Gemmy's Dreams

Book excerpt: Gemmy's Dreams is a fictional novel that tells of a family's day-to-day life on a small farm in eastern North Carolina. It is the third book in a series about the Lister family. Gemmy's Dreams continues the story where the second book, Life on Heartsville Farm, ends. The Listers have established a good life in the rural community of Heartsville. They have found a community that has accepted them without prejudices. The story unfolds in the mid-1950s and is told mostly through the eyes of one of the young Lister girls. Complications of family dynamics continues to place roadblocks in their lives that must be resolved, altered, or accepted. Gemmy and four of the Lister children are rejected by their paternal grandmother because they are part Cherokee. The paternal grandmother is from the Tuscarora tribe and considers the Cherokee tribe as inferior and enemies of her people. The Listers rely on faith and God's promises to navigate through the life that God has given them. Detailed are how the people that God places in the children's lives work to fill the void left by relatives that refuse to accept the Lister children. The children choose people to fill some of the holes in their hearts left by the lack of interest of others. Highlighted are the people that cross paths with the family. Gemmy has a history of having prophetic dreams that come to fruition. Gemmy considers these dreams a blessing when a good future is predicted. She considers them a curse when the dreams foretell of sadness or misfortune. These dreams cause Gemmy a great deal of stress as she watches them fulfill in her life and the lives of her family members. The Listers seek God's strength and guidance to lead them through their hardships and struggles. Deaths, family illnesses, and hurricane damages threaten to destroy the family's life on the farm. They have loving and supportive friends and neighbors that help them through their challenges. The Lister children learn that knowing how not to act is just as important as knowing how to act.