If Tomorrow Never Comes

Childhood sweethearts Kinna and Jimmy had dreams---marriage, children, a house by the sea. What they didn't foresee was infertility. When Kinna rescues an elderly woman, threads of past, present, and future weave into one final chance to follow not their plan---but God's! Can they embrace the power of love before it's too late? 352 pages, softcover from Multnomah.

Average Rating:

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Reviewed by Denese Artis (Charlotte, NC), November 18, 2009

Very heartwarming story about surrendering to God's will, and loving as He has loved us.

Reviewed by Aileen B. (Houston, TX), July 14, 2009

This book was wonderful! It truly encourages me and changed my way of thinking about infertility, life and God.

Reviewed by anita (USA), June 03, 2009

I have never read a Christian themed fiction book before - and I am so thankful this is the first one I read! I'm definitely going to read more now. When Joe tells Jimmy that he never learned how to be a son, my jaw dropped. I was amazed at how powerful those few paragraphs were. If we all learned how to be children of God, we would totally surrender to His will. Thanks for a wonderful read!

Reviewed by Jillian (Santa Barbara), May 28, 2009

What a great read! By the time I got to CH 3, I couldn't put the book down until I was finished. You get to know the charachters so well, that you have an investment in reading to the end to see how they turn out. A lot of great twists and surprises. Although the book is about a couple's journey with infertility, it is also about so much more. Anyone who has a dream that they feel God has not heard, or even ruined, will want to read this book. For me, the draw was the marriage relationship. So much in marriage is a choice, choosing to love, in spite of frustration, hardship, selfishmess, etc. There were no easy answers, but a great ending! Can't wait till Schalesky's next book comes out.

Reviewed by Nora (Mall of GA), April 14, 2009

Marlo struggled with what Kinna and Jimmy Henley agonized over. One lesson learned by all, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways" (Isaiah 55:8) Marlo's characters ask the tough questions, "If God asked you to give up your dreams for Him, would you? What are you willing to give up, suffer or sacrifice to do God's will? Are you willing to follow His plan for your life and not your own?" These are just some of the great questions that Marlo brings up in this powerful, moving, and gut-wrenchingly honest story of two people chasing their dreams not thinking of what it cost in the end. These are people looking for that "happily ever after" here on earth, that God never promised us. Which brings up another question, "Can we be happy in this life?" Answer, yes, if we CHOSE TO BE!! We always have a choice. It's a choice of OUR will every time! "Love wasn't just a feeling. It wasn't a kiss on a doorstep or a dance under the streetlights. It was a life lived together, facing the good and the bad. It was laying down your life for another. It was sacrifice. It was taking a risk. It meant doing right even when it was hard." Marlo has walked in the shoes of her characters. She tells it like it is and doesn't hold back sharing the pain or the joys discovered in life's journey. Marlo reveals scripture in a unique way and exposes a few lies her characters believe as well. Scripture says the truth will set you "free." The author has her main characters struggle to do the right thing against some incredible odds. You will definitely want to read this story. It's one you will find yourself thinking about and later returning to it to review treasures found. Wow! You will just have to experience it for yourself. I highly recommend it! Book Club Servant Leader www.psalm516.blogspot.com

Reviewed by Sally (Pembroke Pines, FL), April 03, 2009

If you like books with strong characters, this is one Christian fiction you cannot miss reading. Kenna and Jimmy are beautifully written. They think like I have thought. They argue like my husband and I have argued. Marriage experts say that communication is all important, and yet spouses continually guess at the other's motivations rather than ask about it. Communication may be Kenna and Jimmy's weak point. Characters like these are not found in most books. On the other hand, if you prefer a plot-driven novel, here's your book! Schalesky writes a tapestry of a tale with clever interweaving of childhood memories. At one point, I actually said aloud, "Ahhh" as I figured out one twist. This plot moves along smoothly, with plenty of surprises. There's a locket, something about tulips, and games of "Let's Pretend" to figure out. Thea's thoughts are written in first-person, while the other characters are written in third-person narrative. This helps separate her from the crowd. She's a confusing, crazy old lady who plays with everyone's minds, including the reader's. Because of her, the story seems a bit confusing at first, but hang on because like a roller coaster, it's about to take off! A Reader's Guide is included. This is a perfect book club book because once finished, you will want to have someone around to discuss it.

Reviewed by Jenni Saake (Nevada), March 20, 2009

If you are a fan of Angela Hunt, you are going to love Marlo Schalesky's new love story with a twist too! In this story, Kinna very realistically lives out the desperation I felt in the midst of our own overwhelming journey through childlessness. Just like the heartache of infertility holds no easy answers in real life, neither does this book follow a cookie-cutter plot line. Enjoy the journey as Marlo leads you on an adventure that will stretch your imagination and leave you thinking about the depths of God's love! Jennifer Saake author, Hannah's Hope: Seeking God's Heart in the Midst of Infertility, Miscarriage & Adoption Loss

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Author: Marlo Schalesky
Located in: Salinas, California
Submitted: February 16, 2009

