Award-winning author Cynthia Ruchti releases a new novel hemmed in hope.
No
separation of distance is beyond the reach of love
Award-winning
author Cynthia Ruchti releases a new novel hemmed in hope.
Every married couple
has tensions they need to work through, but can a relationship survive hundreds
of miles and endless yards of razor wire? The tenacity of God’s love and His longing
to redeem broken people and their relationships are principles at the core of
award-winning author Cynthia Ruchti’s new novel, As Waters Gone By (Abingdon Press/May 5, 2015/ISBN:
978-1426787270/$14.99).
Ruchti
found the inspiration for her latest release
in Job 11:16: “You will forget your trouble and remember it only as waters
gone by.” The characters in As Waters Gone By are desperate to see their relational
difficulties flow into the forgotten past. Emmalyn and Max Ross will have to
endure the fight of their lives in order to mend the tattered fabric of their
marriage. Max’s actions have landed him in prison
and all but ensured Emmalyn will never be a mother. His five-year prison
sentence gives their relationship a court-mandated time-out, leading Emmalyn to
wonder if their relationship has met an inevitable end or if love can find a way past the barricades. Her heart filled with questions, she
initiates a self-imposed exile to the beautiful but remote Madeline Island, one
of the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior in Wisconsin.
Nudged by the exuberant owner of the Wild
Iris Inn and Café, a circle of misfit people in their
small village and a young, lonely girl, Emmalyn begins to restore an island
cottage. As it slowly becomes a home, she feels her heart being restored. Yet
even as hope begins to find a place within the cottage, Emmalyn still wonders
if she’s ready for Max’s release. With just a few months
left of her husband’s prison
sentence, she has to figure out if and how they can ever be a couple again. She
may be able to rebuild a cottage, but can Emmalyn rebuild a marriage?
Ruchti admits the story came from her own observations of couples with
similar challenges. “My family has been plunged into some of the
chapters in As Waters Gone By. My
brother-in-law is currently incarcerated several states away,” she explains. “I’m
watching my sister react to the situation with such grace, and the remarkable
strengthening of their marriage and their faith despite the situation. Through this novel’s characters—whose story is much different than my
family—I want to communicate the grace I’ve witnessed that can transform a long
distance relationship from unraveled to hemmed in hope.”
Beyond its beautiful prose and deeply written characters, As Waters Gone By also captures the beauty of Madeline Island. Ruchti and her husband vacationed there in the
past and dream about owning a getaway cabin on its quiet coast. She says while
she is excited to bring the island to the page, her ultimate hope is that readers find in As Waters Gone By a new understanding that no separation of
distance and no depth of disappointment is ever too great for the redemptive
power of God’s love.
Advance Praise
“Ruchti
is one of the most beautiful writers in the market. Her newest novel, As Waters Gone By, is a mesmerizing and
lovely tale of second chances and love that survives in spite of trials. Highly
recommended!”
~
Colleen Coble, author of Seagrass Pier
and the Hope Beach series
“Please.
Read this book. It is deeply moving and profoundly important, especially in
these days when our collective understanding of justice has gone awry. As the
mother of an incarcerated son, I wept, laughed and nodded vigorously as I
related to both Emmalyn and Cora with their evolving and complicated thoughts
and feelings.”
~ Sue Badeau,
author of Are We There Yet: The Ultimate
Road Trip Adopting & Raising 22 Kids, speaker and
board member of Justice for Families
“Cynthia
is adept at crafting tender stories of quiet hope. She includes just enough
jagged-edged characters to make us see ourselves between the pages and opt for
courage in our own lives. Her stories will stir your emotions and settle your
heart by the time you turn the last page.”
~
Robin Jones Gunn, best-selling novelist and author of Victim of Grace
Cynthia
Ruchti tells stories hemmed in Hope through
her novels, novellas, nonfiction books and devotionals, drawing from 33 years
of on-air radio ministry. Ruchti has 15 books in print and has received
numerous awards and nominations, including the RT Reviewers’ Choice, ForeWord
Reviews Book of the Year nominations, two Selah Awards, Christian Retailing’s
BEST and ACFW’s Carol Award, among other honors.
Ruchti’s articles have appeared in a number of publications
and online resources, including Leadership
Journal, Today’s Christian Woman
and Charisma.
One of Ruchti’s greatest joys is helping other writers grow
in their craft. To that end, she serves as co-director and a faculty member of
the Green Lake Christian Writers Conference, has served as worship and
devotions staff for the Write-to-Publish conference and teaches at other
conferences like the Blue Ridge Christian Writers’ Conference as opportunities
arise. She also serves as the professional relations liaison for American
Christian Fiction Writers.
Ruchti speaks frequently for women’s groups and serves on her
church’s worship team and Creative Arts team. She and her plot-tweaking husband
live in the heart of Wisconsin, not far from their three children and five
grandchildren.
To keep up
with Cynthia Ruchti, visit www.cynthiaruchti.com. You can also
become a fan on Facebook (CynthiaRuchtiReaderPage) or follow
her on Twitter (@cynthiaruchti).
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