C.H. Armstrong Books

One of the best parts of publishing my first book is getting to know other authors.  I thought this would be a very lonely process, but the truth is that it’s the least lonely journey I’ve ever taken; and that’s in large part due to some of the wonderful people I’ve met along the way.  One of those people is Amanda Linsmeier who is launching her first book, Ditch Flowers, next week.

Even before I got to know Amanda over Twitter and Facebook, I wanted to read her book from the first moment I read the synopsis.  But then, as I finally got my hands on a copy, I began to get scared.  What if I didn’t care for her book?  How in the world would I tell her that it just wasn’t for me?  Thankfully, that wasn’t the case because — from the first first few sentences — I was drawn into the story.  I had to know more about he characters!

Ditch Flowers tells the story of a young couple struggling with infertility.  After Julia’s third miscarriage, the couple relocates to her husband’s hometown in Wisconsin.  There she takes a job in a daycare center and comes face-to-face with a child who is the image of her husband.

Could it be?  Could this child be her husband’s?  There could be no denying that the child was an exact miniature replica of her husband — and the timing was right for the child’s birth — but could her husband really cheat on her?  And after grieving for three lost babies?

I won’t tell you what happens.  You’ll have to read to find out whether the little boy was the product of her husband’s infidelity.  I can only tell you that the story grabbed ahold of me and kept me turning the pages, all the time wondering “What would I do in that situation?”

Friendship aside, Amanda Linsmeier is a talented writer, and this is a title I would strongly recommend to my friends.