Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns
If you think Jesus would have come into your home that day and not issued a strong rebuke to the head of household, you are mistaken. These words of condemnation have been haunting me for days now. They aren’t all that different than the soundtrack I play in my head on an almost-daily basis. It’s…
I am nesting. On Saturday I emptied the refrigerator. Last summer’s homemade pickles in their jars. The bread ends that seem to multiply on every shelf. The eggs. The milk. The fruit and veggies. All of it sat on the floor or the counter as I carefully removed the shelves and wiped them down with…
I’ve heard that life is like a highway. And it definitely seems like that sometimes. The pace of life swirls around me at dizzying speeds. We’re all so busy. In such a hurry. Always somewhere to be, something else to do. I’m a get-to-the-point, get-there-quick kind of girl. I don’t like to waste time on…
I’m no Star Trek fan, but I’m familiar enough with the series to know that in it, space is the final frontier. In 21st century America, it’s hard to imagine what the exploration of land was like, though I sometimes find myself thinking of pioneers as my family crosses the mountains in our van.
Author Jody Hedlund captures the story of a pioneer missionary couple in her new book The Doctor’s Lady. The story is based on the life of the first white woman to cross the continental divide and travel to the far West. Devotion to God links Priscilla White to her husband Eli Ernest, both of whom are following a call to mission work. Love is secondary. Theirs is a marriage of convenience and sometimes inconvenience. As they experience the trials of a 7-month journey from New York to Oregon Country, they discover parts of themselves they didn’t know existed, and their relationship is the better for it.
This story pulled nearly every emotional string I have. Hedlund’s characters resonated with me and the story’s message beats a drum on my heart that God has been beating for weeks now: courage in the face of new and terrifying experiences.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n-UrDeevrE&w=560&h=315]
Priscilla has no idea what it’s like for a woman to travel across country or what it will take to survive. She has pledged her life to a man so she can fulfill God’s call on her life. She doubts. She fears. She presses on.
With a husband nearing the end of seminary, I felt akin to Priscilla. Sometimes I wonder if I’m the right woman for this job of supporting my husband in ministry. And if I have the strength to do it.
Commitment and courage — those are my take-aways from The Doctor’s Lady. Hedlund is also the author of The Preacher’s Bride (which may still be available for FREE on Kindle) and she has a new book coming next year.
Read on for an interview with Hedlund, a homeschooling mom of five from Michigan. And check in on the blog today to see if Jody stops by. Keep reading for a chance to win a copy of the book, too!
What was the inspiration behind The Doctor’s Lady?
This book is inspired by the true life story of Narcissa Whitman, the first white woman to brave the dangers of overland trail and travel west. In 1836, she married Dr. Whitman, and then the next day left her childhood home and would never return for the purpose of starting a mission among the Nez Perce natives.
It was my hope in this story to bring Narcissa Whitman to life. This heroic woman has often been ignored and at times even disparaged. In reality, she exuded incredible courage to attempt a trip many proclaimed foolishly dangerous. It was called an “unheard-of-journey for females.” Because of her willingness to brave the unknown, she led the way for the many women who would follow in her footsteps in what would later become known as the Oregon Trail.
What percentage of The Doctor’s Lady is true? And how much did you add?
As with any story of historical fiction, the large majority of what I’ve written was truly from the depths of my imagination, all of my creative meanderings of “what could have happened.”
However, in my research of the Whitmans, I drew from numerous biographies. While I wasn’t able to stick to every historical detail in complete accuracy, most of the story outline is taken directly from Narcissa’s diary.
I tried to follow the trail they took west as closely as possible. While I was unable to include every stop and incident of their travel for the sake of brevity, I did try to capture the essence of their journey. I included their travel first by sleigh, then steamboat, and lastly by wagon and horse.
Make sure you read the Author’s Note at the end of the book where I explain in more detail which specific incidents came from the pages of her diary and what I made up for the sake of the story.
What’s coming next?
The heroine of the story is a young woman, Lily Young, who is looking for her sister who’s caught up into the degradation of lumber camp life. While Lily searches for her missing sister, she fights against the evil that runs rampant around her, and she fights not to lose her heart to the lumber baron who turns a blind eye to the lawlessness of the lumber business.
How did you decide to write historical romance?
I’ve always loved reading historical romances and losing myself in the past. And I’m also a big history buff. So I was naturally drawn to writing about the things I love most.
As a homeschooling mom of five children, how do you manage to find time to write?
