Can a gift from the past mend a broken heart?Ian Collins is an old man without his son. Patrick Collins i s a young boy without his father. On his Christmas list are only three items. He wants the army to find his father. He wants to leave his grandfather's house. And he wants the dusty wooden soldier in Grandfather's attic--the one he is forbidden to touch. Set at Christmastime in 1943, The Unfinished Gift is the engaging story of a family in need of forgiveness. With simple grace, it reminds us of the small things that affect powerful change in our hearts--a young boy's prayers, a shoe box of love letters, and even a half-carved soldier, long forgotten. This nostalgic story of reconciliation will touch your heart.

Patrick Collins is seven years old, and on his Christmas list are only three items. He wants the army to find his father. He wants to leave his grandfather's house. And, for reasons even he doesn't understand, he wants the soldier that's tucked away in his grandfather's attic. Set at Christmastime in 1943, The Unfinished Gift tells in an engaging, simple style the story of a family, and reminds us of the surprising things that affect powerful change in our hearts--like a young boy's prayers, a shoebox full of love letters, and even an old wooden soldier, long forgotten. This nostalgic story of forgiveness will engage readers everywhere.

Dan Walsh is the award-winning author of The Unfinished Gift, The Homecoming, and The Deepest Waters. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Dan served as a pastor for 25 years. He lives with his family in the Daytona Beach area, where he’s busy researching and writing his next novel.

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Author: Dan Walsh
Located in: Port Orange, FL
Submitted: August 28, 2009

    Tell us a little about yourself.  I've been married to the only woman I've ever loved for the last 33 years. I have two children, now grown. I've been a pastor at the same church in Port Orange for the last 24 years. I've wanted to write novels since the 11th grade. Years ago I started The Unfinished Gift but set it aside. My wife encouraged me to finish it two years ago. Very glad I did.

    What was your motivation behind this project?  Christmas is my favorite time of year. I love everything about it. All the secular traditions like Christmas songs, Christmas trees, decorations, houses done up with lights, the food, the egg nog. Since my last year in high school, when I first really understood the gospel of Jesus Christ, I've also enjoyed reflecting more deeply on the "reason for the season." I enjoy the goofier Christmas movies (like The Christmas Story and Elf) but I especially love the more classic tales like The Christmas Carol and It's A Wonderful Life. Though I've seen them many times, they always get me. A few years ago, as another Christmas season ended, I decided I wanted to write a story that at least had the potential to affect others the way these stories affected me. The Unfinished Gift flowed out from there.

    What do you hope folks will gain from this project?  The relationships God has given us, especially those within our family, are so much more important than the petty issues that often divide us. Bitterness and unforgiveness can rob us, literally, for years; stealing the joy that comes from giving and receiving love. There are some secondary messages in the book also. I wanted to encourage moms, who sacrifice so much to teach and train their children, and wonder if their words and example are really getting through. Patrick demonstrates that they are, that God can water these seeds and cause them to grow even when we're not present to keep sowing.

    How were you personally impacted by working on this project?  I was deeply affected by the story, which may sound strange since I wrote it. But at some point, it seemed to transcend my imagination, like I really began to know and care about these people. At several places in the story I'd laugh out loud. Other times I'd get choked up and even cried. I'd wipe away the tears and keep writing. Even now that it's finished, I can't read certain parts without it affecting me emotionally. In a good way.

    Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists?  The sources that inspire my writing aren't the books I most often read, but the movies I watch with my wife. I'm a regular guy and like all kinds of "guy" movies. But I can become deeply affected by stories that grab my heart. Like the Jane Austen stories, some of the Dicken's stories, Hallmark tales. And the better romantic comedies (While You Were Sleeping, etc.) Because I'm writing historical fiction, most of the books I read are historical non-fiction. There'd be too many to recount, dozens if not hundreds.

    Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know:  The sequel to The Unfinished Gift is coming out in June. All my test readers who've read both books said they loved it as much or more than The Unfinished Gift.

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