Hannah Alexander's Blog, page 2
November 21, 2023
How Are You Celebrating?
Elaborate celebrations seem to be increasingly popular these days, and I admire those who cook all day for family members and friends to have a traditional meal. There is comfort in that tradition, and who doesn’t love a good Thanksgiving meal?
We’ve done this often in the past, but with Mel’s job taking up many of his holidays, we’ve also had quiet days. Once, when we were scheduled to host a large family gathering, we had a blizzard and had to call the whole thing off. We spent the day home alone and found that we enjoyed the peace of that day. There have been times in past years when I was so busy preparing food and managing company that I spared no time for prayer and actual thanks for what God has given us.
Many decades ago I decided to prepare Peking duck for the Thanksgiving meal instead of turkey or ham. I enjoyed it, though I’m not sure everyone else did. This year we plan to take a hike in the desert. The weather is perfect, and I find that I’m most thankful to God when surrounded by God’s creation.
The key, I think, is to be thankful. It isn’t a sin to skip the meal completely, or to even have pizza or chicken wings or chicken and dumplings or sandwiches. The whole idea of the day is to be thankful. If you want to fast the whole day and focus on God’s goodness, or if you want hamburgers and fries, the point is to be thankful. I am in awe of the God Who created our world, Who created us to be in fellowship with Him. Let’s enjoy that fellowship on Thanksgiving day…and every day.
We’ve done this often in the past, but with Mel’s job taking up many of his holidays, we’ve also had quiet days. Once, when we were scheduled to host a large family gathering, we had a blizzard and had to call the whole thing off. We spent the day home alone and found that we enjoyed the peace of that day. There have been times in past years when I was so busy preparing food and managing company that I spared no time for prayer and actual thanks for what God has given us.
Many decades ago I decided to prepare Peking duck for the Thanksgiving meal instead of turkey or ham. I enjoyed it, though I’m not sure everyone else did. This year we plan to take a hike in the desert. The weather is perfect, and I find that I’m most thankful to God when surrounded by God’s creation.
The key, I think, is to be thankful. It isn’t a sin to skip the meal completely, or to even have pizza or chicken wings or chicken and dumplings or sandwiches. The whole idea of the day is to be thankful. If you want to fast the whole day and focus on God’s goodness, or if you want hamburgers and fries, the point is to be thankful. I am in awe of the God Who created our world, Who created us to be in fellowship with Him. Let’s enjoy that fellowship on Thanksgiving day…and every day.
October 28, 2023
One Perfect Day
Have you ever had a perfect day?
We haven't been to the zoo in over eight months. That's been okay for us, since...you know, it's Phoenix. But now that the weather has simmered down a little, and is only getting into the 80s, we've emerged from our hibernation. Yesterday we were needing an animal fix, because when we lived in Wyoming there were animals everywhere all the time. There, we had moose, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, elk, wolves, bears, mule deer (whom we fed and helped raise during some of the coldest winter months), coyotes, mountain lions, sage grouse, wild horses, tame horses, bison, snakes, feral cats, tame cats...and the list goes on. Summer in Wyoming is paradise for animal lovers. It's something we have sorely missed.
When we first moved to Phoenix two years ago, we went into withdrawal despite the bounty of wildlife here—bobcats, coyotes, roadrunners, rattlesnakes (not our favorites), wild burros and horses, and our cat. So we purchased a yearly membership to Wildlife World Zoo, where we took advantage of everything we could as often as we could. When our membership ended eight months ago, we missed those animals so much.
Recently, a friend from church, Carey, gave us a coupon for a two-for-one admission to the zoo, and we took it gladly. As soon as the forecast dropped out of the nineties, which was yesterday, we went. We got there soon after opening, and revisited the animals we had come to love during that year of membership. Mornings are the best time to visit this zoo because the animals are awake and awaiting breakfast and so they're much more responsive to visitors. A hyacinth macaw, whom Mel named Herman, always comes to the front of his pen and greets us, poses for pictures, and makes great eye contact. We love Herman.
We spent three hours at the zoo and were starving, so we indulged ourselves and went to the best pizza place in the state, which serves thick crust gluten free pizza. Church friends introduced us to this place last Sunday. It was as good as we remembered, and we had leftovers last night.
Yesterday was a perfect day with all the animals and delicious food and time together. Mel reminded me that even this perfect day cannot compare to the perfect eternity we will have in heaven. ". . . Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." 1 Cor. 2:9 (KJV). I can't imagine how much better it will be, since I have a limited imagination, but wow. Just wow. Until then, we will enjoy this life.
