Showing results by author "Lynn Austin" in All Categories

Fans of inspirational fiction eagerly devour historical novels from Christy Award winner Lynn Austin. In All Things New, the acclaimed author weaves a tale set in the aftermath of the Civil War. Josephine Weatherly and her mother, Eugenia, return to their Virginia plantation, but their once-grand home has lost its lustre. Jo’s father and brother are dead, and the war has left her remaining brother broken and embittered. Bonding with Lizzie, one of the few remaining servants, Jo struggles to rebuild her life....

The opportunity to tour Israel came at a good time. For months, my life has been a mindless plodding through necessary routine, as monotonous as an all-night shift on an assembly line. Life gets that way sometimes, when nothing specific is wrong but the world around us seems drained of color. My weekly worship experiences and daily quiet times with God have felt as dry and stale as last year's crackers. I'm ashamed to confess the malaise I've felt. I have been given so much. Shouldn't a Christian's life be an abundant one, as exciting as Christmas morning, as joyful as Easter Sunday?

Lovely Julia Hoffman has always enjoyed the carefree life of her well-to-do Philadelphia family. But when she fails to attract the attention of Nathaniel Greene, a fierce abolitionist, she shocks her family by becoming a Union nurse. Will that be enough to win Nathaniel's heart? Phoebe Bigelow, from western Virginia, has always been a misfit, and when her brothers join the Union army, she also enlists—under false pretenses.

In one life-changing moment, the lives of the Jewish exiles in Babylon are thrown into confusion and despair when a decree arrives from the king's palace in Susa. It calls for the annihilation of every Jewish man, woman, and child throughout the empire on the 13th day of Adar, in less than one year. Ezra, a quiet Jewish scholar and teacher, is suddenly called upon to lead the community as they seek God for a reason for this catastrophe.

Best friends Audrey Barrett and Eve Dawson are looking forward to celebrating Christmas in postwar America, thrilled at the prospect of starting new traditions with their five-year-old sons. But when the 1951 Sears Christmas Wish Book arrives and the boys start obsessing over every toy in it, Audrey and Eve realize they must first teach them the true significance of the holiday. They begin by helping Bobby and Harry plan gifts of encouragement and service for those in their community, starting by walking an elderly neighbor’s yellow Lab. 

Geesje de Jonge crossed the ocean at age 17 with her parents and a small group of immigrants from the Netherlands to settle in the Michigan wilderness. Fifty years later, in 1897, she's asked to write a memoir of her early experiences as the town celebrates its anniversary. Reluctant at first, she soon uncovers memories and emotions hidden all these years, including the story of her one true love.

In this sweeping saga, three Swedish sisters endure an 1890s Atlantic crossing, an Ellis Island detention, and various other trials as they struggle to find love, faith, and home. First came their mother's death. Then their father's suicide. For orphans Elin, Kirsten, and Sofia, life stretches on like an endless winter. When circumstances become unbearable, they write their Chicago relatives, desperate for a safe haven.

In the city of Chicago in 1892, the rules for Victorian women are strict, their roles limited. But sisters Rebecca and Flora Hawes are not typical Victorian ladies. Their love of adventure and their desire to use their God-given talents has brought them to the Sinai Desert - and into a sandstorm. Accompanied by Soren Petersen, their somber young butler, and Kate Rafferty, a street urchin who is learning to be their ladies' maid, the two women are on a quest to find an important biblical manuscript.

While leading the exiled faithful into Egypt, Joshua's thirst for vengeance against the tyrannical King Manasseh threatens to consume his soul. Ultimately he must learn to forgive, placing his complete trust in God's will.

Sisters Rebecca and Flora Hawes are not typical Victorian ladies. Their love of adventure and their desire to use their God-given talents has brought them to the Sinai Desert, on a quest to find an important biblical manuscript. As the journey becomes more dangerous and uncertain, they sift through memories of their past, recalling the events that shaped them and the circumstances that brought them to this time and place.

Caroline Fletcher is caught in a nation split apart and torn between the ones she loves and a truth she can't deny The daughter of a wealthy slave-holding family from Richmond, Virginia, Caroline Fletcher is raised to believe slavery is God-ordained and acceptable. But on awakening to its cruelty and injustice, her eyes are opened to the men and women who have cared tirelessly for her.

