Maureen Lang's Blog, page 14

My Visit to RT

Last week I participated in a couple of workshops at the 2012 Romantic Times Book Lovers Convention in Chicago, Illinois. Fellow author Roxanne Rustand had taken the opportunity to gather a few Inspirational authors together to present a panel on crossing over from the secular to the Christian market.


Romantic Times has a fairly long history when it comes to the romance market, dedicated entirely to the romance industry. Beside the annual conference, they produce an extensive book review magazine once a month, offering reviews of many new releases in all kinds of romance genres—everything from the sweets to the opposite end of the spectrum. In recent years RT has embraced that far end of the spectrum all the way to erotica, which is why it's a hopeful sign that those of us in the Inspirational market are being welcomed as well. We can be a voice to let everyone know such books exist.


Because of its longstanding reputation as a review vehicle, being awarded four stars from RT is something to celebrate, mainly because the name is so widely recognized and the circulation in the romance industry has a far reach.


One nice thing about the yearly convention is that it draws aspiring writers together with readers. The how-to workshops obviously help writers glean more information about the craft and industry, but it's a unique opportunity for readers to not only meet authors but get a peek at what goes on behind the books.




Allie Pleiter and I talked about Christian historical fiction in one workshop. We shared how we get many of our ideas, how we start with an inciting historical event or a compelling character, and some of the elements that go into Christian fiction.

In another workshop, Allie and I were joined by authors Lyn Cote and Roxanne Rustand. Lyn had to rush off to a meeting, so only Roxanne, Allie and I are pictured. We had fun talking about our writing journeys and the differences between secular and Christian fiction. It's always fun to meet readers who are happy to discover there are books out there with a Christian theme!









  I was pleased to meet one of RT's avid reviewers, Leslie McKee. Leslie told me she looks forward to choosing my books when they're offered for a review—and that's one compliment every author dreams of, coming from an RT reviewer.



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Here is a shot of me with fellow authors Michelle Sutton and Shawna K. Williams. I've known Michelle for several years, through ACFW. I'm glad to say she's staying in town a couple of extra days and we're getting together today for a visit!




And I was even able to snap a quick picture with my Tyndale editor, Stephanie Broene. Stephanie was there to participate in Pitch-A-Palooza, a sort of speed-dating scenario to match aspiring writers and editors. I wonder which is more stressful? Pitching a book to an editor, or yourself to a prospective date? Yikes, I think authors put so much of themselves into their work my guess is the stress level must be about equal.




So there's a glimpse into this year's RT Convention!

An End to Family Myths?

This past week my husband and I were comparing stories that have been handed down in both of our families. And by "stories" I really mean something along the lines of a family myth. Not that I haven't casually believed the myths in my family. I just never stopped to really evaluate them one way or the other—until one of the myths came up this past week.

My grandmother, sometime during her mid-thirties, lost a child to an aggressive form of pneumonia. The family story goes that this child, who would have been my aunt if she'd lived, was perfectly fine one day, awakened sick the next morning. By mid-afternoon she was much worse and my frantic grandmother took her to the hospital — only to be told there was nothing they could do. This was somewhere around 1930, so medicine wasn't what it is today. By that same night her little girl was dead. My grandmother was so shocked by her only daughter's death at just seven years of age that she refused to leave her bedside, where she held her own little vigil all night long. The doctor, seeing my grandmother was inconsolable, let her stay by her daughter's side throughout the night. In the morning, so it's been said throughout my lifetime and before, my grandmother's hair had turned completely white.

Well, never having known my grandmother with anything but the most wonderful white hair, it never occurred to me to question the story. I just accepted it as fact.

And my husband's family myth? He was raised in rural Illinois, farm country. The story goes that only his grandfather could use a divining rod successfully; he could find water or natural gas beneath the ground, when no one else could. The rod would point one way for gas, the other for water.

So . . . could either story be true? Can someone's hair turn white overnight, because of extreme stress or shock? And can someone find water or natural gas underground with nothing but a sturdy stick that's shaped like a Y?

My husband and I spent a bit of time online researching our family myths. I'll say up front that my husband was far more skeptical than I was. We both came away with some healthy doubts.

A divining rod is no more reliable than what you'd think: it's a stick. A plain, ordinary, stick. If someone finds water with something like that, it's a miracle.

