Review by Marian Baay of A Memory Between Us by Sarah Sundin

A Memory Between Us by Sarah Sundin

5 stars *****
(Revell, 2010)


Review by Marian Baay

This is book two in the Wings of Glory series about the Novak brothers who serve as bomber pilots in WWII (available for purchase through CBD and others.) Most of this story takes place in England.

In this second book we meet Major Jack Novak, pilot on a B-17 bomber plane.When Jack gets injured and lands in the hospital, he meets Army Nurse Lieutenant Ruth Doherty. Jack is determined to win Ruth’s heart. But Ruth is not interested in men. Eventually they become friends, but Ruth cannot give more of herself to Jack, because of something awful that happened to her 8 years ago.

Jack also has fears from his past. Both Jack and Ruth let their fears control their actions and it drives them apart. 

Can they let go of their fears and give it all in God’s hands? Or will their own need to be in control keep them separated?

Sarah writes so beautifully that I imagined myself in the B-17 together with Jack and his crew. I also went trough the training for Flying Nurse with Ruth. That was tough, I think I never would have made it!

Although the subjects in this book were pretty tough, there was much to learn from Jack and Ruth about love, faith, and forgiveness.


Format: Large print, Kindle and paperback available through Amazon. 

***SPOILER ALERT***

Ruth was raped 8 years ago. And when she comes to work with a male collegue she faces some pretty tough situations.

Bibliotherapy: Rape, death of parents, pride, and trust.


GIVEAWAY:  Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of one of any of Sarah's books including her upcoming release. Winner drawn on Saturday afternoon.  

Wounded Warriors

 Not all casualties of war die. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, and seizure disorders can claim the hearts and minds of some of our veterans. 

Some wounded vets are like this G.I. Joe, who was used and abused by my husband in many “wars” years ago. It may not be immediately visible what is wrong with this soldier. This was one of those talking G.I. Joes, where you pull the string and he “speaks” to you.  Now it is a garbled message you hear, but once it was clear.  And his left thumb hangs on by a strand of plastic.  But in comparison to the rest of my husband's surviving toys, this guy is doing great!  And many veterans may compare themselves to someone less fortunate themselves, or even feel guilty that they survived while their friends did not.

 

We are grateful for the men and women who have given their lives that we might be free. We also need to be grateful for and supportive of the veterans who return from war without hope, without heart, and without their full faculties, possibly never to regain them again.

http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/  Wounded Warriors’ Project was set up to assist our returning veterans.  I was pretty shocked when I attended a TBI intervention conference several years ago and heard of how few services there really were. Was also amazed that there seemed to be little progress in interventions since I attended the National Association of Neuropsychology conference about fifteen years prior.

There are some treatments that help. One is neurotherapy (www.eeginfo.com) which is becoming more available to our veterans. We are blessed locally to have Dr. Lanny Fly http://flyconsulting.com/team.html and many neurotherapists who Dr. Fly has trained over the years.  He is a veteran and graduate of a military academy as well as having been a chaplain, and really has a heart for our young veterans.

Of course we should pray for them and for their families. Dad or Mom may have come home, but that person may not be the same one who left.  But with God’s help, one can survive, even overcome, these great difficulties, through time and healing.

I am dedicating this post to my father, William Henry Fancett, a wounded warrior. He is in the place of perfect healing. I thank those who also served with him and gave their lives either physically or emotionally as a cost for their participation in WWII.

Memorial Day Weekend Post by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Interview with MaryLu Tyndall - New release "Surrender the Night"

Welcome, MaryLu Tyndall!  MaryLu is the author of Surrender the Heart, a book I reviewed last week, and many other books, as well as Surrender the Night which RELEASED THIS WEEK!!! Congratulations, MaryLu on your new book! I have ordered a Kindle so that I can listen to this latest adventure on the high seas.

I met MaryLu through some online groups, including HisWriters, those who have either published or planned works with European characters.

MaryLu, welcome to Overcoming Through Time. Would you share either the most difficult thing in your life you have had to overcome, with God’s help, or the most tragic situation or circumstance one of your character’s has had to get past?

I would say the most difficult thing to overcome for me was not having a Dad. Well, I shouldn’t say not having a Dad. It was more like having a Dad who wanted nothing to do with me. You see, my Mom divorced him when I was a baby and he moved away. I saw him once on my 16th birthday and I suppose I didn’t make an impression on him because he never came back. For a young shy girl, this caused a huge gaping hole in my life. Consequently I grew up extremely insecure and searching for that unconditional love only a father can give. Which, of course, sent my life spiraling down a bottomless pit of despair filled with alcohol and broken relationships and heartache. And I would still be there, if not for the Lord reaching down in His mercy and pulling me out. Not only pulling me out, but cleaning me off, and filling my heart with the love I’d been searching for my entire life. In my very first book, The Redemption, I wrote about this struggle through the eyes of my heroine, Charlisse.

What is your favorite bible verse and why?

I have so many. But one that always stands out to me is a familiar one to everyone. Romans 8:28.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

To me, this verse covers every struggle, every problem, heartache, joy, mountain and valley in life. No matter what we are going through, it all works out in the end. If we truly believe that, we should never worry or fear or be sad.
(I love this verse, too!)

Is this latest release available in audio format or do you have any other works available on audio? I believe many of your books are available as e-books with audio capability, is that correct (on Kindle)? Do you have any in large print? (Thank you – we offer this information to our readers with difficulty reading books in regular print format.)

Yes, I believe all of my books are available in various e-book formats, including Kindle, which I know has audio capacity. Four of my books have been published in large print as well. Unfortunately, I have no control over the various types of publishing. It is all determined by my Publisher.

What has been the most important thing you hope your readers will get from your books and why?

That God is real and He loves them. That He is not found in a church or building or in a ritual, but that He can be approached at any time by a truly repentant heart. That He is powerful and active and will never leave them. And that their lives will be adventurous and fulfilling (Not always easy) if they give their all to Him.


As you researched your books, did you learn anything that particularly touched your heart?

Yes, what really stood out for me in this War of 1812 series was the overwhelming odds we Americans had to face against the world superpower at that time—Britain. We didn’t even have a fully functional army or navy! I realized that without the miraculous intervention of God, we would have never prevailed. And America would have been nothing but a brief memory in history.

In this latest work, do you have any topics useful for bibliotherapy, or therapeutic influence through reading about a disorder or situation?

In Surrender the Night, the heroine suffered a brutal rape in her past. Consequently, she suffers from a fear of being in public places where there are a lot of people around, especially men. In the book, with God’s help, she comes to grips with her fear by letting go of her bitterness and clinging to the sovereign hand of God in all things.

The hero suffers from a cold, neglected childhood beneath the hand of a stern father. He spends his life trying to become successful enough to win back the favor of his father, but ultimately his value in the love and grace of God


Thank you MaryLu for agreeing to answer these questions. Have a blessed day and keep on writing!!


Thank you so much, Carrie, for having me! God Bless!

Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Surrender the Night.  Contest entries end at midnight on Friday, March 10, 2011.  Blessings!