Beat the Blues: Forgive

Carol McClain

My father drank and because of this weakness, we hurt. An old church, an ex-husband and others also wounded me. If you want to know why, you’re out of luck. I don’t remember the details. The pain is gone, and my memory erased the particulars. All I remember is at one time, I hurt.

The power of pardon has motivated me for most of my life. Forgiveness never condones. Some wrongs are egregious. No one should be raped or beaten or murdered. Forgiveness will never say these things don’t matter. What forgiveness does do is free you.

This powerful fact is the genesis of my latest novel. Yesterday’s Poison shows the power of forgiveness. If we cling to past wrongs, it’s like drinking yesterday’s poison. It may be old, but it still destroys.

In this contemporary Christian novel, a woman is rescued from a car crash by a paramedic she used to bully when both were in middle school. Their lives intertwine and additionally pull in the paramedic’s girlfriend. Their friendship creates the proverbial threefold cord that cannot be broken. With the help from each other, they search for liberation from their pasts.

Readers say this novel changed their lives and was the best book they’ve read.

Sounds deep, right? Too dark to beat the winter blues? Not at all. Humor intertwines with the story’s pathos. You’ll laugh and identify with each character.

One thing that delights me the most about this novel is its setting. Rensselaerville is one of the quaintest towns in Albany County, New York. It’s rural, and thus it’s isolated. The Dutch influence of the early settlers still permeates the area. Hip roofed barns with Dutch hex signs or barn quilts dot the landscape. It’s the home of the late Andy Rooney of 60 Minutes fame, and a peaceful retreat from the hubbub of Albany which lies just thirty miles east of it.

Of course, Rensselaerville didn’t have all the components I needed to create this world, so it was re-christened Westfield.

This novel has everything you want from a book: romance, meaning, humor and a solid Christian theme.

Carol, thank you so much for being my guest today. Readers, Carol is a good friend of mine, and I can personally tell you this book is fantastic. I read it a while back and it truly is uplifting, moving, and insightful. And she is giving away an ebook copy of Yesterday’s Poison! The winner will be drawn from the commenters on Wednesday, February 13, 2019, at 1 PM EST.

McClain lived most her her life in rural, upstate New York where she taught high school English for more than thirty years. After years of teaching students how to write, she turned her attention to her own novels.

She spends her time now writing, playing with her Springer spaniel and exploring the world with her husband.

You can connect with her at www.carolmcclain.com or on Facebook and Twitter.

After her boyfriend betrays her, Torie Sullivan careens into a ditch in a drunken fury. Paramedic Adam Benedict rescues the unconscious woman, then realizes she’s one of the middle school bullies who tormented him twelve years ago. The encounter rips open scars he thought had healed.

While kayaking one morning, Adam discovers Torie bathing in the frigid waters of Hookskill Preserve. He then learns she’s living in a lean-to in the forested preserve. Despite his hatred for her, Adam’s innate compassion won’t allow him to leave Torie in the wilds of Albany County. He offers her a secure, private room in his minuscule cabin.

When tragedy strikes Adam’s family, his girlfriend Maya Vitale gives Torie a room in her apartment. Torie envies Maya’s idyllic life, unaware she, too, hides a dark and shameful past.

Each character drinks yesterday’s poison. Their friendships intertwine their lives and expose their toxic pasts. They must learn to forgive the unpardonable.

Find her book, Yesterday’s Poison, on

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Yesterdays-Poison-Carol-McClain/dp/0578411865/ref

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/yesterdays-poison-carol-mcclain/1129888057?ean=9780578411866

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