Merry Christmas 2010!

As many friends and family members suffer hardships this year, let us remember to give thanks to our Lord and Savior.

1. It's bitterly cold in Florida, unusually so.

I'm thankful I'm not stuck on a snow-piled highway in the middle of a blizzard.

2. I can't afford to buy presents for loved ones because of our financial distress.

I'm thankful that I have loved ones, for there are many who spend this time alone.

3. My husband denied me the joy of putting up a Christmas tree this year. No reason, he's just a humbug about Christmas.

I'm thankful he's my husband. Humbug or not, he's the man God chose for me, and I love him dearly.

4. My workload has been so heavy lately that my writing has been put on hold.

I'm thankful I have a job--and a promotion in position & salary, too!

5. I don't know whom, if anyone, will share Christmas Day with us for dinner.

I'm thankful we'll have something to eat, for many go hungry every day.

Since I struggled to come up with 5 complaints, I know I am blessed by a loving God. He has been with me through trials and triumphs, and my joy in knowing Him is great! You can have that joy, too.

May God bless you this Christmas season!

RPLA Winner!

My yet-to-be-published novel, The Obedient Heart, won second place in the inspirational romance genre of the Royal Palm Literary Awards contest. This was exciting news at first, but the competitive muse who sometimes takes over my thinking, reminded me that it didn't take FIRST place. After reading the synopsis of the first place winner, I'd say that author earned it. And I had to remind myself that being second place doesn't mean that only two novelists in this category entered the contest. According to Florida Writers Association Group Facilitator, Kaye Coppersmith, no one wins just for entering. If the entries don't meet the FWA standards, then there is no winner for that category. Second place is acceptable. I recall back in the days of Ted Mack's "The Amateur Hour" (the 1960s prelude to "America's Got Talent") Ann-Margaret took second place to a leaf blower. In an interview several years later, the famous actress-singer said, "I wonder where that leaf blower is now." I hope and pray the First Place winner gets a publishing contract, as I'm sure the author is much more talented than a man who made music by blowing through leaves. Ha!

The Obedient Heart takes place in south Tampa, with quick trips to Chicago, IL and Paris, France. Here's a brief synopsis:

Held captive in a tiny hut deep in the Guatemalan rain forest, Ted Bohannon and his friend, Donald Gregory, have one goal: take the four children imprisoned with them and escape.

Two years later, Ted's widowed sister Jennifer Ryaan paces in her living room. A mysterious note with a Guatemalan postmark appeared in her mailbox that afternoon. Someone knows her missing brother's fate. And her friends couldn't have picked a worse time to set her up on a blind date with airline pilot Jack McGowan.

FBI Agents, who investigated the original case, received new information about Jennifer's brother from a confidential informant. With Jennifer's permission, they set up phone taps and surveillance. A clandestine meeting in Paris brought Jack under the cross hairs of their suspicion.

Jennifer refuses to believe her new love is involved, but how can she argue with such compelling evidence as photos of Jack with two international crime bosses?

The tug-of-war between Jennifer's feelings for Jack and her determination to locate her missing brother is overshadowed by two men from Guatemala who stalk her. They offer to take her to her brother for a price-a price too high for her heart of obedience to God. From mysterious notes to Jennifer's kidnapping, this novel proves that an obedient heart can be broken, but faith in the Lord will help to mend it.

If you'd like to see this novel published, please let me know by posting your comment on this blog. Or if you think I need to "bump up" the synopsis, let me know that, too. I'm open to suggestions.

Vote!

In Hillsborough County we have the privilege of voting early in our elections. I'm not sure why the powers that be decided to open the polls two weeks before the actual election day, but I'm glad they did. Instead of standing in line, checking my watch every two seconds, and stressing about being late for work, I can zip out on my lunch hour, walk right in, show my driver's license (not my voter I.D.), and cast my vote.

Not voting is NEVER an option. How many men and women have spilled their blood to give me the right to vote? I cringe when people tell me they don't vote. And many don't vote because they either don't know or don't care about the issues, the candidates, or amendments. But you can bet your last dollar they know who got voted off the island on Survivor, who won the World Series, or who divorced whom in Hollyweird! Doesn't it make sense to learn about the candidates (and issues) who will have the power to raise or lower your taxes and make other decisions that will affect your liberty? Why do citizens care more about entertainers (many of whom are in that field because they are too lazy or ignorant to do anything productive), sports figures, or egomaniacs on a reality program? Maybe because it's easier than thinking.

I've enjoyed campaign walks and sign-waving events, and made some wonderful friends working for different candidates.

Study the issues & amendments, work on a candidate's campaign to get to know them (it's fun!), and go vote! You'll be glad you did.

