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Penelope J. Stokes

Goodreads Author

Born

The United States

Website

http://www.lifebeyondbooks.wordpress.com

Genre

Women's Fiction

Member Since

August 2013

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/PenelopeJStokes

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It’s often been debated whether a person’s destiny lies in genetics or environment, but either way, I suppose I was destined to be a fiction writer. A Baby Boomer with an English teacher and a social worker for parents, I grew up being challenged to develop my imagination, and to seek out for myself the meaning and significance of life. I learned early both the magic and mystery of stories and the importance of people–their dreams, their hopes, their longings, their struggles.

From the age of four, when I first learned to read and discovered that words had incredible power, I dreamed of being a writer. But the fulfillment of that dream was a long time in coming. Ten years of university study, culminating in a Ph.D. in Renaissance Literature, It’s often been debated whether a person’s destiny lies in genetics or environment, but either way, I suppose I was destined to be a fiction writer. A Baby Boomer with an English teacher and a social worker for parents, I grew up being challenged to develop my imagination, and to seek out for myself the meaning and significance of life. I learned early both the magic and mystery of stories and the importance of people–their dreams, their hopes, their longings, their struggles.

From the age of four, when I first learned to read and discovered that words had incredible power, I dreamed of being a writer. But the fulfillment of that dream was a long time in coming. Ten years of university study, culminating in a Ph.D. in Renaissance Literature, led me to a career as a college professor. I loved teaching, loved the students and the challenge and the interaction, but the longing for full-time expression of my creativity never died. Finally, after twelve years of college teaching, I left the classroom and turned my energy toward my life’s passion–writing fiction.

In the process, I discovered another passion–the magnificent grandeur of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Western North Carolina.

I was raised in Mississippi, and as a child I remember family vacations to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I loved the undulating layers of blue and purple and green, the rushing streams coming down over the rocks, the cool glades and misty mornings. And now I live here—in the shadow of the Blue Ridge near DuPont Forest, where rare and remarkable white squirrels chatter wisdom to me from the trees outside my office window.

White squirrel in TamaracBut scenery can only take you so far. Fiction is about people. Not just what happens to them, but about what happens in them–the spiritual, emotional, and psychological passages that lead people to an understanding of their inner selves, and of one another. That’s what I like to write about: the heart, the mind, the soul. Authenticity of character and profound spiritual transformation. I want to draw my readers into a different kind of world–one marked by purpose, significance, and hope. Most importantly, hope.

Some readers have criticized me for dealing with uncomfortable subjects in my fiction–subjects which do not lend themselves to easy answers. The truth is, there are no easy answers in life. There are not even any easy questions. Over the years I’ve come to the conclusion that our character is determined not so much by the certainties we cling to, but by the uncertainties we are courageous enough to face.

At the end of the day, only a few things in life really matter: Love. Insight. Growth. Grace. When we’re committed to going deeper, to following the unknown path, our journey can lead us to an understanding of our own our inner being, to a connection with a power that is both within us and beyond us. And that understanding, that connection, gives meaning and purpose to our days.
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Penelope J. Stokes's Blog

On Wabi-Sabi and Acceptance

On the eclectic altar in our house we have a number of objects, some created and others found. We have stones of remembrance, a cross fashioned from a World War II artillery shell, a broken and glued back together ceramic Buddha, a prayer stone from Mecca, a Tibetan singing bowl, a string of prayer beads. And our favorite Wabi-Sabi, a broken bowl from Nicaragua that holds a candle.

It was years ago

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Penelope J. Stokes’s books

Average rating: 3.83 · 9,294 ratings · 1,191 reviews · 44 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Blue Bottle Club 3.90 avg rating — 2,732 ratings — published 1992 — 35 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Heartbreak Cafe 3.72 avg rating — 1,307 ratings — published 2009 — 18 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Circle of Grace 3.75 avg rating — 820 ratings — published 2004 — 21 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Amethyst Heart 4.18 avg rating — 733 ratings — published 2000 — 19 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Memory Book 3.62 avg rating — 682 ratings — published 2002 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Wishing Jar 3.78 avg rating — 644 ratings — published 2001 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Amber Photograph 3.89 avg rating — 580 ratings — published 2000 — 24 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Treasure Box 3.92 avg rating — 529 ratings — published 2001 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Book of Peach 3.40 avg rating — 494 ratings — published 2010 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Delta Belles 3.53 avg rating — 319 ratings — published 2006 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Series by Penelope J. Stokes

Faith on the Home Front (3 books)
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Penelope J. Stokes (Goodreads Author)

4.19 avg rating — 181 ratings

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Penelope J. Stokes wrote a new blog post On Wabi-Sabi and Acceptance On the eclectic altar in our house we have a number of objects, some created and others found. We have stones of remembrance, a cross fashioned from a Read more of this blog post »
Mar 30, 2025 02:27AM · like

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Quotes by Penelope J. Stokes (?)

“Because our hearts are unprepared for truth, we cling to the deception as a shipwreck victim on a storm-tossed sea will grab at anything that floats. But the splintered rubble of our broken trust - those temporary buoys of our shattered dreams - betray us, gouging rough gashes into our souls, drawing our blood and leaving us to sink.”
― Penelope J. Stokes

108 likes

“Cuando llegas al final de tu vida y ves como te acercas a la eternidad, lo unico que importa es que hayas querido de todo corazon a tus seres queridos, nada mas.”
― Penelope J. Stokes, Heartbreak Cafe

tags: inspirational

8 likes

“Sólo sumida en ese torbellino de emociones, en mis horas, más bajas, descubrí que la gente podía seguir amándome aunque viera mi verdadero yo. Con el lado oscuro incluido.”
― Penelope J. Stokes, Heartbreak Cafe

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