Just a few weeks into her life, we discovered that Penny was quite a character ...

It's been in the works for oh, five and a half years now, if you count the journal entries I wrote as soon as Penny was born. Those journal entries provided an outline for A Good and Perfect Gift: Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny. And then the outline became a book proposal became a book contract became a book.

In approximately two weeks, the book will be finished (click here to pre-order your copy now at a 35% discount). In the meantime, I wanted to invite you to a little "sneak preview" of what is to come. On my website, I've posted a "scrapbook" which contains quotations from the first half of the book along with lots of photos from the early days of Penny's life. Click here to see it. (By the way, has anyone noticed the size of her hand compared to mine in the photo on the left!?!)

Also on the books page of the website, find a press release, praise for A Good and Perfect Gift, and questions for the author (i.e. me).

Publisher's Weekly gave the book a starred review and included it on its list of 10 Recommended Religion Books for the Fall. They write, "Religion books aren't necessarily prized for their writing quality, but A Good and Perfect Gift: Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny by Amy Julia Becker is a happy exception." Rachel Simon, author of the bestselling novel, The Story of Beautiful Girl, says, "A Good and Perfect Gift is loving, thoughtful, and full of just the kind of spiritual questions that so many family members - including those who aren't Christian, like me - have had, too. It's sweet and lovely, and I'm very glad it exists."

So head on over to my website to see some more photos of baby Penny and read a few little excerpts from the book. Then order your copy and spread the word!