Amy R. Anguish's Blog, page 23

Short Story--Her Turn to Party--Day 2

​Thanks so much for joining us this week to read my birthday gift to you, a short story. If you need to catch up, the first day is here. Have fun! “But Dad, what ARE we doing for Mom’s birthday this year?” Michelle took a big bite of chicken finger.

Pete’s gaze met Ginny’s across the table, fear palpable in his expression. He did not do parties if he could at all avoid it. Most of the time, he made sure Ginny got some gifts and a bag of her favorite chocolates. And she appreciated it.

But this was a big year.

Sure, Pete hadn’t wanted any deal made when he turned forty the year before. But he hated being the center of attention, too. In fact, he’d rather skip his birthday completely, if he could find a way to do it. But he’d married Ginny, who loved any and all excuses to celebrate.

“Chelle, Mom’s birthday isn’t for two more weeks. I know because mine is two weeks and two days away and hers is right before mine.” Carter dipped a French fry in ketchup.

“I know hers is before yours, Carter. That’s why I suggested we start planning for it. Because we should celebrate hers BEFORE yours.” Michelle, at age twelve, had the patronizing eye-roll down perfectly.

“Are we going to give Mom a party?” Carter’s forehead wrinkled.
​
All eyes turned her way. Ginny huffed. “I should not have to throw my own birthday party. I already told you I thought it would be fun to have one, but I draw the line at actually planning it myself. And I won’t make my own cake, either.”

Pete’s shoulders slumped a bit. Poor introverted guy.

“Maybe we could just combine hers with Carter’s.” Michelle popped a grape in her mouth. “I mean, his party is ON Mom’s birthday this year. It only makes sense.”

“Hey!” Carter looked up from the structure he was building with his fries. “I don’t want to share my party.”

Carter hadn’t wanted to share anything since the day he was born, so that statement surprised no one.

“Besides, Mom doesn’t want a Lego party.” Carter shrugged as if that was obvious.

“What do you want for your birthday, Mom?” Michelle finally turned to Ginny instead of continuing to talk about her like she wasn’t sitting right beside her.

“I already told you. I want a party. And a new pair of rain boots wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.” Ginny sipped her sweet tea.

“And probably more chocolate.” Carter drove a chicken finger through his ketchup. “She always likes chocolate.”
​
He wasn’t wrong. But that didn’t mean it should be the only thing she ever received for each and every special occasion for the rest of her life. Ginny stifled a sigh. Her family meant well, and she loved them to pieces, but sometimes it felt like they didn’t get her at all.
Does your family "get you" better than Ginny's does her? What do you think will happen next?
​Come back tomorrow for Day 3.

Short Story--Her Turn to Party--Part 1

For the last few years, I've shared a short story here on my blog, one piece a day for the week of my birthday. This is I think my fourth year to do this, although my birthday isn't technically until Sunday. It fit my calendar better this week.

All the others are still on my blog under the link "Short Stories." Feel free to go back and read the others. And in the meantime, I have a new one this week. Enjoy!

​Here's part one. “Mom, is that for my birthday cake?”

Ginny paused where she’d been putting the box of mix into the pantry. “Is this the flavor you wanted this year?”

No point in reminding her almost-seven-year-old that his birthday came after hers. Or that he wasn’t even supposed to be born in the same month, but he decided to show up three weeks early. No point in suggesting they celebrate her this year instead of him … on her birthday.

“Um, I don’t know.” Carter shifted from foot to foot. “Do you think chocolate would go well with a Lego birthday party?”
​
“We can make any flavor work. You just tell me what you want and I’ll make sure we have it.” She pushed the box further back on the top shelf, relinquishing her hopes that it would magically appear baked and decorated for her in a few weeks. Not as long as Carter wanted to party. Part of motherhood—taking back seat to those she gave life to.
“Maybe we could do mini cakes and make them look like Lego bricks. And each one could be a different color.” Carter motioned in the air to show multiple hard-to-live-up-to dreams and expectations. “And then we could stack them up like they were real Legos.”

