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Raines in the Day, published by All Things That Matter Press in 2021, is a novel that can be read on its own or as the second volume in the Raines Family Trilogy, which began with Men Without Hate. With the state of Florida for a backdrop, the novel chronicles one man’s life as it unfolds through the first half of the 20th century. Rich with the bittersweet gifts of life and infused with the beauty of the sea and the outdoors, Raines in the Day details John Raines's journey through loss, love, and healing. With appeal to readers of Patrick Smith’s A Land Remembered and Richard Powell’s I Take This Land, John Raines’ story is a portrait of a man grappling with inner and outer changes, struggling to understand his own heart, and fighting to move beyond the losses and limitations of his past.
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Published by All Things That Matter Press in 2016, Men Without Hate is the story of two men inextricably linked by family and irrevocably changed by war. Juxtaposing two quintessentially American coming-of-age tales—and two iconic American wars, the Civil War and World War II—the stories of Lewis and Hilton Raines also offer reflect on the nature of family legacy, healing, and survival. With the world embattled by war and terrorism, the novel’s central question—how do some men’s souls survive the horror of war while others’ minds are destroyed by it?—has resonance for us all.