When time is short, but you still want to read, I think the best choice is a novella. I don’t read a lot of novellas; I really prefer a full length novel. But I do appreciate a quick read during those busy times of life. Novellas and novella collections have been my go-to for a quick reading getaway from all the hustle and bustle of life. A novella is also good when you want to try out a new author. My list includes novellas in a variety of genres, so no matter what you are in the mood for, there’s a book for you.
Happy Tuesday! Whew! The inaugural Turning A New Page Book Festivalis officially in the books 😉 . If comments from readers and authors alike can be trusted (and they can) it was a roaring success! Over 40 authors shared their books and writing journeys with 200+ attendees. The board members are all pooped, but eager to get on with the planning for 2025!
Today’s TTT topic is new-to-me authors in 2023. My list today features the writers I discovered while working on the book festival planning. I hope you find a new author to increase your TBR!
Happy release day to Jennifer Q. Hunt. All Now Mysterious, the second book in her Wisteria House series is now available. Intrigue and romance play a role in this historical novel set against the backdrop of terrifying KKK activity and the notorious Scopes Monkey Trial. I am looking forward to this book set in the roaring 1920s.
Wisteria House could be their haven of protection—or make them a target for the lawless.
Nearly destroyed by his wife before she destroyed herself, airmail pilot Davis Rutledge plans his future safely alone. But when an old friend is arrested courtesy of a violent KKK leader, Davis steps in to try to help her avoid an undeserved fate. Soon, however, she’s the one helping him in ways he could never have imagined.
As a successful journalist, Meg Woodhouse has never shied from a challenge or doubted her capabilities—until now. Her secret crush on the silent, stalwart pilot is the only crack in the walls she’s built to protect her shattered heart. But with the Scopes Monkey Trial captivating the nation, and ruthless Klan leaders continuing to evade justice, she must choose between a fight for truth or a future of love.
Will newly-uncovered secrets bring peace to Wisteria House’s troubled past or destroy its hope for the future?
A lifelong storyteller, Jennifer Q. Hunt has worked as a writer of both fiction and nonfiction, as well as an editor and ghostwriter. She has over twenty-five years of ministry writing experience for churches, pastors, and Christian ministries.
Jennifer writes fiction with faith and purpose. Her Sorrow and Song trilogy shows multi-generations as they wrestle with their place in history and following the Lord through challenging circumstances.
Back in north Georgia after several years away, Jennifer is a happy wife to Christopher and homeschool mother to four elementary-aged children.
For history tidbits, deleted scenes, and more “extras” as well as information about upcoming releases, visit jenniferqhunt.com or follow Jennifer on Facebook at Jennifer Q. Hunt, Author or Instagram@jennifer.q.hunt.author.
December is for Christmas-y books, in my opinion. The Unbroken Song, a historical romance novella by new-to-me author Jennifer Q. Hunt, was the perfect accompaniment to walks on the treadmill and chores I just couldn’t avoid. 😉 This sweet story made the time fly by in a very agreeable way. Set primarily in Atlanta in the 1890s (there is a beginning and ending in the 1940s that introduces and concludes the story), this novella which is part of Hunt’s Sorrow And Song series, brought to life the burgeoning city still rebuilding following the Civil War. Sarah Fuller struggles with keeping her family together, taking on all the responsibilities of a homemaker at a very early age. Her Native American and impoverished roots, combined with a lack of formal education, make Sara believe she could not be worthy of a man like Boston-born John Sweet. John has struggles of his own, believing that he is a failure in his calling from God and never good enough for his family. Both grow to believe God truly does direct their steps regardless of their own abilities or lack thereof. I found The Unbroken Song to be a sweet love story with a strong spiritual message. While the story takes place over several months, it finishes with a very Christmas-y ending. As to the audiobook version, I enjoyed the pace and voice of the narrator — her reading of the book fit the style perfectly.
The Unbroken Song is for those who love a Christmas-y historical romance.
Recommended.
Audience: Adults.
(Thanks to the author for a copy of the audiobook. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
Coming from opposite worlds, what could possibly unite them?
Rejected, frustrated, and no longer confident about God’s plan for his life, John Sweet takes a year-long assignment in Atlanta, Georgia. The city is bustling with preparations for the Cotton States and International Exposition to be held in the autumn of 1895. Sarah Fuller is also new to the city but trying desperately to make a home for her lonely father and motherless little sister. When a special assignment for the Exposition puts John and Sarah in close contact, they discover that while their pasts are completely different, their future dreams are much the same. As their families create obstacles and opposition, will they be able to find a way forward together?
At Christmas 1945, with her family still reeling from the changes brought by the Second World War, “Grandma Sarah” tells her teenage granddaughter about the year that changed her life. Can her simple story bring the healing and perspective they both need to embrace a different future than they had planned?
