Historical Christian Fiction

Meet Jill Nutter -- writer and counselor.

The writing life is a journey, both pleasant and painful. Those of you on this journey with me know what I mean especially if you are pursuing publication as I am. I’ve been studying the writing craft for years and am intrigued with the process.

Words can be so powerful and finding just the right one for each sentence is an art. How a writer loves to string together that perfect set of sentences to come up with the perfectly written paragraph. But that is something that is very subjective. You have to learn to please yourself because there will always be critics.

I spent the first semester of my senior year of college in Oxford, England studying British Literature. I fell in love with England immediately. Eventually, I came to appreciate the written word, historical novels of many types, including Jane Austen and all things Regency. Today I still love to watch Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility.

I received my Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Bethany College in West Virginia and my Masters Degree in Social Work from West Virginia University. So it’s no wonder that I also enjoy studying different cultures and society.

My Christian faith is very important to me and its only natural that God is easily detected in my writing because he is so much a part of my every day life. Faith is a journey for each of us and I love to explore my character’s faith issues, whether they are running toward God or away from him and the reasons behind their motives. Fascinating stuff.

I’ve always been a romantic and enjoy weaving the romance between a couple throughout a novel. Otherwise it’s just no fun. So you’ll always find a little romance, a lot of faith, something about mental health, and critters of all assortments in my books. My entire family and I are animal lovers. We now have three cats and two dogs.

So I hope you’ll join me on this journey of the heart for it is surely a labor of love.

Fiction

Asylum of the Heart -- A novel of historical suspense

Click here to read an excerpt.

An English noblewoman must confront the man she believes responsible for her father’s death.

Madeline Whittington, daughter of the deceased Earl of Richfield, emerges from English Society's prescribed period of mourning in the winter of 1817. Apprehension grips her as she rejoins society. Madeline believes that she no longer belongs in a world of gossip and gowns, instead she wants to help the orphans living within the walls of Ashcroft Insane Asylum; a repulsive place they do not belong.

Because of his elder brother's unexpected death, Devlin Greyson is Earl of Ravensmoore and struggles between two worlds: one of affluence and privilege and one of poverty and disease. Torn between his desire to become a doctor and the numerous responsibilities of his title he wrestles with God's will for his future.

The theme of this book is forgiveness. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13

The uniqueness of an English nobleman pursuing a trade gives this book an interesting twist. Nobleman rarely pursued trades. However, research indicates this path wasn't forbidden, but would have been very unusual.

Nonfiction

My husband and I are currently working on this  non-fiction proposal that we hope will be published one day soon because of the great need in our world today. We hope the Christian community will help fight the stigma of mental illness along with us and all the fantastic families effected by brain disorders. Together with God there is nothing we can't do. Dream Big!                            

Wrestling With God: Strategies For Coping With
Your Child's Mental Illness 

Can you imagine a terrorist holding your child hostage?
Mental illness is a terrorist of the mind. This terrorist
blows up lives, destroys families and crumbles the walls
of the human heart and spirit. This terrorist ravages the
soul. Life is terrifying for parents of children diagnosed
with mental disorders.

Mental illness remains mysterious in many ways and so
does the stigma attached to this problem. We believe it
is urgent for parents to educate themselves and to take
care of themselves. Too often today families are negatively
affected by what others say, and don’t want to speak
about this serious issue in our communities for fear their
child and their family may be ridiculed. It’s a huge area
of ministry that needs immediate attention and we hope
to make a difference. Together, we’ll show you how to
survive, how to navigate your way through the complicated
mental health system, and how to find peace in the midst of
chaos with the use of our DECISIONS, CHOICES, and
FAITH acronyms.

We’ve been married for twenty-six years and have two beautiful teenage daughters. We’re also social workers with fifty-four years combined mental health experience and we want to share what we know with those who seek help for their kids today