I’m delighted to introduce you to

Katherine Reay

and her contemporary novel

Dear Mr Knightley

Thomas Nelson

~~~~~

Who is Katherine?

I am a writer, a wife, a mom, a runner, a tennis player, a tae kwon do black belt (how random is that?), a wanna be chef, a disorganized housekeeper, but compulsive vacuumist, and a horrific navigator. One of my son’s favorite stories to tell friends is that I tend to argue with the car’s GPS before going my own way — sure that I know better. It’s a gift…

That was from Katherine…now it’s my turn! I had the pleasure of meeting Katherine at ACFW and she is a sweetheart….and tall. I adored getting to know Katherine a little, sharing family stories ~ the joys and tribulations of 3 children around the same ages ~ and being ACFW newbies together. Such a delightful woman, and not at all scary even though I didn’t know about that black belt at the time – LOL!

~~~~~~~~

Dear Mr Knightley

Samantha Moore survived years of darkness in the foster care system by hiding behind her favorite characters in literature, even adopting their very words. Her fictional friends give her an identity, albeit a borrowed one. But most importantly, they protect her from revealing her true self and encountering more pain. 



After college, Samantha receives an extraordinary opportunity. The anonymous “Mr. Knightley” offers her a full scholarship to earn her graduate degree at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. The sole condition is that Sam write to Mr. Knightley regularly to keep him apprised of her progress. 


As Sam’s true identity begins to reveal itself through her letters, her heart begins to soften to those around her—a damaged teenager and fellow inhabitant of Grace House, her classmates at Medill, and, most powerfully, successful novelist Alex Powell. But just as Sam finally begins to trust, she learns that Alex has secrets of his own—secrets that, for better or for worse, make it impossible for Sam to hide behind either her characters or her letters.

Neat passage from Katherine…

So many favorites, but this one captures a good moment…

         Only people in books had any appeal for me, and it’s been like that ever since. Dr. Wieland had me on an intense talk-therapy routine for a couple years, and I’ll admit it helped. He’s a good man, and talking eased some of the pain. But the characters remained. I needed them.

         Not anymore.

         They can’t save me. They certainly can’t write for me. Heck, they don’t even show up like they used to. And when they do, they don’t fit inside comfortably. They jar me and leave me feeling more disconnected and alone. But without them, who am I?

Mad Minute with Katherine

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Pre-order Mr Knightley at Amazon