Twenty-one-year-old Grace Byler longs to find her missing mother and to uncover the secret that drove her to leave them three weeks before. Grace suspects the reason has to do with her father and his reserved, uncommunicative ways. This conviction led Grace to break off her betrothal to her quiet, staid beau, and she is now resigned to remain single. But when the young Amishman she thought was courting her best friend takes a sudden interest in her, Grace is befuddled and wonders if he can be trusted.

"Englisher" Heather Lang has come to Amish country to relive fond memories of her mother and to contemplate a grave medical prognosis of her own. While in Bird-in-Hand, Heather meets Grace Byler and the two young women strike up a fast friendship, amazed by how well they click.

Readers anxiously await the second book in this moving series filled with mystery and family secrets, love and loss, heartbreak and healing.

Twenty-one-year-old Grace Byler longs to find her missing mother and to uncover the secret that drove her to leave them three weeks before. Grace suspects the reason has to do with her father and his reserved, uncommunicative ways. This conviction led Grace to break off her betrothal to her quiet, staid beau, and she is now resigned to remain single. But when the young Amishman she thought was courting her best friend takes a sudden interest in her, Grace is befuddled and wonders if he can be trusted.

"Englisher" Heather Lang has come to Amish country to relive fond memories of her mother and to contemplate a grave medical prognosis of her own. While in Bird-in-Hand, Heather meets Grace Byler and the two young women strike up a fast friendship, amazed by how well they click.

Following the only clue they have, Grace and Heather travel together in hopes of finding Grace's mother and bringing her home. Will they find what they're looking for...or something much more?

Beverly Lewis, raised in Pennsylvania Amish country, is a former schoolteacher, an accomplished musician, and an award-winning author of of more than eighty books, many of which have appeared on bestseller lists including USA Today and the New York Times. Her novel The Brethren won a 2007 Christy Award for excellence in Christian fiction. Beverly and her husband, David, live in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

http://www.christianbook.com/the-missing-seasons-of-grace/beverly-lewis/9780764205729/pd/205729

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Author: Beverly Lewis
Submitted: August 07, 2009

    Tell us a little about yourself.  My maternal grandmother was shunned from her cloistered, Plain community--in Paradise, PA, in Lancaster County, PA. Having heard the stories of her courageous move (toward Christ), I believed the world should hear her story. So I began writing adult fiction loosely based on her life.

    What was your motivation behind this project?  The amazing courage my grandmother, Ada Buchwalter, exhibited when she accepted Jesus as her Savior and Lord and began dating a ministerial student, whom she eventually married...and whom helped move her away from the Plain community, of which she was entrenched.

    What do you hope folks will gain from this project?  THE MISSING is Book Two of my most recent series, "Seasons of Grace." I hope my readers will see and feel, through Grace Byler's viewpoint what happens when a family keeps secrets from each other. The havoc it can cause, as well as the redemption that comes with forgiveness.

    How were you personally impacted by working on this project?  For several years, I've wanted to write this story about an Amish woman who flees her home and community in search of her past--to attempt to make right the wrongs she committed as a teenager. Lettie Byler's continuing story has brought me to an even more powerful knowledge of God's mercy and grace on all our lives!

    Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists?  God's Word is first and foremost for my inspirational reading. A true compass by which to measure one's life. I love, also, anything by Chip Ingram, Tozer, Andrew Murray, and Ogilvie. For my fiction reading pleasure, I enjoy very much: Dale Cramer's book, Levi's Will, and Lynn Austin's historicals, along with general market novelists--Kim Edwards, Elizabeth Strout, Alice Munro, Olive Ann Burns, and all the classic literature.

    Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know:  I love hearing from my readers and still attempt to answer hundreds of emails (via my web site) each month. Feel free to comment on my stories--I love your input. And have a delightful rest of the summer!

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