Survival, Healing, and Triumph of the Human Spirit, set in settlement of early 1800's Ohio frontier. Meet the key women of Hearthstones: Amanda Jane Bently Harrison, displaced, petite, southern-belle, ill-equipped for life in the wilderness, struggles to find herself, her true home and lasting happiness, while hardship tests the limits of her capacity to endure. After nearly losing life and mind, she finds strength through stubborn support of midwife "Ma" Hawkins, steadfast friendship of Lucy Jarvis, and stalwart help of sister-in-law Sadie. Edith "Ma" Hawkins, skilled midwife, treats men...

New homes, new hearths, and new lives push the continuing saga of the Hearthstones women forward, as Book II opens at a kicking bee. The frolic turns into unexpected birthing calamity, which brings Amanda Jane Harrison into crisis once more. Correspondence between Libby Howard and Ellie Mae Thompson turns to action, when Ellie strikes out on her own at Riverstop. Ellie manages to overcome circumstances that would flatten a woman of lesser confidence: after losing hearth, home and the support of immediate family, she's forced to make her own way in a man's world. Her friendship with Libby...

Think of this book as a "cheerleader for the human spirit"-a light shining through the cracks of this resurrected pot that helps to keep folks moving forward, instead of wandering alone in the dark. No matter how badly shattered your pot-no matter what your struggles or your circumstances-you can be whole, once again. Oh it often takes time and effort to glue the fragments back together again. But remember this: the cracks that remain are where the light can shine through I've always tried to catch my readers with a good hook, develop a simple concept, proffer a kernel of wisdom to munch,...