And my grandmother's hair? I did find one site that said stress can cause a person's hair to fall out overnight, and if they have a mix of both gray and original color, the gray is strangely resistant to this phenomena of falling out. So if a person loses a considerable amount of their naturally colored hair and only the gray remains, it could be seen as going gray over night. I'm not sure this was the case with my grandmother, giving her relatively young age—I tend to believe the shock did turn her hair to its lovely white at an early age (the story was that she had white hair at a rather young age). The shock of losing her precious daughter might have begun that change. But overnight? Probably not. Maybe it was a matter of weeks, which might have seemed overnight to her and those who knew her.

My point in writing this is that in this day of video recording, can such myths last in families any more? If my family had more pictures of my grandmother during this time in her life, we'd have seen evidence of such a dramatic change.

And if someone had taken a video of my husband's grandfather divining water with a stick, that would be enough to prove his talent.

So the stories that are handed down in families these days won't be the oral kind that are touched by love and loyal devotion and even the drama of a moment. They'll likely have to be backed up by smart phone video if future generations are to believe the stories of this day and age.
Image Source Page: http://blog.pgdp.net/2011/05/19/curious-myths-of-the-middle-ages/

New Fiction Wednesday!

 This week I'm happy to introduce the latest from K. Dawn Byrd!  Lessonsfrom the Open RoadA couple of years ago, the idea of writing a devotionalabout the lessons I learned while riding a motorcycle came to me. I had no ideawhat I was getting into and how much writing devotionals would minister to meas an author. I jotted down notes for weeks, hoping to come up with enoughlessons to take the reader through a month.Lessons from the Open Road ended with 33 lessons, each followed byScripture and prayer.
Sometimes life is hard. Sometimes learning new things ishard. Just when I thought I'd mastered the parking lot where I was learning toride my little Yamaha Virago starter bike, I pulled out, forgot to hit thebrake, did an Evel Knievel, and jumped a short concrete wall, landing in sometrees. My poor little bike limped home with a hole in the crankcase the size ofa quarter. J-B Weld to the rescue!
I'm stubborn, too stubborn to quit. After I recovered fromthe sore neck that resulted from my stunt, I climbed back on the old iron horse.Eventually, I graduated from the parking lot and hit the streets. When I'dlearned to ride well enough to satisfy hubby, he bought himself a new Harleyand I inherited his anniversary edition Harley Davidson Sportster. And, when Igraduated with my masters degree, you'd never guess what I wanted. Yep, a newbike. I became the proud owner of a Screamin Eagle V-Rod (picture attached.) 
All good things must eventually come to an end. I enjoyed mydays on the road, but found another passion. Writing. I work a full-time joband since there's only so much time in the day, I have to choose what's mostimportant to me. The bike had to go. Occasionally, I miss it, but for the mostpart, I'd rather be writing. I'm hoping the devotions in Lessons from the Open Road will minister to your heart as much aswriting them did to mine.
Lessonsfrom the Open Road is currently available in ebook format and willbe coming soon in print. I had planned to list it at no cost, but Amazonwouldn't allow me to do so. I've listed it at the lowest price Amazon allows,99 cents, and all proceeds will be donated to my church's building fun for thenew church that's currently under construction.
For more information about Lessons from the Open Road, youcan check it out on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Open-Road-ebook/dp/B007OYYG64/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332895452&sr=8-1
Links:Book giveaway blog: www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com Young adult blog: www.zoe-mack.blogspot.comWebsite: www.kdawnbyrd.com  I'm also on Twitter (kdawnbyrd)and facebook (K Dawn Byrd.) I am the moderator of the Christian FictionGathering facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=128209963444)If you join this group, you'll get reminders about the weekly book giveaways. 
About K. Dawn Byrd:
K. Dawn Byrd is an author of inspirational romance, romanticsuspense, and non-fiction. She is an avid blogger and gives away several booksper week on her blog at www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com,most of which are signed by the authors. She's also the moderator of thepopular facebook Christian Fiction Gathering group at http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=128209963444.When not reading or writing, K. Dawn Byrd enjoys spendingtime with her husband of 16 years while walking their dogs beside a gorgeouslake near her home and plotting the next story waiting to be told.

Have you counted the Alps lately?

From the years 1998 to 2008 engineers in Switzerland built the Large Hadron Collider - a structure created to allow physicists to test predictions relating to theories about particle physics and high-energy physics and whether or not the Higgs boson hypothesis is true or not.

