Pamela S. Thibodeaux's Blog, page 29
June 19, 2020
#SaturdaySpotlight is on Lynn Austin & If I Were You!
Good Morning and Welcome to another edition of Saturday Spotlight!
I hope all of you are doing well and staying safe in this crazy world of ours.
Today's guest has visited us before but it's been a while so let me introduce her to you once more....
Lynn Austin has sold more than one and a half million copies of her books worldwide. A former teacher who now writes and speaks full-time, she has won eight Christy Awards for her historical fiction and was one of the first inductees into the Christy Award Hall of Fame. One of her novels, Hidden Places, was made into a Hallmark Channel Original Movie. Lynn and her husband have three grown children and make their home in western Michigan.
Visit her online at www.lynnaustin.org.
From bestselling and eight-time Christy Award–winning author Lynn Austin comes a remarkable novel of sisterhood and self-discovery set against the backdrop of WWII.
1950. In the wake of the war, Audrey Clarkson leaves her manor house in England for a fresh start in America with her young son. As a widowed war bride, Audrey needs the support of her American in-laws, whom she has never met. But she arrives to find that her longtime friend Eve Dawson has been impersonating her for the past four years. Unraveling this deception will force Audrey and Eve’s secrets—and the complicated history of their friendship—to the surface.
1940. Eve and Audrey have been as different as two friends can be since the day they met at Wellingford Hall, where Eve’s mother served as a lady’s maid for Audrey’s mother. As young women, those differences force them apart until the threat of Nazi invasion and war bring them back together. An American stationed in England brings a chance at love for Audrey, and the collapse of the class system gives Eve hope for a future with Audrey’s brother. But in the wake of devastating loss, both women must make life-altering decisions that will set in motion a web of lies and push them both to the breaking point.
This sweeping story transports readers to one of the most challenging eras of history to explore the deep, abiding power of faith and friendship to overcome more than we ever thought possible.
Excerpt:
They reached the end of their block. Another constable pointed across the street to a church that had served as a shelter during the Blitz. They scrambled down the stone stairs, huddling inside the crypt with hundreds of other people in pajamas and dressing gowns, waiting for experts to defuse the bomb. Eve had plenty of time to think of all the things she wished she’d rescued. Audrey was right about needing her purse. It was going to be a huge bother replacing all her ID cards and ration books.
“What time is it?” Audrey asked. “We’ll be late for work. Do you think the church will let us use the telephone so we can call and explain?”
Eve looked at her watch, a present from Alfie. “It’s too early to call. Not even seven yet. Honestly, Audrey, you worry about the dumbest things.” Eve wore the watch all the time, even to bed at night. If the UXB did go off, at least she had one thing to remember him by.
Audrey inched closer, leaning in, lowering her voice. “Eve, listen. I need to tell you a secret.”
Eve hid a smile. It was so like Audrey to be so serious, so dramatic.
“Should I cross my heart and swear on my life not to tell?” Eve asked.
Audrey didn’t smile. “I think I’m pregnant.”
Eve barely stopped herself from saying, I’m pregnant, too.
They had done everything else together these past six years, so of course, why not have babies together? Except that Audrey had a husband and Eve didn’t. “Congratulations,” she managed to say, hugging her.
“I haven’t written to tell Robert yet. I’m afraid to. It was an accident. We took precautions . . .”
“He’ll be happy, just the same,” she said, squeezing Audrey’s hands. “Especially if it’s a boy. Doesn’t every man want a son?”
She remembered, too late, how Audrey’s father doted on his son, ignoring his daughter all these years. She wished she had bitten her tongue.
Audrey didn’t seem to hear her as she continued on. “This morning, with this bomb—I realized how badly I want to stay safe from now on. We risked our lives so many times during the war, and it didn’t seem to matter because nobody knew what tomorrow would bring, whether we would live or die, or if the Nazis would pour across the channel and murder us. But the war is over and Robert is safe, and I want to stay safe, too, until it’s time to move to America to be with him. I want our baby to be safe.”
“So what are you saying?”
“I’m leaving London. I’m going home to Wellingford Hall.”
Eve took a moment to respond. “What about your job? And our flat?”
“I’ll give them my notice. Today, even. You won’t have any problem finding a new flatmate.”
Wow, what an excerpt! Sounds like a wonderful story, Lynn and we wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with this new book.
Hope you enjoyed this peek into Lynn's book as much as I did friends and that you'll check back weekly for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.
Until next time, take care and God Bless. PamT
PS: Don't forget to leave a comment and enter into my monthly gift card giveaway and be sure to check out N. N. Light's Book Heaven's Audiobook Month giveaway where 5 gift cards are up for grabs! (see graphic in sidebar)
I hope all of you are doing well and staying safe in this crazy world of ours.
Today's guest has visited us before but it's been a while so let me introduce her to you once more....
Lynn Austin has sold more than one and a half million copies of her books worldwide. A former teacher who now writes and speaks full-time, she has won eight Christy Awards for her historical fiction and was one of the first inductees into the Christy Award Hall of Fame. One of her novels, Hidden Places, was made into a Hallmark Channel Original Movie. Lynn and her husband have three grown children and make their home in western Michigan.
Visit her online at www.lynnaustin.org.
From bestselling and eight-time Christy Award–winning author Lynn Austin comes a remarkable novel of sisterhood and self-discovery set against the backdrop of WWII.1950. In the wake of the war, Audrey Clarkson leaves her manor house in England for a fresh start in America with her young son. As a widowed war bride, Audrey needs the support of her American in-laws, whom she has never met. But she arrives to find that her longtime friend Eve Dawson has been impersonating her for the past four years. Unraveling this deception will force Audrey and Eve’s secrets—and the complicated history of their friendship—to the surface.
1940. Eve and Audrey have been as different as two friends can be since the day they met at Wellingford Hall, where Eve’s mother served as a lady’s maid for Audrey’s mother. As young women, those differences force them apart until the threat of Nazi invasion and war bring them back together. An American stationed in England brings a chance at love for Audrey, and the collapse of the class system gives Eve hope for a future with Audrey’s brother. But in the wake of devastating loss, both women must make life-altering decisions that will set in motion a web of lies and push them both to the breaking point.
This sweeping story transports readers to one of the most challenging eras of history to explore the deep, abiding power of faith and friendship to overcome more than we ever thought possible.
Excerpt:
They reached the end of their block. Another constable pointed across the street to a church that had served as a shelter during the Blitz. They scrambled down the stone stairs, huddling inside the crypt with hundreds of other people in pajamas and dressing gowns, waiting for experts to defuse the bomb. Eve had plenty of time to think of all the things she wished she’d rescued. Audrey was right about needing her purse. It was going to be a huge bother replacing all her ID cards and ration books.
“What time is it?” Audrey asked. “We’ll be late for work. Do you think the church will let us use the telephone so we can call and explain?”
Eve looked at her watch, a present from Alfie. “It’s too early to call. Not even seven yet. Honestly, Audrey, you worry about the dumbest things.” Eve wore the watch all the time, even to bed at night. If the UXB did go off, at least she had one thing to remember him by.
Audrey inched closer, leaning in, lowering her voice. “Eve, listen. I need to tell you a secret.”
Eve hid a smile. It was so like Audrey to be so serious, so dramatic.
“Should I cross my heart and swear on my life not to tell?” Eve asked.
Audrey didn’t smile. “I think I’m pregnant.”
Eve barely stopped herself from saying, I’m pregnant, too.
They had done everything else together these past six years, so of course, why not have babies together? Except that Audrey had a husband and Eve didn’t. “Congratulations,” she managed to say, hugging her.
“I haven’t written to tell Robert yet. I’m afraid to. It was an accident. We took precautions . . .”
“He’ll be happy, just the same,” she said, squeezing Audrey’s hands. “Especially if it’s a boy. Doesn’t every man want a son?”
She remembered, too late, how Audrey’s father doted on his son, ignoring his daughter all these years. She wished she had bitten her tongue.
Audrey didn’t seem to hear her as she continued on. “This morning, with this bomb—I realized how badly I want to stay safe from now on. We risked our lives so many times during the war, and it didn’t seem to matter because nobody knew what tomorrow would bring, whether we would live or die, or if the Nazis would pour across the channel and murder us. But the war is over and Robert is safe, and I want to stay safe, too, until it’s time to move to America to be with him. I want our baby to be safe.”
“So what are you saying?”
“I’m leaving London. I’m going home to Wellingford Hall.”
Eve took a moment to respond. “What about your job? And our flat?”
“I’ll give them my notice. Today, even. You won’t have any problem finding a new flatmate.”
Wow, what an excerpt! Sounds like a wonderful story, Lynn and we wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with this new book.
Hope you enjoyed this peek into Lynn's book as much as I did friends and that you'll check back weekly for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.
Until next time, take care and God Bless. PamT
PS: Don't forget to leave a comment and enter into my monthly gift card giveaway and be sure to check out N. N. Light's Book Heaven's Audiobook Month giveaway where 5 gift cards are up for grabs! (see graphic in sidebar)
June 16, 2020
#WednesdayWordswithFriends welcomes Jess @AnAudiobookworm Promotions!
Good Morning Friends,
Since June is Audio Book Month and I'm participating in N. N. Light's Book Heaven huge audio book promotion (see sidebar) and since I've done audio book blog tours through Audio Bookworm Promotions, I thought it would be fun to interview Jess at ABWP and see what made her choose to focus on promoting audio books in lieu of print or E. So please give her a huge WELCOME!
● What inspired you to start Audiobookworm Promotions? Simply put, the need for it. If there had been someone, anyone, already doing this, I never would have been driven to start. But there just wasn't anyone giving audiobooks the promotional attention I felt they deserved.
I started out as an audiobook blogger at The Audiobookworm. When I saw some of my fellow book bloggers participating in book tours, I wanted to join. I approached several large blog tour companies and was told that there simply wasn't a market for audiobook blog tours. One of the largest companies actually told me that they ran one or two audiobook blog tours per year.
Compare that to Audiobookworm Promotions, where we run an average of three audiobook blog tours per week. Audiobookworm Promotions is the first blog tour company specializing in audiobooks and catering to listeners. Our mailing list of over 400 bloggers was compiled with audiobook promotion in mind. We tour audiobooks in every genre. I'm so proud of what we have achieved in just 4.5 years.
● What makes you prefer audiobooks over print or E-books?
A lot of things, but the first to come to mind is: Multitasking. I'm a busy individual. As ironic as it sounds, promoting audiobooks really cuts into my time for listening to them. Fortunately, the great thing about audiobooks is that they enable a degree of multitasking not available to traditional book readers.
A prime example is listening to audiobooks while driving. This is a hugely popular activity for commuters. I like to listen while I work. Others listen while they work out! The list of listening activities is practically endless.
For so long, audiobooks have been underestimated, not only as a viable method of media consumption, but as an industry. That viewpoint has led to a “younger sibling” perception when compared to traditional books. But I try really hard not to have this ebooks vs. audiobooks mentality. To me, any type of literature consumption is a win! Do what works for you and don't judge someone else for doing what works for them.
● Where do you see the audiobook industry in 1 year? 5 yrs?
