Stephanie Grace Whitson

Three novellas transport readers back to the 1800s where love blooms in unexpected places. A Picture-Perfect Christmas: Lydia is determined to end the tumbleweed existence she and her physician father have led in recent years by marrying a prominent rancher's son. But then a traveling railroad photo car comes to town and Lydia's attraction to a young photographer challenges her definition of that word home. Mended Hearts: Heartbreak and broken promises force Rachel Ellsworth's move to Lost Creek, Nebraska-the last place on earth she wants to live. How can a budding artist who loves the big city ever be happy living with two maiden aunts in the middle of nowhere? A Patchwork Love: When a blizzard strands widow Jane McClure and her daughter aboard a snowbound train, they are taken in by an elderly woman and her son, a disfigured Civil War veteran. Neither Jane nor Peter has ever expected to be happy again, but God has a plan.

Juliana Sutton has just about everything she wants - or she thinks she does. And then, in the wake of her husband's tragic death, a devastating scandal erupts. Cass Gregory, the foreman overseeing the construction of Sutton Mansion, has spent years trying to untangle the disastrous results of his own past choices - and wishing he didn't know the truth about his boss. When Juliana and Cass are thrown together, the shadow of a name threatens to keep them apart.

Will discovering the truth hidden in the symbols on a treasured quilt bring brokenness or hope and healing? Emilie Rhodes' newspaper editor father raised her to think for herself-until doing so leads Emilie to want to write "real news." Fired by her father, a stubborn Emilie begins writing anonymously for the competition. When an assignment introduces her to Noah Shaw, "The Man of Many Voices," Emilie falls in love. How will her parents react to their daughter's secrecy? And what about Noah's mysterious past? Noah Shaw is a well-respected lecturer and dramatist, but he's never felt that he belongs anywhere. Now that his profession has brought him to Nebraska, "The Man of Many Voices" is on a quest to find answers. Were the stories Grandma told about the symbols embroidered on a cherished quilt just stories or do they hide secrets about his past? Will finally unraveling the mystery bring brokenness or hope and healing?

Three women ... an unlikely friendship ... and a journey that proves prison walls can neither frustrate God's plans nor keep love out. Jane is serving a ten-year sentence at the Nebraska State Penitentiary, even as she hides a startling secret. How will one caring physician help unravel the hidden meaning behind Jane's courthouse steps quilt?Mamie told God she'd go anywhere, never dreaming He'd send her to nurture women the world had forgotten. While helping those around her, will she stubbornly keep a king guard at arm's length?Ellen was never going to leave Kentucky, but then marriage led her to Nebraska as a prison warden's wife. Can she reach past uncertainty and fear to find God's purpose in it all?

Carrie Brown was only a child when she first met Soaring Eagle, but she's never given up on the dream that one day, they will be together. Those closest to her consider that dream a childish fantasy.Soaring Eagle has spent the years since Carrie left Nebraska studying at Eastern colleges. Now he's a sought-after lecturer-and he's met beautiful, intelligent Julia Woodward.Is Carrie's dream stubborn imagination or God's will? To find out, she must follow her heart back to Nebraska and, in the process, learn that walking by faith often means walking through the fire instead of running from it.

When her husband dies at the Little Big Horn, LisBeth Baird returns home in search of comfort. But her beloved mother has died, and LisBeth rejects the faith that sustained her mother. Will bitterness haunt the rest of her life? What will happen when LisBeth meets her half-brother and realizes the gold locket around Soaring Eagle's neck is the one her husband wore into battle?Changes beyond his control threaten everything Soaring Eagle has ever known. Cultures collide when the young warrior makes his way to a mission school and meets white people who battle not only for souls but also for a future for the Lakota. Can Soaring Eagle find a life worth living? Jim Callaway fled a battlefield long ago, but he's still running from a burden of guilt that threatens to crush him. Will he ever accept God's forgiveness? Will he ever think himself worthy of LisBeth's love?

Jesse King doesn't want to go west, but her husband has never been all that concerned with what his wife wants. When tragedy strikes, Jesse is rescued by the Lakota Sioux, among whom she finds unexpected peace, a sense of belonging, and the love of a lifetime.A compelling tale of one woman's extraordinary faith as God leads her from prairie schooner to tepee, from tepee to frontier fort and on to a growing state capitol.

The only child of wealthy parents, Irmagard Friedrich is determined to become famous as Liberty Belle, trick rider for Buffalo Bill's Wild West. Irma's fiercely controlling mother is just as determined to stop her. But then Irma gets the chance to live her dream when her father arranges an audition with his old friend, William F. (Buffalo Bill) Cody. As Liberty Belle, Irma enters the magical world of the Wild West. Friendship awaits-and so does Shep Sterling, the King of the Cowboys. Unbeknownst to Irma, her parents' marriage has been on the verge of imploding for years, and disagreement over their only child's future may prove to be the very thing that destroys it. What will Liberty Belle-and others-be forced to sacrifice so that she can live her dream?

A story of reconciliation ... against all odds Crushed by the loss of their only son, estranged couple Pamela and Michael Nolan reunite to realize some of the dreams on Jacob's bucket list. But for Jacob's parents, the list will prove to be about a lot more than youthful adventure. Devastated by his role in a young man's death, trucker Eddie Lee Monroe faces jail time with a burden of guilt he never expects to be lifted. With him in jail, what will happen to his wife and infant son? Their nightmare has only begun-and it's all Eddie Lee's fault. God has plans for the Nolans and the Monroes-plans centered in the supernatural power of forgiveness.

