Books by K L Smith

The One Who''s Not with Us is a fictional novel that tells the love story of a teenage couple. It was 1965. The Vietnam War was in full swing. Enola and Shane dated for a couple of months before he received his orders for Vietnam. They were deeply in love. The couple spent Shane''s last night in town together. They let their passion for one another get out of control. By the pond under the stars and a full moon, they came together for the first time. That one time connected them forever.The couple wrote to one another. When Enola found herself pregnant, she had nowhere to turn. Her parents followed a strict religion, and Enola knew they would not accept her pregnancy. In 1965, an unwed mother was looked upon with disdain by most of society. She thought about telling Shane but decided against it. He was in a war zone, and she felt that he was dealing with enough stress without her adding any more concerns to his life. After all, the couple made no commitments or promises to one another before Shane left.Enola''s son was adopted to a good couple in a loving home. She closed her heart to love and moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, for a fresh start in life. Enola severed all ties with her family and quit writing to Shane. She closed the door to her past and moved forward in life.Ten years later, Enola is serving her second enlistment as an army nurse. She thought she had carefully buried her past until she came face-to-face with Shane. Enola confessed the past to Shane. The story tells how the couple deals with the guilt, regret, emptiness, and loss. They learn to trust in God''s plan for their lives and accept his many blessings as they are granted.

Gardenia Lane is a fictional novel that tells of the Lister family's day-to-day life when they move back to a small military town in eastern North Carolina. It is the fourth book in a series about the Lister family. Gardenia Lane continues the story where Gemmy's Dreams ends.The Lister family must make a life in a new neighborhood among unconventional neighbors. Most of them are poor. What they lack in money they make up for with rich personalities. They do not wrap themselves in layers of pretense and deceit.The Lister girls work hard and seek lives different than the one they were born into. They develop good friendships with their neighbors. They learn that their neighbors mostly have good hearts and, like themselves, want to get through life the best way possible.The story unfolds in 1956 and follows the family's life through 1967. To make ends meet Leo has to take on a second job to supplement his wages at the local furniture mill. With two full time jobs, Leo is seldom home. Conflicts often occur when the family members are faced with the challenges that arise when dealing with the mental illness of the oldest Lister offspring.This story is about how the Lister family interacts with each other, their friends, and the neighbors as they navigate their way through life trying to find the place where they fit best. The Lister girls have different goals and dreams for their lives than their parents have for them. Leo does not realize that he is raising strong, independent daughters that have been exposed to new age thinking for women. Dissensions are common when the daughters' principles clash with those of their parents.The fifties and sixties were turbulent times in our country. The Lister family see dreams and lives shattered. They see dreams restored and lives mended. They maintain a close relationship with God to give them strength and guidance through whatever life has in store for them. They maintain hope for peace and faith for better lives.

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.

Life on Heartsville Farm is a fictional novel that tells of a family's first year on a small farm in eastern North Carolina. It is a sequel to Life Behind the Train Station. The story picks up where the first book ended. The Lister family moves to the farm seeking refuge from the prejudices and evil acts committed against them. The family is full of hope that they will be able to live a life of peace and acceptance in a community that accepts people based on their values as fellow human beings free from prejudices and hatred. The story unfolds in the early 1950s and is told mostly through the eyes of one of the young Lister girls. It highlights the challenges faced by the Lister family as they adapt to a new life on the farm. It details the hard work and struggles faced by each member of the family. Complications of family dynamics continues to place roadblocks in their lives that must be resolved, altered, or accepted. The Listers continue to practice their religion with prayers to seek strength and guidance from God. The Listers rely on faith and God's promises to navigate through the life that God has given them. Highlighted are the people that cross paths with the family in their new home. The Listers find many positive aspects to living in the rural community. The farm families concentrate on the enormous amount of work required to run their farms. There is little time to entertain hatred and prejudices. People are accepted without regard to their race, religion, economic status, or gender. Often the families gather to celebrate happy occasions. The families work together to harvest their crops. The community rallies together to offer support to those in need. They gather to mourn any sad times experienced by members of the community. Helping hands and loving hearts are common among the people of Heartsville. While there is no perfect place on earth, it is refreshing to find a community that lives by the golden rule to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. In life, there are good people and bad people and people that can go either way. There will always be times of joy, times of laughter, times of sadness, and times of concern and worry. Heartsville is a community that allows peace and healing. It's just what the Listers needed.

Life Behind the Train Station is a fictional novel about a poor family with Native American and European ancestry. The story is based on life in North Carolina during the 1940's and early 1950's. Prejudices towards the poor and the paper genocide of the Native American people are muted tones of the story.The story concerns the daily life of the Lister family. Much of the story is told through the eyes of one of the young Lister girls. It highlights their challenges as they navigate life through a world that is not always accepting of people of a different background or race. Detailed are the hardships, struggles, joys, and acts of evil faced by this family. Complications of family dynamics add to the provocations that the Lister family must accept or overcome.Featured are the people that God places in their lives that teach them of God's love, redemption and mercy. These good people help the Lister family learn how to live Christian lives. They lead by example, accepting the Lister family as they are and showing them that all strangers are not bad. The Lister family learns to trust the goodness in others. Through God's grace, this family learns that although there are many dark sides to life, there is also much goodness in the world. Through difficult times, they learn to look to God for guidance. They have their Christian friends to support them through life's hardships and challenges. The family learns to have hope for a better life.