Julie Arduini's Blog, page 34
February 22, 2021
Delightful Stories of Flying Adventures by Linda Street-Ely
Delightful stories of flying adventures
By Linda Street-Ely
My husband and I are co-pilots and co-authors. We’re in our fourteenth year now as columnists in our local newspaper, with a unique topic. We write about aviation, but we write for the non-flying general public. We aim to put a face to a world that’s unfamiliar to many, with exciting stories about people, places, and adventures.
About half the stories are of our own flying adventures in our Grumman Cheetah, including cross-country air racing, fly-in campouts, and a punkin-chunkin’ contest. The rest cover a wide variety of perspectives and the many faces of aviation: a grandma who learned to fly after her husband’s heart attack made him medically unfit to exercise the privileges of his pilot certificate; a professional percussionist from the Houston Symphony who loves to fly rescue pets to new forever homes; a world-class artist who traded in flying for art (and we’re all better off for it). There’s adorable little Lauren (now grown up and teaching others how to fly) who we met when she was eight years old and flying with her dad in their family Bonanza; a wounded warrior shot in the neck in Iraq whose determination brought him to air racing; mission flying in Mexico and Africa. There’s even a beautiful sample of a pilot’s letters home while flying in Burma at the end of WWII.
Linda Street-Ely
About two months before the tenth anniversary of “Ely Air Lines,” I got the wild idea to select our top stories since day one of the column and put them into a book. Thinking we could have a book out in two months was not a realistic goal, but two and a half years and thousands of edits later, a two-volume set emerged. One hundred stories selected from 520 written to inform, entertain, and delight readers from all walks of life.
We selected stories of crop dusters, corporate pilots, aerobatics, and even some with arts and culinary themes. Basketball players, a NASA statistician, a jockey, farmers, and priests show the wide reach of aviation. And there are many stories of triumph. We love those best, the story of the human spirit, created by God.
We recently started a publishing company, Paper Airplane Publishing, LLC, and are looking forward to signing up new authors. Meanwhile, our weekly column continues, and we each have our own writing projects, while also employed full time in aviation. Mike is working on his next book that compares flying of forty years ago with today. I just finished my first play, a story about a notorious ancestor in medieval Scotland, and I am now working on a sequel. My testimony of faith in the midst of tragedy is what got me started writing books, and a short children’s book came after that.
Writing the two volumes of Ely Air Lines: Select Stories from 10 Years of a Weekly Column was an adventure in itself, which we think is reflected in the stories.
Ely Air Lines: Select Stories from 10 Years of a Weekly Column
Volumes 1 and 2 (sold separately)
Delightful stories of flying adventures from around the globe. Adventurous and heartwarming. Written by pilots.
Ely Air Lines is a captivating 2-volume set of 100 short stories that inspire and educate, written by pilots Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely. Step aboard to enjoy a collection of stories that explore the vast realm of the flyer’s world.
Buckle up and fly with Mike and Linda to discover amazing people, interesting places, and the conquest of flight.
EXCERPT
A Picture of Courage
Linda: I met Chris Sullivan as a fellow cross-country air racer in 2016. It was his first race, and he was admittedly nervous.
“I’d always wanted to learn to fly. When I discovered Able Flight, I submitted my application for a scholarship and was selected to come to Purdue University for training.”
Chris’ first flight was in May 2014 in a Sky Arrow, an aircraft equipped with adaptive rudder controls, when he entered Able Flight’s intensive training course nine years after being hit by sniper fire.
It was May 21, 2005. The 256th Infantry Brigade, Louisiana Army National Guard, had been tasked with locating and disarming IEDs just outside Baghdad Airport. As the team worked carefully, the enemy watched. Suddenly, bullets flew, one entering Chris’ neck and exiting his back.
Nobody else was hit. Sergeant Sullivan lay on the ground, bleeding from his neck. He couldn’t move or speak. His vocal cords burned but he felt no pain; the sniper’s bullet had severed his spine. His squad frantically laid down suppression fire and attempted to evacuate him. They were doing their job, just as they had been trained.
