Carlene Havel's Blog: Carlene, page 8
November 23, 2012
Regency Romance Free on Amazon
Curl up with a regency romance tonight. Download your copy FREE from Amazon on Black Friday or Small Business Saturday (11/23 & 11/24) only! Be sure to download your copy while it’s free from
http://tinyurl.com/a9nnbwy
“Seeking Patience” is the name of the book. In it, a Romany leader confronts the English heritage he has denied when he lands, beaten and powerless, in the path of a high-spirited young widow. Will the prim countess agree to hide the charismatic rogue in her home and jeopardize her safety while her stepson accuses her of murdering her elderly husband? Don’t miss this opportunity for a free gift to yourself.
Carlene Havel, author of "A Hero's Homecoming"
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_nos...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Carle... http://www.prismbookgroup.com/AHerosH...
Carlene Havel, author of "A Hero's Homecoming"
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_nos...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Carle... http://www.prismbookgroup.com/AHerosH...
November 21, 2012
Cornbread Day
The United States, Canada, and the Republic of the Philippines celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow. It’s all about appreciating the bountiful gifts God has given us. I suppose every family that is fortunate enough to celebrate this holiday together develops some traditions over the years. Ours started with the cooks getting together on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to do the preliminary preparations. Through the years, cornbread day developed into a pre-Thanksgiving party. Anyone willing to work was invited. Kids were lined up beside bowls of ingredients, with instructions to stir the contents until “everything is the same color.” The youngest child had the honor of putting the cherries on the cheesecake.
When a crowd of 20 or more people expect real, southern-style turkey and dressing, the cornbread needs to be baked the day before. While the oven’s hot, may as well go ahead and cook those pecan pies and roast the sweet potatoes for tomorrow’s casserole. On Thanksgiving morning, the cooks would reassemble and produce their masterpiece of turkey and dressing.
We are purists—our stuffing has four ingredients: crumbled cornbread, chicken (not turkey) broth, one large onion (diced), and just the right amount of sage. How could controversy develop over such a simple recipe? The proportions! We like moist dressing, about the consistency of spoon bread. If it’s too dry, everything is scraped into a big bowl, saturated with extra broth, and re-baked. I’m sure you understand how I learned this solution. It has happened only once. All right, twice. An onion is an onion. No disagreement there. Now, how much sage? That’s the basis of a debate that has gone on for decades…and led one of our family’s most cherished Thanksgiving memories.
Let me prepare you by noting that my parents are passionate people, both of them. If you don’t live in their household, you might dare to apply words such as stubborn or bull-headed. Daddy loves an overabundance of sage. Mom prefers just a touch. For years, the standard procedure was for her to do the seasoning. Then someone would distract her while Dad doctored up the mixture. Inevitably, one year she caught him in the act of adding several tablespoons of sage to her dressing. The verbal fur flew between them, while everyone else remained secretly amused and “sagely” neutral.
While the turkey and dressing baked, mother fumed. More words were exchanged. Finally the head cook (Mom) decided this concoction wouldn’t be fit to eat. She took the big pan of dressing—cooked separately from the turkey I’m glad to say—and dumped it in the front yard of their big old farmhouse. The next morning, there were two dead dogs lying in front of the house, feet pointed to the sky. Dad claimed a nasty neighbor carried out his threat to start poisoning stray dogs. Mom maintains to this day the poor critters ate our Thanksgiving dressing—and all that sage killed them. No one went hungry, and we got a story everyone enjoys hearing over and over. All in all, not a bad holiday.
Happy Thanksgiving, y’all. Don’t forget to thank the Lord for all He has given you.
Carlene Havel, author of "A Hero's Homecoming"
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_nos...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Carle... http://www.prismbookgroup.com/AHerosH...
When a crowd of 20 or more people expect real, southern-style turkey and dressing, the cornbread needs to be baked the day before. While the oven’s hot, may as well go ahead and cook those pecan pies and roast the sweet potatoes for tomorrow’s casserole. On Thanksgiving morning, the cooks would reassemble and produce their masterpiece of turkey and dressing.
