| An act of greed or an act of God? Introducing a new series of 6 exciting novels featuring historic American disasters that transformed landscapes and multiple lives. Whether by nature or by man, these disasters changed history and were a day to be remembered. Pastor Montgomery Childs has tended his flock in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, for two years. While his pews are full every Sunday, he most desires to see a reckoning between God and the kings of industry who recreate on Lake Conemaugh. The pleasure grounds, flowing alcohol, and business dealings of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club taunts Monty as he works to heal the wounds inflicted from his own privileged childhood among Pittsburgh society. Like Noah, Monty prays against the evil surrounding him, but he never expects God to send a flood. |  |
It takes five days for the Red Cross to respond to the Johnstown flood disaster, but when it does, Annamae Worthington is ready to help. Apprenticing under Clara Barton has prepared her for the job, but nothing can prepare her for the death and destruction that awaits. As if the survivors haven’t suffered enough, typhoid fever ravages the town, resurfacing suppressed emotions regarding her father’s death.
Narrowly surviving the flood and the horrifying things he’s witnessed, Monty’s faith is floundering. Then a Red Cross nurse puts him to work helping with the typhoid fever victims arriving at the hospital tents every hour. Monty and Annamae work together distributing disinfectants and supplies, housing orphans, and serving those left behind. Slowly, his faith resurfaces. A kinship forms between them neither can ignore. But when an investigation into the collapsed dam points to the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, secrets emerge that may tear them apart.
Narrowly surviving the flood and the horrifying things he’s witnessed, Monty’s faith is floundering. Then a Red Cross nurse puts him to work helping with the typhoid fever victims arriving at the hospital tents every hour. Monty and Annamae work together distributing disinfectants and supplies, housing orphans, and serving those left behind. Slowly, his faith resurfaces. A kinship forms between them neither can ignore. But when an investigation into the collapsed dam points to the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, secrets emerge that may tear them apart.
Genre: Christian/Historical/Romance
Release Date: January, 2024
Release Date: January, 2024
Click here to get your copy!
My Review
Heartbreaking and inspiring...
The Johnstown Flood is not a new historical event for me. Not only did I read about it in a children's biography of Clara Barton but I also did some encyclopedia reading on it after reading Catherine Marshall's book Julie which she closely based on the events surrounding the infamous Pennsylvania flood. When The Waters Came, however, is all about the devastating flood and its heartrending aftermath. And, I think, that Candice Sue Patterson did it justice without being horrifically graphic.
But, what really caught my attention about this first book in the A Day To Remember series was how she portrayed the hero of the story as he grapples with the shock and horror of everything he has seen and he feels like he has nothing left to give his congregation as his own faith has been battered almost into oblivion. I found this to be one of the most realistic reactions that I've read in a novel like this. The heroine's reaction to specific revelations in the story was also quite understandable as is her struggle with willingness to start the process of forgiveness.
I was quite impressed with When The Waters Came. I learned quite a bit about the flood itself, I really appreciated Candice Sue Patterson's Author Note at the end of the book with its further details, it's immediate aftermath, and the resiliency of the townspeople of Johnstown. I found the story to be gritty but inspiring and I am greatly looking forward to wherever the author of the second A Day To Remember novel will take us...
Tell Tale Book Reviews gives When The Waters Came by Candice Sue Patterson a 4.5 Bark rating.
The Johnstown Flood is not a new historical event for me. Not only did I read about it in a children's biography of Clara Barton but I also did some encyclopedia reading on it after reading Catherine Marshall's book Julie which she closely based on the events surrounding the infamous Pennsylvania flood. When The Waters Came, however, is all about the devastating flood and its heartrending aftermath. And, I think, that Candice Sue Patterson did it justice without being horrifically graphic.
But, what really caught my attention about this first book in the A Day To Remember series was how she portrayed the hero of the story as he grapples with the shock and horror of everything he has seen and he feels like he has nothing left to give his congregation as his own faith has been battered almost into oblivion. I found this to be one of the most realistic reactions that I've read in a novel like this. The heroine's reaction to specific revelations in the story was also quite understandable as is her struggle with willingness to start the process of forgiveness.
I was quite impressed with When The Waters Came. I learned quite a bit about the flood itself, I really appreciated Candice Sue Patterson's Author Note at the end of the book with its further details, it's immediate aftermath, and the resiliency of the townspeople of Johnstown. I found the story to be gritty but inspiring and I am greatly looking forward to wherever the author of the second A Day To Remember novel will take us...
Tell Tale Book Reviews gives When The Waters Came by Candice Sue Patterson a 4.5 Bark rating.
(I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)
More from Candace
On May 30, 1889, the industrious residents of Johnstown, Pennsylvania fell into slumber to the sound of rain pattering their rooftops, unaware that, for many, it would be their last night on earth. This was the thought I carried with me through the entire journey of writing When the Waters Came. Every survivor’s account of that day, every loss, every miracle, every emotion will stick with me for years to come.
My first knowledge of the Johnstown Flood came several years ago when I watched The Men Who Built America in its first airing on the History Channel. The idea that so great a loss of life could’ve easily been prevented by some of the richest men in the world strummed an invisible chord inside me. I remember looking at my husband and saying, “I’m going to write a book about it someday.”
