Perla and her daughter, Sadie, came to Wise, West Virginia, to escape the past. Perla’d fallen for a married man – one of the oldest stories in the world – and got pregnant. Ostracized by her town and her parents, she came to Wise to live with an aunt and uncle. Unfortunately, as pasts often do, hers followed her. Coming to care for Casewell Phillips, long-resigned to being a bachelor, Perla confesses her situation to him and immediately was judged for what she had done. How Casewell comes to understand Perla, how Perla comes to understand herself, and how Sadie changes even the most hardened character is the stuff of miracles. You’ll enjoy coming to know these people and wonder at the prejudices and superstitions that still ran rampant in 1954.

This, Sarah’s debut novel, if an indication of what is to come, promises us many more splendid tales – you will want to get this one.

Sarah lives in West Virginia – the seventh generation on the family farm – and her writing comes from that heritage. She says the takeaway we should get from this book is forgiveness – that we are way too judgmental a society – then and now. Her favorite sub-plot is the love triangle with Elizabeth, Angie, and Frank – ‘twas mine, too! She wants to touch people’s hearts and let them know that God can overcome anything in our lives.

The most unusual thing she told me about herself is that she occasionally fills the pulpit at churches in the area. As a full-time job, Sarah does fund-raising for Black Mountain Home for Children, Youth, and Families. She has published multiple articles as well as the prequel novella to Miracle in a Dry Season, Appalachian Serenade. She and her husband live in Asheville, NC. Contact Sarah through www.SarahLoudinThomas.com.

I was given a copy of Miracle in A Dry Season by Bethany House Publishers for my unbiased review.