We are purists—our stuffing has four ingredients: crumbled cornbread, chicken (not turkey) broth, one large onion (diced), and just the right amount of sage. How could controversy develop over such a simple recipe? The proportions! We like moist dressing, about the consistency of spoon bread. If it’s too dry, everything is scraped into a big bowl, saturated with extra broth, and re-baked. I’m sure you understand how I learned this solution. It has happened only once. All right, twice. An onion is an onion. No disagreement there. Now, how much sage? That’s the basis of a debate that has gone on for decades…and led one of our family’s most cherished Thanksgiving memories.
Let me prepare you by noting that my parents are passionate people, both of them. If you don’t live in their household, you might dare to apply words such as stubborn or bull-headed. Daddy loves an overabundance of sage. Mom prefers just a touch. For years, the standard procedure was for her to do the seasoning. Then someone would distract her while Dad doctored up the mixture. Inevitably, one year she caught him in the act of adding several tablespoons of sage to her dressing. The verbal fur flew between them, while everyone else remained secretly amused and “sagely” neutral.
While the turkey and dressing baked, mother fumed. More words were exchanged. Finally the head cook (Mom) decided this concoction wouldn’t be fit to eat. She took the big pan of dressing—cooked separately from the turkey I’m glad to say—and dumped it in the front yard of their big old farmhouse. The next morning, there were two dead dogs lying in front of the house, feet pointed to the sky. Dad claimed a nasty neighbor carried out his threat to start poisoning stray dogs. Mom maintains to this day the poor critters ate our Thanksgiving dressing—and all that sage killed them. No one went hungry, and we got a story everyone enjoys hearing over and over. All in all, not a bad holiday.
Happy Thanksgiving, y’all. Don’t forget to thank the Lord for all He has given you.
Carlene Havel, author of "A Hero's Homecoming"
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_nos...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Carle... http://www.prismbookgroup.com/AHerosH...
November 20, 2012
Your Life Story
Every life is a spellbinding story. If you don’t believe that, sit and talk with someone over the age of sixty. Ask questions about childhood, occupations, decisions, and obstacles. Experiences may have been difficult—even tragic—but they take on a singular beauty in the retelling. Even the most ordinary of lives has its elements of drama, perseverance, and humor. How many generations have read the recollections of Samuel Pepys to enjoy the flavor of seventeenth-century England?
I urge you to keep a journal, make voice recordings, do video sessions, maintain a diary—whatever it takes to keep those memories from slipping away. From the beginning until the end of time, there will never be another life exactly like yours. Celebrate your uniqueness and for yourself, for your children, for generations not yet born, tell your story.
Carlene Havel,author of "A Hero's Homecoming"
http://www.prismbookgroup.com/AHerosH...
AND "Daughter of the King"
http://www.prismbookgroup.com/Daughte...
I urge you to keep a journal, make voice recordings, do video sessions, maintain a diary—whatever it takes to keep those memories from slipping away. From the beginning until the end of time, there will never be another life exactly like yours. Celebrate your uniqueness and for yourself, for your children, for generations not yet born, tell your story.
Carlene Havel,author of "A Hero's Homecoming"
http://www.prismbookgroup.com/AHerosH...
AND "Daughter of the King"
http://www.prismbookgroup.com/Daughte...
November 19, 2012
Happy Birthday, Deb
I want to acknowledge my good friend Deb’s birthday, but what could I give a woman who has it all? And keeps it together, I might add. Maybe I’ll think of something. Meanwhile, I wrote her this poem.
In a world where most people don’t really care,
God sent me a friend who knows how to share
the good times, the bad times, the study, the fun,
the shopping—well, everything under the sun.
You’re a gift from above, my wonderful friend.
May our sweet friendship never, ever end.
When we greet each other on Heaven’s shore,
We’ll love Him and each other forever more.
Carlene Havel,author of "A Hero's Homecoming"
http://www.prismbookgroup.com/AHerosH...
