October 2006

Hi everyone —

The great reviews for A SIMPLE GIFT just keep on coming.

Just to remind you ... A SIMPLE GIFT is the story Avery Montgomery, a mother who is desperate to mend the breach in her family in time for Christmas. It’s about Mike, the father, who can't seem to forgive his daughter for running away, and Fiona, their child, who has returned to her hometown with secrets she can't bring herself to share with the people she loves best. How they find their way home through a simple redeeming gift will warm your heart.

From Publishers Weekly:
"This novel will keep fans of women’s fiction smiling and reaching for the tissues."

From Book Page:
"A SIMPLE GIFT carries Witmer’s trademark grace of language, delicate skill in tracing the cobweb of human entanglements, and the compassion of an old, old soul who knows that there are no wrongs that cannot be righted, no heart that cannot be mended. A beautiful story rendered by a master story teller."

From the Chicago Tribune:
"With her usual gift for subtly nuanced characters and richly emotional writing, Witmer has created a quietly powerful story about marriage and family, love and friendship, and life’s sorrows and joys that is splendidly satisfying."

From Romance Reviews Today:
"A heartwarming and heart wrenching tale. I promise you will shed a few tears reading A SIMPLE GIFT. It is beautifully written with characters that are so real that you will feel you know them intimately. I have enjoyed Karyn Witmer’s historical books in her other incarnations, and am so happy to see her in contemporary women’s fiction. This is her best book yet and, hopefully, with many more to come. A must read book, very highly recommended, and A Perfect 10."

I couldn't be more pleased by what they've said about A SIMPLE GIFT, and I hope you will feel the same way once you've read Avery, Mike, and Fiona’s story.

Now a few more things:

* Do you or your family have a Christmas cactus? Is there a family tradition tied to it the way there is to the Montgomerys in A SIMPLE GIFT, or is there a new Christmas cactus in you life? If you have stories about the pleasure one of these very special plants have given you, I'd like to hear about it. I will include the stories in my Christmas letter here on my website. So if you've something to share, please email me with your story or Christmas cactus remembrances.

* Recently I had the pleasure of being the guest at a book club in Plano, Texas who'd read A SIMPLE GIFT. I don't live nearby and didn't fly in for the event. Instead I was there through the simple magic of a speaker phone. The attendees (Who were all drinking margarita at the time! The downside of stopping in by phone!) all had really good questions about the story, and we had a wonderful time discussing it. If you have a reading group and would like me to be a special guest at your get-together, just email me and we can set up a date and time for us to get together and discuss my book(s).

* If you live in or near Peoria, Illinois, mark your calendar: I will be part of an event November 17th at the huge Hoerr Nursery where I will be signing books and selling Christmas cactuses. (Check the Hoerr Nursery website for particulars.) Proceeds will go to charity, so if you're in the area mark your calendar, and I'll see you there.

* If—after reading A SIMPLE GIFT—you feel so inclined, please feel free to post a review at either the Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com websites. It’s fun, it’s free, and it makes you feel like a celebrity to see your name (or your chosen nom de plume) in print.

That’s all the news for now. Enjoy the fall.

Early Summer 2006/Farm Visit Archive

Early August 2006 Archive