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Donna VanLiere is an American New York Times and USA Today bestselling, multiple award-winning author of inspirational fiction and non-fiction books.

She is best known for writing books such as The Christmas Shoes (2001), The Christmas Blessing (2003), The Christmas Hope (2005), The Christmas Secret (2009), The Christmas Note (2011), and The Christmas Town (2016)—all of which have been adapted into motion pictures.

The recipient of multiple awards, including a Retailer's Choice Award for Fiction, a Dove Award, a Silver Angel Award, and two Audie Awards for best inspirational fiction, Donna also serves on the board of directors for National House of Hope—a residency program that supports and empowers abused and at-risk teenagers across many different states.

A mom, wife, animal lover, and somewhat comedian at home, Donna enjoys cooking, eating, reading, and inspiring others to pursue their dreams.

Originally from Medina, Ohio, the author currently lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with her husband and children.

More about Donna VanLiere

Genres: Fiction, Inspirational, Non-fiction

United States

Website: http://www.donnavanliere.com/

Non Series

  • They Walked with Him (2001)
  • The Good Dream (2012)
  • The Angels of Morgan Hill (2006)

Christmas Hope

  1. The Christmas Shoes (2001)
  2. The Christmas Blessing (2003)
  3. The Christmas Hope (2005)
  4. The Christmas Promise (2007)
  5. The Christmas Secret (2009)
  6. The Christmas Journey (2010)
  7. The Christmas Note (2011)
  8. The Christmas Light (2014)
  9. The Christmas Town (2016)
  10. The Christmas Star (2018)
  11. The Christmas Table (2020)

Collections

  1. The Christmas Hope Collection (2007)

End-Times Trilogy

  1. The Time of Jacob's Trouble (2020)
  2. The Day of Ezekiel's Hope (2021)
  3. Daniel's Final Week (2022)

Non-fiction

  1. Sheltering Trees: The Power, Promise, and Refuge of Friendship (2001)
  2. High Calling: The Courageous Life and Faith of Space Shuttle Columbia Commander Rick Husband (2004)
  3. Finding Grace: A True Story About Losing Your Way In Life...And Finding It Again (2009)

Detailed book overview

Non Series

They Walked with Him

What was it like to walk with Jesus? As you have read the different biblical accounts of Jesus' adventures with His chosen ones, have you ever wondered how it felt to know the Master, to live in those times? What were the sounds, smells, and surroundings, like when those special moments in Jesus' ministry took place.

With the use of a little imagination and a lot of attention to biblical details, Donna VanLiere has described in captivating story form some of those wonderful moments just as Jesus' followers would have witnessed them. Follow Peter, John, James, and the other apostles as they witness the power and majesty of God in the flesh.

This is a book that you will want to read over and over, and give to your loved ones. As you read, you will sense the presence of Jesus as He performs His acts of power, passion, and love. This is more than just a reading experience; it is an exciting adventure from which you will never want to return.

Author: Donna VanLiere
First Release: 2001
ISBN: 978-1582292151
Publisher: Howard Books
The Good Dream

Tennessee, 1950: Still single and in her early thirties, Ivorie Walker is considered an old maid; a label she takes with good humor and a grain of salt. But when her mother dies, leaving her to live alone in the house she grew up in, to work the farm she was raised to take care of, she finds herself lost in a kind of loneliness she hadn't expected. 

After years of rebuffing the advances of imperfect, yet eligible bachelors from her small town, Ivorie is without companionship with more love in her heart and time on her hands than she knows what to do with. But her life soon changes when a feral, dirty-faced boy who has been sneaking onto her land to steal from her garden comes into her life. 

Even though he runs back into the hills as quickly as he arrives, she's determined to find out who he is because something about the young boy haunts her. What would make him desperate enough to steal and eat from her garden? But what she can't imagine is what the boy faces, each day and night, in the filthy lean-to hut miles up in the hills. Who is he? How did he come to live in the hills? Where did he come from? And, more importantly, can she save him? 

As Ivorie steps out of her comfort zone to uncover the answers, she unleashes a firestorm in the town-a community that would rather let secrets stay that way.

