Books by Donna Fletcher Crow:
Mystery |
Historical Fiction |
Romance |
Childrens |
Non-Fiction
Historical Fiction
The Celtic Cross Series
The Celtic Cross Series is a sweeping saga of the history of Scotland and Ireland. Mary and Gareth, young people trying to understand their modern world, delve into the past to find meaning for today.
Part I, Scotland: The Struggle for A Nation, is told in 4 epochs from St. Columba bringing the light of Christianity to his adopted land through the establishment of Scotland as a nation under the valiant William Wallace and Robert the Bruce.
Part II, Ireland: The Pursuit of Peace, finds Mary and Gareth in Northern Ireland, working for peace during the Troubles. In the final 6 epochs of the series they experience the pain and grandeur of Ireland's turbulent history from the planting of Ulster through the Cromwellian war, The Battle of the Boyne, the union of parliaments, the great famine, and on to a vision of true peace in our own time.
Epoch 10 The Dawning of Peace, Of Dreamers and Designers
The stunning conclusion to The Celtic Cross series. In the aftermath of the hotel bombing where they had gone to lead a peace rally, Mary sits, shattered, in a hospital room beside the broken body of her beloved Gareth. In an effort to distract her and pass the long hours, Philip reads to her from the final episode of his family journals.
In 1914, in spite of her family’s skepticism, budding actress Nora Armstrong is thrilled to join the Gaelic Revival movement at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin under the leadership of the indomitable Lady Gregory. Nora loves her new life until everything is changed by the Easter Rising. Northern Ireland is born out of the rubble of the conflict, but can the uneasy peace be sustained?
Old Wars; present conflicts. Out of her pain Mary finds real hope for the future—changing peoples’ hearts.
Epoch 9 The Famishment of the People, Of Hunger and Fulfillment
1996: Deep into a summer spent working for peace in strife-torn Belfast, American Mary Hamilton is ready to wash her hands of the whole thing. Until a devastating event changes her plans irrevocably.
1845: Andrew Armstrong is determined to break free of the strictures of life on his family plantation in Northern Ireland. Then the potato famine brings disaster to all that he loves.
Can these young people, more than a century apart, find the courage to overcome the calamities of their time?
Epoch 8 The Shaping of The Union, Of Plots and Parliaments
1996: As conflict rages around her, American Mary Hamilton despairs of ever bringing about peace for the young people of Belfast. It was definitely the last straw when the reconciliation center where she and her fiancé Gareth are working was burglarized and Gareth injured. So, if they are leaving, why does Mary still feel so drawn to read their host’s family journal recounting the historic struggles of this land?
1789: Young Lenny Price and her brother join forces with the vibrant McCracken family--an alliance that takes them to the historic Belfast Harp Festival, but more dangerously, involves them with the Peep o' Day Boys, and then the revolutionary plans of the charismatic Wolfe Tone. Can Lenny uncover the insidious spy bent on bringing all their plans to ruin, even as she harbors a secret message?
Epoch 7 The Strife of Ascendancy, Of People and Rulers
Sorely burdened by the strife in Belfast in 1996, American Mary Hamilton searches deeper to understand the tangled roots of the troubles that continued to tear this land apart, as they had for so many generations. Her hopes for success with the youth at the reconciliation center had been shattered, but somehow there had to be an effective way to work for peace.
Likewise, in 1683, the desperately ill Janet Lanark’s agony increases as she watches her son and husband feud between themselves, and then stride away to war in response to King Billy’s call to arms as troops mass on the Banks of the Boyne.
Epoch 6 The Hammering of the Inhabitancy, Of Brothers and Strangers
Mary and Gareth continue to struggle with their efforts to help the youth at the reconciliation center in Belfast in 1996, but their work is torn apart by sectarian strife. In an effort to understand the roots of the unimaginable atrocities she sees around her, Mary turns to accounts of 17th century Ireland.
In 1639 the Lanark family is torn apart as the sons march off to war—on opposing sides. But at least the women will be safe behind the strong walls of their fortress. Won't they? And then Oliver Cromwell arrives at the head of his New Model Army in one of the most turbulent periods of all the long, troubled history of Ireland.
Epoch 5 The Planting of Ulster, Of Visionaries and Builders
Mary returns to Scotland in the summer of 1996, her head brimming with wedding plans. But Gareth has quite different ideas. He is off to work in a reconciliation center in Northern Ireland, made possible by the recent ceasefire in the Troubles. Filled with trepidation, Mary agrees to go with him. But what if those mad Irish start throwing bombs at each other again?
