Shelley Shepard Gray's Blog, page 30

The Protector Giveaway!

Last night I finished my line edits for A Texan's Promise (September's release). It was perfect timing because the UPS man just happened to stop by my house with a wonderful box from Harper Collins! I now have my author copies of The Protector! (The Protector will be released on June 28)

Those of you who've been with me for a while know what's coming…I'm giving away books! If you want to be entered to win one of the 15 I'm giving away….all you have to do is tell me what you would do just about anything to 'protect'. Your children? Your faith? Your friendships? Your spouse? Your future? 

Obviously, 'Protecting' is the central theme that runs through my latest novel. This book is a bit different, but it's one of my favorites. Below is my first review, posted on www.barnesandnoble.com. I was so, so happy to read this review…and I hope you all will like the novel, too.

I love this series!

Ella Hostetler was always enamored with Loyal Weaver, all through school she always dreamed of him, but he never noticed her, actually she felt as if no one really paid much attention to her. She wore glasses and always felt tall and gangly. After the death of her father, her mother became ill, and because Ella was an only child the responsibility of caring for her mother and taking care of the farm was sometimes overwhelming. The one person who checked on her regularly was Dorothy. So when Ella's mother dies, she decides to auction off the family farm. Her friend Dorothy helps her get a job at the library and rents her an apt. Turns out Loyal purchased the farm and is soon inviting Ella out to see the changes he has made. Could it be that after all these years Loyal is finally noticing Ella? As Ella's self confidence starts to bloom, Dorothy tries to put doubts in her mind. Will Ella finally have a chance at love?

This is the second book in the Family of Honor Series, and I must say I really enjoyed continuing to read about the characters from the first book. Ella really dealt with self esteem issues,but it was so nice to see her come out of her shell. The character of Dorothy was quite interesting. I think bitterness over what had happened to her when she was younger really warped her mind. I really don't think that I have ever read another Amish character quite like her. I also enjoyed reading a bit more about Calvin and Lucy, and I love seeing things through young Katie's eyes.Her determination to get to the library and sign up for the summer reading program was so cute. The scenes that take place in the Kaffi Haus really had me wanting a donut! I also like the continuing story of Maddie and her health issues. I really want her to find someone special of her own, although I feel as if she already has.

At the end of this book we get a brief teaser for "The Survivor," the next book in the series which is due out in August 2011, and I for one can't wait! If your a fan of Amish fiction that isn't quite so predictable then you should definitely pick up this book. While it is the second book in the series it can easily be read as a stand alone work, but because the stories are so good I would suggest reading the first book in the series as well titled The Caregiver. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an e-copy of this book for review.

One more time: To be entered, tell me either here, on FB, or in a private email what you would do just about anything to 'protect'…. We'll draw 15 names on Wednesday afternoon.

with blessings, and my best wishes too…

Shelley

Suzy the Wonder-Dog

This is a picture of Suzy, our little daschund. When she was a puppy, my husband Tom taught her to smile, so when she greets you, she bares her teeth. It's pretty funny, and involves a lot of explaining to the UPS man~he's always sure our barky little dog is about to bite him!

She just turned nine. When we got her, our kids were just at that age when friends became more important than Moms. I was used to being needed…so I kind of  'adopted' Suzy as my new baby. The arrangement suited her fine.  She sits in my office all day and sleeps at the end of my bed at night. I buy her stuffed toys at Walgreens, which she absolutely loves. She can spend a whole day 'squeaking' those toys, then joyfully removing all stuffing. (it drives my husband crazy. )

Anyway, she had surgery yesterday to remove bladder stones.  After wincing as I handed the vet a credit card, I now have my little dog back home, wearing one of those  plastic collars around her head.

And even though she' wasn't feeling 100%, she greeted me at the vet's office with a smile.

She'll be keeping me company today while I do two interviews. One will be taped for Blackstone Audio (they are the ones who put all my books into audio form). The other will be tonight with Suzanne Woods Fisher. I'm excited about both interviews-I never get tired of talking about writing!

