Donna Vanliere – författare

In the small town of Grandon, five very different people discover the true meaning of Christmas. Jennifer and Ryan are both single parents, struggling with their own losses and heartache as they attempt to move forward in the present while still holding onto the memories, joy, and heartache of the past. Sixteen-year-old Kaylee is faced with a life-changing situation that has affected her whole family. Stephen and Lily are happily married and ready to start a family. All of them are facing their own struggles, and all are finding their way through the dark. When they are brought together for a rather unconventional church Nativity, they will learn that with strength, courage, and love, there is always hope. The New York Times bestselling author of the beloved The Christmas Hope series returns with this new heartwarming, inspirational story about the power of love and faith to reveal the possibilities that lay right in front of you.

Donna VanLiere, New York Times bestselling author of the timeless The Christmas Shoes and The Christmas Hope, is back with this moving and uplifting story about finding love, hope, and family in unexpected places.Lauren Gabriel spent many years of her childhood in foster homes, wishing her mother would come back for her and be the family she needs. Now twenty-years-old, she still longs for a place that she can truly call home. Her work as a cashier is unfulfilling, and at Christmas it’s unbearable with the songs and carols and chatter of Christmas that she hears throughout the day. When Lauren ends her shift one night, she finds herself driving aimlessly in order to avoid returning to her lonely apartment. And when she witnesses a car accident she is suddenly pulled into the small town of Grandon, first as a witness but then as a volunteer for the annual fundraiser for Glory’s Place, a center for single mothers and families who need assistance. Could this town and its people be the home she has always longed for?

In 1950s Tennessee, Ivorie Walker''s quiet life is upended when a mysterious, feral boy begins stealing from her garden, setting her on a journey of love, redemption, and the true meaning of family.In this poignant novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Christmas Hope series, Donna VanLiere tells the story of Ivorie Walker, a woman in her early thirties who is considered an old maid in her small town. When her mother dies, leaving her alone to work the family farm, Ivorie finds herself lost in unexpected loneliness, despite years of rebuffing the advances of imperfect yet eligible bachelors.Her life changes when a dirty-faced, feral boy begins sneaking onto her land to steal from her garden. Haunted by the young boy''s desperation, Ivorie is determined to uncover his identity and the circumstances that led him to live in the hills, stealing food to survive. As she steps out of her comfort zone to find answers, she unleashes a firestorm in the town—a community that would rather keep secrets buried.The Good Dream is a heartwarming story of redemption and the true meaning of familial love, showcasing Donna VanLiere at her very best.

From the New York Times best selling author Donna VanLiere, three of her inspirational holiday novels that have become beloved modern day classics.The Christmas ShoesRobert is a successful attorney who has everything in life-and nothing at all. Eight year old Nathan has a beloved mother, Maggie, whom he is losing to cancer. A chance meeting on Christmas Even brings Robert and Nathan together, and in this one encounter, their lives are forever altered as Robert learns an important lesson: sometimes the smallest things can make all the difference. The Christmas BlessingNow a medical student in his third year, Nathan realizes there are still things to be learned about faith, blessings, and sacrifice. Lessons he will learn from Meghan Sullivan-a young woman born with a hole in her heart that has not kept her from becoming a champion runner. And lessons learned from a young boy named Charlie, who teaches how to live a life of true courage. Together, they will help guide Nathan through the darkest period in his life. The Christmas HopePatricia and Mark Addison have long given up the hope of having a meaningful Christmas. But this year, Patricia''s job as a social worker will lead her to a very special five-year-old. Through the presence of Emily in their house, and her penetrating questions about heaven, the Addisons learn that there is no sorrow so great that faith cannot help you find your way through. And Christmas will once more be a time of joy in their home.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Christmas Hope series comes another heartwarming, inspirational story for the holidays.Thirty-two-year-old Amy Denison volunteers at Glory’s Place, an after school program where she meets seven-year-old Maddie, a precocious young girl who has spent her childhood in foster care. Unbeknownst to Amy, Maddie is a mini-matchmaker, with her eye on just the right man for Amy at Grandon Elementary School, where she is a student. Amy is hesitant – she’s been hurt before, and isn’t sure she’s ready to lose her heart again – but an unexpected surprise makes her reconsider her lonely lifestyle.As Christmas nears and the town is blanketed in snow and beautiful decorations, Maddie and the charming staff at Glory’s Place help Amy to see that romance can be more than heartache and broken promises. In The Christmas Star, Donna VanLiere delivers yet another sweet, joyous story that is sure to capture readers'' hearts.