○ You know, that's hard to say because I'm terrible at making predictions, but I think it's safe to assume that this industry is going to continue growing and expanding. I think it will become much more mainstream than it already is now.○ Just in the last few years, since I've been working in this industry, I've already seen it evolve so much. I remember when I first started, podcasts were really huge. They were the trendy thing. Everyone was listening to podcasts during their commutes and downtime. I don't think the popularity of podcasts has diminished any, but I've always said that podcasts are the gateway to audiobooks. It seems like now all those folks who were so hooked on podcasts for the last few years are finally making their way into the audiobook community. I think that will continue, because almost everyone who discovers podcasts will eventually make their way to audiobooks at some point, so there will be this steady flow of new people discovering a love for the format. ○ I also think that we'll see more diversification among retailers. When I first started promoting audio books, Audible (Amazon) had almost a total monopoly on audiobook retail. But recently, that has started to shift. They’re still a giant in the industry, of course, but some real competitors have also popped up. For example, my preferred listening service is actually Scribd and I know a lot of people, myself included, who have switched from an Audible membership to a Scribd subscription because of the different subscription model. I think we'll see more retail options and pricing models like that in the years to come.○ And that's just from the consumer perspective. There's also been a shift on the production end with many authors choosing to go with someone like Author’s Direct over ACX (also Amazon owned) to produce and distribute their audiobooks. And I think that's fantastic! Not because I'm anti-Audible or Amazon, but just because I feel that more options benefit consumers and authors.
● What does it look like when you get the chance to relax and listen to an audiobook? It could look like any number of things. ○It could look like me relaxing in bed at night listening to an audio while I fall asleep and then having to frantically back track the next morning to find the exact spot where I fell asleep.○It could also look like me sitting at my desk working on audiobook promotional tasks while listening to an audiobook, like right now!○But more likely, it would look like me sitting outside on my back porch, drinking a cup of coffee, admiring the verdant rural scenery and probably coloring, since that's my favorite thing to do while listening right now (seriously, try it!).
● When you’re not promoting audiobooks, what are you doing? ○Listening to them! No, really. I'm still an avid audiobook listener. It's what got me into this business and four years later, it hasn't changed. The number of books I'm able to hear on an annual basis certainly has, though. But I try not to get too caught up with the number of audiobooks I consume each year. To me, everything is about quality over quantity. ○What has changed, however, is the length of audiobook I listen to now. 20+ hour audios used to intimidate me, but now I crave them. So even though I may only hear three or four audiobooks a month, that usually means they are really long ones, or that I was particularly busy with audio promotion that month, because it definitely cuts into my listening time.
● Give us 5 fun facts about you/Audiobookworm Promotions○ I'm a huge Elvis fan, but I've never been to Graceland. Not yet, anyway, but it's on the bucket list.○ I wrote my Master's thesis on audiobooks! Well, on how listening to something affects the brain versus reading. Essentially, both have their merits, but the best method of comprehension and information retention is reading and listening at the same time, which is why we should all have our subtitles on when we watch television!○ Audiobookworm Promotions is the first blog tour company specializing in audiobooks. We host over 100 audiobook tours each year and currently work with more than 380 bloggers.○ Before going to grad school, I was vice president of a local animal rescue organization and regularly fostered kittens. ○ I'm an amateur genealogist. It's a terribly addicting hobby and one of the only leisure activities I can’t do while listening to an audiobook, because it requires too much concentration.
Wow, THANKS, Jess for sharing your passion for audio books with us today! I know I'm excited and grateful for the audio book fans who've picked up Tempered Hearts, Tempered Dreams and Tempered Fire and I can't wait to get the rest of my titles out in audio. We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with Audio Bookworm Promotions!
Hope you enjoyed the post friends and that you'll check back each week for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.
Don't forget to leave a comment and enter into my monthly drawing for a gift card!
Until next time take care and God bless.
PamT
Since June is Audio Book Month and I'm participating in N. N. Light's Book Heaven huge audio book promotion (see sidebar) and since I've done audio book blog tours through Audio Bookworm Promotions, I thought it would be fun to interview Jess at ABWP and see what made her choose to focus on promoting audio books in lieu of print or E. So please give her a huge WELCOME!
● What inspired you to start Audiobookworm Promotions? Simply put, the need for it. If there had been someone, anyone, already doing this, I never would have been driven to start. But there just wasn't anyone giving audiobooks the promotional attention I felt they deserved.
I started out as an audiobook blogger at The Audiobookworm. When I saw some of my fellow book bloggers participating in book tours, I wanted to join. I approached several large blog tour companies and was told that there simply wasn't a market for audiobook blog tours. One of the largest companies actually told me that they ran one or two audiobook blog tours per year.
Compare that to Audiobookworm Promotions, where we run an average of three audiobook blog tours per week. Audiobookworm Promotions is the first blog tour company specializing in audiobooks and catering to listeners. Our mailing list of over 400 bloggers was compiled with audiobook promotion in mind. We tour audiobooks in every genre. I'm so proud of what we have achieved in just 4.5 years.
● What makes you prefer audiobooks over print or E-books?
A lot of things, but the first to come to mind is: Multitasking. I'm a busy individual. As ironic as it sounds, promoting audiobooks really cuts into my time for listening to them. Fortunately, the great thing about audiobooks is that they enable a degree of multitasking not available to traditional book readers.
A prime example is listening to audiobooks while driving. This is a hugely popular activity for commuters. I like to listen while I work. Others listen while they work out! The list of listening activities is practically endless.
For so long, audiobooks have been underestimated, not only as a viable method of media consumption, but as an industry. That viewpoint has led to a “younger sibling” perception when compared to traditional books. But I try really hard not to have this ebooks vs. audiobooks mentality. To me, any type of literature consumption is a win! Do what works for you and don't judge someone else for doing what works for them.
● Where do you see the audiobook industry in 1 year? 5 yrs?
○ You know, that's hard to say because I'm terrible at making predictions, but I think it's safe to assume that this industry is going to continue growing and expanding. I think it will become much more mainstream than it already is now.○ Just in the last few years, since I've been working in this industry, I've already seen it evolve so much. I remember when I first started, podcasts were really huge. They were the trendy thing. Everyone was listening to podcasts during their commutes and downtime. I don't think the popularity of podcasts has diminished any, but I've always said that podcasts are the gateway to audiobooks. It seems like now all those folks who were so hooked on podcasts for the last few years are finally making their way into the audiobook community. I think that will continue, because almost everyone who discovers podcasts will eventually make their way to audiobooks at some point, so there will be this steady flow of new people discovering a love for the format. ○ I also think that we'll see more diversification among retailers. When I first started promoting audio books, Audible (Amazon) had almost a total monopoly on audiobook retail. But recently, that has started to shift. They’re still a giant in the industry, of course, but some real competitors have also popped up. For example, my preferred listening service is actually Scribd and I know a lot of people, myself included, who have switched from an Audible membership to a Scribd subscription because of the different subscription model. I think we'll see more retail options and pricing models like that in the years to come.○ And that's just from the consumer perspective. There's also been a shift on the production end with many authors choosing to go with someone like Author’s Direct over ACX (also Amazon owned) to produce and distribute their audiobooks. And I think that's fantastic! Not because I'm anti-Audible or Amazon, but just because I feel that more options benefit consumers and authors.
● What does it look like when you get the chance to relax and listen to an audiobook? It could look like any number of things. ○It could look like me relaxing in bed at night listening to an audio while I fall asleep and then having to frantically back track the next morning to find the exact spot where I fell asleep.○It could also look like me sitting at my desk working on audiobook promotional tasks while listening to an audiobook, like right now!○But more likely, it would look like me sitting outside on my back porch, drinking a cup of coffee, admiring the verdant rural scenery and probably coloring, since that's my favorite thing to do while listening right now (seriously, try it!).
● When you’re not promoting audiobooks, what are you doing? ○Listening to them! No, really. I'm still an avid audiobook listener. It's what got me into this business and four years later, it hasn't changed. The number of books I'm able to hear on an annual basis certainly has, though. But I try not to get too caught up with the number of audiobooks I consume each year. To me, everything is about quality over quantity. ○What has changed, however, is the length of audiobook I listen to now. 20+ hour audios used to intimidate me, but now I crave them. So even though I may only hear three or four audiobooks a month, that usually means they are really long ones, or that I was particularly busy with audio promotion that month, because it definitely cuts into my listening time.
● Give us 5 fun facts about you/Audiobookworm Promotions○ I'm a huge Elvis fan, but I've never been to Graceland. Not yet, anyway, but it's on the bucket list.○ I wrote my Master's thesis on audiobooks! Well, on how listening to something affects the brain versus reading. Essentially, both have their merits, but the best method of comprehension and information retention is reading and listening at the same time, which is why we should all have our subtitles on when we watch television!○ Audiobookworm Promotions is the first blog tour company specializing in audiobooks. We host over 100 audiobook tours each year and currently work with more than 380 bloggers.○ Before going to grad school, I was vice president of a local animal rescue organization and regularly fostered kittens. ○ I'm an amateur genealogist. It's a terribly addicting hobby and one of the only leisure activities I can’t do while listening to an audiobook, because it requires too much concentration.
Wow, THANKS, Jess for sharing your passion for audio books with us today! I know I'm excited and grateful for the audio book fans who've picked up Tempered Hearts, Tempered Dreams and Tempered Fire and I can't wait to get the rest of my titles out in audio. We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with Audio Bookworm Promotions!
Hope you enjoyed the post friends and that you'll check back each week for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.
Don't forget to leave a comment and enter into my monthly drawing for a gift card!
Until next time take care and God bless.
PamT
June 13, 2020
#SaturdaySpotlight is on @BarbaraMBritton & Until June!
Good Morning!
It's been a wonderful few days with near-perfect weather....cooler nights/mornings and warm/hot days. Best of all, no rain and none in the forecast for several days. Perfect camping weather. Couldn't find a spot this weekend but hopefully soon.
Today's guest has been in our spotlight before so please welcome, Barbara Britton back with her newest release, Until June ....
Thanks for having me in the spotlight, Pam.
When seventeen-year-old seamstress, Josephine Nimetz, agrees to take care of a WWI amputee in a remote Alaskan lodge to escape the influenza of 1918, there’s enough friction to melt the Mendenhall Glacier. Her position is only until June, and it pays well enough to overlook the hardship of managing a rustic home and a shell-shocked veteran, Geoff Chambers.
Geoff makes it clear that he isn’t too fond of the “runt” sent to take care of his needs, nor of her painful mistakes. Dealing with a depressed and addicted amputee, pushes Josephine to the brink of leaving, if not for the money her salary brings.
But Josephine is a perfectionist, determined to get Geoff back on his feet—figuratively. Though, sending a rich, handsome veteran back into society may cost Josephine the man she has grown to love.
Excerpt :The wheelchair stood empty next to the bed. Through the bathroom doorway, she saw Geoff propped against the side of the tub, bare-chested, wearing only his underwear.
“Can I come in?” she asked.
His head flopped backward and rested on the tub. “It’s going to be kind of hard for you to assist me from way out there.”
She laughed. She actually laughed. He laughed, too.
Emptying the hot water into the tub, she asked, “How did you get in here?”