In a world where most people don’t really care,
God sent me a friend who knows how to share
the good times, the bad times, the study, the fun,
the shopping—well, everything under the sun.
You’re a gift from above, my wonderful friend.
May our sweet friendship never, ever end.
When we greet each other on Heaven’s shore,
We’ll love Him and each other forever more.
Carlene Havel,author of "A Hero's Homecoming"
http://www.prismbookgroup.com/AHerosH...
November 16, 2012
Christian Romance Debut
How does a man find his way home when everything he counted on is gone? That’s the question facing the hero of “A Hero’s Homecoming”. Now that he’s retiring from the US Air Force, Rich Martino has plans. He will relax and enjoy life with his beautiful wife Rita. If boredom sets in, he can work in the lucrative business his doting father owns.
Yet life is not going the way Rich expected. When he arrives home from his final military assignment, Richard Martino Senior is comatose, probably dying. Rita has left for parts unknown with another man. A stranger occupies Rich’s house, his car is gone, and his bank account has been drained. If that isn’t enough, his old friends are shocked to see him. They thought he was killed in action—even attended his funeral!
Although he considers himself self-sufficient, Rich is searching for someone or something he can rely on. He doesn’t trust people, nor does he believe in the existence of God. As he attempts to get his life back in order, this sly charmer begins to recognize he himself must change. Could Charlotte Phillips, the psychologist who administers his father’s estate, be a genuinely caring person Rich can connect with? Or is she just another gold-digger, lining her pockets with the Martino wealth?
I hope you’ll read “A Hero’s Homecoming”, laugh out loud, dab a few tears, and thoroughly enjoy my debut Christian romance. You can find it through any of the links below.
Carlene Havel,author of "A Hero's Homecoming"
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_nos...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Carle... http://www.prismbookgroup.com/AHerosH...
Yet life is not going the way Rich expected. When he arrives home from his final military assignment, Richard Martino Senior is comatose, probably dying. Rita has left for parts unknown with another man. A stranger occupies Rich’s house, his car is gone, and his bank account has been drained. If that isn’t enough, his old friends are shocked to see him. They thought he was killed in action—even attended his funeral!
Although he considers himself self-sufficient, Rich is searching for someone or something he can rely on. He doesn’t trust people, nor does he believe in the existence of God. As he attempts to get his life back in order, this sly charmer begins to recognize he himself must change. Could Charlotte Phillips, the psychologist who administers his father’s estate, be a genuinely caring person Rich can connect with? Or is she just another gold-digger, lining her pockets with the Martino wealth?
I hope you’ll read “A Hero’s Homecoming”, laugh out loud, dab a few tears, and thoroughly enjoy my debut Christian romance. You can find it through any of the links below.
Carlene Havel,author of "A Hero's Homecoming"
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_nos...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Carle... http://www.prismbookgroup.com/AHerosH...
November 14, 2012
Release Date!
"Daughter of the King" is officially scheduled for release on the Prism Book Group website. The month is December, 2012. Yes! Sometime within the next 45 days, "Daughter of the King" will be ready for presentation to readers.
What's the book about? It's the story of a princess who lived more than three thousand years ago. In a time when fathers arranged marriages, Princess Michal dared to fall in love--with a hero named David. As recounted in the Bible, Princess Michal helped David escape from her insane father. King Saul punished his daughter by secretly giving her to a sadistic drunkard. After seven years of exile, she is rescued—only to find her old life is gone forever. Many of her relatives have been murdered. Her beloved David has acquired six wives in her absence, and is now King of Judea. Can Michal hope to be reunited with him? Princess Michal’s dream is to bear the son who will reclaim her father’s kingdom. She must draw on faith, patriotism, and strength to sustain her in the midst of war, infidelity, madness, and betrayal.
The 'bones' of the story are contained in the Bible, mostly in II Samuel. King Saul, King David, and Princess Michal were real people. I hope you will enjoy reading about them as much as Sharon Faucheux and I loved writing their story.
Carlene Havel,author of "A Hero's Homecoming"
http://www.prismbookgroup.com/AHerosH...
