ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Mary E. DeMuth is an expert in Pioneer Parenting. She enables Christian parents to navigate our changing culture when their families left no good faith examples to follow.Her parenting books include Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture (Harvest House, 2007), Building the Christian Family You Never Had (WaterBrook, 2006), and Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God (Harvest House, 2005).
Mary also inspires people to face their trials through her real-to-life novels, Watching the Tree Limbs (nominated for a Christy Award) and Wishing On Dandelions (NavPress, 2006).
Mary has spoken at Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, the ACFW Conference, the Colorado Christian Writers Conference, and at various churches and church planting ministries. Mary and her husband, Patrick, reside in Texas with their three children. They recently returned from breaking new spiritual ground in Southern France, and planting a church.
ABOUT THE BOOK
The abrupt disappearance of young Daisy Chance from a small Texas town in 1973 spins three lives out of control—Jed, whose guilt over not protecting his friend Daisy strangles him; Emory Chance, who blames her own choices for her daughter’s demise; and Ouisie Pepper, who is plagued by headaches while pierced by the shattered pieces of a family in crisis.In this first book in the Defiance, Texas Trilogy, fourteen-year-old Jed Pepper has a sickening secret: He’s convinced it’s his fault his best friend Daisy went missing. Jed’s pain sends him on a quest for answers to mysteries woven through the fabric of his own life and the lives of the families of Defiance, Texas. When he finally confronts the terrible truths he’s been denying all his life, Jed must choose between rebellion and love, anger and freedom.
Daisy Chain is an achingly beautiful southern coming-of-age story crafted by a bright new literary talent. It offers a haunting yet hopeful backdrop for human depravity and beauty, for terrible secrets and God’s surprising redemption.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Daisy Chain, go HERE
Margie's Comments: Mary DeMuth has once again brought us a story of pain, anger, and guilt in the midst of the hope we have in Christ, of truth, love, and freedom. Redemption is a theme that runs through all of Mary's books. And I can appreciate that, since I have experienced all of these. God's love and grace continue to amaze me when I honestly assess who I am without Christ.
Mary doesn't shy away from the most difficult issues of life. And Daisy Chain is at times dark and difficult to read. However, Mary's literary style draws the reader into the fictional world of Defiance, Texas. While I like to read fiction that allows me to escape into another world, I also enjoy fiction that challenges me to stand strong in the battle against evil. In Daisy Chain, Mary definitely challenges.
In some ways Daisy Chain was very hard for me to read in that it reminded me of things I would rather forget. Things I wish weren't true in the real world. But the sad fact of life is that we are a fallen people. And we can't fix things on our own. We all need a Savior, and many who choose to hide their sin under the cloak of the church or religion haven't confronted the fact of their own depravity and have refused to accept the responsibility of their actions.
Mankind's hope is in knowing and experiencing God's everlasting love and learning to accept God's amazing grace. He knew us before He ever created this world . . . and He loved us even then, in spite of our sin. Daisy Chain is a strong reminder that because God knew what sin would do in this world, He made provision for our salvation through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. He also made us with free will, able to choose our path through life. What I think most of us don't realize is the long-term effects of choosing to go our own way rather than choosing to follow Christ.
I appreciate Mary and her willingness to write about some of the toughest issues of sin's consequences. I appreciate her literary style of writing that pulls me gently into the story of her characters. But be warned . . . it's not always easy reading. And it will challenge you to think about your own choices in life and how those choices affect others for generations to come.
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