Most Popular Books by Lauraine Snelling

For as far back as he can remember, the dream of becoming a writer has burned brightly in Thorliff''s heart. But when he arrives at college, things are not as he had imagined. Thorliff longs for the familiarity and nurture of his loved ones back home. The distance has created a rift between Thorliff and his childhood sweetheart. The only bright spot in his life is his job at the town newspaper. Will he be forced to leave one dream behind to pursue the other?

First the Land, Then Fire Nearly Destroys Them. Will They Still Hold to their Dream? It had taken four long, difficult years to tame the virgin prairie of Dakota Territory. Looking back through all the heartache and the body-breaking labor, Ingeborg Bjorkland knew that God had been with them every step of the way. Dreams that had turned into veritable nightmares had been reshaped with the promise of a new day rising, and her marriage to Haaken had been its sure sign.Hjelmer travels west to work on the railroad, and after sending only one letter to Penny, who has agreed to wait for him, he is not heard from again. As the months pass, Penny is pursued by other eligible suitors, and her love for Hjelmer is sorely tried. Will he ever return to keep his promise? America''s westward expansion continues, bringing the railroad to their area. Before them lies the challenge of proving up their homesteads, developing a sense of community, building wooden barns and houses, a schoolhouse and a church, a grain elevator and store.

Fter transforming the harsh landscape into bountiful farmland, Ingeborg must decide whether the land has become more important than her own family.

Prairie tale. The Norwegian Bjorklund family braves their first, almost unendurable winter on the North Dakota prairie.

They must set aside their own plans and rely on their faith to bring their true destiny to light. Lilac Nielsen''s dream has come true: handsome young Reverend Ethan Pritchard has finally noticed her. Yet she must balance this new courtship with the pursuit of another dream--the publication of her artwork in a New York paper. She has secretly been submitting a series of drawings under a pen name, and if anyone traces the drawings back to her and finds out where Lilac and her sisters settled, the entire Nielsen family could be in danger. As their family farm expands and Lilac''s relationship with the reverend grows, it''s a time of new beginnings. But when a family crisis back in Ohio shakes the Nielsen sisters, can they continue to build the new life they''ve begun in Nebraska? And will Lilac be prepared for what God has in store for her future? "A tender story. I know my readers will enjoy these stories and look forward to the books yet to come."--TRACIE PETERSON, bestselling author of the Pictures of the Heart series

A heart-stirring story about a woman''s journey to self-discovery through art and her family''s history. Forbidden. Hidden. Denied. Can art be powerful enough to endure? Ragni Clauson’s work, relationships, and body all seem to be falling apart. And she isn’t convinced that spending her vacation fixing up her great-grandmother’s cabin and supervising her rebellious teenage niece, Erika, will offer any much-needed rejuvenation. As Ragni and Erika clean, they begin to uncover the secret paintings and life of Nilda, Ragni’s ancestor who lived in the cabin in the early 1900s. Ragni doesn’t know how much she has in common with her great-grandmother, but it becomes clear Nilda faced her own struggles. Taking care of home and menfolk, fighting off locusts, raising her daughter, and finding time to paint in the midst of it all were not easy tasks. Will Nilda’s passion for enduring art re-ignite Ragni’s artistic soul a century later? Weaving together the stories of three generations of women, The Brushstroke Legacy stirs us to believe that no matter the circumstances, we are called to use our gifts—never knowing when they might bring a stranger to a new place of hope.

This is the story of two mothers, strangers to one another. The first has two children -- twins, a boy and girl, who are seniors in high school. She wants their last Christmas as a family living in the same home to be perfect, but her husband is delayed returning from a business trip abroad. And then there''s an accident -- a fatal one involving a drunk driver. Meanwhile, the other mother has a daughter who needs a new heart, and so the loss of one woman becomes the miracle the other has desperately prayed for. While one mother grieves, and pulls away from her family, the other finds that even miracles aren''t always easy to receive.

National bestselling author Lauraine Snelling brings a small mountain town to thrilling life when a natural disaster threatens to destroy lives. U.S. Border Patrol agent Ben James'' life is in tatters. A tragic accident stole the love of his life and he never finished grieving. Turning to the bottle for support, he lost sight of what was important. While making his last patrol run before a storm rolls in, Ben''s canine partner Bo finds an abandoned baby hidden in the woods. As Ben rushes the child to the only clinic in the area, the storm strikes with unexpected fury. Esther Hanson runs a second-rate clinic in the small community of Pineville, Minnesota, on the Canadian border. Though she has fought for years to get the equipment she needs, the town refuses to approve the funding. When the unprecedented storm ravishes the area, cutting them off from all outside help, Esther struggles to help her patients without giving in to overwhelming emotions. The event triggers a long-suppressed memory, and Esther must come face to face with the reality of her past and learn to forgive herself. Brought together by the life of a child, Ben and Esther become each other''s reason to change.

On the verge of Mt. St. Helens’ historic eruption, three women must face the mountain: two to search for their missing husbands; the third, to rediscover her life… After a local mountain becomes a deadly and imminent threat, three strikingly different women become linked in a desperate mission. Children’s author Katherine Sommers is searching for her depressed husband, David, and their son Brian, camping together on Mt. St. Helens’ tumultuous north slope. Mellie Sedor seeks her husband, Daniel, who has taken a logging job to pay for their daughter’s chemotherapy. Fashion photographer Jen Stockton joins Cowlitz County Sheriff Frank McKenzie, himself the victim of a brutal loss, in his quest to evacuate the awakening volcano. Jen came to the mountain in an effort to recover the peace she experienced as a child. Instead, she finds destruction and heroism, tragedy and friendship. When Women Strive Together, They Can Face Even the Unthinkable. Written by best-selling and award-winning author Lauraine Snelling, The Way of Women celebrates the resilience and strength of women, both individually and collectively, in the face of extraordinary crisis.