AND "Daughter of the King"
http://www.prismbookgroup.com/Daughte...
What's the book about? It's the story of a princess who lived more than three thousand years ago. In a time when fathers arranged marriages, Princess Michal dared to fall in love--with a hero named David. As recounted in the Bible, Princess Michal helped David escape from her insane father. King Saul punished his daughter by secretly giving her to a sadistic drunkard. After seven years of exile, she is rescued—only to find her old life is gone forever. Many of her relatives have been murdered. Her beloved David has acquired six wives in her absence, and is now King of Judea. Can Michal hope to be reunited with him? Princess Michal’s dream is to bear the son who will reclaim her father’s kingdom. She must draw on faith, patriotism, and strength to sustain her in the midst of war, infidelity, madness, and betrayal.
The 'bones' of the story are contained in the Bible, mostly in II Samuel. King Saul, King David, and Princess Michal were real people. I hope you will enjoy reading about them as much as Sharon Faucheux and I loved writing their story.
Carlene Havel,author of "A Hero's Homecoming"
http://www.prismbookgroup.com/AHerosH...
AND "Daughter of the King"
http://www.prismbookgroup.com/Daughte...
November 12, 2012
Sandy Reminds Me of Katrina
A huge warehouse stood locked and empty because of the deactivation of Kelly Air Force Base. After Hurricane Katrina, the old building was the perfect spot for relief efforts to take shape. While the Red Cross set up a shelter in part of the warehouse, the Salvation Army gathered food, clothing and supplies for the victims of the storm’s devastation. The big-hearted people of San Antonio pulled their cars up to the loading dock to discharge everything from shampoo to canned corn. A crew of volunteers sorted the donations--baby items went to the left, food in the middle, clothes on the right. Within those broad categories, teams stacked like items together. When there were enough diapers to fill a pallet, we’d shrink-wrap and label it, and the fork-lift driver would transport it to trucks waiting to roll toward New Orleans. Boys’ jeans, sizes 8 to 12—box them up, load the pallet, wrap, label, and start sorting the girls’ sweaters.
I remember an elderly woman who did not have the physical strength to stand. Still, she came to sit in the heat of the warehouse. She found a job fastening shoes together so the pair did not get separated. Other volunteers arranged boxes around her, marked with shoe sizes. She attached each shoe to its mate and tossed it into the box for that size. She could only work a few hours each day, but she did what she could.
A well-dressed young man came into the warehouse, removed his suit coat, rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt, and got to work in the baby section. His contribution would never make the six o’clock news, but he put together three pallets in an hour—one each of baby food, wipes, and disposable diapers. Somewhere in New Orleans, babies were clean and fed, in part because this fellow spent his lunch break in the warehouse.
One day a group of kids came to work for a couple of hours. They were not skilfull, but no one minded. Later, volunteers cried and re-sorted the boxes put together by the Down syndrome children who would not be satisfied until their teacher found something they could do to help the hurricane victims.
A city worker arrived with a truckload of supplies someone had delivered to the mayor’s home address. The return address simply said, “From the people of Seattle.” No problem—no sorting or boxing required—straight onto pallets and out to the trucks. Thank you, Seattle neighbors.
A Red Cross volunteer climbed up the loading dock and asked for a jacket. A woman in the shelter was cold, and there was no clothing to fit her. Someone found a coat. As the volunteer made her way back to the shelter, I wasted a few seconds on envy. The shelter must be air conditioned!
Like many other churches, mine “adopted” a family who arrived in town with nothing but their automobile and the clothes on their back. People in the congregation fanned out to find an apartment, ask a store for new mattresses (the store gave them), pick up furniture from church members, buy groceries. It wasn’t as much as we wanted to do, but we made a difference for one family.
No one can do everything, but all of us can do something. Standing together, we can help the people hurting from Hurricane Sandy. The need will continue long after the news coverage stops. Plesse do what you can.
Carlene Havel,author of "A Hero's Homecoming"
http://www.prismbookgroup.com/AHerosH...
