Drenched in Light

Table of Contents

 

 

“Heartfelt, honest, and entirely entertaining…this poignant story will touch your heart from the first page to the last.”—Kristin Hannah

 

“Wingate’s smoothly flowing prose fills the pages with emotional drama.”

—
Romantic Times
(Top Pick)

 

“A novel bursting with joy amidst crisis: Small-town life is painted with scope and detail in the capable hands of a writer who understands longing, grief, and the landscape of a woman’s heart.”

—Adrian Trigiani, author of the
Big Stone Gap
trilogy

 

“Wingate has written a genuinely heartwarming story about how a sense of possibility can be awakened in the aftermath of a tragedy to bring a community together and demonstrate the true American spirit.”

—
Booklist

 

 

 

 

Written by today’s freshest new talents and selected by New American Library, NAL Accent novels touch on subjects close to a woman’s heart, from friendship to family to finding our place in the world. The Conversation Guides included in each book are intended to enrich the individual reading experience, as well as encourage us to explore these topics together—because books, and life, are meant for sharing. Visit us online at
www.penguin.com

“A story at once gentle and powerful about the very old and the very young, and about the young woman who loves them all. Richly emotional and spiritual,
Tending Roses
affected me from the first page.”

—Luanne Rice,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Silver Bells

 

“You can’t put it down without…taking a good look at your own life and how misplaced priorities might have led to missed opportunities.
Tending Roses
is an excellent read for any season, a celebration of the power of love.”—
El Paso Times

 

 

 

 

“A beautifully crafted and insightfully drawn page-turner…this is storytelling at its best….Wingate delivers an insightful, heartfelt, and sometimes crazy novel of romance, redemption, and personal change. A journey you simply must not miss.”

—Julie Cannon, author of the Homegrown Series and
Those Pearly Gates

 

“A warmhearted tale of love and longing, grits and cowboys, horse psychology and dinosaur tracks.”

—Claire Cook, author of
Multiple Choice
and
Must Love Dogs

 

“A feisty, flirtatious, home-grown Texas tale.”

—Dixie Cash, author of
My Heart May Be Broken
,
But My Hair Still Looks Great

“A charmingly nostalgic treat….Wingate handles the book’s strong spiritual element deftly, creating a novel that is sweetly inspirational but not saccharine.”—
Publishers Weekly

 

“A beautifully written, heartwarming tale about finding love where you least expect it.”—Barbara Freethy

 

“Leaves you feeling like you’ve danced the two-step across Texas.”

—Jodi Thomas

 

“A remarkably talented and innovative writer, with a real feel for human emotion”—Linda Lael Miller

 

“A delightful love story as heartwarming and vivid as its setting in the beautiful Texas hill country.”—Janice Woods Windle

 

“
Texas Cooking
… will have readers drooling for the next installment . . . [a] beautifully written mix of comedy, drama, cooking, and journalism.”

—Dallas Morning News

 

“Takes the reader on a delightful journey into the most secret places of every woman’s heart.”—Catherine Anderson

 

“The story is a treasure. You will be swept along, refreshed, and amused….Give yourself a treat and read this tender, unusual story.”

—Dorothy Garlock

THE TENDING ROSES SERIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY SERIES

 

 

 

NAL Accent

Published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

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First published by NAL Accent, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

First Printing, July

Copyright © Wingate Media, LLC, 2006 Conversation Guide copyright © Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 2006

All rights reserved

Fiction for the Way We Live REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA

 

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eISBN : 978-1-101-09775-5

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To my mom
For letting me drop out of piano lessons
And ballet school,
For saying yes when I wanted to try gymnastics,
Then sitting through countless hours of lessons and competitions

 

To my dad
For letting me have a pony,
Which led to years of horse shows, here, there, and everywhere

 

You never pushed
Or criticized, or seemed disappointed
You gave me the dreams of my childhood
While you cheered from the bleachers

A
nyone who’s ever remodeled a home knows that you start out thinking you have the project under control, and things go downhill from there. Eventually you realize you’re going to need help. Lots of help. From people who know things you don’t know, people who can do things you can’t do, and friendly neighbors who come by with baskets of cookies or pots of coffee, to tell you they think the place is coming along wonderfully, and they can’t wait to see the finished product.

Story writing is a fairly similar process. Few authors journey from
Once Upon a Time to The End
alone. The final product becomes a combined effort of friends, neighbors, and benevolent strangers gracious enough to share their time and expertise. Many friends, neighbors, and benevolent strangers have contributed to the creation of
Drenched in Light
and have encouraged me along the path. In particular, my thanks go out to Dr. Sharon Mannion, for sharing details from her many years of experience in school administration; Jan Lassiter, for sharing her knowledge of magnet schools; Kaye Johnson, English teacher par excellence, for helping me with literary selections for Dell’s English class; Trooper Steve Adcock, for sharing valuable information about school drug prevention programs and adolescent substance abuse issues; Maria Salas, for contributing descriptions of traditional dances and customs in her hometown of Mexico City, so that the Jumpkids in the story could properly enjoy their pretend trip to La Fiesta; and Cathy Campbell, for contributing those hard-to-research details about Kansas City.

My gratitude also goes out to those who contributed knowledge of the worlds of both professional and amateur ballet, including Shaelyne Robertson, teacher to would-be ballerinas, and Mandy Koger, super Web site designer, former ballet dancer, and priceless friend. A special thanks goes to Madeline Lively, for sharing her son Michael (How often, I ask you, does a writer desperately needing ballet research just happen to be seated at a luncheon right next to the mother of a professional ballet dancer?). A full cup of thank-yous also goes to Michael Lively, for spending hours with me on the phone, discussing the intricate details of ballet with a dance-school dropout who appreciates the art but knew little about it.