Author: Pam Kumpe
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 195
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Beth Bender, a weary traveler, and radio talk show host, receives the annual email from Hudson Hinkle. It’s been twenty years, and this time, Beth plans to ignore the notification. However, the flashbacks flood her mind like a sprinkler that won’t turn off.
Despite the turmoil, Beth will discover light shining into her future through the eyes of a seven-year-old boy who moves into the neighborhood. And yet, a collision of the heart is inevitable. Will Beth open the email and confront Hudson? Is it time for Beth’s untold story to make a difference in the lives of other women and children who endure domestic violence?
Book Information
Release Date: April 7, 2022
Publisher: Independent
Soft Cover: ISBN:979-8985590319; 195 pages; $14.99; Free with Kindle Unlimited
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3NZD7JX
You can purchase your book also at the author’s website at www.pamkumpe.com.
One split second made me a widow while at the same time altering the life of a blue-eyed boy who lived next door. I’ve tried not to think about that afternoon for the past twenty years. But another anniversary comes every August. It’s a day to get lost in regret and how I handled parts of the tragedy. It feels like the horror happened yesterday. Even now.
The little boy who once played in my yard, Hudson Hinkle, is thirty now, and his annual emails never bothered me until he moved back to New Boston a few years ago.
With so many states to live in and with the size of Texas, why Hudson returned to this town is beyond me. And yes, he lives some five blocks from my house.
I often wish the month of August away because Hudson takes me to the dreadful day where we both suffocated from the onslaught of suffering. His email will squeeze my emotions as if I’m trying on shoes, three sizes too small, forcing me to relive the accident.
I’ve tortured myself too much already, guilty of hitting the rerun button in my mind for about five years after the fateful day. And of course, I’m afraid I’ll eventually bump into Hudson at the store or church or the gas station. That’s why I never drive my car down Merrill Street even though it's a shortcut on the way to church. But if I don’t go that way, I won’t see Hudson’s house, or car, or him.
Even now, I wonder if I’ll ever completely heal or find victory over that horrible day in 2002. Some wounds leave permanent scars, those no one sees. Other injuries from the past can bleed without permission and can break open like stitches when someone blames you for things out of your control. The monster of despair crashes into my life every summer—every August.
After the accident, I became a weary wanderer, making sure my schedule remained packed with activity. Helping others and serving and keeping my mind occupied assured me of no time for anything else. Then I won’t spend hours looking back, wishing to change things, and worrying about Hudson.
In theory, that made sense—but in my real world—it’s not working. My mind races. My nightmares come. And I panic and deal with anxiety—yet I hide it for the most part from everyone else.
Pam didn’t know the Lord could use brokenness and turn it into a way to help others. Her books are designed to add strength to your life. To help you find your way. She hopes to remind you that you’re fearfully and wonderfully created in Christ.
Thankfully, God opened her eyes and heart to fight for freedom and to stand for truth, and He gave Pam beauty for ashes, the joy of a new day with peace. She credits the Lord with giving her a voice to encourage others who are broken.
As an author and speaker, she loves to laugh. To read. To write. To talk. Not necessarily in that order. But always in each day.
Pam writes mysteries, devotionals, ministry books, and children’s books. Each book she’s written gives way to hope, and peace, and reminds you to persevere. Her stories will take you on a road trip of the heart as she challenges you to make today count.
Pam has written an inspirational column for newspapers spanning 25 years and she’s volunteered for 11 years, teaching/holding a church service for ladies in drug/alcohol rehab. Before that, Pam served 24 years as a children’s church teacher, where her love for others grew with each lesson she’s taught. And Pam is involved in street ministry with the homeless when she’s not playing with her schnauzer, Shelby, or her grandson, Kade.
Her latest book is the cozy mystery, Summertime Sprinkler.
You can visit her website at www.PamKumpe.com or connect with her at Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