I remember an elderly woman who did not have the physical strength to stand. Still, she came to sit in the heat of the warehouse. She found a job fastening shoes together so the pair did not get separated. Other volunteers arranged boxes around her, marked with shoe sizes. She attached each shoe to its mate and tossed it into the box for that size. She could only work a few hours each day, but she did what she could.
A well-dressed young man came into the warehouse, removed his suit coat, rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt, and got to work in the baby section. His contribution would never make the six o’clock news, but he put together three pallets in an hour—one each of baby food, wipes, and disposable diapers. Somewhere in New Orleans, babies were clean and fed, in part because this fellow spent his lunch break in the warehouse.
One day a group of kids came to work for a couple of hours. They were not skilfull, but no one minded. Later, volunteers cried and re-sorted the boxes put together by the Down syndrome children who would not be satisfied until their teacher found something they could do to help the hurricane victims.
A city worker arrived with a truckload of supplies someone had delivered to the mayor’s home address. The return address simply said, “From the people of Seattle.” No problem—no sorting or boxing required—straight onto pallets and out to the trucks. Thank you, Seattle neighbors.
A Red Cross volunteer climbed up the loading dock and asked for a jacket. A woman in the shelter was cold, and there was no clothing to fit her. Someone found a coat. As the volunteer made her way back to the shelter, I wasted a few seconds on envy. The shelter must be air conditioned!
Like many other churches, mine “adopted” a family who arrived in town with nothing but their automobile and the clothes on their back. People in the congregation fanned out to find an apartment, ask a store for new mattresses (the store gave them), pick up furniture from church members, buy groceries. It wasn’t as much as we wanted to do, but we made a difference for one family.
No one can do everything, but all of us can do something. Standing together, we can help the people hurting from Hurricane Sandy. The need will continue long after the news coverage stops. Plesse do what you can.
Carlene Havel,author of "A Hero's Homecoming"
http://www.prismbookgroup.com/AHerosH...
November 9, 2012
Veterans' Day
We are about to celebrate Veterans’ Day, that one day out of 365 when we stop to say “thank you” to the people who protect our way of life. Hats off to them collectively—on November 11th and every other day. Those of us who know someone who is serving, or has served, in the armed forces understand how appropriate the word “serve” is. War is ugly, and the fighting forces are on the leading edge of that horror. Being a soldier is no easy job, even in the midst of peace.
My family has a tradition of military service, to include a never-ending debate about which is better: the Army, Air Force, or Navy. Today’s salute to my Paw-paw does not constitute a vote in that private war. In all fairness I must admit if he were here to speak for himself, Paw-paw would tell you the American military is the finest in the world. Furthermore, he would say, the Navy is far superior to those ground pounders and flyboys (a term that does not apply to Navy aviators, of course).
He was an ordinary fellow, my Paw-paw. Yet in the 1940s he and a few million other average guys got together and saved the world from despotism. Almost forty, with two kids and a wartime essential job teaching electronics, he didn’t have to go. He could have avoided the danger, disease, and discomfort of those Pacific Islands. But my Paw-paw was a man who put his beliefs into action. He chose to endure confrontations with people bent on killing him because he wanted his children to live in freedom—even if he didn’t survive to see them grow up.
Thank you, Paw-paw. Rest in peace. You were my hero, and I miss you still. The world would be a better place with more men like you.
Carlene Havel,author of "A Hero's Homecoming"
http://www.prismbookgroup.com/AHerosH...
My family has a tradition of military service, to include a never-ending debate about which is better: the Army, Air Force, or Navy. Today’s salute to my Paw-paw does not constitute a vote in that private war. In all fairness I must admit if he were here to speak for himself, Paw-paw would tell you the American military is the finest in the world. Furthermore, he would say, the Navy is far superior to those ground pounders and flyboys (a term that does not apply to Navy aviators, of course).
He was an ordinary fellow, my Paw-paw. Yet in the 1940s he and a few million other average guys got together and saved the world from despotism. Almost forty, with two kids and a wartime essential job teaching electronics, he didn’t have to go. He could have avoided the danger, disease, and discomfort of those Pacific Islands. But my Paw-paw was a man who put his beliefs into action. He chose to endure confrontations with people bent on killing him because he wanted his children to live in freedom—even if he didn’t survive to see them grow up.
