I am so blessed to have been able to collaborate with two wonderful writers to develop this Christmas novella collection published by Scrivenings Press. Working with Jenny Carlisle and Tonya B. Ashley has been a gift from God. We live in different parts of Arkansas, so we communicated both in person and by email. Our task was to interweave these stories to have a similar message. I’m proud of our finished product and hope we will captivate our readers with the romance and faith that shines through each page of this collection.
Here is a short summary of our novella collection, A Gift for all Time:
A beautiful hand carved nativity set travels from its original home in Germany to a riverboat in Van Buren, Arkansas in the mid-1840s. Then, the story of the nativity picks up in Mexico, Missouri at the beginning of the American Civil War, July through December 1861. More than a century later, it resurfaces in a tiny town in the Arkansas River Valley. Experience each novella’s rich history and sweet romances as the nativity delivers God’s promise through the ages.
The first novella is set in the 1840s. It is written by Tonya B. Ashley and titled, Once Lost, Now Found. An immigrant family experiences a catastrophe in a violent storm. They escape the riverboat with their lives, but all of their possessions, including their treasured nativity, are dumped into the Arkansas River. In the town of Van Buren, Arkansas, a young woman enlists a local blacksmith to help return a recovered heirloom, the treasured symbol of hope to its owners, before they continue their journey to St. Louis, Missouri. Sparks fly between the young woman and the blacksmith as they work toward this goal.
The second novella addresses the time when our country was divided during our Civil War. It is written by me, Ellen E. Withers, and titled Carving Out Love. The nativity scene is now in Mexico, Missouri in 1861, a little worse for wear. A soldier recovering from injuries sustained in the War takes on the project of refreshing and restoring the set as a gift to his lady love. Discover whether his love and upstanding character convince his sweetheart to love him in return.
The third novella takes place in a new millennium. Written by Jenny Carlisle, the novella is titled Rejoicing with Joy. The nativity set is uncovered in an old church in the Arkansas River Valley. A college student and her new friend work to restore the spirit of a forgotten little town and the symbol of the first and most holy family becomes the focus once again.
A Gift for All Time, purchasing information can be found at https://scriveningspress.com/book/a-gift-for-all-time/
More about Tonya and Jenny:
Tonya B. Ashley is excited to make her writing debut with Once Lost, Now Found, the first story in the A Gift for All Time novella collection. Tonya enjoys a thread of adventure, whether in story or life. Fascinated with people, places, and nature, she loves to explore through writing, reading, hiking, and artwork. One of her favorite hiking destinations is Fuzzy Butt Falls, which exudes quite the Narnia experience despite its humorous name.
She and her firefighter/paramedic husband are parents of a middle-school son who is teaching himself electric guitar and an adult son, a newly married firefighter. They’re delighted to add a girl to the bunch in the form of a precious daughter-in-law.
To learn more about Tonya’s writing and adventures, follow her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/tonya.b.ashley.author/.
Jenny Carlisle has been busy since submitting Rejoicing with Joy to Scrivenings Press for A Gift for All Time. She completed her third novel in her Crossroads series, Love Never Fails. In January 0f 2024, Kayla and Cody’s story (Crossroads series) will complete the trilogy, and the marketing fun begins again. So what’s next? Right now, she’s spending some time regrouping while she reads a book called “Hooked” by Les Edgerton. This will help her prepare for her new project. Of course, her collaborators, Ellen Withers and Tonya Ashley, always seem to have another idea, so stay tuned. There could be any number of exciting projects coming up soon.
Find out more about Jenny at her website, https://jennycarlisle.com/; on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jennycarlisleauthor; and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jennycarlisle3
Upcoming dates:
10/7/2023 Book Launch at Caddo Gap Heritage Festival, Caddo Gap, Arkansas 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with Jenny and Tonya
10/24/2023 Book Signing at Burger Shack, Benton, Arkansas, 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. with Jenny Ellen and Tonya
Author Talk at Faulkner County Library, Conway, Arkansas, 7:00 p.m. with Ellen
Jenny Carlisle
Tonya B. Ashley
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