Have you read Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady and found yourself wishing for more? I’m right there with you! Earlier this summer, I typed “The End” to the second book in the Purls and Prayers series. And recently, I signed a contract with Kregel Publications for its publication.

When? When?

When will it be available, you ask? Not until the winter of 2023. The wonderful folks at Kregel and I have a lot of work to do to get this book ready to make its “Ta-da!” There will be several months of editing, to make sure it’s the very best it can be before it gets to you. The titling committee will work their magic, along with the cover artists, the proof-readers, the folks who write the back cover copy, the hard-working marketing department, the printers…I hope you get the picture that the book you will eventually hold in your hands is the loving and professional work of many, many people.

What’s it About?

This new book is about the Woolgatherers, the prayer shawl ministry Rose started at Fair Meadows Retirement Community. The Woolgatherers have a heart for caregivers of folks with dementia. You’ll get to know Sam, lost and lonely since his beloved Dorothy had to go to Memory Care, along with fun-loving and flirtatious Jenny. Then there’s Edna, a crocheter who wouldn’t even be at Fair Meadows except for…well, I didn’t even know why she was there for a while, she played it so close to the vest.
Sam is at his lowest low when he gets tangled up with Edna, Jenny, and the rest of the Woolgatherers. Little does he know that taking up his wife’s old crochet hooks will have the power to heal his life—and possibly, to save it. In this tale of love and loss, the pain of loneliness, and the power of community, Edna, Jenny, and Sam come face to face with uncomfortable truths about themselves, challenged to embrace new ways of living and relating to God and others.

In the Meantime…

While you wait for this story, you can still spend time with the Heavenly Hugs prayer shawl ladies via “Called to Adventure.” It’s the Bible study I’ve developed as a companion to The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady. You can download it (free of charge!) right here on my website, sharonjmondragon.com.