This willow tree fascinates me. We planted the small twig of a thing the year our youngest son was confirmed.
In the summer the branches dip to the ground creating the perfect place to sit on a blanket and pretend. I can do that because I’m a writer, otherwise people might think it a bit odd to see an woman under the tree staring up at this:
The way the branches twist and turn makes me think of mind mapping a story. The outer beauty of the tree makes me think of people. The way we present a nice outside appearance, but inside we’re twisted, knotted and dying in ways no one knows about.
It’s a2z time again. Once again God gave me the perfect word–but like so many times in life I missed it and someone else pointed out to me, this time it was Ed.
It’s not a figment of my imagination. It’s our truck and trailer loaded with our son and daughter-in-law’s truck. That makes a lot of VEHICLES-in-one.
So why is this exciting? It’s the ending–always the ending of a story that gets you right?
We went to Seymour, Missouri to rescue the broken off road re-vamped ranger that had lost it’s ability to steer. I rode in the back seat of the truck learning to appreciate the joy of reading on my nook. I can’t read a printed book in a car or truck because I get sick. This was my first car trip with the nook and now I’m hooked!
Back to the story:
After six hours on the road my husband seemed to be straining to hold the steering wheel in his hands. I think he said, “That’s not good.”
I tried not to panic. (I do that a lot. Don’t ever call me until an emergency is over.) We slowed to a stop on the side of the interstate. My husband and son jumped out of the truck and headed to the back of the trailer thinking we’d blown a tire.
Not the tire, but what about all the smoke coming from the truck? I’m thinking fire so I’m packing my nook, the camera and my diet Dr. Pepper in my bag ready to bail. Priorities right?
No fire. Good. But semi trucks are whizzing by inches from the side of our truck and now it’s dark and the truck no longer has steering, trailer brakes and it’s overheating. We need a solution. How are we going to get home?
We know a lot of people with trucks, but not equipped to pull a goose neck trailer.(That means you need a trailer hitch in the bed of a truck not on the bumper.)
Wisdom (Ed) in the front seat decides to get to the next exit by driving a hundred feet a time and pulling back to the shoulder as the needle on the heat gauge shot to the red watch out extreme over heat side of it’s little circle. It took a long time to go that last mile. I prayed and wished for a bottle of peppermint tums.
Ed manhandled that truck and trailer to a closed parking lot in a not-so-safe area in Illinois. He wasn’t pleased when I asked him to back up so I could use the street parking lot light to read by. Just sayin’ I mean, if you have no ability to fix a truck you might as well read, right?
Then we remembered a good friend from church has a horse trailer. Yay! He came, connected our trailer with my son’s truck and brought us home while Ed waited for the tow truck.
Quite a day for vehicles. Yesterday, my son took off a half day of work and fixed our truck, so the trailer went back on and our truck took our son’s truck home.
Ranger comes Home
For those of you who know about the insides of truck engines this was the problem.
Water pumps
The water pump isn’t supposed to look like the one on the left, notice the missing fins?
Gist writes with her stellar story telling talent, however this book did not excite me the way Maid to Match and Bride in the Bargain did. I’ve spent some time trying to figure out why and the only thing I can figure out is that I didn’t care for the bird side of the story which is an important component to the book.
Despite that, I have to say that Gist has believable and very likeable characters. Sometimes a book will capture you from the start and not let go of you. Gist usually does that for me, just not this time. The more I think about it, it is because of the birds. I love birds but I guess I don’t have the passion that a true bird lover would.
So don’t dismiss this book because of my review. You may find you enjoy it cover to cover without stopping because Gist is a fantastic storyteller.
Book provided for review by publisher.
About the book:
It’s a Battle of Wills … and Love Is on the Line!
Rural switchboard operator Georgie Gail is proud of her independence in a man’s
world . . . which makes it twice as vexing when the telephone company sends a man to look over her shoulder.
Dashing Luke Palmer is more than he appears though. He’s a Texas Ranger working undercover to infiltrate a notorious gang of train robbers. Repairing telephones and tangling with this tempestuous woman is the last thing he wants to do. But when his stakeout puts Georgie in peril, he realizes more than his job is on the line.
