Under the Windowsill – Elizabeth Wehman

Nineteen-year-old Alisha struggles to find herself on her family farm under the strict rules of a domineering mother of five, protective, older brothers. Striking out on her own is the only way to prove herself and to escape the gripping tendrils of grief.

Alisha finds Mackinac Island as a perfect hiding sanctuary. A place where her father and her only dreamed of visiting, but his silent, ailing heart prevented their journey.

Changing her hair color and country personality, Alisha changes into Kenna, a free-style, modern, young woman. To replace the ache in her heart, Kenna fills it with all the things New York City girls find appealing.

A sexy art gallery owner and an annoying Grand Hotel carriage driver are some of the first residents Kenna meets followed by the town gossip who finds it her job to stifle the fun of every college-age adventurer.

Could there be a place on earth without an intrusive mother, cows needing to be fed or where a grieving heart can finally find relief? Will Kenna's new found freedom help her find the comfort she misses from being Under the Windowsill?

“I found this story very enjoyable. It is one story that, in a few years, I would let my daughter read. The lessons of finding yourself, being who God created you to be, and that the arms of your loved ones will always be open are important to young girls or girls headed into the world on their own. It can be a big scary world out there and they need to know how loved they are but how important it is to be careful and listen to words of warning. Kenna's journey is full of twists and turns, keeping you wondering what kind of trouble this young lady would get herself into. Though parts push the boundaries of conventional Christian Fiction, I believe it is necessary in the telling of this story. We do not live in a cookie cutter world, so why must all coming of age CF be so cookie cutter. Bravo, Elizabeth Wehman in doing what so many are afraid to do.”
~ Amazon Review

~The Story behind the Book~

This is Elizabeth's first book which took four years to complete. The setting is one of Elizabeth's favorite places, Mackinac Island, and is located in the northern Michigan. The story idea came from thoughts of placing a pampered, spoiled, young adult in a world that is unknown, scary, yet exciting at the same time. The coming-of-age story began to unfold as a small town girl runs away to the famous island in Michigan to hide from her family. Her desire - to live her life to its fullest without the barrier of a over-protective mother and five older brothers.

Elizabeth had the opportunity to tour the historic Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. This glimpse helped her form the setting in a unique and specific way adding essences from the hotel in one of her scenes.

As a teenager, Elizabeth would spend the entire month of August in Mackinaw City with her vacationing family which helped to create the setting in special way. Under the Windowsill has been a successful first novel for Wehman and can be found in many of the upper Michigan bookstores from Cadillac to St. Ignace.

~Note from Elizabeth~

"My parents and I loved Mackinaw City and the straits area vacationing there for years. Because of this and my familiarity with the area, I decided to have my first book setting to be on Mackinac Island. The book cover reflects the island with its lilac highlights. Lilacs are special on the island and every year in June they celebrate the blossoms with a Lilac Festival, complete with a parade, a Lilac Queen, and festivities. Kenna is on the island during this festival and comments about the parade as she watches it from a favorite location, the hill in front of Fort Michilimackinac.

Every summer, my family plans a trip to visit Mackinaw City. We love it there and have our favorite places to picnic, catch some beach time, and camp. We look forward, every Labor Day, to have the opportunity to walk on the five-mile span suspension bridge that connects the lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan."