“Last Light over Galveston” by Jennifer L. Wright … and a GIVEAWAY!

Welcome to Friday Reads!

 

There’s a giveaway for a print copy of Last Light Over Galveston by Jennifer L. Wright, courtesy of the publisher. (US ONLY!) Enter by using the Rafflecopter link at the bottom of the post. (Contest ends August 8, 2025.) If you’re the chosen winner, I’ll contact you for your information to pass along to the publisher.

 

About the book…

 

Galveston, Texas. September 1900. Only months ago, Kathleen McDaniel returned from finishing school in Switzerland to her family home in New York’s Hudson Valley with a future of promise and privilege set before her. But one horrific event shattered her picturesque life. Now she has fled as far as the train line and a pocketful of money would take her,  finding refuge at the St. Mary’s Orphan Asylum on Galveston Island, where she helps the nuns care for their young charges and prays her past will not find her. Despite her tenuous standing at the orphanage—and the grief and  betrayal that drove her from home—Kathleen slowly begins to make  friends. There is Emily, the novice nun she rooms with; Maggie, the tempestuous young girl who only bonds with Kathleen; and Matthew, a kind, handsome man recently employed by Isaac Cline at Galveston’s office of the US Weather Bureau. 

Then in one fateful day, Kathleen’s fragile new life begins to crack as it becomes clear that she can’t run far enough to escape the reach of her  former life. Meanwhile, as troubling news about a storm crossing the  Gulf from Cuba swirls in the Weather Bureau offices, Matthew holds fast  to Cline’s belief that no hurricane can touch Galveston. But as darkness falls on the island, Kathleen must gather her courage and reach for a strength beyond her own if she—and those she loves—are to survive.

 

 

Q&A with Jennifer…

Q:  What inspired this story?
A:  Last Light over Galveston fell into my lap quite by accident. I was on  hold for another book at my local library and stumbled across Erik  Larson’s book Isaac’s Storm as I was perusing the stacks, looking for something else to read in the meantime. As a weather nerd, the back cover piqued my interest. It only took a few pages for me to know I  wanted to write a book centered around the storm.

Q:  What messages or themes do you focus on in this book?
A:  The theme of foundations is central to the story. So much of what we  place our trust in—whether that be people, places, money, or status—is  fragile. When the storms of life come, whether literally or figuratively, we must have something more solid—something not of this world—on which to anchor ourselves.

Q:  How does faith play a role in this story?
A:  I think, like many of us, the characters in this book are searching for something greater. They are searching for that one thing that will define  their lives, give them purpose, meaning, and security. But they are  searching for it among temporal things and fallible people. When that fails or is taken away, what is left? Hopefully, faith.

Q:  What do you hope that readers learn from Last Light over Galveston?
A:  I hope readers come away from the story examining the foundations  on which their own lives are built. God willing, I hope none of us ever  have to endure a storm like the 1900 Galveston hurricane, but that  doesn’t mean we won’t have trials and tribulations. My prayer is that readers will be strengthened by the reminder of God’s steadfastness in  the midst of the world’s never-ending uncertainty and strife.

Q:  Who is your favorite character in the book and why?
A:  I love Maggie Sherwood, the orphan Kathleen befriends at St. Mary’s.  Not only is her spunk and tenacity adorable, but there’s a special kind of  vulnerability in her that brings out a side of Kathleen we don’t often see.  Plus, she’s modeled after my own daughter, so I’m a bit biased.

Q:  What do you find to be the most challenging part of the writing  process? What advice would you offer young writers?
A:  Writing the first draft is by far the most challenging part of the  writing process. There is nothing more intimidating than a notebook full  of ideas and a blank Word document. My advice to young writers is to  just write. Write even when you don’t feel like it, even when it’s not good,  even when you know you’re going to end up changing it later. Just get it  all out, no matter what. Making it good comes later; for now, just get it  done.