Mary Davis, Liz's widowed mother has returned to Paris and made peace with the past, but now she struggles with conflicted feelings about the two men in her life-Parisian Jean-Marc, the first love who's never forgotten her and Luca Santo, the Italian who's introduced Mary to new adventures. Liz Davis's carefully constructed world-and her engagement to Jeffrey Scott-have already begun to crumble when an unexpected phone call summons Liz to her mother's side in Florence, Italy. Together again, Mary and Liz strive to resolve the turmoil between them and the men they love. Does the very thing their hearts long for most await them in the fabled hills of Tuscany?

Half how-to guide, half personal memoir, this concise, easy-to-read book will equip you to offer meaningful, practical comfort to those who've just experienced profound loss. Know what to say and what to do during every phase of your friend's grieving process. "... a long-overdue resource for those who are grieving, written by someone who truly lived it. The simple, practical suggestions for those who want to help are priceless." (Helen Martin, BSN, CHPN)"No longer will I avoid a bereaved friend out of the fear that I might say the wrong thing. No longer will I promise to pray and wonder what what I'm supposed to do next. If someone you know is grieving, you need this book-and your grieving friend needs you." (Angela E. Hunt, author of Esther, Royal Beauty and Egypt's Sister)"If you are grieving, read this book. If you desire to help someone who is grieving, this book is a great tool, a handbook, a road map that will sharpen your empathy and sympathy skills." (Ginger Wolffis, grief consultant)

Antiques dealer Reagan Bishop delves into the past again, this time seeking the truth about Nora O'Dell, the milliner/dressmaker whose cherished charm string of antique buttons she finds in an elderly friend's attic. When Elnora Calhoun runs away from her father's farm, she changes her name. Her talent with a needle and thread opens unexpected doors in the growing city of Lincoln, Nebraska, and eventually enables Nora to start her own business. Successful as she is, a lonely Nora O'Dell cannot seem to forget the handsome leading man she met when repairing his traveling theatrical troupe's costumes. Loving Greyson Chandler will mean giving up the life she's worked so hard to build, but Chandler's persistence challenges Nora to take a chance on love. Will she?

When Aunt Sarah begins to tell Lorna stories based on the fabric in a treasured crazy quilt, Lorna has no idea she is hearing true stories-the story of Aunt Sarah's life. Abandoned by their destitute father, Sarah Biddle and her younger brother, Tom, are sent west on an orphan train. But no one wants to adopt a girl with a crippled brother in tow. Facing the unthinkable-being returned to a New York orphanage-Sarah and Tom run away when the eastbound train pauses in Lincoln, Nebraska. Not until the two come face to face with Jesse King and Augusta Hathaway (introduced to readers in the Prairie Winds Series), do Sarah and Tom begin to hope for better things. When Sarah learns the power of true love to heal the broken heart, she is transformed. Each scrap of fabric in Sarah's patchwork quilt bears silent witness to the rich life experienced by a strong, resourceful woman who stitched "the tears of the past into a treasure for tomorrow."

A battered box containing an odd assortment of mementoes encourages antiques dealer Reagan Bishop to step back in time. Her quest to learn Karyn Ritter's story results in modern day friendship and unexpected romance. Desperate to escape a forced marriage, Karyn Ensinger flees Brandenberg, Germany, and travels to America in response to a plea for "German wives" for a group of lonely men in a place called Nebraska. At least, Karyn thinks, her husband will be someone she has chosen for herself. Married to a stranger, Karyn is horrified when she realizes Mikal Ritter expects her to live in what he calls a "sod house." Mud and heat, hail storms and rattlesnakes, prairie fires and desperate loneliness tempt Karyn to despair. She has just begun to believe her marriage of convenience has the potential to turn to love when the life she has worked so hard to build is threatened with destruction.

The battles of WW II are thousands of miles from the quiet Sandhills of Nebraska ... or are they? -When the young man CJ Jackson loves like a son is called to the front, she is forced to face the feelings she has for his father. -A soldier captures Josephine Hale's heart, but she doesn't dare reveal her feelings, for Dieter is a prisoner of war at Fort Robinson who wears the enemy's uniform.-Helen's wounded husband has returned from the war, but his scars mean that his toughest battles have yet to be fought.Some say that the sweetest victories in life are often won close to home, but will CJ, Jo, and Helen, find what they long for most-or will it remain just beyond their grasp?Award-winning, best-selling author Stephanie Grace Whitson has been writing full time since 1994. Her published books include over two dozen novels and two works of non-fiction. She received her MA in Historical Studies from Nebraska Wesleyan University in May of 2012 and is a frequent guest speaker/lecturer on a variety of historical and inspirational topics, for both civic organizations and church groups. Stephanie resides in southeast Nebraska, where her family, her church, historical research, antique quilts, and Kitty-her motorcycle-all rank high on her list of "favorite things." Learn more at www.stephaniewhitson.com.

Witness the miracle as treasures of darkness are brought to light. It seems to be a typical US Army post in 1878. But in the midst of the regimented daily routine ... ... a grieving sergeant harbors bitterness and guilt in his broken heart, ... a desperate young woman struggles to recover from the trauma inflicted by unimaginable circumstances, ... a new recruit with a changed identity seeks to escape the mistakes of his past, and among them, a woman feels called to embrace these people in need and the secrets that cripple them.