Absolutely none of that interests me (perhaps it might if I knew what any of it meant). What does interest me, however, is that this huge laboratory (17 miles in circumference) was built below ground - 300 feet beneath homes, farms and other structures belonging to people just like you and me.



This prompted several immediate questions in my non-scientific mind:

What right had they to build something beneath someone else's property? If a scientist wanted to build something beneath my house, even so far down, I'd not only want to know about it - I'd want to be part of the group of neighbors trying to stop it.

Because after all, we own our land all the way to the core of the earth, right? My husband said I'm not the only American to wonder about this, but evidently that's not how Europeans feel about their land so rich in history. Perhaps they realize they're temporary caretakers, whereas we young and brash Americans have different ideas about the depth of our freedom - and our ownership.

Prompting yet another question. What in the world did they do with all that displaced dirt? Which of course inspired the title of today's blog post. So is there a new Alp in Switzerland? Is that what they did with all that dirt they removed from underneath those miles of other people's property?

There is no real reason for this week's topic, except that it seemed a fascinating discussion between my husband and I one day last week.
(Image Source Page: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/08/the_large_hadron_collider.html )
And now for those of you who remember me talking about the dress I couldn't stop myself from buying for my daughter's wedding. I'm pasting below several snapshots we took here at home. As you can see, the color looks a bit different depending on the light, which is part of the reason I was drawn to it in the first place. Isn't it pretty? I only wish the photos could have captured the sparkle on the bolero the way the candlelight did at the reception!

Keep An Open Mind

This week my husband and I were discussing some of the intricacies of his Physics class. Sometimes, if a student isn't naturally inclined toward the sciences, they can get so confused they're not sure which way is up.

Sound too basic to be believed? When I asked how a high school student could doubt something so fundamental, this is how the conversation went:

Me: So, which way is up?

Hubby: That depends.

Me: How could it depend on anything? Up is . . . up!

Hubby: What if you're on a roller coaster, upside down, with your eyes shut? If someone asks you to point up, which way would you point?

Me: Well, if I didn't know which way I was hanging on that roller coaster, I'd point to the way up has always been to me. I'd point up.

Hubby: Which would, of course be wrong, if you were upside down. If the someone who'd asked you to point up were on the ground, to them you'd be pointing down. Here's another example. What if you were in space? Which way would up be then?

Me: So . . . up can change, depending on circumstances or perception?

Hubby: Yes.

I won't even tell you what he thought a more appropriate name for the movie "Up" would be. Okay, I will. Increasing Radial Distance From the Center of the Earth. How's that for a catchy title? Too long? How about the acronym? IRDFCE - pronounced Erdface, of course. I'm sure that would go over big with children.

So what did we learn from this little discussion? That our perspective impacts all of our perceptions about the world around us. So the next time you make an important decision or form an opinion about someone (including yourself) don't forget to consider circumstances and perception!

Image Source Page: http://www.hazchemsafety.co.uk/shop/p...

P.S. Please visit next week when I talk about my daughter's lovely wedding!

Which Generation Has Seen More Change?

Image Source Page: http://autos-showrooms.blogspot.com/2009/12/audi-concept-car-i-robot-walllpaper.htmlMy husband was showing me an article he came across about how sophisticated cars are expected to become over the next few years. One source from GM claims that by the end of this decade self-driven cars will be on the road. Essentially they'll be a driving computer, able to sense pedestrians and other vehicles, read road speed signs and even figure out whether or not to speed up or slow down if another car is trying to merge in from a nearby oncoming ramp. Sensors from every angle will take in and interpret all of the input from the surrounding vicinity.

So as this article puts it, should man drive a computer, or should a computer drive man? Judging by the number of human-error fatalities that happen every year, the answer seems obvious—if the technology is as safe and precise as they claim possible.

Dreaming about how much safer the roads could be for aging eyes and reflexes like mine and my husbands will be in ten years led me to wonder which generation has seen more advancements. Ours or our grandparents? Frankly I'm skipping my parent's generation, simply because new services and products weren't nearly as spectacular as the generations before and after them. The greatest generation was great for a variety of reasons, but let's face it, they were pretty busy fighting wars, hot and cold.

I came up with a list of some of the things both my grandmother and my husband's grandmother would have seen in their lifetimes. My grandmother lived from 1894 until 89 years later, 1983. And my husband's grandmother was born in 1895 and died 101 years later, in 1996.

