Sharing Hidden Paths with author JoAnn Carter

Hidden Paths – Young Adult Inspirational Romance


Julie Hemmingway, a recent college graduate, is preparing to leave for the mission field. When she meets Adam Jacobs, her well-organized plans begin to go awry. Will she fight to hold onto her own agenda, or open her heart to a new – yet, Hidden Path?

Staying in Vermont on the family farm wasn’t what JULIE HEMMINGWAY had envisioned for her life. After all, she had just spent two years at the community college in preparation to join a mission agency to use her nursing skills overseas. However, those plans quickly change when her father suffers a massive heart attack and dies. Out of necessity, she stays at home to help her mom manage the farm.

To help make ends meet, Julie accepts a new job at a construction company where many unexpected things happen, including working with the handsome, ADAM JACOBS. Will Julie learn that she can trust in God and the path He has planned for her life – even when it looks totally different than what she expected?

Favorite Review:

Over on Amazon, there are only two reviews posted so far, but both are special to me. Let me share them with you and then my thoughts will follow...

Donna Basinow wrote the first. She said, "What a great story - and so true of how we serve God! How often do we serve Him by doing something we think He wants without seeking Him in prayer first? Usually it's only to find out it's OUR choice, not what He wants.

Julie finds that through prayer and listening for God's will that she can find the peace and comfort in knowing what God's will really is for her. But she still has doubts that her prayers are heard, that she's really following His will.

And Adam has a lot to more to learn than he lets on. As they help each other in different ways it's amazing how God teaches them both the lessons they need to draw closer to Him - as well as God's plan for the two of them.

It's amazing to see how God works in the lives of these two - just like He works in the background of our lives."

The second is, by Tanya Stowe... "In Hidden Paths, JoAnn Carter tackles two of Christianity's most difficult questions: Am I doing God's will or my own and why do bad things happen to good people? Ms. Carter sends main character, Julie Hemmingway, into life's most difficult situations. When Julie's life plans are abruptly changed, she leans on God...and her new found friend and employer, Adam. But when crisis strikes again, even Adam can't find his way and Julie has only her faith to guide her. During Julie's journey Ms. Carter takes us through tragedy, pain, romance and even a new born faith. It's a joy to see how Julie meets those challenges head-on with her courage and faith intact."

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Why the reviews meant so much to me...

I think this reader's note that you'll find at the end of Hidden Paths will explain it all. J

Well, here we are at the close of another story... Hidden Paths. I have to chuckle a bit at the irony of the situation. You see, that's the perfect title for my own personal journey that the Lord has been guiding me through.

Although I have other books in circulation, this was the very first story I ever drafted fifteen years ago. I started writing on a whim. Don't ask me why. In fact, have you ever watched Night at the Museum? The first time we saw that movie I cracked up. I am so like that museum director. Some days it seems as if I can't put a complete thought -- let alone sentence -- together to save my life. Couple that with dyslexia and grammar and spelling that would make any English major cringe and... yup, that's me. Yet, here I find myself, walking down the path that once seemed so elusive and hidden to me.

Quite a few years after I wrote this book, I went to a writer's retreat. I prayed and prayed that God would show me what He wanted me to do and give me direction. I knew writing was something I enjoyed but was this what God wanted me to do? I struggled with that, and to be honest, still do on occasion.

I walked away from that weekend with as many questions as I arrived with. I was so discouraged. Didn't God hear me? I wanted to follow His will for my life, yet felt like He was far away and unwilling to give me the direction I so desperately craved.

He had heard my prayers, yet I was too close to the situation to see that He had been, was, and still is guiding me. I stand amazed as I think about this now... God has led me to friends who had a passion for the craft of writing and the gift of encouragement. I've been blessed with a family who supports my writing endeavors, and I've learned a ton of stuff along the way... I could go on, but I'm sure you get the gist.

What I've come to realize is I don't need to have everything figured out. I serve an awesome God who knows what's best for me. Sometimes I may not particularly care for what needs to be done. The road may seem long and hard and the mountains too big to scale. Yet, God loves me too much to let me settle for the easy road where I would forget where true strength is found.

Perhaps like me, you have been struggling with direction in your own life. I would like to challenge you to place your hand (and your life) in God's hands and allow Him to plot your course. You might find yourself in for a crazy ride -- on a path, like Julie, that you would have never imagined.

I'd love to hear what you think of this story too!

Purchase links ~

Desert Breeze Publishing: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-235/Hidden-Paths-JoAnne-Carter/Detail.bok

(On Sale for 20% off) CBD: http://www.christianbook.com/hidden-paths-ebook-joann-carter/9781612521190/pd/24497EB?item_code=WW&netp_id=979803&event=ESRCG&view=details

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006LTLUE4

Also available at B&N and other e-book retailers.

Thanks for having me, Shaunna!

~JoAnn