The first book in a new Christian fiction series, Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit uses The Beatitudes to create a place of unexpected mercy for those who are willing to accept it ... welcome to Graypourt.

Cate Elliot is desperate. The current unraveling of her life has led her to sink even deeper into the anxiety and depression she has battled for as long as she can remember. She is a survivor of a family tragedy, abandoned by her husband and left to raise their 5-year-old autistic son by herself. One especially difficult day, a letter from her parents arrives inviting her home to the Iowa farm where she grew up. Exhausted and hopeless, the offer is too tempting to ignore. Just hours into their journey, car trouble leaves Cate and her young son stranded in an unfamiliar town, where their journey takes an unexpected and unsettling turn.

What begins with regular Midwestern hospitality leads to the unthinkable when Cate is separated from her son and finds herself captive to the mysterious town of Graypourt. Led by the charismatic local priest, Father Matthew, Graypourt is advertised as a place of restoration and recovery with only one way out ... surrender. Desperate to find her son, Cate must consent to trust strangers, open her heart to new relationships, and ultimately accept the transformative grace she needs to go home.

Through it all, Cate discovers just how far she will go to find true freedom.

Ashlie Hand's debut novel, Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit, delivers a timeless story of transformation through a place of unexpected mercy. The "Blessed" series explores the promise of the Beatitudes told through the stories of the people we meet between life and our final heavenly home.