Author: Donna VanLiere
First Release: 2012
Ebook: B0071NOKEQ
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
The Angels of Morgan Hill

Jane Gable thinks 1947 will be like every other year in Morgan Hill, Tennessee but but it's the year everything changes. Jane first lays eyes on young Milo Turner the day that her abusive, alcoholic father is buried in the Morgan Hill cemetery. The Turners are the first black family ever to move into the area, and while their presence challenges the comfort of many in the small, tight-knit community, Jane and her brother, John, have found new friends.

Then tragedy strikes the Turner household, and the Gable family is asked to make a decision that could rip their world apart. One path might open up a whole new world and bring them closer than ever. Or it might bring them nothing but trouble and heartache. On their journey, Jane discovers that angels are all around us, every day, in the most extraordinary—and ordinary—ways.

NB: This book is a part of the Women of Faith Fiction collection by various authors.

Author: Donna VanLiere
First Release: 2006
Ebook: B000V77078
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Christmas Hope

The Christmas Shoes

The heartwarming story by NewSong instantly soared to the top of the charts, mesmerizing listeners. Donna VanLiere has captured the hearts of readers everywhere.

The story follows the paths of a man and a boy through one fateful, snowy Christmas. Beautifully rendered and poignantly touching The Christmas Shoes tells a take of hope, love and faith.

The Christmas Shoes
Director: Andy Wolk
Cast: Rob Lowe, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Max Morrow, Maria del Mar, Hugh Thompson, Dorian Harewood, Shirley Douglas, Amber Marshall, Rhonda McLean, Jeremy Akerman, John Maclaren
Author: Donna VanLiere
First Release: 2001
ISBN: 978-0312289515
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
The Christmas Blessing

In The Christmas Shoes, young Nathan Andrews was a child who lost his mother to cancer. Now his deepest wish is to become a doctor. When a stranger named Robert gave him the money to buy his mother a pair of shoes for her last Christmas, both Robert and Nathan learned the deepest lessons of love and giving. 

Now a medical student in his third year, Nathan realizes there are still things to be learned about faith, blessings, and sacrifice. Lessons he will learn from Meghan Sullivan-a young woman born with a hole in her heart that has not kept her from becoming a champion runner. And lessons learned from a young boy named Charlie, who teaches how to live a life of true courage. 

Together, they will help guide Nathan through the darkest period in his life. The Christmas Blessing is an inspiring about hope existing in the darkest places, and love is always the greatest gift of all.

The Christmas Blessing
Director: Karen Arthur
Cast: Neil Patrick Harris, Rebecca Gayheart, Angus T. Jones, Hugh Thompson, Shaun Johnston, Rob Lowe, Robert Clinton, Wanda Cannon, Patricia Casey, Jesse Lipscombe
Author: Donna VanLiere
First Release: 2003
Ebook: B003ZSIS1W
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
The Christmas Hope

Patricia and Mark Addison have long given up the hope of having a meaningful Christmas. But this year, Patricia's job as a social worker will lead her to a very special five-year-old. Against her better judgment, Patricia bends the rules and takes the little girl to her own home. Through the presence of Emily in their house, and her penetrating questions about heaven, the Addisons learn that there is no sorrow so great that faith cannot help you find your way through. And Christmas will once more be a time of joy in their home.

The Christmas Hope
Director: Norma Bailey
Cast: Madeleine Stowe, James Remar, Ian Ziering, Tori Barban, Phillip Jarrett, Jayne Eastwood, Devon Weigel, Rebecca Gibson, Daniel Boiteau, Garth Merkeley, Mariam Bernstein
Author: Donna VanLiere
First Release: 2005
Ebook: B004P8JHVQ
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
The Christmas Promise

Each Christmas we are given a promise from heaven. And each year on earth we make promises to each other. This is a story about how a promise from one person to another shows us the true meaning of faith, remembrance, and love.