About Deeanne:
Deeanne Gist–known to her family, friends, and fans as Dee–has rocketed up the bestseller lists and captured readers everywhere with her very original, very fun historical & contemporary romances. Add to this three RITA nominations, two consecutive Christy Awards, rave reviews, and a growing loyal fan base, and you’ve got one recipe for success.
Deeanne is thrilled to introduce Georgie and Luke to the word in her latest novel, Love on the Line. To celebrate Deeanne’s publisher, Bethany House, is hosting the Love on the Line iPad2 giveaway an Author Chat on Facebook! Enter today and follow the link below to RSVP for Deeanne’s rip-roarin’ Facebook Party!
One fortunate winner will receive:
A Brand New iPad2
A Signed Copy of Love on the Line by Deeanne Gist
Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on November 7th. Winner will be announced at Deeanne’s Author Chat Facebook Party. Deeanne will be wrapping of the Love on the Line celebration by chatting with friends new and old! So grab your copy of Love on the Line (it’s okay if you don’t have one yet- you might could win one!) and join Deeanne on the evening of November 8th for a rip roaring book chat, a little trivia, a sneak peak at her next book, and lots of giveaways (books, and Amazon, iTunes & Starbucks gift certificates)!
Don’t miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends. Hope to see you on the 8th!
The leaves are falling at my house, maybe where you live they don’t fall or they are already on the ground.
Once the leaves have fallen the branches are ‘uncovered’ for us to see. We get to view what has been hidden–a skeleton that held layers of greens, then golds or reds.
People are like this tree. Make up, hair, high fashion, GoodWill couture are distractions from what is on the inside. Under the bright pink sweater may be a woman in dire need of understanding or a hug because her underpinnings are weak.
Some wear that ‘different’ look–you know the one that makes you back up and wonder about the person with the piercings and tattoos–is she safe, will he try to take something from me?
This weekend at our book signing Marty and I witnessed such a person.With a bit of encouragement J. spoke with us. Her tattoos were in Greek and Hebrew, one of them meant forgiveness.
I try hard not to judge people by what they appear to be, sometimes it’s hard. I tend to turn to fear rather than God. This time I let God work and was blessed by meeting a charming child of God, one who volunteers talking to runaway children about God’s love. She’s studying to a nurse, would like to write a book to help runaways understand what God’s love can do for them and feels led to learn Thai.
Then she did the unexpected, she offered us a love offering. She carries a few dollars with her for that purpose. We refused to take it, asking her to use it in her ministry.
The few minutes J. spent talking with us blessed both Marty and I. For me it was a message to take time and uncover the person under the layers, because there are jewels waiting to be discovered.
Can you imagine typing an entire novel on one these?
There’s no backspace key. You can’t hit ctrl c for copy and crtl v for paste–“Yes, I’m a PC,” meant nothing when these guys were hot items.
I learned to type on a Royal that looked a lot like this one. It didn’t have green buttons. I loved the sound those keys made, clack, clack clack and when you made it to the margin the bell would ring , you’d push the lever and zing-it would return to the right side and you’d start a new line.
When you made a mistake you had to get a bottle of White Out, paint it on like nail polish and wait for it to dry. I found waiting hard and often I’d try and type to soon.
I don’t really miss that typewriter, just the idea of it. I like all the functions I have on my computer.
And while I never wrote an entire novel on my typewriter I did write short stories.
What do you do when faced with a challenge? Do you run? Say, “No thanks, maybe some other time?”
This week I learned a lesson from a young friend. She wanted to climb into the treehouse my husband had built for our sons–a long time ago.
For safety, my husband tried it out first. Deeming it safe he advised our friend to take it slow and she’d be fine.
Good advice. That’s what she did.
“I had to go slow the first time because I was scared. I had to prove that I could do it. Now I’m going to do it again, faster because I know I can and it is fun.”
That is a statement I’m taking to heart as I start writing a new book. I’ve done it before and it was fun, scary but fun. This time maybe I can go faster.
But that’s easy, I’ve written a few books already so maybe I should choose something I haven’t done before…like climb up into that treehouse.
Do you have something you think you can do but haven’t?
Deeply Devoted by Maggie Brendan is a sweet romance that comes with baggage. Catherine Olsen is the star of this book. She accepts the mail-order-bride proposal from Peter Anderson. What Peter doesn’t know is Catherine is bringing along her two sisters and big secret.