Carried to safety behind a Humvee, Chris could hear the radio. Apache helicopters were needed to blanket the area with more suppression fire for Blackhawk helicopters to swoop in for the rescue, but the Apaches were on other missions. He knew they were too far to reach him before he bled to death, but he wasn’t afraid.
He prayed, “Lord, if it’s time to bring me home, I’m okay with that, but I will fight it as long as I can because I have so much more to do.” Unable to speak well, he smiled, hoping it would calm his buddies as his blood spilled out.
Then, over the radio squelched the news: two Apaches were within three miles and on their way, hot and heavy—fully loaded with ammo!
God didn’t bring Chris home to heaven that day, and so began the long, painful road to recovery. Knowing his company would return from deployment in three-and-a-half months, he wanted to greet them, so he asked the doctors for an aggressive rehab plan. That reunion stateside was a great motivator, but once back home in Mire, Louisiana, doubt and fear prowled around him as he fought against post-traumatic stress. What was his purpose, now that he was paralyzed?
Chris found his purpose in helping veterans through the Veterans Administration, with empathy that only someone who has been there can have. Four years later, he joined Louisiana State Representative Rodney Alexander’s staff as a caseworker for wounded warriors.
He shared his story at fundraisers and despite his paralysis, he learned to scuba dive, went skydiving, and became a National Veterans Wheelchair Games silver medalist in snow skiing. And on the second anniversary of being wounded, our hero began dating his future wife, later witnessing another miracle—the birth of their son.
Chris worked hard at Able Flight, in ground school several hours a day and flying twice daily. Then, the night before his check ride, he fell ill with an infection that spread to his bones. Courageously, he fought back for a month and after a full recovery, he returned to Purdue to earn his wings.
Only two years after his first flight, he climbed out of his wheelchair and into the cockpit. The day was hot, so friends helped drape ice-cold cloths on his neck because his body couldn’t regulate temperature.
Engines started, props turned, and airplanes taxied to the runway. There in the Sky Arrow, eleven years after facing death in war, Chris Sullivan taxied in line and looked down the row of race planes. A tear came as he took the starting line, throttled up, and became: a race pilot. The trophy awarded to him symbolizes so much more than finishing first in his class in that race. It is the fight he wins every day and, “as long as I can, because I have so much more to do.”
Mike Ely, Linda Street-ElyMike Ely has logged thousands of hours over more than forty years as a professional pilot. He holds an airline transport pilot certificate with multiple type ratings and a flight instructor certificate. Mike has taught people to fly in small single engine airplanes, gliders, turboprops, and corporate jets. As a freight pilot and an international corporate pilot, he has flown through all kinds of weather, to many places, both exotic and boring. His love for writing was instilled by his father at an early age.
Linda Street-Ely is an award-winning, multi-genre author and playwright. She also holds an airline transport pilot certificate, a commercial seaplane certificate and a tailwheel endorsement. She has air raced all over the U.S., including four times in the historic all-women’s transcontinental Air Race Classic. Besides flying, Linda has a keen appreciation for great storytelling. She loves to travel the world, meet people, and learn about other cultures because she believes great stories are everywhere.
Together, Linda and Mike are “Team Ely,” five-time National Champions of the Sport Air Racing League, racing their Grumman Cheetah, named the “Elyminator,” and dubbed “The Fastest Cheetah in the Known Universe.” They live in Liberty, Texas.
BUY LINKS
Ely Air Lines Volume 1 – https://www.amazon.com/Ely-Air-Lines-Select-Stories/dp/1947677020/
Ely Air Lines Volume 2 – https://www.amazon.com/Ely-Air-Lines-Select-Stories/dp/1947677039/
3 SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Website: Paper Airplane Publishing
February 15, 2021
June Foster: The Inn at Cranberry Cove
Twenty years ago, my husband and I lived in Washington state – in Olympia, the capitol. I love the Pacific northwest and frequently set my stories there. In fact, the first five or so were inspired by the forests of Douglas fir, majestic mountains, and lakes and streams that are perfect for fishing.