“I used my arms. Thank heaven the blast didn’t blow off all my limbs.” He motioned toward some cupboards. “We’re going to need lots of towels.”
Nodding, she asked, “How are we going to do this?”
“You’re going to do as little as possible. I’ll get a hold on the outside of this tub and stand myself up. You will lift my legs over the metal edge and back out again. I don’t need you in between.”
Thank heaven. Josephine ran her fingers through her locks, curling some behind her ears.
“Can you wash your hair?”
He scowled at her. “Of course, I can.”
“You’ll need to soak those bed sores.”
“Yes, doctor.”
Geoff grasped the sides of the tub and lifted his body straight off the floor. “Up and over,” he huffed, arm muscles bulging.
With her back to Geoff’s chest, Josephine wrapped her arms around his legs and hoisted them into the tub. A shallow minefield of divets covered the skin beneath his left stump. Her ring finger sunk into his flesh.
Dropping into the water, Geoff caused a small tidal wave to crest at the rim of the tub. A few drops splashed the side of her dress, hip level. She didn’t mind the dampness. She had to take care of him.
“Anything else?” She laid a washcloth on the rim of the tub.
He shook his head. “Come when I call.”
Josephine jogged upstairs to her bedroom and dead-dropped on to the hospital-white bedspread. She had a double bed all to herself—–no Ann—a window with a view of the inlet, and a brand- new Singer sewing machine, compliments of Mr. Chambers. She unpacked a few clothes before heading downstairs to check on Geoff.
“Are you decent?” She tapped on the bathroom door. Water gurgled down the drain.
“I’m always decent,” he replied. “I’m covered if that’s what you mean.”
Barb got the idea for Until June while visiting the Taku Glacier Lodge on an Alaskan cruise excursion over a decade ago. She heard how a man and a woman resided at the lodge and were cut off from society when the Taku River froze. A man and a woman alone in a lodge….
Until Junecan be purchased on Amazon, B&Nand other book retailers.
Barbara M. Britton lives in Southeast Wisconsin and loves the snow—when it accumulates under three inches. She is published in Biblical fiction and enjoys bringing little-known Bible characters to light in her stories. Look for Barb to venture into Christian Historical fiction with “Until June.” Barb is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Romance Writers of America, and Wisconsin Romance Writers of America. Barb has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate. You can find out about Barb’s books on her Website. She is also active on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.
Congratulations on your new release, Barb! Until June sounds like another winner! We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with it.
Thanks for dropping by to support Barbara, friends. Be sure to leave a comment and enter my monthly gift card giveaway.
Until next time take care and God bless. PamT
It's been a wonderful few days with near-perfect weather....cooler nights/mornings and warm/hot days. Best of all, no rain and none in the forecast for several days. Perfect camping weather. Couldn't find a spot this weekend but hopefully soon.
Today's guest has been in our spotlight before so please welcome, Barbara Britton back with her newest release, Until June ....
Thanks for having me in the spotlight, Pam.
When seventeen-year-old seamstress, Josephine Nimetz, agrees to take care of a WWI amputee in a remote Alaskan lodge to escape the influenza of 1918, there’s enough friction to melt the Mendenhall Glacier. Her position is only until June, and it pays well enough to overlook the hardship of managing a rustic home and a shell-shocked veteran, Geoff Chambers.Geoff makes it clear that he isn’t too fond of the “runt” sent to take care of his needs, nor of her painful mistakes. Dealing with a depressed and addicted amputee, pushes Josephine to the brink of leaving, if not for the money her salary brings.
But Josephine is a perfectionist, determined to get Geoff back on his feet—figuratively. Though, sending a rich, handsome veteran back into society may cost Josephine the man she has grown to love.
Excerpt :The wheelchair stood empty next to the bed. Through the bathroom doorway, she saw Geoff propped against the side of the tub, bare-chested, wearing only his underwear.
“Can I come in?” she asked.
His head flopped backward and rested on the tub. “It’s going to be kind of hard for you to assist me from way out there.”
She laughed. She actually laughed. He laughed, too.
Emptying the hot water into the tub, she asked, “How did you get in here?”
“I used my arms. Thank heaven the blast didn’t blow off all my limbs.” He motioned toward some cupboards. “We’re going to need lots of towels.”
Nodding, she asked, “How are we going to do this?”
“You’re going to do as little as possible. I’ll get a hold on the outside of this tub and stand myself up. You will lift my legs over the metal edge and back out again. I don’t need you in between.”
Thank heaven. Josephine ran her fingers through her locks, curling some behind her ears.
“Can you wash your hair?”
He scowled at her. “Of course, I can.”
“You’ll need to soak those bed sores.”
“Yes, doctor.”
Geoff grasped the sides of the tub and lifted his body straight off the floor. “Up and over,” he huffed, arm muscles bulging.
With her back to Geoff’s chest, Josephine wrapped her arms around his legs and hoisted them into the tub. A shallow minefield of divets covered the skin beneath his left stump. Her ring finger sunk into his flesh.
Dropping into the water, Geoff caused a small tidal wave to crest at the rim of the tub. A few drops splashed the side of her dress, hip level. She didn’t mind the dampness. She had to take care of him.
“Anything else?” She laid a washcloth on the rim of the tub.
He shook his head. “Come when I call.”
Josephine jogged upstairs to her bedroom and dead-dropped on to the hospital-white bedspread. She had a double bed all to herself—–no Ann—a window with a view of the inlet, and a brand- new Singer sewing machine, compliments of Mr. Chambers. She unpacked a few clothes before heading downstairs to check on Geoff.
“Are you decent?” She tapped on the bathroom door. Water gurgled down the drain.
“I’m always decent,” he replied. “I’m covered if that’s what you mean.”
Barb got the idea for Until June while visiting the Taku Glacier Lodge on an Alaskan cruise excursion over a decade ago. She heard how a man and a woman resided at the lodge and were cut off from society when the Taku River froze. A man and a woman alone in a lodge….
Until Junecan be purchased on Amazon, B&Nand other book retailers.
Barbara M. Britton lives in Southeast Wisconsin and loves the snow—when it accumulates under three inches. She is published in Biblical fiction and enjoys bringing little-known Bible characters to light in her stories. Look for Barb to venture into Christian Historical fiction with “Until June.” Barb is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Romance Writers of America, and Wisconsin Romance Writers of America. Barb has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate. You can find out about Barb’s books on her Website. She is also active on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.
Congratulations on your new release, Barb! Until June sounds like another winner! We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with it.
Thanks for dropping by to support Barbara, friends. Be sure to leave a comment and enter my monthly gift card giveaway.
Until next time take care and God bless. PamT
June 9, 2020
#WednesdayWordswithFriends welcomes Shirley Raye Redmond!
Good Morning!
Well we've made it through our first tropical storm of the season here in Louisiana. Although, Cristobal hit east of me, we still go on alert anytime something like this is in the Gulf. I pray all of you, dear friends, in Cristobal's path fare well. I've also noticed by some Facebook posts, our friends in the north are still getting some snow. Wow...send that cooler weather down here please. We need to keep our Gulf waters cool as long as possible!
N. N. Light's Book Heaven is hosting a huge audiobook promotion and giving away 5 gift cards (see sidebar to enter). Other than that, not too much else going on in my world so without much further ado, let me introduce to you my guest, fellow Pelican Book Group author, Shirley Raye Redmond.
Shirley is not brand new to our blog, but it's been quite a while since she was in our spotlight, so please give her a warm SWLA WELCOME!
An award-winning writer, Shirley Raye Redmond is the author of Courageous World Changers: 50 True Stories of Daring Women of God and three inspirational novels, PRUDENCE PURSUED, VIPER’S NEST, and AMANDA’S BEAU.
Her children’s book, LEWIS & CLARK: A PRAIRIE DOG FOR THE PRESIDENT (Random House) was a Children’s Book of the Month Club selection.
Shirley Raye holds an M.A. in literature and has been married to her husband Bill for over forty years. They live in New Mexico and are blessed with two grown children and four precious grandchildren. Touch bases at shirleyrayeredmond.com or Facebook.
Welcome, Shirley! Please share what words are on your heart today.....
Biographies Matter
When I was in 5th grade I read more than 300 library books and wrote a brief paragraph about each one. My teacher, Miss Cornelius and the school librarian were thrilled. At the end of the year awards assembly, they presented me with an embarrassment of prizes—including a lap desk with an assortment of pens, pencils, and writing paper inside. It was my pride and joy for a long time.
Looking back, I realize that many of the books I read that year were biographies. How
I loved learning about Annie Oakley, Dolley Madison, Amelia Earhart and Abigail Adams. Even now I still love reading biographies and memoirs. Why? There are several reasons.
Biographies bring history to life. World War II becomes more than dates and places when one reads about Corrie Ten Boom’s trials and tribulations in a concentration camp. Ecuador becomes vividly real when one reads about Elisabeth Elliot eating roast monkey while evangelizing the savage Waorani tribe. The battle for civil rights takes on flesh when one reads about little Ruby Bridges, who had to be escorted to elementary school by US Marshals.
Biographies make me want to be a better person. Reading about surfer Bethany Hamilton makes me want to be braver. Reading about Florence Nightingale makes me want to be more caring. Reading about Pandita Ramabai—a female Hindu scholar who converted to Christianity—makes me want to be bolder in my faith.
Biographies provide us with valuable life lessons. Young athletes and others cannot help but be encouraged by the life of runner Wilma Rudolph, who overcame crippling polio to go on to win gold medals in the Olympics. The musically inclined will admire Mahalia Jackson, who overcame poverty and prejudice to earn the title of gospel music queen. Although paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair, Joni Eareckson Tada’s experiences teach all of us about faith, prayer, and determination. She didn’t let her disabilities prevent her from achieving a reputation as a gifted mouth artist, talented vocalist, and author.
Christian biographies encourage us to keep running the good race. Living in a culture addicted to mediocrity, we need to be inspired by believers who struggled against sin and adversity to triumph in the end—people who served as salt and light in this troubled world.
Biographies should be a staple in our in our diet—especially in the diet of our children and grandchildren. As author Os Guinness has written, “…great lives do more than teach. They stir, challenge, rebuke, amuse and inspire at levels of which we are hardly aware.”
So when was the last time you read a good biography? Maybe it’s time to do so again. You won’t even have to write a book report.
Shirley's latest book, Courageous World Changers: 50 True Stories of Daring Women of God can be purchased at Amazon, B&N and Christian Book.com
Wow, Shirley, your post reminds me of the Vocational Biographies I wrote early in my career! Great information. Thanks for sharing!
Hope you enjoyed today's post friends and that you'll check back each week for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight. Be sure and leave a comment to enter my monthly gift card giveaway!
Until next time take care and God bless.
PamT
Well we've made it through our first tropical storm of the season here in Louisiana. Although, Cristobal hit east of me, we still go on alert anytime something like this is in the Gulf. I pray all of you, dear friends, in Cristobal's path fare well. I've also noticed by some Facebook posts, our friends in the north are still getting some snow. Wow...send that cooler weather down here please. We need to keep our Gulf waters cool as long as possible!
N. N. Light's Book Heaven is hosting a huge audiobook promotion and giving away 5 gift cards (see sidebar to enter). Other than that, not too much else going on in my world so without much further ado, let me introduce to you my guest, fellow Pelican Book Group author, Shirley Raye Redmond.
