About the Book

Name of book: Almond Street Mission

Author: June Foster

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: September 6, 2016

When Glorilyn Neilson’s nineteen-year-old brother, Tannon, goes missing without a trace, she’s frantic. Prayer and volunteering at the local homeless shelter in El Camino must fill the time until her sibling returns. But her sapphire eyes and auburn hair inadvertently cause a stir among the male population at the center. Her life changes one evening when she’s attacked by a burly vagrant intent on rape in the alley behind the building.

Jeremiah Goodman loves the Lord, but he’s homeless. When he witnesses a foul-mouthed vagrant overpowering one of the volunteers at the homeless shelter, he defends her, saving her from unwanted advances.

When Glorilyn offers him a way of escape from his impoverished lifestyle, he can’t tell her why he must live the life of a vagrant. What powerful secret keeps him on the streets?

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About the Author

An award-winning author, June Foster is a retired teacher with a BA in education and MA in counseling. June’s book Give Us This Day was a finalist in EPIC’s eBook awards and a finalist in the National Readers Choice Awards for best first book. Ryan’s Father was one of three finalists in the published contemporary fiction category of the Oregon Christian Writers Cascade Writing Contest and Awards. Deliver Us was a finalist in COTT’s Laurel Awards.

June has written four novels for Desert Breeze Publishing. The Bellewood Series, Give Us This Day, As We Forgive, and Deliver Us, and Hometown Fourth of July. Ryan’s Father is available from WhiteFire Publishing. Red and the Wolf, a modern day retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, Books One, Two, and Three in the Almond Tree Series, For All Eternity, Echoes From the Past, and What God Knew are all available from Amazon.com.

Recently June has seen publication of Christmas at Raccoon Creek, Lavender Fields Inn, Misty Hollow, Almond Street Mission, Restoration of the Heart, and Letting Go, all published by Forget Me Not Press, a division of Winged Publications.

June enjoys writing stories about characters who overcome the circumstances in their lives by the power of God and His Word. June uses her training in counseling and her Christian beliefs in creating characters who find freedom to live godly lives. Find June on line at junefoster.com.

Guest Post from June Foster

Stories Behind the Story

Almond Street Mission tells the story of Glorilyn Neilson whose younger brother, Tannon, has gone missing, hurling her entire family into turmoil. Prayer and volunteering at the local homeless shelter fills the empty, lonely hours. One evening, she’s attacked by a brawny vagrant intent on rape. Another vagrant, Jeremiah Goodman, defends her, saving her from unwanted attention.

Jeremiah loves the Lord but is homeless. The mission director, Mr. Harris, offers him and nineteen-year-old, Tank, a place at the shelter. But when Jeremiah later tries to protect a drug addict in hope of sharing the gospel with him, Mr. Harris finds heroin on Jeremiah, and he’s booted out. Tank chooses to leave with him.

On the street, Jeremiah and Tank try to scrape up a meal, but even trash cans around the city park don’t provide food for their hungry stomachs. Taking a chance on getting arrested, they beg for food in front of an elegant downtown Italian restaurant. Two older women walk out. One ignores them but the other looks at them with kind eyes and offers an entire pizza.

All this to explain a real life happening which gave me an idea for this scene. My daughter and I were in Chattanooga, Tennessee, at an Italian restaurant. We each ordered a small pizza, but the waiter brought me a Hawaiian pizza though I’d order pepperoni.

When I pointed out the mistake, the server brought out a second pizza for me, this time pepperoni, and told me to keep the first one. No way I could eat another pizza, and we didn’t have anywhere to keep it at the hotel, so I asked him if he knew any homeless people. The waiter said yes, that they congregate nearby, and he’d deliver it to a hungry vagrant.

In the story, the other woman who gives the extra pizza to Jeremiah and Tank is above average height. I wrote myself into a brief portion of the scene, and my 5’10” height qualifies as tall! When Tank says “God bless you,” the lady says “He does, everyday.” The sentiments of my heart. Real life always provides rich fodder.

Another story behind the story is when a friend at my church mentioned a Christian homeless ministry in the nearby city of Birmingham, Alabama, The Jimmie Hale Mission. I called and asked if I could take a tour. A chaplain welcomed my husband and me and scheduled a time for us to visit. He promised to personally conduct our visit.

When we arrived, the chaplain took us through the dining facility, exercise room, chapel, clothing bank, computer rooms, classrooms, and dorms. While in the dining area, we met the efficient kitchen manager, a paid employee who provided three delicious meals a day for the residents. Tingles ran down my arms when he shared his experience. He was once a drunk and resident of the mission. Today, he loves the Lord, is reunited with his wife, and holds down the manager’s job. As a side note, I based two characters’ situations on this real life man.

While at the mission, the men learn job skills and have opportunity to take classes. When they leave, they’re fully grounded in the Lord and on their way to a new life. A few are employed at the facility.

Before we left, the chaplain generously gave me his cell phone number and offered to answer any further questions, and I had several. Research for this story provided a rich insight into how God’s power can change and equip those that society may have chosen to discard.

The first thing that popped into my head as I read this book was that God wants us to be His hands and feet. He walked among those who others shunned and witnessed to them. He extended a hand and fed those who were hungry . This story parrells what God wants us to do. What would it be like to be homeless? For one character he took a step of faith and went to live on the streets to witness for God. I loved this story so much and thought the author did an amazing job of bringing life to a subject that we all know exists, but few do anything about.

I loved the character Jer also known as Caleb. He was such a compassionate person who genuinely cared for others. He heard a call on his life and accepted it with eyes wide open. I can’t imagine being homeless. Jer wanted to reach people who had been forgotten or shunned and I loved that he didn’t hesitate to walk among the homeless. He lived among them and I could feel his heart break as he heard their stories. Everyone has a story but some never get to tell it. Jer made sure they had a voice and listened to them. He did find himself in some dangerous situations, but he knew God would protect him. 

The author writes a story that is real and shares scriptures through several characters. I have never been homeless but I have been abused, lonely, hurt, unloved and ashamed. The characters that Jer meets all have one thing in common which is they want to be loved. Oh how my heart ached as Tank shared how he knew his mom didn’t want him anymore. I know that feeling so well. It hurts to the core but for Tank he allowed Jer to speak life into him and showed him that he is loved by God. 

Glorilyn was a wonderful character. She has a heart for the mission she volunteers at. When her brother turns up missing, the reality was verwhelming for her. She wanted her brother off the streets and I loved how she and Jer prayed for him. I found it interesting that she had a trust issue. I won’t give anything away, but it really will hit home for many. Trust is something many of us deal with and it goes hand in hand with forgiveness. As I read the book I truly understand homelessness better. We forget that those living on the streets are human. They are looking for that one person who will help and listen. I applaud the author for writing a story that takes us into the streets and helps us see through the eyes of Jesus that they are important and loved. 

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

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Giveaway

In honor of her tour, June is giving away a grand prize collection of 1 signed paperback copy of Almond Street Mission, a $25 Amazon card, and 12 handmade cards! Click the link below to enter! https://promosimple.com/ps/c0a6