“Anna’s Wish:” Love. Endure. Survive.

In 1906, a powerful earthquake destroys San Francisco, sending William and his sister, Emma, on a reluctant journey back to their childhood home in Missouri where, 44 years earlier, their lives had been tragically altered. Through letters and journal entries written by their mother, Anna, and others, they learn what really happened in north central Missouri during those dark days of the Civil War.

Anna — widowed at 25, with two children and a farm to run, fears the deadly uncertainty of the encroaching war. Ignoring the advice of those who love her, she allows herself to be quickly courted by a mysterious doctor newly arrived from Pennsylvania.

Joshua — physician son of a Pittsburgh iron magnate, flees his father’s dictatorial world to start fresh in the wilds of Missouri. Conducting his nefarious practice in the seedy underbelly of society, he craves money, power and the prime farmland owned by a vulnerable young widow.

Pearl — a prostitute, longs for a new life away from the violent, filthy world of saloons. She joins forces with the handsome young doctor from the East, only to discover his shocking depravity knows no bounds.

Estill — postman, blacksmith and self-appointed guardian of Anna and her family, watches helplessly as the young widow rashly follows her desperate heart.

Reed — haunted by tragic loss, returns from the wilderness to test his fate in the “cleansing fire” of war. Accepting $1,200 to take Joshua’s place on the battlefront, he witnesses the horrors of combat even as his soul is redeemed by the love of a woman.

“Anna’s Wish,” inspired by a true story, is a tale of good and evil, of love and endurance, amid a nation descended into madness. Through it runs the steel thread of hope, held by a young woman who endures the unimaginable in her quest for true love.

Praise for “Anna’s Wish….”

“Lovingly Rendered… Vivid and Memorable…. ”

“If the people and the events in these chapters feel authentic (starting with a description of the 1906 earthquake that places the reader squarely on the crumbling streets of San Francisco), it is not by accident. It is because Paul Daniel and Ann Thompson Carter did their homework.
 “Their hard work paid off. What they learned through all of their research is all here, on every page of ‘Anna’s Wish,’ and it’s what makes this book so enjoyable to read.”

—Mike Holtzclaw, “Newport News (Va.) Daily Press”

“If Anna’s wish was that her story be told with passion, compassion and a good deal of historical research, Paul Daniel and Ann Thompson Carter have fulfilled it.”

—Rebecca Rule, “Nashua (N.H.) Telegraph,” “Concord (N.H.) Monitor,” “Portsmouth (N.H.) Herald”

“I honestly think this book has all the ingredients of a bestseller! You never want to stop reading — you just have to get to that next page and then the next one and the next one, so you end up reading far into the night. At the climax of the story you are so moved, you are crying your eyes out! I think Paul and Ann have done an excellent job. They are a really good writing team. Congratulations on a wonderful book!”

—Dolores Kerec-Kovac, Librarian