“Or maybe I could make a cake that looks like Legos and we could just eat it. I think playing with cake would mostly make a big mess. And you don’t want to ruin it and not get to eat it, do you?”

She unloaded the rest of the groceries from the bags on the countertop.

“I don’t know. But we’ll figure it out. I mean, all the other birthday cakes you’ve made me have been awesome, so this one will be, too.”

“Here’s hoping,” she muttered.

“What kind of games can we play?” Carter chattered on, oblivious to Ginny’s growing frustration. “Remember a few years ago when I had the Mickey birthday and we played the game where we had to stick his ears on while blindfolded? We could do something like that this year, maybe. But with … hm.” One moment of pause and then he jumped a bit. “Ooh. What about a Lego dude and we could try to stick his head on or something?”

Ginny had already been looking up ideas for games and favors on Pinterest. Once her children decided on their chosen theme of the year, she pinned ideas when she ran across them. She’d even ordered a candy mold to try and make some edible bricks that looked like Carter’s favorite toy.
​
Deep down inside, she knew he wouldn’t always want to party at home with family and friends. She should treasure these years. But this year was a big one for her, and it would be nice to have at least a little recognition. Just a bit?

It wasn’t every year a woman turned forty, after all.
Stop by tomorrow for the next piece of the story. Do you think Carter and Ginny will both have good birthdays?

Author Interview: Linda Shenton Matchett

If you love to read historical fiction, you're going to want to learn more about the author I'm interviewing today. She's got all sorts of historical stories out, and they all sounds good! So, stick around and get to know Linda Shenton Matchett with me.

Linda, what first made you want to be a writer?

​I’ve been writing since I was very young. My parents gave me a tablet (with a bouquet of pencils on the front!) and a package of pens and encouraged me to fill the notebook. I was an active, imaginative kid, and I think it was their way to keep me in one place (and out of trouble) for periods of time. I scribbled lots of stories, but the incident that lit the desire of being an author was when I read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn as a young teen. The book made a deep impression on me, and I wanted to write stories that affected others the same way. I continued to write stories but was not able to get serious about publication until about fifteen years ago.

You call yourself a history geek. What is it about history that makes you love it so much and want to weave it into your books?  

I actually hated history throughout my school years. Unfortunately, it was taught as a collection of dates, places, and names. It wasn’t until my early adult years that I experienced museums with docents and re-enactors who brought history alive with people’s stories and what it was like to live during the time period. The personal aspect is what intrigues me. How was life different during the particular era and how was it the same? How would it have felt to be there? Live through the various  events? 
You have written quite a few books now, in several different time periods. What would you say is your favorite time period and why?

As much as I enjoy writing about the mid- to late-1800s, my favorite time period is World War II, especially the U.S. and British home front. It was a time of great change in all aspects of life, and turned society upside down as women stepped into roles and jobs traditionally held by men, whether they wanted to or not. It was all about supporting the war effort. People had to set aside differences, band together, and support each other. 

Great reasons! I know you write both romance and mystery. Do you have a favorite?

I enjoy writing mysteries, but have turned to primarily writing romance because I prefer happily-ever-after stories.
 
I love happily ever afters, too!
Do any of your characters share traits or personalities with you?

Most of my characters are tenacious (read stubborn) and that’s definitely a shared trait. LOL. The women are usually fairly candid, also much like me. (I’m not sure I’d know how to write a demure character!) But my protagonists are often more brave, trying things that I’d never dream of such as be a mail-order bride, spy, war correspondent, or gold prospector.
 
What are you working on next? Anything coming out soon?

I’m just about finished with a WWII romance that is part of the Thanksgiving Books & Blessings collection. Estelle’s Endeavor will release on September 26, 2022. After that I’ve have several books planned for next year, two of which are contemporary novels, but I’ve managed to bring in the past history, of course!
 
