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Children's Fiction Bedtime & Dreams

Lily's Secret

by (author) Cindy Tingley

Publisher
OC Publishing
Initial publish date
Dec 2017
Category
Bedtime & Dreams, Christmas & Advent
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780995284166
    Publish Date
    Dec 2017
    List Price
    $12.99

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Where to buy it

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 10 to 15
  • Grade: 5 to 10

About the author

Contributor Notes

Author Cindy Tingley was born in a little village in New Brunswick called Point de Bute near the Nova Scotia border where she lived for 16 years. She moved around New Brunswick during her high school years finally settling in Fredericton.

After high school Tingley met and settled down with her partner and for many years they ran a farm, produced lumber and raised their own beef while working on rural community development projects. She remembers being interested and excited about writing as early as eight years old but life was busy and writing only became a priority in more recent years.

She began writing the Lily series of children’s bible stories almost ten years ago and feels now is the time to re-ignite the message of bringing peace to a fractured world. Lily’s Secret, launched in 2017, is the first in the series and Lily’s Desert Adventure, the second, launches in 2019.

Tingley has lived in Halifax since November 2013. Along with writing every day, she likes to drum, sing (she was with the You Gotta Sing Chorus in Halifax for 4 years), walk and hang out with good people who raise her up.

Excerpt: Lily's Secret (by (author) Cindy Tingley)

Chapter 1

As Lily and her brothers munched on breakfast one morning it was just like any other day, but tiny, gentle Lily, the baby of the family, felt a definite change in the air. Her long, grey, furry ears twitched in the soft morning breeze. Cocoa and Max, her two brothers, were very big and strong. They were always chosen to carry heavy cargo whenever people needed them. Greta, the oldest, was the pride of the family for she was the mother of many fine baby donkeys that would carry on the family line. Then there was Lily. Mama and Papa were always fussing over her because she was so little and the weakest of the herd. It had been decided before she was very old that she would stay home and look after them in their old age. After all, she was too tiny to do much else. So, she agreed. Yet there was a quiet excitement growing in her heart. She remembered, when she was very young an angel had told her of an extra special baby who was coming soon for all mankind. He told her that she would have a very important part in this baby’s life. Lily had always listened to her heart. Unlike the rest of her family, she was a dreamer. And since that first visit, she continued to talk to the angels. After all, it was widely known that her great grandfather, Ezra had seen one in the middle of the road one day. He veered off the path and tumbled into a field. Ever since Lily had heard that story, she felt very close to him. She wondered if he had known about the baby who was coming. She would have a special job to do but there was no one she could share her secret with. The rest of her family seemed to have lost their animal–angel talk.

Editorial Reviews

This is a charming telling of the Christmas story through the eyes of the little donkey who carried Mary into Bethlehem. It is a children's book but highly enjoyable to read by adults as well. It is not a religious text, but rather a delightful telling of the Story. I recommend it for adults to read to children so the adult can enjoy the book as well. Tingley's writing is beautiful and flows seamlessly. (Amazon reviewer)

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