A few more years went by and each time I sat down to plot a new story idea, Johnstown whispered across my heart, but the timing wasn’t right. Then, in 2021, I was shopping at our local community book fair and stumbled upon a first edition of History of the Johnstown Flood, Illustrated by Willis Fletcher Johnson, published in 1889, months after the disaster. Not meaning to sound hokey, I felt as if God handed me the book Himself and confirmed He wanted me to write this story. The next year, at the same book fair, I found a first edition of The Life of Clara Barton by Percy H. Epler, published in 1919. It contained transcripts of her journals and correspondence, some specifically mentioning the Red Cross and her role in aiding the survivors of the Johnstown flood. Once again, I felt that God had provided all the material I would need to tell my tale. Then, in 2022, when my publisher reached out looking for proposals for a new series centered on disasters, I knew the time had come to remind folks of that tragic day.
I’ll be honest, I shed a lot of tears during my research. The accounts are heartbreaking. But the faith and determination in some of those accounts are inspiring as well. Many of the characters in When the Waters Came are real survivors of the flood, and Clara Barton, herself, walks on and off the pages throughout the story.
In May 2023, a month before I turned the manuscript in to my publisher, my husband and I traveled nine hours to Johnstown to experience what we could for ourselves and to make sure my historical facts were correct. I stood where the South Fork Dam once did. I imagined the roar of the water as the dam crumbled. I toured the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club clubhouse, where America’s elite once recreated. I stood at Colonel Unger’s homestead where he’d stood that fateful day, powerless to reinforce the dam and save the folks in Johnstown below. I walked the rows of 777 graves in Grandview Cemetery honoring the unidentified bodies that were rescued. I thought of all the lost loved ones never found.
Where the retelling of the Johnstown Flood is hard and tragic, I also packed the story with plenty of faith, hope, and love to give readers a well-balanced experience. For on-site videos, behind-the-writing-scenes info, and more details about the Johnstown Flood, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on Facebook and Instagram.
My first knowledge of the Johnstown Flood came several years ago when I watched The Men Who Built America in its first airing on the History Channel. The idea that so great a loss of life could’ve easily been prevented by some of the richest men in the world strummed an invisible chord inside me. I remember looking at my husband and saying, “I’m going to write a book about it someday.”
A few more years went by and each time I sat down to plot a new story idea, Johnstown whispered across my heart, but the timing wasn’t right. Then, in 2021, I was shopping at our local community book fair and stumbled upon a first edition of History of the Johnstown Flood, Illustrated by Willis Fletcher Johnson, published in 1889, months after the disaster. Not meaning to sound hokey, I felt as if God handed me the book Himself and confirmed He wanted me to write this story. The next year, at the same book fair, I found a first edition of The Life of Clara Barton by Percy H. Epler, published in 1919. It contained transcripts of her journals and correspondence, some specifically mentioning the Red Cross and her role in aiding the survivors of the Johnstown flood. Once again, I felt that God had provided all the material I would need to tell my tale. Then, in 2022, when my publisher reached out looking for proposals for a new series centered on disasters, I knew the time had come to remind folks of that tragic day.
I’ll be honest, I shed a lot of tears during my research. The accounts are heartbreaking. But the faith and determination in some of those accounts are inspiring as well. Many of the characters in When the Waters Came are real survivors of the flood, and Clara Barton, herself, walks on and off the pages throughout the story.
In May 2023, a month before I turned the manuscript in to my publisher, my husband and I traveled nine hours to Johnstown to experience what we could for ourselves and to make sure my historical facts were correct. I stood where the South Fork Dam once did. I imagined the roar of the water as the dam crumbled. I toured the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club clubhouse, where America’s elite once recreated. I stood at Colonel Unger’s homestead where he’d stood that fateful day, powerless to reinforce the dam and save the folks in Johnstown below. I walked the rows of 777 graves in Grandview Cemetery honoring the unidentified bodies that were rescued. I thought of all the lost loved ones never found.
Where the retelling of the Johnstown Flood is hard and tragic, I also packed the story with plenty of faith, hope, and love to give readers a well-balanced experience. For on-site videos, behind-the-writing-scenes info, and more details about the Johnstown Flood, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on Facebook and Instagram.
 Candice Sue Patterson | Candice Sue Patterson studied at The Institute of Children’s Literature and is an elementary librarian. She lives in Indiana with her husband and three sons in a restored farmhouse overtaken by books. When she’s not tending to her chickens, snuggling with her Great Pyrenees, or helping children discover books they love, she’s working on a new story. Candice writes Modern Vintage Romance–where the past and present collide with faith. For more on Candice and her books, visit www.candicesuepatterson.com. |
It's Time For A Giveaway!
To celebrate her tour, Candace is giving away the grand prize package of
a $25 Amazon e-gift card and a copy of the book!!
a $25 Amazon e-gift card and a copy of the book!!
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!
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For Him and My Family, February 8
Connie’s History Classroom, February 9
To Everything There Is A Season , February 9
Devoted To Hope, January 27
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 28
Tell Tale Book Reviews, January 29
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 30
Mary Hake, January 30
Texas Book-aholic, January 31
Locks, Hooks and Books, February 1
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, February 2
She Lives To Read, February 3
Blossoms and Blessings, February 3
Simple Harvest Reads, February 4 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)
Cover Lover Book Review, February 5
Book Looks by Lisa, February 5
Life on Chickadee Lane, February 6
Pause for Tales, February 6
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 7
For Him and My Family, February 8
Connie’s History Classroom, February 9
To Everything There Is A Season , February 9