Shelly Beach
Shelly Beach caught the attention of the publishing industry when both her first novel and first nonfiction book were simultaneously nominated for awards in 2008. She is the author of Hallie’s Heart (Kregel 2007), which earned a 2008 Christy Award; Precious Lord, Take My Hand: Meditations for Caregivers (Discovery House Publishers 2007), ECPA Book of the Year Finalist for 2008; Ambushed by Grace: Help, Hope, and Heart Transformation on the Caregiving Journey (Discovery House Publishers 2008); Morningsong (sequel to Hallie’s Heart, Kregel 2009); and the forthcoming The Silent Seduction of Self-Talk (Moody 2009). She also contributed approximately one hundred devotional selections, as well as additional materials for The NIV Stewardship Study Bible (Zondervan 2009).
Shelly is a member of the Christian Authors’ Network, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Advanced Speakers and Writers Association and speaks nationally on writing, inspirational topics, and caregiving. She is also co-founder of the Cedar Falls Christian Writers’ Workshop in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and the Breathe Christian Writers’ Workshop in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Shelly also works as an adjunct professor in writing at Cornerstone University. She can be contacted through her website at shellybeachonline.com.
Mona VanderMolen, a former English teacher turned entrepreneur, is battling her way back from an accident that nearly took her life when she discovers her teenage niece Hallie has delivered Mona’s alcoholic sister Ellen to Stewartville in an alcohol-induced coma. Hallie, still reeling from the drowning death of her younger sister, the near-death of her Aunt Mona, the inattention of her absentee father, and the continual binges of her alcoholic mother, is ready to dump the fragments of her battered life in Mona’s lap. Can Mona deal with her own crumbling health and blossoming romance, help restore Hallie’s faltering faith, and show her sister the face of a faithful God in the middle of chaos and pain?
Topics (issues) covered in the book Addiction, forgiveness, chronic illness, caregiving, death, romance and relationships, parental roles and relationships
This book provides both spiritual and practical guidance on the complex issues that come into play in caregiving relationships: forgiveness, grace, boundaries, intergenerational communication, and restoration, to name a few. But while exploring the spiritual aspects of caregiving, Ambushed by Grace also offers practical help and resources—websites, discussion starters, practical tips, and information-gathering suggestions. This book is a great balance of both useful resources and life-changing inspiration.
Mona VanderMolen, an antique dealer in a small Michigan town, is trying to keep her business alive. As Mona faces the uncertainties of her own future, Hallie, Mona’s fifteen-year-old niece, suddenly arrives on her doorstep. Guilt-ridden over her sister’s drowning several years earlier, Hallie has run off to her aunt’s cottage. As the two women work through their problems and learn to forgive, will an unfortunate accident tear them apart once again?