Janette Oke

Biography

Janette Steeves was born in Champion, Alberta, to Canadian prairie farmers Fred and Amy (née Ruggles) Steeves, during the Great Depression years.

Oke (pronounced "Oak") graduated from Mountain View Bible College in Didsbury, Alberta, 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.

Awards

Oke received the 1992 President's Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association for her significant contribution to Christian fiction, as well as the 1999 CBA Life Impact Award, and the Gold Medallion Award for fiction.

Love Comes Softly series

This series is published by Bethany House.

1. Love Comes Softly, 1979
2. Love's Enduring Promise, 1980
3. Love's Long Journey, 1982
4. Love's Abiding Joy, 1983
5. Love's Unending Legacy, 1984
6. Love's Unfolding Dream, 1987
7. Love Takes Wing, 1988
8. 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 "Loves Comes Softly" series, which aired on the Hallmark Channel, do not completely follow the books. They starred Katherine Heigl, Dale Midkiff, Corbin Bernsen, Erin Cottrell, and others. Directors of the films included Michael Landon Jr. and Lou Diamond Phillips.

There are also three prequels titled Love's Christmas Journey (2012), Love Begins (2011), and Love's Everlasting Courage (2011). These are not based on any Janette Oke books.

A Prairie Legacy series

This series is published by Bethany House.

1. The Tender Years, 1997
2. A Searching Heart, 1998
3. A Quiet Strength, 1999
4. Like Gold Refined, 2000

This is a follow-up to the Love Comes Softly series. A box set of all 4 books is also available. A republished edition is now available.

Seasons of the Heart series

This series is published by Bethany House.

1. Once Upon a Summer, 1981
2. The Winds of Autumn, 1987
3. Winter Is Not Forever, 1988
4. Spring's Gentle Promise, 1989

This series was republished in 2002 with updated covers. Which is about a young boy who is trying to find himself with is unordinary family. The series has also been published as omnibus (all four books in one volume). This book is called "Seasons of the Heart".

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 in a single e-book format.

1. When Calls the Heart, 1983
2. When Comes the Spring, 1985
3. When Breaks the Dawn, 1985
4. When Hope Springs New, 1986
5. Beyond the Gathering Storm, 1999
6. When Tomorrow Comes, 2000

This series was republished in 2005 with updated covers.

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.

1. Where Courage Calls, 2014
2. Where Trust Lies, 2015
3. Where Hope Prevails, 2016

Song of Acadia series

Co-written with T. Davis Bunn and published by Bethany House.

1. The Meeting Place, 1999
2. The Sacred Shore, 2000
3. The Birthright, 2001
4. The Distant Beacon, 2002
5. The Beloved Land, 2002

This series is continued on by T. Davis Bunn and Isabella Bunn in the follow-up series, Heirs of Arcadia.

Acts of Faith series

Co-written with T. Davis Bunn and published by Bethany House.

Standalone books

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.

Youth books

Janette Oke's Animal Friends series

1. The Impatient Turtle
2. The Prodigal Cat
3. Spunky's Diary
4. This Little Pig
5. New Kid in Town
6. Ducktails
7. Prairie Dog Town
8. Trouble in a Fur Coat
9. Maury Had a Little Lamb
10. Pordy's Prickly Problem
11. A Cote of Many Colors
12. Who's New at the Zoo?

Other Items by Janette Oke