Thank you, Paw-paw. Rest in peace. You were my hero, and I miss you still. The world would be a better place with more men like you.
Carlene Havel,author of "A Hero's Homecoming"
http://www.prismbookgroup.com/AHerosH...
Dead Poets
Some words can be put together in a way that is memorable. Isn't it interesting how often those unforgettable lines are lifted from poetry? Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." Did she have any idea millions of English-speaking school children would read her poem? And that most would remember it when other lessons were long faded from memory?
How about T.S. Eliot's frequently quoted ending to "The Hollow Men" - "This is the way the world ends/Not with a bang but a whimper." Commentators who wouldn't be caught dead with a book of poetry in their hands will unabashedly quote Eliot, often without bothering to explain the reference. It's something we're expected to know.
Words penned by King David thousands of years ago still give us comfort: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." A week never passes without someone reading one of David's beautiful, still-relevant Psalms.
In addition to their unforgettable lines, what do Browning, Eliot, and David have in common? They're all dead. So you, gentle reader, have indeed communicated with the dead by reading their poetry. There's nothing occult about this. Living people record their poems, allowing successive generations access to the author's innermost thoughts long after he or she has departed from this life.
Some day when you're reading or quoting a favorite verse, stop and think how much insight it gives into the heart of its author. And something of that writer will blaze to life in your own mind. Amazing!
Carlene Havel,author of "A Hero's Homecoming"
http://www.prismbookgroup.com/AHerosH...
How about T.S. Eliot's frequently quoted ending to "The Hollow Men" - "This is the way the world ends/Not with a bang but a whimper." Commentators who wouldn't be caught dead with a book of poetry in their hands will unabashedly quote Eliot, often without bothering to explain the reference. It's something we're expected to know.
Words penned by King David thousands of years ago still give us comfort: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." A week never passes without someone reading one of David's beautiful, still-relevant Psalms.
In addition to their unforgettable lines, what do Browning, Eliot, and David have in common? They're all dead. So you, gentle reader, have indeed communicated with the dead by reading their poetry. There's nothing occult about this. Living people record their poems, allowing successive generations access to the author's innermost thoughts long after he or she has departed from this life.
Some day when you're reading or quoting a favorite verse, stop and think how much insight it gives into the heart of its author. And something of that writer will blaze to life in your own mind. Amazing!
Carlene Havel,author of "A Hero's Homecoming"
http://www.prismbookgroup.com/AHerosH...
November 7, 2012
Aging
For some unknown reason, I don’t expect people to age unless I personally observe the process. How shocking it is to meet a co-worker of a decade ago and realize she now looks ten years older! Perhaps I am not alone in this misperception.
Not long ago I went to the funeral of a distant relative. No one else could make time in the schedule to attend, and we all felt there should be some representation from our branch of the family tree. After the service, people kept congratulating me on my youthful appearance. “You look WONDERFUL,” yet another third cousin cooed. Then she called me by the wrong name, and everything fell into place. There’s simply no graceful way to phrase the information. May as well blurt it out. “I’m not Billie. I’m her daughter.” It was almost worth it to see the stunned reaction. Almost.
Carlene Havel,author of "A Hero's Homecoming"
http://www.prismbookgroup.com/AHerosH...
Not long ago I went to the funeral of a distant relative. No one else could make time in the schedule to attend, and we all felt there should be some representation from our branch of the family tree. After the service, people kept congratulating me on my youthful appearance. “You look WONDERFUL,” yet another third cousin cooed. Then she called me by the wrong name, and everything fell into place. There’s simply no graceful way to phrase the information. May as well blurt it out. “I’m not Billie. I’m her daughter.” It was almost worth it to see the stunned reaction. Almost.
Carlene Havel,author of "A Hero's Homecoming"
http://www.prismbookgroup.com/AHerosH...