I enjoyed this delightful easy to read book. It’s part of a series called Blue Willow Brides. I’m going to go back and read those.
European Mail-Order Bride Finds Love Against All Odds
Acclaimed romance writer Maggie Brendan’s latest offering from the “Blue Willow Bride” series, Deeply Devoted (ISBN: 978-0-8007-3462-6, $14.99, 336 pages, September), introduces readers to Catharine Olsen, a mail-order bride arriving in America from Holland. She carries not only the anticipation of her marriage to Peter Andersen but also the residual pain of a tragic past, her mother’s Blue Willow china, and has her two younger sisters in tow. The fact is, in Wyoming, the single men outnumber the women five to one, so Catharine’s surpassing beauty and willing spirit are priceless gifts for Peter.
In spite of initial culture shock and necessary adjustments, Catharine finds a love with Peter that enraptures both her heart and mind. She is greatly troubled by Peter’s mother’s endeavors to sabotage their precious marriage. Catharine becomes terrified that her haunting past will be discovered, as the story unfolds with tremendous detail and extraordinary characterization.
Brendan’s previous work has received high rankings and praise in the Romantic Times, and she has also received the Atlanta Persistence Award from the American Christian Writers. Author Julie Lessman commented, “Maggie Brendan’s gentle style of prairie romance is reminiscent of Janette Oke, capturing the heart of both the Old West and the reader with romance that will make you sigh.”
Deeply Devoted is sure to captivate readers with its page-turning thrills and the hope of a deeply redemptive story.
Maggie Brendan is the author of No Place for a Lady, The Jewel of His Heart, and A Love of Her Own. A member of American Christian Writers and the American Fiction Writers Association, Maggie lives in Georgia.
Book provided for review by:
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life. They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet.
Over 650 Christian Fiction Writers stayed down town last weekend in St. Louis, Missouri for the American Christian Fiction Writers conference.
I was one of them. I grew up in Missouri and now live in Illinois, but close to St. Louis. I like to say, “The Arch is in my backyard.”
On this night I was headed with other authors to an even hosted by Barbour Publishing house to board the Tom Sawyer, a paddle boat that cruises the Mississippi River.
It’s been a while since I’ve experienced the river at night. When the boat turned to dock the city lights with the backdrop of the river current swishing against the boat the sight took my breath away.
St. Louis River Front
Despite the reported dangers and crimes I love this city. Within its boundaries are many delightful people, places to visit and foods that are unique. I am proud of this place I was born. This is my home, my heritage.
for more a2z please visit Patty Wysong. posted by Diana Lesire Brandmeyer
1. The new place will have bare walls. 2. The process of building a new family within those walls can include all of the family personalities 3. The new home will reflect your new blended family 4. You won’t have to look at the art work, owl collection, or other decorations of the previous spouse. 5. Moving gives everyone an equal starting over point. 6. A new house gives the new family rules a clean back drop. 7. With both families moving to a new home you’ll both be forced to clean out items you don’t want or need. Have a huge garage sale and get something new together. 8. You can start a new growth chart established 20XX. 9. Moving can bond a family together. 10. When you’ve established a new home in a new place you’ll feel like the walls are hugging instead of strangling you.
Last August a trip back in time occurred. It didn’t make the papers, Fox News or CNN.
Five women met for a morning of remembering elementary school, how they survived 7th grade at the Nike Base. That year our moms banded together to stop the buses from crossing an unsafe bridge. We remembered our years at PHS.
All of us lived in the same subdivision where streets were walked after dark, sleds sailed down snow laden streets and phone lines almost melted from many daily crisis situations.
The hallway above was our high school it is now the middle school.
Remembering the the feel of shoulder to shoulder walking, the smell of well perfumed girls because we didn’t like the showers, and a smile beaming at you as you passed a friend (Robby!) seems as bright as the polished floors in the photo.
Some of us have moved to other states, all have been married and have children but the moment we saw each other time turned backwards and in our hearts we were teenagers once more.
Time had crept into the space between high school and living. The five of us had lost touch with each other, missing important milestones in each others lives.
Then facebook brought us together again. It took almost a year before we found the last person, but it happened.
Now, we fill in the blanks, know that we will be there for each other from now on, and rejoice in the remembering of our pasts. I wish everyone could find their early friends and do their own remembering.