Sounds like fun. Okay, one last question: Please tell us one thing about you that very few people know.

I was fingerprinted by the police when I was eight years old. Crazy to think about now, but our Brownie troop toured the jail as a field trip. They even put us in the cells. What were they thinking?? I can’t imagine it had anything to do with earning a badge. :-)

Ha! That's really fun. I can remember doing some interesting things to earn girl scout badges, but don't remember doing that. Thanks so much for being a guest on my blog and telling us more about you, Linda!

​If you want to find out more about Linda and one of her books, keep reading.
Estelle’s Endeavor:
Will a world at war destroy a second chance at love?
 
Estelle Johnson promises to wait for Aubry DeLuca to return from war, but then she receives word of his debilitating injuries. Does she have the strength to stand by him during his hour of need?
 
Aubry DeLuca storms the beaches of Normandy, then wakes up in a hospital, his eyes heavily bandaged. Will the only woman he’s ever loved welcome him home or is he destined to go through life blind and alone?
 
Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Pga59w
​ Linda Shenton Matchett writes about ordinary people who did extraordinary things in days gone by. A volunteer docent and archivist for the Wright Museum of WWII, Linda is a former trustee for her local public library. She is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry. Linda has lived in historic places all her life, and is now located in central New Hampshire where her favorite activities include exploring historic sites and immersing herself in the imaginary worlds created by other authors. 
 
Links:
Website/blog: http://www.LindaShentonMatchett.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LindaShentonMatchettAuthor
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lindasmatchett
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Linda-Shenton-Matchett/e/B01DNB54S0
Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/linda-shenton-matchett
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/linda-shenton-matchett
Moments in History YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4b-o_6cD8HkHNyFP-wZwJg
Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/LindaShentonMatchett
​

Camp Nanowrimo Update

Where has my brain been this month? See that picture above? That's about it. I've been in Gatlinburg, TN--at least in my imagination.
For the first time, I participated in Camp Nanowrimo instead of the regular version in November. What does that mean? It means I got to set my own word count goals (though I still set mine for 60,000 or more), and it means I could work on a project I'd already started.
I chose to work on a book I'm calling Maid in Love. I started it a few years back and had about 10,000 words done before this month. And how did I do?
As of July 21st, I finished it. Over 65,000 words of a story are now written down where they can be edited and tweaked down the road. Whew! I rather feel like I've been climbing the mountains in that picture. And if you look at the chart below, showing my word count progress, it does look a bit like a mountain.
Is the story any good? That's yet to be determined, but it definitely has good parts. I'll work on it a bit more when things aren't so fresh. In the meantime, I have edits waiting, along with a few other projects. Better get to those. ;)
But yay for having another book written!
Have you accomplished a big mountain of a goal you set out to do this summer? Tried anything new?

Fireworks Kisses

It's July 4th. To me, that means summery foods, maybe a water gun fight and glow sticks, fire flies in the yard, hopefully a fresh tomato from my garden.
And fireworks!
I love fireworks. Sure, it's usually hot and sticky and swarming with mosquitoes. But there's something amazing about watching the explosions in different colors and shapes and sizes, all orchestrated to make the biggest awe.
Maybe that's why fireworks scenes end up in my books every now and then.
One ended up in Faith and Hope , deep in the heart of Texas. Needless to say, it's got some heat to it, and if you want to check it out, I shared it here.
The one from today is from my book No Place Like Home . It's set at Tom Lee park, right on the Mississippi River in Memphis. My characters have been chatting about her past and he finally gets her to tell him the rest of the story. And, well, there might be more than one kind of firework going off before the end. Check it out. A rocket whistled to their right, and they turned to see the explosion of red sparkles. It was almost completely dark now. She hadn’t even realized the sun had gone down. Gray pulled her closer to him, and she didn’t complain despite the heat.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” He had to speak right in her ear to be heard over the fireworks. “But you have to remember that the church is made up of people. They’re not perfect, and they make mistakes. You can’t blame God for the decisions people made.”

