The Wanderer, Volume I of “Shadows of Brierley”

The Wanderer, Volume I of “Shadows of Brierley”


Featured song: “Trying” by Lifehouse



For those of you who have been reading Anita Stansfield novels for more than a decade, then you can’t help but notice that “Brierley” is a familiar place in one of my older novels. If you’ve read “Towers of Brierley” you’ll be more familiar with this family and the setting of the story. If you haven’t, it’s okay. (But it’s still out there so you can get it.) Each book of this new series stands on its own, as most of my books do. Since “Towers of Brierley” was a standalone book, over the years I’ve had many readers write and ask if I was ever going to write more about this family. I’ve learned to never say never. Since I am personally very fond of the “Brierley” story and setting, I was thrilled when inspiration came to me to take this family into the next generation . . . and the next.


The setting is the highlands of Scotland, and the time period coincides with the first big influx of LDS missionaries to England. The story begins in London, where Ian MacBrier (the son of Gavin and Anya MacBrier) is lost and wandering—literally and emotionally. In reference to the song mentioned above, in my head I could see Ian’s journey back home while this music played, as if it were the opening credits of a movie. And I could see what Wren was doing at the same time. And I could feel the loneliness, the worry, and the hope they were both feeling. When a song does that for me, it’s truly a great creative experience.


I don’t want to give away too much about the book for those of you who haven’t read it yet. Just know that Ian’s encounter with LDS missionaries, and acquiring a Book of Mormon, changes his life forever. It’s my hope that Ian and Wren’s story will capture a typical experience of many of the Mormon immigrants who found the gospel and came to America in search of a new life, and a new religion. I’m sure glad they did!