Amanda Dykes. What can I say about this gentle soul whose ability to shape words into prose that is beautiful, heart-wrenching, joyful, and deeply meaningful is a gift few are given? What I can do is share her story with you! I chose Whose Waves These Are for my First Line Friday (hosted by Hoarding Books) today because Amanda writes words that heal and soothe our frayed edges and I don’t want you missing out on the experience! Look for Amanda’s story at your local bookstore, online, in the library, at your friend’s house and get it into your hands – then you will know what I mean. You also have the chance to garner a copy right here, thanks to the generosity of Bethany House Publishers – enter via the Rafflecopter widget below.
I’d love to know what you are reading this Friday – feel free to share the first line in the comments – and have a wonderful weekend!
First Line
You can feel it already, can’t you? Such is the story that awaits!
In the wake of WWII, a grieving fisherman submits a poem to a local newspaper: a rallying cry for hope, purpose . . . and rocks. Send me a rock for the person you lost, and I will build something life-giving. When the poem spreads farther than he ever intended, Robert Bliss’s humble words change the tide of a nation. Boxes of rocks inundate the tiny, coastal Maine town, and he sets his calloused hands to work, but the building halts when tragedy strikes.
Decades later, Annie Bliss is summoned back to Ansel-by-the-Sea when she learns her Great-Uncle Robert, the man who became her refuge during the hardest summer of her youth, is now the one in need of help. What she didn’t anticipate was finding a wall of heavy boxes hiding in his home. Long-ago memories of stone ruins on a nearby island trigger her curiosity, igniting a fire in her anthropologist soul to uncover answers.
She joins forces with the handsome and mysterious harbor postman, and all her hopes of mending the decades-old chasm in her family seem to point back to the ruins. But with Robert failing fast, her search for answers battles against time, a foe as relentless as the ever-crashing waves upon the sea.
Amanda Dykes is a drinker of tea, dweller of Truth, and spinner of hope-filled tales. She spends most days chasing wonder and words with her family, who love a good blanket fort and a stack of read-alouds. Give her a rainy day, a candle to read by, and an obscure corner of history to dig in, and she’ll be happy for hours. She’s awed by the strong thread of God’s grace and provision woven through every era, and hopes her stories reflect that grace. A former English teacher with a B.A. in English Education, she is the author of the critically acclaimed Bespoke: a Tiny Christmas Tale, and enjoys connecting with her readers at www.AmandaDykes.com.
Relz Reviewz Extras
All Things Dykes @ Relz Reviewz
Visit Amanda’s website and blog
FREE prequel ebook at Amazon: Up From the Sea
Buy at Amazon: Whose Waves These Are or Koorong
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May 10, 2019 at 2:22 pm
This book has a fascinating premise and a beautiful cover. 🙂
May 10, 2019 at 10:09 pm
I have heard so much good buzz about this book!
May 10, 2019 at 11:33 pm
I’m currently on chapter 19 of Becky Wade’s “Sweet On You”, so I’ll share the first line from there….’Brit and Zander stayed awake all night.’ Can you guess why?!? ***SIGH****
May 10, 2019 at 11:33 pm
That is such a good line! Here is the first line from Lori Benton’s upcoming release, The King’s Mercy. “Alex McKinnon roused to the press wood beneath his cheek and an ominous churning in his gut.”
Hope you have a fabulous Friday!
May 10, 2019 at 11:43 pm
I absolutely loved this story!!
Over on my blog, I’m sharing the first line from Sherrinda Ketchersid’s debut novel “Lord of Her Heart”. Here I’ll share the first line from chapter 11 of the same book.
“Tension filled the air as servants jostled each other in a frantic pace to prepare meals for those at the tournament.”
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
May 11, 2019 at 1:57 am
From We Were Beautiful: “The only sounds in the kitchen are the hum of the refrigerator, the scratch of a knife across toast, and the low murmuring of the radio tuned to NPR.”
May 11, 2019 at 4:10 am
I just finished this book and it’s amazing! I’m trying to find words to write a review. Keep some tissues handy while reading it!
May 11, 2019 at 6:12 am
If Evelyn Watt’s life were projected on a movie screen, it might look like a strand of Laura Linney’s story in Love, Actually.
Love in Three Quarter Time by Rachel McMillan
May 11, 2019 at 7:27 am
I have heard so many rave reviews for this one! I hope to read it soon too!
Today I shared the first line from Wooing Cadie McCaffrey by Bethany Turner but it’s also the book I’m about to dig into so I don’t have an extra line to share. Have a great weekend!
May 11, 2019 at 8:49 am
Oh, I love this story SO MUCH! I’m so glad you’re sharing it too, Rel! The first line from my current read, The Highest of Hopes by Susan Anne Mason is:
“There was no turning back now!”
May 11, 2019 at 9:37 am
Happy Friday! Today I’m sharing the first line from The Brave Art of Motherhood by Rachel Marie Martin:
“Over the past five years, I’ve lived what I’ve jokingly called a public private life.”
https://moments-of-beauty.blogspot.com/2019/05/first-line-fridays-brave-art-of.html
May 11, 2019 at 10:19 am
Happy Mother’s Day weekend!
Today on my blog I’m sharing the first line from Shadow Among Sheaves by Naomi Stephens — https://christianfictiongirl.blog/2019/05/09/first-line-friday-86/. It’s such a good book … I highly recommend it. Currently, I’m reading Shine the Light by April McGowan. I’m on chapter seven, so I’ll share the first line from there:
“Shannon didn’t feel comfortable having Justin stay with her.”
Hope you have an excellent weekend. Happy reading! 🙂❤📚
May 11, 2019 at 10:27 am
“Julia Bernay Stephenson watched as her father carefully stirred honey into his coffee.” The Artful Match by Jennifer Delamere.
I’m looking forward to reading Amanda’s new book. She has a lovely writing style. Thanks for the giveaway.
May 11, 2019 at 10:31 am
This book is on my TBR! And it has a gorgeous cover.
I shared about a fav “comfort read” series this week (Two Blue Doors by Hillary Manton Lodge). Right now, I’m reading Sweet On You by Becky Wade, first line: Five hundred and eleven days had passed since he’d seen her last.
May 11, 2019 at 11:26 am
“If you’re willing to admit it, you probably know me as Raine de Bourgh.” -The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck
May 11, 2019 at 4:35 pm
I am so looking forward to reading this book!
The quote I’m sharing on my blog today is from the novella collection An Amish Reunion. This is the first line from page 81 of my current read, Who I Am With You by Robin Lee Hatcher:
“Ignorance, Ridley discovered, isn’t bliss.”
Have a great weekend!
May 12, 2019 at 12:13 am
What a fabulous first line! Happy reading!
May 12, 2019 at 9:36 am
Dr. Fern Strongbow settled into a folding chair across the desk from Dr. Sylvia Greenlee. – from Rarity Mountain by Sara L. Foust
May 12, 2019 at 9:50 am
Happy Mother’s Day!
I’ve been hearing lots of good things about this one! Thank you for the giveaway.