How's everyone else's pet doing? I'd love to hear some fun pet stories!

Shelley

GRACE is a HOLT Medallion Winner!

 When I write, I usually write for myself. As I've said many times, I'm a voracious reader, and so I always try my best to write a book that I would want to read. That's what I concentrate on.

Only when it's done and I send it off to my editor do I start wondering what other people will think of it. Sometimes my instincts are right. For example, when I wrote spring's renewal, I loved Clara, and my editor did, too. So did lots and lots of readers! Other times, such as when I wrote The Caregiver, I was sure that the book needed help. The Caregiver did! I was asked to add a prologue and Lucy's dreams in order to make it more emotional.

Months after the book goes to my editor, it's on shelves, getting reviewed, and entered into contests. Again, I never know how the book is going to sell or be reviewed. Sometimes things are great, other times…not so much.

All of this is why winning a contest like the HOLT means so much to me, especially for a book like GRACE.  GRACE was special to me because I loved being back at the Brenneman's Bed and Breakfast, and I loved my hero and heroine. Hearing that others liked it too means a lot~especially since I've been writing furiously on The Missing, the first book in my new series.

Thank you, readers, for giving my books a try and letting me know what you thought of them. Your feedback always makes my day.

Tomorrow, I have the honor of being a guest on Suzanne Woods Fisher's show, Amish Wisdom. The program will air at 4:00 pm central, and more information is at Suzanne's site, www.suzannewoodsfisher.blogspot.com

Shelley

A Few Photos

Last Friday, our cruise ship docked in Seward at 4:00 am. We had to be out of our cabins by 8:00, and were off the ship by 9:15 am. Unfortunately, our flight wasn't until 11:45 that night! I knew it would be a tough day, and so our travel agent found a tour guide for us.

Dot picked us up at the dock and showed us around Seward and Anchorage. She was originally from Iowa, drove a school bus in Seattle, and then moved to Alaska about ten years ago. There she met her husband and now they both work for a tour company. She was the perfect person to be with on our last day. She was super informative. Because she was a mom, was also super patient with our two tired teenagers.

As she was talking to us about the wide open spaces of Alaska, and the long days of summer and long nights of winter, it struck me that in a lot of ways, the Alaskans have a lot in common with the Amish! (I know! Who would have thought??)  Both groups rely on nature to guide their life.  They have different activities for the summer and winter months. In addition, both Alaskans and the Amish make due with less. In Alaska, lots of things are very expensive because they have to be shipped in. Therefore, they aren't as eager to go buy a lot of things they don't need.  That sounds a lot like the Amish in my stories!

Below are two pictures that I took with my cell phone. One is from Ketchikan. We went on a hike and watched a master craftsman carve totem poles. The second photo was taken from our balcony outside our cabin at about six in the morning. Our ship had to turn around because the ice and the fog was so thick. The photo doesn't do it justice, but we were surrounded by igloos!  It was really neat and kind of scary, all at the same time!

There's lots of writing things going on with me these days~I'll some good news tomorrow.

Shelley

Home Again

Happy Monday!

I'm so very happy to be back in my office with a cup of coffee on my desk and my dog Suzy asleep next to me.  : )

After a very long two days (we had to take a red-eye home from Anchorage), we arrived home on Saturday afternoon. We had just enough time to get the dogs, buy some milk,  and sleep before going to my sister-in-law's Memorial Service yesterday in Indiana. 

It was such a relief to get home last night, put on a pair of sweats, and just sit!

My kids took tons of pictures in Alaska, and if I can figure it out, I'll post a couple here this week. But until then, I'll share a few tidbits about our trip…

1) Alaska is still cold in June. None of us packed enough sweaters and jeans. It was a perfect opportunity to buy all kinds of fun sweatshirts, though. : )

2) We saw tons of bald eagles-and one time, we watched a flock of eagles fishing together. Really amazing.

3) Sled dogs really do LOVE to pull those sleds! (we went to a summer training camp)

4) Fresh halibut is great. Watching my kids catch halibut is wonderful.

5) It's now a fact-I can't sleep on planes. Thank goodness for books!

