Written by K Wendt
Narrated by Alyssa Bauman
This is a story about a young woman, Emma, who loses a friend, David and is consequently put into an unplanned and disruptive situation. Emma had no idea that her life would change so dramatically based on his last will and testament. David’s will legacies present Emma with life changing options and is forcing her to look very closely at how she wants to go forward with her life. It takes her to another location, forces her to meet new people, and reassess her professional goals. Having not been aware of this at all prior to David’s death makes the whys and wherefores of David’s lasts requests are the mystery Emma tries to solve in her journey. Emma’s Journey is a struggle which I think you will enjoy, especially if you are faced with life changing choices.
When Emma goes to David’s hometown of Autumnville for the first time it is to visit his gravesite. She struggles with the loss of her mentor, father figure, and best friend as she speaks to his grave helping me want to hold her hand and provide a hug. “How am I supposed to move on and do this when I can’t talk to you anymore? You were always so good at listening. You put up with so much from me, David. How am I supposed to just do this without you?” Emma is a well-developed character but has a lot of room to grow up, which this journey provides to her.
The town’s people whom are highlighted and flushed out as characters are portrayed as narrow-minded, busy bodies. Mary Lou was one of the characters who had a chance to learn the circumstances, as the story progresses, that the relationship between David and Emma was not based on romance. The behavior of these characters was like most humans who assume what they wish.
I liked how the story brought in the positive elements of faith, love of friends and family, and taking a a chance to be open to a better life. Watching the characters expand and develop over the story made me what to see some additional backstories on where these characters came from and where they will end up in five years after David’s death.
The narration on the story by Alyssa Baumann brought an additional dimension to the story. Alyssa’s voice inflections helped create even sharper pictures of the characters in my mind’s eye. I would recommend if you like listening to a story that will touch your heart, then this one is a good choice to make.
About the Author
K Wendt was born in a Texas town two hours from Corpus Christi. When she was 11 years old, her family moved to west Texas. The youngest of three children, she has one brother and one sister. K’s love of family is very important to her.
K met her husband in choir class during her freshman year at Sul Ross State University, and they were married shortly after. When her first child was born, she decided to become a stay-at-home mom, but as the children grew older, she decided to work outside the home. K worked at Mother’s Day Out, schools, a local bank, and a local shoe store. Wendt says she believes God has something in store for her with writing at this point in her life.
K is a driven author who writes in multiple genres including children’s, poetry, and Christian fiction. She earned the Texas Association of Authors 2017 awards for Women’s Poetry and Christian Fiction Romance for her books Beneath it All and Emma’s Journey. Additional stories are in the works, so keep an eye out for this author.
About the Narrator
Alyssa Bauman is an audiobook narrator and enthusiastic reader, based in Phoenix, AZ. She has recorded several different genres and is available for audio book production. She has a deep, soothing voice that has also been described as lively and engaging.
