Welcome to the web site for my historical novel There is a Wideness, a story of loss and redemption built around one of the most tragic events in Texas history. This site is divided into six sections. Click on the highlighted text to enter a section. (In a hurry? You can read the opening two pages of the story by clicking Here.)

• My late mother, who witnessed the New London, Texas, school explosion of March 18, 1937
• My boyhood in an East Texas oil camp
• My life since East Texas
• Development of the story, and lessons learned
• Read a review of There is a Wideness from Historical Novels Review
• Read about the hymn There's a Wideness in God's Mercy

If you want to learn more about the historical tragedy that anchors my story, an excellent web site is at http://www.newlondonschool.org/.

There is a Wideness was one of three finalists for a 2005 first-novel Christy award.

If you would like to leave a comment on this web site or on the book, or if you would like to own a copy of the book, you can e-mail me at

markmc888"at"gmail.com

... Replace "at" with @ ...

Thanks for visiting!

Mark McAllister