Seven years ago Gloria endured a family tragedy that almost shook her faith entirely. Each Christmas she places a card in an envelope on her tree, restating a promise she made to her husband before he died. Now, having moved from her small town and all the painful memories it held, she is building a life by caring for people in need. Whether it's a young mother who can't pay her electric bill or a family who needs some extra food, Gloria always finds a way.

Miriam is a thorn in Gloria's side. Miriam is a constantly critical, disapproving neighbor who looks with suspicion at all the good things Gloria does. When a twist of fate makes them roommates instead of neighbors, it's the ultimate test of patience and faith.

Chaz has a good job as head of security at Wilson's Department Store, but each night he returns home to an empty apartment. He longs for a wife and family of his own but realizes that the life choices he's made have alienated him. He befriends a young boy whose mother has fallen on hard times, giving him a chance to have a life he thought impossible.

Author: Donna VanLiere
First Release: 2007
Ebook: B000V770IM
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
The Christmas Secret

When a struggling young single mother saves the life of an elderly woman, she sets into motion a series of events that will test her strength, loyalty, and determination, all the while setting her on the path to finding true love.

Christine Eisley is the mother of seven-year-old Zach and five-year-old Haley. Her ex-husband provides little, if any, child support and makes life difficult for Christine by using the children as pawns. She works long hours as a waitress to make ends meet, but her job is in jeopardy because she's often late to work due to the unreliable teenage sitters she's forced to use. 

When Christine saves the life of a woman who works in Wilson's department store, the owner of Wilson's wants to find her, to thank her, but Christine has disappeared, losing another job once again. He sets his grandson, Jason, to the task of finding the mysterious "Christy." Jason, an accountant by trade who has lost his job to downsizing, thinks he is "above" working at Wilson's. Soon, he discovers that this new task gives him more than he bargains for.

The Christmas Secret
Director: Norma Bailey
Cast: Bethany Joy Lenz, John Reardon, Susan Hogan, Michael Hogan, Venus Terzo, Nicola Cavendish, Karin Konoval, Jaeda Lily Miller, William Ainscough, Greyston Holt, Christine Willes, Don Thompson, Elizabeth Bowen, Daryl Shuttleworth
Author: Donna VanLiere
First Release: 2009
Ebook: B002POEQSG
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
The Christmas Journey

The eighty-mile journey of a common carpenter and a simple peasant girl is one of the most powerful stories in history. As books go out of print and stories fade from memory, the journey of Joseph and Mary and her delivery inside a common barn continues to bless and inspire hope in people around the world.

Author: Donna VanLiere
First Release: 2010
Ebook: B003P8OYYM
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
The Christmas Note

Gretchen Daniels has recently moved into a condo with her two children to be closer to her mother, Miriam. As they build a life together in their new community, they notice a mysterious young woman, Melissa McCreary, who lives next door. She has few possessions, little personality, and keeps to herself. 

One day a local landlord who is looking for Melissa knocks on Gretchen's door for assistance. Melissa's mother has died and in the coming weeks the landlord needs Melissa to empty her mother's apartment. Gretchen reaches out and offers to help Melissa, but the apartment is a gut-wrenching shamble of a home. 

There is little worth saving except for a few photos and a note that is discovered on the crate beside the bed. It is unfinished, but in the two scribbled lines, Melissa discovers secrets about her family that she never could have imagined. Can two very different women embark on a journey that explores a long-buried need for forgiveness, hope, and redemption?

The Christmas Note
Director: Terry Ingram
Cast: Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Leah Gibson, Lynda Boyd, Dylan Kingwell, Barclay Hope, Nicola Cavendish, Lochlyn Munro, Zachary Gulka, Greg Vaughan, Jeremy Guilbaut, William Vaughan
Author: Donna VanLiere
First Release: 2011
Ebook: B0050IE43Q
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
The Christmas Light

In the small town of Grandon, five very different people discover the true meaning of Christmas. Jennifer and Ryan are both single parents, struggling with their own losses and heartache as they attempt to move forward in the present while still holding onto the memories, joy, and heartache of the past. 

Sixteen-year-old Kaylee is faced with a life-changing situation that has affected her whole family. Stephen and Lily are happily married and ready to start a family. All of them are facing their own struggles, and all are finding their way through the dark. When they are brought together for a rather unconventional church Nativity, they will learn that with strength, courage, and love, there is always hope.

