This is another
wonderful work by Kathi Macias. In this
heart-warming story, Mazie Hartford is in love with the handsome Edward. He’s everything she ever wanted in a man, and
he’s asked her to marry him. However, she’s
having a hard time saying yes. She asks herself
‘Why?’ but doesn’t have an answer. Something’s holding her back but she can’t
quite put her finger on it. Is it
because he’s black and she isn’t? They
both certainly hope this is not the case.
That’s when Mimi
(Mazie’s great grandmother) starts telling her a story; one about The Moses
Quilt. Patch by patch the dying Mimi
tells Mazie and Edward the history of Harriet Tubman. Is this the answer to what’s holding her back
from saying yes to Edward’s proposal? One
patch at time, Mazie realizes that her future could be changed forever. By learning about someone else’s life and
history, she gets in touch with her own.
By doing so, she finds the answer she’s been looking for.
The
Moses Quilt is a wonderful combination of history and fiction that can touch
reality and your heart like no other. I
was fascinated with the quilt and the characters. I was challenged to look at my own
prejudices, and yet given hope for my own life.
I highly recommend The Moses Quilt, and I’m very much looking forward to
books 2 and 3 of The Quilt Series.
My Overall Rating
About the Author: Kathi Macias
Kathi Macias is a
multi-award winning writer who has authored nearly 40 books and
ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string
reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various
venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. Kathi
is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and
writers’ conferences. She won the prestigious 2008 member of the year
award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) at the
annual Golden Scrolls award banquet. Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in
Homeland, CA, with her husband, Al.
Author Interview
The Quilt Series sounds interesting, but what makes it
unique or sets it apart from the many other quilt books that are so
popular right now? First, I must confess to NOT being a
quilter. I’ve never even considered taking it up! Second, I love quilts
and have always been fascinated by the stories behind them. I combined
that fascination with my passion for writing issues-related fiction, and
I ended up with a three-book series that is, for the most part,
contemporary but told against historical backdrops.
Sounds interesting! Can you tell us a bit about each of the three books in the series? Sure! Book one, The Moses Quilt,
involves an interracial romance, where the couple works through their
concerns and apprehensions as they learn the story of Harriet Tubman’s
faith and courage as told through the patches of the Moses quilt that
represents her life. Book two, The Doctor’s Christmas Quilt,
deals with the topic of abortion told against the backdrop of the life
of America’s first woman doctor, Elizabeth Blackwell, who was strongly
pro-life. Book three, The Singing Quilt, deals with a
young woman overcoming a physical disability; the background for that
story is based on the “Queen of Gospel,” Fannie Crosby.
Was it difficult to do the research on these women, particularly Harriet Tubman? What did you learn about her in the process? I
knew more about Harriet Tubman than I did about Elizabeth Blackwell or
Fannie Crosby, but I expanded my knowledge of each as I did the
research. Harriet Tubman’s amazing faith and courage is what stood out
most to me about her life. Here was a woman born a slave, penniless for
the majority of her life, and illiterate except for the scripture verses
she had memorized (even if she couldn’t read them). Her prayer life was
powerful, even as a child. After she escaped to the North and began
making forays back into the South to help bring others out of slavery,
friends would caution her against it. “Harriet, there’s a reward on your
head—dead or alive. Aren’t you afraid?” She brushed off their fear and
explained that she believed God had called her to help rescue her
people; therefore, He would protect her. When her job was done, He would
take her home to heaven, so what was there to fear? Wow, what a dynamic
woman of God! I also learned that her achievements went far beyond
rescuing slaves, though that’s what she’s best known for. She also
served as a spy for the Union Army, worked as a nurse, and opened a home
for indigent elderly former slaves. She died there herself in her
mid-nineties, and the entire town flew their flags at half-mast in her
honor.
Tell us a little more about the contemporary story in The Moses Quilt.
The majority of the contemporary story is set just outside San
Francisco. Mazie is white and deeply in love with Edward, an
African-American lawyer who adores her and wants to marry her but tries
to be respectful of her hesitation to make a commitment. What he doesn’t
know is that Mazie is disturbed by what she considers secrets in her
family’s past, secrets that begin to be unraveled as her
great-grandmother, Mimi, tells her and Edward the story behind her Moses
quilt, which she bought years earlier in Gee’s Bend, Alabama, a little
town famous for its quilts. Edward thought he knew everything there was
to know about Harriet Tubman, who had always been somewhat of a hero to
him, but Mimi’s story opens up new avenues of discovery for both the
young people in this relationship—and takes them straight back to the
quilt’s origin in Gee’s Bend.
This sounds like more than just a “feel-good” story. Can it be used as a study book in some way? Absolutely! As with nearly all my books we have free downloadable discussion questions at www.newhopedigital.com that will enable The Moses Quilt to be read as a study book for individuals or used as a discussion/study book for groups.
For more opportunities for free copies of THE MOSES QUILT by Kathi Macias, please follow this book tour on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/CSSVBT.KathiMacias. This
blog host was given a complimentary copy of this book from the author
in exchange for posting the author’s interview and/or book review on
this blog. CSS Virtual Book Tours are managed by Christian Speakers
Services (http://ChristianSpeakersServices.com).
The word ‘Beatitude’ comes from the
Latin word ‘beatitudo’ meaning ‘blessedness’. The dictionary defines it as ‘supreme
blessedness or happiness’. Oh Happy Day! A couple of years ago God used my biggest
trauma to give me a wonderful blessing. When I was in the midst of these
terrible times, I certainly didn’t feel blessed. I felt far from God. When I
want to feel close to Jesus, I picture myself sitting by a cozy fire laughing
and drinking cocoa with Him. How awesome it must have been for the disciples to
be able to sit with Him and learn. Click here to read the whole post
~~ Hebrews13:5 (NIV) ~~ Keep your lives
free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has
said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
It doesn’t matter if you’re young or
old, married or single, or somewhere in between; just about everyone knows the
feeling of being alone. At one point or
another in our lives we know what it is to feel lonely, if even only for a
short time or among a crowd. But don’t
fear because God has made some promises that can relieve you of this.
