From Chapter One

"Let's go around the table and get to know one another," Marianne said. "Brian and I have been married for eighteen years, and we have three kids—two girls and a boy. Tenth, seventh, and fourth grades. Let's see . . . we met in a family home evening group at the Y. We've lived in American Fork for the last four years. This is our first deployment, and I'm terrified." She said the last with a chuckle, as if trying to make light of it. She turned to Nora to pass the baton of introductions.

"I suppose I'm the grandma of the group," Nora said wryly. But this woman was the furthest thing from a gray-haired, rocking chair–bound granny. "This is our third deployment. My husband served in Desert Storm and had a second tour in Iraq a few years after 9/11. We have five kids. Dan, my oldest, is an orthodontist in Texas. My two daughters live in Michigan and Ohio with their families. One's married to a lawyer, and the husband of the younger one is finishing grad school. Steven's on a mission in Toronto, and Scott, our baby, started at USU this summer, straight out of high school. I've got an empty nest now."

Kim couldn't help but notice that the daughters were identified only by what their husbands did, as if the women weren't individuals who had their own lives, passions, or activities. They didn't even have their own names. They were almost certainly stay-at-home moms, which took over their lives and even ate up who they were. Exactly what she didn't want to become. But she would anyway.

Jessie and Brenda each took a turn with an introduction. Both had three kids. Both had been married for roughly the same time. Then it was Kim's turn.

She cleared her throat uneasily. "Oh, well. I'm not very interesting. We got married in April, so no kids yet. Justin's hoping to finish school and be a social worker when he gets back, but that'll be awhile yet. I work as a dental assistant."

Oh, and I think I'm pregnant.


Click here to read the first three chapters.



General Book Information

Women's Fiction
Trade Paperback
Covenant Communications
$15.99, 288 pages
ISBN 978-1-59811-852-0
First Printing March 2010

Band of Sisters

Click here to read
the first three chapters.


When the war on terror calls their husbands to duty, five LDS women are left behind to fight battles of their own: Kim, newlywed and pregnant, frightened of what the future might bring. Brenda, struggling to manage three unruly boys and a crippling bout of depression. Jessie, secretly grappling with mixed feelings about her crumbling marriage. Marianne, wrestling with a rebellious teenage daughter. And Nora, the seasoned Army wife with perfect hair, an immaculate home—and an ill-tempered mother dying of cancer.

Knowing the separation of deployment is extremely difficult, Nora gathers the wives every week to share lunches and burdens. In good company, they worry over safety in the field and stability at home and offer one another counsel and comfort.

But as their personal crises build, each woman faces the risks of forming deep bonds of trust. And when tragedy strikes, they must confront the painful realities of war that pull families apart and bring friends together as sisters.

The evening of the Whitney Awards gala, where Band of Sisters took the Whitney for Best General Novel.

When a friend went through her husband’s deployment, I felt helpless—sure, I could babysit and be listening ear, but what could I do that would make a real difference?

By the time I found the blog called "A Year with Flat Daddy," her husband was home and I’d already written Band of Sisters.

Even so, I followed the blog, learning about one family’s experience with a Flat Daddy—often tearing up as I read the posts. I knew that this was something people could do to help: donate to the Flat Daddy Program so more could become available to families who needed them.

Now I’m working directly with the Flat Daddies director to raise awareness and funds for this very special cause.

Click HERE to learn more.
Author's Notes

Some resources for military families and friends:

The article that started it all:
Reviews

Coming soon…