Author: Donna VanLiere
First Release: 2014
ISBN: 978-1250827661
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
The Christmas Town

Lauren Gabriel spent many years of her childhood in foster homes, wishing her mother would come back for her and be the family she needs. Now twenty-years-old, she still longs for a place that she can truly call home. Her work as a cashier is unfulfilling, and at Christmas it’s unbearable with the songs and carols and chatter of Christmas that she hears throughout the day.

When Lauren ends her shift one night, she finds herself driving aimlessly in order to avoid returning to her lonely apartment. And when she witnesses a car accident she is suddenly pulled into the small town of Grandon, first as a witness but then as a volunteer for the annual fundraiser for Glory’s Place, a center for single mothers and families who need assistance. Could this town and its people be the home she has always longed for?

Christmas Town
Director: David Weaver
Cast: Candace Cameron Bure, Tim Rozon, Beth Broderick, Jason Cermak, Jesse Filkow, Anne Marie DeLuise, Caitlin Stryker, Fred Keating, Lara Gilchrist, Rhys Slack
Author: Donna VanLiere
First Release: 2016
Ebook: B01DJ0XZ72
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
The Christmas Star

Thirty-two-year-old Amy Denison volunteers at Glory’s Place, an after school program where she meets seven-year-old Maddie, a precocious young girl who has spent her childhood in foster care. Unbeknownst to Amy, Maddie is a mini-matchmaker, with her eye on just the right man for Amy at Grandon Elementary School, where she is a student. Amy is hesitant – she’s been hurt before, and isn’t sure she’s ready to lose her heart again – but an unexpected surprise makes her reconsider her lonely lifestyle.

As Christmas nears and the town is blanketed in snow and beautiful decorations, Maddie and the charming staff at Glory’s Place help Amy to see that romance can be more than heartache and broken promises.

Author: Donna VanLiere
First Release: 2018
ISBN: 978-1250824325
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
The Christmas Table

In June 1972, John Creighton determines to build his wife Joan a kitchen table. His largest project to date had been picture frames but he promises to have the table ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Inspired to put something delicious on the table, Joan turns to her mother’s recipes she had given to Joan when she and John married.

In June 2012, Lauren Mabrey discovers she’s pregnant. Gloria, Miriam, and the rest of her friends at Glory’s Place begin to pitch in, helping Lauren prepare their home for the baby. On a visit to the local furniture builder, Lauren finds a table that he bought at a garage sale but has recently refinished. Once home, a drawer is discovered under the table which contains a stack of recipe cards. 

Growing up in one foster home after another, Lauren never learned to cook and is fascinated as she reads through the cards. Personal notes have been written on each one from the mother to her daughter and time and again Lauren wonders where they lived, when they lived, and in a strange way, she feels connected to this mother and her daughter and wants to make the mother proud.

Author: Donna VanLiere
First Release: 2020
Ebook: B084M1ZGZZ
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Collections

The Christmas Hope Collection

Bestselling author Donna VanLiere’s Christmas Hope series has connected with listeners all over the world because of its heartwarming tales of hope, faith, and the power of love. Now the first three installments of the series—The Christmas Shoes, The Christmas Blessing, and The Christmas Hope—are available in a special CD edition. Dedicated fans and new listeners alike will be dazzled by these inspirational holiday classics.

Author: Donna VanLiere
First Release: 2007
ISBN: 978-1427202420
Publisher: MacMillan Audio

End-Times Trilogy

The Time of Jacob's Trouble

A typical day at work turns into a nightmare for Emma Grady when her favorite patient and several colleagues vanish in front of her. 

Fear turns to chaos as Emma begins the frantic race from Brooklyn to Queens, anxious to discover if her boyfriend is safe. Subways are closed, graves are open, and countless people have inexplicably disappeared. Mayhem erupts as terror grips the residents of New York City.

What could make so many vanish in a moment? And not just in New York, but all over the globe? Emma wonders if this is the predicted end of the world and begins a desperate search for answers.