Q:  Which books and authors have shaped you most as a writer?
A:  I studied English in college so my formative years were shaped by the  classics—The Scarlet Letter, The Great Gatsby, Jane Eyre, The Lord of  the Rings. All these books made fall in love with language and the  nuances that transform a good story into a great one. More currently, I love the work of authors such as Anthony Doerr and Amor Towles, who inspire me to continually strive to be better.

Q:  Do you have any future writing projects planned?
A:  I just finished another book, but I can’t share any details quite yet. It  was a project that definitely stretched me out of my comfort zone, and  I’m excited to see where it goes. I’m hoping to have more news about it soon!

 

Thanks for being here, Jennifer. I’m sure my readers enjoyed learning more about you and your latest release!

 

Excerpt…

Prologue
MAY 1900
I walked until I could go no farther, until open water was all I could see.

It was the end of the road, for sure. Possibly the end of the world.

For me, they were one and the same.

Standing on the rocky sand, I watched angry waves roar ashore through flashes of lightning. The air was thick with salt and electricity as warm  rivulets of rain streamed down my face. Or were those tears? It was  impossible to tell. The thunder rolling across the Gulf of Mexico could  just have easily been the sound of my bones rattling inside this lifeless cage.

Miles and miles of train tracks, chosen at random but always going south, going west, going away, had brought me here. It was as far as I could go.

And it still wasn’t far enough.

He would find me.

White foam nudged the toe of my boot, soiling the edge of a dress already grimy from weeks of wear. When the wave retreated, it tugged the worn leather.

Beckoning me.

Exhaustion and despair pulled at me. The last few weeks were finally catching up to me, now that I was standing still, trapped on this small spit of land with nowhere to go. Too much traveling, too much fear, too much sorrow. I took a sluggish step forward, wet sand making a sucking sound as my boot rose.

I could do it. Just keep going. A few more steps, and it would all be over. The end of the road but in an entirely different way.

Another swell, stronger this time. The smell of damp assaulted my nostrils. In the distance, a fork of lightning kissed the top of the waves. My nerves tingled as electricity raced through the water toward shore, searching for me. Numb fingers found the strap of my bag, the one I’d  bought from a street vendor outside the train station in Lexington, and I took a step back, out of the water.

This bag. What was in this bag was the reason I wouldn’t. The reason I couldn’t.

And the reason I wanted to.

Fresh streams of water coursed over my cheeks; this time, I knew it wasn’t the rain. They were tears. Tears for the man I’d loved . . . and for the one who’d never truly loved me. Tears for myself and my own foolish naivete. Tears for the life about which I’d dreamed, the life I’d abandoned . . . and the one I’d never really had to begin with.

I closed my eyes, lifted my face to heaven, and let out a scream. Maybe God would hear me. Or maybe not. The wind swallowed my cries. But it didn’t really matter anyway. All those Sunday mornings were a hazy  memory, blurred in with the rest of it, relics of another life.

Another me.

That girl was a stranger now.

And, I was starting to believe, so was God.

I had never been so utterly alone.

 

Amazon purchase link

 

About Jennifer…

 

 

Jennifer L. Wright grew up wanting to work for Dateline and become the next Jane Pauley, but it took only a few short months of working as a reporter in both print and radio journalism for her to abandon those aspirations for the greener pasture of fiction writing. She loves to reimagine and explore forgotten eras in history, showcasing God’s light amidst humanity’s darkest days. Her books, which include If It Rains, Come Down Somewhere, and The Girl from the Papers, have been nominated for both a Carol Award and a Golden Scroll Award.

She currently lives in New Mexico with her husband, two children, and  an ever-growing collection of pets. While she enjoys writing, her true  dream is to one day own and operate a guinea pig farm. If you want to  connect with her (and can handle a barrage of pictures of her animals), you can find her on Facebook at @JenniferWrightLit, on Instagram at @jennwright82, or by visiting her website, jenniferlwright.com.

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