Golden Keyes Parsons's Blog, page 4
April 10, 2015
A Watch In Time – Chapter 4, Part 2
A Full Length Short Story by Golden Keyes Parsons
Chapter Four – Part 2
Click here to start with Chapter One
“Aren’t you going to ask your wife to dance?” Her hazel eyes glistened as she flirted with her husband. “You’re still the best 
dancer in town.”
David smiled, and took her hand as he played along with her. “Of course, my dear. But we don’t need to stay late.”
“David Monroe! This is the biggest event of the year, and I’m not going to miss a minute of it.”
“Something has happened that I need to tell you … Lily, do you mind?”
“Of course not. I’ll just wait here for you.”
David and Garnet moved onto the dance floor. Her velvet skirt, the color of her name, swirled in time to the music as David led her in accomplished elegant dance steps.
They are indeed a handsome couple. What if we never get back to present day? Will David live happily with her? How is she going to receive the news about the baby? What about me—an old maid. Will I raise that baby to be my own?
Someone touched her on the shoulder. “Aunt Lillian?”
Lily turned toward the voice.
A roguishly handsome man about 35 years of age with a large handlebar mustache bowed slightly from the waist. “I thought I was going to miss everything. Just arrived home a couple of hours ago from my business trip. May I?”
“Oh, of course, please, have a seat.”
“It appears all our committee’s hard work has paid off.”
Lily stared at him.
He held a program in his hand and pointed to the listing of the committees. “We did well as co-chairmen, I’d say. The grounds turned out beautifully, although I must admit you shouldered most of the responsibility due to my absence.”
Lily looked at the program: Horticultural Committee, Miss Lillian Monroe & L.G. Garrett, Co-Chairmen
He sat on the edge of his chair and motioned toward the stage.
“I’m afraid I missed the crowning. Colonel Parrott looks very … well, uh, royal in all his regalia. And Miss Trice, I must say, is stunning.”
“I agree.” Lily Kate felt herself being drawn into the man’s sultry blue-gray eyes. What a handsome young man.
He leaned toward her. “I couldn’t help but notice your watch.”
“My watch?” She fingered the braided chain around her neck.
“It is most extraordinary. Was it a gift?”
“Not exactly.”
“Is there an inscription?”
The young man reached for the watch, and Lily drew back clasping the watch in her fist. “L.G., this is most inappropriate. Why so curious?”
He stood, and tilted his head toward her. “Please forgive my forwardness, Aunt Lillian. The watch looked familiar, that’s all. I’m very sorry. Please allow me to fetch you some punch.” The father of the baby, the child of a prostitute, left in Lily Kate’s care—her very own nephew! L.G. Garrett turned on his heel and melted into the crowd.
Lily Katy gripped the watch in her hand and opened it. I wait for thee. She remembered her mother’s last words, “Watch.”
Lily didn’t know how she knew it, but somehow this watch held the key to their mysterious past. And she was determined to discover the secrets of the watch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join us next Friday for part 1 of chapter 5.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.
The post A Watch In Time – Chapter 4, Part 2 appeared first on Golden Keyes Parsons.
A Watch In Time – Chapter Four, Part 2
A Full Length Short Story by Golden Keyes Parsons
Chapter Four – Part 2
Click here to start with Chapter One
“Aren’t you going to ask your wife to dance?” Her hazel eyes glistened as she flirted with her husband. “You’re still the best dancer in town.”
David smiled, and took her hand as he played along with her. “Of course, my dear. But we don’t need to stay late.”
“David Monroe! This is the biggest event of the year, and I’m not going to miss a minute of it.”
“Something has happened that I need to tell you … Lily, do you mind?”
“Of course not. I’ll just wait here for you.”
David and Garnet moved onto the dance floor. Her velvet skirt, the color of her name, swirled in time to the music as David led her in accomplished elegant dance steps.
They are indeed a handsome couple. What if we never get back to present day? Will David live happily with her? How is she going to receive the news about the baby? What about me—an old maid. Will I raise that baby to be my own?
Someone touched her on the shoulder. “Aunt Lillian?”
Lily turned toward the voice.
A roguishly handsome man about 35 years of age with a large handlebar mustache bowed slightly from the waist. “I thought I was going to miss everything. Just arrived home a couple of hours ago from my business trip. May I?”
“Oh, of course, please, have a seat.”
“It appears all our committee’s hard work has paid off.”
Lily stared at him.
He held a program in his hand and pointed to the listing of the committees. “We did well as co-chairmen, I’d say. The grounds turned out beautifully, although I must admit you shouldered most of the responsibility due to my absence.”
Lily looked at the program: Horticultural Committee, Miss Lillian Monroe & L.G. Garrett, Co-Chairmen
He sat on the edge of his chair and motioned toward the stage.
