Book Spotlight: Hope Takes the Reins

Does birth order truly shape the way people act? My friend Jenny Carlisle believes so. She even takes i so far as to instill those traits into her characters who are middle children. See if this sounds right.

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“Could you suspend the middle child thing for just a minute?”  Though my daughter-in-law’s words were spoken in mild frustration, I couldn’t hold back a smile. So much about her middle son, my grandson, reminds me of his dad, my own middle child.  A flair for drama, his own unique sense of humor, and the ability to use a sweet smile and sparkling blue eyes to diffuse any potential anger set them both apart.
Middle children share common traits, gained while learning to communicate with older and younger siblings. They often go to great lengths to stand out from the crowd, charting their own course, while taking the role of peacemaker in their own family and beyond.

​There are famous middle children who bear this out. Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy were all middle children. All were known for standing out from the crowd, engaging with all ages, desiring to be peacemakers.
My first novel, Hope Takes the Reins, published by Scrivenings Press, features main characters who are in the midst of their active families. O.D. Billings is trying to emerge from the shadow of his heroic older brother, while protecting his reckless younger one. Hope Caldwell is the wind beneath her older sister Faith’s wings, and struggles to be heard over the flamboyant bravado of their brother.
Even the roles they play in the rodeo follow the pattern. O.D. is a tie-down calf roper, his own choice over the more popular bull or bronco riding. He and his equine partner excel and he has developed an engaging celebration routine. The rodeo fans, and even a local television crew are putty in his leather gloved hands. Hope works behind the scenes, making sure her announcer dad, barrel racing sister and rodeo clown brother have everything they need for their performances. Unlike most other middle children, she doesn’t seek out the spotlight, but her role of ‘family fixer” is always on full display.
When changes in family dynamics push both O.D. and Hope to their limits, they learn that trusting God and His plan for their lives is absolutely vital. I have come to know and love these two characters, and I hope you feel the same way when you read their book, Hope Takes the Reins.  The other books in my Crossroads series, along with my part of the Christmas Novella A Gift for All Time give the older and younger siblings a chance to tell their own stories. Faith Moves Mountains highlights O.D.’s brother John K. and Hope’s sister Faith. Love Never Fails features the youngest Billings, Cody, and Hope and Faith’s cousin Kayla.  Readers tell me that they can relate to these stories, and I hope they illustrate how faith can conquer any obstacle, even birth order!

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Hope Takes the Reins

 O.D. Billings has lived in the shadow of his brothers all his life. Even his name brings him down, so he has used only initials for years. But now, his older “war-hero” brother has returned home rebelling against his expected role in the family business, and the younger brother is intent on risking his life on the back of a bucking bull. O.D. talks a good game after each rodeo tie-down competition, but can he step up to help anyone without really knowing where he fits in? 
Hope Caldwell’s world is still reeling after her mom’s recent death from cancer. She thrives on keeping the family’s rodeo on an even keel. Keeping everything normal seems more and more impossible, when she overhears her uncle’s plan to sell out. How can she continue without the only way of life she has known for all of her nineteen years? Can she rely on the help of a big-talking cowboy?  Or does he have too many problems of his own?

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Jenny has been writing stories since she learned to hold a pencil. She retired from a career in Human Resources for the State of Arkansas with over 35 years of service.  A long-time columnist for Ouachita Life magazine, two collections of her inspirational articles have been self-published. She is past president of American Christian Fiction Writers – Arkansas Chapter. Her first fiction project, “When Hope Takes the Reins” released from Scrivenings Press in March of 2022, followed by Faith Moves Mountains and Love Never Fails in ’23 and ’24. Her Christmas novella, Rejoicing with Joy appears in the collection A Gift for All Time. She and her husband, James live in Benton, Arkansas where they worship with a service-oriented congregation of the Church of Christ. They are the parents of three married children and eight grandchildren. Her favorite volunteer activity is as a Journey Partner with Women Equipped, a Christian Women’s Job Corp.

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