She turned to look at him, wanting to argue. “You don’t understand.”

“No. I don’t understand exactly what you went through. But it sounds like most of your hurt came from people, not God.” His face was so close to hers, his breath on her cheek. He reached up to wipe a tear from her face she hadn’t even realized was there.

Before she knew what was happening, the hand that had caressed her cheek so gently to wipe away her sadness pulled her just a little closer, and his lips touched hers. Her eyes fluttered closed, her breath caught in her throat. The kiss was only a few seconds, but time might as well have stopped.

She jumped as a particularly loud firecracker exploded overhead. His eyes held hers for a moment longer before they mutually looked to the sky. Had that just happened? Her racing pulse told her something had moved her, and she knew it wasn’t the patriotic music playing in the background.
​
They watched the rest of the show in silence, standing for the end with everyone else, cheering as the last round of fireworks made the sky almost as bright as day for a few splendored seconds. It was almost deafeningly quiet when the bursts ended. She rubbed her bare arms, not really cold but lonely for the heat his arms had provided. So, what do you think? Do you like fireworks scenes in books? Do you like them in real life?

Author Interview: Carol Underhill

Today, I'm chatting with a new-to-me author, Carol Underhill. But her stories sound so good, and her answers are fun. So, stick with me and we'll get to know her together!

Carol, I love your tagline, "Smalltown girl with big faith." Tell me, as I'm a small town girl who has learned to live in a suburb of a big city, do you ever like to get out in the big cities or do you prefer to stay in small towns? Do a lot of your stories feature small towns, too?

I lived in the city in my early twenties and loved it but settled in a small town when I got married. I like where I live but one of my favorite places to visit is Chicago. I’ve been there a few times and want to go back. I place my novellas in Chicago, but most of my stories are about small communities.
 
I notice you write both contemporary and historical romance. Do you have a preference? Why?

I like writing both. I’ve enjoyed the research for my historical series more than the contemporaries. The characters are what drive my stories. Some of them only fit in the historical timeline.
 
You mention having a playlist for every mood. Can you give us an example? What are a couple of your go-to songs for when you're happy? How about sad? And do you make playlists for writing, too?

I start almost every morning with “This is Amazing Grace” by Phil Wickham and “Blessings” by Laura Story.
In the moments when I am feeling sad, “Oh My Soul” by Casting Crowns and the Hymn “He Giveth More Grace” give me strength and peace.
When I am writing my contemporary stories, I have a playlist of romantic ballads from the 1980s that I listen to.
I know you love animals, having a dog and cats. Do pets appear in a lot of your stories?

Surprisingly, I haven’t put pets in my stories. The cats are a fairly new addition to the household. I think I could fit rescued pets into some of my stories. I’ll have to consider that for the future.
 
What are you working on now and to come out soon? Can you give us any sneak peeks?

I’m taking a break from writing fiction right now. I started working in children’s ministry at the beginning of the year and am writing the curriculum for lessons from Creation to the Cradle to the Cross. It takes up most of my spare time. I plan to get back to writing fiction this fall and have a few new ideas in mind.
 
Do you have a favorite character you've created? Any of them have more of your personality than another?

Liam from The Reluctant Billionaire is my favorite character so far. The story developed over a long period of time, so it seems like Liam and Jessica are a real part of my life. Even though he’s a male character, I tend to be like Liam in that I am shy and I don’t like being in groups of people.
 
One last question: please tell us one random fact about you that very few people know.

My dad was one of 12 kids. Between him and his siblings, there are around 300 descendants in that branch of the family.

Wow! I thought I had a big family, but you definitely win. I bet that makes for some fun family reunions.
Thanks so much for joining me today. 