P.S. to see a picture of Herman, check out One Perfect Day on Hannah's Blog at www.hannahalexander.com.
We haven't been to the zoo in over eight months. That's been okay for us, since...you know, it's Phoenix. But now that the weather has simmered down a little, and is only getting into the 80s, we've emerged from our hibernation. Yesterday we were needing an animal fix, because when we lived in Wyoming there were animals everywhere all the time. There, we had moose, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, elk, wolves, bears, mule deer (whom we fed and helped raise during some of the coldest winter months), coyotes, mountain lions, sage grouse, wild horses, tame horses, bison, snakes, feral cats, tame cats...and the list goes on. Summer in Wyoming is paradise for animal lovers. It's something we have sorely missed.
When we first moved to Phoenix two years ago, we went into withdrawal despite the bounty of wildlife here—bobcats, coyotes, roadrunners, rattlesnakes (not our favorites), wild burros and horses, and our cat. So we purchased a yearly membership to Wildlife World Zoo, where we took advantage of everything we could as often as we could. When our membership ended eight months ago, we missed those animals so much.
Recently, a friend from church, Carey, gave us a coupon for a two-for-one admission to the zoo, and we took it gladly. As soon as the forecast dropped out of the nineties, which was yesterday, we went. We got there soon after opening, and revisited the animals we had come to love during that year of membership. Mornings are the best time to visit this zoo because the animals are awake and awaiting breakfast and so they're much more responsive to visitors. A hyacinth macaw, whom Mel named Herman, always comes to the front of his pen and greets us, poses for pictures, and makes great eye contact. We love Herman.
We spent three hours at the zoo and were starving, so we indulged ourselves and went to the best pizza place in the state, which serves thick crust gluten free pizza. Church friends introduced us to this place last Sunday. It was as good as we remembered, and we had leftovers last night.
Yesterday was a perfect day with all the animals and delicious food and time together. Mel reminded me that even this perfect day cannot compare to the perfect eternity we will have in heaven. ". . . Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." 1 Cor. 2:9 (KJV). I can't imagine how much better it will be, since I have a limited imagination, but wow. Just wow. Until then, we will enjoy this life.
P.S. to see a picture of Herman, check out One Perfect Day on Hannah's Blog at www.hannahalexander.com.
October 14, 2023
Reunion
After months of excitement, Mel and I attended a very important class reunion of mine two weeks ago back in Missouri, where we both grew up. I had a small class of 44 members, and a great many of us grew close and kept in touch often after graduation. That closeness became obvious when we all greeted one another at the restaurant for lunch on Saturday. It was very much like a family reunion—we all did, indeed, grow up together.
I was thrilled to connect with so many old friends. We could have spent a week catching up. Our hometown was always a farming community, and many of those class members remained on their farms. Others moved away and pursued other careers. All have endured hardships and trials in their lives and have grown from it. How I admire them.
One thing Mel and I were especially excited about was meeting with the namesake of our male protagonist in One Strong Man, Leonard (Leo) Abramovitz. Mel got to break the news to Leonard that he was our hero in this book and was a vital character in two of the earlier books. I think he was interested. At any rate, he'll get a copy of the book when we've finished it at the end of this month.
I have utilized my experiences with other members of my class in other books. But despite the fact that I used their names and certain aspects of their personalities to make fictitious characters, those characters are definitely fictitious. For instance, I used Doris Batschelet (our editor in this series) as a name for one of our characters, but in that book I described that Doris as a bad cook. Our real Doris took issue with this because she is an excellent cook. I know because I've tasted her cooking. She makes the best guacamole I've ever eaten. I've also used, Shona, Sheila, Linda, Sherry, Deb, Tess, Kathryn...and a host of others. More will crop up in the future.
These characters might reflect certain aspects of a real person, but there is no way to write a real person into a book. There are too many intricacies in real people. Too many nooks and crannies. Too much depth in each real person to reflect their whole characters in fiction. A novel is a bare whisper of real life, not the reality itself. Real human beings are so much more vital than shallow characters in a novel.
And so even though I try to bless our readers with visits from real, existing human beings, I'm afraid you're just going to have to meet these real people for yourself in order to understand what they're really all about.
Here's to the next class reunion!
I was thrilled to connect with so many old friends. We could have spent a week catching up. Our hometown was always a farming community, and many of those class members remained on their farms. Others moved away and pursued other careers. All have endured hardships and trials in their lives and have grown from it. How I admire them.
