I’ve been looking forward to having Kim Sawyer join us for some time now! She’s going to share a little bit about her new book, Bringing Maggie Home. Here’s a little bit about it.
Decades of loss, an unsolved mystery, and a rift spanning three generations
Hazel DeFord is a woman haunted by her past. While berry picking in a blackberry thicket in 1943, ten-year old Hazel momentarily turns her back on her three-year old sister Maggie and the young girl disappears.
Almost seventy years later, the mystery remains unsolved and the secret guilt Hazel carries has alienated her from her daughter Diane, who can’t understand her mother’s over-protectiveness and near paranoia. While Diane resents her mother’s inexplicable eccentricities, her daughter Meghan—a cold case agent—cherishes her grandmother’s lavish attention and affection.
When a traffic accident forces Meghan to take a six-week leave-of-absence to recover, all three generations of DeFord women find themselves unexpectedly under the same roof. Meghan knows she will have to act as a mediator between the two headstrong and contentious women. But when they uncover Hazel’s painful secret, will Meghan also be able to use her investigative prowess to solve the family mystery and help both women recover all that’s been lost?
Learn more and purchase a copy.
Sounds like a great book. What led you to write it?
It never ceases to amaze me how something as simple as a photograph in an antique store, a headstone in a cemetery, or a rock building standing lonely yet proud on the prairie can stir the embers of a story to life inside of me. But it happens again and again, and in the case of Bringing Maggie Home, the spark came from a three-paragraph article, tucked at the end of a larger article, about an unsolved mystery in rural Arkansas. In the 1930s, several children from one community disappeared and were never seen again.
I couldn’t stop thinking about the children, wondering about them—where did they go? who took them? why were they taken?—and wondering how their families survived the loss. You can replace a stolen car or a stolen ring, but a stolen child? You would forever carry a hole in your heart.
As I pondered the real-life situation, a fictional account began growing in my heart—a story about three generations and how all were affected by the disappearance of one small child. Writing this story about Hazel, Margaret Diane (the daughter), and Meghan (the granddaughter) let me explore the unique relationships between mothers and daughters and grandmothers and grandchildren.
Bringing Maggie Home will always be special to me because so much of the love I feel for my daughters and grandchildren was poured onto the page through the characters’ interactions. I pray that readers who are at odds with a parent or a child will travel with Hazel, Diane, and Meghan to a place of restoration. “There is none so far gone that God’s grace can’t redeem him,” Hazel tells Meghan. And as long as we draw breath, there’s a chance to redeem broken relationships.
Can’t wait to read it!
Kim Vogel Sawyer is a highly acclaimed, best-selling author with more than one million books in print, in several different languages. Her titles have earned numerous accolades including the ACFW Carol Award, the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Kim lives in central Kansas with her retired military husband Don, where she continues to write gentle stories of hope and redemption. She enjoys spending time with her three daughters and grandchildren.
Find out more about Kim at http://www.kimvogelsawyer.com/.
Kim is giving away a copy of the book. Enter below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for joining us, Kim!
Sounds like an interesting story! It’s going on my TBR pile.
Sounds like a really good one.
Creativity is not one of my gifts. I get inspired & pin tons of things to Pinterest, but that’s as far as it goes. 🙁
I envy your ability to navigate Pinterest. That place intimidates me. LOL
I am not creative at all. If I try something it has to be easy without much detail
I’m not terribly creative but I do like to make greeting cards. I have idea books that I look at when I can’t think of something on my own. I usually have to adapt the ideas to fit the papers and stamps I have. For other projects, like sewing or cross-stitch, I have to have detailed instructions.
Bringing Maggie Home sounds like a very interesting book. Thanks for the giveaway.
Following directions takes its own kind of creativity, so well done!
Well, I really don’t consider myself creative. I am the person who tries to make something seen on the internet and it turns out looking like a 5 year old did it! So, I guess I live vicariously through others creativity!!
But at least you try! That’s more than some do. 🙂
Nature inspires my creativity!
Me, too… Especially sunrises and sunsets.
Love hearing about what inspired a story.
I love all of Kim Vogel Sawyer’s books! This one sounds very interesting. I admit I often wonder how it would be to have my daughter, myself and my mother all together for long periods as we are very different people. Would we display grace and wonder over our differences or would we simply want space?! Taking time to know our moms and daughters as individuals, not just the role they play for us is something we all need to do more of.
I agree with, Jolene! Precious relationships should be protected and nurtured.
Me, too… Especially sunrises and sunsets.
I can’t wait to read the book. And as to what inspires my creativity? I’d say seeing the creative works of others.
My creativity is often inspired by collaboration. Sometimes it’s a comment about something that turns my cogs but I really enjoy bouncing ideas off of other people I respect because we often build on one another’s ideas.
Sounds like a group of authors brainstorming together…
All of Kim Vogel Sawyer’s books are amazing. I enjoyed hearing about the inspiration behind this fantastic story.
I read Bringing Maggie Home and LOVED it! Not only is it historical fiction with an intriguing plot, but it is also a marvelous work of reconciliation between a mother, a daughter, and a granddaughter. The book is an inspiration with its Biblical truths and with hope triumphing over despair.
I am not particularly creative but do admire those with an artistic flair. When doing a bit of quilting or needlework, I typically use kits or pattern books! I always enjoy Kim’s books and look forward to new releases.
There are so many things that blend together to inspire my creativity when it comes to writing — mainly prayer, music, photography, and reading other good books!
Excited about this giveaway! 🙂
Blessings
Nature inspires my creativity…I love drawing so if I see something I like, I try to draw it 🙂 God’s creation is beautiful!
Thank you for the giveaway chance!
Pinterest! And searching for ideas! I’m not creative! I have to search and look at others who are more creative than me and get I inspiration from them and then go from there!
Love to see art work and hear music, especially classical. It makes me want to practice more or try something new. Love your stories. Thanks for the giveaway. 😊