“I’m afraid I missed the crowning. Colonel Parrott looks very … well, uh, royal in all his regalia. And Miss Trice, I must say, is stunning.”
“I agree.” Lily Kate felt herself being drawn into the man’s sultry blue-gray eyes. What a handsome young man.
He leaned toward her. “I couldn’t help but notice your watch.”
“My watch?” She fingered the braided chain around her neck.
“It is most extraordinary. Was it a gift?”
“Not exactly.”
“Is there an inscription?”
The young man reached for the watch, and Lily drew back clasping the watch in her fist. “L.G., this is most inappropriate. Why so curious?”
He stood, and tilted his head toward her. “Please forgive my forwardness, Aunt Lillian. The watch looked familiar, that’s all. I’m very sorry. Please allow me to fetch you some punch.” The father of the baby, the child of a prostitute, left in Lily Kate’s care—her very own nephew! L.G. Garrett turned on his heel and melted into the crowd.
Lily Katy gripped the watch in her hand and opened it. I wait for thee. She remembered her mother’s last words, “Watch.”
Lily didn’t know how she knew it, but somehow this watch held the key to their mysterious past. And she was determined to discover the secrets of the watch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join us next Friday for part 1 of chapter 5.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.
The post A Watch In Time – Chapter Four, Part 2 appeared first on Golden Keyes Parsons.
April 3, 2015
A Watch In Time – Chapter Four, Part 1
A Full Length Short Story by Golden Keyes Parsons
Chapter Four – Part 1
Click here to start with Chapter One
The music of Fred Phinney’s Iowa State Band filtered through the doors of the impressive Cotton Palace. David stepped from the carriage and cradled Lily Kate’s elbow in his hand as she exited. She gathered the top of her cloak around her chin against the chilly November air. “We’re late.”
“We couldn’t have missed much.”
They stepped into the foyer, and were greeted by a daunting artificial eagle made of red and yellow corn hanging from the ceiling. David took Lily Kate’s cloak and handed it to a nearby servant, but she clutched her reticule in her hand where she had stuffed the note from the baby’s mother. They hurried into the great hall. The frieze under the crown molding illustrating the chariot race from the popular Ben Hur novel, along with coats of arms representing every state in the Union, dominated the interior.
A diminutive woman with blonde hair, sprinkled with attractive streaks of gray, bustled up to them and gave David a peck on the cheek. “I’ve been on pins and needles. You almost missed the crowning.”
David, eyes wide, glanced back at his sister as the woman led him into the crowd. He stammered, “S … sorry. It … well, it couldn’t be helped.”
The woman stopped and turned back toward Lily. “Don’t just stand there with your mouth open, Lillian. Our seats are down in front.”
Lily gathered her voluminous skirt, and followed dutifully behind the confident woman pulling David along. She fingered the watch that she had thrown around her neck, and nodded to first one and then another as greetings came her way. “Good evening, Miss Lillian.”
“Wonderful celebration, isn’t it, Miss Lillian? You must be very proud.”
“Everything looks beautiful!”
She finally caught the name of David’s “escort,”who was obviously his wife. Someone called her “Garnet.”
Pretty—I like it. She’s pretty. Always knew David would pick an attractive wife. Lily put a gloved hand to her mouth and giggled. David—married.
A drum roll interrupted her thoughts as they made their way to their seats. A stately middle-aged man, dressed in a full suit layered over with an ermine cloak—completely made of cotton—led the processional of local townspeople dressed in costume onto the stage. An elegant young woman wearing a heavily jeweled gown and tiara joined him, and the crowning of the first King of Cotton and Queen Texas proceeded.
At the close of the ceremony, the band struck up an inspiring version of Dixie. The audience rose to their feet, stomped and clapped. Shouts of “Long Live the South!” roared from the crowd. Lily Kate looked around as the enthusiastic cheers reverberated through the hall, and shook her head. She retook her seat. The number ended, and the audience moved onto the dance floor eager for the Grand Ball to commence.
David left Garnet talking to a covey of women, and walked to Lily’s side. He leaned in and whispered to her. “This is quite a celebration. Who knew Waco was so progressive in its day? And I’m married?”
“Appears so. Actually, Waco was one of the largest cities in Texas in the 1890’s—even bigger than Dallas and San Antonio. Cotton really was king here. I suppose that’s why the city fathers decided to do a cotton state fair type of thing … ” Her voice trailed off as she surveyed the crowd.
“Thanks for the history lesson, sis, but what do we do now?”
“There’s nothing we can do except play along until we can get back to our own time.”
“
And how do we manage that?”
“We need to return to the house. I think the album is the touch point between the time warps.”
Garnet swished to David’s side. “Aren’t you going to ask your wife to dance?” Her hazel eyes glistened as she flirted with her husband. “You’re still the best dancer in town.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join us next Friday for part 2 of chapter 4.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.
