Michelle De Bruin: Hope for Tomorrow

Hi, I am Michelle De Bruin, the author of the book, Hope for Tomorrow, Published by Mantle Rock Publishing in October of 2018. I’m honored to appear on Julie’s blog today. Karen Millerson, the heroine, has graciously agreed to an interview. To help you get acquainted with the story, I am sharing her answers to my questions with you.

An Interview with Miss Karen Millerson

Michelle: Welcome, Karen. We are all looking forward to reading the story about your unexpected arrival in Silver Grove. Can you tell us about yourself and your family?

Karen: Yes. I grew up in Chicago. My father was a minister in one of the lower income sections of the city when I was a child. After he died in my teen years, my mother, sister, and I moved to my Uncle Henry’s home on Michigan Avenue. Uncle Henry is my mother’s brother.

Michelle: I can imagine that was a big change for you.

Karen: It was. We were sad to lose Father and yet in awe of Uncle Henry’s and Aunt Fran’s generous invitation to share their home with us. Uncle Henry grew very wealthy from the steel company he owns in Chicago. He helped pay for my education so that I could train to be a high school teacher.

Michelle: From what is written about you in the book, you didn’t teach high school.

Karen: No. The Lord had other plans for me. My position teaching English and reading was eliminated which is really too bad. I so love to read. But anyway, as compensation, the school district sent me to fill a position in the tiny Silver Grove country school left vacant at the last minute when the teacher from the previous year decided to get married. But it all worked out. As I got to know the students, I really wanted to see them get an education just like any child who might live in town.

Michelle: That must have taken a lot of courage to make such a large adjustment so quickly.

Karen: I suppose it did. At the time I was just trying to do the best I could to make the first day of school a positive experience for the children. The De Witt family also helped me settle in.

Michelle: Who are the De Witts?

Karen: They are the family who offered me room and board. Their farm was a convenient half-mile from the school.

Michelle: Before we go, share with us the joys and the struggles of sharing the household with the De Witt family.

Karen: Oh, my. There are so many joys, like getting to know Logan. Another joy is seeing his younger sister, Tillie, work through the grief of losing her father. I could help her because I knew how it felt. We’ve become good friends. Probably the biggest struggle was learning how to cook. Logan’s mother insisted on including me in the daily workings of a 1910 era farm kitchen. Wow. What a lot of work! Mother and Aunt Fran never labored so much over gardening, washing clothes, and fixing meals. My goodness. I may have come to Silver Grove to teach, but I’m the one who ended up getting the true education.

Michelle: We will look forward to reading about your adventures in teaching, in learning how to cook, and in falling in love with Logan.

Hope for Tomorrow Synopsis

When Logan De Witt learns of his father’s sudden death, he returns home to the family’s dairy farm. During his stay, he discovers his mother’s struggle with finances and his younger sister’s struggle with grief. Concern for his family presses Logan to make the difficult decision to leave his career as a pastor and stay on the farm. As a way to make some extra money, he agrees to board the teacher for their local school.

Karen Millerson arrives from Chicago ready to teach high school but her position is eliminated so she accepts the role of country school teacher. Eager to put her family’s ugly past behind her, Karen begins a new career to replace the trust she lost in her own father who had been in ministry when she was a child.

Logan and Karen both sense a call from the Lord to serve him, but neither of them expected that one day they would do it together.

Can Karen learn to trust again? Will Logan lay aside his grief in exchange for God’s purpose for his life?

PURCHASE A HOPE FOR TOMORROW HERE

Here is the link to my website:  https://michelledebruin.com/

Here is the link to my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MichelleDeBruinsAuthorPage/

Here is the link to my twitter page:  https://twitter.com/MichelleDAuthor

Here is the link to my Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Michelle-De-Bruin/e/B07HVZK3PS/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Author Bio

Michelle De Bruin is a worship leader and spiritual services provider. She lives in Iowa with her husband and two teenage sons. A romantic at heart, Michelle is always looking for glimpses of God’s love through the window of a good story.