We’ve been re-re-remodeling our old house. Again. Yep.
It’s good to look back to when we first purchased this property. It wasn’t what we were looking for, but in a town of 1,000 or so, you don’t always have a wide choice. I wanted a big old square house with a front porch, but none were on the market when we moved here. So . . .
We found a home with history. Guess that fits us both, although at the time, I hadn’t begun writing WWII novels. I did look into the history of this structure, though, and discovered it was one of the first built in St. Ansgar. 1873.
Don’t you love learning new words? My latest, which you see above, means a sudden violent gust of cold land air common among mountainous coasts of high latitudes, a sudden violent wind, or a violent commotion.
Williwaw certainly describes a great many situations in our world this past year. We surely have witnessed a violent commotion in several areas of our lives. In addition to the wild winter weather still bearing down on parts of our country, children are uprooted from their normal educational process, adults are laid off from work, and citizens still sequester in fear. The suddenness of all this makes williwaw an appropriate noun to use in discussing these circumstances.
Of course, this proved true in many other eras in our nation’s history, as well. During and after the Civil War, for instance, chaos reigned in many quarters of the U.S. Unemployment, loss of domicile, child endangerment–the list goes on and on. Making comparisons leads us nowhere, but history does offer lessons for future generations.
The Civil War affected widespread areas, and vigilante justice often prevailed. For those with an itch to “Go West, young man,” the time was ripe. And for those with underhanded motives, using others for selfish gain proved easier than ever.
Enter one male character of my new release, Secondhand Sunsets. I dare not call him the hero . . . oh, no!
But this story’s heroine, young in years yet old in grief, definitely qualifies for her role. Putting ourselves in Abby’s place may seem a bit overwhelming, for her losses had mounted due to the war and other tragic events. In our society, she would definitely qualify for several support groups and might be labeled as suffering from PTSD.
Her devastation leads her to trust an untrustworthy man, and she nearly pays with her life. Sickened by the sympathies of her small community, Abby only wants to flee. Comforting words taunt her, and she sees no future in this vale of sorrow.
Her story exemplifies the unconditional love that plants us in hope. No matter how far we veer from our spiritual moorings, we never wander beyond this unchanging commitment to our health and wholeness.
Secondhand Sunsets enters our world in the midst of an anxious time. Grief and loss came upon Abby suddenly, too, like a williwaw. May her journey bring encouragement and satisfaction to readers, one and all.
While I surely would never claim to be a cognoscente, or expert, about elk, the past decade has certainly taught me a lot about this animal. Seeing specimens around our house reveals new facets of their lives as the seasons changes.
One year, Lance videoed a male rubbing off his antlers for an extended time on one of the trees in front of our house. I was watching, too, and marveled at his tenacity and determination.
This past week, “the herd” has passed through nearly every day and often lingers for a while to reach high into our mountain oak trees for more leaves.
Imagine the strength of these neck muscles! I’ve always been amazed that such a large animal can survive on vegetation. But it’s true, every time you see them, they’re eating.
Since we first discovered this area, I’ve been working on a novel set in the Civil War era. For some reason, it has taken more than a decade (definitely a record!) to complete. But now, at last, Secondhand Sunsets will release next week.
It’s full of the flora and fauna of our area and the beauty of the Mogollon Rim. This pioneer story takes the reader on a treacherous journey across the nation, and highlights one woman’s will to survive.
Pant! I learned so much about this era’s history in the process, and though it seems peculiar to be releasing anything but a World War II story, here we go. So today I’d like to reveal the cover. Soon, we should have purchase information to share.
We’ve all heard the saying, “God gave us memory so that we may have roses in December.” James Barrie, the author who gave us Peter Pan, was reminding us that warmth comes to us in mysterious ways when life’s cold sweeps down.
With no roses on hand, I offer this delicate violet bloom this morning. I’m thinking especially of friends and family enduring the bitter cold in Iowa, and also my friends suffering through an abnormal winter storm in Texas.