The post A Watch In Time – Chapter Four, Part 1 appeared first on Golden Keyes Parsons.
March 27, 2015
A Watch In Time – Chapter 3, Part 2
A Full Length Short Story by Golden Keyes Parsons
Chapter Three – Part 2
Click here to start with Chapter One
“Sit down. Although I didn’t want this to reoccur, I’ve been doing some thinking.” Lily replaced the album on the desk, and they sat on the bed. “I believe there is a purpose in all of this. We can’t fight it. I think we need to find out what the reason is, work through it and then perhaps these episodes will cease.”
“What are you talking about? Are you addled? Addled? I’ve never used that word in my life. Crazy! That’s what I meant to say—are you crazy?”
“What if we could find out about our ancestors? What if we found a key that would unlock the secrets of our past? What if we need that information to … oh, I don’t know … to clear something up in our century?”
“With who? Nobody’s left. Are you talking about altering the past?”
“No, nothing like that. I’m just talking about information that might lead to a discovery in our day and time that would heal the past.”
“What needs to be healed about our past?”
“Why do you think Mother never told us anything about our relatives? Why didn’t we have extended family like everyone else? What if there are forgiveness and reconciliation issues that need to be dealt with that we don’t know about?”
David looked in the mirror of a nearby vanity, and smoothed down his mustache. “Never thought about it.” He straightened up and took a deep breath. “I rather like the moustache.”
Loud banging interrupted their conversation. Easing out of the bedroom into the hallway and peering down the stairs, they watched a much older Tildy answer the front door.
“I must speak with Miss Lillian immediately.”
“Yes, sir, Dr. Kaufman. Come in, please. Weather’s mighty cold out there tonight.”
“Thank you, Tildy.” A middle-aged man, with a pointed goatee entered carrying a large basket.
Lily and David started down the curved staircase.
“Oh, good. You’re here too, David. I suppose your family has gone on to the Cotton Palace. Big opening night.”
David extended his hand to the doctor. “Uh … hmmmm … yes, of course.” He looked at his sister with a quirk of his eyebrows.
Lily’s mind raced. Opening of the Texas Cotton Palace – 1894.
Dr. Kaufman set the basket on the hall tree as the sound of a baby’s soft whimper filtered into the air. “I just delivered this little girl. The mother is … well, unable to keep it. She asked that it be brought to you, Miss Lillian, seeing as how you don’t have any children, and you’re a kind Christian woman.”
“Why I couldn’t possibly … I … .”
“I don’t have time to debate with you. I’m late already. You must take this little girl.” He paused as he opened the door.
“It’s your destiny.” And he was gone.
Lily gathered the baby in her arms. “Poor thing.” As she pulled the note from the blanket, something hit the wooden floor with a clank.
David picked up the pocket watch with its long braided fob and gave his sister a knowing glance.
Unfolding the note, Lily held it up to the gaslight to read:
I am not worthy to take care of my baby. The father does not know about her, nor do I want him to know. He is a good man, a prominent citizen, whose family would disown him if they knew that he had fathered a child with a woman from the Reservation. He has been out of town on business for the last six months and is due back in Waco this week. I must make arrangements quickly. I have heard that you are good people. Use the watch to help pay for my baby’s care. Please, please love my baby.
The Reservation … this baby was the illegitimate child of a prostitute.
Watch … watch! Was this what her mother was talking about? A timepiece? She turned it over in her hand. It didn’t look like an 1861 timepiece to her, more like the turn of the century. Clicking it open, she read the engraved message on the inside. “I wait for thee.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join us next Friday for part 1 of chapter 4.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.
The post A Watch In Time – Chapter 3, Part 2 appeared first on Golden Keyes Parsons.
March 20, 2015
A Watch In Time – Chapter 3, Part 1
A Full Length Short Story by Golden Keyes Parsons
Chapter Three – Part 1
Click here to start with Chapter One
Lily closed the door of her mother’s bedroom after returning the watch to its hiding place in the trunk and leaving the family album closed on a small writing desk. Whether she really had been catapulted back to 1861 or not, she did not wish to experience that out-of-control, helpless situation ever again.
Days passed into months. Lily passed by the closed door of her mother’s room every day, but she left it closed, ignoring it. However, the tome and the trunk beckoned to her. What secrets did the watch hold? Did the message of aching devotion speak of a forbidden love? Perhaps the watch held the key to the family’s mysterious heritage.
Her brother, munching on a cookie, met her in the hallway. The evening setting sun sent beams of light through the stained glass transom at the end of the hall. “Been back to 1861 lately? Any news from the battlefront?” David whistled the first line of “Dixie,” and poked her playfully.