AutomobileTelephoneRefrigeration and Air Conditioning Widespread ElectriticyRadioTelevisionComputersRockets and satellitesNuclear bomb
This doesn't even address all of the medical advances like the iron lung, the polio vaccine, and diabetes insulin, to name a few.

In comparison, what about the generation of my husband and me? The strides made in our lifetime seem huge, but were they as spectacular? My grandmother's life went from simple to sophisticated in ways we probably couldn't imagine. From horse travel to watching a man land on the moon?

The changes in our lives have been advancements within already existing technology. Cars are faster; phones don't need wires; satellites can show us places we never knew existed; we can watch an unimaginable selection of television wherever and whenever we choose; computers are smaller, faster, can give us an encyclopedia of knowledge at the click of a mouse and are more socially relevant than ever.

And now cars will be driving us around more safely than we can drive ourselves.

This, of course, led me to thinking about all of the changes in the publishing world. When I was a child wanting to write for publication someday, I knew I'd have to be accepted by a publishing professional who may or may not share my vision for the kind of stories I wanted to write. My acceptance depended on a lot more than talent—it depended on my own persistence as well as timing, luck, the demands of the market, and the opinion of the only professionals I could reach who might be willing to gamble on whether or not readers would be interested in whatever I had to write.

But nowadays, if a writer can figure out a way to reach an audience, they can publish their own books without breaking the bank.

Technology keeps on going, in every area of life. Every once in a while I just have to pause a moment and take note of how much the advancements have impacted everyone's life, including my own.

This Too, Shall Pass

Over the weekend my husband and I were concerned about all of the help we're going to need with care-giving for our disabled son in the next few weeks, because of the upcoming wedding in the family. Okay, I was actually the one doing all of the worrying (I do it so well!) but I do think my husband was feeling some of the frustration. Most of the time we're able to work out our schedules, but when both of us need to be somewhere it takes some careful planning and lots of outside help.


After a few frantic phone calls that didn't seem to lead anywhere, things were looking a bit bleak for both of us to be at the rehearsal dinner.  During the time we're supposed to be gone, it's a complicated schedule to transport our son from home to therapy and then to a special rec program and back home to meds and bed — so we almost caved in to the unpleasant idea of one of us staying home. But then one of our small group members heard we had a need, and she didn't hesitate to volunteer her help.


I think at least part of my frustration was the stark contrast between the joy that comes with a wedding and the complications unique to our family. And though it might be a rather circuitous route, this is the one that led us to our discussion of heaven.


All of us have challenges—that's part of life. But for those of us with the hope of heaven, we know this isn't all there is. How does the Bible put it? This life passes like a vapor (James 4:14) or withers like a grass (1 Peter 1:24). Those are just a couple reminders that I think can be meant as both cautionary and comforting. Heaven is where we'll spend eternity.


But am I the only one who can feel like whatever circumstances I'm in now will never end—even if I know better in my head and heart?


My husband came up with an analogy that resonated with me. Have you ever been driving the car and gotten sleepy? That delicious feeling of closing your eyes is so hard to fight, isn't it? You roll down the window or turn up the radio, anything to keep you focused on that long, boring road ahead. You know the moment you stop and get out that fatigue will instantly disappear—as if you never felt it. What about when you have a long drive home after a late evening, so tired on that drive but the minute you get out of the car and climb into bed you're too awake to sleep? Happens to me many times!


That comparison worked for me, because life is often like a struggle. Even the best of times—like a family wedding—can bring some unwelcome tension. But every once in a while we just need to be reminded that this isn't all there is. The troubles we face here? They'll pass. We know it in our head and our heart: the moment we cross over into heaven our worries will disappear, just like that road fatigue. We just have to make it through the rest of the journey without forgetting that!


So for the next two weeks, I'm determined to keep my focus on the joys of my oldest child getting married!

New Fiction!

This week I'm especially pleased to tell you about the newest book from my friend Jill Eileen Smith. I read an early version of Sarai for endorsement—which I wholeheartedly gave! Jill has a way of bringing alive the Biblical era, something she treats with care, great research, and with a passion for the heart of God that inspires her to honor God's Word with all of her stories.


Happy Reading!