At times like these, little things can make a big difference. Many of you in Texas cannot even view this violet today because your power is down. But perhaps in a couple of days you’ll know I thought of you.
On May 3, 1922 at The University of St. Andrew, the oldest university in Scotland, J.M. Barrie was quoting from a poem by Geoffrey Anketell Studdert-Kennedy (1883-1929)
“God gave His children memory…That in life’s garden there might be…June roses in December.”
The historical context, the end of World War I, entered into this address also. Mr. Barrie was facing young men who had lost brothers and friends in that horrible nightmare. The world still trembled in its aftermath. They had read about–or possibly seen for themselves–the poppies in Flanders Fields.
J. M. Barrie shared his thoughts with great humility. I wish I could speak with some of the students present that day, to ask how his thoughts on courage affected them.
If you’d like to read the speech in its entirety, you may find it here:
At any rate, back in this century, I know my friends are facing this dire weather with the everyday courage so necessary in life. I hope things soon return to normal for all of you.
Today, our guest author, Carole Brown, shares SING UNTIL YOU DIE, the third in her series of novels. Here, she gives us a grip on her story. Also, she’s offering a signed paperback to one commenter:
Unlike books one and two of The Spies of WWIIseries (With Music in Their Heartsand A Flute in the Willows), I couldn’t get a handle on where to go with Claire Anne Rayner and Wills Mason’s story in Sing Until You Die. I knew their names, knew their careers, but the plot evaded me until it was time to write the novel. And then…
Slowly the plot opened up:
How Claire was using her career
What was being asked of Wills by his colonel
The conflict between the two main protagonists
The protagonists’ personalities
Why revenge was being sought by the foreign spy
Who the spy was
The more I wrote, the more I loved these two faulty, but loveable characters. Were they perfect? No. Were they determined to do what they felt was their duty, what they knew was their calling? Yes and yes.
Claire, as a child and teenager, faced thoughtless and sometimes cruel teasings because of over zealousness from certain family and friends. In her youthful mind, she felt loathing for those hurting her and knew she’d never forgive those involved.
Wills, on the otherhand, as a youth was bound to prove he was one better than his best friend. Nothing was too dangerous or too extreme for him to try. No matter how others might feel…
Yet, through loving family and friends, these two grew into adulthood as caring, serious, and individuals determined to succeed in their separate pursuits. The only thing they needed to do was ask for forgiveness and forgive. Could they lay aside their accusations for each other and do it? Would they realize that past feelings and thoughts about the other might just be wrong?
I worked hard at showing the slow and sometimes painful process of their achieving that. But tying in the insidious spy, thrust these two adorable, but different, characters into each others’ lives. That brings about the question:
Will the web of deceit the mysterious German spy is weaving destroy their one chance of happiness with each other, or can they both let go of the past and work together to bring the spy to justice?
Sing Until You Die
From childhood up, Claire Anne Rayner has despised the man who’s like a brother and son to the rest of the Rayner House residents. But when she puts her musical training on hold and begins singing to the troops as a means of helping support and encourage them, she is pulled into a mysterious spy’s efforts to destroy a certain high-ranking man.
Wills Mason is loved by everyone but Claire who cannot forgive him for his and her sister’s unmerciful, youthful teasing. But now, grown up and serving as a civilian spy, Wills must prove that Claire is not willingly relaying messages to the enemy, as his colonel believes, even when all evidence points that way. And can he prove he’s changed and can be trusted to cherish her heart as she deserves to be loved?
Will the web of deceit the mysterious German spy is weaving destroy their one chance of happiness with each other, or can they both let go of the past and work together to bring the spy to justice?
Besides being a member and active participant of many writing groups, Carole Brown enjoys mentoring beginning writers. An author of ten books, she loves to weave suspense and tough topics into her books, along with a touch of romance and whimsy, and is always on the lookout for outstanding titles and catchy ideas. She and her husband reside in SE Ohio but have ministered and counseled nationally and internationally. Together, they enjoy their grandsons, traveling, gardening, good food, the simple life, and did she mention their grandsons?