Lily rubbed her arm, and glared at him. “Ouch. That hurt. So do your remarks.”
“Sorry.” He leaned his tall angular frame against the wall. “Are you sticking with your story?”
“I know it sounds unbelievable, but I was there in 1861 watching you march with the Lone Star Guard to war. It was horrible.” She reached for his hand. “And you had that same gash on your hand that you got opening a box for me.” Turning his hand over, she smiled. “You’re going to have a scar.”
“Nah, it’s fine.” He rubbed the purple mark. “Don’t you think you simply experienced a vivid dream?”
“What about the clothes I had on?”
“You found them in the trunk.” David grasped the doorknob. “Come on. I’ll show you. There’s nothing to all of this nonsense.”
“Don’t go in there. Leave it be.”
He took her by the elbow. “I’m right here with you.” He flipped the overhead light switch. “Must be burned out
.” Coaxing Lily into a chair in front of the desk, he turned on the lamp. A soft glow surrounded them from the candle bulb in the small fixture.
David bent over his sister’s shoulders and began to thumb through the pages of the book. “See, nothing to be frightened about … nothing at all … nothing … ” He grabbed the book and stared. “There’s nothing … on … these …”
The candle lamp transformed before their eyes into a candle flame. Lily stood sending the chair clattering to the floor. David threw the album on the bed and stepped backwards. Lily grabbed his hands. His mouth was moving, but a buzzing in her ears drowned out whatever he was saying. She clung to her brother’s hands.
Finally the buzzing stopped, and the siblings gawked at each other. Lily let go and touched the graying hair around his temples. She looked at her wrinkled hands with brown age spots. “I told you. I warned you. Look at us. Now we’re old.”
David took hold of the lapels of the frock coat he wore. “I … we … what is this?”
Lily patted her dark thick hair to find it now in a soft French twist. She fingered the sweetheart neckline and large puffed sleeves of her dress. “We’re dressed for an evening out. I wonder what year it is.”
“You may be playing this game, but I’m not doing this, sis. Let’s get back to our century.” He grabbed the book from the bed and opened it.
“That won’t do any good until the time is right. Sit down…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join us next Friday for part 2 of chapter 3.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.
The post A Watch In Time – Chapter 3, Part 1 appeared first on Golden Keyes Parsons.
March 13, 2015
A Watch In Time – Chapter 2, Part 2
A Full Length Short Story by Golden Keyes Parsons
Chapter Two – Part 2
Click here to start with Chapter One
(David stared at his sister as he tossed the paper towel into the trash. “Sure you did.”)
“Believe me, I know how weird this sounds. But you were there too, with your injured hand. You were marching off to the Civil War with the Lone Star Guard, and I was helpless to stop you.” Tears pooled in her eyes. “I tried to explai
n the lost cause of the South to you, and you wouldn’t listen.” She shook her head. “You … you were marching to your death, and you wouldn’t listen to me.”
David patted her hand. “Hey, you’re really upset, aren’t you?” He stood. “Look at me. I’m fine. Nothing’s happened to me.”
“Hear what I’m saying. I really was in 1861.”
“Be reasonable, Sis. You put on a dress you found in that trunk, and imagined all of this. Or you fell asleep and dreamed it.”
“No, I put the dress on in 1861. The pages of the book were blank.” Lily grabbed her brother’s hand and pulled him out of his chair. “Come with me. I’ll show you.”
Dragging him through the dining room and across the hall into their mother’s bedroom, she pointed to the album that lay beside the open trunk. She picked it up and opened it, afraid of what she would see—printed pages.
Slamming the book shut, she shuddered. “They’re not blank anymore, but I don’t want to look at them right now. I was 
looking at this when I … oh, I don’t know what happened to me. I just know I was really there, and it was awful knowing what was going to happen—helpless to save you or anyone else.”
David laughed at her and looked at his watch. “Gotta go. The band has a gig tonight. Won’t be back until after midnight.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Will you be OK?”
“I’ll be fine. I need to get out of these clothes. But I’m telling you, David, it was real.”
David waved at her as he left the room. “Yeah, whatever. See ya later.”
Lily returned to her mother’s bedroom, and struggled to get the dress unbuttoned. Now I know why they had servants. This is impossible. She put on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and carefully folded the dress and crinolines. Wondering what else she might find in the trunk, she dug down through the garments, and felt along the sides and bottom of the trunk. She noticed a bulge.
Something was stitched into the cloth lining along the side of the trunk. That was not there in 1861. Removing the garments, she got hold of the bulge and pulled. The thin, fragile cloth ripped, and a small package wrapped in soft blue fabric, along with a folded piece of paper, fell into her hand. She opened the brittle paper. In faded ink written in beautiful script:
This simple gift,
Beloved, mine,
Will mark the days,
Measure the time.
