commitment, price and humility, rage and forgiveness, and paying the price for artistic integrity. What emerges is a picture of a man in the face of limits—his own and the world’s. A triumph of the spirit, The Measure of a Man captures the essential Poitier.

My review: I brought this out to read again after Poitier’s passing last month, and I can’t recommend this book highly enough. He was an outstanding actor, but also an outstanding human being. 5/5.

In a Far-Off Land by Stephanie Landsem

Amazon Synopsis: It’s 1931 in Hollywood, and Minerva Sinclaire is on the run for a murder she didn’t commit.

As the Great Depression hits the Midwest, Minerva Sinclaire runs away to Hollywood, determined to make it big and save the family farm. But beauty and moxie don’t pay the bills in Tinseltown, and she’s caught in a downward spiral of poverty, desperation, and compromise. Finally, she’s about to sign with a major studio and make up for it all. Instead, she wakes up next to a dead film star and is on the run for a murder she didn’t commit.

Only two unwilling men―Oscar, a Mexican gardener in danger of deportation, and Max, a too-handsome agent battling his own demons―can help Mina escape corrupt police on the take and the studio big shots trying to frame her. But even her quick thinking and grit can’t protect her from herself. Alone, penniless, and carrying a shameful secret, Mina faces the consequences of the heartbreaking choices that brought her to ruin . . . and just might bring her back to where she belongs.

My review: This was a compelling, enjoyable read. The writing is crisp and polished and the story and characters believable. Highly recommend! 5/5.

St. Agnes, Pray for Us!

Today is the Feast of St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr. I knew little of this saint until I read about her during my research for A Subtle Grace. This book was a finalist in Religious Fiction in the 2015 IAN Awards. I dedicated this book to her.

It’s no surprise that St. Agnes’ feast day is so close to the U.S. March for Life (which is, sadly, canceled this year). Agnes’ name in Greek means “chaste, pure or sacred,” and in Latin, it means “lamb.” She is the patron saint of young girls, chastity, engaged couples, rape victims (and others). In past centuries, young girls would recite this prayer/poem to St. Agnes on the Eve of the feast day with the hope they would dream of their future husband.

Now good St. Agnes, play thy part,
And send to me my own sweetheart,
And show me such a happy bliss,
This night of him to have a kiss.

St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr, pray for us!

An Open Book – January 2022

I’m joining with Carolyn Astfalk and Catholic Mom for An Open Book. Here’s what I’ve been reading for the past month.

The Day Kennedy Died by the Editors of Life Magazine

Amazon Synopsis: Fifty years ago on November 22, 1963, in Dallas’s Dealey Plaza, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was assassinated while traveling in a motorcade with his wife, Jacqueline. LIFE magazine, the weekly pictorial chronicle of events in America and throughout the world, was quickly on the scene. The Kennedys had been our story: Jack and Jackie made the cover in his sailboat before they were married and he was a fresh-faced senator from Massachusetts, and the White House doors had remained open to LIFE throughout his presidency: Cecil Stoughton’s photographs of Caroline and John-John in the Oval Office, Jackie’s tour of the renovation, tense behind-the-scenes moments during 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis — all of this appeared in LIFE. We needed to be in Dallas.

The famous Zapruder film first appeared in LIFE, after being acquired by LIFE’s Richard B. Stolley. Stolley also interviewed at the time Dallas police, Kennedy administration officials, members of the Oswald family, workers at Jack Ruby’s bar. Jackie’s first conversation after the murder was with Theodore H. White for LIFE, and in it, she told the American people, for the first time, about the Camelot her late husband had imagined.

My review: I received this book as a gift for Christmas. Fascinating and essential for anyone who has an interest in JFK and his assassination. 5/5

Flight 232 by Laurence Gonzales

Amazon Synopsis: As hundreds of rescue workers waited on the ground, United Airlines Flight 232 wallowed drunkenly over the bluffs northwest of Sioux City. The plane slammed onto the runway and burst into a vast fireball. The rescuers didn’t move at first: nobody could possibly survive that crash. And then people began emerging from the summer corn that lined the runways. Miraculously, 184 of 296 passengers lived.

No one has ever attempted the complete reconstruction of a crash of this magnitude. Drawing on interviews with hundreds of survivors, crew, and airport and rescue personnel, Laurence Gonzales, a commercial pilot himself, captures, minute by minute, the harrowing journey of pilots flying a plane with no controls and flight attendants keeping their calm in the face of certain death. He plumbs the hearts and minds of passengers as they pray, bargain with God, plot their strategies for survival, and sacrifice themselves to save others.

Ultimately he takes us, step by step, through the gripping scientific detective work in super-secret labs to dive into the heart of a flaw smaller than a grain of rice that shows what brought the aircraft down.

