Becky Wade's Blog, page 63

Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall

After a particularly stressful time, we were able to go away together for several days. My husband loves history and I love the ocean, so we chose the East Coast states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Seagull Beach near West Yarmouth, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

We soaked in lots of pilgrim history (Plymouth) and sunshine (Cape Cod) and visited with old friends near Boston.

Plymouth Harbour and Plymouth Rock

Then we drove north to New Hampshire and Maine, where we traded sunny days for gray, rainy ones. I don’t mind the rain but my husband thoroughly dislikes it. I certainly didn’t want to sit in our hotel room bemoaning the weather. I wanted to get outside, see more of the beautiful landscape and walk along the ocean. Thankfully my husband is a pretty good sport and, after all, I had followed him around museums and graveyards related to his ancestors and other pieces of history I was not especially interested in, so he agreed to do some things I enjoyed as well.

We walked along the Little Boar’s Head Trail near North Hampton, New Hampshire. Man, it poured! Here is my honey giving me his best grumpy old man face (at my request), which puts me in mind of the character in A Man Called Ove. (Or Otto, if you prefer the Tom Hanks version). Cracks me up!

A man called Ove/Otto?

Then later, in Ongunquit Maine, we walked along the Marginal Way. Still gray and drizzly but thankfully not pouring.

When contemplating this post, the line “Into each life some rain must fall” came to mind and when I looked it up, I learned that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (no stranger to hardship) wrote “The Rainy Day” in Maine so it’s seemed fitting to include. Here are a few more lines:

“Be still, sad heart! and cease repining Behind the clouds is the sun still shiningthy fate is the common fate of allInto each life some rain must fall. . ."

Overall it was a good trip but we both both caught something nasty and came home sick. Not the souvenir I would have wished for! Thankfully my husband is already feeling better and hopefully I will recover soon too. Ah, well; into each life some rain must fall…

A New Window on My World (Literally!)

“A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.”

–Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own

It’s a good thing I hadn’t read the above quote by Virginia Woolf before I wrote my first ten novels. Because I did not have a room of my own (or much money) back then. It wasn’t until our kids started leaving for college that I finally got a dedicated office. Even though I’ll probably always write in various locations around the house, I do love my office. And four years after moving to Missouri, I have a “new” one!

If you follow me on social media, you know that we recently did a “switcheroo” at our house, turning my old office into a guest room and a guest room into my new office at the end of the hallway.

Here is a before and after of the side-by-side rooms.

We painted both rooms and the hallway and changed out a ceiling fan, but the biggest change by far was the addition of a window in my new office. There were no west-facing windows on the upper level of our home that overlooks a shady wooded area, and we’ve always said how nice it would be to get more light into that end of the house. But oh, what a mess it was for a while. Cutting a hole in the side of the house is a big production!

But what a difference it made! I am absolutely loving my new office, and my views into the woods are so inspiring!

I’m on deadline with a new book so I’ve spent a lot of time in that chair by the window. Because this room is 20+ feet up in the air, I feel like I’m sitting in a tree house—or a deer stand, since deer stroll through the side yard daily. One of my first views was this sweet new fawn!

I did a lot of paring down while we moved everything out of both rooms for painting. With the exception of my great-grandmother’s daybed, which my sister is going to take, all the furniture from my old office moved over, but everything feels so cozy and new in this arrangement!

I’m so pleased with how well this $75 garage-sale rug we bought in Wichita fits into the room. It doesn’t show up well in photos, but the color we painted the walls—Sherwin Williams Rainwashed—is prominent in the carpet design.

I’m also happy with how the wall behind my desk turned out. The Paris map was a garage sale find a couple of weeks ago and it anchors a small collection of prints and paintings that I gathered from other parts of the house to create this gallery wall that will eventually be a “souvenir wall” since, Lord willing, Ken and I are going to be visiting some of the places depicted later this year! More on that soon!

This library cart holding my reference library and books on the craft of writing is handy to the left of my chair and that narrow aqua rolling cart was another garage sale treasure I found the week after my office was finished.