Saraiby Jill Eileen Smith
He promised her his heart. She promised him a son. But how long mustthey wait?
Sarai, the last child of heraged father, is beautiful, spoiled, and used to getting her own way. Even as ayoung girl, she is aware of the way men look at her, including her half brotherAbram. When Abram finally requests Sarai's hand, she asks one thing–that hepromise never to take another wife as long as she lives. Even her father thinksthe demand is restrictive and agrees to the union only if Sarai makes a promisein return–to give Abram a son and heir. Certain she can easily do that, Saraiagrees.
But as the years stretch on andSarai's womb remains empty, she becomes desperate to fulfill her end of thebargain–lest Abram decide that he will not fulfill his. To what lengths willSarai go in her quest to bear a son? And how long will Abram's patience last?
From PW (Publisher'sWeekly):"Smith is at her best in handling thetriangulated relationship between Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar…Smith breathes newimaginative life into a well-known sacred story."

Excerpt:Ur, 2051 BCSarai glancedacross the courtyard, catching Abram's gaze. His half smile and the twinkle inhis eye warmed her more than the wine she had tasted at the start of theceremony. Music drifted around them as the bridal couple—their nephew Lot andhis new wife, Melah—took their seats on the bench beneath the canopy andaccepted rich foods from the hands of the servants."This wholewedding is a disgrace, you know." Sarai's sister-in-law Milcah stood at herelbow and leaned close to her ear. "Why her father agreed to the marriage afterLot had already humbled the girl . . . Though I suppose he didn't have muchchoice. Who else would want her after she'd already given in to Lot's charms?"Milcah batted at a fly, sending it away. "I can't imagine why Lot couldn't waitwith such a one. It's not as though she's a beauty or a temptress. It seemslike he could have done better." The last words came out in a whisper as Milcahmoved in close again.Sarai turned fromwatching the bridal couple to meet Milcah's pinched gaze. "If it is true that ababe is already on the way, it is better they marry." She had wearied of theheated debate and shame Lot had brought down on her household, particularly onAbram."Abi Terah seemspleased with the arrangement." Milcah touched Sarai's shoulder and pointedtoward their father. "Though his conditions did seem a little harsh toward Lot,while Melah came away already with child and married to a man who can never puther aside or take another. I might have given in to Nahor before our betrothalfor such a promise." She laughed at that, then shifted her ample bulk, burstingwith child herself, to face Sarai once more.To read the rest of the chapter, visit Jill's websiteFor links to purchase the book online visit: http://www.jilleileensmith.com/books/sarai/or visit your favorite local bookstore. Jill Eileen Smith is thebestselling author of Michal, Abigail,and Bathsheba, all part of the theWives of King David series. Her research into the lives of David's wives hastaken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning howwomen lived in Old Testament times. She lives with her family in southeastMichigan.

Now that's cheap entertainment!

This past weekend flew by as quickly as they all seem to do, but this time I had some fun mixed in with all of the laundry and usual errands, recent wedding preparations and other obligations.

For starters, I knew I wanted to read this month's book club selection—or at least begin reading it. Talk about cheap entertainment; I rented this one from the library, although I enjoyed it so much I may go out and buy my own copy just to have it. It's a book called What Alice Forgot, by  Liane Moriarty. I picked it up thinking I would just take a peek. With my daughter's upcoming wedding this month, if Book Club gets placed on the back burner, that's okay (my daughter is the founder, so if anyone has an excuse not to have it this month, it's her!).

But from the first page, I was hooked. Oh, I know it employs one of the most well-known plot devices—amnesia—but as I've always said, anything seem fresh if it's used well. And this author used it well! This book is funny and touching and it even made me think—all of my favorite book ingredients. The main character, a married mother of three, falls and hits her head during her spin class. Page one begins as she regains consciousness—only to realize she's forgotten the last ten years of her life. The good news is she's thinner and more energetic than ever; the bad news is those scratches she thought she picked up from the fall are actually fine lines and wrinkles just beginning to appear around her thirty-nine (not twenty-nine) year old eyes.

I won't give away more than that, and of course there were a couple of things I might have done differently (Sorry! I can't  help myself! I love rewriting other people's books.) But it's been a long time since I had to force myself not to peek ahead at the ending, I was so eager to find out what would happen. I'm proud to say I controlled myself and didn't even glance ahead to the next page, let alone spoiling the ending.

The book also had me wondering if I've changed in the last ten years. Life-altering events have a way of changing people, as this book demonstrated. Am I happier since these years have gone by, or have the hard knocks of life added an edge of bitterness? Have I taken my loved ones for granted?

You'll ask yourself these and more questions if you pick up this book!