Desiring to understand the history of the conflicts that have torn this beautiful island for centuries, Mary turns to their friend’s family journals.
In 1610, Calum Lanark, refused the hand of his beloved Deirdre, joins the Scots settlers seeking to make a new life in the Ulster Plantation–where Lady Montgomery introduces planting potatoes into Irish agriculture. Amid new friends and bountiful opportunities, Calum seeks a future where he and Deirdre can live. Until disastrous strife destroys all his efforts.
Epoch 4 The Vanquishers of Tyranny, Of Priests and Patriots
Larger than life, perhaps the greatest patriot that ever breathed, William Wallace gives his life’s blood for Scotland’s freedom. A glorious victory at Stirling Bridge leads to heart-rending defeat at Falkirk and payment of the ultimate sacrifice at the Tower of London. And young, faithful Jamie Maclnnes experiences it all—even to paying a great personal price himself.
Though scarred—like Scotland—Jamie is unconquered. He rallies behind the dynamic Robert the Bruce and follows on the arduous odyssey of defeat, exile and humiliation until it leads finally to glorious victory on the fields of Bannockburn.
700 years later, three adventurous young people follow this spellbinding tale, seeking answers for their own lives and the solution to Scotland’s oldest riddle.
Epoch 3 The Refiner of the Realm, Of Queens and Clerics
1993: Join the adventure as Mary, Gareth, and Brad’s quest to learn the truth of the Stone of Scone takes them to Edinburgh Castle, high on its windy hill.
1068: Experience Margaret’s struggles as the remnant of the English royal family, fleeing William the Conqueror, is blown onto the wild, rocky shore of Scotland. Can the beautiful, gentle Margaret, vowed to become a nun, accept the hand of the uncivilized King Malcolm? Can she actually carve a haven of civility among these rough, barbarous people?
Join the quest as three modern young people strive to uncover the truth about Scotland’s past and their own lives.
Epoch 2 The Forger of a Nation, Of Kings and Kingdoms
1993: Mary, Gareth and Brad continue their travels to an ancient ritual valley in the Scottish Highlands, seeking the answer to Scotland’s oldest secret.
847: Kenneth mac Alpin set his foot in the deep hollow of the ancient enkinging rock at Dunadd. A tumultuous blast of horns and the triumphant beat of drums rent the monks’ sonorous chanting. But Kenneth knew his work had barely begun. Fierce Viking warriors threatened from the west. The Picts, ancient foes of the Scots, threatened from the east. Contentious chieftains would rend the ties of his own people. His own sister plotted against him. And yet, somehow, Kenneth must forge a nation.
Join the quest as three modern young people strive to uncover the truth about Scotland’s past and their own lives.
Epoch 1 The Keeper of the Stone, Of Saints and Chieftains
1993: Three modern young people listen as the Scottish storyteller spins his tales of adventure, romance, and intrigue. While candles flicker and a Celtic harp sings its accompaniment, the question grips them: Can they find the answer to Scotland’s oldest secret?
563: Young Corban, tending his father’s sheep—stupid creatures that they are—on the back of the island, has no idea how much his life is about to change when he sees the holy men arrive on the beach below him. Columba has led his little band of monks from Ireland, seeking expiation from his great sin. Can he find peace on the beautiful Iona—or must more souls die yet?
The quest is begun: Join Mary, Gareth and Brad as they set forth on an adventure that interrelates past and present and that ultimately teaches them life-changing truths.
A Lighted Lamp: Scenes of Christmas Through Time
Experience Christmases ranging from Scotland a thousand years ago to modern England, with visits to the American west in between, as people through the ages find strength and promise for the future in the season.
Celebrate in locations as diverse as a Scottish court, a Regency country house, a pioneer shack, and a contemporary English monastery. Customs have changed, struggles have varied, but one constant has remained—Christmas has never failed to bring hope and joy.
Where There is Love Series
Where There is Love is an all-new presentation of Donna Fletcher Crow's beloved Cambridge Chronicles, a series chronicling the history, faith and loves of the Evangelical Anglicans of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Earlier print editions of these books are offered at the bottom of this page. Please note that Where Love Begins, the first book in the Where There is Love series, corresponds to the story told in A Gentle Calling. It is not the same as Where Love Begins in the print books.
Book 1: Where Love Begins
Catherine Perronet's world is shaken when she learns Charles Wesley is engaged to marry another. After all, Catherine's initials were on the list John Wesley gave to his brother listing acceptable matrimonial candidates.