Ad hominem literally means “to the person” in Latin, as first used in post-medieval texts. An “argument ad hominem” meant a valid method of persuasion taking advantage of an opponent’s interests or feelings, instead of just sticking to general principles. Ad hominem later came to describe an attack aimed at an opponent’s character, the sense used today. The hostile nature of such attacks has led to this term meaning “against the person,” rather than its original Latin meaning of “to the person”, or engaging one’s opponent.
Ah, for more to and less against! These two nondescript words, to and against–what a difference they make. And today, we see the latter used so consistently, we stand to forget what the former can mean in civil society. It’s sad and frightening.
So we turn to…beauty! Here’s a shot from our road yesterday…what a glorious firmament, to use some old-fashioned terms. Just before I took it, the sun lent a shiny backdrop to the tallest tree–I think Lance would’ve been quicker on the draw and captured that. Still, the scene took me away from all the bitterness and unveiled hatred in our society.
This sky portends the storm upon us now. We’re getting heavy rain, much needed for this dry country. It’s turning to sleet, and by Monday, the forecast is 17-24 inches of snow.
As they say during Iowa blizzards, it’s hunkering down time. Sometimes we need to do this emotionally, too. Maybe we’ll go out into the fray again later. But for now, the sight of pines under these skies and the incredible beauty we know will accompany the snow suffices.
About a week ago, Lance emptied a 1,500 piece puzzle on a table he moved in from outdoors. A card table wasn’t big enough to hold everything. First thing, of course, he put together the frame.
Except for one little piece. Now, how hard could it be to find ONE straight-edged puzzle piece in the mess spread out before us?
Very. Two days later, I happened upon the recalcitrant object and jubilantly fitted it in. Oh, the satisfaction!
Since then, long hours have passed organizing pieces by color, being foiled at fitting them in, and fretting when it seems as though ONLY THE ONE PIECE we’re seeking seems beyond our grasp.
Puzzles are somewhat like writing a book. They may lead you down dead-ends at times. They keep you up late.
And they’re addictive…perfect for a January getaway.
Congratulations to my reader and author friends–we have a new publishing venue! One of the editors, Karen Ullo, joins us this week. She’s also an author–see below for her GIVEAWAY details.
Thank you, Gail, for inviting me to be here with you this week! I’m thrilled to introduce your readers to my fantasy novel Cinder Allia, as well as Chrism Press, a new imprint of Gail’s own publisher, WhiteFire Publishing, dedicated to fiction from Catholic and Orthodox perspectives.
First, I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that, hopefully within the next few years, Cinder Allia will become a movie! Believe Entertainment (God’s Not Dead, Unplanned) recently purchased the film rights, and we are actively working on developing the film!
What if the happy ending dies before the fairy tale even begins?
The way the idea for Cinder Allia came to me is a funny story. Once upon a time, I got together with some of my childhood girlfriends for a sleepover. We were all in our mid-twenties and still single. Sometime after midnight, we started wondering what had happened to our Prince Charmings. Fairy tales had promised us princes! Then we thought, what if Prince Charming had died before we could meet him? We concocted a very silly story that the prince’s guardian angel had gone on vacation and left a replacement—the Angel Vinnie—in charge. Vinnie had been asleep on the job when the prince got whacked by a crack dealer.
Fast forward many years to a happily married, mother-of-two version of myself… and I realized there really was something to that idea. What if Prince Charming died before he could save Cinderella—and what if it was the fairy godmother’s fault? Out of that very silly seed of an idea, something completely different blossomed: a tale of war and espionage, with a crippled prince, a spy priest, a stepmother whose wickedness is poised to take down the throne, and a cinder maid who has to save not only herself, but her kingdom.
I’m pleased to be able to offer a signed paperback of Cinder Allia to one lucky person who comments on this post, so please, ask questions, make comments, and let’s talk fairy tales!