Shirley is not brand new to our blog, but it's been quite a while since she was in our spotlight, so please give her a warm SWLA WELCOME!
An award-winning writer, Shirley Raye Redmond is the author of Courageous World Changers: 50 True Stories of Daring Women of God and three inspirational novels, PRUDENCE PURSUED, VIPER’S NEST, and AMANDA’S BEAU.Her children’s book, LEWIS & CLARK: A PRAIRIE DOG FOR THE PRESIDENT (Random House) was a Children’s Book of the Month Club selection.
Shirley Raye holds an M.A. in literature and has been married to her husband Bill for over forty years. They live in New Mexico and are blessed with two grown children and four precious grandchildren. Touch bases at shirleyrayeredmond.com or Facebook.
Welcome, Shirley! Please share what words are on your heart today.....
Biographies Matter
When I was in 5th grade I read more than 300 library books and wrote a brief paragraph about each one. My teacher, Miss Cornelius and the school librarian were thrilled. At the end of the year awards assembly, they presented me with an embarrassment of prizes—including a lap desk with an assortment of pens, pencils, and writing paper inside. It was my pride and joy for a long time.
Looking back, I realize that many of the books I read that year were biographies. How
I loved learning about Annie Oakley, Dolley Madison, Amelia Earhart and Abigail Adams. Even now I still love reading biographies and memoirs. Why? There are several reasons.
Biographies bring history to life. World War II becomes more than dates and places when one reads about Corrie Ten Boom’s trials and tribulations in a concentration camp. Ecuador becomes vividly real when one reads about Elisabeth Elliot eating roast monkey while evangelizing the savage Waorani tribe. The battle for civil rights takes on flesh when one reads about little Ruby Bridges, who had to be escorted to elementary school by US Marshals.
Biographies make me want to be a better person. Reading about surfer Bethany Hamilton makes me want to be braver. Reading about Florence Nightingale makes me want to be more caring. Reading about Pandita Ramabai—a female Hindu scholar who converted to Christianity—makes me want to be bolder in my faith.
Biographies provide us with valuable life lessons. Young athletes and others cannot help but be encouraged by the life of runner Wilma Rudolph, who overcame crippling polio to go on to win gold medals in the Olympics. The musically inclined will admire Mahalia Jackson, who overcame poverty and prejudice to earn the title of gospel music queen. Although paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair, Joni Eareckson Tada’s experiences teach all of us about faith, prayer, and determination. She didn’t let her disabilities prevent her from achieving a reputation as a gifted mouth artist, talented vocalist, and author.
Christian biographies encourage us to keep running the good race. Living in a culture addicted to mediocrity, we need to be inspired by believers who struggled against sin and adversity to triumph in the end—people who served as salt and light in this troubled world.
Biographies should be a staple in our in our diet—especially in the diet of our children and grandchildren. As author Os Guinness has written, “…great lives do more than teach. They stir, challenge, rebuke, amuse and inspire at levels of which we are hardly aware.”So when was the last time you read a good biography? Maybe it’s time to do so again. You won’t even have to write a book report.
Shirley's latest book, Courageous World Changers: 50 True Stories of Daring Women of God can be purchased at Amazon, B&N and Christian Book.com
Wow, Shirley, your post reminds me of the Vocational Biographies I wrote early in my career! Great information. Thanks for sharing!
Hope you enjoyed today's post friends and that you'll check back each week for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight. Be sure and leave a comment to enter my monthly gift card giveaway!
Until next time take care and God bless.
PamT
June 5, 2020
#SaturdaySpotlight is on Delsora Lowe & The Rancher Needs a Wife
Good Morning!
It is always my pleasure to introduce to you a new-to-me author and today is no exception. Delsora Lowe welcomed me to her blog last month with Tempered Fire Audio book so it is with much gratitude and appreciation I return the favor and shine the spotlight on her and her latest release, The Rancher Needs a Wife. Take it away Delsora!
Wanted: A Suitable Wife
Workaholic cowboy needs hardy woman to manage household and motley family.
“Girly” widows, with small children, who sell naughty lingerie need not apply.
Overprotective big brother and ranch owner, Carter Peters, draws the short straw at a contrived family meeting, to buy his stepmom’s sixtieth birthday present. He never imagines while on the present-buying quest he’ll get zapped with cupid’s arrow by a feisty southern belle, single mom, and lingerie shop owner who is so wrong for him and has off-limits written all over her. He has no time for romance—he has a ranch to run and a father who, despite being “retired,” can’t help micro-manage. Dad insists Carter’s new-fangled ways won’t work.
Lynette Mercer wants nothing to do with the tall, sexy, and slightly bashful cowboy who walks through her door. Okay, maybe just a little. They could be friends. After all, she’s vowed not to date until her four-year old reaches the ripe age of thirty-six. She’s recovering from the death of her husband in a marriage that had turned bad and starting a new business.
With new friends and Carter’s family determined to marry them off, neither stand a chance against cupid or a town full of caring folks.
Excerpt: She placed the mug in the dish rack and turned to come face to face with Carter, his coffee cup in one hand and the plate of cookies in the other.
“I better head out. Early morning...” But he didn’t move. His breath tickled the fine hair wisping against her forehead.
A nod was all she was capable of as she stood only inches from his chest.
The seconds stretched before he reached over her shoulder to put down the plate of cookies. The light brush of his hand against her arm sent a flutter straight to her belly.
Oh, lordy.
When he started to reach around her again, to deposit the mug on the counter, she swore the air thinned around them. Lightheaded and dizzy, she reeled from a faint aroma of pine mixed with the heady scent of leather and man. The mug thunked against the counter behind her and she waited for Carter to back up.
He didn’t.
The heat of his body, the caress of his breath...
When she looked up, he was staring at her. At her mouth. The tick, tick, tick of the muscle along his jawline the only movement on his face. His lips set straight like he fought the urge to kiss her.
Oh lordy, yes. No. What am I thinking?
Before she could figure out a way to wiggle away from the counter without rubbing up against him—all of him—he swooped in like a sharp-shinned hawk on its prey.
~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~
Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.
Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine.
Connect with Delsora at the following locations....
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Author FaceBook page: fb.me/delsoraloweauthor
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Get your copy of The Rancher Needs a Wife at Amazon and Other Online Retailers.
WOW, Delsora you've got me hooked with that blurb and excerpt LOL! We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with your new release and other books.
Hope you enjoyed the post friends and that you'll check back weekly for Wednesday Words with Friends and another Saturday Spotlight.
Until next time, take care and God Bless. PamT
It is always my pleasure to introduce to you a new-to-me author and today is no exception. Delsora Lowe welcomed me to her blog last month with Tempered Fire Audio book so it is with much gratitude and appreciation I return the favor and shine the spotlight on her and her latest release, The Rancher Needs a Wife. Take it away Delsora!
Wanted: A Suitable WifeWorkaholic cowboy needs hardy woman to manage household and motley family.
“Girly” widows, with small children, who sell naughty lingerie need not apply.
Overprotective big brother and ranch owner, Carter Peters, draws the short straw at a contrived family meeting, to buy his stepmom’s sixtieth birthday present. He never imagines while on the present-buying quest he’ll get zapped with cupid’s arrow by a feisty southern belle, single mom, and lingerie shop owner who is so wrong for him and has off-limits written all over her. He has no time for romance—he has a ranch to run and a father who, despite being “retired,” can’t help micro-manage. Dad insists Carter’s new-fangled ways won’t work.
Lynette Mercer wants nothing to do with the tall, sexy, and slightly bashful cowboy who walks through her door. Okay, maybe just a little. They could be friends. After all, she’s vowed not to date until her four-year old reaches the ripe age of thirty-six. She’s recovering from the death of her husband in a marriage that had turned bad and starting a new business.
With new friends and Carter’s family determined to marry them off, neither stand a chance against cupid or a town full of caring folks.
Excerpt: She placed the mug in the dish rack and turned to come face to face with Carter, his coffee cup in one hand and the plate of cookies in the other.
“I better head out. Early morning...” But he didn’t move. His breath tickled the fine hair wisping against her forehead.
A nod was all she was capable of as she stood only inches from his chest.
The seconds stretched before he reached over her shoulder to put down the plate of cookies. The light brush of his hand against her arm sent a flutter straight to her belly.
Oh, lordy.
When he started to reach around her again, to deposit the mug on the counter, she swore the air thinned around them. Lightheaded and dizzy, she reeled from a faint aroma of pine mixed with the heady scent of leather and man. The mug thunked against the counter behind her and she waited for Carter to back up.
He didn’t.
The heat of his body, the caress of his breath...
When she looked up, he was staring at her. At her mouth. The tick, tick, tick of the muscle along his jawline the only movement on his face. His lips set straight like he fought the urge to kiss her.
Oh lordy, yes. No. What am I thinking?
Before she could figure out a way to wiggle away from the counter without rubbing up against him—all of him—he swooped in like a sharp-shinned hawk on its prey.
~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.
Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine.
Connect with Delsora at the following locations....
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Author FaceBook page: fb.me/delsoraloweauthor
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Get your copy of The Rancher Needs a Wife at Amazon and Other Online Retailers.
WOW, Delsora you've got me hooked with that blurb and excerpt LOL! We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with your new release and other books.
Hope you enjoyed the post friends and that you'll check back weekly for Wednesday Words with Friends and another Saturday Spotlight.
Until next time, take care and God Bless. PamT
June 2, 2020
#WednesdayWordswithFriends welcomes Jess Lederman & Hearts Set Free Audio Book Tour!
Good Morning and Welcome to the first Wednesday Words with Friends post of June 2020!
I hope and pray all is well with you and yours and that you've not only withstood Covid-19 and the civil unrest in our country, but flourished. The anger, violence and destruction we've witnessed the last couple of weeks makes my heart sick and I pray for God's healing throughout our land.
And that's ALL I'm going to say about that!
Before we introduce our guest today, I'd like to announce the winner of May's gift card.....
Mary Preston!
Congratulations Mary, and Thank You ALL for continuing to support my guests by visiting and commenting on their posts.
Now without further ado, please welcome today's guest brought to us by Audio Bookworm Promotions.....
Author: Jess LedermanNarrator: Alison MaglaughlinLength: 12 hours and 24 minutesReleased: January 06, 2020Publisher: Jess LedermanGenre: Literary Fiction; Christian
Wow, Jess, your book sounds fascinating! We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with it.
Hope you enjoyed today's post friends and that you'll check back weekly for Wednesday Words with Fiends and Saturday Spotlight.
Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT
I hope and pray all is well with you and yours and that you've not only withstood Covid-19 and the civil unrest in our country, but flourished. The anger, violence and destruction we've witnessed the last couple of weeks makes my heart sick and I pray for God's healing throughout our land.
And that's ALL I'm going to say about that!
Before we introduce our guest today, I'd like to announce the winner of May's gift card.....
Mary Preston!
Congratulations Mary, and Thank You ALL for continuing to support my guests by visiting and commenting on their posts.
Now without further ado, please welcome today's guest brought to us by Audio Bookworm Promotions.....