Author: Donna VanLiere
First Release: 2020
ISBN: 978-0736978750
Publisher: Harvest Prophecy
The Day of Ezekiel's Hope

Millions have vanished…

War has erupted around the globe…

Cities have been ransacked and overrun with lawlessness…

Yet this is only the beginning of the chaos that is to come.

Emma Grady has seen civilization collapse and New York gutted by nuclear attack. Amidst this international crisis, she and her growing family of outcasts must unravel the meaning of these strange and horrifying events, even as they struggle to survive.

On the other side of the world, Zerah Adler finds Israel surrounded by invaders intent on total annihilation. In Jerusalem, two men have the power to stop the rain and call down plagues of every kind. Are they sorcerers, or do they have the power of God? And a magnetic new leader has emerged, promising to provide peace and even salvation to the globe.

Author: Donna VanLiere
First Release: 2021
ISBN: 978-0736978811
Publisher: Harvest Prophecy
Daniel's Final Week

A mysterious leader returned from the dead.

A planet filled with fallen angels.

An execution order against millions.

Yet amidst these evils, God’s hope prevails.

After his apparent resurrection, beloved leader Victor Quade is hailed internationally as God. Yet when Victor mandates that everything from purchasing groceries to seeing a doctor will require a mark of allegiance to him, Emma Grady and her friends in New York know they must flee.

Meanwhile, in Israel, the Jewish people worship Victor as a messiah, not realizing he intends to seal their doom. As Jews and Jesus-followers around the globe lose their lives, Zerah Adler strives to protect as many as possible in this violent, volatile time.

Author: Donna VanLiere
First Release: 2022
ISBN: 978-0736980494
Publisher: Harvest Prophecy

Non-fiction

Sheltering Trees: The Power, Promise, and Refuge of Friendship

Friends truly are like sheltering trees. When the weather of our life is calm and serene, we bask in the gentle breezes that blow through them to warm our souls. When the rain falls and the lightning threatens, it is to those sheltering trees we call "friends" that we run and find our protection and help.

This beautiful, sensitive book reveals real stories of friendships from the lives of men and women who've impacted our world. Beautifully intertwined throughout the book are the lyrics to the popular song "Sheltering Tree" and inspirational quotes that will warm you through and through. This is a book for you and your friends to share, because somewhere in a lifetime those friends will become your Sheltering Trees.

NB: Co-authored with Eddie Carswell.

Author: Donna VanLiere
First Release: 2001
ISBN: 978-1582291703
Publisher: Howard Books
High Calling: The Courageous Life and Faith of Space Shuttle Columbia Commander Rick Husband

Rick Husband wanted to be an astronaut since his fourth birthday, but it wasn't always for the right reasons. Initially, he thought it would be neat... cool... a fun thing to do. It wasn't until he came to a spiritual crossroads and was able to give that dream up to discover the true desires of his heart before he actually got into the space shuttle program at NASA. Three failed attempts didn't daunt this driven pilot—and the fourth interview process, though lengthy and difficult, proved successful for him.

Husband's years at NASA served not only to develop his integrity and character, but also to increase his faith in a Creator that could not be denied in the vastness of space. His story is not only inspirational but exhilarating and invigorating, as readers will witness the life of a man who consistently pursued the desires of his heart even as he served a faithful God.

NB: Co-authored with Evelyn Husband.

Author: Donna VanLiere
First Release: 2004
ISBN: 978-0785261957
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers
Finding Grace: A True Story About Losing Your Way In Life...And Finding It Again

Finding Grace is the powerful, often humorous, and deeply moving story of one woman's journey of broken dreams. It is the story of how a painful legacy of the past is confronted and met with peace. 

This book is for anyone who has struggled to understand why our desires- even the simplest ones-are sometimes denied or who has questioned where God is when we need him most. This story is about one woman's unlikely road to motherhood. 

Finally, it's a book about the "undeserved gift which is life itself." It's the story of "Finding Grace."

Author: Donna VanLiere
First Release: 2009
ISBN: 978-0312380540
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin