Other Books
by Donna Fletcher Crow
The Shadow of Reality is based on a murder weekend my husband and I attended in the Hudson River Valley in New York and uses my love of the work of Dorothy L. Sayers as a background:
The setting was all her fantasies come true: an elegant English manor house in the 1930's.
The man was even more than she had dreamed: Sir Gavin Kendall- sophisticated, brilliant, rich and captivated by her.
Will Elizabeth's lifelong dreams become reality or will she fall prey to the vicious murderer lurking in the shadows at an exotic mystery weekend high in the Rockies?
Will Elizabeth discover the narrow line between fantasy and reality in time to achieve her dreams?
|
My epic, Glastonbury, A Novel of Christian England, grew out of my lifelong fascination with the Arthurian legends. It begins with the birth of Christ and takes the reader through the lives of families in Celtic, Roman, Arthurian, Anglo-Saxon, Norman and Tudor Britain. The centerpiece is the Holy Grail as Austin Ringwode, last of the Glastonbury monks, seeks to understand the upheaval of his time. My Scottish and Irish epics The Fields of Bannockburn and The Banks of the Boyne continue my passion for British history. I like to say that Bannockburn is "The Real Braveheart," and The Banks of the Boyne carries the story into the future with a vision of lasting peace. |
The Cambridge Chronicles
The Cambridge Chronicles is a six-book series recounting in colorful biographical novel style the work of 18th and 19th century Evangelical Anglicans and others.
| A Gentle Calling (1749-1750) John and Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, William Law |
Treasures of the Heart (1772-1773) Charles Wesley, Roweland Hill, the Countess of Huntingdon |
Where Love Begins (1824) Charles Simeon, Robert Hall |
| To Be Worthy (1823-1825) Charles Simeon, William Wilberforce |
Encounter the Light (1854-1856) Florence Nightingale, Lord Shaftesbury, Charles Spurgeon |
Where Love Calls (1883-1885) D. L. Moody, The Cambridge Seven, Hudson Taylor |
Daughters of Courage Series
For the Daughters of Courage Series, an Idaho pioneer family saga, I turned to stories of my own family.
Kathryn, Days of Struggle and Triumph is a composite of my grandmothers' stories and other valiant women who pioneered in Idaho's desert before irrigation was available, and still managed to keep journals.
Elizabeth, Days of Loss and Hope is based on my mother's story as a teacher in a country school during the depression.
Stephanie, Days of Turmoil and Victory isn't my story since there was never anything I wanted less than a political career, but I do use my memories of the turbulent '70s and a few of my experiences as a rodeo queen. Through it all runs the inspiration of the English great-grandmother who emigrated to America through Canada after her textile mill burned down.
Lord Danvers Mysteries
The Lord Danvers Mysteries are Victorian murder mysteries, each a fictional story woven around a true crime.
A Most Inconvenient Death introduces hot air ballooning enthusiast and opera lover Lord Charles Danvers and embroils him in the bloody Stanfield Hall murders even as he struggles to recover from the untimely death of his fiance.
In Grave Matters Lord Danvers and Lady Antonia Hoover discover a body at the grand opening of the Crystal Palace only two days before their wedding, and the mystery follows them on their honeymoon to Edinburgh where they encounter the dark and grisly doings of Resurrectionists Burke and Hare.
To Dust You Shall Return finds Lady Antonia with her own dark secret. Her harmless hobby of antiquing in the charming shops of Canterbury ensnare her in the mysterious slaying of Catherine Bacon, an escapade that ends with a chase over the rooftop of Canterbury Cathedral.
Virtuous Heart Series
The Virtuous Heart Series explores serious problems in the format of romance novels. All Things New is set in Seaside, Oregon, where four generations of our family has vacationed. Debbie Jensen's newfound freedom after nine years spent keeping house for her widowed father is threatened by recurring nightmares from her past.
Roses in Autumn is set in one of my favorite places on earth, Victoria, B. C. Laura James and her husband make a troubled attempt at a second honeymoon after she finds him in the arms of his business associate, but learn that it takes more than lovely gardens and delicious teas to heal the wounds in their marriage.
Serenade Romances
Writing the inspirational Serenade Romances for Zondervan (later Forever Romances from Guideposts) taught me a great deal about the structure of my craft-after I calmed down and smoothed out the Writer's Guidelines I had wadded into a ball and thrown against the wall in disgust.
In Greengold Autumn artist Christine Burton flees to the lovely mountain resort of McCall, Idaho, to escape an unwanted affair. "Out of the frying pan and into the fire" becomes all too literal when she falls in love with forest ranger Jarrett Connally and is trapped in a raging forest fire.
The Desires of Your Heart allowed me to give rein to my love of England and to use some of the experiences from my first visit there when I was about the age of my heroine Sandy Hollis. Falling in love with an enigmatic Englishman, however, was entirely Sandy's adventure.
Love Unmerited is my lush, tropical romance for public relations director Susan Jamison-inside the book. But became one of my greatest publishing disappointments when the publisher's cover artist mixed up two of my manuscripts and instead of orchids and palm trees beside a waterfall, I got the Idaho State Capitol building in a January blizzard on the outside of the book. But, oh, those lovely beaches my husband and I walked in the name of research!
Children's Books
When my grade school age sons became enthusiastic readers of Choose Your Own Adventure books I took up the challenge of applying that technique to teaching Bible stories with the device of a time machine that could put the reader on the scene.
Professor Q's Mysterious Machine could land you in the middle of a burning temple, a tossing ship, a royal palace or an underground hideout.
Dr. Zarnof's Plot pits the mad scientist Professor Q against insane historian Dr. Zarnof and takes the reader to an ancient royal court, to the catacombs in Roman times, or to a Philistine temple just as Sampson brings the roof down on everyone.
Mr. X's Golden Scheme could lead you to King Solomon's fabled mines, or take you floating down the Boise River in an inner tube.
My editor requested General K's Victory Tour when I had just returned from a research trip to England with two of my children, so I used some of their favorite adventures visiting the crown jewels, Robin Hood's Sherwood Forest, and Richard the Lionheart's castle.
Non-Fiction Books
Two of my nonfiction books reflect my life as well: The Frantic Mother Cookbook uses stories from my own, at that time, hectic family life and gives favorite recipes for keeping them fed.
Seasons of Prayer, Rediscovering Classic Prayers Through The Christian Calendar is a study book intended as an entry-level introduction to living in the Christian Calendar.