Author: Jess LedermanNarrator: Alison MaglaughlinLength: 12 hours and 24 minutesReleased: January 06, 2020Publisher: Jess LedermanGenre: Literary Fiction; Christian
"Readers of inspirational fiction will love this moving story that affirms the power of God's mercy." (Publisher's Weekly) The Alaska Territory, 1925: Thirteen-year-old Luke couldn’t be prouder of his father, whose heroic efforts have just saved thousands of lives. but his world turns upside down when dad abandons his family for a beautiful reporter from New York. Luke's mother, Yura, vows to win back her husband and kill the woman who stole his heart, and she and Luke embark on an epic cross-country quest that will lead them to the Nevada desert, and to truths - and terrors - of which they'd never dreamed. Reno, Nevada, 1930: Boxer David Gold, a Bible-school dropout who fights as the Pummelin' Preacher, is nearing the end of his career and feeling hopelessly far from God. Then one day, a former call girl who hails from a railway stop called Las Vegas shows up at his door. She's part of a rag-tag congregation whose pastor has been murdered; the killer is still at large, they haven't a cent to pay David, but they need a fighting man to shepherd the tiny Church of the Heart Set Free. Her proposal seems sheer madness - after all, he's not really a preacher, how can he possibly do these people any good? But the Spirit is at work; it's already brought a mother and son from Alaska into his life, and now it's telling him to say yes.... Las Vegas, 2011: Science Cable T.V. big-wig Tim Faber is an arrogant narcissist determined to prove that mankind has no need of God, while his producer, Joan Reed, is trying to regain the faith of her youth. They've come to Vegas to meet with 99-year-old Luke and David Gold’s grandson, Daniel, two men who hold the key to a mystery they must solve - and answers that will forever change their lives. "Bold and forthright writing that would set any heart on fire." (Christian blogger Miranda A. Uyeh)
After I graduated with a degree in music from Columbia University, a lust for expensive pianos drew me into an unexpected career in finance. It turned out that I had a knack for business; I gained much that the world had to offer and became a hedonist, a gambler who haunted the poker rooms of Las Vegas, and an arrogant atheist. I’ve written fiction for most of my life, and at one point I quit work to devote myself to writing a novel. During that time, my late first wife, Teri, and I lived in Paris, down the street from where Hemingway once lived, and later in the mountains of Idaho. But the novel was never published, for my soul had not yet awakened, and I did not yet have anything important to say. So I went back to the business world. One day, when we were living in Dallas, Teri heard a radio interview with Francis Collins, an eminent scientist who wrote The Language of God, which tells the story of his journey from atheism to becoming a disciple of Christ. Collins’ book led us to the writings of C.S. Lewis and George MacDonald*, who became the midwives of our rebirth from above. There’s no hiding from the Hound of Heaven, once He’s on your trail! Several years later, Teri was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and we left Dallas and the business world behind and moved to a small town in Alaska. There we looked out on the glory of God’s creation and read to our heart’s content during the last two years of her life. Faced with tragedy, we learned to trust utterly in Him, and He blessed us with the peace that surpasses all understanding. It was after Teri’s death, while I was still living in the far north, that the idea for Hearts Set Free—which opens in the Alaska Territory in 1925—was born. People who know that the novel contains autobiographical elements (and several historical characters) sometimes ask me, “How much of the story is true?’ And I answer, “Perhaps twenty percent—and the rest is even more true!” What drives my writing is the desire to convey truths that transform lives. Truths of the heart. In 2013, I met a wonderful woman—my current wife, Ling—and soon we began talking about having children. “Impossible!” said our doctors. “According to your test results, there’s no chance at all, even using the latest techniques.” Of course, within two months of that pronouncement, Ling was pregnant with little David, who just turned three, and we subsequently adopted Daniel, who’s now twelve. After David’s birth, we moved to southwest Washington. I’m currently at work on a novel set in Las Vegas in 1955, and, when I’m not writing or chasing my sons around, can usually be found at the piano playing Chopin nocturnes for Ling. Website⎮Facebook
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Alison Maglaughlin is a narrator, blogger, artist, lover and learner of languages from rural USA. Her hobbies include skateboarding, traveling, collecting trinkets and calling home. She lives in Amsterdam with her sister and travel companion, Maciah. The two of them are having a silly goose time in a hostel somewhere. Facebook
Q&A with Author Jess LedermanHow closely did you work with your narrator before and during the recording process? Did you give them any pronunciation tips or special insight into the characters? I worked very closely with my narrator, Ali Maglaughlin. I knew Hearts Set Free would be a challenging book to narrate, because it’s got a long cast of characters, and many of them talk with distinctive accents. For example, among the real-world characters, heavyweight champ Jack Johnson was a black man from Galveston, Texas; physicist Georges Lemaitre, Belgian; Albert Einstein, German; while Bugsy Siegel grew up in New York. Then there are fictional characters who speak with Cajun and Southern accents. And two of the primary characters are native Alaskans, so I had to research the pronunciation of some Inuit words as well. Any given narrator is going to have a greater or lesser natural affinity with certain characters. So of course there were times when I would ask Ali to take a different approach with certain lines. And in other cases I was very pleased when she voiced a character in a way I hadn’t anticipated but which worked very well. Were there any real life inspirations behind your writing? People who know that Hearts Set Free has such elements, and that it also features a number of historical characters, sometimes ask me, "How much of the story is true?" I answer, about twenty percent--and the rest is even more true. I like to write about truths that change people's lives, truths of the heart. I put aspects of myself into several of the characters; for example, I was an arrogant atheist for much of my life, before coming to Christ, much like the character of TV producer Tim Faber. Much of the novel takes place in Las Vegas--half back when it was only a small town, and the Hoover Dam was just being built, and half the way it is today--and back in my pagan days, I haunted the poker tables of the Vegas casinos, so I know it well.Also, there are several historical characters who play an important role in Hearts Set Free. One of the most important is Jack Johnson, the first black, heavyweight champion of the world. He was a fascinating figure, a self-educated man, a fighter familiar with Shakespeare and who could perform Bach on his bass viol. He was an arrogant narcissist--that was his fatal flaw--but at the same time had a big heart. Needless to say, he was much maligned by the racist culture which prevailed in the U.S. during his lifetime. Georges Lemaitre is one of my favorite characters, and one of my personal heroes. He was one of the greatest scientists of all time, yet most people have never heard of him! Lemaitre was a Belgian who became both a physicist and a Roman Catholic priest. As a young man, fresh off the battlefields of WWI, he challenged Einstein's view of the universe, and though at first Einstein called his ideas nonsense, within ten years he acknowledged that the young priest had been right! Other historical characters include Amelia Earhart and gangster Bugsy Siegel. How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for writing?When I take breaks from writing, it’s usually to chase after my four-year-old son or play the piano. I’m especially a fan of Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms, and the Blues. And for me, music is often an inspiration for my writing. Sometimes I’ll hear a melody or harmony and think, yes, that is just what I want to express, if only I can find the right words!If you had the power to time travel, would you use it? If yes, when and where would you go? Sure, who wouldn’t! Assuming I could first master first-century Aramaic, I’d go back to ancient Israel around 30 AD and hang out with Jesus and the disciples. What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?To say that listening to an audiobook, as opposed to reading, is “cheating,” is just silly. For the first few millennia after people first began to compose stories--often in the form of epic odes--most people could not read at all. For most of human history, stories were spoken aloud and listened to. In fact, to truly be appreciated, a well-written novel should be read aloud, just as all poetry ought to be read aloud. It’s not all that different from music, really; sure, a gifted musician can look at a score and imagine the music in his or her head, but that’s not the same from hearing it performed. What bits of advice would you give to aspiring authors?First and most important: write, write, write. Get lots of words on paper. Then, don’t fall in love with what you’ve written, no matter the blood, sweat, and tears; rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. Join a critique group. Go to writing conferences and network with as many people as possible. That’s not only for getting advice and making contacts with agents and publishers; writing can be a long, lonely journey. Become integrated into the writing community. Do you have any tips for authors going through the process of turning their books into audiobooks?Take the time to make sure you are as sympatico as possible with your narrator and that he or she will be comfortable with multiple “takes” until you’re completely satisfied. That might sound obvious, but it can be a long and sometimes painful process, so you need a tight working relationship. Make sure you’re allocating the necessary time to listen and critique each chapter as it’s recorded. What’s next for you?I’m eager to get my next novel published. The working title is Fire. Like Hearts Set Free, it’s set in Las Vegas, but in 1955, a time when the Mob ran the casinos and above-ground nuclear bomb tests not far from the city were a tourist attraction. Who is the author you most admire in your genre?Among writers of what I would call Christian literary fiction, George MacDonald would be at the top of the list. He was a Victorian-era minister, novelist, and poet and the great inspiration to C.S. Lewis, who referred to him as his “master.” MacDonald was also a great influence on G.K. Chesterton, Madeleine L’Engle, and countless others. Reading his novels is one of the best ways of discovering what it means to follow Christ. What is the best thing writing makes you feel?I love my own sense of emotional connection with my characters and what they are going through. There have been quite a few times when I find myself laughing or crying at my writing desk! And of course there’s a wonderful feeling of accomplishment when I feel I’ve expressed something in just the right way. But perhaps the very best feeling is when a reader—someone I don’t know, who just happened to buy my book—provides feedback, and lets me know that they, too, were moved by the same things that moved me. That sense of connection—and most especially of inspiring people in their faith—is just wonderful! What inspired the story?When my late first wife was diagnosed with ALS, we moved from Dallas to a small town in Alaska so that we could spend her remaining time in peace, looking out at the beauty of God’s creation. She was the inspiration for one of the main characters in the book. We were living not far from the headquarters of the Iditarod, the iconic thousand-mile dog sled race that takes place each year. The Iditarod was inspired by an amazing race against time which occurred in the frozen darkness of an Alaskan winter in 1925, when dogsled was the only way to get diphtheria serum to remote town of Nome, to save ten thousand lives. The novel begins with that dramatic event. One of the other main characters—David Gold, a Bible-school dropout turned boxer who is led by the Lord to become a heroic pastor—was inspired by the studies that two pastors in Alaska encouraged me to undertake to better understand the Pauline epistles. Paul became one of my all-time heroes, and at one point I toyed with the idea of writing a novel about him. That eventually led to Hearts Set Free.VIEW THE FULL SCHEDULE HERE!
Wow, Jess, your book sounds fascinating! We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with it.
Hope you enjoyed today's post friends and that you'll check back weekly for Wednesday Words with Fiends and Saturday Spotlight.
Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT
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May 29, 2020
#SaturdaySpotlight is on T.I. Lowe & Beach Haven!
Good Morning!
Welcome to the last Saturday Spotlight in May 2020. Today's guest visited with us last month and shared insight into the writing of her book. Today we get a sneak peek into the story itself....
Free-spirited Opal Gilbert seems to have everything she needs to keep living a happy life in Sunset Cove as she refurbishes vintage furniture to sell at her funky ocean-side boutique, Bless This Mess. Until Lincoln Cole, a new-to-town ex-Marine nursing deep wounds and harboring hurts he can’t seem to shake, wanders into her shop. Opal knows a person in need when she sees one and offers Lincoln a job in her workshop. But the brooding former soldier has no interest in Opal’s offer. Thanks but no thanks.
