Janette Oke (née Steeves; born February 18, 1935) (pronounced "oak") is a Canadian author of

inspirational fiction Inspirational fiction is a sub-category within the broader categories of "inspirational literature" or "inspirational writing." It has become more common for booksellers and libraries to consider inspirational fiction to be a separate genre, class ...

. Her books are often set in a pioneer era and centered on female

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

s. Her first novel, ''Love Comes Softly'', was published by

Bethany House Bethany House Publishers is a publisher that publishes Christian fiction and non-fiction books. Bethany House Publishers was bought in 2003 by Baker Publishing Group. Bethany House publishes both historical and contemporary fiction. Historica ...

in 1979. , more than 75 others have followed. The first novel of her ''Canadian West'' series, ''When Calls the Heart'' (1983), became the basis of the current television series of the same name.

Biography

Janette Steeves was born in

Champion, Alberta Champion is a village in southern Alberta, Canada within Vulcan County. It is located on Highway 23, approximately north of Lethbridge and south of Calgary. History Homesteaders began arriving in the Champion area in 1904 and 1905, mainly ...

, to Canadian

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

farmers Fred and Amy (née Ruggles) Steeves, during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

years. Oke graduated from Mountain View Bible College in

Didsbury, Alberta Didsbury is a town in central Alberta, Canada at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It is located next to Alberta Highway 2A, near the Queen Elizabeth II Highway. Didsbury is within the Calgary-Edmonton corridor. Didsbury is approximately th ...

, where she met her future husband, Edward Oke, who later became the president of that college. The Okes have four children, including a set of twins. Oke's daughter, Laurel Oke Logan, has co-written books with her. Oke is a committed

Evangelical Christian Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exper ...

. She has written many books about her faith.

Awards

Oke received the 1992 President's Award from the

Evangelical Christian Publishers Association The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international non-profit trade association whose member companies are involved in the publishing and distribution of Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to ...

for her significant contribution to

Christian fiction A Christian novel is a Christian literary novel which features Christian media genre conventions. The tradition of Christian fiction Christian novels are works of imaginative literature drawing on Christian themes, theology, and social norms. ...

, as well as the 1999 CBA Life Impact Award, and the Gold Medallion Award for fiction.

List of books by Janette Oke

Love Comes Softly series

This series is published by

. # ''Love Comes Softly'', 1979 # ''Love's Enduring Promise'', 1980 # ''Love's Long Journey'', 1982 # ''Love's Abiding Joy'', 1983 # ''Love's Unending Legacy'', 1984 # ''Love's Unfolding Dream'', 1987 # ''Love Takes Wing'', 1988 # ''Love Finds a Home'', 1989 This series has also been published into two boxsets, Volume 1–4 and Volume 5–8. New revisions with updated covers were published in 2003 and 2004, including the boxsets. The Fox Faith film versions of the "

Love Comes Softly ''Love Comes Softly'' is a 2003 made-for-television Christian drama film set in the 19th century, based on a series of books by Janette Oke. It originally aired on Hallmark Channel on April 13, 2003. It was directed by Michael Landon Jr., and st ...

" series, which aired on the

Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies and ...

, do not completely follow the books. They starred

Katherine Heigl Katherine Marie Heigl ( ; born November 24, 1978) is an American actress and former fashion model. She played Dr. Izzie Stevens on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2010, a role tha ...

Dale Midkiff Dale Alan Midkiff (born July 1, 1959) is an American actor, best known for playing Louis Creed in the horror film ''Pet Sematary'' (1989) and Captain Darien Lambert in the TV series ''Time Trax''. Career Midkiff acted in off-Broadway plays lik ...

Corbin Bernsen Corbin Dean Bernsen (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor and film director. He appeared as divorce attorney Arnold Becker on the NBC drama series '' L.A. Law'',

Erin Cottrell Erin Cottrell (born August 24, 1975) is an American actress who has appeared in the role of Missie LaHaye in five of the eight films in the ''Love Comes Softly'' series. She was born in Yardley, Pennsylvania. She acted in '' Love's Long Journey ...

, and others. Directors of the films included Michael Landon Jr. and

Lou Diamond Phillips Louis Diamond Phillips ( born Upchurch; February 17, 1962) is a Filipino-American actor and film director. His breakthrough came when he starred as Ritchie Valens in the biographical drama film '' La Bamba'' (1987). For ''Stand and Deliver'' (198 ...

. There are also three prequels titled ''Love's Christmas Journey'' (2012), ''Love Begins'' (2011), and ''Love's Everlasting Courage'' (2011).

