Mary Awakening

Award Winner in Outstanding “Religious/Christian Non-Fiction” Category of The Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards Award Winner in the Spirituality: Inspirational category of the 2024 Best Book Awards sponsored by American Book Fest Explores obscured periods of...

Writing a century later than Jane Austen, Whitby’s work examines many of the same themes: women and marriage, concepts of honor and pride, passion and love, and self-sacrifice. In The Awakening of Mary Fenwick, we find a naïve young woman who has been raised in a sheltered and isolated home by a grieving father.

Even if she must sell herself in marriage to the highest bidder, Lady Laura Middleton is determined to provide her daughter a home and protector. But when Queen Eleanor presents her cousin with four suitors, among them is one who believes Laura betrayed him 10 years past. Despite her attempts to discourage his pursuit, he is determined to have her for the dowry needed to save his lands.

This wonderful little book is a tale of our individual and collective awakening into the experience of being authentically ourselves and fully awake to life. It is an allegory of the journey from the free-flowing aliveness we were born with, into the confines of our minds, and then re-awakening to the experience of that aliveness within us.

From the outside, Vince Kramer looked like he had it all. He was a commercial airline pilot, happily married, owned a beautiful home, and treated himself to the finer things in life. With so much in his life, why was he feeling like there should be more? Why wasn’t he happier? Fulfilled? As his days unfolded, he came to the uncomfortable realization that searching for satisfaction from the outside world wasn’t going to fill the void within himself.

We've all heard the old stories of "Bloody Mary", the mirrored death that awaits from calling her name in the dark. There have even been many people that have tried it with no success. However, Mary has been sleeping for over 100 years, but now, now she has awakened.

At 29 years old, Mary and her newlywed husband embark at a two-year diplomatic assignment to South Africa. A continued campaign of economic sanctions from the international community has pressured President De Klerk to negotiate with recently-freed Nelson Mandela to end apartheid with the end goal of democratic government. Uncertainty about the future hangs like a cloud cover over the South African heat.

On vacation in Grand Isle, Louisiana, a married woman falls in love with a charming, attentive young man. The relationship spurs Edna Pontellier to explore her longing for independence and creative fulfillment. It also compels her to defy conventions, rejecting the constraints of marriage and motherhood. First published in 1899, Kate Chopin's novel drew criticism for its daring portrayal of female infidelity. Rediscovered decades later, it is now lauded for its lyricism, honesty, and astute social commentary.

The magical heralds emerged from the mist. I hadn’t thought they’d seen me, but before I knew it, I was tasked with choosing the guide for the next merlin in exchange for the ability to read. They didn’t even ask me if I wanted this! Now, all I had to do was survive. I didn’t know magic. I didn’t know how or even if I could carry out the herald’s task. But the one thing I did know was that I wanted to make a difference in the world. I became a healer. Then the herald’s prophecy started knocking on my door and my life became even more complicated.