I know it sounds strange that this gal—who wrote my first few books at our kitchen table and in a cramped corner of the living room with four kids swarming ’round—now cherishes a private, dedicated office so, but I do!

I love having some pretty light-catchers on the windowsill, but I don’t want to block the ever-changing view. Once in a while we see peeks of the sunset through the trees. And I can’t wait to watch the leaves turn orange and gold this fall, and later see snowflakes float down outside the window. But I think these spring and summer views will always be my favorite of all.

Christmas in July Promo

Merry Christmas in July! I’m jumping on the blog outside of my usual posting day to let you know that ten author friends and I have joined forces to gift every person who enters our current promo with all eleven e-books pictured below. That’s right. You’re not entering for a chance to win this time. Enter and you will be a winner. You can enjoy these Christmas-set books this summer or stock up and save them to read during the holiday season.

Signing up is quick and easy HERE.

p.s. The Christmas novella I’m giving to readers, You and Me, has never been free before and I’m not planning to make it free again anytime soon. A rare chance!

p.s.s. Readers who sign up will receive their books after the entry period ends.

Inspired by Scripture

This Sunday feature is brought to you by ClashVerseoftheDay.com. You may sign up to receive a beautiful photo with Scripture in your inbox each morning or view the verse each day online.

Summertime…

… is made better with loved ones making memories.

Almost a year ago, my youngest daughter (Jenn) took a job with the National Forest Service in California (a step to help take her where she wants to be in her career). It meant leaving her hubby and kids in Texas (all but one of the kids are adults and the youngest is a senior in high school). She got herself a camp trailer to live in, and she and her horse trekked across the country to begin this new adventure. Her husband, who works remotely, is able to visit her regularly which makes it doable.

Last week, my oldest daughter (Micki) and I flew to California to spend several days with her. We had a great time, despite temps of 105℉, and I returned with lots of bug bites, a sunburn, a near encounter with a rattlesnake, and many sweet memories. The location meant poor—and sometimes, no—cell service. There was no wifi, which meant I was offline and out of touch for the most part. Not a bad way to spend a vacation.

One of my favorite things about this trip was how many people, upon seeing me with one or both of my daughters, said something like, “You’re obviously related.” The first was the flight attendant on our first leg of our trip. The next was Jenn’s boss. Later one of Jenn’s co-workers asked if we were clones. LOL! Yes, there is no denying that I am their mother, and I love it.

Of course, being gone six days and five nights means I had to play catch up when I got home. Not to mention begin horribly behind with my writing. Ack! Still, it was worth it.

Below are just a few pictures from the trip.

Ready to depart Boise on Alaska Air (Micki & Robin)Sierra National Forest McKinley Grove (Sequoias) — Micki has a horse named Sequoia so this was an important stopMicki at the base of one of the sequoiasJenn, Micki, Robin in McKinley GroveA panoramic view of one of the sequoiasOn our way to Wishon Dam, we encountered snowHistory center near entrance of Yosemite National Park. Jenn, Ian (Jenn’s son who is now working for the forest service), Robin, MickiThe first view of El Capitan (on left in distance) & Bridalveil Falls (on right in distance). Ian, Robin, Jenn, MickiEl Capitan in all of its granite glory!El Capitan behind Micki, Robin, Jenn, and IanBridalveil Falls (which looks more like what it runs in May rather than July because of the still melting snowpack)Micki & Jenn during picnic lunch stop in Yosemite before heading back to Jenn’sBluejay hoping for some of our picnic lunchWith the temps hitting 105℉, we got a little wading pool and sat with our feet and legs in it and visited for hours (thus, my sunburn). Oh, the memories we dredged up from long, long ago.Last photo before Jenn (and Ian) headed for work and Micki & I headed to the Fresno Airport (Robin, Micki, Jenn)

Making new memories while remembering the past is so precious. I hope you get to make some new memories with those you love this summer.

~robin

Cover Reveal

My Texas Ever After series has been officially launched, and I’ve been so pleased by the reception Fairest of Heart has been receiving! Readers are loving the Snow White retelling with Titus and Penelope, but one of the biggest selling points of this book has been it’s fabulous cover.

