A spoiled teenaged girl overcomes unnecessary guilt for her mother's death while doing mission work in the mountains of California.
When eighteen-year-old Kim Hartlinger trips on some pebbles in the San Diego airport, her new friend Aleesha cautions her that Christians are susceptible to a “Season of Pebbles,” a series of problems they can’t “prance” victoriously across without a lot of God’s help.
Kim doesn’t take Aleesha’s words seriously. Now that the mission trip is over, she’s sure God will let her lead a normal life. Without even small problems. She flies home expecting only the best.
Immediately upon Kim’s arrival, her life starts taking turns for the worse. An accident. Grief. Guilt. Horrible nightmares. Debilitating fatigue. Jealousy. And fear. Fear of admitting the truth about the accident to her father.
When Kim and her friends are invited to help build a visitor hostel for a prison in the California mountains, she springs to life again. But guilt and nightmares follow her to California. And prison ministry has pebbles of its own.
Kim can’t prance across the pebbles in her path without her Heavenly Father’s help.
And her father’s help as well.
(Formerly published as LOST IN DREAMS.)
Excerpt
“Kim! Look out!”
Aleesha’s scream almost gave me a heart attack as it split the early afternoon lull and reverberated throughout the Skyfly Departures Terminal at San Diego International Airport.
Before I could figure out what I was supposed to look out for, my feet started sliding gracelessly across the floor. Was this one of those California earthquakes I’d heard so much about?
But how could it be when I seemed to be the only object shaking or moving?
As I teetered and tottered to maintain my balance, I felt like a pedestrian who’s stepped on an unexpected patch of icy sidewalk. . .and never stopped sliding.
I didn’t have a chance to think about protecting the arm I’d broken in Mexico a couple of weeks earlier. I was too concerned with not breaking my neck this time.
Just as I stopped skating out of control and started regaining my stability, I made the mistake of shifting my weight the tiniest bit. That motion offset my center of gravity just enough to make both feet shoot out from under me. Although Aleesha had gotten close enough to grasp my unbroken arm, she couldn’t hold onto it.
I wish I could say her valiant effort served as a parachute slowing my fall, but truth be known, I probably more closely resembled a jumper whose chute has failed to open.
This is the second title in the Altered Hearts series, Barbour Publishing's attempt to break into the Young Adult market. The series ended prematurely, however, with at least three additional books begun either in manuscript form or in my head--plus a completed prequel to the series. I hope to finish those other manuscripts sometime and--if no other publisher wants to complete Barbour's series--hopefully I can at least release them as e-books.