But then a hurricane strikes, damaging Bless This Mess. Feeling guilty for how he treated Opal, Lincoln decides to help her repair the store. And soon it becomes clear Opal wants to restore not only her business, but also help Lincoln find restoration. As much as Lincoln tries to keep her at arm’s length, Opal’s well-meaning meddling begins to heal his wounds . . . and capture his heart almost before he realizes it.
Weaving through a jungle of the most outlandish antiques he’d ever come across, Lincoln Cole was dumbfounded and intrigued all at once. Surrounded by unusually dressed pieces of furniture, he did a three-sixty and scratched at the scruff on his cheek. The scruff indicated he was more than a few days past needing a shave, but the rebellion that had taken root in him since the injury he sustained in Syria had overruled grooming protocol that morning. Waking up from the recurring nightmare often left him too raw to focus on such mundane things. At least he had managed a shower and a fresh change of clothes.
Whimsical feminine humming somehow found its way to him as he suppressed the limp wanting to reside in his left leg while hobbling another few steps forward. Although it was a sunny day in late September, his leg was telling him the pleasant weather wouldn’t last for very long.
Nothing good ever lasts long . . .
Lincoln huffed in frustration over his own thoughts and stood semi-hidden in a section of old desks. He cast his gaze upward and blinked a few times. Various tables and chairs were suspended from the ceiling. A few had been converted into light fixtures, while the rest of them looked like they were being held hostage by thick cables.
“Good morning,” a cheery voice came from behind him. “Welcome to Bless This Mess.”
Keeping his focus on the ceiling, Lincoln spoke the first thing to flicker through his mind. “Is that even safe?” He pointed to the pieces of furniture that appeared to be floating above their heads.
“Oh yes. Code inspectors have deemed my mess safe.”
The woman’s teasing voice finally had Lincoln turning in her direction. Peering at him from the other side of a wooden hutch that had been transformed into a bath vanity was a sprite of a woman with the wildest head of golden-red curls he’d ever seen. The tips were lighter as if the sun had reached down and stolen the color. She closely resembled the mosaic fairy he’d seen on the outside of the building.
Clearing his throat, he offered a curt “Good.”
A smile began to blossom across the lively woman’s face as she smoothed some kind of flowy blouse with her petite hand, causing a gaudy collection of bracelets to clang against one another.
Lincoln assessed her as he’d been trained to do in the military. He measured her no bigger than a minute and figured he could apprehend her with one hand tied behind his back, but he considered those big green eyes of hers and cataloged them as her secret weapon. They sparkled, but that wasn’t what set off the warning bells. No, those eyes were watching him way too closely and had already seen way more than they should. Assessment complete, he began to slowly back away.
“I have the perfect piece for you.” She held an index finger in the air, halting his attempted retreat. She skipped off in the opposite direction, sending the spirals of soft red-and-blonde hair into a dance. “I’m Opal, by the way,” she said quickly over her shoulder.
She disappeared from sight, but he could hear the banging and clattering from his two o’clock, giving away her location. “I didn’t come here for furniture.”
“Oh, that’s okay. This piece was meant for you, nonetheless, so I insist on you taking it.” Her grunts came from the back and sounded like she was struggling with something.
Sighing, Lincoln looked heavenward at the craziness on the ceiling one last time before walking through the maze to find her. He stopped cold in his tracks when he found her sitting on a soldier’s footlocker.
“I found this on a junking trip last year.” Opal smoothed her tiny hand over the thick gray cushion that had been fitted on the top. It reminded Lincoln of a military-issue wool coat. “For some reason, I just knew it needed to be transformed into a bench seat. Possibly for an entry piece where someone can sit and remove or put on their shoes. Or maybe at the foot of a bed.” She swung her feet back and forth, looking like a little kid. Flip-flops peeked from the edges of her fraying bell-bottom jeans each time her legs swayed forward.
Not letting himself get caught in the confusing inquiry of where she found such an odd pair of jeans, Lincoln crossed his arms and regarded the piece suspiciously. “Why’d you make it so tall?” His eyes dropped to the thick wooden spindles she’d used for the legs. They were painted a neutral gray to coordinate with the creamy beige used on the trunk. It was obvious she’d put a lot of thought into the piece, even re-stenciling the ID number along the front side in the same gray as the legs.
“I had a feeling the owner would need the extra leg space. What are you, six-four?” She gave him a swift once-over.
Six-five. “Close enough.”
She smirked like she had a secret. “If you’re not here for furniture, then what are you here for?”
Lincoln moved his eyes away from the peculiar woman and swept them over the menagerie of furniture pieces while rubbing a hand through his long brown hair. Haircuts were another ritual he’d allowed to die several months ago, right along with his military career.
After giving her question some thought, Lincoln answered honestly, “I’m not sure.” He turned and began moving through the rows as quick as his achy leg would carry him.
“You forgot your bench!” Opal called from behind him. “And you didn’t even introduce yourself!”
Her petitions did nothing to slow his already-sluggish getaway. He didn’t stop until he was piled back into his Jeep and heading down the beachfront road.
“Smooth, Cole. Real smooth.” He groaned and released one tight-fisted pound against the steering wheel. Between the throb in his knee and the unsettling encounter with the store’s owner, all he wanted to do was go back to his beach cottage and hide from the feeling that he didn’t fit anywhere anymore. The doctors had done the best they could with his knee, putting enough hardware in his leg for him to be considered part cyborg, but no bolt or pin could put his destroyed life back together.
Tonya “T. I.” Lowe is a native of coastal South Carolina. She attended Coastal Carolina University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where she majored in psychology but excelled in creative writing. In 2014, Tonya independently published her first novel, Lulu’s Café, which quickly became a bestseller. Now the author of twelve published novels with hundreds of thousands of copies sold, she knows she’s just getting started and has many more stories to tell. She resides near Myrtle Beach with her family. Connect with her on her Author Page, T.I. Lowe’s Website Instagram Twitter (@TiLowe) and Facebook Get a copy of
Beach Haven
at Tyndale, Amazon OR wherever books are sold.
WONDERFUL excerpt Tonya! Thank you for sharing. Good luck and God's blessings with your new series.
Remember friends, today is the last day to enter my monthly gift card giveaway so leave a comment.
Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT
Welcome to the last Saturday Spotlight in May 2020. Today's guest visited with us last month and shared insight into the writing of her book. Today we get a sneak peek into the story itself....
Free-spirited Opal Gilbert seems to have everything she needs to keep living a happy life in Sunset Cove as she refurbishes vintage furniture to sell at her funky ocean-side boutique, Bless This Mess. Until Lincoln Cole, a new-to-town ex-Marine nursing deep wounds and harboring hurts he can’t seem to shake, wanders into her shop. Opal knows a person in need when she sees one and offers Lincoln a job in her workshop. But the brooding former soldier has no interest in Opal’s offer. Thanks but no thanks.But then a hurricane strikes, damaging Bless This Mess. Feeling guilty for how he treated Opal, Lincoln decides to help her repair the store. And soon it becomes clear Opal wants to restore not only her business, but also help Lincoln find restoration. As much as Lincoln tries to keep her at arm’s length, Opal’s well-meaning meddling begins to heal his wounds . . . and capture his heart almost before he realizes it.
Weaving through a jungle of the most outlandish antiques he’d ever come across, Lincoln Cole was dumbfounded and intrigued all at once. Surrounded by unusually dressed pieces of furniture, he did a three-sixty and scratched at the scruff on his cheek. The scruff indicated he was more than a few days past needing a shave, but the rebellion that had taken root in him since the injury he sustained in Syria had overruled grooming protocol that morning. Waking up from the recurring nightmare often left him too raw to focus on such mundane things. At least he had managed a shower and a fresh change of clothes.
Whimsical feminine humming somehow found its way to him as he suppressed the limp wanting to reside in his left leg while hobbling another few steps forward. Although it was a sunny day in late September, his leg was telling him the pleasant weather wouldn’t last for very long.
Nothing good ever lasts long . . .
Lincoln huffed in frustration over his own thoughts and stood semi-hidden in a section of old desks. He cast his gaze upward and blinked a few times. Various tables and chairs were suspended from the ceiling. A few had been converted into light fixtures, while the rest of them looked like they were being held hostage by thick cables.
“Good morning,” a cheery voice came from behind him. “Welcome to Bless This Mess.”
Keeping his focus on the ceiling, Lincoln spoke the first thing to flicker through his mind. “Is that even safe?” He pointed to the pieces of furniture that appeared to be floating above their heads.
“Oh yes. Code inspectors have deemed my mess safe.”
The woman’s teasing voice finally had Lincoln turning in her direction. Peering at him from the other side of a wooden hutch that had been transformed into a bath vanity was a sprite of a woman with the wildest head of golden-red curls he’d ever seen. The tips were lighter as if the sun had reached down and stolen the color. She closely resembled the mosaic fairy he’d seen on the outside of the building.
Clearing his throat, he offered a curt “Good.”
A smile began to blossom across the lively woman’s face as she smoothed some kind of flowy blouse with her petite hand, causing a gaudy collection of bracelets to clang against one another.
Lincoln assessed her as he’d been trained to do in the military. He measured her no bigger than a minute and figured he could apprehend her with one hand tied behind his back, but he considered those big green eyes of hers and cataloged them as her secret weapon. They sparkled, but that wasn’t what set off the warning bells. No, those eyes were watching him way too closely and had already seen way more than they should. Assessment complete, he began to slowly back away.
“I have the perfect piece for you.” She held an index finger in the air, halting his attempted retreat. She skipped off in the opposite direction, sending the spirals of soft red-and-blonde hair into a dance. “I’m Opal, by the way,” she said quickly over her shoulder.
She disappeared from sight, but he could hear the banging and clattering from his two o’clock, giving away her location. “I didn’t come here for furniture.”
“Oh, that’s okay. This piece was meant for you, nonetheless, so I insist on you taking it.” Her grunts came from the back and sounded like she was struggling with something.
Sighing, Lincoln looked heavenward at the craziness on the ceiling one last time before walking through the maze to find her. He stopped cold in his tracks when he found her sitting on a soldier’s footlocker.
“I found this on a junking trip last year.” Opal smoothed her tiny hand over the thick gray cushion that had been fitted on the top. It reminded Lincoln of a military-issue wool coat. “For some reason, I just knew it needed to be transformed into a bench seat. Possibly for an entry piece where someone can sit and remove or put on their shoes. Or maybe at the foot of a bed.” She swung her feet back and forth, looking like a little kid. Flip-flops peeked from the edges of her fraying bell-bottom jeans each time her legs swayed forward.
Not letting himself get caught in the confusing inquiry of where she found such an odd pair of jeans, Lincoln crossed his arms and regarded the piece suspiciously. “Why’d you make it so tall?” His eyes dropped to the thick wooden spindles she’d used for the legs. They were painted a neutral gray to coordinate with the creamy beige used on the trunk. It was obvious she’d put a lot of thought into the piece, even re-stenciling the ID number along the front side in the same gray as the legs.
“I had a feeling the owner would need the extra leg space. What are you, six-four?” She gave him a swift once-over.
Six-five. “Close enough.”