Though we had a wonderful time, I still worked almost everyday. Today is no exception~I have line edits for a book due by 5:00 pm!  So, it's off to work  I go….

Thank you for stopping by!

with blessings,

shelley

Graduation, Alaska, and a lot of Hot Air

Happy Wednesday! Things have been busy since Tom and I went off to Sugarcreek!

* Our daughter graduated from high school on Saturday. We had family in town and all went together to the ceremony in downtown Cincy. I didn't plan to cry when I saw Lesley's name up in lights….but I did. : )

* After that, it was back to work for a few days. I had line edits to complete for Christmas in Sugarcreek! I'm very excited for this book to be released on October 25.

* Yesterday had to be our 'Murphy's Law' day. Everything went wrong! The worst? Our air conditioner broke! My husband called all kinds of repair places, but none could come out for days. I guess air conditioners are breaking all over Cincinnati….

* All this craziness is just fine, though…because tomorrow we're off to Alaska! The four of us are going on an Alaskan cruise! I'm excited to see glaciers and eagles and whales…and to have 10 days of being with my kids. I am going to bring my laptop and plan to write…but somehow writing on the deck of a cruise ship doesn't sound like a bad thing at all.

I hope to post a few notes and pictures while I'm gone…but if not, I'll return in a week!

with blessings,

Shelley

An Amish Wedding Feast

Thank you to everyone who's taken the time to stop by and read about the wedding! As I noted yesterday, we left the wedding soon after the bride and groom took their vows.

When we got back to the reception, Tom and I knew our Amish friend had lots to do-and we were a little embarrassed because we knew we had to leave by noon. It's a four hour drive back to Cincinnati, and then my husband had to catch a plane out of town. So, we started to tell her goodbye and sneak out.

But the ladies told us that no way were we leaving before we ate! There was a little bit of arm twisting involved (okay, not very much at all…) But in the end, my friend took us to an area where everything was set up for the servers to eat. (the servers all eat before the wedding guests, so everything was ready) We were handed plates, and then next thing Tom and I knew, we were helping ourselves to the most awesome buffet ever!

Lots of women had spent days preparing the meal, and I have to say Tom and I appreciated every bite. : )

Here's what was served…

*corn and fresh peas-both were from the garden.

*mashed potatoes

*gravy

*chicken~Tom now calls this 7-up chicken. It had been soaked in 7-up, then fried. Then baked with a soup mixture. It was so good….I'm going to write the ladies for the recipe!

*date pudding (this was layered like a trifle. Date cake, some kind of pudding, and Cool Whip. Wonderful!)

*stuffing

*homemade rolls with cinnamon butter

We carried our plates to one of the tents, then my friend brought us plastic containers that had the best salad-it had lettuce, broccoli bits, roasted pecans, fresh strawberries, and little pieces of those ramen noodles. There was poppy seed dressing, too.

After a bit, my friend brought us Styrofoam containers of vanilla ice cream from a local Sugarcreek dairy…and fresh strawberry topping. The strawberries had been grown in the mother of the bride's garden.

All this without even trying cake!

While Tom and I ate and ate , my friend introduced us to some more of her friends, some of who had read my books. They were so kind. I always feel a little awkward when I talk to the Amish ladies about my books-after all, I'm not Amish! But they always make me feel so comfortable.

Before too long, it was time to go. My friend had chicken to serve, and Tom and I needed to drive back home.

As we were leaving, a long line was forming on the driveway. All the wedding attendees had arrived, and they were waiting to be seated. I hugged my friend and told her thank you.  She grinned and said that she'd told the bride that there was sure to be an Amish wedding in one of my future books! I had to laugh, and told her that was probably going to be the case.

Going to the wedding was wonderful research for me as a writer. But being around the Amish on a wedding day was far more meaningful to me. I will always remember the quiet beauty of a wedding in a barn on a pretty spring day, the hustle and bustle of dozens of people all working to make a memorable event for a young couple, and the true kindness of some people who went out of their way to make two people up from Cincinnati feel so welcome.

