To the Moon and Back

Book excerpt: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury comes a “heart tugging and emotional” story in the Baxter Family collection that will “touch readers deeply” (RT Book Reviews) featuring two people who lost their parents in the same national tragedy—two people desperate to find each other and the connection they shared for a single day…that changed everything. Brady Bradshaw was a child when the Oklahoma City bombing killed his mother. Every year, Brady visits the memorial site on the anniversary to remember her. Eleven years ago on that day, he met Jenna Phillips, who was also a child when her parents were killed in the attack. Brady and Jenna shared a deep heart connection and a single beautiful day together at the memorial. But after that, Brady never saw Jenna again. Every year when he returns, he leaves a note for her in hopes that he might find her again. This year, Ashley Baxter Blake and her sister Kari Baxter Taylor and their families take a spring break trip that includes a visit to the site to see the memorial’s famous Survivor Tree. While there, Ashley spots a young man, alone and troubled. That man is Brady Bradshaw. A chance moment leads Ashley to help Brady find Jenna, the girl he can’t forget. Ashley’s family is skeptical, but she pushes them to support her efforts to find the girl and bring them together. But will it work? Will her husband, Landon, understand her intentions? And is a shared heartache enough reason to fall in love? With To The Moon and Back “Kingsbury skillfully weaves a tale of divine love” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) in an unlikely love story about healing, redemption, hope, and the belief that sometimes a new tomorrow can grow from the ashes of a shattered yesterday. “Kingsbury writes with seemingly effortless poetic elegance, capturing the tender, intimate moments of daily family life as well as heart-wrenching flashbacks to fatal tragedy. A moving story of survival, of faith, and of beauty from the ashes” (Booklist).