One thing Mel and I were especially excited about was meeting with the namesake of our male protagonist in One Strong Man, Leonard (Leo) Abramovitz. Mel got to break the news to Leonard that he was our hero in this book and was a vital character in two of the earlier books. I think he was interested. At any rate, he'll get a copy of the book when we've finished it at the end of this month.
I have utilized my experiences with other members of my class in other books. But despite the fact that I used their names and certain aspects of their personalities to make fictitious characters, those characters are definitely fictitious. For instance, I used Doris Batschelet (our editor in this series) as a name for one of our characters, but in that book I described that Doris as a bad cook. Our real Doris took issue with this because she is an excellent cook. I know because I've tasted her cooking. She makes the best guacamole I've ever eaten. I've also used, Shona, Sheila, Linda, Sherry, Deb, Tess, Kathryn...and a host of others. More will crop up in the future.
These characters might reflect certain aspects of a real person, but there is no way to write a real person into a book. There are too many intricacies in real people. Too many nooks and crannies. Too much depth in each real person to reflect their whole characters in fiction. A novel is a bare whisper of real life, not the reality itself. Real human beings are so much more vital than shallow characters in a novel.
And so even though I try to bless our readers with visits from real, existing human beings, I'm afraid you're just going to have to meet these real people for yourself in order to understand what they're really all about.
Here's to the next class reunion!
September 11, 2023
One Woman's Testimony
I sing beside Christina in our church choir. She has a beautiful voice but is reluctant to sing solo. Last week she asked our church for prayer because she was going into the hospital for clinical trials—I discovered she has stage 4 colon cancer.
So I prayed for her until Sunday night and then asked about the trials. She said the doctors had discovered the cancer had metastasized, and so she was no longer a candidate. Just like that, she’d been written off by the medical community and given months to live, a woman in her fifties with so much to give, with grown children who are making an impact in this world.
Our Sunday evening service proceeded through the old-fashioned song service from the church hymnal, and then all became silent. Time for the special music. I watched in surprise as Christina walked to the pulpit and the piano began to play. She was going to sing a solo, after all! I smiled up at her in an attempt to encourage her from the back row.
As the music continued, I realized the song she was singing. It was a declaration of her faith as she sang I Know Who Holds Tomorrow.
It became increasingly impossible to hold that smile as tears trickled down my cheeks. Her voice never wavered. I think it was the most beautiful song I had ever heard. When it ended, I heard sniffles all over the congregation. Her faith put my own to shame.
We don’t know what will come in our future, but we must never forget Who holds all of our tomorrows. If not, Christina can remind us.
So I prayed for her until Sunday night and then asked about the trials. She said the doctors had discovered the cancer had metastasized, and so she was no longer a candidate. Just like that, she’d been written off by the medical community and given months to live, a woman in her fifties with so much to give, with grown children who are making an impact in this world.
Our Sunday evening service proceeded through the old-fashioned song service from the church hymnal, and then all became silent. Time for the special music. I watched in surprise as Christina walked to the pulpit and the piano began to play. She was going to sing a solo, after all! I smiled up at her in an attempt to encourage her from the back row.
As the music continued, I realized the song she was singing. It was a declaration of her faith as she sang I Know Who Holds Tomorrow.
It became increasingly impossible to hold that smile as tears trickled down my cheeks. Her voice never wavered. I think it was the most beautiful song I had ever heard. When it ended, I heard sniffles all over the congregation. Her faith put my own to shame.
We don’t know what will come in our future, but we must never forget Who holds all of our tomorrows. If not, Christina can remind us.
July 27, 2023
How to Change the World
Some of us who are old enough can recall the words to the old song “Let There be Peace on Earth, and Let it Begin with Me.” I really hope peace on earth won’t be dependent on me, because I fail too much. God is the only One able to do it. I might do well in one category of my life for once, but then the ol’ sin nature pops out somewhere else. There aren’t enough thumbs to plug up the dike of my badness. I might control the sin of gluttony for a time, but then I’ll pig out one time and undo all the good that’s been done.
This morning I was walking and praying in the Phoenix heat—a great stimulant for prayer when you wonder if you’ll make it back to cooler air without melting—and was asking God to change the world. I mentioned that I couldn’t see it happening because people just kept getting more and more evil. Then it occurred to me: how could I expect others to change their habits when I, as a believer who is supposedly controlled by the Holy Spirit, don’t allow that Spirit to control me? As the song says, the change in the world begins with you and with me. So I’m going to focus on emery-boarding off the very rough edges of my own self and stop trying to point fingers at others.