It was truly a day I won't ever forget.

With blessings to you,

Shelley

An Amish Wedding

Late last night-long after we'd gotten back home, unpacked the car, had dinner, and had watched American Idol and baseball on two different televisions-my husband told me that he couldn't stop thinking about that Amish wedding.

I felt the same way.

I find myself stumbling about the best way to describe the wedding-for someone who's pretty good at putting together words, this time words just don't seem to do to the event justice!

However, I'll give it a try.

I should first note that my Amish friend called me earlier this week and told me that it would be best if Tom and I only attended the reception. She said that the wedding is all in Pennsylvania Dutch and that most of the English don't attend. I was perfectly fine with her suggestion. I didn't know the bride well at all, and the last thing I wanted was to make anyone there uncomfortable.

My Amish friend told me to meet her at the reception home and she'd give me a tour of all the tables and such before the luncheon started.

So, Tom and I arrived at the bride's home at 10:30 yesterday morning. They had white tents set up, as well as what looked like a traveling RV that had stoves and cook tops and a cooler in it.  I felt very conspicuous in my pink dress, pearls, and heels-Tom and I were the only English there. But we were by far not the only people there! There had to be at least a dozen girls (in their late teens and early 20′s) in lovely green dresses, several other ladies in black, and lots of guys in black pants, vests, and yellow shirts. These folks were close friends and relatives of the bride and groom, and they were the ones who would be serving the luncheon.

My friend took Tom and I on a tour of the tents. In the biggest tent, there was a head table at one end for the bride and groom. On that table was a truly lovely three tier white wedding cake, each layer wrapped in green ribbon. The cake was resting on grape vines. It looked elegant and rustic all at the same time.

Also in the tents were long rows of tables. Places were set with napkins, place mats, and silverware, and there were yellow papers listing everyone who was a part of the event. There was seating for over 300!

Then my friend told me it was time to go to the wedding! I was so surprised. She then explained to me that the service had started at 9:00. During the wedding, there are usually three ministers who speak, and singing, too. However, the bride and groom say their vows at the end-and no one misses this part. So we (along with all the servers) walked down the street a ways to another home-and there in the barn was the wedding!

To the side of the barn were a few rows for Englishers. Tom and I were about to go to the very back, but my friend brought us to the front row and sat down right next to me. We had a perfect view of the wedding!

I know I won't do this justice, but I'll try…the morning was sunny with just the slightest breeze. In the barn, about 8 or 9 rows of pews were on each side, all facing the center. On one side were the women, on the other were the men, though it wasn't a super strict rule. Kids would get up and go sit with their mom or dad after they tired of being in one spot. And in the back of one side were a couple of rows of teenagers, boys and girls sitting together. They were sitting together and acting like any other sixteen or seventeen-year-olds anywhere. They'd quietly chat, then sit, then look bored, then flirt with each other.

In the very middle of all the pews stood a minister, and in the center  of the pews sat the bride and groom. The bride wore a dark navy dress, black kapp,and white apron. Her groom wore a black suit. Most of the men had on black suits and white or yellow shirts. Black hats were hanging on barn posts, or tossed on the floor everywhere.

On the women's side, there was a whole variety of dresses, from black to gray to green or pink or lavender. The little girls had on  lovely dresses of all different colors. Lots of the ladies were holding babies or toddlers.

As the minister preached, most eyes were on him. However, some folks were fussing with their kids, or shifting. Every few minutes, someone would stand up and leave, or two or three other people would show up and make their way down one of the pews.  Now and then, you would hear a rooster crow.

 After a time, the minister picked up a Bible and started reading. My friend told me he was reading from 1 Corinthians. Then, my friend whispered, 'We stand up now.' Tom and I stood with the rest of the attendees. The bride and groom stepped forward.  Then it became completely silent. With the minister leading, they solemnly said their vows.

It was beautiful.

I found myself reaching for Tom's hand, and getting teary-eyed-even though for the last hour I hadn't understood a single word. There was such a strong sense of community in the barn. It was so casual in a lot of ways, with kids fidgeting and teenagers whispering and babies fussing that it felt more 'real' than a lot of weddings I've been to, where every detail is carefully planned and choreographed.

