A Beautiful Mess (The Mosaic Collection)
ABOUT THIS BOOK
A single mother’s journey from bitterness to forgiveness
Can she love the child who broke up her marriage?
Nearly four years ago, Erin Belden’s happy life became a shattered mess. After her husband admitted to an affair and that a child had been conceived, he left her and their young daughter for his new family. Now, she’s finally ready to put the pieces of her life together. She’s set to launch her own business and even thinks her heart might be open to romance—should the right man come along.
But just when everything seems to be lining up, she receives a devastating call: her ex-husband and his wife have been killed in a car accident, and Erin is listed in their will as their daughter’s legal guardian.
How can she be a mother to the child—let alone love the child—who broke up her marriage? Does she have the courage to start over yet again and turn this mess into a mosaic of beauty?
A single mother’s journey from bitterness to forgiveness.
MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK
A Beautiful Mess is a bittersweet story that could very well happen in today’s world! In this messy story, Brenda S. Anderson deals with several heartwrenching issues. It had been four years since Erin’s life was turned upside down when her husband dropped the latest on her that he was seeing another women and she was pregnant. She was ready to finally move on with her life when another bomb was dropped on her, and Erin is not ready for the way her life is headed. Can her ex really control her life from the grave?
My heart hurt for Erin throughout this entire book. She, like so many people today had to suffer the heartbreaking news of an affair. And while her husband was living it up with his new wife, she was left trying to put the pieces together, dealing with all of the feelings that come with betrayal. But this story took a twisted turn and a journey began for Erin that she did not want. Ms. Anderson does an amazing job of laying out all of the pieces of this story, emotions flying high in every possible way, and weaving them back together to give a beautiful ending that will stay with me for a long time. A Beautiful Mess is a story that you don’t want to miss. I encourage you to check this book out, you may enjoy it as I did.
A copy of this book was given to me by the author or publisher. I am not required to write a positive review. The opinions here in this review are totally mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
About Brenda
Brenda S. Andersonwrites gritty and authentic, life-affirming fiction. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, and is Past-President of the ACFW Minnesota chapter, MN-NICE, the 2016 ACFW Chapter of the Year. 
When not reading or writing, she enjoys music, theater, roller coasters, and baseball (Go Twins!), and she loves watching movies with her family. She resides in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area with her husband of thirty-plus years and one sassy cat.
WRITING AWARDS
Genesis Award
2012 ACFW Genesis Finalist
Contemporary Romance
for
Hearts at Risk
(Now titled Risking Love)
2012 ACFW Genesis Semi-Finalist
Women’s Fiction
for
Pieces of Granite
MEMBERSHIPS
ACFW
American Christian Fiction Writers
ACFW Minnesota NICE
(Novelists Inspiring Christian Excellence)
The Birth of Imagination …
I grew up in the best place in the world: a dairy farm in Minnesota. Oh, I know, many of you are wrinkling your noses and thinking, what about Hawaii? California? The Rocky Mountains? Any number of places could be better, definitely warmer, and a whole lot less work.
Yet, in spite of stepping in fresh manure piles, tossing bales in 90 degree heat and stifling humidity, and suffering through temperatures cold enough to freeze breath and limb, fun was had and stories were born.
My daughter tells me I grew up spoiled. I had everything a child could possibly want: hay sheds for building forts, hay lofts with rope swings, tons of swimming lakes within biking distance, a sledding hill right across the road, our own pond to skate on, snow piles–high as our house–in which we created little cabins, acres of trees to climb and and to weave bike paths through, corn fields in which to play hide and seek, all the homegrown sweet corn we could eat, a baseball field with unique boundaries … I could go on.
To make it even better, I have four brothers and two sisters who were built-in playmates. At the farm next door, they had eight children so it was never difficult to find enough players for football or softball or whatever game we wanted to play.
Our farm was laid out over rolling hills. The sunsets and sunrises were filled with hues city dwellers can only imagine. The northern lights could be seen in their full cascade of colors. Shooting stars were commonplace. Nothing says it better than Psalm 19:1: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
The farm was also fertile ground for imagination. I’d often go for walks, with my faithful German Shepherd at my side, and imagine myself in a different time and place. Some of those stories made it onto paper and several teachers encouraged my imagination.
Like so many authors, I always dreamed of writing a novel, but for many years that’s all it was: a dream. Practicality said that there was no career in writing, so why waste my time?
Fast forward several years later. In the spring of 2005 I was a stay-at-home mom whose three kids were in school full time. I considered doing the practical thing by getting a job to help support the family. I even picked up an application from the local Christian book store.
Then I felt the nudging. The LifeKeys course at our church taught me that God gave us our passions for a reason. Our passions had a purpose. I’d never believed that before, but then I gave it consideration. My imagination had never stopped; the stories had become more real, more complex.
It was time to write.
Two weeks later I confessed to my husband that I spent my free time writing. His answer? “It’s about time.” How’s that for confirmation?
So now, it’s eleven years later with five books published and more on the horizon, all stories written in a partnership with God, stories I believe He placed within my psyche for a purpose. It’s my prayer, as I record the stories God has given me, that my words will do them justice, that others will hear the message God wants me to convey.
splashesofjoy 