This morning I was walking and praying in the Phoenix heat—a great stimulant for prayer when you wonder if you’ll make it back to cooler air without melting—and was asking God to change the world. I mentioned that I couldn’t see it happening because people just kept getting more and more evil. Then it occurred to me: how could I expect others to change their habits when I, as a believer who is supposedly controlled by the Holy Spirit, don’t allow that Spirit to control me? As the song says, the change in the world begins with you and with me. So I’m going to focus on emery-boarding off the very rough edges of my own self and stop trying to point fingers at others.
May 13, 2023
April 28, 2023
I'm a New Fan of Orange
Did you ever do the color chart that tells you whether you’re a summer, winter, spring or autumn? I am a winter, apparently, because those colors listed under the winter chart are what look best on me, according to the friends who attended a little party I had decades ago. Orange was definitely NOT on my color list, and I was never a fan of orange. That color works beautifully for autumn redheads.
Recently, however, I have developed a new love for orange, red-orange, tangerine, or even bright yellow—which all look hideous on me if I try to wear those colors. The reason I now love those colors is because of an auto accident in which I was badly injured when we were rear-ended by someone driving at a high speed. She apparently didn’t see us stopped in front of her for an accident ahead of us, and she plowed into us without touching her brakes. We were driving a silver car that blended in with the road in the rain. Our car was totaled. The replacement we purchased was bright red.
Tastes change for different reasons. I like colors that stand out because they mean safety to me. Have your tastes changed over the past years or decades? What do you do differently now that you never did when you were younger? And why?
Recently, however, I have developed a new love for orange, red-orange, tangerine, or even bright yellow—which all look hideous on me if I try to wear those colors. The reason I now love those colors is because of an auto accident in which I was badly injured when we were rear-ended by someone driving at a high speed. She apparently didn’t see us stopped in front of her for an accident ahead of us, and she plowed into us without touching her brakes. We were driving a silver car that blended in with the road in the rain. Our car was totaled. The replacement we purchased was bright red.
Tastes change for different reasons. I like colors that stand out because they mean safety to me. Have your tastes changed over the past years or decades? What do you do differently now that you never did when you were younger? And why?
March 9, 2023
Superstar
Sorry Readers; I messed up the share link this week but you can read the blog on our website www.hannahalexander.com under Hannah's Blog.
Feel free to browse through the extensive backlist of blogs with many more coming soon!
Feel free to browse through the extensive backlist of blogs with many more coming soon!
February 15, 2023
January 29, 2023
Reveal for A Killing Frost
It's here! A Killing Frost: A Clean Medical Romance is now available for pre-order in both Kindle and paperback formats. Launch date is March 1st.
If you like reading about childhood sweethearts; an FBI manhunt for most-wanted kidnappers, and family betrayal in a setting of small-town medical romantic suspense, reserve your copy today!
Book description for A Killing Frost:
WILL THE GUILT SHE CARRIES CAUSE HER TO LOSE HIM FOREVER?
Dr. Jama Keith reluctantly returns to her tiny hometown of River Dance, Missouri. She carries a secret that could destroy her relationship with Derrick Mercer, her childhood sweetheart. When she confesses, will she lose him forever?
Derrick Mercer thought he’d hit bottom when his childhood sweetheart rejected his marriage proposal. That was before he found out his father is clinging to life, his family farm faces ruin from a killing frost, and his favorite niece has been abducted by ruthless killers.
When Derrick's precocious 11 y/o niece is kidnapped by FBI's Most Wanted, she has to use her wits to stay alive. The manhunt forces Jama and Derrick to work together in a desperate race to save Doriann's life. But at what cost? And will Jama's confession destroy Derrick's love?
A Killing Frost is Amazon Bestselling and award-winning author Hannah Alexander's latest in their Hallowed Halls of Medicine Series.
IF YOU LOVE SMALL-TOWN ROMANCE, TENSE MEDICAL DRAMA, AND SPLIT-SECOND, LIFE-AND-DEATH DECISION-MAKING, BUY A KILLING FROST TODAY!
*Published December 2008 Steeple Hill. Extensively refreshed/rewritten for re-publication as Book 5 in the Hallowed Halls of Medicine series Hannah Alexander Books.