One weekend during our time in Washington, we decided to travel west as far as we could go until we reached the ocean. Our trip brought us to a delightful B&B in Ilwaco on the south end of Long Beach Peninsula in the southwest corner of the state, between the Pacific Ocean and the Columbia River. I hadn’t realized that a sleepy, historic fishing town nestled there.
The B&B was once an old place of worship, and today boasts of guest rooms, lush gardens, and a large meeting room where the sanctuary used to stand. At the time we were there, I hadn’t written my first book, but years later, upon thinking back to the lovely inn, my imagination began to percolate and The Inn at Cranberry Cove was born.
Today the B&B is owned by a sweet couple by the name of Leanna and Kevin Moos and is now called the Inn at Harbor Village. The picture on the cover of my book is the real inn that the Moos graciously allowed me to use.
An award-winning author, June Foster is also a retired teacher with a BA in Education and a MA in counseling. She is the mother of two and grandmother of ten. June began writing Christian romance in 2010. She penned her first novel on her Toshiba laptop as she and her husband traveled the US in their RV. Her adventures provide a rich source of information for her novels. She brags about visiting a location before it becomes the setting in her next book.
To date, June has written over twenty contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels and novellas. She loves to compose stories about characters who overcome the circumstances in their lives by the power of God and His Word. June uses her training in counseling and her Christian beliefs in creating characters who find freedom to live godly lives. She’s published with Winged Publications. Visit June at www.junefoster.com to see a complete list of her books.
February 13, 2021
Free for Kindle: You’re Beautiful & You’re Amazing
You’re Beautiful: Brilliant Things Happen when a group of girls and their mentors discover they’re beautiful.Hayley Atkinson withdraws from her friends and new opportunities with the new mentoring group, Linked, after she is told a lie that she believes is true about herself.
Sabrina Wayson is a mentor in Linked who feels she can’t help encourage girls because she’s struggling as much as they are. Can they surrender the lies and find freedom?
The first book in the Surrendering Stinkin’ Thinkin’ series for Middle Grade/young teens/women of all ages by mother and daughter authors Julie Arduini and Hannah Arduini.
Today is the last day I have Restoring Christmas, Match Made in Heaven, You’re Beautiful and You’re Amazing free for Kindle. I hope you’ve taken advantage of these Valentine freebies. If you enjoy them, please leave a review on Amazon/BookBub/Goodreads. Thank you!
YOU’RE AMAZING: Beautiful things happen when a group of girls and their mentors discover they’re worthy.
Jazmin’s a natural at dance until a series of changes make her wonder if she should even keep up with her favorite hobby.
Lena’s a mom with young children overwhelmed with her schedule when a woman remarks that what Lena does isn’t even important.
Both Jazmin and Lena belong to Linked, a mentoring ministry where all ages encourage each other and build friendships.
Can these two surrender the lies they are believing and realize they are amazing?
The second book in the Surrendering Stinkin’ Thinkin’ series that can be read as a stand-alone for tweens, teens, and women of all ages by mother and daughter authors Julie Arduini and Hannah Arduini.
February 12, 2021
Free For Kindle: Match Made in Heaven
If you read yesterday, I’m have a Valentine’s promo where Restoring Christmas, Match Made in Heaven, You’re Beautiful and You’re Amazing are free for Kindle today and tomorrow. If you enjoy them, please leave a review on Amazon/BookBub/Goodreads. Thank you!
Beth Prescott wants to make a difference with the senior citizens she serves as a volunteer coordinator, but their matchmaking efforts leave her guarded. She’s experienced too much pain to make that leap again.Dean Kellerman returns to the Finger Lakes area to help his grandfather and heal his own broken heart. He’s recommitted his life to Christ, and doesn’t want any distractions.When his grandfather needs assistance with a senior program, it places Dean right in Beth’s path. Can these two surrender their pasts to Christ and have faith in each other and their future?