Then on Saturday evening our handicapped son went to a Special Rec program—giving my husband and I the opportunity to enjoy some quiet time together. Redbox, anyone? So for a buck we picked up a movie and for a few dollars more some Quiznos subs, popped some corn in the microwave, and sat down to watch The Way, a story about a man who experienced some hard knocks of his own: a widower who at the beginning of the movie is informed that his only son has died in an accident in Europe. This father and son had grown apart because the son had the itch to leave his "normal" life and wander the world, something the father absolutely could not understand. Part of the son's wanderings took him to the Pyrenees mountains near the French border of Spain to start a special, spiritual journey—The Way of St. James. It's a pilgrimage that's been around for a thousand years, starting in various places in Europe but ending in the same spot: Santiago de Compostela, Spain, where it's believed the remains of St. James are buried.

Basically this is a movie with a message that contradicts what everyone thinks these days: the world says we're more "connected" than ever, because of the Internet. But if life is really about relationship, we're less connected than ever. It's a fascinating look at how this father, who lost his relational connection with others, finds that capacity again when he takes up The Way on his son's behalf, carrying his son's ashes along a five-hundred mile hike. Inspiring!

Finally, while I was baking cookies to freeze that will be included on the dessert table for my daughter's wedding this month, I had the television on while I was in the kitchen. I watched a movie based on the book Pope Joan, a fictitious account of a legendary female pope from Medieval days, in this rendition assigned to the 9th century. It was fascinating, mainly because I think they portrayed the brutality and barbarity of the era so well, as well as the limitations women were subjected to that forced Joan (Johanna) to hide the fact that she's a woman. There were certain "ick" factors included in the movie for me, and since it's written from a secular point of view and fairly faithful to the legend, some of the spiritual overtones didn't seem to make sense. But overall it was an interesting rendition of a story that probably isn't very Catholic in its message, yet was entertaining nonetheless.

So there you have it: three options for cheap entertainment! I hope you take a little time this week to enjoy the creative fruits that are so plentiful in our society.

New Fiction!

My friend Margaret Daley is one of the most prolific writers I know! And she's not afraid to tackle a tough subject — human trafficking. Read on for a note from Margaret and more information about her newest book, Saving Hope.



The reason I wrote SavingHope, the first book in Men of the Texas Rangers Series, is because humantrafficking is over a $32 billion dollar business per year and growing. Ittouches all countries, including the United States. Some of our young peopleare being affected by this problem and robbed of their childhood. Through itall I wanted to give a sense of hope through the Lord.


About Saving Hope:
When a teenager goes missing from the Beacon of Hope School, TexasRanger Wyatt Sheridan and school director Kate Winslow are forced into adangerous struggle against a human trafficking organization. But the battlebrings dire consequences as Wyatt's daughter is terrorized and Kate iskidnapped.


Now it's personal, and Wyatt finds both his faith and investigativeskills challenged as he fights to discover the mastermind behind the ringbefore evil destroys everyone he loves.


The opening of SavingHope:


Rose gripped her cellphone so tightly her muscles ached. "Where are you, Lily?"


"At—Nowhere Motel." A sob caught on the end of thelast word. "Help—me." Lily's breath rattled, followed by a clunking sound asthough she'd dropped the phone.


Rose paced the small bathroom at Beacon of Hope."Lily?" Sweat coated her palms, and she rubbed her free hand against her jeans.


Silence taunted her.


What have you done? But the second that Rose askedthat question, an image came to mind of her friend lying on the dingy graysheets in the cheap motel, wasted, trying anyway she could to forget the horrorof her life.


"Lily, talk to me. Stay on the line." Pulling thedoor open, Rose entered her room. When she saw her roommate, she came to astop.


Cynthia's wide-eyed gaze fixed on Rose for a fewseconds before the fourteen-year-old dropped her head and stared at the hardwoodfloor. Rose crossed to her dresser, dug into the back of the top drawer, andgrabbed a small, worn leather case.


She pushed past her roommate and headed into theupstairs hallway.


Striding toward the staircase, Rose dismissed herroommate's startled expression and focused on the crisis at hand. "Lily, areyou still there?"


A sound as though someone fumbled the phone andcaught it filtered through the connection. "Rose, I need—you."


"I told you I would come if you wanted to get out.I'll be—"


A click cut off the rest of Rose's words. No, Lily. Please hang on.




**You can read the rest of the first chapter here.

To buy:
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