{"id":815,"date":"2008-11-12T09:55:31","date_gmt":"2008-11-12T14:55:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/\/?p=815"},"modified":"2008-11-12T09:55:31","modified_gmt":"2008-11-12T14:55:31","slug":"one-holy-night-by-j-m-hochstetler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=815","title":{"rendered":"One Holy Night by J. M. Hochstetler"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

This week, the
\nChristian Fiction Blog Alliance<\/a>
\nis introducing
\nOne Holy Night<\/a>
\nSheaf House (April 1, 2008)
\nby J. M. Hochstetler<\/a><\/h3>\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nJ. M. Hochstetler writes stories that always involve some element of the past and of finding home. Born in central Indiana, the daughter of Mennonite farmers, she graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Germanic languages. She was an editor with Abingdon Press for twelve years and has published three novels.<\/p>\n

One Holy Night, a contemporary miracle story for all seasons, released in April 2008. Daughter of Liberty (2004)<\/a> and Native Son (2005)<\/a>, books 1 and 2 of the American Patriot Series are set during the American Revolution. Book 3, Wind of the Spirit, is scheduled for release in March 2009. Hochstetler is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Christian Authors Network, Middle Tennessee Christian Writers, and Historical Novels Society.<\/p>\n

ABOUT THE BOOK<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>In 1967 the military build-up in Viet Nam is undergoing a dramatic surge. The resulting explosion of anti-war sentiment tears the country apart, slicing through generations and shattering families. In the quiet bedroom community of Shepherdsville, Minnesota, the war comes home to Frank and Maggie McRae, whose only son, Mike, is serving as a grunt in Viet Nam.<\/p>\n

Frank despises all Asians because of what he witnessed as a young soldier fighting the Japanese in the south Pacific during WWII. The news that his son has fallen in love with and married Thi Nhuong, a young Vietnamese woman, shocks him. To Frank all Asians are enemies of his country, his family, and himself. A Buddhist, Thi Nhuong represents everything he despises. So he cuts Mike out of his life despite the pleas of his wife, Maggie; daughter, Julie; and Julie s husband, Dan, the pastor of a growing congregation.<\/p>\n

Maggie is fighting her own battle–against cancer. Convinced that God is going to heal her, Frank plays the part of a model Christian. Her death on Thanksgiving Day devastates him. Worse, as they arrive home from the gravesite, the family receives news of Mike s death in battle. Embittered, Frank stops attending church and cuts off family and friends.<\/p>\n

By the time a very pregnant Thi Nhuong arrives on his doorstep on a stormy Christmas Eve, Frank is so filled with hate that he slams the door in her face, shutting her out in the bitter cold. Finally, overcome by guilt, he tries to go after her, but driving wind and snow force him back inside. With the storm rising to blizzard strength, he confronts the wrenching truth that what hate has driven him to do is as evil as what the Japanese did all those years earlier, and that he needs forgiveness as desperately as they did …<\/p>\n

Frank doesn’t know that what God has in mind this night is a miracle. As on that holy night so many years ago, a baby will be born and laid in a manger–a baby who will bring forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing to a family that has suffered heart-wrenching loss.<\/p>\n

If you would like to read the first chapter of One Holy Night<\/a>, go HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Learn more about Joan and her books on her Website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

MY REVIEW:<\/h3>\n

I had mixed feelings about\u00a0 One Holy Night<\/a> the entire time I was reading it, probably because it dredged up uncomfortable memories of a devastating time of our history. As I read I also knew that tragedy, pain and grief was inevitable in the lives of the characters and I really didn’t want to go there. Needless to say, when that time came I was glad to have a box of tissues near.<\/p>\n

The reader is given a view of the Vietnam era through the eyes of several different characters – a pacifist pastor, a recently returned veteran who experiences nightmares about his experiences there, letters from a soldier in the midst of the conflict, a father who still has his own unresolved pain and prejudices from World War II.<\/p>\n

Emotions are highly charged as the McRae family deals with Maggie’s terminal cancer and Mike’s deployment to Vietnam. Mike’s subsequent marriage to a Vietnamese girl further incites Frank’s rage and the deaths of both Maggie and Mike send him into a tailspin. What happens on Christmas Eve brings Frank to face the ugly truth about himself and is the beginning of his restoration.<\/p>\n

