The Ingalls.
The Waltons.
And Now...
The Goodings.
A real-life story of survival that starts in the harshest winter
of 1921.
BASED ON THE REAL LIFE OF AUTHOR G.L. GOODING'S MOTHER
Book One
Book 1
Real-life courage under severe hardship.
Widowhood and single motherhood in the 1920s.
WHERE COURAGE BEGAN
Velma's earliest memory was the night the four children were left alone while their mother battled a blizzard to seek help for their father who was dying in the other room.
Listen to a Sample
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Beginning in rural Iowa during the brutal winter of 1921, the Velma's Story series follows Velma's journey through the Great Depression, World War II, and postwar America.
Book Two
The struggles of a generation.
A love for God, the land, hard work, family, and friendship.
THE ROAD TO RESILIENCE
As years pass, Velma continues working hard at school and helping her widowed mother keep the family afloat. When Velma meets handsome Jack Gooding, she discovers she has found her one true love.
Book 2
Listen to a Sample
Book Three
A portrait of resilience from the Great Depression through war
Historical drama—grounded in faith, resilience, and generational endurance.
THE LONG JOURNEY
The attack on Pearl Harbor propels the Goodings to relocate to California. There, Jack builds
B-17s, while Velma manages their home life with now two young sons. After the war, they welcome a third son and plan to stay in California, but urgent news from Iowa pulls them back to care for Velma's injured mother, Alice Steele. Along the way, a fateful encounter with a little girl changes everything, pushing Velma's courage, resilience, and strength to the edge of heartbreak.
Book 3
Listen to a Sample
Book Four
Anchored in verified historical detail and based on the real early life of author G. L. Gooding’s mother, the series explores how one resilient young girl becomes the emotional and practical backbone of her family across decades of upheaval.
Historical drama—grounded in faith, resilience, and generational endurance.
BEYOND EXPECTATIONS
Velma and Jack Gooding face the shifting landscape of postwar America. Their sons are growing into men, each with dreams of their own, while Velma discovers that her knack for leadership and problem-solving opens unexpected doors in a profession long reserved for men. Her journey toward independence and self-worth brings both satisfaction and strain as she balances ambition with the needs of her family.
The enduring power of Love and Faith tested by time.
Book 1
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Where Courage Began
Based on the life of author G. L. Gooding's mother, Velma Steele,
A blizzard rages outside a ramshackle Iowa farmhouse in February of 1921. Five-year-old Velma senses that her father is dying in the nearby living room, and she wonders if her mother can possibly survive the raging snowstorm in her brave effort to get help.
Where Courage Began tells the story of Velma, her three siblings, and her widowed mother Alice Steele.
Life for the young family in Woodward, Iowa requires courage, tenacity, and ingenuity.
Verified for local historical accuracy, this novel shines light on Depression-era communities and their values for God, the land, hard work, family, and friendship... still practiced every day in Dallas County and celebrated annually at the Woodward Friends and Neighbors Celebration.
Available on paperback, ebook, and audiobook.
Book 2
The Road to Resilience
As years pass, Velma continues working hard at school and putting in endless hours helping her widowed mother and older sister. Together they support the family during the economic hardships in rural America that foreshadowed the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Uprooted yet again by this national tragedy, the family’s indomitable spirit and endless spunk help sustain them. Along the way, Velma begins to envision a brighter future in spite of continuing hardship.
Then, as a young woman, Velma meets handsome Jack Gooding and in the briefest of time, realizes she has found her one true love. Now equipped with hard earned life skills, she feels confident in facing the vagaries of life with Jack at her side. Together they begin pursuit of shared dreams amid a turbulent world. All too soon, however, her resilience and courage must endure the greatest challenge yet.
Available on paperback, ebook, and audiobook.
Book 3
The Long Journey
As World War II looms ahead, Velma and Jack Gooding’s joy of welcoming a healthy son into the world is soon overshadowed when Jack falls gravely ill with Tubercular Pneumonia. To aid his recovery, the family moves to a small farm, where Jack slowly recovers and eventually takes on part-time work. The attack on Pearl Harbor, a turning point for all Americans, propels the Goodings to California. There Jack builds B-17s, while Velma manages their home life with now two young sons. After the war, they welcome a third son and plan to stay in California, but urgent news from Iowa pulls them back to care for Velma's injured mother, Alice Steele. Eventually, Jack’s job back in Iowa demands yet another move—to Peoria, Illinois. There, a fateful encounter with a little girl changes everything, pushing Velma's courage, resilience, and strength to the edge of heartbreak.
The Long Journey is a moving story of resilience, sacrifice, and the enduring power of family ties that transcend time and distance.
Available on paperback, ebook, and audiobook.
Book 4
Beyond Expectations
Now settled in Illinois, Velma and Jack Gooding face the shifting landscape of postwar America. Their sons are growing into men, each with dreams of their own, while Velma discovers that her knack for leadership and problem-solving opens unexpected doors in a profession long reserved for men. Her journey toward independence and self-worth brings both satisfaction and strain as she balances ambition with the needs of her family.
As Jack's health falters and Velma's aging mother, Alice Steele, requires ever more care, Velma must draw on every ounce of faith and fortitude she possesses. Love, once her strongest foundation, is now tested by loss, duty, and time itself.
Beyond Expectations is
Book Four in the five-book hit series. The audio edition is slated for late 2027. The final book in the Velma's Story series is planned for Spring 2027.
Available now on
paperback and ebook
Rich in historical detail and grounded in Midwestern values of perseverance, humility, and devotion, Beyond Expectations is a tender reflection on the power of love that endures beyond circumstance--and the quiet strength of women who dare to rise above with the world expects of them.
Discover 1920's Iowa History
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If you've ever wondered how ordinary people survived—and thrived—before modern conveniences, this conversation offers a vivid, often surprising look at a world that has almost disappeared from living memory.
Iowa state historian Leo Landis discusses Iowa life in the pre-Great Depression era. Packed with fascinating historical details, the conversation explores the hardships of daily living that past generations faced, especially the challenges of young widowed mothers with small children like G.L. Gooding's Iowa family in Where Courage Began.
Iowa History Chat with
G.L. Gooding and Leo Landis
This isn't just a history interview. It's a journey back into a vanished Iowa—one remembered through the eyes of a woman who lived to be 102 and a state historian who helps explain the world she knew.
In this fascinating conversation, author Gary Gooding sits down with Iowa State Curator Leo Landis to explore what life was really like in rural Iowa during the early twentieth century. Together they uncover a world of horse-drawn farming, wood stoves, oil lamps, coal mines, church suppers, threshing crews, homemade clothing, and communities held together by faith, family, and necessity.
Along the way, they discuss:
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What daily life was like before electricity, indoor plumbing, and modern conveniences.
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How the farm depression began years before the Great Depression.
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The social impact of automobiles, jazz music, movies, and changing cultural values.
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Women's roles, widowhood, and community support networks.
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The rise of tractors, roads, radios, and rural electrification.
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Iowa's surprising coal mining history and diverse immigrant communities.
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The traditions of threshing crews, church potlucks, canning, baking, and farm cooking.
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The political battles over prohibition, women's suffrage, and social reform.
What makes the discussion especially compelling is the connection between history and memory. As Gooding researches his mother's life story, each question opens a window into a generation that endured hardship with remarkable resilience. The result is both a history lesson and a tribute to the men and women who built their lives with far fewer comforts than we enjoy today.
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