by Beth K. Vogt
Holly Halverson: I went into edits of CAFS with confidence, knowing you were on the team.
The team at Howard Books (Beth Adams, Jessica Wong, Bruce Gore, and Laura Jorstad): Thank you for continuing to support my dream—and always answering my questions! I love telling people I’m a Howard Books author.
Doug Moore: I wanted a Jeep guy and a Jeep gal for this book—but what did I know about Jeeps? Nothing. Thanks for answering all my Jeep questions. Any mistakes in the manuscript are mine and mine alone. And, yeah, now I want a Jeep.
Warren Priddy: Years ago you crashed through my preconceived notions about pilots and showed me how a man of faith can also fly jets. Thanks to you and Francie for helping me make Griffin Walker come to life on the page.
READING GROUP GUIDE
Catch a Falling Star
Beneath her smart, sassy exterior, Dr. Kendall Haynes is wrestling with the reality that life isn’t turning out exactly like she imagined. But she’s not the only one facing off with this unpleasant truth. A “chance” encounter with Griffin and Ian Walker on her thirty-sixth birthday leads her down an unexpected path that slowly unearths the tenderness of her heart. Catch a Falling Star is a story about hope in the midst of despair, honesty in the midst of pain, and courage in the midst of uncertain odds.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What did you enjoy most about Catch a Falling Star? Did you predict the ending?
2. As the novel opens, Kendall Haynes is celebrating her thirty-sixth birthday. What words would you use to describe Kendall in these opening scenes? If you would have met her at the restaurant where she was celebrating with friends, do you think you would have liked her? Why or why not?
3. How would you describe the relationship between Griffin and Ian Walker when we first meet them in the novel? What are some of the changes in their relationship by the end of the story?
4. One of the themes of the book is the way various people respond to disappointment and unexpected circumstances in their lives. Which character’s response most closely resembles yours? How would you describe their/your “MO” for dealing with life’s pain?
5. Have you or someone you know been part of an adoption? Did Javan’s reaction to Evie surprise you? What vulnerable desire was his anger seeking to protect?
6. How did you feel about Kendall’s initial reaction to her sister’s request to have the ruby ring their grandmother had given to Kendall? How did you feel when Kendall made her final decision about the ring? What would you have done? Why?
7. Another theme throughout the book is the relationship between siblings and how they navigate conflict. How would you describe the way Griffin and Ian handle conflict? What about Kendall and Bekah? Do you have siblings? How do you navigate conflict with each other (or with friends if you don’t have siblings)?
8. Why does Kendall love her Jeep so much? Have you had a vehicle that you especially loved?
9. What was your initial impression of Heath Parker? How would you describe his fatal flaw?
10. How do you relate to God when you are disappointed or grieving?
11. When Kendall and her friends accompanied Rachel to look for her wedding dress, Rachel’s mom shut down the process with her disapproval just as Rachel found the dress she loved. Do you relate to Rachel’s fear of displeasing her mom? How do you respond in situations where you want something different from another person you respect or love? What is the difference between selfishness and self-respect?
12. What role does Doug play in Griffin’s life? Do you think Griffin values their friendship? Describe. Do you have anyone like Doug in your life? What’s it like for you when a friend challenges your way of thinking or attitude?
13. Have you ever had a “chance encounter” that, upon reflection, you saw as God’s unexpected provision for you? How does this impact your openness to things that are not on your agenda, either for your day or your life?
14. Do you know anyone like Griffin who is the “strong and silent” type? As you got to know Griffin throughout the book, what other words would you use to describe him? What words or phrases would you like to be used to describe you?
15. How did you feel about the way the story ended?
ENHANCE YOUR BOOK CLUB
1. Read the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament. At your next book club, discuss the ways that each woman in the story responds to life not turning out exactly like they had planned or hoped. Which one do you identify with the most and why?
2. If you are married, invite a single person over for a meal this week and get to know them better. If you are single, invite a family over for a meal this week and get to know them better. Reflect on the question: “What gift does my current marital state provide as I seek to grow in my capacity to love God and others?”
3. Spend some time journaling about one way life has turned out differently than you imagined and the unexpected blessings and/or disappointment you have encountered as a result. At your next book club, discuss the ways you have wrestled with God and/or experienced His care for you.
4. Think about someone within your community who may struggle with discouragement about the current circumstances of their life. Write them a note expressing gratitude for one quality you appreciate about them.
AUTHOR Q&A
Having said that you would never write fiction, what was it like to complete your second novel?
The whole process of writing Catch a Falling Star was much faster than with Wish You Were Here, my debut novel. My first novel took three years to write; Catch a Falling Star was completed in four months. Why so quickly? Well, there was a deadline, of course. And I’d learned a lot in three years—all of which I applied to this story. I was excited to dive into Kendall’s story because it had been perking in my brain for a year or more. She was more than ready to move to center stage.
What was your inspiration for writing Catch a Falling Star?