The art department at Bethany House really outdid themselves by capturing the 19th century western setting while still paying homage to Snow White with the recognizable colors in her clothing and the touch of fairy tale magic with the butterflies. If I had to pick a favorite among all my book covers, this one would rank in the top 2 or 3.

The only problem with an amazing cover is that it raises the bar really high for whatever design follows it. Book 2 in the series will be a Cinder-fella story opening with the cattleman’s ball where a boot is left behind by a mysterious stranger. Woody from Toy Story gets credit for inspiring the title of If the Boot Fits.

Before I reveal the cover, I thought I’d share the inspiration photos that I sent to my publisher.

Asher Ellis is a play on “Cinder-ella” with ashes and cinders being synonymous. Samantha is the daughter of Cattle King Eli Dearing, so Princess Dearing fills the role of Prince Charming in this gender swap.

Here are some of the outfits I imaged her wearing during the course of the story.

Every Disney Cinderella fan knows there has to be a Bruno to help save the day. And, of course, we need an identifiable boot to be left behind at the ball.

So, after handing all of this over to my design team as well as giving them some ideas for possible cover portrayals, I’m excited to reveal the new cover art . . .

I think it’s another great design! It has the Cinderella feel with the blue ball gown, the large ranch house and pond (that play significant roles in the book’s opening), and a perfect replica of Asher’s boot just waiting to be found.

What do you think?

Back to Boston

We’ve been to Boston many time, but it is fitting that we were in Boston this week as we celebrated our country’s birthday. After all, it was the scene of so many events of the revolutionary era—and home to so many of the main players. 

But this trip was a bit different. It was the inaugural education tour trip offered by the organization my husband works for. So we got a bit of fun—doing the touring—while also working—hosting the participants. 

What made our time even more memorable was that my parents came along, too! And we got to spend some time with our daughter.

After a day with Elizabeth taking my parents to see her home and showing them our favorite museum in Boston—the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum—we started the actual tour with a dinner cruise on the Charles River, including fireworks.

We attended historic Park Street Church on Sunday morning, toured North Church, and ate amazing Italian food in the North End. 

We spent Monday on the Freedom Trail—led by a professor—with lunch at Quincy Market. Then we went over to Cambridge to see the Harvard campus, explore Cambridge, and have dinner there. 

The private tour of Fenway Park was my husband’s favorite—followed by attending the Boston Red Sox vs. Texas Rangers ball game! What a treat not only to go to a game there but to get to root for our hometown team. After a two-hour rain delay in the 8th inning (we didn’t stick around!), the Rangers brought home the win, 6-2. We finished the day with another great Italian dinner with my parents and Elizabeth before heading to the top of the hotel to watch fireworks.

Today we are finishing up with a trip to the Boston Museum of Fine Art before we celebrate our final dinner together as a tour group.

Of course we’ve also done so much more, including eating lobster rolls and cannoli (Mike’s Pastry is our favorite!), taking my parents to our favorite used bookstore (You knew there had to be a bookstore in there, right?), and enjoying conversations with the other tour participants.

It’s been a fun week, but now that we’re at the end, I’m peopled out! I’m looking forward to putting my earbuds in and shutting out the world during that three hour flight home Thursday. 

Have you been to Boston? What is your favorite thing to do there? Or what do you remember most? 

Subtitles, anyone?

Do you watch TV with the subtitles (closed captions) on? I recently read an article in THE ATLANTIC that was very interesting!

My hubby and I watch TV with subtitles when they’re available. It started with foreign films, of course, because if you don’t speak Korean, you’re not going to understand the language being spoken in a Korean movie. Then we used it when we watched streaming movies from ACORN, because sometimes those Welsh and Irish and Scottish accents are a little hard for us to understand. Now we use subtitles whenever we can–even with American TV. Why?

I was beginning to quietly fear that I was losing my hearing, but I could still hear everything else with no problem. Then I discovered that there are real reasons for why I’m finding TV so hard to hear.

