The Loved One offered free to military families by author who wants to support America’s troops

CAMDENTON, Mo. (BP)–Author Catherine Palmer has come up with a “novel” way to support America’s armed forces in this time of war by offering a free copy of a novel she coauthored, The Loved One, to every military family that requests one.

The Loved One is the story of a woman whose high-achieving, college-bound son shocks her with the announcement that God is calling him to enlist in the Army. His mother, whose hobby is genealogy, discovers that their family has a military heritage dating back to the Revolutionary War. The story alternates between historical accounts of family members’ service to their country and the ongoing conflict between mother and son over his determination to join the Army.

The 185-page hardcover novel was published by Tyndale House in 2003. The Missouri author and her husband, Tim, decided to buy and distribute 5,000 copies themselves at military bases in the Midwest as well as by mail.

“We see this as a way to support our troops in Iraq and around the world,” Palmer said.

In coauthoring the book with Minnesota writer Peggy Stoks, Palmer said she tried to imagine how it would feel if either of her two sons chose to put his life on the line for his country. “I’m sure I would be torn between fear for his safety and pride that He sought to follow God’s leading,” she said, “just as the mother, Meg Chilton, is in the book.

“Sometimes you have to be willing to sacrifice the thing or person you love the most, because the end result is worth it – just as God sacrificed His only Son for us. That is the message of The Loved One, and it’s my prayer that the book will offer peace and comfort to those whose loved ones are serving,” said Palmer, author of 40 published novels with combined sales of nearly 2 million copies and a recipient of Christian fiction’s highest honor, the Christy Award.

Reviewer Donna Gilbert wrote: “Every GI has a mom. And every one of those moms will identify with The Loved One. Authors Catherine Palmer and Peggy Stoks touchingly express the anguish that mothers of servicemen must endure.”

Copies of The Loved One may be requested by email at lovedone@socket.net or my mail at P.O. Box 3302 Camdenton, MO 65020.