Twas the Night Before: A Love Story

December 1998

Jerry Jenkins has written more than 120 books and is best known for his Left Behind series, which includes Left Behind, Tribulation, Nicolae, and Soul Harvest. With his most recent book, 'Twas the Night Before, the talented storyteller has written a Dickensian tale that will touch the heart and rekindle faith in love.

Noella and Tom are engaged to be married. Noella, a journalism professor at Northwestern University, and Tom, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, both think they have found something special following several failed relationships. However, as Christmas approaches, they discover differences in their personalities -- Noella is the eternal optimist, Tom a thoroughgoing pessimist. When Noella insists that a silver medallion she received as a child was actually given to her by Santa Claus, Tom begins to wonder how someone who has a Ph.D. in journalism can continue to believe in a childhood fantasy.

Unfortunately, Noella and Tom can't get past this and other disagreements, and they begin to realize they are just too dissimilar to get married. Heartbroken, Tom heads to the Black Forest in Germany to write a story for the Tribune about Father Christmas. What he sees changes his life and restores his faith in more than Santa.

With books that have topped the religious-fiction bestseller lists, Jerry Jenkins is far from a one-dimensional writer. His work ranges from children's books to biographies (he assisted Billy Graham with his bestseller Just As I Am) to stories and articles in periodicals such as The Reader's Digest.