Eighty-one prayer boxes hold a lifetime of stories, and a final lesson that could change Tandi’s future.

When Iola Anne Poole, an old-timer on Hatteras Island, passes away in her bed at ninety-one, the struggling young mother in her rental cottage, Tandi Jo Reese, finds herself charged with the task of cleaning out Iola’s rambling Victorian house.

Running from a messy, dangerous past, Tandi never expects to find more than a temporary hiding place within Iola’s walls. But everything changes with the discovery of eighty-one carefully decorated prayer boxes, one for each year, spanning from Iola’s youth to her last days.

Hidden in the boxes is the story of a lifetime, written on random bits of paper: the hopes and wishes, fears and thoughts of an unassuming but complex woman passing through the seasons of an extraordinary, unsung life filled with journeys of faith, observations on love, and one final lesson that could change everything.

“A masterpiece of story and skill.” ~ Debbie Macomber, bestselling author, on The Prayer Box

A mysterious manuscript leads an editor back to the past she thought she had escaped.

Successful New York editor Jen Gibbs is at the top of her game with her new position at Vida House Publishing, until a mysterious manuscript from an old slush pile appears on her desk.

Turning the pages, Jen finds herself drawn into the life of Sarra, a mixed-race Melungeon girl trapped by dangerous men in turn-of-the-century Appalachia. A risky hunch may lead to the story’s hidden origins and its unknown author.

But when the trail turns toward the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a place Jen thought she’d left behind forever, the price of a blockbuster next book deal may be higher than she’s willing to pay.

This contemporary novel explores forgiveness, family, returning home, and navigating brokenness through a story within a story.

“Wingate is, quite simply, a master storyteller.” ~ Booklist, on The Story Keeper