~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE UNLIKELY YARN DRAGON LADY ~

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~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE ~

-- BLOG TOUR STOP FOR:

  'THE UNLIKELY YARN OF

THE DRAGON LADY'  -- 

AUTHOR SHARON J. MONDRAGON

~Post Includes:  Book Spotlight,

Author Bio, Review & Giveaway~

 

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🧶 ABOUT THE BOOK:

A knitting group’s change of scenery changes lives in unexpected ways

Margaret, Rose, Jane, and Fran had a good thing going: meet every week in the quiet of their peaceful chapel and knit prayer shawls. No muss, just ministry. That is, until their pastor boots them out of the church in his last-ditch effort to revive the dwindling congregation.

Uptight Margaret isn’t having it. Knitting prayer shawls where people can watch is the most ridiculous idea she’s ever heard of, and she’s heard plenty. Prayer belongs in the church, not out among the heathen masses. How are they supposed to knit holiness into these shawls if they’re constantly distracted by the public? But with no choice, the others embrace the challenge. They pack their knitting bags and drag Margaret—grumblingthe whole way—tothe mall with them. She can’t wait to prove them all wrong when it fails miserably, and show the pastor that she always knows best.

Without the familiar mold the group has been stuck in, their own losses, pain, and struggles rise to the surface. And the people and situations they encounter every time they try to sit quietly and knit are taking them a lot further out of their comfort zone than they ever imagined. Can they find the courage to tackle the increasing number of knotty issues they learn about in the community--or will the tangle be too much to unravel?

Sharon J. Mondragon’s debut is warm and delightful, full of real laughter, grief, and personality. It beautifully illustrates the power of women across generations to reach people for Christ.

To read an excerpt of The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady,  click here.

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🧶 ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sharon J. Mondragón writes about the place where kindness and courage meet. Her debut novel, The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady (originally titled The Heavenly Hugs Prayer Shawl Ministry) was the 2017 winner of the American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis award in the Short Novel Category, and she has also been recognized by The Saturday Evening Post where her short story, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” was an Honorable Mention Awardee in the 2014 their Great American Fiction Contest.

Mondragón has been active in prayer shawl ministry since 2008 and currently serves as facilitator for the prayer shawl ministry at her church, St. Paul Episcopal in Waxahachie, TX. She also knits with the Circle of Healing at Red Oak United Methodist Church. She is a Level 2 Certified Knitting Instructor through the Craft Yarn Council and teaches beginning knitting at a local yarn store.

Mondragón is the mother of five grown children and has four grandchildren. After 26 years as an Army wife, she has settled in Midlothian, TX with her hero/husband, her laptop, and her yarn stash.

Visit Sharon Mondragón’s website and blog at www.sharonjmondragon.com and follow her on Facebook (Sherry Mondragón) and Twitter (@SJ_Mondragón).

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🧶  REVIEW:

 

This is a unique story about a small group of women from the Hope of Glory Community Church who have knitted and prayed together for seven years as a valuable ministry of their church. The women knit prayer shawls for those in need of comfort who may be ill or grieving or in need of a spiritual boost. {As a bonus, readers will find the knitting pattern in the back matter of the book for one of the shawls featured in the story.}

 

The knitters are very different in their personalities and personal lives, but they are committed to their ministry and work diligently to fill a need in their church community. Three of the women are middle-aged, and one of the members is an octogenarian.

 

As readers move through the story, they learn of the heartache, loss, disappointments, regrets, and mistakes each of the members--Jane, Rose, Fran, and Margaret--has had on her journey through life. During the group's outreach efforts, each woman comes to learn more about herself and God's plan(s) for her life. One of the elements of the story I enjoyed most was the personal growth each of these characters made during the story.

 

The prayer shawl ministry changes and expands as the church's need to grow its membership becomes vital to the aging church's survival. The high-spirited and effervescent leader of the church, Rector Pete McIlhaney, became one of my favorite characters in this tale because of the leadership and positivity he exhibited in the church's time of need. He just never gave up! There is some wonderful humor associated with this character, too.

As the prayer shawl ministry opens its arms to outsiders, readers are graced with some beautiful younger women who add life and energy to the group. In my opinion, these young women are essential to the plot because of their enthusiasm and their desire to learn and grow as knitters and as women.

 

This book is completely clean in language and content.

I received a paperback copy of this book from the publisher through

Audra Jennings PR. My opinions and thoughts shared here are solely my own.

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🧶  GIVEAWAY:

 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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