Book 3 of RETURN TO RED RIVER by bestselling author Lauraine Snelling. Thorliff''s goal of becoming a writer is within reach. Working for a newspaper in Northfield, Minnesota, he is busy writing articles and stories for the Minneapolis Tribune and Harper''s Magazine. But his idyllic world comes to a sudden halt when an epidemic hits the town of Blessing, North Dakota, following the Red River flood of 1897. Thorliff returns home to help family and friends recover from the aftermath of the disasters and rebuild their town. A captivating and heartwarming tale of aspiration, struggle, love, and triumph.

Exciting New Series by Beloved Author Lauraine Snelling Cassie Lockwood''s mother died when she was little, so Cassie traveled with her father''s Wild West Show and became an amazingly skillful trick rider, likened by some to the famous Annie Oakley. When her father died, she continued to work with the show, having nowhere else to go. Now Cassie has discovered that "Uncle" Jason, the show''s manager, has driven the show into debt, and he''s absconded with what little money was left. Devastated, Cassie decides to try to find the hidden valley where her father had dreamed of putting down roots. She has only one clue. She needs to find three huge stones that look like fingers raised in a giant hand. With Chief, a Sioux Indian who''s been with the show for twenty years, and Micah, the head wrangler, she leaves both the show and a bundle of heartache behind and begins a wild and daring adventure.

Eighteen-year-old Astrid Bjorklund has always dreamed of becoming a doctor. She had intended to study medicine in Chicago or Grand Forks, but when a disaster wiped out a major portion of her family''s income, Astrid stayed home instead, receiving hands-on training from Dr. Elizabeth. Joshua Landsverk left Blessing two years ago, but he''s never forgotten Astrid. Returning to town, he seeks to court her. Astrid is attracted to him, and when the opportunity unexpectedly opens for her to go to Chicago for medical training, she finds it difficult to leave. Love blossoms through their letters, but upon arriving back home, she makes a heartbreaking discovery. Will she have to give up love to pursue her dream?

Unforgettable Courage and Romance From Lauraine Snelling Warming countless hearts and bringing history to life, Lauraine Snelling''s Sisters of the Confederacy is an exciting tale of courage, adventure, and romance. After finding her expected safe haven destroyed, Jesselyn Highwood must decide where to turn next. With no place left to go, Jesselyn decides to head west on the Oregon Trail. Here she encounters hardship, danger on the journey--and love. Meanwhile, her sister, Louisa, smuggles desperately needed supplies for the hospital in Richmond where she helps care for wounded soldiers. As both sisters face the ravages of war, one remains strong in her faith while the other struggles to understand a God who allows such atrocities to continue.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Lauraine Snelling Romance blooms between Blythe Stensrude and Thane Davidson after their dogs tangle leashes in the park—until Thane becomes guardian to his three-year-old niece. Blythe doesn''t think she''s mother material, but how can she refuse Thane''s request to give a neglected little girl the best Christmas ever? ''Twas the Week Before Christmas by Lenora Worth Upon arrival at her grandmother''s Louisiana plantation for the holidays, socialite Elise Melancon is confronted with a shocking request—her grandmother wants her to "reform" a handsome man so he can date another woman! Perhaps Elise will discover that life''s greatest gifts don''t always come in a box.

The arrival of a wealthy young man leads Grace to question what she really wants in life.

The Long-Awaited Prequel to the RED RIVER OF THE NORTH Series Twenty-year-old Ingeborg Strand is certain she is destined to be an old maid. She''s had several suitors but none she deemed worthy of spending her life with. That is, until she meets a university student from Oslo, and feelings stronger than friendship begin to develop between them. But tragedy strikes, and the future begins to look bleaker than ever. Grief settles heavily over Ingeborg, and her mother suggests that she leave Norway and start afresh in America, as so many others have done before her. But how will she accomplish that with little money and no one to accompany her? It isn''t long before she meets Roald Bjorklund, a widower who has been planning to go to America for some time, lured by the promise of free land. He''s a good man, a hard-working man--and he has a young son who desperately needs a mother. He''s clearly interested in Ingeborg, but is he the answer to her prayers? And what about love? This isn''t how she''s always imagined it. Ingeborg Strand has a heartrending decision to make...

DJ Randall is still coming to terms with her twin stepbrothers when a horse show comes in the way of her art. Ages 11-14.

Spring of 1884 in Dakota Territory brings the promise of ... A New Day Rising The dream of a farmstead and a good life in America had led Roald and Inegborg Bjorklund to cross the Atlantic and pioneer the virgin prairie of Dakota Territory. But Roald''s tragic disappearance in a winter storm had turned Ingeborg''s dreams into a living nightmare. Against nearly impossible circumstances and overwhelming grief, she struggles to keep the farm and her family together. Finally, with the coming of spring and the arrival of Roald''s distant cousin to temporarily take over the heavy fieldwork, Ingeborg is definitely on the mend after the long winter of darkness of both her soul and mind. Able to return to her care of the children and the soddy, Ingeborg cannot ignore the joy that Haaken brings to their lives or the attraction she begins to feel toward him. When Roald''s brother from Norway also arrives to help her, things become very complicated around the simple prairie dwelling! He Reminded Her of a Viking of Old. Could He Be Persuaded to Stay?

As she and her filly Firefly recover from a tragic racing accident, Trish tries to find out who is behind the disturbing threats she continues to receive and she discovers that God has a perfect plan for her life.