The Hope Series: Novels Inspired by a True Story
Where stories of faith, family, and hope inspire us to understand our past, strengthen our present, and leave a legacy for future generations.
One Family, Two Stories
Inspired by my family’s true journey from a tiny village in Crete to America, The Hope Series is a saga of faith, sacrifice, resilience, forgiveness, and enduring hope.
Beginning with Hope Is My Anchor and continuing in A Light of Hope, each novel explores the lives that shaped one family’s legacy, revealing how the stories we inherit can shape the lives we choose to live.
The Hope Series is available on Amazon in Kindle, paperback, and hardcover.
Want to know more first? Read about Hope Is My Anchor or A Light of Hope.
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Hope is My Anchor:
A journey shaped by hardship, courage, and the search for lasting hope.
Born into a poor and violent family on the island of Crete, Manny runs away at just twelve years old, driven by a dream of freedom and a better life. What follows is a journey that spans oceans, cultures, and decades, first as a member of the Merchant Marines and then as he fights for his dream to become an American citizen.
Hope Is My Anchor is a story of family, forgiveness, and resilience in the relentless pursuit of a life worth holding onto.
As he learns what it means to become the head of an American household, Manny must confront the cost of his choices, the pull of family and Greek heritage, and what it truly means to build a life rooted in hope.
Manny’s journey touches on the universal struggles all people face in the pursuit of freedom, belonging, and hope.
Inspired by the true events that shaped Manny’s journey from Crete to America.
A Light of Hope:
A mother’s story of faith, sacrifice, and hope.
In a quiet village on the island of Crete, Sapphira’s life begins like many others, rooted in family, tradition, and faith. Married young, she finds herself holding her family together through poverty, war, and a marriage that tests everything she believes.
A Light of Hope is the story of the mother Manny left behind, and the faith that carried her when her prayers felt unanswered.
When tragedy strikes and her son’s life hangs in the balance, Sapphira is forced to confront the deepest questions of her faith: How do you keep believing when your prayers feel unanswered? How do you forgive when the wounds keep coming?
Woven between the chapters is Cassie, Sapphira’s granddaughter, gathering the family’s stories and writing them down. She’s the thread that connects both books in The Hope Series.
Inspired by the true story of my grandmother, the mother my father left behind.
What readers said
Readers share how these stories stayed with them
It was hard to put the book down and I had to keep reading to find out what happens next.
on Hope Is My Anchor
A moving, sincere debut that reminds us how messy and how beautiful family can be. It’s a moving and emotional read, especially for those who value stories of resilience, faith, the complexities of family and the immigrant experience.
on Hope Is My Anchor
Loved this book! A story of faith, resilience and family that I could not put down. Definitely recommend.
on Hope Is My Anchor
This one pulled at my ‘momma’ heart strings.… I actually don’t know which book I like better — I highly recommend them.
About the author
Anna Broome
Anna Broome is the author of The Hope Series. Her debut novel, Hope Is My Anchor, was inspired by the true life story of her father. Her second novel, A Light of Hope, tells the story of her grandmother, the mother he left behind. Deeply connected to her Greek heritage and her family’s roots on the island of Crete, Anna writes stories shaped by faith, family, and the enduring search for hope.
Hope Story Academy
Your family has a story too
Writing Hope Is My Anchor taught me how quickly family stories slip away when no one writes them down. That’s why I created Tell Your Story Before It’s Too Late, a simple, step-by-step course to help you capture the stories of the people you love.
Not ready yet? Grab my free 20 Questions worksheet →
Photo Journey
The real places behind Hope Is My Anchor
Chapters
1
Merchant Marine Ship
- Manny boarded a Merchant Marine ship that looked much like this one in the early 1960s
2
Heraklion, Crete
- The Venetian fort near the port in Heraklion where Manny boarded the first ship in 1962.
3
Detroit Skyline
- The Merchant Marine ship entered the Detroit River through the St Lawrence Seaway and made a stop in Detroit.
4
Royal Victoria Hotel
- The Royal Victoria Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas that Manny and Martha stayed at while waiting for Manny’s paperwork to process.
5
Greektown
- Greektown, Detroit in the late 1960s was a bustling and very ethnic area filled with authentic Greek food and shopping.
6
Mountains of Crete
- Mountain range outside of Heraklion near where Manny was born and lived until he was twelve.
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