It’s definitely not easy. I feel like I have two very full time jobs! But like any other writer trying to balance dual careers or multiple responsibilities, I’ve had to look for ways to make it work. I’ve scaled-back on outside commitments and simplified home life as much as possible. I also stick to a very strict writing schedule when I’m in first draft mode. I block out writing time and don’t let myself go to bed at night unless I get in my daily word count.
What’s your must-have road trip item?
My pillows! I always take my pillows with me on a road-trip (except of course when I fly). I’m really picky about sleeping on “used” pillows. I can’t help wondering who slept on the fluffy mound before me, whether they had clean hair or bad breath or whatever! And besides, no pillow can ever be quite as comfortable as my own. (Now you can see why I wouldn’t have made the trip west in a covered wagon–at least not without a great deal of complaining and whining!)
Where can readers find you?
I hang out on Facebook here: Author Jody Hedlund
I also love to chat on Twitter: @JodyHedlund
My home base is at my website: jodyhedlund.com
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WANT TO WIN YOUR OWN COPY? Leave a comment on my blog site (not Facebook) revealing your must-have road trip item. I’ll pick a random winner via Random.org on Sept. 30. The winner will receive a signed copy of The Doctor’s Lady! Open to U.S. mailing addresses only.
WANT A BONUS ENTRY? Share this post on Facebook or Twitter and come back to the blog to let me know you’ve done it.
But, wait! There’s more! Click the banner below for another contest on Jody’s blog.
In exchange for posting a review and interview, I received a free copy of the book from the author and Bethany House Publishers.
Two weeks ago, I had a plan. A blog post every day of the week because I felt I had so much to say and I was learning some things worth sharing.
Then this happened.
The rains came down and the floods came up. Thirty inches of water in our basement turned our world upside down. Maybe that’s a little dramatic. Others have it worse. We are blessed. And God is good. I don’t doubt either of those things for a minute.
But life is, let’s say, overwhelming at the moment.
What started as an inch of water quickly escalated after the town’s leaders decided to cut power to the power station when it flooded. Our sump pump, which was diligently working while we slept, stopped when the power did. Thus, the indoor swimming pool in our basement.
We didn’t lose as much as we could have nor anything we consider extremely valuable. But loss is loss and it hurts nonetheless. Perhaps the biggest loss I discovered this week was all of my high school and college yearbooks. This didn’t matter as much to my husband, and I’m not sure why it matters so much to me. Nostalgia. Memories. These are the things that get me in trouble sometimes because I hold on to things that should have long been thrown away.
We’re still going through stuff, drying it out and finding ways to get rid of it. We’ve been collectors for too long. Clutter seems to follow us. I’m always saving things for later. (Like the mound of empty cardboard boxes that were in the basement for our eventual move next summer. Gone.) 
God, it would seem, helped us clear things out sooner than we’d hoped. (I’m not suggesting He caused the flood to punish us or anyone else. Just want to get that out there.)
Where I once stockpiled, I now find myself with an urge to rid our house of everything we’re not using RIGHT NOW. I have more than three years worth of kids clothes that will be finding a new home in the next several months, and even though it’s been years since my daughter wore some of her things, I still feel pangs of guilt as I toss them into a “to sell” tote. (I’m convinced guilt is a by-product of giving birth to children. I’ve never felt so guilty about everyday actions the way I have since becoming a mother. Is anyone else with me on this?)
My husband and I have talked about the desire to live more simply, but until now our actions haven’t matched our words. It’s still hard to give things away or throw things away, thinking we might need it again someday. Even with the kids clothes. We’re not 100 percent sure we’re not going to have more kids, but we have no immediate plans for another one. Besides, kids clothes are abundant and grandparents love to shop. (At least our kids’ do.)
We have much. And what we give away could easily be replaced in the future.
The Bible tells us to store up treasures in heaven where moth and rust cannot destroy and thieves cannot break in and steal. We are learning the reality of this principle. The reason so many of our stored items were in the basement is because a year ago, we had a mold problem in the attic and had to move everything out of the attic to the basement so the mold could be removed. We never moved our stuff back upstairs because we didn’t think we’d need to.
The water line
Treasures in heaven — where mold and flood cannot destroy.
After the fire department pumped us out.
Charlie Sheen made popular the idea of “winning.” I still don’t get it. Our family is experiencing a season of “losing.” At least in the earthly sense.
Elsewhere in the Bible, Jesus tells his followers that those who lose and give up for Him will gain in the long run. I’ve heard it called “winning through losing.”
It’s not as glamorous as it might sound. Some days, it really stinks. My hope is that because of this, we’ll be better off.
Not wealthy in goods, but rich in what really matters.