We welcome author Jane M. Tucker as guest blogger today. Jane’s debut novel, Lottie’s Gift, released last month.
Today is my birthday and my parents’ wedding anniversary. Don’t raise your eyebrows like that: I’m the youngest child. As a kid, I thought my parents were lucky to receive such a gift on their special day. Now I know better.
Today is alsothe anniversary of D-Day, the day in 1944 when Allied forces landed on Normandy Beach to liberate Western Europe. My husband, Jon, is fascinated with World War II, a fact I didn’t fully appreciate until I wrote a novel set in the 1940s. He easily remembers that D-Day and my B-Day are the same.
How exciting to know we’ll watch Saving Private Ryan on my birthday every year. Every. Blessed. Year.
On my birthday, I typically pause to take stock. I consider the ups and downs of the past twelve months, and set a few goals for the future. The exercise is convicting, fulfilling, and pretty yawn-worthy for anyone but the birthday girl. Instead of boring on about my personal life, I’ve decided to offer up somebody else’s.
I’ve decided to give you a glimpse at the past and future of Lottie Braun.
When Lottie faces the sunrise at the end of Lottie’s Gift, she is at the greatest turning point in her life. Behind her are decades of professional achievement and personal emptiness. Before her lies the prospect of coming home to Iowa, to live out her years in the small community of Collison.
Lottie wants to make a success of her new situation. She feels obligated to fill the hole left by her sister, Helen, as a valued church member, neighbor, and friend.
But 40 years of social isolation have not equipped Lottie for Helen’s life. Helen’s friends are wary of Lottie, the neighbors annoy her, and church is only a formality, since Lottie and God parted ways long ago. Worst of all, sparks fly when Helen’s daughter arrives to deal with her inheritance.
Will Lottie adjust to life in a close-knit community? Can she win back the trust of family and old friends? Most important, after receiving the gift of radical forgiveness, can Lottie ever forgive herself?
I’m writing as fast as I can.
Jane
About Jane M. Tucker
Jane is a lifelong reader and writer who has a deep love for the art of storytelling. In fact, her favorite job at church is telling Bible stories to children. She’s been a dedicated follower of Jesus since she was nine years old, and you can find strong Christian principles throughout her stories. Jane blogs weekly at Postcards from the Heartland about her life in the Midwest.
