The stories of my heart are now in e-books. These books were the first of mine that found a publishing home and now they are available for all e-formats. With each of these books I got to highlight a bit of the history of my home state.
I’m so delighted that my first book in the Nebraska series Canteen Dreams is in e-book formats! In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, Audrey Stone wants to help in the war effort. But what’s a young schoolteacher from Nebraska to do? When her community start a canteen at the train station, Audrey finds her place. She spends nearly every spare moment there, offering food and kidness to the soldiers passing through. Despite her busyness, Audrey does allow some time to get to know a handsome rancher. Willard Johnson worries about his brother who joined the navy to get off the ranch and see the world. When Willard’s worst fear is
confirmed, he feels he must avenge by enlisting himself. But will his budding relationship with Audrey weather the storms of war? Or will one of the many soldiers at the canteen steal her away from him?
In Sandhill Dreams, Lainie has no dreams left. Lainie Gardner dreamed of becoming a nurse. Of serving her country. Of doing something important in the war. But rheumatic fever changed all that, and instead of running home, Lainie is determined to find a job at Fort Robinson in Nebraska’s sandhills. Tom Hamilton had dreams, too. Dreams of preparing the horses at Fort Robinson for duty on the warfront. Instead, he is assigned to train war dogs and their handlers, meaning that each day he must face the fear he’s had of dogs since he was bitten as a child. Lainie and Tom wonder why God seems to have denied them their dreams. But is it possible new dreams will bring them more joy than they ever imagined?
In Captive Dreams, Anna doesn’t know how to go on. Anna Goodman’s mother is dead, her father has given up on life, and her brother, Brent, is missing in action in World War II. Even though she has a full-time war job, she feels she must keep the family farm going so that Brent will have something to come home to. She won’t let herself think that he might never return. Any dreams Anna has for her future are held captive by the responsibilities the war and life have thrust upon her. If only Anna didn’t have to rely on help from German prisoners—or from Specialist Sid Chance, the cocky know-it-all who oversees the prisoners’ work. In her heart, she knows she can’t do everything demanded of her, but whom can she trust to carry the burden with her?