"A Door Cracked Open"
By Carmina Edwards

Synopsis:

Release date: November, 2015

Genre: Biography

Raised in a mean-spirited, poverty-stricken home in the seventies, where her quarrelsome father tries to squash her carefree spirit and her three siblings make fun of her, Amy struggles to understand what value she has. Somehow finding God in the midst of an atheist upbringing, she perseveres to grow up better than the useless person she’s assured she is.

When told at the age of sixteen that she must start working to pay her way instead of finishing school, she dares to dream of a better life, away from the squabbles and constant despair she encounters at home.

A magazine ad from a family in Sweden, looking for someone to watch their children, entices Amy’s adventurous spirit, and she soon finds herself looking through a new door in her life, cracked open to an amazing world she never dreamed possible, where people are nice to her and life is good.

“An incredible true story of perseverance in adversity, this is one account where truth truly is stranger than fiction.” ~Laurie Penner.

My Thoughts:

Whenever I agree to read and review a book by an author that I am not familiar with, I find myself somewhat worried! What if I don't like this book?? A negative review is very difficult for me to write!! HOWEVER..... this need not to have been a concern with this novel! My attention was captured on the first page ! The biggest problem was... that I did NOT want to put this book down, until I had read the last page. It was a story of faith that remained secure in the midst of the most heartbreaking challenges.

The characters were so vividly and realistically described, that I immediately felt part of their lives. The main character , Amy, had to learn about life, faith and family in the most difficult circumstances. Her father was a force to be reckoned with!! How she achieved in spite of her unhappy home situation was truly amazing! She took every negative circumstance and made it become a positive stepping stone to make improvements in her life. Everyone can learn a lesson from this young lady!! She kept her eyes focused on the one above! God had a plan for her life in the midst of her many trials!! It is only through Him that she learned the meaning of unconditional love. Despite a heartbreaking family life, Amy made decisions that would change the course of her future. I rejoiced with her as she found peace and satisfaction.

The plot moves slowly but has just enough twists and turns to keep the reader totally engaged. There were many moments when I was reading, that I just had no idea of what Amy would do when encountering another life changing challenge!!

This would be an excellent read for young adults. It shows how an individual can succeed even when the past has frightful and hurtful memories. The importance of keeping one's faith in the midst of the storm is the underlying message!

This book was received as a gift. The opinions and thoughts expressed are honest and my own.

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About the Author:

I am a mother of two wonderful grown up children and currently living in the UK, after living in Sweden for three years where I wrote my first book, “A Door Cracked Open.” I was blessed to be able to spend six months in USA before returning to the UK, my home country, to work with my editor in California on the edits of this book and visit friends.

I am an avid reader and linguist, having also spent some years living in France and have been fortunate enough to have taught Swedish and French over twenty-five years and translate for businesses and manuscripts in both languages. Being unemployed the past few years, has led to me becoming homeless. However, I never give up hope. As I try to portray in my books, God has always had His hand on me. Once again, He has stepped in right at the last minute. I now have a new job in Sweden and will be moving back there. Because I feel passionately about helping the homeless, a large percentage of my royalties will go directly to them.

Guest Post from the Author:

Something about my book.

After many friends, having seen the unusual life I have led up until now, told me that I should write a book, I finally decided to do just that. I am an ordinary person who has not suffered more than many, but have been privileged with many extra-ordinary experiences. I wrote my book in order to share with others, just how God has had His hand on me and brought me through some tough times which seemed impossible to find a way out of. My first book highlights some of this, though it isn’t until the second book, that more becomes clear and the third book will show the extreme mercy and grace He has showered me with. The story is still unfolding. My aim is to show, through my writing, that giving up is never an option. Stay true to God and He does pull us through. Trusting in Him is key and I personally, have seen Him transform some of the dreams He put onto my heart, into reality. I’d love for my books to be of some encouragement to others and have so far received several emails from readers all over the world, telling me how my story so far, has done that. One went so far as to say that she had given up, but read my book purely by chance and has picked herself up and is once again back on the road to reach her goals. The story of a scatty, spontaneous and highly sensitive girl, ridiculed all her life because of her faith and dreams, (she’s born into a completely atheist family). never gives up and some of the situations she gets herself into are pretty scary, but sometimes humorous. Yet God’s protection is seen all the way through.