Review of Ashes of Remembrance

Dear friends, I'm so sorry to have been so long between posts. One of my co-workers brought her sick child to the office because the daycare center has a policy of no sick children. We should adopt that policy for our office, because I succumbed to the viral infection the child left behind. Out sick for a week, and I'm still struggling to feel better. Always the optimist, this was a great opportunity to read, Ashes of Remembrance, the sequel to Only the River Runs Free by Bodie & Brock Thoene. Many of the same characters appear in this story, including Mad Molly, little Mary Elizabeth, along with main characters Kate Donovan, and Joseph Connor Burk. Joseph has reclaimed his rightful place in the community, and Chapter 1 opens with his wedding to Kate Donovan. Tragedy strikes when Joseph is arrested and falsely accused of treason before the end of the wedding reception! The evil Col. Mahon wants Burk property to graze his cattle. What better way to steal it than have Joseph hanged as a conspirator? A brief encounter in jail before Joseph is shipped off to Botany Bay leaves Kate carrying his child. In typical Thoene fashion, the history is factual, but, in my opinion, this one is much more brutal than their other writings. I still enjoyed this novel in spite of the gruesome details. After all, the mark of a good writer is when the reader experiences the book...smells the odors of the prison ship, feels the hunger pang of the prisoner who suffer from near starvation, dread the sinister shark's fin circling the skiff in the vast ocean near the southern tip of Africa. So, now I'm back from Galway, back from the sea voyage, back from another adventure in mid 19th century Ireland, only to wonder what happens next to Kate, Joseph, and the wee babe she carries within her. This gets another "Highly Recommended" from me!

"No Other" by Shawna K. Williams

This historical romance by Shawna K. Williams pulled me into the story with the first sentence. Set in Post WWII America, it possesses the right amount of detail to keep the reader in the late 1940s, learning about the struggles one American family of German descent suffered from President Roosevelt's (d) internment camps. The war ended, and twenty-year-old Jacob had to return to the classroom to earn his high school diploma. Difficult enough without a pretty teacher, Meri, who was only two years older than he. Their relationship began innocently enough with a school play, which Jacob's sister helped write (revealing more about their family's difficulties than Jacob preferred). As Jacob and Meri allowed their love for each other to unfold, he learned she was trapped in her own private internment camp, created by her hypocritical and overbearing parents. Despite Jacob's struggle (and failure) with temptation, he found the path of redemption in honestly claiming responsibility for his actions. No Other is a refreshing look at two people in love during a forgotten era. I look forward to a sequel. I'd like to know what happened to Roger (wink wink).

Only the River Runs Free

Bodie & Brock Thoene captured me in another of their excellent novels, Only the River Runs Free. The story is set in early-to-mid-19th century Ireland, complete with Mad Molly, the eccentric old woman of Ballynockanor who lost her marbles when her employer and his son died on the same day. But she kept the secret of their demise locked away for years, later slipping the mysterious key to a young lame boy and his wee sister.

When a stranger comes to Ballynockanor on Christmas Eve, Mad Molly proclaims a miracle will come to the town through this young man. His intention to become a priest is thwarted by his secret love for Kate, the widowed (and scarred) daughter of town drunk, Tom Donovan. In typical Thoene fashion, this novel is woven together by a well-designed plot. I sailed through it in a week and found myself lamenting at the end, not because the ending was unhappy. Oh, no. The happy ending makes it all the more worth the read. I lamented because I wasn't ready to leave Ballynockanor and its colorful characters. I'm looking forward to reading Ashes of Remembrance, another masterpiece in The Galway Chronicles.

Highly recommended.

Buy two - one for yourself, and one to give as a gift.

Heavenly Humor

"I shared an apartment with my tuxedo cat, Sammy. Aside from not kicking in his share of the rent, he had all the attributes of a roommate anyone could want. He didn’t borrow my clothes, leave dirty dishes in the sink, or take long showers depleting the source of hot water." - Excerpt from Silhouette on the Shade I'm very excited to announce Heavenly Humor for the Cat Lover's Soul is available for pre-order, either through Barbour Publishing (www.barbourbooks.com) or Barnes & Noble. I haven't checked with LifeWay or other book stores yet. In this anthology, you'll find my story, Silhouette on the Shade, about sharing my apartment with Sammy, my first cat (often referred to as my first love). He was a delightful little guy - black & white with soft amber eyes - who never complained about frequent relocations, and accepted other animals into our home with aplomb.

(Note of appreciation to: http://www.i-love-cats.com/catgraphics.html for the above image)

Barbour is working on another anthology, Heavenly Humor for the Mother's Soul. I wrote seven stories for that book and pray they'll publish all of them. Looking forward to sharing more good news with you as blessings find their way to me.