Free for Kindle: Restoring Christmas
I love promoting books for free on Kindle. This promo is good February 12, 13, and 14. If you enjoy it, please leave a review on Amazon/BookBug/Goodreads. Thank you!
Two broken hearts. One amazing God.
Holly Christmas left Geneseo Valley and her family’s holiday tourist attraction, The Christmas Mansion, as soon as she graduated. Now both her parents have passed, and Holly returns when her uncle needs her help running the mansion. On Holly’s first day back, a blunt middle-schooler proclaims Holly hates Christmas. His comment forces her to reconcile the past while planning for the mansion’s future.
Kevin Holt is invested in offering hope to students with challenges. His best friend’s son is in Kevin’s class, and Nathan needs guidance. Their community project placement at The Christmas Mansion is an opportunity to make a positive difference. When Nathan blurts out his thoughts to the beautiful co-owner, Kevin wonders if he has what it takes to help restore the mansion to its former glory, mentor Noah, and convince Holly Christmas she’s exactly where she needs to be.
February 10, 2021
Mary Vee: Use the Fodder from Life Experience to Craft Great Stories
Use the Fodder from Life Experiences to Craft Great Stories
[image error]There was a story or two from my high school literature classes in which the author gave a voice to a main or minor character with mental health issues. Think autism or an adult with the mind of a child. Each one brilliantly written. Great skill was needed to imagine the shoes of such a character and to write their story from their perspective.
A story popped into my mind not long after my mom finished a five-year battle with dementia and went to live with Jesus. A story of Anders, a young master chef who, due to no fault of his own, suffered a head injury and lost the ability to remember. Imagine making the batter for cookies and not remembering if you had put in one or two cups of sugar. While the amount of sugar may seem trite, the moment-by-moment decisions we make each day springboard from memories—even something as simple as checking a calendar for recorded events.
I toyed with who the main character should be for this story. The observant nurse. The neighbor. The parent. It wasn’t until I’d written half the story when–like a potter sitting before her clay–I smashed the form, tossed it aside, and plunked a new lump of clay onto the wheel, letting Anders tell his own story.
Anders struggles to remember what happened from the first page to the last. Bits and pieces pop on a page before the memory fades. I’ve been asked why the story wasn’t longer. I shrug and say, this was all Anders could remember. Fortunately, he reveals what brought about his redemption before he forgets. Anders shows his appreciation to readers by providing his very own master chef recipes at the end of the book.
Significant memory loss can be frustrating for the inflicted. In time, my mom, and my character, Anders, smiled with a twinkle in their eyes when they realize they should know a person but had no clue who they were.
I was surprised to read about a real village in Denmark designed for adults with head injuries, dementia, etc. There are apartments with decoration themes from the fifties, sixties, etc., and those with career themes such as professorial, plumber, or the wealthy-high tea is served for these ladies and gentlemen. The cashiers, movie attendants, baristas, and more are all medical personnel. This village became Anders’ home.
This is such a sweet story of a community who helped beautiful people unable to remember a name, if they locked the front door, or took their meds, but have so much to offer. If you’re looking for a story that will warm your heart, Anders’ Redemption is the one.
Mary Vee – Rock climbing, white-water rafting, and hiking top Mary’s list of ways to enjoy a day. She was homeless for a time, earned her MA in Counseling, and married an Air Force vet. Mary has been a finalist in several writing contests and writes for her King.
Mary’s newsletter takes readers on virtual trips, new adventures, and updates her recent works. Sail on a pirate ship, zip-line through Californian redwoods…there’s always something new. You can sign up on her website.
February 8, 2021
Amy R. Anguish: Writing Home
Writing home: By Amy R Anguish
Contemporary Christian Romance
About the Book
Christiana Jones dreamed her whole life of living in Huntsville, Alabama, so she can’t figure out why it doesn’t feel like home. Her relationships—on social media and in real life—seem shallow and empty. When she unearths a stack of her grandparents’ letters, it spurs an idea. Could she find something deeper with a penpal?
