Chuck Colson, in his May 5 BreakPoint commentary, praised Mary DeMuth’s novel Daisy Chain as a “good example” of how to effectively address the subject of abuse in the church through the arts. Read Chuck’s commentary here.

"I’m not a big fan of 'message' books, where the writer neglects his or her craft and just concentrates on pushing an agenda. But Mary DeMuth is not that kind of writer," writes Colson. "Her books are beautifully and sensitively written, and her characters are realistic and well-developed. She has a true gift for showing how God’s light can penetrate even the darkest of situations, and start to turn lives around. Even her villains are not beyond the reach of God’s grace."

DeMuth recently launched a new website (blog.myfamilysecrets.org) to help people post their secrets anonymously and start the healing process. DeMuth handles each posted secret with anonymity and discretion.

DeMuth, who has wrestled with her own family secrets, knows the importance of sharing sharing them. She dared to share her own family secrets in her nonfiction books, paving the way for healing and freedom.

“So many of us live with secrets that haunt us, keep us awake at night or noodle their way into our lives. Some secrets are funny (think: embarrassing moments). Some are tragic. But many hold us captive,” says DeMuth. “In my latest novel Daisy Chain, many characters harbor secrets, but only a few are brave enough to bring them to the light of day and find freedom. It’s my hope that this site will become a community for many, and that thousands of folks will experience freedom when they’ve shared their family secret.”

Daisy Chain is one of three novels written by DeMuth. Her other two novels garnered honors as previous American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year finalists. She has also authored several non-fiction books.

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