Hello, reading friends!

A big welcome to 15 new subscribers:

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I hope this newsletter and subsequent stories bring you encouragement while entertaining you in the process.

What I'm Working On:

I sent a description of my novel And Grace Will Lead Me Home to a company that makes book covers. Even though the novel is in the drafting stage, I hope pinning the cover to my bulletin board will keep me motivated in the long haul of birthing a novel. The first cover version was a bit disappointing, but the company offers unlimited revisions until the customer is satisfied. We are communicating back and forth. So hopefully in the near future I can show it to you.

I'm excited to write this story. Here's the back cover copy:

Telling a lie may be easy. Living it isn’t.

In 1979, eighteen-year-old Jonah Weston is ready to leave Nod, the Mississippi River town he has always called home. He’s the class valedictorian. Georgetown University is waiting. And until recently, his relationship with Lisa seems to be going somewhere.

For the first time, Jonah sees a future beyond the river.

Eight years earlier, a childhood game of Truth or Consequence ended with “Backwards” Betsy Covey drowning in the Mississippi. Jonah and his friend, Mark, lied about what happened—and their lie sent an innocent man to prison.

Now the past is coming back.

Betsy’s parents, divorced since her death, are suddenly sitting together in church. Graduation is scheduled at the very park where Betsy drowned. And Ernie, the man Jonah helped send to prison, has returned to town.

Jonah expects bitterness. Instead, Ernie offers compassion.

Then a jealous classmate discovers fragments of the truth, aiming to throw Jonah off balance emotionally and grab the class honor for himself.

As graduation draws closer, Jonah's carefully constructed life begins to unravel. His friendship with Mark is deteriorating. His relationship with Lisa is slipping away. And the secret he's carried since childhood is becoming impossible to hide.

Soon Jonah will have to decide what matters more: the future he has planned—or the truth he's spent eight years running from.

Sometimes coming home means facing the place where everything went wrong.

And sometimes grace is waiting there.

Latest Release: A Short Story

An inviting home for a boy in foster care.

Eight-year-old Rodney has been through enough to know that adults come and go—and that hoping too hard only makes the hurt worse. When he's placed in yet another foster home, Rodney wants love more than anything, but his past won't let him reach for it. Torn between the family he desperately needs and the mother he refuses to forget, Rodney must find the courage to open a door he's terrified to walk through.

Click this link to download the story at Bookfunnel.

What I'm Reading (Or Just Read):

A Life Intercepted

I posted about this when I first started the book. It blew me away. If an author is suppose to put his hero through the wringer, Charles Martin succeeded doing that. Matthew "the Rocket" Rising is poised for football fame, but on the night of the NFL draft pick, he falls from grace. Accused of a heinous crime and convicted, he loses everything—including his wife, his high school sweetheart. Twelve years later he's released on parole, but faces an unforgiving hometown and sets out to win back the heart of his wife. To do so, he secretly coaches a promising young quarterback whom his wife has taken under her wing.

Matthew's actions put him on a collision course with the law and an unsympathetic public prompting me to grip my iPad and flick the screen pages to see what comes next.

Martin keeps the stakes running high throughout the story. Some might question or skip certain passages detailing quarterbacking strategies he's learned, but these passages are key to understanding Matthew's abilities and drivenness.

Martin is a good storyteller. His narrative voice gives a glimpse into the soul of the character.

"As a disconnected observer, I examined my life, and when it struck me, I didn't fight it. The sum of my life accounted for nothing. A forgotten dustbin in South Georgia And without Audrey, I'd done nothing. I stood among the rubble and ruins of a world that had long since crumbled around me."

And here's a passage concerning the boy Matthew coaches.

He wanted to ask me a question but hesitated. Something about it stopped him. "Go ahead. Get it off your chest."

"I never knew either of my folks. All I know is that the woman who gave birth to me dropped me off and never looked back."

There it was. Right there. The wound we'd been dancing around all Summer had bubbled up from its hiding place.

Well, I'd better stop now. I don't want to ruin the story for you. Just go ahead— buy a copy (I do not earn any compensation from this plug).

Short Stories:

For those who are new to this newsletter and those who haven't had a chance to download them yet, here are several short stories for you. Click on the following images to find the download pages.

Thomas sitting pensively contemplating a life without his father.

Following his father’s death, eighteen-year-old Thomas is left wrestling with grief and an uncertain future. As he stands on the brink of adulthood, will he choose faith to guide him, or leave his life to chance?

A Filipino father cradling his sick son on a jeepney.

In A Father's Heart, will a drunkard and gambler learn responsibility? A jeepney ride and a detour to the hospital will put him to the test.

A groom facing the prospects of a new life by leaving old pains behind.

When his abusive father appears uninvited on his wedding day, a groom must choose between forgiveness and the bitterness that could poison his marriage.

Behold, All Things Are Become New explores themes of generational wounding, forgiveness, and inner healing.

That's it for now. Thank you for a moment of your time.

David Harlen Brooks

Contact Me

I'd love to hear from you. You can email me at: davidharlenbrooks@davidharlenbrooks.com.

If you enjoy this newsletter and know someone else who might like it, please feel free to pass it along. It helps an indie writer like me reach more people who enjoy redemptive fiction and inspirational reflections.

Previous Blog Posts

Pulling up the Roots of Bitterness—Practical steps toward forgiveness and the freedom it brings.

Jesus Our Example: Forgiveness in the Midst of Pain—By forgiving others, Christians not only obey a command, but act in a way that reflects Jesus.

God Forgives Us—And That Changes Everything—God's forgiveness is complete and transforming, moving us to forgive others.

Forgiveness Isn’t For Them, It’s For You—Discover how forgiveness brings freedom and healing—not for the offender, but for you.

The Light of God—How God’s light, first spoken into a dark world, still brings clarity, hope, and transformation today through Christ.

Out of the Mire—Psalm 40:1-3 reflects David’s trust in God deliverance and inspires others to recognize His glory.

Mary Vs. The Taylor Swifts—You don't have to be famous to make an impact. God chooses faithful and available people.

Goals: Hits and Misses in 2024—Two stories finished, one that didn't cross the finish line.

God's Love Is...

AI Takes on My Writing and My Top 3 Movies

Trust Your Heavenly Father—What I Learned About Trust in PE Class.

Clay Pots—Common with Uncommon Results—God's surprising advertising strategy.

Hi! I'm David Harlen Brooks

David Harlen Brooks: On Writing & Life — Issue #4 / October 23, 2026