And that's not all that's wrong in Catherine's world. As teacher at a Methodist Society school in London, she sees her brother beaten while preaching in the open air, her favorite pupil forced to leave school because of his family's poverty, and a prisoner receive his death sentence in Newgate Prison. Catherine undertakes the joys and hardships of a circuit-ride preaching tour to Canterbury where a French invasion threatens then must face the terrors of the Great London Earthquake before coming to an understanding of the gentle calling God has for her.
Book 2: Where Love Illumines
Mary Tudway is forced to choose between two worlds: the pleasurable life of her high society friends Sarah Child, heiress of Osterley Park, and the Bishop of Raphoe and his dashing Nephew, Roger; or the life of faith and service represented by the Countess of Huntingdon, her lovely daughter Selina and the witty but devout Rowland Hill.
The story moves through the fashionable worlds of London and Bath as the death of one friend, the elopement of another and the startling unveiling of the Highwayman of Hampstead Heath play their parts in Mary's finally making a choice of lasting value.
Book 3: Where Love Triumphs
The brilliant, but lame, Cambridge scholar Sir Brandley Hilliard believes he can do very well without love of any kind in his life—until his world is thoroughly disordered by the delightful Elinor Silbert. The debonair Marquess of Widkham also has designs on Elinor, but the real roadblock to Elinor and Brandley’s happiness is a deeper need that human love cannot meet. Brandley’s search takes a destructive turn until historic figures Robert Hall and Charles Simeon show Elinor and Brandley the only Love that can truly satisfy.
Book 4: Where Love Restores
Georgiana is intrigued by the handsome stranger who appears unexpectedly at the hunt ball—then is amazed and delighted to discover he is none other than Granville Dudley Ryder, dearest playmate of her childhood. The specter of Granville's harsh father, however, shadows all that Granville strives to achieve until the terrors of the Cato Street Rebellion lead Granville to reconciliation and love.
An entirely historical story that moves from Cambridge to Somerset, to London to Wales and includes many of the most famous people of the day, the letters they wrote, and the words they spoke—even the animals are a matter of record. A love story for all time.
Book 5: Where Love Shines
"Half a league, half a league/ Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death/ Rode the six hundred." Lieutenant Richard Greyston seeks heroic glory in the Charge of the Light Brigade. Jennifer Neville goes to Scutari as one of Florence Nightingale's nurses dreaming of wiping the brows of the wounded. Richard winds up blinded and Jennifer spends her days carrying slops as mice fall from the walls of the hospital.
Back in London Jennifer throws herself into charity work under the leadership of the Earl of Shaftesbury. She is delighted to reconnect with the convalescing Richard until she learns that his family's wealth is built on the potteries where children are subjected to unimaginable brutality. Richard eventually joins Shaftesbury's fight for social justice but must find a way out of the darkness to deal with his feelings for Jennifer.
Book 6: Where Love Calls
Hilda Beauchamp believes that God guides the life of every believer--and that it is her job to guide God. Hilda's plans meet many complications, but at least one of her prayers gets answered when the winds of spiritual revival sweep England, stirred by the great evangelistic campaigns of D. L. Moody and Ira Sankey. Word of Hudson Taylor's mission to China fires imaginations and missionary fervor within the Cambridge community. But Hilda and the charming Kynaston Studd--whom Hilda has slated to marry her sister--find their plans sidelined.
Kynaston was the leader, the first within his circle to catch the vision of going to China. But God seems to be calling his friends there instead of him and Hilda is horrified to find herself falling in love with the man she had intended for her sister.
Glastonbury: The Novel of Christian England
The Holy Grail lies somewhere in Glastonbury!
When Joseph of Arimathea and his little band of pilgrims sought asylum from Roman persecution they fled to Glastonbury—and carried with them the most sacred relic in all of Christendom.
This tiny, sheltered corner of Britannia—this holy "Isle of Avalon"—was also a place of refuge when King Arthur and his knights fought off the invading barbarian hoard. And it became Arthur's final resting place.
Centuries later, the discovery of Arthur's bones in Glastonbury sparked a great flowering of the faith and magnificent building—after a devastating fire nearly obliterated the work and worship of centuries.
Then, after the last abbot of Glastonbury was dragged to his death atop the Tor, the Abbey's splendid arches were left to crumble. Yet they stand today—as beacons of hope for the future.
Two millennia of history and legend intertwine around Glastonbury's broken arches. And through it all—through ages ancient and modern—the faithful have sought to answer the same question that Arthur asked: Where is the Holy Grail?