Jordan White is taken aback when his cousin Tina suggests he become penpals with her childhood best friend. What could a Louisiana boy have in common with a girl two states away? After all, he’s happily settled on his family’s property and working the job he always wanted. But every letter they exchange has him wishing for more.
As they grow closer through their written words, the miles between them seem to grow wider. Can love cross the distance and bring them home?
What is the inspiration behind your story?
After my grandfather passed away in 2013, my grandmother who had been married to him for 66 years read his old letters every night. He’d been in the Korean war and written to her then and on several other occasions. She continued to treasure those letters (who none of us were allowed to see) until she passed away in 2018. And it got me thinking about how amazing their relationship was. And what would it be like if you had to have a relationship through letters only?
About the author
Amy R. Anguish grew up a preacher’s kid, and in spite of having lived in seven different states that are all south of the Mason Dixon line, she is not a football fan. Currently, she resides in Tennessee with her husband, daughter, and son, and usually a bossy cat or two. Amy has an English degree from Freed-Hardeman University that she intends to use to glorify God, and she wants her stories to show that while Christians face real struggles, it can still work out for good.
Follow her at http://abitofanguish.weebly.com or http://www.facebook.com/amyanguishauthor
Or https://twitter.com/amy_r_anguish
Learn more about her books at https://www.pinterest.com/msguish/my-books/
And check out the YouTube channel she does with two other authors, Once Upon a Page (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEiu-jq-KE-VMIjbtmGLbJA)
Excerpt from Chapter 1
“UGH. WHY DO I EVEN BOTHER?” And yet Christiana Jones continued scrolling down her social media feed too fast to see much. What was the point of looking? No one posted anything of importance. Nothing personal.
A recipe for coconut pecan pie. A meme asking if it was Friday yet, the poor cat in the picture looking half drowned. A political rant speculating about what the government was going to do to make people’s lives more miserable. Four new selfies from her coworker.
A childhood snapshot her best friend had dug up of Tina and cousin “Boomer”—adorable, but did he appreciate such an old photo being shared with hundreds of friends? A few pictures of former classmates’ cute kids. Okay. Those last few were personal. But the rest?
She closed the app and tossed her phone across the bed where she leaned against the headboard, too exhausted to even finish changing out of her scrub pants. The farthest she’d made it was removing her sneakers. She’d only picked up her phone to clear messages before getting sucked in. But what a waste of time.
Vanity, vanity, all is vanity. King Solomon definitely had it right. That and, There is nothing new under the sun.
She released a sigh and glanced through the window. A beautiful Friday evening in early October with nothing to do. No date. No plans. No energy. No motivation after her busy week. The cold and flu season was in full swing, and the pediatrician’s office where she worked had been swamped.
More than just the social media malarkey that had her down. Her whole life seemed humdrum. Her closest friend was three hours away. She’d lived in this Huntsville apartment, in her supposed dream town, for over two years now, and it still didn’t feel like home. The congregation where she worshipped was nice enough, but she hadn’t formed any connections. The girls she worked with were okay but didn’t hold enough in common with her for her to want to hang out with them outside of the office. And her neighbors . . . well, she evidently wasn’t very neighborly because she couldn’t remember meeting any of them.
February 1, 2021
Penelope Powell: Together for Good
The idea for Together For Good started forming before I finished A Powerful Voice. She appeared in that story as Gloria’s friend. As a contrast to Gloria’s character, Laney was good-natured and optimistic, though she was no stranger to loss. Readers might’ve picked up on hints of a story behind Laney’s romantic interests, which birthed Laney and Matthew’s love story in Together For Good. Because Laney’s character is a teacher, and Matthew practices family law, I wanted to bring in some of the issues either could face working with children.
