The Story Behind the writing of Almond Street Mission ♦ June Foster

I am pleased to once again welcome author June Foster to Whispers in Purple. June will be sharing the Story Behind the Story guest post about her recent release, Almond Street Mission, so sit back and enjoy as you peek behind the scenes.

When a homeless man rescues Glorilyn from a violent assault, he's not the man he seems. What powerful secret keeps him on the streets?

When Glorilyn Neilson's nineteen-year-old brother, Tannon, goes missing without a trace, she's frantic. Prayer and volunteering at the local homeless shelter in El Camino must fill the time until her sibling returns. But her sapphire eyes and auburn hair inadvertently cause a stir among the male population at the center. Her life changes one evening when she's attacked by a burly vagrant intent on rape in the alley behind the building.

Jeremiah Goodman loves the Lord, but he's homeless. When he witnesses a foul-mouthed vagrant overpowering one of the volunteers at the homeless shelter, he defends her, saving her from unwanted advances. 

When Glorilyn offers him a way of escape from his impoverished lifestyle, he can't tell her why he must live the life of a vagrant. What powerful secret keeps him on the streets?

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The Story Behind the Story

Almond Street Mission tells the story of Glorilyn Neilson whose younger brother, Tannon, has gone missing, hurling her entire family into turmoil. Prayer and volunteering at the local homeless shelter fills the empty, lonely hours. One evening, she's attacked by a brawny vagrant intent on rape. Another vagrant, Jeremiah Goodman, defends her.

Jeremiah loves the Lord but is homeless. The mission director, Mr. Harris, offers him and young nineteen-year-old, Tank, a place at the shelter. But when Jeremiah later protects another vagrant in hopes of sharing the gospel with him, Mr. Harris finds heroin on Jeremiah, and he's booted out. Tank leaves with him.

On the street, Jeremiah and Tank try to scrape up a meal, but even trash cans around the city park don't provide any food for their hungry stomachs. Taking a chance on getting arrested, they beg for food in front of an elegant downtown Italian restaurant. Two older women walk out. One ignores them but the other looks at them with kind eyes and offers an entire pizza.

This scene is based on real life. Here's where I got the idea. My daughter and I were in Chattanooga, Tennessee, at an Italian restaurant. We each ordered a small pizza, but the waiter brought me a Hawaiian pie though I'd order pepperoni.

When I pointed out the mistake, the server brought me another pizza, this time pepperoni, and told me to keep the first one. No way I could eat a second pizza, and we didn't have anywhere to keep it at the hotel, so I asked him if he knew any homeless people. The waiter said yes, that they congregate nearby, and he'd deliver it to a hungry person.

In the story, the other woman who gives the extra pizza to Jeremiah and Tank is above average height. That's me, and my 5'10'' height qualifies as tall! When Tank says "God bless you," the lady says "He does, everyday." The sentiments of my heart.  

Real life always provides rich fodder.

About the author:

An award-winning author, June Foster is a retired teacher with a BA in education and MA in counseling. Her characters find themselves in tough situations but overcome through God's power and the Word. She writes edgy topics wrapped in a good story. To date, she's seen twelve contemporary romances published. Find June online at www.junefoster.com.