My epic Glastonbury: A Novel of Christian England, grew out of my lifelong fascination with the Arthurian legends. It begins with the birth of Christ and takes the reader through the lives of families in Celtic, Roman, Arthurian, Anglo-Saxon, Norman and Tudor Britain. The centerpiece is the Holy Grail as Austin Ringwode, last of the Glastonbury monks, seeks to understand the upheaval of his time. --Donna
Daughters of Courage Series
Through every generation America's women have exhibited courage, spirit and faith. Kathryn, Elizabeth and Stephanie are true Daughters of Courage. This sweeping family saga will help today's women find inspiration to triumph in the challenges we all face. For the Daughters of Courage series, an Idaho pioneer family saga, I turned to stories of my own family.
Daughters of Courage Boxed Set
"It's rare to find novels that combine a strong Christian ethic with such compelling storytelling. Because these are real people and real events, the experiences of faith challenged and faith triumphant are all the more meaningful. I hope that Donna Fletcher Crow's loving testament to her grandmother and mother and to the brave men and women who shaped our country will touch you as much as it did me."
--Lenore Person, Guideposts Books
Kathryn: Days of Struggle and Triumph
Pioneer stamina in a barren wilderness.
Kathryn, Days of Struggle and Triumph is a composite of my grandmothers' stories and other valiant women who pioneered in Idaho's desert before irrigation was available, and still managed to keep journals.
Kathryn had never been short on courage. But she had never before faced a test like this: a wilderness so hot and dry that the only growing thing is endless miles of rattlesnake-infested sagebrush with the nearest fresh water 15 miles away. Yet Kathryn Jayne is determined not merely to survive. She will thrive.
Even when those nearest to her die. Even when murder strikes their tiny community. Even when a dashing, irreverent Scotsman struggling to outdistance a troubled past brings turmoil to Kathryn's heart.
From untamed Idaho, to Edwardian London, to enchanting Scotland, Kathryn records her experiences in the journals that become an inspiration for her family and the basis for this gripping saga.
"Moving at any time can be frustrating and even frightening. But when Kathryn is forced to leave Nebraska at the turn of the century and move to Idaho, she must also say goodbye to friends, community, and everything familiar. As she takes tentative steps forward, hoping to establish new roots and new relationships, little does she know that those new relationship may well include romance."
--Kathi Macias, Red Ink, Golden Scrolls Novel of the Year
Elizabeth: Days of Loss and Hope
Courage to Survive The Great Depression and World War II.
Elizabeth, Days of Loss and Hope is based on my mother's story as a teacher in a country school during the depression.
Elizabeth is certain that determination and hard work can bring success to any trial: even when The Great Depression makes her dreams of a college education seem impossible; even when her family is faced with losing their farm; even when her beloved Eliot Hamilton is crippled in an airplane crash. The courage that sustains Elizabeth through the loss of her brother flying for the RAF and the devastation of Pearl Harbor is put to the test closer to home when she is faced with giving birth during Idaho's first blackout in a tarpaper shack attended by her mother Kathryn.
"Donna Fletcher Crow can take a solid foundation of history and shape it into a story that draws us in and teaches while it entertains. Fall in love with characters straight out of the past, struggle with them as they struggle, and celebrate their triumphs."
--Hannah Alexander, The Hideaway Series
Stephanie: Days of Turmoil and Victory
Resolution to Improve the World Challenged by Political Intrigue
Stephanie, Days of Turmoil and Victory isn't my story since there was never anything I wanted less than a political career, but I do use my memories of the turbulent '70s and a few of my experiences as a rodeo queen. Through it all runs the inspiration of the English great-grandmother who emigrated to America through Canada after her textile mill burned down.
Stephanie is determined to make her world a better place. When she is challenged to fill her ailing father's seat in the Idaho legislature she has the perfect opportunity-if only the forceful Attorney General would stay out of her way. And happiness in her personal life seems within her grasp when she meets a charming wool grower from Scotland.
Through anti-war demonstrations, political scandals and the turbulence of the psychedelic '60s Stephanie faces emotional challenges as difficult as the physical hardships her mother and grandmother faced. Until alone on a mountainside in a raging blizzard Stephanie confronts the ultimate crisis of her life.
"Stephanie is book three in Donna Fletcher Crow's Daughters of Courage series. A Representative in the Idaho State Legislature, an idealistic Stephanie Hamilton faces a formidable Attorney General who threatens to stonewall her housing bill and ruin their blossoming relationship. But suddenly there's a new man on the horizon and Stephanie must decide which one will win her heart. Entertaining and enjoyable. Recommended for all ages."
--Janet Benrey, author Dead as a Scone
Books by Donna Fletcher Crow:
Mystery |
Historical Fiction |
Romance |
Childrens |
Non-Fiction
Free personalized autographs available for print and ebooks!