Summer Plans–And Other Disasters by Karin Beery
Published by Elk Lake Publishing Inc on August 29, 2018
Genres: Christian, Literature & Fiction
Pages: 246
Format: Paperback
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Elementary school music teacher Callie Stevens thinks she’s finally figured out God ‘s plan for her life-she even made a list to keep her on track. Moving in with her brother and reconnecting with her ex-boyfriend are at the top of the list. What ‘s not on the list is running into her childhood crush, Ryan. God wanted her to connect with Kyle, right? Trying to figure out God ‘s plan is hard enough. But a dating-averse older brother, the young blonde who adores him, a pregnant best friend, and Callie ‘s continual mishaps make her wonder whether her best-laid plans were truly God-inspired. “The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men, Gang aft a-gley, And leave us nought but grief and pain, For promised joy.” -Robert Browning
I recently joined forces with the Read with Audra book blogging group, and today’s post is part of a Blog Tour for the book, Summer Plans and Other Disasters by Karin Beery.
There are four different point of views in this story: Ryan, Callie, Jack, and Stacey.
Readers begin the story with Callie’s perspective. She is musically gifted as an an accomplished pianist, but very clumsy, and she seems to be good at one thing: music. Throughout the story, Callie seems to be having one mishap after another.
We learn that Callie has come back to her hometown in the hopes of rebuilding a past relationship with her former boyfriend, Kyle. Her plans for the future are interrupted when she learns that her brother’s best friend, Ryan, is also going to be staying in the lighthouse. Callie spends most of her time chasing Kyle, except Ryan keeps tripping her up. She was certain that it was God’s plan for her to come home and resume her relationship with Kyle.
Callie is afraid that if she was wrong about how she read God’s plan about Kyle, then perhaps she was wrong about everything. Sometimes it’s hard to be certain to know what God’s plans are, and Callie struggles to find that balance of doing what she is supposed to be doing without putting her own plans in place of God’s.
Summer Plans and Other Disasters had everything I find in a good book. The story is filled with relatable and believable characters, the story progressed at a nice steady pace, and the characters grew in their faith — an added plus! This was a fun read as Callie finds out the plans she has put out for herself might not be the best for her after all. Interested in reading an excerpt of the book? Click HERE to read Chapter 1!
Karin Beery wrote her first novel in 2007 to cope with her husband’s cancer diagnosis (no worries – he’s cancer free now!). With the support and encouragement of her family, she submitted that manuscript. That particular manuscript has not been published yet, but Summer Plans and Other Disasters, her first published book, releases in September 2018.
Karin writes contemporary and speculative fiction stories with a healthy dose of romance, but she’s also expanded her repertoire: she writes feature stories for the local paper, copy material for businesses, and blog posts for herself and others. She even edits (offering copy editing, fiction editing, and critiques through Write Now Editing Services) and teaches (she’s the Substantive Fiction Editing instructor for the PEN Institute and can be found around the country teaching writing and editing courses at conferences and at her local college).
When Karin’s not reading, writing, or editing, she enjoys cooking and baking. She plays the piano and sings (the key of E, please). She kayaks with her husband in the summer, watches football in the fall (Go Blue!), and enjoys Christmas lights all winter long. Shy but extroverted, Karin adores her nieces and nephew and loves spending time with her family.
Learn more about Karin on social media ~~
WEBSITE // FACEBOOK // TWITTER // INSTAGRAM
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book from Audra Jennings PR in exchange for my post. I was not required to post a positive review. Thank you!
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