If you'd like to schedule an interview or speaking engagement, contact Jeanne at damoffj at yahoo dot com.
For speaking and interview samples, check the Resources & Links page. Thanks!
Jeanne is represented by Wendy Lawton of Books & Such Literary Agency.
Recent Release!
Available from WinePressBooks online or by calling 877-421-7323. Also available at amazon.com and other major online outlets.
Personally signed copies available at Signed by the Author
Don't miss these Parting the Waters special features!
***Photo Gallery containing images connected to the story
***Book Trailer created by Andrea McCarthy, Drive Home Productions
***Jacob's Song composed by Debbie Boatright-Camacho; performed by Jeanne Damoff
(Link to sample chapters below.)
Back cover copy:
When a tragic drowning accident leaves fifteen-year-old Jacob in a coma, the faith of his family and community is shaken to its foundation. Medical experts used phrases such as “persistent vegetative state” and said, “Jacob will never wake up,” but Jacob’s parents knew God would have the final say.
Without sugar-coating the realities of pain and suffering, Parting the Waters presents the heart-warming, true story of what can happen when a community rallies around one wounded family. While Jacob’s parents struggle to preserve their faith and family, the prayers and innovative efforts of community members result in Jacob’s gradual awakening. Each dramatic milestone in Jacob’s recovery creates a new ripple, touching and changing many lives forever. Told from a mother’s perspective, Parting the Waters is a poignant tale of unexpected beauty found in brokenness.
Bonus feature: a “Q & A” section that fearlessly tackles issues regarding God, His love and mercy, and His divine purposes related to suffering.
Praise for Parting the Waters:
Parting the Waters demonstrates the way in which divine grace and human prayer can alter what we expect the course of events to be, such that those two mighty forces in modern American life, namely medicine and law, are, to their own great surprise and joy, thoroughly disrupted and outflanked. And thereby redeemed. The pictures Jeanne Damoff draws of doctors and judges being confounded by turns of events—and being glad of being confounded—are heartbreakingly beautiful. And the combination of fearless honesty, deep Christian faith, and utter matter-of-factness in her way of telling the story make the book a great read. It is my pleasure to give Parting the Waters my strongest endorsement.
~Dr. Rick Steele, author and professor of theology, Seattle Pacific University
Jeanne Damoff beautifully weaves a tale of finding what is lost at the same time as grieving what can never be again . . . and learning to love better in the process. Insightful, haunting, a tale of trial and acceptance, loss and rebirth, and the unexpected graces God gives when He has seemed to take away that which we most held dear, this book is for anybody whose life didn't turn out quite the way they expected.
~Lisa Samson, Christy Award winning author of The Church Ladies, Quaker Summer, and Justice in the Burbs
Parting the Waters is a book about authentic, gritty struggle during loss. Author Jeanne Damoff paints a vivid picture of her family’s journey through her son’s drowning accident, but she does so with broad enough strokes that the reader gleans comfort and wisdom to face any personal tragedy. If you are suffering from grief, worry, shattered expectations, or anger, Parting the Waters is a much-needed oasis to your soul.
~Mary E. DeMuth, author of Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God (2005, Harvest House) and Pioneer Parenting (2006, WaterBrook)
I first met Jacob when Natalie, his best friend, shared the story of their friendship in Real Teens, Real Stories, Real Life. This is more than a story of a near-drowning experience, it is a beautiful example of faith, love, perserverence, and hope in the face of tragedy.
~T. Suzanne Eller, author and speaker and founder of Real Teen Faith
Parting the Waters offers healing and spiritual insight even to those of us who have not been cut so deeply. In so many ways our financial struggles are worlds apart from what the Damoff family had to deal with, and yet it is still amazing how many of the same spiritual battles must be fought. Anger, depression, guilt, self-pity. . . . And also that terrible humbling when so many people reach out and care for you in ways that you will never be able to repay.
Readers will take away practical advice as well as get a dose of spiritual meat. Small things, like Jeanne's praying blessings for the families and individuals that sacrificed for her family. I think there will be folks who will read that and say, ‘Wow, there is something I can do to repay these people.’ It is an important step away from being focused inward.
You would not believe how many times in the past couple of months I would have given this book away if I had a hard copy. When it gets published I want to order at least half a dozen so I can keep a stash handy ready to give away.
~Megan Yerkes, homeschooling mother of six
As I read this book, I came to understand even better that if I were to continue to become the man I desire to be, more suffering would bring it about--more sorrows, and more trials. God has given me the faith at this point to know in my heart and act as if He can be trusted. Jesus was the Man of Sorrows, well acquainted with suffering and aloneness. I want to be like Him.
Sure enough, shortly after I finished reading Parting the Waters, I ran into a firestorm of my 16-year-old son’s rebellion and acting out (underage drinking, etc.) After reading this book, I was able to actively enter into that situation with faith and trust that it would work out for good.
~Craig Smitham, attorney
Parting the Waters was wonderful! Jeanne did a great job blending the story, the medical facts and the emotional processes that she endured. It brought a lot of ‘life’ and encouragement to me, as I'm confident it brings to all who read it. It really causes the heavenly view to come more into focus. How we desperately need to gain more of an eternal perspective.
~Karla Anders, cancer survivor
Selections from Parting the Waters appeared in Relief: A Quarterly Christian Expression, Winter 2007 edition.
Read the prologue and first two chapters of Parting the Waters.
You
and Me, Sister
(Howard Publishing, 2004) is a gift book Jeanne co-authored with Dee App
el.
Filled with heartwarming stories, tributes, quotes, and photographs, the book
makes a perfect gift for a cherished sister.
available at your local bookstore or online at
Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Amazon.com
Jeanne's completed novel, working title: A Girl With Wings is character-driven contemporary women's fiction with a strong romance arc. Back cover copy:
Rae Thompson leaves her shattered dreams and disillusioned faith on a Florida beach and moves to Seattle to open an art consignment shop. After all she’s been through, Rae doesn’t trust men; she uses them. But then she hires Kyle Everett, an artist whose whimsical imagination enchants her and rekindles fires she’d forgotten ever existed in her cold, calculating heart. Is she falling in love with him or with something she glimpses in his soul? Does his heart already belong to another? Her journey to discovery unveils answers she didn’t know she’d been looking for. As Kyle’s mural unfolds, so do Rae’s wings.
Here's what others are saying about the book:
“Lyrical writing, fanciful plot, delicious characters—all characterize Jeanne Damoff’s debut novel A Girl With Wings. You’ll find yourself cheering for Rae, aching with Kyle, and rejoicing in the God who dazzles redemption.”
Mary E. DeMuth
Author: Watching the Tree Limbs: A Novel
“This lyrically-written, magical tale will appeal to anyone who has ever wished on a star, yearned for a lasting relationship, or been enchanted by the glory and beauty of love in all its forms. Clever and expressive prose brings the Seattle art community to life, and the charmingly imperfect characters shine on every corner, at every sidewalk cafe, in every circumstance. Deep and delightful.”
Susan Meissner
Author: Why the Sky is Blue
"Jeanne Damoff must be part magician. Her prose is delicate yet profound, piercing and playful and teeming with whimsy. An intimate tour through the gardens, sanctuary, playroom, dance hall, and prayer closet. Either she's cheating or simply brilliant."
Michael Snyder
Author: My Name is Russell Fink
Read a sample chapter of A Girl With Wings.