Together for Good; By Penelope Powell
Contemporary Christian Romance
Available on Amazon
About the Book
Having lost her mother in a tragic drunk driving accident, Laney Spence is no stranger to grief and loss. Despite this tragedy touching her life at such a young age, Laney has maintained her belief that God brings good out of even the most difficult circumstances. For her, that good came in the form of her older brother’s best friend, Matthew Jordan. Kind and compassionate, Matthew helped her grieve—and she’s been harboring a crush on him ever since.
Years later, when tragedy shatters Matthew’s life, Laney is there for him the same way he’d been there for her all those years ago. But they’re not kids anymore. She’s a teacher with little life experience, and he’s a jaded divorce lawyer with a past he’d rather keep secret. Neither of them can ignore the attraction that blooms, though, leaving them both wondering—is attraction, history, and a shared faith in God enough to keep them together for good, or will circumstances beyond their control drive them apart?
About the Author
Penelope grew up in Tennessee, but has lived in various states and a few countries outside the United States. She holds a BS in Business/Political Science and a MS in Multinational Commerce from Boston University. After working in the field of banking and finance, she left to invest her time with her children. Now that they are grown, she is pursing the life of a writer. As an avid reader of fiction and a student of Biblical truth, she combines what she learns into stories of redemption. A Powerful Voice and A Furrow So Deep and A Powerful Voice are full length romances published through Anaiah Press, LLC, as well as, her Christmas novella, My Christmas Hope.
Follow Penelope on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PenelopePowellAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@penpowell89
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/penpowell89/
Website: www.penelopepowell.com
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/penel...
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Penelope-Powell/e/B0741NLBGH?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1601852060&sr=8-1
Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
More books by Penelope Powell
January 27, 2021
Laurie Wood: The Idea Behind Northern Protector
The idea behind Northern Protector
The idea for Northern Protector took a lot of thought processing. I knew when I wrote the first book, Northern Deception, that the second book would be about the police officer who was mauled by the polar bear and whoever he fell in love with but I had zero ideas on what the central story would be around. First, I tried to pair him off with Sarah Thorvald, who was the Conservation officer who saved him by tranquilizing the polar bear. I wrote about five chapters and they just wouldn’t gel on the page for me. No chemistry!
Then I decided to re-read Northern Deception to get any other ideas, and one sentence leapt out at me. I described Ruby Gallagher, who owns the town Café & Emporium, as having a daughter and granddaughter who plays with the toddler who has Down Syndrome. These two had no names or history. It was just the one sentence to get little Sophie parked so that the hero and heroine in Northern Deception could go out and do their thing. But it leapt off the page at me and bang! I had my heroine for Ben Koper, and she had a daughter.
Once I had that, a vision of her came into my mind and the rest took me a couple of hours to flesh out her character and back story. So, this book was tougher to write but once I settled on the question “What’s the worst thing that can happen to two teenage girls who go to a summer party at a cabin out of town on the tundra?” I had my book.
Northern Protector (Heroes of the Tundra Book 2) is actually the third book in the series, if you count the Christmas novella, Northern Hearts. If you love romance, danger, suspense, police procedurals, smart 6-year-olds, and exotic wilderness locales, then you’ll love it.
Constable Ben Koper is still healing from the polar bear attack that almost killed him. Nine months after it happened, he returns to Churchill, Manitoba, a changed man—scarred more than just physically. PTSD is his new shadow, haunting his every step, and he can’t seem to kick the pain meds he shouldn’t need anymore. He’s determined to prove, to himself and his colleagues, that he’s still up to his job. Failure isn’t an option.
ER nurse Joy Gallagher spent the entire last winter texting with a healing Constable Koper. What started as friendly concern from this single mother has grown into full-fledged romantic feelings, and she’s eager to level up their friendship and introduce him to the idyllic comfort of small-town life. Until a teenager is murdered at a summer party. The crime is strikingly similar to the cold case murder of Joy’s foster sister, stirring old trauma Joy has never fully dealt with.
