THE MERCY TREE - Sharlene MacLaren - One Free Book

Welcome back, Sharlene. You have a lot of books out now. What is your favorite setting to use in your books? Well, since I write historical fiction, my favorite time period is the mid- to late-1800s, and I think my favorite settings are little towns in the Midwest. I love small towns in Kentucky and Tennessee primarily, but I’ve also written stories with settings in Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Illinois, Michigan (my home state) and... well, my current work in progress will be a wagon train journey set in 1865, so we’ll be passing through Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and so on.

What do you look for when you’re shopping for a book to buy for yourself? Oh, I love romance, have always been a huge fan, but I love a story with lots of layers and plenty of plot depth. In other words, it doesn’t have to be just about the romance. I also love multi-faceted characters, the kind that you either learn to love or look upon with great disdain before the book’s conclusion. I am not a fan of a simplistic stories, so the back cover blurb had better catch my attention in a good way or I will put it back on the shelf.

Give us a little tour of the setting for this book. Interestingly, The Mercy Tree’s setting is Muskegon, MI, my old stomping ground. While I didn’t grow up in Muskegon, I did grow up about 12 miles north of it, and basically know Muskegon forwards and backwards. That made my research easier than most of my other books. Seeing as I was born in 1948 (yes, I’m ancient. Ha!), I still have a very vivid memory of the 1950s, which is the era in which my story takes place. The church I use in the plot, Church of the Open Door, was a very popular, active church in its day, so I snagged that name, but the premise of my story concerning a pastor who discovers he has a son from a brief affair he’d had ten years prior, is completely fictional. Muskegon is situated in central West Michigan, on the beautiful sandy shores of Lake Michigan, home of some lovely state parks, wonderful sand dunes, camping grounds, and restaurants.

What other books do you have coming out soon? As I stated earlier, the project I’m currently working on will be about a woman of twenty-six and her twelve-year-old nephew who join a wagon train to escape the abusive clutches of her nephew’s father. This book will probably release sometime in the fall of 2024, and it will be my 24^th novel.

Please give us a glimpse inside your home. My husband and I have lived in the same home since 1986. It has undergone three major additions, though, so there’s not too much about it that’s original. We despise the idea of ever moving though because we love our neighborhood, so we just keep adding onto it and making little changes here and there in the way of updates. It is a typical ranch-style home, four bedrooms, three baths, two fireplaces, a large kitchen, and a finished basement. It is certainly far from spectacular, but in a word, it’s “home”. I don’t foresee moving until our two daughters say, “Mom, Dad, it’s time for a condo.” And even then, we’ll probably go out kicking and screaming. Haha.

Is this novel part of a series or a stand-alone book? This is a stand-alone novel.

Tell us about the story. It’s 1955, when scandalous affairs are never talked about, divorce is rare, a wife is a “homemaker” more often than not, and every Christian home displays its family Bible front and center. Certainly, a well-respected pastor in the conservative city of Muskegon, Michigan, would never be caught in the middle of a heinous secret that could ruin his career and break up his beautiful marriage and family. Or would he?
When Henry Griffin was stationed in occupied Japan in the mid-1940s, he met Rina Hamada, a Japanese woman who fell head over heels for him. Despite having a young wife and baby daughter waiting at home in the States, Henry had too much to drink one night, and one thing led to another… He knew it was wrong. He struggled with guilt and expressed his resistance, but she professed her love and continued to pursue him.
Now, ten years later, a letter from Japan arrives and threatens to upend Henry’s world. What to do and how to tell his wife are just the beginning of his troubles. Tough questions about faith, redemption, and preserving his reputation bring us here, under the shade of The Mercy Tree.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Prologue

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:14, 15 (Revised Standard Version)

July, 1946

Tokyo, Japan

The smells of fish, nicotine, and sweat lay heavy in the hot, sticky air. Shipping docks littered with cigarette butts, animal waste, food scraps and whatnot, bustled with activity as soldiers carrying haversacks hurried past, and squawking ducks and gulls swooped down to peck at the muddy earth. Hot bodies pressed together in a none too straight line, all vying for a spot on the monstrous steamer, a converted battleship, that would take them back to their beloved homeland, America. Ever since the United States had started occupying Japan, American troops had come and gone, serving months-long stints to help keep the peace among military and civilians as well as rebuild the war-torn country.

Private First-Class Henry Griffin held his place in line amongst hundreds of other soldiers and their wives, awaiting his turn to board. He adjusted the thick leather strap of his overlarge backpack across his shoulder. It weighed heavy with souvenirs and a myriad of belongings he’d collected over the past year. Babies wailed, dogs barked, seagulls squawked, and men laughed and visited, some smoking while they stood in line, others reading American newspapers or magazines, and still others simply standing on the dock, shifting their weight with hot impatience as a grueling sun beat down on them.

Orders from one of the commanders rang out from a crackling loud speaker, but the words were lost on Henry’s ears due to a discontented baby squalling and squirming in his mother’s arms just ten or so feet in front of him. Its mother reached for a bottle under the flap of a bag she carried, her soldier husband trying to lend assistance. She shoved the nipple end into the infant’s mouth, and sweet silence followed. The line moved forward a few steps. For the hundredth time that day, Henry thought about his wife Nora. How would it be when they first locked eyes? A twinge of excitement mixed with guilt stirred inside him. They had talked about whether she should join him in Japan, but with a new baby, they’d decided it best she move in with her parents until his return. He wished now he’d insisted she come. No doubt it would’ve been better in the long run. He tried to push aside his tangled emotions by withdrawing his wallet from his back pocket and taking out the wrinkled photograph he kept stored between a few dollar bills. Nora had sent him the photo of his daughter Paige just after her first birthday. Now she was a full sixteen months old. How much had she grown? How many teeth did she have? How long was her wispy blond hair? Was it long enough for a barrette?

How can readers find you on the Internet?

They can find me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sharmaclaren   

I also have a private FB group called Sharlene MacLaren & Friends (Come join the fun!)

Look for me on Twitter, or check out my website at www.sharlenemaclaren.com

Thank you, Sharlene, for sharing this book with us. I’m eager to read it. I’ve always loved your stories.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Mercy-Tree-Novel-Sharlene-MacLaren/dp/1641239565/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1677782368&sr=1-1

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