Our love, forbidden,
Will one day be free.
Wait for me,
Beloved, I wait for thee.
The package was heavy. She turned back the delicate folds of the blue fabric and an ornate gold women’s pendant watch on a long gold braided chain lay in her hands.
Watch … watch! Was this what her mother was talking about? A timepiece? She turned it over in her hand. It didn’t look like an 1861 timepiece to her, more like the turn of the century. Clicking it open, she read the engraved message on the inside. “I wait for thee.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join us next Friday for part 1 of chapter 3.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.
The post A Watch In Time – Chapter 2, Part 2 appeared first on Golden Keyes Parsons.
March 10, 2015
AUTHOR INTERVIEW – MARTHA HOOK
AUTHOR INTERVIEW – MARTHA HOOK
For our author interview today, I am absolutely thrilled today to welcome for my last interview in the series one of my dearest friends. We met some 40 years ago I think when both of our husbands were directors of Christian conference centers. Oh, my! can it be that long ago? We have become reconnected in the last 8 years or so ago since we both have been writing Christian fiction. Martha is an accomplished educator, speaker, Bible teacher and author. Welcome, Martha!
Don’t forget to leave a comment with your email address below on the blog, between March 10-17, and be entered to win a free, signed copy of Martha’s book, Glory Be! We will announce the winner next week.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.
I grew up in Dallas TX and went to North Texas State College and SMU. My husband and I married, had 3 daughters and lived in Philadelphia PA ,Wheaton IL , Dallas , Tyler and Longview TX . I taught Literature for two years at a Bible College before our second daughter arrived. Now I live in Tyler TX where one of my daughters and 6 grandchildren live. The other daughters live in Montana and Louisiana with my other 6 grandchildren.
Tell us about your latest book, and how it came about.
My latest book, Glory Be!, an historical romance novel, is the first book in The Springdale Series. I kept wondering how an exhausted Civil War surgeon might find a new start. It was a tiny idea that wouldn�’t let me go. So I took the challenge to write this doctor�’s story and the equally compelling tale of the woman he comes to love. Underneath this story runs my effort to follow the struggles of two traumatized people who find ways to recover before our modern recovery resources were available. But most of all, I wanted to show the amazing power of God to heal broken people. I know about brokenness because my own marriage of 40 years failed. Glory Be! is not autobiographical, but I can relate to the pain of Adam and Clarissa�’s story.I’�d like to share the recent announcement that Glory Be! has won first place for Genre Fiction in the current Writer�s Digest Contest for Self Published Writers. It also won second place for Fiction in the 2014 Christian Writers Contest. To God be the Glory Be!
And it is about time! This is a wonderful read, and deserves these awards. Congratulations!
Share about your genre and why you write in this style.
The genre and style for Glory Be! chose me. The style developed around the demands of the story I wanted to tell. My other other novel, Acts By E-Mail, is told in an epistolary style. It’s about a preacher who writes revealing letters about his congregation. I’�ve also written 4 non-fiction books in the past, one storybook for children and 3 study guides for women�’s Bible Study groups. So I’ve written in several genres and styles.
You are a multi-talented woman, that’s for sure.
What inspires you?
I�’m always surprised when a new idea for a story �happens� in my brain. I know it’�s a gift from heaven because I don’�t normally stress about what would make a good story or plot. If the idea is there, I know to write it down on the spot. This happens with those big ideas where a book begins down to small sentences that will enhance a story. And I pray a lot.
Tell us about your writing process.
My writing process is simple. I start when I have a firm idea of where my story is going and how to get it there. I am committed to writing on my manuscript every day, whether it is a correction or two or several new pages. I do a huge amount of re-writing and self-editing which can be very time consuming. Since right now I’�m self publishing, my only deadlines are the ones I impose on myself.
What are your writing goals?
At the top of my list of goals is to complete The Springdale Series. Currently I�m half finished with Sakes Alive!, the second book in the series, which follows the saga of the Norcutt Family. I also want to write down some family stories that are quite interesting and entertaining.
What do you wish someone had told you about writing?
In college and graduate school I took many courses centered on the great works of literature. These have certainly influenced me in my writing. However, I wish I had taken some specific courses on creative writing. To advance my writing skills, I�’ve taken some helpful courses at workshops and on line.
I wish I had as well. I know it would have been very helpful.
Tell us something about yourself that nobody knows.
All by myself, I killed a deadly coral snake. I was motivated by the verse: �Red and yellow kill a fellow. Red and black is a friend of Jack.� This one definitely had the deadly combination. It was truly a beautiful creature and over 2 feet long. But we were working at a camp for children–end of story.
What hobbies do you enjoy?
Any time I would normally spend on a specific hobby is now taken up in writing. I love to cook, and am a book-a-week reader. I enjoy garage sales, but try not to stop at too many. I may go on a cruise in the fall. I’�ve recently learned to play Mahjongg.
