Hallie Reads: i'll be home | excerpt + giveaway

about the book

With chaos and confusion all around them, can they find their way home this Christmas?

The people in these four stories are all searching for something—an escaped convict, a job promotion from a love interest, connection to a lost parent, answers across time.

Christmas should be a time of wonder and celebration, but the obstacles each faces seem insurmountable. Even, at times, life-threatening.

Perhaps they will find what they are seeking during this season of miracles and hope. Or maybe, with God’s help, they will discover that the longing of their hearts takes them to places—and people—they didn’t even know they’d been searching for.

I’ll Be Home is a collection of four stories of faith, hope, love, (and trains) that will warm your heart, encourage your soul, and draw you home this Christmas.

publisher: independent (fab four press)

release date: october 29, 2024

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excerpt

from “Love Across Time” by Helena Smrcek

Beth took her heavy coat off the hook in the staff room and slipped into it. It was the first day of December, and the English winter had a bite. The damp weather seemed to burrow straight into her bones. She picked up the remnants of her first attempt at decorating the ward for Christmas. The men who had rushed in earlier that afternoon had knocked over the coffee tin she used as a vase and trampled over the evergreen branches. She’d toss them back into the woods on her way to the nurses’ accommodations and pick fresh ones as she walked to the hospital tomorrow morning. The men in her hospital should have something festive to look at, if only twigs and berries.

Beth took her warm gloves out of her purse, then quietly closed the staff room door behind her, mindful of the injured.

As she walked to the front door, she passed the night nurse and Beth’s good friend, Henrietta, carrying a tray of tea to the ward.

Beth touched Henrietta’s arm. “Send for me if there is an emergency.”

“It will be a quiet night. The fog is thick today. The night bombers are grounded.”

“A good night’s sleep sounds fabulous.”

“See you in the morning,” Henrietta said, her voice already weary.

They were all tired. Exhausted. The airmen, their crews, ground personnel, support staff, doctors, and nurses. How much longer could this go on?

about the authors

Sara Davison is the author of The Night Guardians, The Rose Tattoo, two sparrows for a penny, and In the Shadows series, as well as the standalone, The Watcher. A finalist for more than a dozen national writing awards, including the Christy Award, Davison is a Holt Medallion, Cascade, and two-time Carol Award winner for romantic suspense. She lives in Ontario with her husband, Michael. Like every good Canadian, she loves coffee, hockey, poutine, and apologizing for no particular reason.

Connect with Sara by visiting saradavison.org to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Darlene L. Turner is an award-winning and a Publishers Weekly best-selling author and lives with her husband, Jeff in Ontario, Canada. Her love of suspense began when she read her first Nancy Drew book. She’s turned that passion into her writing and believes readers will be captured by her plots, inspired by her strong characters, and moved by her inspirational message.

Connect with Darlene by visiting darlenelturner.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Helena Smrcek is an award-winning author, screenwriter, public speaker and writing coach. She is known for her thrilling and heartwarming stories. Her career began as a high school freelancer, leading to three decades in publishing. She co-founded Write!Canada and The Word Guild and has graduated from multiple writing programs.

Connect with Helena by visiting helenasmrcek.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Melanie Stevenson is an award-winning author and lives in Ontario, Canada, surrounded by her husband and four children. She attended the University of Waterloo and obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts. Melanie’s first book, One More Tomorrow, was shortlisted in the Word Alive Press publishing contest out of over two hundred entries across North America and was published in 2019. In 2020, she won Best Romantic Fiction for One More Tomorrow and Best New Canadian Author at The Word Awards—Canada’s top Christian literary awards. Her mission is to create stories of excellence that impact hearts and lives. Paper, canvas, and dirt are her favorite blank pages.

Connect with Melanie by visiting melaniestevenson.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

giveaway

(1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon card plus a paperback copy of I’ll Be Home!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight October 29, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on November 5, 2024. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

tour schedule

justread publicity tours