I knew that I wanted my heroine and hero to be older because I don’t believe falling in love only happens in your twenties. And then a conversation with my friend, Angela, became the catalyst for the entire story. I re-created part of that conversation in the chapter where Kendall and Rachel talk about being “single ladies of a certain age” while having dinner at a quaint mountain restaurant (which is real, by the way!).
Is there a character in the book that you most identify with?
Wow. Tough question. When Kendall’s a bit snarky with Griffin? Um, I can be like that when I’m feeling the whole “I’m right, back down” attitude. I have learned that thinking “I’m right” is the wrong way to win an argument. I can tend to be black and white. But really, what I identified with the most was how Kendall, Griffin, and Evie each wrestled with the Story Question: What do you do when life doesn’t go according to plan? Everyone faces that question. Everyone.
Which character was the most difficult to develop?
Evie. I knew that she wasn’t a believer—and that she wasn’t going to necessarily embrace the truth of God’s grace by the end of the book. To me, that’s real life. Sharing the truth doesn’t mean that someone says, “Oh, of course! You’re right! How did I not see that?!” And I wanted her story to be realistic and just as compelling as my main characters, without slowing the story down.
The experiences of singleness, adoption, and the loss of parents are prominent in the book. What led you to choose these as connection points among characters?
I write fiction—but I also write real life. So, I look at real life and then I laser in on what particular aspects of real life are going under the microscope for each novel. And those three were the ones that ended up in Catch a Falling Star. As far as the topic of adoption, I’ve been watching a close friend walk that road for several years now. I’ve learned so much from her—the reality of adoption, how to walk life out in faith, choosing to love children unconditionally—and I wanted to weave that into this novel.
What do you say to someone who is living in a season of disappointmen
t and grief about how life has turned out?
I’ve been there. Sometimes that season is of our own making—our choices cause the disappointment, the grief. Or sometimes others’ actions hurt us and cause the grief. At one particularly tough time, I doubted God’s trustworthiness. I didn’t doubt the reality of God—just that I could trust him to take care of me. You know what? Doubting him didn’t help me at all. By shutting God out of my life, I didn’t have him to turn to when I struggled. And I didn’t have him to turn to when I had reason to celebrate. But I learned a valuable lesson that transformed my relationship with God: The moment I turned back toward God, he embraced me. Immediately. I understand his lavish grace in such a tangible way. So, what would I say? God’s in that season of disappointment and grief. You may give him the cold shoulder for a while, but he won’t turn his back on you—or lose sight of you. And, truly, he will see you through it and somehow, someway, bring good out of it.
What was the hardest part of writing this story for you?
The beginning is always the hardest. I have a seed of an idea. Then I have to grow it up into an entire novel. Something with depth. With characters who are compelling. The “spark” is always exciting—but I have to ask God to breathe on it and ignite my writing into something so much more.
Did you decide on the title of Catch a Falling Star before, during, or after you wrote the manuscript, and how did you decide on it?
I tossed around titles while I fleshed out the story idea. By the time I sat down to write the novel, I had my title. Titles are key for me because they anchor me to my story.
Why did you pick Colorado Springs as the setting for this story?
I have to go back to my debut novel to answer that question. When I wrote Wish You Were Here, I had a lot to learn. (Nonfiction writer transitioning to fiction, remember?) So, I decided to set my book in Colorado because I knew that area. Easy, right? And then I decided that I love this area and it’s a beautiful part of the country to live, so why not continue to use Colorado as the setting of my novels?
Do you own a Jeep?
I would like to own a Jeep. My husband’s always talked about owning a Jeep. My youngest daughter now rides around town with me and points out “indoor” Jeeps versus “outdoor” Jeeps (hard tops versus soft tops). But, no, I don’t own a Jeep. Yet.
Do you plan to write more fiction?
That’s the plan. Yes. New characters keep showing up in my head with stories to be told.
What can we expect from you next?
Without giving too much away, I may move a bit north, possibly into Denver and Fort Collins and explore the whole “marry your best friend” mantra. And since I’m a twin, I’m mulling over a novel idea that involves twins.
Keep reading for an excerpt of Somebody Like You!
two
JANUARY 2013
This conversation wasn’t going to be easy.
Haley pulled off the faded fatigue-patterned ball cap, twisting it in her hands as she approached the front counter of the gun club. Thick arms crossed over his barrel chest, her boss chatted with Frank, a club regular.
“Wes, I need to talk to you—”
The man wrapped up his conversation with a gravelly laugh before clapping the guy on his back and focusing on her. “There a problem, Hal?”
A glass display case separated them, filled with two shelves of handguns—ranging from .32 caliber to 9mm—that members could rent for use on the range or purchase. “I need to talk to you about taking maternity leave.”
“Now?” Wes stopped prepping to count up the day’s take. “I thought the baby wasn’t due for a few more months.”
“Not until April.” She scuffed the faded patch of carpet with the toe of her brown cowboy boot. “But I need to get off the range.”
“What’s bothering you?” Wes dumped his unlit cigar in a spotless ceramic ashtray.
Haley twisted one of the strands of hair that had slipped free from her ponytail. “One of the women in the gun safety class asked if it was safe for a pregnant woman to be on the range.”