I started playing Mah Jong a couple of years ago to give my brain a rest from writing. But, ahem, I didn’t think I could take off a whole afternoon a week! However after playing for a month or so, I fell in love with the game and play every week.
Where can your readers contact you?
Please contact me through email: mhookdal@sbcglobal.net or you can call me at 903-939-2335.
My novels are available in paperback through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and XulonPress. Glory Be! comes in paperback or e-book. Acts by E-mail comes in paperback or hard cover.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.
The post AUTHOR INTERVIEW – MARTHA HOOK appeared first on Golden Keyes Parsons.
March 6, 2015
A Watch In Time – Chapter 2 – Part 1
A Full Length Short Story by Golden Keyes Parsons
Chapter Two – Part 1
Click here to read Chapter One
The door creaked. Someone moved into her bedroom. Lily Kate Monroe peered through the slits of her squinted eyes and held her breath. It must be early morning. She waited for the person to move into view. It was the servant girl from her dream — Tildy. She remained in 1861. She was still dreaming. Or was she? Lily groaned and sat up.
“Miss Lillian, you feeling any better today?” Tildy moved from window to window opening the shutters to allow the bright morning sunlight to flood the dim room. “You ready for breakfast?”
Lily’s head started to swim again, and she shaded her eyes, lying back on the pillow. “I … yes … I mean, no … I mean … oh, I don’t know what I mean.” She sat up and swung her feet over the side of the bed, shoving them into a pair of slippers Tildy had placed beside the bed.
What she wouldn’t give for a cup of Starbuck’s. “I need to see David.”
Tildy paused in her fussing with the bedcovers. “He’s gone, Miss Lillian. He didn’t want to disturb you since you weren’t feelin’ well. Parade’s at 10 o’clock downtown. He said he’ll see you there.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lily stood at the side of the road and watched the replica of the static sepia photos she had seen in her history textbooks of the Lone Star Guard. It passed by in full color, the pounding rhythm of marching soldiers stirring up circles of dust around their booted feet. Young men, some as young as 16, were hopeful and eager for their quick, sure victory. She shook her head as they tramped in front of the cheering town citizens. Holding a handkerchief to her eyes, she blotted the tears that refused to stop. After the rousing formalities she clung to David, who continued to assure her that he would be fine. And then he marched away with his company — head held high, brandishing his weapon, the embodiment of manhood and patriotic pride.
The black driver pulled the buggy up in front of the house and assisted her exit from the quaint vehicle. She stared at the slave and wondered what his name was. “Thank you.”
“Yes’m.”
When is this nightmare going to end? I must be losing my mind. Flinging the wide-brimmed hat that Tildy had insisted she wear on the bed, she grabbed the album and went to her mother’s room. She hefted the lid of the trunk open and tossed the book onto the top of dresses and crinolines that lay folded neatly inside the chest. Lily started to search through the garments — for what she didn’t know — something, anything that could give her a clue. The album fell to the floor and landed at her feet.
Beep, beep, beep, beep. Huh? The microwave?
Jumping to her feet and stumbling over her hooped petticoat, she ran to the kitchen.
David stood at the sink holding his hand under the running water. Without looking up at her, he asked, “Do you know where the bandages are?”
“D — David?”
He turned the faucet off and tore a paper towel off the holder above the sink. He pulled his shirtsleeves down, covering his tattoos. “Who else were you expecting? Whoa! Where did you find that get-up?”
Lily looked down at the voluminous skirt of the day dress Tildy had helped her don only hours ago. She wiggled her foot clad with the front-laced Balmoral boots. Sitting at the kitchen table, she buried her head in her hands.
“What’s wrong, Sis? Are you OK?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so. You’re not gonna believe this.” She took a deep breath. “I … I just traveled through time to 1861.”
David stared at his sister as he tossed the paper towel into the trash. “Sure you did.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join us next Friday for the continuation of Chapter Two.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.
The post A Watch In Time – Chapter 2 – Part 1 appeared first on Golden Keyes Parsons.
March 4, 2015
AUTHOR INTERVIEW – VICKIE MCDONOUGH
I’m delighted to welcome Vickie McDonough to our author interview today. Vickie and I have never met in person, but 
have had reason to converse via the internet as authors on a regular basis. She is a prolific writer and a best selling author and has penned 35 novels and novellas. Her books have won multiple awards including the 2012 Booksellers’ Best Award, the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Contest, Texas Gold, and she has been a finalist in ACFW’s BOTY/Carol Awards eight times. Vickie and her husband make their home in Northeastern Oklahoma. Welcome, Vickie!
