Anita Higman writes story of how a dying wish alters the course of a young woman’s life and heart

Love arrives when you least expect it

For a single girl in her 30s who longs to be married, it can be easy to feel a little lost when all your princes keep turning into frogs. Anita Higman details the twists and turns, triumphs and failures, in one young woman’s search for love in her new book, Summer’s List (River North/June 1, 2015/ISBN: 978-0802412324/$14.99).

Life hasn’t been easy for Summer Snow. She spent what should have been her carefree 20s selflessly caring for her ailing parents and denied herself the dream in her heart to run her grandmother's bookstore. If you asked her, she would say she’s mostly happy — but she knows she’s missing something — and her grandmother’s love doesn’t fill that aching part of her heart that longs for love and romance. Now that she’s broken off her engagement with a rising politician, Summer feels adrift in life and love. Again.

Summer’s wise grandmother has a plan up her sleeve to help Summer in her search for lasting love and true purpose. She offers her granddaughter the ability to complete a “bucket list” of sorts, full of goals and adventures to fulfill.

The catch? She has to complete the list with her long-lost childhood friend, Martin Langtree. Their adventures together — such as taking a hot air balloon ride, building a tree house and singing in public — will make Summer wonder if the love she’s been looking for has been right under her nose for years. Could Martin, the kind but gangly man who made the perfect friend when they were growing up, now make the ideal husband? Or will she just end up striking out in love again?

Meanwhile, Martin is happy to help Summer with the list, but he finds himself thwarted at every turn by his two brothers. The spoiled men, who are addicted to the lavish lifestyle given to them by their older brother’s success, will do anything to keep Martin from following through with the list and falling in love with Summer.

Higman believes a lot of Christian women who long for marriage will identify with Summer’s quest, especially given the expectations the church can place on single women. “Sometimes they might feel if they can’t find Mr. Right, they are somehow second-class women,” Higman admits. “That is, of course, not true. People in the church need to be sensitive to those who do not marry.”

Higman hopes Summer’s List will remind readers God's plans are always perfect, even though they may look very different from what we might expect. “We see through a glass darkly while we’re here on earth,” Higman explains. “If we could see more as God does, our plans would come closer to lining up with His ways.” While God makes moves we can't always predict, Summer’s List highlights how He uses instances and people in our lives to move us closer to Him ultimately.

About the Author

Anita Higman is a CBA bestselling and award-winning author with 40 books published, several of which she co-authored. She is a two-time finalist for a Selah Award and has won a Cascade Award and an Inspirational Readers Choice Award for 2011 and 2013. She’s also been honored in the past as a Barnes & Noble “Author of the Month” for Houston.  

Higman has a BA degree in the combined fields of speech communication, psychology and art from Southern Nazarene University. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and The Writer’s View.

Higman has also won two awards for her contribution to literacy and has raised thousands of dollars for that cause while serving on the board of directors of Literacy Advance of Houston. She has been married to her husband for 35 years.

To keep up with Anita Higman, visit www.anitahigman.com become a fan on Facebook (AuthorAnitaHigman) or follow her on Twitter (@anitahigman).