An unforgettable drama of the triumph of heroism over tragedy and human ingenuity over technological breakdown, Flight 232 is a masterpiece in the tradition of the greatest aviation stories ever told.

My review: I enjoy non-fiction books written like novels. This one is especially compelling. I’ve seen a few documentaries about this flight and how miraculous it was that so many people survived. This book goes into a lot more detail than the documentaries. Interesting, excellent read. 5/5.

Hidden by Verity Lucia

Amazon Synopsis: Are DEMONS and ANGELS, like vampires and werewolves, merely legend and lore?

Or is there more to life than meets the eye?

This is the question high schooler, Clare Thomson, is faced with when she unwittingly discovers she can see spiritual beings.

My review: This was a compelling read from a new YA author. This book isn’t just for teens; it’s also for anyone who needs a reminder that angels and demons exist and are more real than vampires and werewolves. Highly recommend. 4.5/5.

Moonchild Rising #FREE on #Kindle

Moonchild Rising (Shadows of the Sun#1) is FREE today through Friday on #Kindle!

Amazon Synopsis:

Mara the Huntress resides in the sunny little town of Archangel, California, the location of the Gate of the Underworld—a fact unknown to the general populace. Most people don’t even know that vampires exist. As Huntress, Mara does know, and it is her job to kill those that dare venture forth to the Upperworld to prey on the humans living there. She is well-suited to this purpose, gifted with skills and talents far surpassing those of ordinary mortals. Though some vampires manage to evade her, she has so far managed to prevent the unleashing of a full-scale infestation. She has been at this job for a good portion of her not-quite twenty years, and it seems she has everything in hand. Then one day she gets a chill of foreboding, a feeling that things are about to change…

For she stands in the way of the master vampire’s plan for world domination, and, he fears, may be a key player in the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy foretelling his destruction. One dark night he sends the mighty Prince (his second in command) to put an end to this Huntress, this bane of vampires, once and for all. Mara confidently goes out to face him, but finds she has met her match at last. Just as all hope seems lost, this powerful vampire turns from the “dark side” to become Mara’s ally in the battle against his own kind.

Review from Sarah Reinhard:

Catholic vampire romance. Yes, you read that right: Who says there’s nothing good to read? (Not me. Not ever me.)

So what was in store with Moonchild Rising, by Mina Ambrose, the first in what will be a series of Catholic vampire novels?

A lot, as it turns out. It was a story with promise and solidly Catholic. It packed a lot of action and a lot of Church teaching. There was an exploration of love and sin and eternity. I found myself thinking and pondering: What is redemption? What does forgiveness really mean? How is mercy experienced?

And there are so many other things that come into consideration: What does it mean to live for 500 years? Or is it really living? And hunting vampires as a teenager?

When I read Dracula recently, I was struck with how much it held themes of redemption and evil. I was also struck by how Dracula was never ever anything but a monster. There was no sexy and appealing with him. He was evil, plain and simple.

That made the story of Moonchild even more challenging.

There’s a lot to explore in this book: There’s food for thought and plenty of room for discussion. Have a young person (probably a girl) who loves fiction? Read this with them, and talk about the hardpoints.

Because there are hardpoints. There is graphic description.

There are also a lot of tears. And some difficult dialogue. It’s not a perfect book, but it’s interesting in ways I wasn’t expecting.

Storytelling is an important way to share truths. In fact, it’s more effective.

My hat’s off to Ellen Gable and Full Quiver Publishing for giving Mina Ambrose an opportunity to tell this story and explore this space.

To get your free copy of Moonchild Rising, click here.

Merry Christmas From Our House to Yours!

copyright 2021 James and Ellen Hrkach. Please do not use without permission.

Christmas Cards Through the Years 2021

I’d like to share just a few of the original Christmas cards we’ve created over the past 35 years. 

We no longer send snail mail cards, but for many years, we did and we always created something original and unique to our family.  Now, we send these cards via email.  Which one is your favorite?

1. Let the Spirit In – 1989

Image copyright James and Ellen Hrkach 1989

2. She Brought Forth Her First Born Son – 1992

Image copyright James and Ellen Hrkach 1992

3. Glorious Strains – 1996

 

4. ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas – 2007

5. Hrkach Boys Assembly Line – 2008

 

6. Sleeping In – 2014

Copyright 2014 James and Ellen Hrkach, Please do not use without permission

7. A Many Splendored Christmas (2015)

Image copyright James and Ellen Hrkach. Please do not use without permission

8. Empty Next 2017

copyright 2017 James and Ellen Hrkach, please do not use without permission

9. Last year: 2020

2020 copyright James and Ellen Hrkach

All images copyright 2021 by James and Ellen Hrkach

Advent Cartoon

copyright James and Ellen Hrkach. Please do not use without permission!