    Tell us a little about yourself.  I'm the author of seven books, including my latest novel, If Tomorrow Never Comes, which combines a love story with a surprise ending twist to create a new type of novel that I hope will impact readers at their deepest levels. My other books include Beyond the Night, Veil of Fire, and Empty Womb, Aching Heart- Hope and Help for Those Struggling with Infertility. I've had over 600 articles published in various Christian magazines, including Focus on the Family, Today’s Christian Woman, Decision, Moody Magazine, and Discipleship Journal. I've contributed to Dr. Dobson’s Night Light Devotional for Couples, Tyndale’s Book of Devotions for Kids #3, and Discipleship Journal’s 101 Small Group Ideas. I'm a speaker and a regular columnist for Power for Living. I'm also a California native, a small business owner, and a graduate of Stanford University (with a B.S. in Chemistry!). In addition, I've earned my masters in Theology, with an emphasis in Biblical Studies, from Fuller Theological Seminary. I live with my husband and five young children in a log home in Central California. When I'm not changing diapers, doing laundry, or writing books, I love sipping Starbucks white mochas, reading the New Testament in Greek, and talking about finding the deep places of God in the disappointments of life.

    What was your motivation behind this project?  Perhaps the best way to answer that is to talk about the book's title. The idea behind the title is that the choices and decisions we make today dramatically impact our future, our “tomorrows,” and not only ours but the tomorrows of others as well. Choosing to love, choosing to do right despite pain, disappointment, and sorrow, allows tomorrow to come. But choices made out of desperation, fear, and clinging to our own desires can cut off the future God wants for us. We don’t know, we can’t see, what tomorrow holds. So all we can do is do what’s right now, love now, trust now. Because God sees the whole of our lives and weaves all things together, even those hard and painful things, in a way that will make a beautiful masterpiece in the Kingdom of God. So, really, the title means that if we choose love today, if we choose sacrificial love, God will hold our tomorrows in His hand. That’s what’s at the heart of If Tomorrow Never Comes . . .the choice to love, the choice to believe, the choice to let go of our dreams in order to embrace His. To do it today, for the sake of all our tomorrows.

    What do you hope folks will gain from this project?  Our culture tells us that we can do anything we set our minds to, we can accomplish any dream . . . and we should. “Reach for your dreams,” we say, as if that is the highest goal of humankind. Success posters (and platitudes) abound. But 15 years of infertility and miscarriage have taught me that we are not the gods of our lives. There are things we cannot control, no matter how hard we try. Perhaps that is why God calls us not to the pursuit of our dreams, but to love. “Love one another,” Jesus exhorts in John 13:34-35, and also gives, as the second greatest commandment, the exhortation to “love your neighbor as yourself.” (Lev. 19:18, and all 3 Synoptics) So, in our Grasp-Your-Dreams culture, I hope this book will stand against the tide, calling people instead to the way of love – to the way of laying down their lives for others instead of clutching their own dreams and plans. I hope readers will be inspired to fight for their marriages with sacrificial love, and will be challenged to look to the future for the rewards of loving sacrificially, and to the past to remember the seeds of real love.

    How were you personally impacted by working on this project?  In If Tomorrow Never Comes, the main characters are struggling with the fall-out from infertility. I’ve spent most of my adult life – 15 years – dealing with infertility and miscarriage. I’ve had some successes along the way, and whole lot of failure, disappointment and pain. So, as far as plot-line goes - what happens to the characters and how they’re changed and challenged through the book - that is uniquely Kinna & Jimmy’s story. But the emotions, the fears, the questions they face are things I drew from my own experience. The longing for a baby that seems like it will never be fulfilled. I’ve been there. Month after month of trying and failing. Turning into year after year. I’ve been there. Frustration. Doubt. Wondering how God could possibly love me in the midst of this. Been there. Having to pry my white-knuckled fingers off my own hopes and dreams. Been there. Choosing to love anyway. Choosing to believe anyway. Choosing to trust God anyway. Been there. It seems that just about every deep and meaningful thing I’ve learned about God, I can point to my journey through infertility and say, “Yeah, infertility taught me that.” It taught me that I’m not the god of my life. God is. It taught me there are things I cannot control, cannot achieve, no matter how hard I try. And sometimes we must choose to live the life God has given us, with love and hope, even when it’s not the life we dreamed. Because infertility taught me that God calls us not to the pursuit of our dreams, but to love. “Love one another,” Jesus says. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” God taught me that through the journey of my own infertility. My hope is that If Tomorrow Never Comes will reveal the same truths to others as well.

    Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists?  In music, I love listening to Michael Card. Some of my old-time favorite books are Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard, the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Newer favorites are the Harry Potter series and Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files books. Some other favorite authors are Francine Rivers, Cindy Martinusen, Rene Gutteridge, Tricia Goyer, Angela Hunt, Randall Ingermanson, Karen Ball … and I’m sure I’ve missed a few. I love to read!

    Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know:  I hope readers will visit my website at marloschalesky dot com and check out the audio interview, infertility resources, and other goodies there. And, I’d love for people to sign up for my e-newsletter, which I put out a few times a year (or whenever there’s exciting news like a book release!). You can sign up on the front page of my website. There’s a sign-up box there on the right hand column above the audio/video player. I hope readers will also visit my blog (marloschalesky dot blogspot dot com). About once a week I post news and hopefully helpful info on rekindling the wonder in our walks with God.

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