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Judy Du Charme joins us on the podcast this week to chat about her two books set on the Door County peninsula in Wisconsin. We had a ton of fun chatting about writing and all things Wisconsin.

Lainey of the Door Islands by Judy Du Charme

Take a step back in time to Door County in the 1800s, a time when lighthouse keepers couldn’t give up, or lives would be lost. A time when storms on the lakes were as dangerous as the storms in their souls. A time when the people of the islands had to be strong and courageous. A time for Lainey of the Door Islands to become the woman God wants her to be.

For Lainey, life on tiny Pilot Island is more trouble than it’s worth. Auntie Edith is always fussing at her and making her do chores, and Uncle Otis spends a lot of time manning the lighthouse. Each day, Lainey stares out at the Great Lakes, praying this will be the day that brings her parents home to her from their travels. Will she ever come to love the islands and their treacherous waters, which seem to only bring a lot of shipwrecks and heartache to the people who live on the islands? Will she ever be able to go home?

With humor, faith, friendship, and love to guide her, will Lainey find the strength to weather her own storms? Lainey of the Door Islands will touch your heart and show you that even in what feels like the worst circumstances, God has a plan to prosper and not to harm.

Get your copy of Lainey of the Door Islands by Judy Du Charme.

Addy of the Door Islands by Judy Du Charm
When Addy and her sister Molly step off the Orphan Train Steamer in Ephraim, Wisconsin, no one waits for them. Hopes for a family that would treat them kindly while they worked for them are gone.

Addy determines to find a job and care for her sister, but that presents problems she can’t quite handle. Even though Mr. Captain offers to help the girls find a home, Addy is convinced no one will ever want them. She’s just too much trouble and too impetuous. Besides, those pesky feelings of abandonment stalk her heart. 

As Addy and Molly get to know the kind and strong people of Door County and its isolated islands, perhaps they will actually find a place to call home. But will they ever learn about the family they lost? And what of the others from the Orphan Train? Who will love these children? Join Addy in her quest to grow into the heritage of the islanders by becoming a strong survivor and helping others do the same. Her attitude and actions will delight you and drive you crazy.

In Addy of the Door Islands, Judy DuCharme continues the saga of the fascinating people of this island community at the tip of Door County, Wisconsin. Set in the late-1800s, Addy of the Door Islands shares the story of two amazing orphan girls who just want to be loved. Through their story, learn more about the islands and the children who were part of the history of the Orphan Train. And catch up with the people you loved in Lainey of the Door Islands.

Get your copy of Addy of the Door Islands by Judy Du Charme.

About Judy Du Charme

I was a teacher for 22 years, retiring in June of 2012. Coming from a family of teachers, it seemed a natural fit for me after my children were in school. I grew up in the small lakeside town of Harrisville in the northern part of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, the youngest of four children.

Following college, Michigan State University, I worked as an announcer at a Christian Radio Station near Lansing. I married Lee in 1975 and we lived in the Detroit suburbs of Berkley and Royal Oak until moving to Wisconsin’s beautiful Door Peninsula in early 1984 with Bethany, age 5, and Christopher, age 3.

It was a year or two later that I went back to school to obtain my teaching degree. I taught 5th grade my whole teaching career and loved it. Science was my area of specialty, teaching two or three 5th grade classes of science each year. Of course, reading, language, spelling, social studies, and math were part of my teaching as well. Each subject is unique in its own way.

All the while I was growing up I enjoyed writing short stories and poems. As an adult I put together my own Bible Studies and taught other adults in small groups or Sunday School classes. The desire to write was always in me, but the time commitment never quite seemed feasible. A few years ago the desire grew stronger, and I felt it was becoming a calling from the Lord.

Somehow, I began to find more time to write, but more importantly ideas seemed to well up within me, scenes seemed to form in my mind and spirit. Besides devotionals, I found novels beginning in me. I completed my first short novel, edited it as best I could, then set out to see if I could get published.

The publishing process overwhelmed me. I had had no idea that it could be as much or more work than the actual writing. A friend of a friend who was an author gave me the best advice: go to a writer’s conference. There, I began to learn how to write better, find markets, editors, publishers, and what needs to be done. I still found it daunting, and have a great deal of rewriting to do, but now it is exciting and inspiring as well.

At my first conference, I met Eddie Jones of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. He was the one who suggested the Cheesehead Devotional. Anyone who knows me knows what a crazy Packer fan I am. It was quite a suggestion, combining two great loves: first and foremost my love for the Lord and secondly my love for the Packers.

Several months later, The Cheesehead Devotional became a reality. It combines action from games I’ve attended or watched, experiences with the players, and simply the love of the game with insights from the Word of God. My hope is that it is fun, inspirational, and memorable. The next edition will be out in the fall of 2017. It will be the Hall of Fame Edition.

Since that first publication, a novel, a novella, and a short story have been published as well as stories for Guideposts Magazine. I’m so honored and blessed to be a writer.

Visit Judy Du Charme’s website.