Wilhelmina Brewster has been a college music professor for 41 years, devoting her life to her career and never marrying. Widower Mike Dolan is a pilot and World War II veteran who has always lived life to the fullest. When medical tests confirm that his cancer has returned, he makes plans to take a final flight in his airplane rather than become a burden to his family. Wilhelmina accidentally learns of Mike’s final plans, and when she discovers that he isn’t a believer, she knows it’s her Christian duty to talk with him about her faith. But she feels totally inadequate for the task.

Having returned to Chicago, young socialite Anna Nicholson can't seem to focus on her upcoming marriage. The new information she's learned about her birth mother continues to pull at her, and she hires Pinkerton detectives to help her find the truth. But as she meets people who once knew her mother and hears stories about the past, Anna soon discovers that some secrets are better left hidden.

The year is 1901, and the hustle and bustle of the holidays is descending on New York's Fifth Avenue. For the first time in her privileged life, Adelaide Forsythe couldn’t be happier about the prospect of a quiet Christmas. That’s not to say her transition from Missto Mrs. has been without challenge. Though she doesn’t regret marrying for love instead of wealth, she feels woefully unprepared to run her own household. Then, on the first Sunday of Advent, winter winds bring surprising change, first through a young orphan boy and then a seasoned housekeeper who seems too good to be true.

You can’t see them. You can’t hear them. You won’t know they’re coming until no one can hear you. Like having your head plunged underwater. Kaycia has trained for the chance to fight back—to gain sight of the foul creatures wreaking havoc on the world. She was destined to become among the greatest of hunters…up until the moment her ceremony fails. Now she finds herself powerless—her companions days from civilization. A dangerous secret lies hidden within the darkness. And she’s about to lose a lot more than her dreams.

Hallmark Movie Drafts is pure Hallmark—with a twist! A rotating guest panel of enthusiastic—and opinionated—Hallmark fans and insiders face off to create/draft ultimate Top 10 lists of Hallmark movies by theme, trope, or featured actor. This isn’t a review show: movies are drafted, defended, and ultimately ranked 10th-1st via spirited debate. Join producer/host Lynn Austin, HMD co-hosts and panelists for lively sessions of rating, ranking & list-making. Vetoes fly, points are tallied, & one panelist is crowned winner. HMD is your favorite podcast for Top 10 Hallmark movie lists! Buckle...

Die zurückgezogen lebende Musikprofessorin Wilhelmina Brewster ist ihr ganzes Leben auf Nummer sicher gegangen. Risiko, Abenteuer und Spontaneität sind Fremdwörter für sie. Doch dann lernt sie den lebenshungrigen und unternehmungslustigen Piloten Mike Dolan kennen. Eigentlich will sie ihm nur einen frommen Flyer zustecken, um sich dann wieder in ihr geordnetes Leben zurückzuziehen. Aber es kommt ganz anders: Plötzlich findet Wilhelmina sich in einem Heißluftballon-Wettbewerb wieder, sie geht mit Mike angeln und lässt sich auf allerlei andere verrückte Ideen von ihm ein.

Lynn F. Austin, MBA, is a business school professor, AI in education strategist, author, coach, and keynote speaker with a passion for inspiring growth through purposeful innovation. With over 15 years of experience spanning Fortune 100 companies, higher education, and community leadership, Lynn brings a unique voice to every conversation, blending industry insight with transformational coaching. She teaches business and global human resource management at Strayer University and previously taught marketing, buyer behavior, and innovation at Grand Canyon University. Lynn is currently ...

Collective Tales Publishing presents 101 new dreadful lessons. Each trimmed down to exactly 101 appalling words for your repulsive reeducation. Depicting a wide range of subjects, we visit the classics, such as vampires, mummies, and werewolves, but we also venture into the darkness and shockingly horrific. Like an absurd Aesop’s Fable, you’ll study the failings of students who were unwilling to learn. You’ll see victims get their payback. You’ll experience tangles and knots on a whirlwind of misbehavior. We guarantee lessons will be learned, whether you want them to or not.