I felt the love that everyone had for the ceremony and for the bride and groom. And I felt so incredibly humbled and blessed to get to be a part of such an event, if only for a short time.

When everyone moved to sit down again, my Amish friend told me it was time to leave. Actually, all the servers left-it was time to get ready to serve the meal!

The meal was so amazingly good I'm going to have to describe it tomorrow…

Thanks for stopping by,

with blessings to you~Shelley

Spring in our Garage

For the last week or so, my daughter has been complaining about a bird in the garage. We leave our garage open most of the day, and since we're near the woods it made sense that every once in a while a bird would fly in there. Right?

That perfectly makes sense. What didn't was the nest we found last night. Yep, a bird had decided to make her home in a pair of my husband's Sorrell's. For those of you who aren't familiar with the brand, Sorrells are big, thick winter snow boots, lined with sheepskin. They last forever-my husband has had his since college and they are doing great.

Well, they were doing great until a wily robin decided they would make an excellent home!

After we discovered the next in the pair of boots, there was much discussion about what to do. We all finally decided that we'd simply move the boots outside if there were eggs…but if it was only a nest, the bird was out of luck! Carefully we peeked into the boots, no doubt watched by the industrious bird. But when careful searching only produced grass, some torn newspaper and something that looked suspiciously like our dog's fur, on went the gloves and out went the nest.  My husband really likes those boots!

Yep spring has sprung…in our garage. : )

Tonight my husband and I are off to Sugarcreek. Hooray! We'll be staying at the beautiful Caslisle Inn tonight, then attending an Amish wedding tomorrow. I can't wait to go!

with blessings to you,

Shelley

What I'll Miss and What I Won't

Today is my daughter's last day of school~which means it's a big day for me. : ) Our many, many years of getting up in the morning and tackling the school day are done. 

I'm okay with it! I think I've actually gotten lazy over the years-sleeping in until 7:00am works for me!

That said,  I can't help but think about the things I'll miss about having kids in school…and the things I won't miss, too! 

1) I'll miss the school supply shopping and printing their names neatly on folders. (obviously I haven't done that in a while!) What I won't miss? Frantically running around Wal*Mart, looking for '5 red two- pocket folders' (not blue, Mom) and 'a pack of 16 crayons', (She said 16,not 24, not 32, Mom.)

2) I'll miss waking up two sleepy kids in the morning-they always looked so sweet. What I won't miss? Feeding two cranky kids breakfast in the morning!

3) I'll miss making lunches…but not frantically trying to make those lunches before they catch the bus!

4) I'll miss standing at the bus stop in the morning with the other moms and sitting at the end of our driveway in the afternoon, waiting for them to get off the bus

5) I won't miss rain jackets and snow delays and early morning bugs. However, I will miss snow days!

6) I'll miss making flash cards to study vocabulary and spelling….and waiting all day to hear how they did on those tests. (anyone else get those butterflies?) I won't miss nagging my kids about studying!

7)I'll miss weekends at football games and swim meets and wrestling matches. I'll miss the cleats and the hair ribbons and the snacks for the team. I won't miss the frantic search for those cleats and ribbons and snacks!

I'll miss end of the school year presents for teachers and making Valentine boxes for parties. And field days and music programs and sports awards. I won't miss running up to school one last time…because I forgot to send something with the kids for those special days.

9) Finally, I'll miss knowing that I'll have years and years of being a very busy mom.

Luckily, having my son in college has shown me that there's lots to look forward to, as well! I'm looking forward to phone calls about tests and friends and classes. I love looking forward to my son coming home. I know we're going to have a lot of fun visiting two kids at school and meeting all their friends.

And~I'm looking forward to quiet nights with my husband when we get to do what we want~even if it's just walking the dogs and reading the paper. : )

Okay, all you parents, what do you think you'll miss (or you already do miss) about school days when your kids grow up? What do you think you won't miss at all? 

Shelley