This standalone Christmas prequel to the Sorrow and Song Trilogy will transport you back to a Victorian Christmas, when the world was very different, yet the same longing for peace and purpose resounded in every heart.
A lifelong storyteller, Jennifer Q. Hunt has worked as a writer of both fiction and nonfiction, as well as an editor and ghostwriter. She has over twenty-five years of ministry writing experience for churches, pastors, and Christian ministries.
Jennifer writes fiction with faith and purpose. Her Sorrow and Song trilogy shows multi-generations as they wrestle with their place in history and following the Lord through challenging circumstances.
Back in north Georgia after several years away, Jennifer is a happy wife to Christopher and homeschool mother to four elementary-aged children.
For history tidbits, deleted scenes, and more “extras” as well as information about upcoming releases, visit jenniferqhunt.com or follow Jennifer on Facebook at Jennifer Q. Hunt, Author or Instagram at @jennifer.q.hunt.author.
Are you a Black Friday shopper? Me, not so much. I prefer to snuggle in with a holiday-themed book from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day. My list this year is filled with the authors who will be attending theTurning A New Page Book Festival in Perry, Georgia. Most are novella-length and perfect for reading between shopping, baking, parties, school and church events — you know you need a break! The list covers a variety of genres — romance, historical, suspense, mystery — so there should be something for you! Note: many are available through Kindle Unlimited. Look for KU after the author’s name.
Holiday Reading List
Candy Canes, Canines, And Crimes by Kathy Manos Penn (KU)
Destination Christmas by Pam Hillman (KU)
Last to Know by Brandy Heineman (KU)
Magnolia Mistletoe by Lindsey Brackett(KU)
One Winter Kiss by Lindi Peterson (KU)
Prevail by Linda Rodante(KU)
Snowbound with The Rodeo Star by Tanya Agler
The Unbroken Song by Jennifer Q. Hunt(KU)
You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Toni Shiloh
Whiskers, Wreaths, and Murder by Kathy Manos Penn(KU)
My small Georgia town is hosting a book festival in January 2024. We have authors coming from all over, but it is a joy to welcome Georgia authors to be participants. One of those is Jennifer Q. Hunt. Jennifer will share her writing journey and her novels on the historical discussion panel. I cannot wait! Find out about Jennifer and her books below.
A lifelong storyteller, Jennifer has worked as a writer of both fiction and nonfiction, as well as an editor and ghostwriter. She has over twenty-five years of ministry writing experience for churches, pastors, and Christian ministries.
Jennifer writes fiction with faith and purpose. Her Sorrow and Song trilogy shows multi-generations as they wrestle with their place in history and following the Lord through challenging circumstances.
Back in north Georgia after several years away, Jennifer is a happy wife to Christopher and homeschool mother to four elementary-aged children.
For history tidbits, deleted scenes, and more “extras” as well as information about upcoming releases, visit jenniferqhunt.com or follow Jennifer on Facebook at Jennifer Q. Hunt, Author or Instagram@jennifer.q.hunt.author.
Jennifer’s newest novel is Through Thorny Ways, book 1 in the Wisteria House series, published in May 2023.
Shrouded in scandal and secrets, Arilee Rutledge’s family is as tangled as the thorns surrounding their unwelcoming antebellum mansion. When her brother Davis returns from the Great War, she hopes they will make a new start after a season of devastation. But Davis is haunted by their younger brother’s death and his wife’s committal to the state asylum; while he loses himself in his work, Arilee continues raising his children. Determined to control at least one area of their lives, the siblings hire a former acquaintance to restore their dilapidated home.
Thrown from a carefree boyhood into the horrors of trench warfare, Adam Harrison is broken yet matured by his experiences. He takes a job updating and repairing Wisteria House, not only to pay his way through medical school, but in hopes of winning the woman he has long admired. A startling discovery plunges them all into a series of events revealing dark mysteries and shaking their already-uncertain future.
Can the thorns of grief, pain, and regret ever be cleared from their troubled hearts?
For those who love the Church, for those who have been hurt by the Church, and for those of us who are both, Jennifer Q. Hunt brings a poignant new family saga in which the challenges of life are not glossed over and hope in Christ is never underestimated. Powerful and compelling, Through Thorny Waysis a story of sacrifice and family, forgiveness and love, new beginnings and utter dependence on the Lord. Find a permanent place on your shelf, because once you travel to 1921 Atlanta with Hunt, you aren’t going to want to leave. —Heather Wood, Author of the Finding Home series.
In the Sorrow And Song series, Jennifer spans the years from WWI, through The Great Depression, ending with WWII.
On Some Through The Fire — “This book captivated my interest from beginning to end! The characters and storyline were so well thought out. I want more!” —Gail Abundo, Founder of Marriage with Passion and Purpose
Two Christmas novellas, The Unbroken Song (prequel to the Sorrow And Song series) and Christmas Still, are also available.
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