Mad Joy

A heart-warming and passionate tale from the author of Tommy Glover's Sketch of Heaven At the age of five I ran into a wood, and nearly two years later I walked out of it and into the nearest house. In 1927, Gracie returns to her house to find a young girl curled up on her armchair: a feral, rather grubby gift of fate. With no knowledge of the child's origins and no children of her own, Gracie adopts her and names her 'Joy'. Despite the endless speculation about Joy's unusual ways, Gracie is happy to remain ignorant about her past in case anyone should come forward to reclaim her as their own. Time passes and Joy grows into a young woman at the advent of World War II. But when she becomes romantically involved with a fighter pilot the mystery of her past slowly unravels . . . Praise for Jane Bailey 'A vivid and involving novel that reaches a truly page-turning climax' Barbara Trepido 'Absorbing, compelling and intensely moving' Lesley Glaister, author of As Far as You Can Go 'A gentle, poignant, achingly funny tale of displaced children, first love and the tragic secrets hidden behind so many respectable facades' Serena Mackesy, author of The Temp

Joy Fleece Brown has just graduated from college and she feels sure that her boyfriend, Drew Johnson is going to propose. Drew has known Joy all of his life and he has always loved and respected her. But, his own family life and the secrets that he has learned about his Mother and Father make it impossible for him to commit to marriage. The engagement of Joy’s cousin, Camilla “Comfy” Brown to Carl Jones shines a bright light on Joy and Drew’s relationship and forces them both to make some important decisions that cause them to go their separate ways. But, after looking for love elsewhere and experiencing some disastrous results; can the power of love and the comfort and friendship of “The Gang” bring Joy and Drew back together?

Tom is a stand-up comedian with a burgeoning career. At one point everyone thought his sister would join him to make up a comedy duo but Ellen was always more minded towards drawing and art in general. But she remained the driving force behind Tom's chosen path. Then one day she came to Tom with some cruel news she had pancreatic cancer. Surgery was followed by hospitalisation. Nothing to laugh at you'd imagine, but Tom and Ellen continued to bounce humour off each other with Tom running the gauntlet of the doctor's ire to take Ellen out to see the trees and her favourite statue The Mad Maiden by Rik Wouters inspired by the dancer Isadora Duncan. To her dying day Ellen thought the statue looked mad with joy!

Life is full of joy when it's least expected in this sweet Amish romance from the author of The Gift of Hope. Joshua Kanagy’s older brother has left the family gift shop business, which is wonderful gute for Aaron, but not for Joshua. Horses are his talent—raising and training them. But how can Joshua step away from the shop when his parents have already had to give up the dream of leaving their legacy to all three of their sons? Enter Joy Yoder, a determined, if sometimes misguided, helper who always manages to drag Joshua into her schemes and promises. Only now her focus turns to finding a solution to his problem, partly to distract from her own. Her mamm has her heart set on Joy marrying the minister’s son, and she’s not sure she wants to. Joy gets the grand idea to propose to Joshua, offering a partnership of convenience rather than love. But as the wedding approaches, Joy starts to develop feelings for Joshua. Is it possible Gotte’s plan for Joy includes faith, friendship, and love?