Keep reading to find out more about Carol and one of her books. ​With her husband’s ultimate betrayal, and the finalization of her divorce, Jessica Palmer’s dreams for her life go up in flames, leaving her devastated and lost. Now, she’s leaving Chicago and moving back into her parents’ house in an effort to rebuild her life. Longtime neighbor and friend, Liam Engstrom, is the only reason she hasn’t completely fallen apart, but the closer they get, the more she realizes the depth of his feelings.

Liam has loved Jessica since they were teens, but she never noticed him as more than a friend. Now that she’s single, he’s determined to show her how much he cares and that not all men are like her ex-husband--if she’ll let him.

Jessica is reluctant to trust again after what her husband did to her, and Liam refuses to be the rebound guy, but their attraction is hard to deny. So, together, with a little help from God, they decide to give love a chance. But between Liam’s recent inheritance and an unwanted public billionaire status that has people lining up with their hands out, and Jessica’s ex-husband monitoring her every move, their relationship is off to a rocky start. And when tragedy strikes, Liam pushes everyone away—including Jessica. Can they both learn to forgive and grow, or are they doomed to be alone?
Carol Underhill lives in rural Michigan. She is mom to three adult children and a spoiled black Lab. Her household also includes several rescued cats. Carol enjoys quiet mornings and spending time with her family. Carol writes sweet and Christian romance. She rewards herself for meeting her writing deadlines with a cup of Mackinac Island Fudge-flavored coffee. Carol likes music of all kinds. She has a playlist for every mood. She enjoys finding new authors on Kindle and binge-reading all their books. She also likes to feature other authors’ books on her blog.
 
Website and blog:       www.authorcarolunderhill.com
 
Facebook:                    www.facebook.com/authorcarolunderhill

2022 Christmas in July Reader Blog Tour & Giveaway

Happy Christmas in July! Welcome to the first blog in the 2022 Christmas in July Reader Blog Tour & Giveaway, which runs July 15-22, 2022 (contest closes at 8 p.m. Eastern on 7/22). At the bottom of each author’s blog post, you will find the name of a Christmas song. Write them all down and provide the provide all song titles (26 in total) on this Google form. See below for a list with links of all participating authors!
Note: You must grab all the song titles from every author in the 2022 Christmas in July Reader Blog Tour & Giveaway to be eligible  to win the grand prize of a $520 Amazon gift card, plus a copy of each participating author's book OR first place prize of a copy of each participating author's book.  At the end of this blog post is a link to the next blog, and so on, to the final blog post (26 authors in all). ​
July is a great month for talking beach Christmas, right? Because usually when you think of the beach, you think summer. Well, in my novella, Mistletoe Make-believe, (and in all the novellas in the collection), our characters are spending Christmas on the beach. In my story, it's St Simons Island, Georgia, just off the coast of Brunswick.
I've spent several weeks at St Simons. Once, on my honeymoon (perfect!) and once a few years ago when we took the kids. It's absolutely gorgeous, so when I was invited to write a story for this beachy Christmas collection, I knew it's where I wanted my characters to go.
Can you think any difficulties with having Christmas on a beach? I discovered several.
For one thing, the water isn't warm. And sometimes the temperatures dip down where it's cooler than you might wish for bare feet, even in the south. Needless to say, my characters went back and forth between sweaters and jackets and short sleeves during their week, depending on the weather.
Sure, there aren't as many people on the island, but there probably also aren't as many things to do. For instance, the dolphin tours are closed for the winter on St Simon. Good thing the ones on Jekyll, right next to it, still run so my characters had a chance to do that.
But there are also extra fun things to do, too. Like decorating a piece of driftwood like a Christmas tree, going ice skating (man-made rink) and playing miniature golf without freezing, and riding the trolley around to look at Christmas lights.
So, maybe Christmas on the beach would be fun after all. Definitely not as hot as if you visited in July. ;)
Now, it’s time to for my Christmas song title:

O Come All Ye Faithful

Save the holiday song titles from each of the 26 blog stops, and when you reach the final blog, enter all the song titles on this form for a chance to win the grand prize of a $520 Amazon gift card and a copy of each participating author's featured book OR first prize of a copy of each participating author's featured book.
Thank you so much for visiting! The next author on the tour is B.D. Lawrence and his Christmas book, The Finger Snatcher and the One-Armed Man. You can find it at this link. Remember, the 2022 Christmas in July Reader Blog Tour & Giveaway ends July 22 at 8 PM EST!