When another victim is snatched in town, Ben and Joy must confront their own demons, and join forces to track down an elusive killer. The race to rescue the next victim before it’s too late will test Ben and Joy to their limits. Can they survive their encounter with this heinous killer, or will the past destroy them.?
About the author
Laurie Wood lives in Central Canada and writes inspirational romantic suspense with an edge of danger. She’s also a military wife who’s raised two wonderful special needs children to adulthood. They’ve lived all over Canada and are still on that journey. When she’s not writing she can be found at her spinning wheel, knitting, or hanging out with her dogs in the garden. She loves to hear from readers and always replies so feel free to get in touch with her.
Please visit her at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauriewoodauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurieJeanWood
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/laurie-wood
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18607248.Laurie_Wood?
Buy Links:
Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Northern-Protector-Heroes-Tundra-Book-ebook/dp/B08NTTX4WQ
Amazon.ca: https://amzn.to/2KfyoYq
Anaiah Press: https://bit.ly/3pGPrD6 (Print copies)
January 25, 2021
Valerie Massey Goree: Forever Under Blue Skies
Forever Under Blue Skies
The Story Behind the Story
Valerie Massey Goree
Have you ever fallen in love with a country or place you’ve never visited? I have. When my mother told me her mother was born in Australia, my love for a country that already intrigued me grew immeasurable. My childish fascination with kangaroos and koalas developed into more serious aspects of life. How long had my grandmother’s family lived there? Why did they immigrate to South Africa? So many questions that I didn’t ask at the time. My grandmother passed away before I was born, and no one in the extended family seemed interested in genealogical research.
Many years later, as a wife, mother, and teacher, I tried to compile a family tree—before the days of Ancestry.com. I questioned an aunt who had traveled to Australia for the 1956 Olympics. While there, Aunt Celia met a few relatives so was able to provide names and dates, and a little of the family history, but since she was close to eighty, her recollections were fuzzy.
However, her meager details piqued my curiosity. I wrote to the genealogical society in Melbourne, and over time received more information than I could have hoped for. The passenger manifest of a boat which sailed from Plymouth to Adelaide, Australia in 1863 indicated my great-grandfather was born while at sea. He had a total of fourteen siblings who settled in and around the mining town of Bendigo, Victoria, many working in the gold mines, as masons or farmers, or in the wool industry. My great-grand parents and several of his siblings left Australia in 1902 for South Africa when the gold and diamond mines were being developed there. My grandmother, Florence, was eleven at the time. That’s how she ended up in South Africa!
I cannot remember why I decided to write a novel set in Australia, except maybe my love for the country still existed deep-down. Way before everyone had a personal computer, I purchased a word processor and composed my masterpiece. I used some details of my grandmother’s story, read every library book I could find, and spent a long holiday with my husband in Australia where we met many relatives.
Forever Under Blue Skies is based on that first novel, and as you can imagine, is very close to my heart. My initial manuscript was soundly rejected. Ouch. I attended many writers’ conferences, read craft books, and after publishing five novels, returned to my book baby. I kept the basic premise, but revamped the plot.
Neither Florence nor any of her nieces or nephews lived on a sheep station, but that’s where the fiction part comes in.
What was life like on a sheep station in 1983? Follow Marlow’s journey to find out.
Bio:
American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award winner Valerie Massey Goree resides with her husband on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula of Washington State.
After serving as missionaries in her home country of Zimbabwe and raising two children, Glenn and Valerie moved to Texas. She worked in the public school system for many years, focusing on students with special needs. Now retired in Washington, Valerie spends her time writing, and spoiling her grandchildren.
Novels include: Deceive Me Once; Colors of Deceit; The Stolen Lives Trilogy, Weep in the Night; Day of Reckoning; and Justice at Dawn, to be released soon. Valerie’s latest novel Forever Under Blue Skies, is now available from Amazon.
Valerie loves to hear from her readers.
Check Valerie’s website to learn more about her books: www.valeriegoreeauthor.com
Contact:
https://www.facebook.com/ValerieMasseyGoree/
Purchase link:
