Jenny Knipfer stops by as part of her Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour!

Book Title: In a Grove of Maples

Series: Sheltering Trees: Book 1

Author: Jenny Knipfer

Publication Date: 1st July 2021

Publisher: Jenny Knipfer--Author

Page Length: 264 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Historical Fiction

In a Grove of Maples 

(Sheltering Trees: Book 1)

By Jenny Knipfer 

Audio Narrated By Jenn Lee

"... a heartfelt tale of the struggles of married life on a nineteenth-century farm. Edward and Beryl are both relatable and sympathetic. Knipfer expertly captures the emotion and stress of their lives and relationship. It’s a touching and realistic portrayal of love, loss, and friendship." Heather Stockard for Readers’ Favorite five-star review

A HISTORICAL NOVEL OF THE PERILS OF NEWLYWED LIFE ANDF ALL THAT COMES TO DIVIDE LOVERS

In 1897 newly married Beryl and Edward Massart travel more than one thousand miles from Quebec to farm a plot of land in Wisconsin that they bought sight-unseen. An almost magical grove of maples on their property inspires them to dream of a real home built within the grove, not the tiny log cabin they’ve come to live in. 

Misunderstandings and tempers get the better of them when difficulties and troubles arise. Just months after they wed, Edward leaves pregnant Beryl in the midst of the coming winter to tend the farm and animals while he goes to be a teamster at a northern Wisconsin logging camp. 

Will Beryl and Edward walk into the future together to build their house of dreams in the grove of maples, or will their plans topple like a house of sticks when the winds of misunderstanding and disaster strike?

Readers of Christian historical fiction, Historical fiction, Women’s fiction, and Christian historical romance will be endeared to this slice of late 19th century farm life.

Excerpt from In a Grove of Maples

“No! Oh, God . . . why? Why!” 

She dropped to her knees, hanging her head over her dead son, and the tears started. She sobbed and sobbed until his body was wet with her tears. Finally, Beryl breathed in deeply, dried Lyle’s chest off with the sleeve of her nightgown, and wrapped him back up. She walked back to the hearth and sat in her rocker with him before the fire, cradling him in her arms. She rocked on and on, mesmerized by the flames, her mind numb from reality. The chair creaked as she rocked, the clock ticked, and slow tears leaked from her eyes and thickened her throat, making her feel as if she were being choked. A faint taste of blood lingered in her mouth. 

Now I really am alone. 

Beryl sobbed again, and the need for another living, breathing body consumed her. She jumped up, still holding Lyle tightly in one arm, and ran to where the large, metal triangle and hammer hung from a nail in a log on the wall. Her fingers fiddled with the lock and latch before throwing the door of the cabin wide open. In her nightgown and stockinged feet, she was oblivious to the cold and the snow. Her long, loose hair served as a shawl around her shoulders. 

The sun lingered over the treetops to the east. She stepped out a few yards from the cabin and rang the triangle as best she could while she clutched Lyle with one arm. Snowflakes fluttered down from the sky like broken bits of cotton. 

Beryl hoped Nola and Paul would hear and come help her as they had promised. She rang the triangle with the hammer over and over until her arm hurt from the ringing. She dropped it, and the triangle fell from her hand into the snow. She followed. 

Huddled in the snow with only her sleepwear on, Beryl clutched Lyle to her chest, wishing she could transfer her heartbeat to him and her breath to his lungs. 

“Please come soon. Please come soon,” she chanted over and over again as she rocked on her knees, not caring how they stung in pain from the cold. 

Let them sting. The pain could never equal the wound which had entered her soul when Lyle had slipped away. 

Accusations cropped up in her thoughts. I should have checked on him before; I should have known something was wrong; I should have taken better care of him!! 

Beryl nestled her lips close to the tender spot behind Lyle’s ear and kissed him. She breathed in the scent of him—powdery and soft, like the promise of spring rain—and keened quietly into the crook of his neck. 

A sudden thought crushed her even more. Edward will never get to hold his son! 

That realization killed her, and Beryl grieved for her husband and all they had lost, while the snow continued to fall thickly around her. 

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Jenny Knipfer lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Ken, and their pet Yorkie, Ruby. She is also a mom and loves being a grandma. She enjoys many creative pursuits but finds writing the most fulfilling.

Spending many years as a librarian in a local public library, Jenny recently switched to using her skills as a floral designer in a retail flower shop. She is now retired from work due to disability. Her education background stems from psychology, music, and cultural missions.

She holds membership in the: Midwest Independent Booksellers Association, Wisconsin Writers Association, Christian Indie Publishing Association, and Independent Book Publishers Association.

Jenny’s favorite place to relax is by the western shore of Lake Superior, where her novel series, By The Light of the Moon, is set. A new historical fiction, four-part series entitled, Sheltering Trees, will be released in 2021 and 2022. Jenny is currently writing a novella series entitled, Botanical Seasons. 

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