THIS HEALING JOURNEY - Misty M Beller - One Free Book

Bio: Misty M. Beller writes romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.

She was raised on a farm in South Carolina, so her Southern roots run deep. Growing up, her family was close, and they continue to keep that priority today. Her husband and daughters now add another dimension to her life, keeping her both grounded and crazy.

God has placed a desire in Misty's heart to combine her love for Christian fiction and the simpler ranch life, writing historical novels that display God's abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters. 

Welcome back, Misty. How did this book come about?

I’ve long been wanting to do a book that reunites some of the characters between my two favorite series (My first series, the Mountain Dreams Series, and the spin-off series, Heart of the Mountains.) This is the book where I was finally able to do that! In This Healing Journey, Simeon Grant (from Heart of the Mountains, book 1) goes on a journey to find the son he gave up for adoption as an infant (the hero in Mountain Dreams, book 5). It was so wonderful to revisit all my old friends!

I’m eager to read it, too. Tell us about the book’s cover and what makes it unique.

I love to have the covers for my books done during my writing process, whenever possible, because I can better describe the heroine as readers see her on the cover. For This Healing Journey, the scene at the bottom of the cover is almost exactly the way I envision Nathaniel’s cabin in the little clearing, surrounded by trees. Can you imagine living in that little one room home with a dirt floor?

Please explain and differentiate between what’s fact and fiction in the book.

Most of This Healing Journey is set in the mountain wilderness, with only a few scenes in the nearby town of Butte. I try hard to accurately represent what life would have actually been like trying to survive—and even thrive—in such a challenging setting. Without giving away too much of the story, a band of Hidatsa Indians also play a significant part. The Hidatsa were Plains Indians who lived mostly in the Dakotas, but they were known to drift into Montana at times. It would have been unusual for them to venture into the mountain country for long, but it did happen on occasion.

How much research did you have to do for this book?

I had already written a 5-book series set in Butte and the surrounding mountains, so I didn’t have to research the setting very much. I did need to learn a great deal about the cavalry regiments that had spent time in the Montana area, along with their various forays and assignments. It took a while to find the right cavalry regiment for Nathaniel to have been part of, but the 2nd Regiment, B Company was exactly right!

I love your books, because you’re like me—wanting everything as close to authentic as you can get it. What are some of the most interesting things you found about this subject that you weren’t able to use in the story?

I always love studying the cultures of the Native Americans I get to include in my book. I spent more time than I should have researching markings on arrows made by different tribes, but in the end, I wasn’t able to tell about any of them, as the Hidatsa didn’t have any particular markings they used as a tribe. Maybe someday I’ll be able to use the research in another story that includes the Sioux!

I’ve used research I did about the Scottish migrating to the US in the 1700’s in two contemporary books and one historical. No research goes to waste in my office. What inspired and surprised you while you were writing the book?

Itu! I had only a vague idea of who this brave little Indian girl was when I began the story, and only planned for her to appear in one or two chapters. As I began writing the scenes where we meet her, I quickly fell in love with her!

What do you hope the reader takes away from the story?

There are several themes woven through this story, but there’s one that is dear to my heart: Unconditional love.

Hannah experiences it in the love of the father who wasn’t a blood connection, but chose to raise her as his own anyway.

Nathaniel experiences it as he watches Hannah live out her faith in both small and significant ways.

They both show Itu unconditional love as they exhaust themselves in caring for her. I can’t say more here without giving too many spoilers, but I love how Itu becomes a symbol of this unconditional love!

So many readers need to learn about unconditional love. What is the next project you’re working on?

Right now, I’m just beginning book 1 in a new series! The details are still a bit fuzzy in my mind, but the story is set a little farther back than my usual time period, somewhere around 1830. The characters follow much of the journey that Lewis and Clark’s party traveled through what is now Montana. I’m loving meeting these new characters! This first book should release in January, 2020.

I’ll look forward to it. What do you do when you have to get away from the story for a while?

With four young kiddos (ages 11 through 3 weeks), there’s ALWAYS a lot I should be doing. When I step away from writing to clear my head, I usually get sucked into housework or play a board game with the kids. Or anything else that pops up! Our life is a little chaotic right now.

That kind of chaos is good. Enjoy it while you can. Please give us the first page of the book.

On the brink of finally claiming this dream. Why do my fears rise to taunt me now?

~ Nathaniel

June, 1880

Near Butte, Montana Territory

Meeting a stranger shouldn’t make him so nervous. Shouldn’t even give him a second’s worry. Nathaniel Peak rubbed a sweating palm down his trouser leg as he tried to settle into his horse’s stride. After all, he’d faced down hundreds of enemy rifles and charged into the midst of Indian war cries and brutal spears. By the grace of God he’d survived. Survived and finally escaped the ruthless life in the cavalry he’d grown to hate so fiercely.

Now, a simple life as a civilian rancher shouldn’t set his nerves on edge. He was only meeting a neighbor. Maybe a family. These were the people living nearest his new homestead. The neighbors he could call on for help and return the favor in kind.

Yet, since the rising sun had awakened him that morning, he’d had a gnawing in his gut. The feeling that came before battle, the sting of goose flesh and hair standing on end. But why?

We want to know why too. How can readers find you on the Internet?

I love to connect at my website, Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, Bookbub, and Pinterest. 

Thank you, Misty, for sharing this new book with us.

Readers, here are links to the book.

This Healing Journey (Heart of the Mountains) - Paperback
This Healing Journey (Heart of the Mountains Book 7) - Kindle
This Healing Journey: Heart of the Mountains, Book 7 - Audiobook

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