Janet Elaine Smith's Patrick and Grace Mystery, In St. Patrick's Custody, spurs readers to action for the homeless
February 6, 2005 (Press Release) --
When you watch the St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City this year, give a moment’s thought to the homeless in your own town. Janet Elaine Smith’s first Patrick and Grace Mystery, In St. Patrick’s Custody, has sent many people to their local homeless shelters to volunteer their time.
Set in New York City, Grace Johnson is befriended by ex-policeman Patrick O’Malley. When Grace’s daughter threatens to put Grace in a nursing home, Grace runs away from home, and Patrick takes her to a homeless shelter where he has served as a volunteer. She sees Patrick as her rescuer, much as the original St. Patrick was praised by the Irish people of yesteryear. While St. Patrick is remembered as a Bishop and missionary and is best known as the patron saint of Ireland, whose feast day is 17 March, he is also recognized as the patron of Nigeria, engineers and excluded people. Certainly in today’s troubled world, there are many excluded (i.e. homeless) people.
The fun and the mystery of the book is what was in Smith’s mind when she wrote it; she had no idea that there was an underlying theme that would make a big difference in the world. Smith began getting letters and e-mails from readers all across the country who began to go to their homeless shelters to “enlist” as volunteers. Smith says, “If I had planned it that way, it would have fallen flat on its face. It just sort of happened, but I couldn’t be happier about it.”
It seems like a natural step for this to occur to one of Smith’s books. She and her husband were missionaries in Venezuela, South America for nine years before settling in the Red River Valley of North Dakota/Minnesota, where they have run a HELP’s mission for indigents, migrant laborers and anyone in the area who needs help for over thirty years. They have dealt with hundreds of homeless people and families during that time, giving her an unusual insight into their needs. “The difference between one of the homeless people in our country today could be as small as one paycheck,” Smith says.
In St. Patrick’s Custody is the first Patrick and Grace Mystery. The second one, Recipe for Murder, is also available, and the third book, Old Habits Die Hard should be released this spring.
For more information go to www.janetelainesmith.com or visit Patrick and Grace’s own website at http://crumbycapers.tripod.com
Set in New York City, Grace Johnson is befriended by ex-policeman Patrick O’Malley. When Grace’s daughter threatens to put Grace in a nursing home, Grace runs away from home, and Patrick takes her to a homeless shelter where he has served as a volunteer. She sees Patrick as her rescuer, much as the original St. Patrick was praised by the Irish people of yesteryear. While St. Patrick is remembered as a Bishop and missionary and is best known as the patron saint of Ireland, whose feast day is 17 March, he is also recognized as the patron of Nigeria, engineers and excluded people. Certainly in today’s troubled world, there are many excluded (i.e. homeless) people.
The fun and the mystery of the book is what was in Smith’s mind when she wrote it; she had no idea that there was an underlying theme that would make a big difference in the world. Smith began getting letters and e-mails from readers all across the country who began to go to their homeless shelters to “enlist” as volunteers. Smith says, “If I had planned it that way, it would have fallen flat on its face. It just sort of happened, but I couldn’t be happier about it.”
It seems like a natural step for this to occur to one of Smith’s books. She and her husband were missionaries in Venezuela, South America for nine years before settling in the Red River Valley of North Dakota/Minnesota, where they have run a HELP’s mission for indigents, migrant laborers and anyone in the area who needs help for over thirty years. They have dealt with hundreds of homeless people and families during that time, giving her an unusual insight into their needs. “The difference between one of the homeless people in our country today could be as small as one paycheck,” Smith says.
In St. Patrick’s Custody is the first Patrick and Grace Mystery. The second one, Recipe for Murder, is also available, and the third book, Old Habits Die Hard should be released this spring.
For more information go to www.janetelainesmith.com or visit Patrick and Grace’s own website at http://crumbycapers.tripod.com
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