One Holy Night<\/a> is a story of God’s grace and forgiveness at a time when life has reached its darkest moment. It is more than just a Christmas story but a look into the human soul and the love God has for each one.<\/p>\n

Come and visit some of those joining in the blog tour:<\/p>\n

Abi at lighter side<\/a>
\nAdam at Northwoods Blumer<\/a>
\nAmber at A Fiction-Filled Life<\/a>
\nAmy at Simple Folk Schoolhouse<\/a>
\nAmy at sprightly<\/a>
\nAmy at My Life<\/a>
\nAndie at frommipov<\/a>
\nAndrea at Ask Andrea<\/a>
\nAngela at One Baby, Seven Dogs, and a Mommy<\/a>
\nApril at Projecting A<\/a>
\nBecky at Savvy Mom<\/a>
\nBonnie at Bonnie Writes<\/a>
\nBrittanie at A Book Lover<\/a>
\nCamy at Camy Tang<\/a>
\nCarla at Carla’s Writing Caf\u00e9<\/a>
\nCarole at Dark Parables<\/a>
\nCarolyn at Serenity<\/a>
\nCeeCee at Book Splurge<\/a>
\nCheri at Kudzu and Koolaid<\/a>
\nChristy at Christy’s Book Blog<\/a>
\nDave at Dave Rhoades<\/a>
\nDave at Novel Spotlight<\/a>
\nDebra at Soul Reflections<\/a>
\nDeena at A Peek At My Bookshelf<\/a>
\nDelia at Gatorskunkz And Mudcats<\/a>
\nEdyth at Great Reads by Jasmine<\/a>
\nErin at Life Around Here<\/a>
\nGina at Upon Reflection<\/a>
\nGretchen at Inspire Me<\/a>
\nHeidi at Take Root And Write<\/a>
\nJanis at The Nearsighted Bookworm<\/a>
\nJanna at Cornhusker Academy<\/a>
\nJenn at Adventures At Walden’s Pond<\/a>
\nKara at Ramblings-n-Writings<\/a>
\nKaren at Mommy of Three<\/a>
\nKarla at Another Road To Ramble<\/a>
\nKelly at A Disciple’s Steps<\/a>
\nKim at Window To My World<\/a>
\nKrista at Welcome To Married Life<\/a>
\nKristi at Stamped With Grace<\/a>
\nLaShaunda at See Ya On The Net<\/a>
\nLaura at Laura William’s Musings<\/a>
\nLeslie at A Little Bit Of Sunlight<\/a>
\nLinda at Mocha With Linda<\/a>
\nLinda at Reading For His Glory<\/a>
\nLisa at Musings<\/a>
\nLori at Noggin Bits<\/a>
\nLynetta at Open Book<\/a>
\nMargaret at Creative Madness<\/a>
\nMichelle at Edgy Inspirational Author<\/a>
\nMichelle at Michelle’s Great Blogs<\/a>
\nMichelle at Raising Little Women<\/a>
\nNora at Finding Hope Through Christian Fiction<\/a>
\nPam at Daysong Reflections<\/a>
\nPatricia at Readin N Writin With Patricia<\/a>
\nPeg at Sips ‘n Cups Cafeteria<\/a>
\nPepper at Great Christian Fiction<\/a>
\nRachelle at Stifled Squeal<\/a>
\nRhonda at Whatever\u2026<\/a>
\nRobin at Between Sundays<\/a>
\nRulan at Fiction Showcase<\/a>
\nSally at Smiling Sally<\/a>
\nSonya at My Thousand Loves<\/a>
\nSunny at That Book Addiction<\/a>
\nTakiela at Beauty 4 Ashes<\/a>
\nTara at Tara’s View Of The World<\/a>
\nTracy at Pix-N-Pens<\/a>
\nVanessa at Ramblings of A Texas Housewife<\/a>
\nVicki atThe Savvy Christian Writer<\/a>
\nVictoria at Overlooked Orchid<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing One Holy Night Sheaf House (April 1, 2008) by J. M. Hochstetler ABOUT THE AUTHOR: J. M. Hochstetler writes stories that always involve some element of the past and of finding home. Born in central Indiana, the daughter of Mennonite farmers, she graduated from Indiana University […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/815"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=815"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/815\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":818,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/815\/revisions\/818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}