Don’t forget to leave a comment with your email address below on the blog, between March 4 and March 10, and be entered to win a free, signed copy of Vickie’s newest release, Gabriel’s Atonement! We will announce the winner next week.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.
I’ve been married to a sweet computer geek for over 39 years. We have four grown sons. One is married and has a precious eight-year-old daughter. We’ve lived our whole lives in Oklahoma, except for one year, when my husband and I were newly married and we lived on a kibbutz in Israel for a year. It was a cool experience. I’ve been writing since January 2001, and I’ve had 35 books and novellas published. I mostly write historicals set in the late 1800s, but I have done a few contemporaries, including a Love Inspired Suspense called Rancher Under Fire, which released last fall.
Wow! Four sons! That must have been a lively household. And to have lived in Israel. What an experience that must have been.
Tell us about your latest book, and how it came about.
My most recent release is Gabriel’s Atonement, book 1 in my Land Rush Dreams series. It’s a book I started writing back in 2008 and is one that’s been on my heart every since. I wrote about 1/3 of it, but then I had to set it aside to work on a contracted book. After several tries, my agent sold it to Barbour, and it just released in January.
Here’s what the book is about: Gambler Gabe Coulter is content with his comfortable life—but when a man with a gun confronts him in a dark alley, everything changes. Guilt riddles him for killing Tom Talbot, even though it was self-defense. The dying man said the money he lost to Gabe was meant for his destitute wife and son. The only way Gabe knows to rid himself of the guilt over killing Talbot is to return the money he won to the man’s wife.
Lara Talbot doesn’t believe Tom had money. She sees Gabe as a charming con artist like her irresponsible husband and wants nothing to do with him. She struggles to feed her family, keep her rebellious sister in line, and care for her young son and sick grandpa. The land rush in the Oklahoma Territory seems the only way for them to get a home, so Lara rides, but her dreams don’t turn out as planned. Could God have a bigger dream for her than she could imagine?
Share about your genre and why you write in this style.
I write mostly historicals set in the West. I grew up watching the westerns of the 1960’s with my dad. I fell in love with horses, cowboys, and all things western. My dream was to marry a rancher when I grew up so I could ride horses as often as I wanted, but alas, that didn’t happen. Instead, I pen stories of those exciting days.
If all my husband had to watch was old cowboy movies, he’d be perfectly happy!
What inspires you?
A good book. A beautiful day. An inspiring church sermon. Letters from my readers. Reaching a goal. I’d be super inspired if I could lose some weight.
Tell us about your writing process.
I normally plot out the skeleton of my book before I ever start writing. I know my characters fairly well, but they still surprise me. If I’m not on deadline, I prefer to write five days a week, and I’ll usually write about 1500 words a day. Of course, if I’m on deadline, I work much longer hours and often all weekend.
I admire your discipline That many words a day will turn out lots of books.
What are your writing goals?
My goals for this year are to finish book 3 in my Land Rush Dreams series and complete the edits on book 2 Joline’s Redemption, write a novella for a new cowboy collection for Barbour, and then I want to epublish several novellas that I’ve gotten my rights back on.
What do you wish someone had told you about writing?
I knew very little about writing when I started my first book. I was a math kid way back when I went to school and didn’t care much for English or history classes. I wish I’d paid more attention to learning to write. I had to relearn everything, and it’s taken a while.
I’m not sure that answers your question. I guess I wish someone had told me how important it is to have other writers in your life. They are the only people who will understand exactly what you struggle with and what you mean when you say your character is talking to you. They encourage you when you’re down and help brainstorm when you get stuck. I would encourage all writers to find someone else who writes and befriend them.
I would certainly agree with that, Vickie. I’d heard stories about some of the … shall we say “different” … experiences that fiction authors share and thought they sounded rather strange. Now I understand. And a good critique group is vital. I love our Heroes, Heroines and History group of historical authors, most of whom I’ve never met in person, but feel we are a sisterhood. Thank you for all you do to facilitate that organization.
Tell us something about yourself that nobody knows.
I’m not sure there’s anything about me that nobody knows, but few people know that I always wear socks except when I’m in the shower or when I wear a dress. I can’t stand to go barefoot. I’ve even been known to wear socks with flip-flops—I heard those gasps.!
And you are from Oklahoma!
What hobbies do you enjoy?
Reading western fiction is always on the list. Counted cross-stitch used to be my favorite hobby, but I haven’t done any lately because my eyesight isn’t as good as it used to be. Recently, I took some stained glass classes, and I’m looking forward to working on some projects when my garage warms up in the spring. My sister and I have a booth at an antique mall, and I love going to garage sales, estates sales, and auctions to find things to put in the booth, which we named Sassy Sisters.
Thank you so much, Vickie, for your time. I loved finding out more about you. Readers, please find below where this wonderful author can be found on the internet.
