Portraits of the Heart Series

  • She took exquisite photographs, but her heart was the true image exposed. Fifteen-year-old Jessie Ann Gaebele loves nothing more than capturing a gorgeous Minnesota landscape when the sunlight casts its most mesmerizing shadows. So when F.J. Bauer hires her in 1907 to assist in his studio and darkroom, her dreams for a career in photography appear to find root in reality. With the infamous hazards of the explosive powder used for lighting and the toxic darkroom chemicals, photography is considered a man's profession. Yet Jessie shows remarkable talent in both the artistry and business of running a studio. She proves less skillful, however, at managing her growing attraction to the very married Mr. Bauer. This luminous coming-of-age tale deftly exposes the intricate shadows that play across every dream worth pursuing–and the irresistible light that beckons the dreamer on. Based on the author’s grandmother’s life as a turn of the century photographer in Winona, Minnesota.  This coming of age series of two books captures the interplay between temptation and faith that marks a woman’s pursuit of her dreams.  Actual historical photos from the collection of Jessie Ann Gaebele are included. Awards:
    • Best Book (top 10) List, 2009, Library Journal
    • Winner, 2010, WILLA Literary Award, Original Softcover Fiction (Trade or Mass Market), Women Writing the West 
    • Finalist, 2010, Christy Award, Evangelical Christian Publishers Association
    • Finalist, 2011, Oregon Book Award, Portland Literary Arts Organization
    Other books in this series: An Absence So Great Reviews:  "...exceptionally authentic...exquisite nuance...compelling portrait...aching and hopeful…,"—Publishers Weekly **Starred Review** “… Jessie Ann Gaebele is talented and shows great promise; however, she begins to dream of more than photographs when she falls for her married boss. Inspired by the life of the author's grandmother, this is a beautifully told story of temptation and God's redeeming grace. Highly recommended for CF and historical fiction collections.”—School Library Journal **Starred Review** Watch the book trailer here. Price includes shipping and handling.
  • Did photography replace an absence in her life or expose the truth of her heart’s emptiness?   While growing in confidence as a photographer, eighteen-year-old Jessie Ann Gaebele’s personal life is at a crossroads. Hoping she’s put an unfortunate romantic longing behind her as “water under the bridge,” she exiles herself to Milwaukee to operate photographic studios for those owners who have fallen ill with mercury poisoning.    Jessie gains footing in her dream to one day operate her own studio and soon finds herself in other Midwest towns, pursuing her profession. But even a job she loves can’t keep painful memories from seeping into her heart when the shadows of a forbidden love threaten to darken the portrait of her life. Based on the author’s grandmother’s life as a turn of the century photographer in Winona, Minnesota.  This coming of age series of two books captures the interplay between temptation and faith that marks a woman’s pursuit of her dreams.  Actual historical photos from the collection of Jessie Ann Gaebele are included.  Awards:
    • Finalist, 2011, WILLA Literary Award, Original Softcover Fiction, Women Writing the West 
    Other books in this series: A Flickering of Light Reviews:  “Life is really made of:  the settings, props, and poses we encounter, then put aside so we can cherish family and faith,” writes Jane Kirkpatrick in An Absence So Great.  Jane embraces the finest qualities of the human spirit in all her writing, including this absorbing story of an early 20th century photographer, based on the life of her own grandmother. In An Absence So Great, Jane’s readers—and I am one of her most faithful of them—will be swept up in Jessie Gaebele’s struggle for independence against a backdrop of prejudice and forbidden love, beautifully written by one of America’s favorite storytellers.—    Sandra Dallas, author of Prayers for Sale “Jane Kirkpatrick has written a gentle and captivating account of people caught between reality and desire, taken from her own ancestry. Her depiction of photography during the early 1900s is fascinating. It filled my senses like delicious aromas permeate a home during the holidays.”—Cindy Woodsmall, best-selling author of The Hope of Refuge and the Sisters of the Quilt series Watch the book trailer here. Price includes shipping and handling.

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