J.M. Kirkley is the author of the new novel, A Writing Upon the Sand.
By trade, she’s a storykeeper. She's a faith-based counselor who specializes in grief and trauma recovery. By night, she researches and writes grace-filled Christian historical fiction.
She calls East Texas home. Her favorite pastimes include visiting museums and art festivals, refinishing furniture, touring coastal offices of the National Weather Service with her meteorologist son-in-law, and making memories with family and friends.
Visit her website at jmkirkley.com.
Galveston, Texas, 1900: Twenty-year-old Emily Cleburne seizes the offer to become governess, but chasing her dream places her in the path of the deadliest hurricane in American history.
Emily is desperate to succeed after her father thrusts her from home with no lifeline. With little experience, what she lacks in confidence, she makes up for in grit.
Nathan Chambers, a reporter with a secret, pursues Emily’s affections. Drawn in, Emily agrees to keep what he reveals confidential, thereby threatening her position, and clashing with her integrity. Colin Hensleigh, a young minister, challenges her while proving himself a trusted friend.
Emily’s alarm grows as the catastrophic storm bears down on the island. She cannot foresee what will happen and who will survive.
When the storm reduces Emily’s plans to rubble, adversity tests her character and faith in unimaginable ways. Will the teacher stand firm when all else gives way, or will she fail the test?
~ Grief themes
~ Includes book club discussion questions
