Leaving Yesterday by Kathryn Cushman

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Leaving Yesterday
Bethany House (October 1, 2009)
by
Kathryn Cushman

Alisa Stewart feels like she's lost two sons: her youngest to a terrible tragedy and her eldest, Kurt, to a life ruined by addiction. But now Kurt has checked himself into rehab and found a healing faith that seems real. It's like he's been raised from the dead.

But then a detective arrives at Alisa's door asking questions about a murder--the death of a drug dealer before Kurt entered rehab. Alisa fears losing her son again, and when she finds evidence linking him to the killing, she destroys it. Her boy is different now. He's changed and deserves a second chance.

But when another man is charged with the crime, Alisa finds herself facing an impossible choice: be silent and keep her son or give up everything for the truth.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Leaving Yesterday, go HERE.


I graduated from Samford University with a degree in pharmacy, but I’ve known all my life that I wanted to write a novel “some day”. For me, “some day” came about five years ago, when I started writing and never looked back.

My third attempt became my first published novel.

A Promise to Remember was a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers Book-of-the-Year in the Women’s Fiction category, and Waiting for Daybreak was a finalist in Women’s Fiction for the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award. Leaving Yesterday just arrived on scene and I’m very excited about it!

On the homefront, I’ve been married to the wonderful and handsome Lee for over twenty years now, and our two daughters are currently braving the worlds of elementary and high school. We’ve lived in Santa Barbara for the last seventeen years. When I’m not writing or reading or braving seventy degree holidays, you’ll find me watching the younger daughter play softball, or the older daughter building amazing high school theater sets.

This is the first of Kathryn's books that I have read, but it will not be the last.  Any mother can quickly find themselves absorbed in Alisa's world.  I can only imagine all that she has been through - losing her first son to a brutal murder, only to have her second son become addicted to drugs (to dull the pain of losing his brother).  My mother's heart went out to her. 

Yes, it's the second book about drug addiction that I've read in a few short weeks.  Though this book is very different from the other one that I reviewed, the pain and the heartache are much the same. 

I appreciate Ms. Cushman's writing style and will definitely be passing Leaving Yesterday along to others to read.  I will also be looking for other books by this author.