This program is read by the author.From Donna VanLiere, the New York Times bestselling author of The Christmas Hope series comes another heartwarming, inspirational story for the holidays, The Christmas Table.In June 1972, John Creighton determines to build his wife Joan a kitchen table. His largest project to date had been picture frames but he promises to have the table ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Inspired to put something delicious on the table, Joan turns to her mother’s recipes she had given to Joan when she and John married.In June 2012, Lauren Mabrey discovers she’s pregnant. Gloria, Miriam, and the rest of her friends at Glory’s Place begin to pitch in, helping Lauren prepare their home for the baby. On a visit to the local furniture builder, Lauren finds a table that he bought at a garage sale but has recently refinished. Once home, a drawer is discovered under the table which contains a stack of recipe cards. Growing up in one foster home after another, Lauren never learned to cook and is fascinated as she reads through the cards. Personal notes have been written on each one from the mother to her daughter and time and again Lauren wonders where they lived, when they lived, and in a strange way, she feels connected to this mother and her daughter and wants to make the mother proud.The story continues to from 1972 to 2012 as Joan battles breast cancer and Lauren learns to cook, preparing for the baby’s arrival. As Christmas nears, can Lauren unlock the mystery of the table, and find the peace she''s always longed for? A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin''s Press

The small town of Morgan Hill, Tennessee, is turned upside down in 1947 when the Turners become the only black family ever to move into the area. Nine-year-old Jane Gable first lays eyes on young Milo Turner the day that her trouble-making, alcoholic father is buried in the Morgan Falls cemetery.When the Turners begin work as sharecroppers on a local tobacco farm, their presence challenges the comfort of many in the close-knit town and Jane leans heavily on her best friend, 53-year-old general store owner Henry Walker, for guidance. Then tragedy strikes the Turner household: Jane, her mother Fran (already pregnant with another mouth to feed), and younger brother John find themselves torn between the people they''ve lived with all their lives and a dying request from 6-year-old Milo Turner''s mother that nearly rips their world apart. The Angels of Morgan Hill is Donna VanLiere at her inspiring and heartwarming best, in an audiobook that''s ultimately about the mysteries of faith, the hope of belonging, and the dream of family.

Donna VanLiere''s books movingly portray ordinary people reaching for more meaningful lives. In The Christmas Promise, she follows two seemingly separate individuals and shows how their lives intersect. Chaz McConnell realizes that his life is empty—and he''s made it that way. He goes home every night to a bare apartment. For the first time in his life, he''s working at a job that will last more than a few weeks, as security for Wilson''s Department Store. Trying to reach out, he befriends 4-year-old Donovan, whose mother is part of the janitorial team at Wilson''s. Gloria Bailey finds it easy to care for families in need but just can''t seem to bridge the gap with her cantankerous neighbor, 60-something widow Miriam Lloyd Davies. When Miriam goes away for a week and a pipe bursts she comes home to a house under water. Gloria, in an act of kindness—or maybe insanity—invites Miriam to stay at her house until a hotel room becomes available. They eventually realize they have more in common than they ever thought. In this beautiful, deeply poignant novel, we are reminded that the past is never far behind and all of us are longing for a place to call home.

Donna VanLiere''s The Christmas Secret is a novel for anyone who wants to see how love is a gift that keeps giving back; that hope is a treasure that never runs dry, and that faith is a miracle that is reborn with each new day. The Christmas Secret is now a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries original film. Watch it this holiday season! When a struggling young single mother saves the life of an elderly woman, she sets into motion a series of events that will test her strength, loyalty, and determination, all the while setting her on the path to finding true love. Christine Eisley is the mother of seven-year-old Zach and five-year-old Haley. Her ex-husband provides little, if any, child support and makes life difficult for Christine by using the children as pawns. She works long hours as a waitress to make ends meet, but her job is in jeopardy because she''s often late to work due to the unreliable teenage sitters she''s forced to use. When Christine saves the life of a woman who works in Wilson''s department store, the owner of Wilson''s wants to find her, to thank her, but Christine has disappeared, losing another job once again. He sets his grandson, Jason, to the task of finding the mysterious "Christy." Jason, an accountant by trade who has lost his job to downsizing, thinks he is "above" working at Wilson''s. Soon, he discovers that this new task gives him more than he bargains for.

Bestselling author Donna VanLiere''s Christmas Hope series has connected with listeners all over the world because of its heartwarming tales of hope, faith, and the power of love. Now the first three installments of the series—The Christmas Shoes, The Christmas Blessing, and The Christmas Hope—are available in a special CD edition. Dedicated fans and new listeners alike will be dazzled by these inspirational holiday classics.

The eighty-mile journey of a common carpenter and a simple peasant girl is one of the most powerful stories in history. As books go out of print and stories fade from memory, the journey of Joseph and Mary and her delivery inside a common barn continues to bless and inspire hope in people around the world. Donna VanLiere''s retelling shows that the story of the Nativity is alive in our modern world.