A Prairie Legacy series

This series is published by Bethany House. # ''The Tender Years'', 1997 # ''A Searching Heart'', 1998 # ''A Quiet Strength'', 1999 # ''Like Gold Refined'', 2000 This is a follow-up to the Love Comes Softly series. A republished edition is now available.

Seasons of the Heart series

This series is published by Bethany House. # ''Once Upon a Summer'', 1981 # ''The Winds of Autumn'', 1987 # ''Winter Is Not Forever'', 1988 # ''Spring's Gentle Promise'', 1989 This series was republished in 2002 with updated covers. It is about a young boy, Josh Jones, who is trying to find himself with his atypical family.

Canadian West series

This series is published by Bethany House. The last two books came much later and focus on the children in the series rather than the main characters of the first four books. In 2015 all six books were released as a single ebook. # ''When Calls the Heart'', 1983 # ''When Comes the Spring'', 1985 # ''When Breaks the Dawn'', 1985 # ''When Hope Springs New'', 1986 # ''Beyond the Gathering Storm'', 1999 # ''When Tomorrow Comes'', 2000

Return to the Canadian West series

This series is published by Bethany House. The series is co-written by Janette Oke and her daughter, Laurel Oke Logan. # ''Where Courage Calls'', 2014 # ''Where Trust Lies'', 2015 # ''Where Hope Prevails'', 2016

When Hope Calls series

Co-written with Laurel Oke Logan # ''Unyielding Hope'', 2020 # ''Sustaining Faith'', 2021 # ''Unfailing Love'', 2022

Song of Acadia series

Co-written with T. Davis Bunn and published by

. # ''The Meeting Place'', 1999 # ''The Sacred Shore'', 2000 # ''The Birthright'', 2001 # ''The Distant Beacon'', 2002 # ''The Beloved Land'', 2002 This series is continued on by T. Davis Bunn and Isabella Bunn in the follow-up series, Heirs of Acadia.

Acts of Faith series

Co-written with T. Davis Bunn and published by

. *''The Centurion's Wife'', 2009 *''The Hidden Flame'', January 2010 *''The Damascus Way'', 2011

Standalone books

* ''Return to Harmony'', co-written with T. Davis Bunn * ''Another Homecoming'', co-written with T. Davis Bunn * ''Tomorrow's Dream'', co-written with T. Davis Bunn * ''Dana's Valley'', co-written with Laurel Oke Logan

Women of the West books

These books are standalone novels about different women of the West, where the author's intention is that they do not need to be read in order. * ''The Calling of Emily Evans'', 1990 * ''Julia's Last Hope'', 1990 * ''Roses for Mama'', 1990 * ''A Woman Named Dâmaris'', 1991 * ''They Called Her Mrs. Doc'', 1992 * ''The Measure of a Heart'', 1992 * ''A Bride for Donnigan'', 1993 * ''Heart of the Wilderness'', 1993 * ''Too Long a Stranger'', 1994 * ''The Bluebird and the Sparrow'', 1995 * ''A Gown of Spanish Lace'', 1995 * ''Drums of Change'', 1995

Youth books

* ''I Wonder… Did Jesus Have a Pet Lamb?'' (picture book)

Janette Oke's Animal Friends series

# ''The Impatient Turtle'' # ''The Prodigal Cat'' # ''Spunky's Diary'' # ''This Little Pig'' # ''New Kid in Town'' # ''Ducktails'' # ''Prairie Dog Town'' # ''Trouble in a Fur Coat'' # ''Maury Had a Little Lamb'' # ''Pordy's Prickly Problem'' # ''A Cote of Many Colors'' # ''Who's New at the Zoo?'' * ''Janette Oke's Animal Friends Pack, vols. 1–6'' * ''Janette Oke's Animal Friends Pack, vols. 7–12''

Other Items by Janette Oke

* ''Celebrating the Inner Beauty of Women Dec 1997'' * ''Father Who Calls: Devotional insights for Daily Meditations'' * ''Hunger of Your Heart: Finding Fulfillment Through a Closer Walk With God'' * ''Janette Oke Engagement Diary'' * ''Janette Oke 2001 Engagement Diary (Calendar)'' * ''Janette Oke's Reflections on the Christmas Story'' * ''Making Memories by Janette Oke and Cheri Bladholm'' * ''My favorite recipes: Featuring devotional & selected recipes'' * ''My Favorite Verse'' * ''The Father of Love'' * ''The Loving Heart-Calendar'' * ''What Does Love Look Like by Janette Oke and Cheri Bladholm'' * ''Nana's Gift (novella) 2011

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oke, Janette 1935 births Living people 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers Canadian women novelists Canadian children's writers Christian writers People from Vulcan County Writers from Alberta Canadian women children's writers