Susan Meissner is a multi-published author, speaker and writing workshop leader with a background in community journalism. Her novels include A Bridge Across the Ocean; Secrets of Charmed Life, a Goodreads finalist for Best Historical Fiction 2015; and A Fall of Marigolds, named to Booklist’s Top Ten Women’s Fiction titles for 2014. A California native, she attended Point Loma Nazarene University. Susan is a pastor’s wife and a mother of four young adults. Visit Susan at her website: http://susanlmeissner.com on Twitter at @SusanMeissner or at www.facebook.com/susan.meissner
Ready for a fresh start, Pauline and Thomas Bright prepare to depart their small-town life, hoping to find a better future for themselves and their three daughters by taking over a relative’s undertaking business in Philadelphia. But only months after arriving, a dark cloud of fear and uncertainty settles over the city as countless friends and neighbors rapidly succumb to a mysterious and deadly disease. Struggling to keep up their overwhelmed funeral home running, the Brights find themselves personally impacted by the flu. But with tragedy arrives an unexpected gift in the form of an orphaned baby boy—a beacon of hope in the family’s grimmest hours. Told from the multiple perspectives of, Pauline and her three daughters—Evelyn, Maggie, and Willa—AS BRIGHT AS HEAVEN(in stores on Tuesday, February 6) highlights the Bright women’s strength and resilience as they hold their family together through the worst of times.