She smirked like she had a secret. “If you’re not here for furniture, then what are you here for?”
Lincoln moved his eyes away from the peculiar woman and swept them over the menagerie of furniture pieces while rubbing a hand through his long brown hair. Haircuts were another ritual he’d allowed to die several months ago, right along with his military career.
After giving her question some thought, Lincoln answered honestly, “I’m not sure.” He turned and began moving through the rows as quick as his achy leg would carry him.
“You forgot your bench!” Opal called from behind him. “And you didn’t even introduce yourself!”
Her petitions did nothing to slow his already-sluggish getaway. He didn’t stop until he was piled back into his Jeep and heading down the beachfront road.
“Smooth, Cole. Real smooth.” He groaned and released one tight-fisted pound against the steering wheel. Between the throb in his knee and the unsettling encounter with the store’s owner, all he wanted to do was go back to his beach cottage and hide from the feeling that he didn’t fit anywhere anymore. The doctors had done the best they could with his knee, putting enough hardware in his leg for him to be considered part cyborg, but no bolt or pin could put his destroyed life back together.
Tonya “T. I.” Lowe is a native of coastal South Carolina. She attended Coastal Carolina University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where she majored in psychology but excelled in creative writing. In 2014, Tonya independently published her first novel, Lulu’s Café, which quickly became a bestseller. Now the author of twelve published novels with hundreds of thousands of copies sold, she knows she’s just getting started and has many more stories to tell. She resides near Myrtle Beach with her family. Connect with her on her Author Page, T.I. Lowe’s Website Instagram Twitter (@TiLowe) and Facebook Get a copy of
Beach Haven
at Tyndale, Amazon OR wherever books are sold.WONDERFUL excerpt Tonya! Thank you for sharing. Good luck and God's blessings with your new series.
Remember friends, today is the last day to enter my monthly gift card giveaway so leave a comment.
Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT
May 26, 2020
#WednesdayWordswithFriends welcomes Idabelle Aylor!
Good Morning Friends!
Well, we've made it to the last week of May. Many states are beginning to open up for business - though I'd venture to say "as usual" is not the case and won't be for quite sometime, if ever. We've heard of several local businesses who are permanently closed due to the financial strain this virus has had on the economy. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who is personally affected in any way by Covid-19!
Enough about that though. Idabelle Aylor is brand new to our blog so please show her a huge, warm WELCOME and let's see what she has to say today.....
Image by JulieAnne van der Lek @ PixabayWhen I opened my personal Facebook account the other day it showed me a memory from six years ago. I don’t usually re-post those but this one, this one was special, so I had to save it. Just to get the ball rolling, have any of you ever had an attack rooster? Yep, that’s right, an attack rooster. Apparently, it’s not as uncommon as I first thought. But, for my family, it was a brand-new experience.
Let me start off by saying that this Rhode Island Red rooster was hand fed strawberries, apples, and whatever other fruit happened to be handy, from the time it was a chick until it was given to us by an acquaintance. OK, in our defense, we did hand feed him fruit from time to time but we needed him to be our hens’ rooster, their guardian, their protector! He had it made at our place, free range of all the acreage, hens, endless bugs, and that wasn’t even the least of it.
So, we get him home and we’re all excited for our new addition to the family. Everything was great...until...it wasn’t anymore. No one is quite sure what went wrong in his little head, except maybe...puberty? Our son said maybe the rooster, Red was his name, was angry with us for not hand feeding him like he was accustomed to. Mmm, maybe. But, whatever it was that triggered him, it set him off good.
It started one day when I went out for a run. It was a nice morning and felt good to be out. I walked down our driveway toward the road and, before putting on my headphones, I heard quickly approaching footsteps from behind. Turning to see what was behind me, I saw Red, running full force on his little chicken legs, toward me. I thought he was coming to say ‘hi’ so I talked real nice to him. I quickly realized the error in my assumption as he flew at me, spurs readied. He got me really good a couple times before I picked up a stick and swung it at him. He left me alone then but wasn’t done terrorizing the family.
After a few weeks, when everyone had had a run in with the rooster, and the kids had learned to listen and beware, you could walk outside and see the sides of the driveway were littered with sticks, waiting to be used as protection against the rogue Rhode Island Red rooster named Red.
Of course, we all laugh at the memories of it now, but at the time, it was almost scary to hear those fast little chicken feet coming up behind you in such a frenzy.
Idabelle Aylor is a small-town girl who has done big town things during her life. Since she was a girl, people watching and family stories have gotten her creative juices flowing like mad, and because of that she’s had stories brewing in her head, fighting to get out and down on paper, since she can remember. When she isn’t curled up on the couch, or porch swing, or in her little trailer named ‘Story’ writing her next greatest work of art, she’s hanging with her best friend/husband and her crazy kiddos.
Find her books by visiting her Amazon Author Page.
Wow...I know what you mean about being chased/attacked by a rooster, Idabelle! I remember the fear and pain myself.
Thanks for sharing your story with us. We wish you the BEST of luck and God's blessings with your writing.
Hope you enjoyed today's post friends. Don't forget to leave a comment - I'll be drawing for my monthly gift card giveaway next week!
Until next time take care and God bless. PamT
Well, we've made it to the last week of May. Many states are beginning to open up for business - though I'd venture to say "as usual" is not the case and won't be for quite sometime, if ever. We've heard of several local businesses who are permanently closed due to the financial strain this virus has had on the economy. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who is personally affected in any way by Covid-19!
Enough about that though. Idabelle Aylor is brand new to our blog so please show her a huge, warm WELCOME and let's see what she has to say today.....
Image by JulieAnne van der Lek @ PixabayWhen I opened my personal Facebook account the other day it showed me a memory from six years ago. I don’t usually re-post those but this one, this one was special, so I had to save it. Just to get the ball rolling, have any of you ever had an attack rooster? Yep, that’s right, an attack rooster. Apparently, it’s not as uncommon as I first thought. But, for my family, it was a brand-new experience.Let me start off by saying that this Rhode Island Red rooster was hand fed strawberries, apples, and whatever other fruit happened to be handy, from the time it was a chick until it was given to us by an acquaintance. OK, in our defense, we did hand feed him fruit from time to time but we needed him to be our hens’ rooster, their guardian, their protector! He had it made at our place, free range of all the acreage, hens, endless bugs, and that wasn’t even the least of it.
So, we get him home and we’re all excited for our new addition to the family. Everything was great...until...it wasn’t anymore. No one is quite sure what went wrong in his little head, except maybe...puberty? Our son said maybe the rooster, Red was his name, was angry with us for not hand feeding him like he was accustomed to. Mmm, maybe. But, whatever it was that triggered him, it set him off good.
It started one day when I went out for a run. It was a nice morning and felt good to be out. I walked down our driveway toward the road and, before putting on my headphones, I heard quickly approaching footsteps from behind. Turning to see what was behind me, I saw Red, running full force on his little chicken legs, toward me. I thought he was coming to say ‘hi’ so I talked real nice to him. I quickly realized the error in my assumption as he flew at me, spurs readied. He got me really good a couple times before I picked up a stick and swung it at him. He left me alone then but wasn’t done terrorizing the family.
After a few weeks, when everyone had had a run in with the rooster, and the kids had learned to listen and beware, you could walk outside and see the sides of the driveway were littered with sticks, waiting to be used as protection against the rogue Rhode Island Red rooster named Red.
Of course, we all laugh at the memories of it now, but at the time, it was almost scary to hear those fast little chicken feet coming up behind you in such a frenzy.
Idabelle Aylor is a small-town girl who has done big town things during her life. Since she was a girl, people watching and family stories have gotten her creative juices flowing like mad, and because of that she’s had stories brewing in her head, fighting to get out and down on paper, since she can remember. When she isn’t curled up on the couch, or porch swing, or in her little trailer named ‘Story’ writing her next greatest work of art, she’s hanging with her best friend/husband and her crazy kiddos.
Find her books by visiting her Amazon Author Page.
Wow...I know what you mean about being chased/attacked by a rooster, Idabelle! I remember the fear and pain myself.
Thanks for sharing your story with us. We wish you the BEST of luck and God's blessings with your writing.
Hope you enjoyed today's post friends. Don't forget to leave a comment - I'll be drawing for my monthly gift card giveaway next week!
Until next time take care and God bless. PamT
May 23, 2020
#SaturdaySpotlight is on D. V. Stone & Rock House Grill!
Good Morning from North Toledo Bend State Park!
Yep, while you're reading this I'm probably out fishing LOL. I'm not going to get all cocky though ;-) I'll just turn the spotlight on today's guest.
I introduced D. V. Stone to you last month as a new to me author and she shared inspiration and ideas with us on Wednesday Words with Friends. Today, we get a peek into her book, Rock House Grill published by The Wild Rose Press.
Take it away, D. V!
One man’s choices—One woman’s impact
Aden House, successful but driven chef and TV personality, refuses to slow down. His life implodes one night, damaging him both physically and emotionally. He's rescued by a woman he thinks of as his angel.
Shay McDowell has rebuilt her life after her divorce. She juggles volunteer EMT duties and her job, while dreaming of becoming a chef. She finds her way to Rock House Grill and back into the life of the man she helped save.
Can love be the ingredient needed to survive the many obstacles they face?
Excerpt: “Easy, you’re going to be okay.” A soft voice eased through the chaos around him. The owner of the voice grabbed his arms and held them in a firm but gentle grip. “I’m right here with you. You are not alone.”
“Can hardly m-move.” His voice slurred. “C-can’t see anything.”
“You’ve been in an accident. I’m an EMT with the ambulance squad,” the velvety voice calmly explained. “You can’t see well because we’re under a tarp. Hold still, okay?”
“‘K.” A small light flickered at the edge of his vision. It shone into a bag next to him. Penlight.
“You’re restrained to a board. It’s to keep your head from moving and causing more injury.” She continued to talk to him. The voice reached down somewhere inside him, calming and peaceful, so he focused on it. A glow from spotlights on the outside lit whatever covered them. The shadow gave the woman the appearance of a halo—like an angel.
Born in Brooklyn, D.V. Stone has moved around a bit and even lived for a time on a dairy farm in Minnesota before moving back east. Throughout her wandering, she always considered herself a Jersey Girl. She met and married the love of her life, Pete—a lifelong Jersey Man, and moved this time to Sussex County. They live with Hali, a mixed breed from the local shelter D.V.’s career path varied from working with the disabled to become a volunteer EMT, which in turn led to working in hospital emergency rooms and then in a women's state prison. After a few years, she took a break from medicine and became the owner of Heavenly Brew, a specialty coffee shop in Sparta NJ, and a small restaurant in Lafayette. Life handed some setbacks, and she ended up back in the medical field, but this time in a veterinary emergency hospital.
During the poor economy, she was laid–off from a long-time position she cared about. Devastated, D.V. wondered what to do with her life. Finding comfort in her love of reading, she realized it was now time to follow her dream of writing. It's been a long road but worth every minute of it. Now a published author, she also works in a people medical office again.
Find out more about D. V. by visiting and connecting with her on her Website Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Bookbub Goodreads Amazon Author Page Welcome to the Campfire Blog and sign up for her Newsletter
“Thank you for taking the time to read about me. Each time you open the pages to one of my books, I hope you'll be swept away by the story and find encouragement in your own life, never to give up on hope.” ~ D.V. Stone
THANK YOU, D.V., for sharing your book with us today. We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with your writing career!