Personally, I suspect that people have forgotten how to enunciate–actors used to take pride in pronouncing words carefully, but these days actors seem to value “normal speech,” and normal speech is very lazy. Instead of saying, “Did you eat?” we ask, “Jeet?” See what I mean?

But there’s another reason for why we’re using subtitles. I learned that broadcast TV channels used to mix sounds so that the dialogue was always the loudest element–but with the rise of so many steaming channels, some channels are mixing the sound in a “flat” way so that dialogue often gets swallowed up by music, sound effects, etc.

I’m sure you’ve noticed that commercials are always louder than the show you’re watching (perhaps so you can hear them when you leave for the kitchen?). Lately we’ve noticed that the music is often louder than the dialogue–so we really NEED the subtitles to hear what’s being said. Apparently this drives some movie people crazy, because we’re not watching the actors’ expressions and what not, but I can read and watch actors at the same time. In fact, usually when I’m watching TV, I’m also sewing or checking emails or playing a game on my iPad. Aren’t we all?

So–are you using subtitles when you watch TV? If not, have you tried it? You might discover a lot that you’ve been missing!

And oh! I have to celebrate my new arrival! THE WOMAN FROM LYDIA releases next week, and you can order it here!

Inspired by Scripture

This Sunday feature is brought to you by ClashVerseoftheDay.com. You may sign up to receive a beautiful photo with Scripture in your inbox each morning or view the verse each day online.

Unlazy Summer Days

Hi friends and Happy Wednesday!  

I hope you’re having a good week and a good start to your summer. Like me, you have  probably heard of the “lazy days of summer.” I love the saying, but I don’t think most summers are lazy. At least not around here now, and in retrospect, not when I was a kid either.

As kids, how many of you spent your summer with your friends running through the woods, building forts, playing kick the can, swimming, running through sprinklers, and riding bikes. Just reading that last brings back so many memories.  

My family and I lived in a community called Wolf Trap Woods. It encompassed the Wolf  Trap Center for Performing Arts (I believe now it’s a National Park for the Performing  Arts) and as kids, we’d run through the woods over there and it being an outdoor amphitheater, we’d play on the stage, and attend kid craft days.  

On the other side of our neighborhood sat the National Wildlife Federation so we’d ride our bikes as far as we could within our neighborhood and then hike through the woods once again to head into the building and buy things out of the cafeteria vending machines. We’d take time to view the nature center while we were there. There was just something special about putting change into a vending machine, pulling the knob, and watching your treat tumble down.  

After we were done running for a while, we’d take a popsicle break. You know the kind where you pour juice or, if we were lucky, Kool-Aid into the holder and then put the red-handled sticks in and freeze them. We’d pop them out with a little help from running them under hot water. We’d sit out on the lawn and eat our creation, then fully fueled (there might have been a pjb in there), and we’d take off for the rest of the day.  

In the evening we’d watch fireflies and play flashlight tag and wouldn’t head home until the parents at the closest house near us would call out and tell us it was time to go home.  I loved those days. Loved the smell of clover on our lawns, the scent of moss and timber of the woods, and the cool creek rippling over our toes. 

Summer these days look different, but not so different. We’ve got the joy of spending time with our grandkids between their trips back home and our trips down to visit them in Florida. We spent the days outside, staying out until nightfall most of the time. We swam in pools, played at waterparks, and watch the sunset from the beach. 

We attended baseball games, played at playgrounds, and spent lots of time outside just having fun.  

Summer is a lot of fun, but I don’t find it lazy. But it’s a different kind of “busy.” It’s the fun kind that lets you move at your own pace, enjoy things in the moment, and when you do get that popsicle slow-down break, it feels great  

I hope you’re enjoying your summer and getting some days to just spend as you’d like.  Maybe it’s on a porch swing watching the fireflies, maybe it’s spent gardening, or hopefully at least relaxing on the weekend. However, you’re spending your summer, I pray it’s a good one.  

Reader Question:  

What was your favorite summer activity to do as a kid? Can’t wait to hear your answers.  

Best,  

Dani