“Is that all?” He dismissed her concern with a wave of his beefy hand. “Of course it’s safe. We have the best ventilation system in town.”
“But what about the noise? I hadn’t even thought about that.” Repositioning the hat on her head, she rubbed the palms of her hands along the front of her sweatpants. “I wear stuff to protect my eyes and ears—but it’s not like I can soundproof my belly. I haven’t read a lot of the information online, but I do know unborn babies hear sounds.”
“So what are you telling me? You want to quit because your baby might be bothered by the noise?”
“I didn’t say quit. But maybe . . . a leave of absence? Just to be safe?”
“You know I’m short-staffed as it is, Hal. Who am I going to get to teach your classes?”
“How about I make a few phone calls? Maybe someone at the Olympic Training Center might know of a competitive shooter looking for part-time work. And maybe I can do some shifts behind the counter. Let’s both sleep on it and talk tomorrow or the next day, okay?”
A few moments later, Haley stuffed her gear bag into the backseat of her Subaru Forester, standing to stretch the ever-present ache in her lower back. One more decision to make—and no one to talk it over with. She couldn’t even ask someone to help her remember to make the phone calls—except for the virtual assistant on her iPhone.
Why couldn’t that woman in her class mind her own business? Most people didn’t even notice she was pregnant, especially when she wore one of Sam’s baggy chamois shirts.
Once on the road, Haley shifted in the seat, one hand on the steering wheel, the other hand holding a Three Musketeers bar as she tore at the silver wrapper with her teeth. Even as she inhaled the first whiff of sugary chocolate, she promised herself something healthy for dinner when she got home. Like a banana. Wait. Did she have any bananas? Did she have any fresh fruit at all?
The Forester’s in-dash clock declared it was nine thirty. “Sorry, buddy.” She patted her rounded tummy underneath her cotton henley top. “But it’s not like you’re running on a regular schedule in there—not the way you like to roll around right when I want to go to sleep.”
Only a few more miles and she’d be home. Was it only two months ago that she’d signed on the multiple dotted lines and bought a house? When she stared down the woman in the mirror brushing her teeth twice a day it took a few seconds before she recognized herself.
Owning a home was one thing.
Being pregnant . . . well, by the time she got used to that life-and-body-altering idea, the baby would be here and she’d be wrestling with the up-close-and-personal reality of motherhood.
And now, four and a half months later, she still shifted under the heaviness of the word widow. There was no dodging the truth. But when would the nightmare of Sam’s death stop slapping her awake in the early hours of the morning?
Haley rolled her shoulders—backward, forward—in an attempt to ease the tautness that had settled right between her shoulder blades. Until tonight, work had given her a respite from thinking about the what-ifs and the what-nows stalking her. She usually got a kick out of teaching the weekly women’s gun safety class.
But not tonight.
Doubt had followed her out to her car and settled in the passenger seat beside her. Some trained professional she was—she hadn’t once thought about how being on the range might affect her unborn son. But then, hearing the “Mrs. Ames, we’re sorry to inform you . . .” speech from the military representatives four months ago had muted every other reality in her life—even her pregnancy. What kind of mother didn’t go to her first OB appointment until she was sixteen weeks pregnant? Had she been too relaxed about being on the range?
Haley crumbled the candy bar wrapper and stuffed it beneath her seat. She hadn’t enjoyed a single bite. After months of spending her days stari
ng into the bottom of a bucket—or worse, the toilet—she could eat again, and she wasn’t even paying attention.
As if a Three Musketeers bar would give her anything more than—what?—two minutes of enjoyment. Not that something as temporary as a sugar rush mattered anymore. She needed to take care of, well, everything—and that included the baby. Her son. Sam’s son. And if it meant starting to act as though she was pregnant and taking a leave from her job, then that’s what she’d do.
But first she’d grab a banana or a bowl of cereal—something—to eat when she got home. And she needed to surf some of the pregnancy websites she’d found when she first realized she was pregnant. Her friends with kids said there was lots of good information available on the sites. But had they meant the slideshow labeled “Poppy seed to pumpkin: How big is your baby”? Imagining her unborn child as an ear of corn was odd enough. But would she ever get used to the thought that by the end of this pregnancy, she’d be carrying around something—someone—the size of a small pumpkin?
Sam would have laughed at the entire fruits-and-veggies slideshow, probably juggled a few of the oranges and apples in the fruit bowl—if they had any—to make Haley laugh, and then suggested they go out to eat.
Haley pulled the car in front of the house—her home—put the vehicle in park, and cut the engine, closing her eyes and tilting her head as if to catch the echo of Sam’s laugh. Yes. She still remembered her husband’s low, rumbling chuckle that created a crooked half smile and warmed his chicory-brown eyes.
She needed to remember Sam’s laugh.
Half in and half out of the car, Haley froze. Why was a Mustang parked in her driveway? Had one of Sam’s army friends come to check up on her? But none of them drove a Mustang—Sam’s dream car.
