Kevin J. Shawda’s latest book, Tales of Hope and Faith, collects five distinct stories that share a common thread: individuals discovering their strongest sense of purpose after being forced onto unfamiliar paths. The collection includes “Valley of Hope,” “…just because they’ve never spoken to you,” “Jerry Saw an Angel,” “Brother Sully, Little Sister,” and “As Fate Would Have Us.” Each story introduces a separate cast and setting, yet all converge on themes of faith, family, forgiveness, and second chances.
In “Valley of Hope,” fifteen-year-old Patrick Kavanagh arrives at Ellis Island from Ireland, carrying ambition, loneliness, and anger toward the father who sent him away. America offers possibility but also danger. His westward journey introduces him to Old Joe and a group of rail riders whose compassion begins to reshape his view of others. Later, the Pratts take him into their Nebraska home, employ him in a printing business, and encourage his artistic talent, becoming parental figures. A violent assault leaves Patrick badly injured, triggering a spiritual awakening that leads him toward Salt Lake City, baptism, missionary service, and a long overdue reckoning with his feelings about home and his father.
A different mystery unfolds in “…just because they’ve never spoken to you.” A stranger named John arrives in a small town with an unusual purpose: he wants to spend time with its animals. Residents initially find him peculiar, but skepticism turns to admiration as animals respond to his presence with extraordinary calm. His influence also reaches people, encouraging service and bringing the community together. The story builds toward a wildfire in which deer, elk, and other wildlife gather near a pond. John appears among the fleeing animals, seemingly guiding them to safety before disappearing into the blaze. Authorities later report few wildlife casualties and no human deaths, but John is never seen again. His fate remains open to interpretation.
“Jerry Saw an Angel” moves into the intimate world of a grieving family after Rebecca Coolidge dies following an eighteen-month battle with advanced ovarian cancer. Her young son Jerry struggles deeply with the loss. His connection to the Book of Mormon, a pond near the family chapel, and pages he sends across the water form one of the collection’s gentlest depictions of childhood mourning. During an extraordinary gathering of fireflies, Jerry believes he encounters his mother and later reveals details he could not reasonably have known, including the location of Rebecca’s own Book of Mormon. The experience does not erase the family’s sadness, but it gives them a new way to carry it.
“Brother Sully, Little Sister” introduces a hard-drinking drifter who appears to have squandered his life. His accidental meeting with orphaned Madeleine “Maddie” Sinclair gradually exposes another identity beneath his abrasive exterior. Sully has a military past, unresolved grief, and an instinct for duty that resurfaces when he promises to escort Maddie safely to Wyoming. Their difficult trip creates an unlikely sibling bond and ultimately reveals Sully as Brevet Colonel Sully, a decorated Civil War veteran selected to receive the Medal of Honor for military service that included extraordinary bravery at Chancellorsville.
The collection closes with “As Fate Would Have Us,” in which brothers Bobby Lee and Willie Hathaway find themselves wearing uniforms from opposing sides of the Civil War. Their reunion at Fredericksburg forces a choice wider than politics. Brotherhood wins, and the pair leaves the battlefield together. Joined later by Lillie Waltrop, they undertake a hazardous journey home filled with patrols, hunger, injury, strangers willing to help, and the persistent hope that something worth rebuilding still waits for them.
Tales of Hope and Faith offers readers historical adventure, spiritual questions, family drama, mystery, and moments of humor within one volume. Shawda’s characters do not escape hardship untouched. They emerge carrying scars, new relationships, changed convictions, and a clearer understanding of where they belong. For readers drawn to inspirational fiction with historical settings, Christian themes, emotional family stories, and characters searching for another chance, the book presents five distinct journeys united by faith in the possibility of renewal.