Website: vickiemcdonough.com (There’s a sign-up link for my newsletter on the Home page. Look for the “wanted” poster)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VickieMcDonough
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vickiemcdonough
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/VickieMcDonough/
Heroes, Heroines, and History blog: http://HHHistory.com
Don’t forget to leave a comment with your email address below on the blog, between March 4 and March 10, and be entered to win a free, signed copy of Vickie’s newest release, Gabriel’s Atonement! We will announce the winner next week.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.
The post AUTHOR INTERVIEW – VICKIE MCDONOUGH appeared first on Golden Keyes Parsons.
February 27, 2015
A Watch in Time – Chapter 1, Part 2
A Full Length Story by Golden Keyes Parsons
Chapter 1, Part 2
(Click Here to read Part 1)
“No, I’m not ill. This is my house, and I don’t know who you are. Where is David?”
The young servant stared at her. “Why, it’s Tildy. Don’t you know me? I been with you since we been chil’ren.” She wrung her hands on her apron. “Oh, dear.” Tildy turned and ran through the dining room door. “Mama!”
Lily picked up the album and followed her, stopping to glance at the glowing candlelit chandelier above the table and the candelabra scattered throughout the room into the parlor. She reached for the electrical switch beside the door finding only blank wall space. She shook her head. “David!”
An older black woman with a colorful scarf wrapped around her head bustled into the dining room followed by Tildy. “Your face is white as a sheet, Miss Lillian. You look like you done seen a ghost.”
“And who might you be?”
“See, Mama? She don’t know us. She not well.”
“Mama” felt of Lily’s forehead. “No fever. Did you bump your head?”
Lily brushed “Mama’s” hand away. “No, I didn’t bump my head. I’ve been in mother’s room looking at this family album. I’m perfectly fine. Where’s David?”
“He packin’. You know the Lone Star Guard marching out in the morning.”
“The Lone Star Guard?” Lily sifted through the labyrinth of her memory and her studies in Texas history at Baylor University. That was the unit from Waco that fought in the Civil War. She looked around the dining room again—definitely her house, but different. No electricity. Black servants. She sat at the table before her trembling knees buckled beneath her.
“What’s today? What’s the date?”
“Why it’s July 21st.”
Lily waited for what she desperately wanted to know, but didn’t want to hear. “Yes?”
Tildy cleared her throat. “Uh … 1861.”
Lily folded her hands together to halt the quivering that threatened to take over her entire body.
“They leave tomorrow?”
“Yes’m.”
“I must stop him. He can’t go to war. This is a horrible mistake.”
Tildy took her by the elbow. “Let me help you to your room, Miss Lillian. You’ll feel better after you rests for a bit.”
Lily shook her arm free. “After I see David. I don’t need any assistance. I’m fine.”
“Yes’m.” The servant clasped her hands in front of her chest, and stepped back.
Lily grabbed the book, ran out of the kitchen and up the staircase. A light shone from under David’s door. Without knocking she stepped inside.
David, bent over his bed closing a duffle bag, turned to grin at her. His hair was pulled back in the familiar pony tail, but his arms were void of tattoos. No earring.
“Almost finished packing.”
Lily’s mouth hung open. “Where are you going?”
“What do you mean? You know perfectly well where I’m going—off to whip some Blue Belly Yankees.”
This had to be a horrible dream. I simply need to wake up. She bit the inside of her lip. What if it’s not a dream though? What if by some bizarre time warp I’ve really been catapulted back to 1861? She tasted blood.
“Listen to me, David. You cannot go. The cause is doomed. The South will be ravaged and hundreds of thousands of men are going to lose their lives. You will fight valiantly, but by the end of the war at Appomattox only 17 of the Lone Star Guard will remain.”
“What are you jabbering about? What’s Appomattox? We’re going to make short order of the Union troops. They don’t stand a chance.”
“Please believe me. I know what I’m talking about. I … ”
David patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about this. I’ll be back before you know it.”
She stepped into her remaining family member’s arms, and began to sob. “You mustn’t go. I cannot lose you.”
David kissed her hand. “Nothing’s gonna happen to me.” He chucked her underneath her chin. “You’re beginning to sound like you agree with Sam Houston. And we showed him what we thought about his sympathies with the Union—ran him out of town, we did, after his speech on New Year’s Day.” He snickered.
Lily Kate held his hand to her cheek and wet it with her tears. “I cannot bear to lose you.” She pulled back and looked at his hand, gasping at what she saw—across the back of his hand—a fresh slash. “How did you do this?”
“You know how I did that. Opening a box for you before supper.”
Lily swooned and descended into the welcome oblivion of unconsciousness.
Join us next week for part three…
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.
The post A Watch in Time – Chapter 1, Part 2 appeared first on Golden Keyes Parsons.
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