Camp NanoWrimo

While I've participated in regular Nanowrimo several times (at least twelve or thirteen, I think), I've never gotten around to doing Camp Nanowrimo. It's an event they run in July where you set your own personal word goal and tackle it during the summer months, when things maybe aren't quite as busy as November, when the regular one occurs. It's a bit more laid back. You don't even have to aim for 50,000 words like normal. It's whatever you want to accomplish.
And for one reason or another, it's never worked out for me. But I'm changing things up this year.
Something tells me, with a book releasing in December, that I won't have time in November to do Nanowrimo--again. It's a good problem to have, but it makes me change the way I do things.
Add to that the fact that I haven't had time to write anything new except for finishing up my novellas releasing in Sept and Feb, and I'm itching to get words down on at least one new novel. Whew! Who knew having so many releases in one year meant extra edits and marketing posts eating into actual writing time? Okay, so that was probably obvious, but for some reason I didn't expect it to steal away quite so much writing time.
​So, with my next edits not due until August, and my marketing mostly up-to-date, I've decided to try my hand at Camp Nanowrimo. I'm going back and forth between two stories I want to write: one the second in my College Chapel series, called Must Love Jane--a football player and a Jane Austen fanatic butt heads and hearts. The other is one I started a few years back I'm calling Maid in Love, and it's set in Gatlinburg. I'm leaning more towards that one right now. Which sounds better to you?
Get ready to cheer me on as I try to squirrel away a few hours to write each day in July. The odds are stacked against me this summer, but I'm determined.
Have you ever had to change up the way you did things due to time constraints? Ever tried to write a book in a month?
​Here goes nothing!

Behind the Story: Caricatures

If you've ever been to New Orleans, you'll know Jackson Square is one of the best places to visit. It's full of history, museums, shops, and the sidewalks often have vendors and artists. So, it was a no-brainer to have my characters exploring the area in Destination: Romance. 
Of course, as an author, I get to play a little loose with reality as I describe things that happen there. When I visited New Orleans as a teen, I don't remember seeing a caricature artist there. But let's be honest, it fits. So, when my characters find one, it feels right even if it never happened to me in real life. That being said, I have had my caricature drawn.

Isn't it lovely?

It wasn't in Louisiana, though. It was in Kentucky. At an amusement park. Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, to be exact.

Want to know what I looked like in reality when posing for this "perfect likeness" the artist drew?

​See below.
Ta da! And no. Marvin didn't pose with me for the caricature. Ha!

Needless to say, it's close and not at the same time. That's the fun of having a caricature drawn.

So, now as you read my story, you can picture sort of what the end results of their sitting for a caricature artist might look like. Although they get a group drawing.

Have you ever had a caricature drawn? Is it something you might do in the future?

​Click below to find out more about the story.

Ready for a Roadtrip?

Tomorrow!
Tomorrow my first roadtrip romance releases, and I couldn't be more excited. Katie and Camden are headed on a trip and they want you to come with them.
Curious about where all they're going?
Keep reading because I'm including a few more fun facts about what to expect from the story. That way you'll know how to pack. ;)

And don't forget today is the last day to snag the e-book for a dollar cheaper. Just click the picture.
We're going to start in New Orleans, eating lots of good food and exploring Jackson Square.
Next, how about a beach day? Gulf Shores, Alabama is perfect. Might even hold a bit of romance.
And then a few days in Atlanta will wrap us up. Braves game anyone? How about climbing a mountain?
​Now you know what to pack? Are you ready to take a trip? Let's go!