Don't forget to leave a comment friends, and enter into my monthly gift card giveaway!
Until next time, take care and God bless. PamT
Yep, while you're reading this I'm probably out fishing LOL. I'm not going to get all cocky though ;-) I'll just turn the spotlight on today's guest.
I introduced D. V. Stone to you last month as a new to me author and she shared inspiration and ideas with us on Wednesday Words with Friends. Today, we get a peek into her book, Rock House Grill published by The Wild Rose Press.
Take it away, D. V!
One man’s choices—One woman’s impact
Aden House, successful but driven chef and TV personality, refuses to slow down. His life implodes one night, damaging him both physically and emotionally. He's rescued by a woman he thinks of as his angel.
Shay McDowell has rebuilt her life after her divorce. She juggles volunteer EMT duties and her job, while dreaming of becoming a chef. She finds her way to Rock House Grill and back into the life of the man she helped save.
Can love be the ingredient needed to survive the many obstacles they face?
Excerpt: “Easy, you’re going to be okay.” A soft voice eased through the chaos around him. The owner of the voice grabbed his arms and held them in a firm but gentle grip. “I’m right here with you. You are not alone.”
“Can hardly m-move.” His voice slurred. “C-can’t see anything.”
“You’ve been in an accident. I’m an EMT with the ambulance squad,” the velvety voice calmly explained. “You can’t see well because we’re under a tarp. Hold still, okay?”
“‘K.” A small light flickered at the edge of his vision. It shone into a bag next to him. Penlight.
“You’re restrained to a board. It’s to keep your head from moving and causing more injury.” She continued to talk to him. The voice reached down somewhere inside him, calming and peaceful, so he focused on it. A glow from spotlights on the outside lit whatever covered them. The shadow gave the woman the appearance of a halo—like an angel.
Born in Brooklyn, D.V. Stone has moved around a bit and even lived for a time on a dairy farm in Minnesota before moving back east. Throughout her wandering, she always considered herself a Jersey Girl. She met and married the love of her life, Pete—a lifelong Jersey Man, and moved this time to Sussex County. They live with Hali, a mixed breed from the local shelter D.V.’s career path varied from working with the disabled to become a volunteer EMT, which in turn led to working in hospital emergency rooms and then in a women's state prison. After a few years, she took a break from medicine and became the owner of Heavenly Brew, a specialty coffee shop in Sparta NJ, and a small restaurant in Lafayette. Life handed some setbacks, and she ended up back in the medical field, but this time in a veterinary emergency hospital.
During the poor economy, she was laid–off from a long-time position she cared about. Devastated, D.V. wondered what to do with her life. Finding comfort in her love of reading, she realized it was now time to follow her dream of writing. It's been a long road but worth every minute of it. Now a published author, she also works in a people medical office again.
Find out more about D. V. by visiting and connecting with her on her Website Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Bookbub Goodreads Amazon Author Page Welcome to the Campfire Blog and sign up for her Newsletter
“Thank you for taking the time to read about me. Each time you open the pages to one of my books, I hope you'll be swept away by the story and find encouragement in your own life, never to give up on hope.” ~ D.V. Stone
THANK YOU, D.V., for sharing your book with us today. We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with your writing career!
Don't forget to leave a comment friends, and enter into my monthly gift card giveaway!
Until next time, take care and God bless. PamT
May 19, 2020
#WednesdayWordswithFriends Welcomes Alicia Dean @Alicia_Dean_ !!
Good Morning Friends and a Blessed Day to you ALL!
Tomorrow I'm heading out for a camping trip. We'd planned on going up to the lake in March/April until this Covid crap shut the parks down. They re-opened last week so off we go. Never fear though, Saturday Spotlight will still go on.
Today's guest has visited with us often in the past, so please welcome Alica Dean back as she shares some words with us on family relationships.....
This past weekend, I was in Grand Prairie, Texas visiting my daughter (Lacey) who moved there over a year ago. The weekend was extra special because my other daughter (Lana) and my son (Presley) were there as well. I rented an Airbnb, and my son stayed with me. My middle child, the one who lives in Texas, hung out with us all weekend. My eldest daughter was only there for the evening on Saturday.
Want to know what was so special about it? (Besides the fact that it rained all weekend, which is perfect weather in my opinion, and my children feel the same…yes, we are odd. LOL!) My oldest and youngest child have been estranged from my middle child, and we hadn’t all four been together in at least a few years. Lacey is an addict. She’s thirty-four, and we have been through hell as a family because of her struggle with addiction. Thank God, she is clean now. Has been for just over a year. It took some time for her brother and sister to come around. They were afraid to trust that she’d really changed. I can understand that. She’d manipulated us so many times before, and we ended up having our trust betrayed, over and over. As a mom, I could never turn my back on her. I tried to practice tough love from time to time, but I couldn’t really release her to the wilds and take a chance on her ending up dead in the streets. It was difficult, but I’m glad I hung in there. There was a time I thought I’d lost her, but she’s good now. All three of my kids are good now. I heard a saying a while back…
“A mother is only as happy as her unhappiest child.” I don’t believe I’ve ever heard a truer statement.
If you’re going through something similar, don’t give up hope. But please don’t enable, either. I’m afraid I did my fair share of that, which likely only prolonged her drug usage. An addict or an alcoholic usually will not get help until they’ve reached rock bottom. It sounds like a cliché, but it’s so true. It takes literally having no other choice and them knowing they will die if they don’t get clean and sober. If you are going through this, I’m sorry. Stay strong and, if you believe in prayer, pray. There is always hope. This is a pic of my three children, but not from this weekend. I didn’t even think to take pictures, but I wish I had. I’ll be sure to take some next time. :-)
Alicia Dean began writing stories as a child. At age 10, she wrote her first ever romance (featuring a hero who looked just like Elvis Presley, and who shared the name of Elvis’ character in the movie, Tickle Me), and she still has the tattered, pencil-written copy. Alicia is from Moore, Oklahoma and now lives in Edmond. She has three grown children and a huge network of supportive friends and family. She writes mostly contemporary suspense and paranormal, but has also written in other genres, including a few vintage historicals.
Other than reading and writing, her passions are Elvis Presley, MLB, NFL (she usually works in a mention of one or all three into her stories) and watching (and rewatching) her favorite televisions shows like Ozark, The Walking Dead, Dexter, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Haven, Vampire Diaries, and The Originals. Some of her favorite authors are Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Stephen King, Lee Child, Lisa Gardner, Ridley Pearson, Joseph Finder, and Jonathan Kellerman…to name a few.
Find Alicia Here:
Email: Alicia@AliciaDean.comWebsite: http://aliciadean.com/Blog: http://aliciadean.com/alicias-blog/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAliciaDean/Twitter: @Alicia_Dean_Instagram: AliciaDeanAuthorBookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/alicia-deanPinterest: https://pinterest.com/aliciamdean/Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/468339.Alicia_Dean
Alicia's latest release, Precarious , part of the Martini Club 4 1940's series, along with the other books in this series - Pampered by Kathy L Wheeler, Perilous by Amanda McCabe and Priceless by Krysta Scott can be purchased at Amazon.
SO happy everyone got to spend that quality time together, Alicia! Hope you enjoyed today's post, friends and that you'll check back weekly for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.
Until next time take care and be blessed. PamT
Tomorrow I'm heading out for a camping trip. We'd planned on going up to the lake in March/April until this Covid crap shut the parks down. They re-opened last week so off we go. Never fear though, Saturday Spotlight will still go on.
Today's guest has visited with us often in the past, so please welcome Alica Dean back as she shares some words with us on family relationships.....
This past weekend, I was in Grand Prairie, Texas visiting my daughter (Lacey) who moved there over a year ago. The weekend was extra special because my other daughter (Lana) and my son (Presley) were there as well. I rented an Airbnb, and my son stayed with me. My middle child, the one who lives in Texas, hung out with us all weekend. My eldest daughter was only there for the evening on Saturday.Want to know what was so special about it? (Besides the fact that it rained all weekend, which is perfect weather in my opinion, and my children feel the same…yes, we are odd. LOL!) My oldest and youngest child have been estranged from my middle child, and we hadn’t all four been together in at least a few years. Lacey is an addict. She’s thirty-four, and we have been through hell as a family because of her struggle with addiction. Thank God, she is clean now. Has been for just over a year. It took some time for her brother and sister to come around. They were afraid to trust that she’d really changed. I can understand that. She’d manipulated us so many times before, and we ended up having our trust betrayed, over and over. As a mom, I could never turn my back on her. I tried to practice tough love from time to time, but I couldn’t really release her to the wilds and take a chance on her ending up dead in the streets. It was difficult, but I’m glad I hung in there. There was a time I thought I’d lost her, but she’s good now. All three of my kids are good now. I heard a saying a while back…
“A mother is only as happy as her unhappiest child.” I don’t believe I’ve ever heard a truer statement.
If you’re going through something similar, don’t give up hope. But please don’t enable, either. I’m afraid I did my fair share of that, which likely only prolonged her drug usage. An addict or an alcoholic usually will not get help until they’ve reached rock bottom. It sounds like a cliché, but it’s so true. It takes literally having no other choice and them knowing they will die if they don’t get clean and sober. If you are going through this, I’m sorry. Stay strong and, if you believe in prayer, pray. There is always hope. This is a pic of my three children, but not from this weekend. I didn’t even think to take pictures, but I wish I had. I’ll be sure to take some next time. :-)Alicia Dean began writing stories as a child. At age 10, she wrote her first ever romance (featuring a hero who looked just like Elvis Presley, and who shared the name of Elvis’ character in the movie, Tickle Me), and she still has the tattered, pencil-written copy. Alicia is from Moore, Oklahoma and now lives in Edmond. She has three grown children and a huge network of supportive friends and family. She writes mostly contemporary suspense and paranormal, but has also written in other genres, including a few vintage historicals.
Other than reading and writing, her passions are Elvis Presley, MLB, NFL (she usually works in a mention of one or all three into her stories) and watching (and rewatching) her favorite televisions shows like Ozark, The Walking Dead, Dexter, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Haven, Vampire Diaries, and The Originals. Some of her favorite authors are Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Stephen King, Lee Child, Lisa Gardner, Ridley Pearson, Joseph Finder, and Jonathan Kellerman…to name a few.
Find Alicia Here:
Email: Alicia@AliciaDean.comWebsite: http://aliciadean.com/Blog: http://aliciadean.com/alicias-blog/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAliciaDean/Twitter: @Alicia_Dean_Instagram: AliciaDeanAuthorBookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/alicia-deanPinterest: https://pinterest.com/aliciamdean/Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/468339.Alicia_Dean
Alicia's latest release, Precarious , part of the Martini Club 4 1940's series, along with the other books in this series - Pampered by Kathy L Wheeler, Perilous by Amanda McCabe and Priceless by Krysta Scott can be purchased at Amazon.
SO happy everyone got to spend that quality time together, Alicia! Hope you enjoyed today's post, friends and that you'll check back weekly for Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlight.
Until next time take care and be blessed. PamT