I’d also like to invite you all to come join the fun at Chrism Press. If you read a lot of Christian fiction, you may (or may not) have noticed that there are very few depictions within this market of Catholic and Orthodox Christians. Surprisingly, the story of Chrism Press begins with two Evangelicals, David and Roseanna White, the owners of WhiteFire, who noticed that lack and wanted to create a place for these voices to be heard. Rhonda Ortiz and Marisa Deshaies, two Catholics who were already part of the WhiteFire editing team, invited me to join them, and a new imprint was born. Our first releases will be issued in the fall of 2021. I hope you’ll sign up for our newsletter, and if you want a sneak preview of what this ecumenical fiction looks like, check out the book that inspired it all, Roseanna White’s own The Number of Love.
It’s lovely to “meet” you all. Thank you once more to Gail for hosting me. Come find me on the web!
This past year has renovated some aspects of our lives. Well, at least ALTERED them. Usually we plan and welcome renovations, but boy, can they ever make a mess!
The idea is to keep our eyes on the goal…what looks like a disaster can only be temporary, and as they say, the only way to accomplish anything is to begin. Right now, our carpenter has begun a HUGE project that involves chopping down a weight-bearing wall above a basement stairway, plus a whole lot of rebuilding.
With plaster pieces launching across our dining room like rockets, it’s reasonable to wonder, “Is this worth it?” But the goal, to open up the floor space so heat from our pellet stove can reach the rest of the house, is no impetuous one. My husband has desired this for many years.
The end result, increasing all-around efficiency, will make a big difference. So we’re plunging ahead, keeping our eyes on the target. Isn’t this similar to entering a new year?
The only way out of 2020 is moving into 2021, right?
We hope this new year satisfies the deep longings brought to light by the troubles of the old one. Universal yearnings: truth and justice, health, safety, joy and peace.
As the old hymn goes, “The wrong shall fail, the right prevail…with peace on earth, good will to men (and women and children.” (When Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned these words, I’m pretty sure he was including everybody in his mind.)
The beginning of a renovation parallels the New Year’s resolutions I used to make. We all want to be kinder, more serene, more patient. to develop stronger character (and characters!) But amid the actual tests that strengthen us deep down, the drills, hammers, and brute force of renovation can be daunting.
Along the way, we may discover weak spots badly in need of repair and requiring more work than we thought. After some time, we pause and look back at our progress and realize it’s all good. In spite of our struggles we clean up pretty well.
After quite a few decades of resolution-making, I take a less strictly defined approach. One day at a time, one of the hallmarks of Al-Anon. And always, gratitude.
So we enter a new year. I appreciate all of your support throughout this extra looooong one, and hope to see more of you again in person during 2021. We’ve done our best, we’ve made it through, but it’s simply not the same!
It’s a COZY MYSTERY to begin the new year–enough questions to satisfy, but light. Amber Royer is offering a print copy giveaway to a commenter: enjoy reading her take on writing fiction! “““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““
I’ve always been a believer in the whole writing is therapy adage. I’m a writing instructor as well as an author, and I’ve seen people uncover amazing things about themselves in my memoir classes. But what about fiction? Things don’t have to line up one-to-one for a writer to be able to process emotions or puzzle out pieces of human nature.
When I sat down to write Grand Openings Can Be Murder, I decided to write about a character who had experienced grief and disappointment and decided to reinvent herself. Felicity is moving locations, starting a new venture, slowly learning to live life on her own terms. I’ve been through a lot over the years (because I’m over 40, and let’s face it, who my age hasn’t?) including deeply personal loss. And some things I’ve never been able to write about in the context of memoir. But I can relate to what Felicity’s going through, because loss is loss no matter what form it takes, and as story events force her to change and help her to heal – I have to confront those same emotions too.
The story is a mystery, so of course, there’s a murder, which gives Felicity a puzzle to solve and puts her into proximity with new people who will become important to her over the course of the series. But I made the murder victim someone who was also trying to reinvent herself, and Felicity gets to see how going about it the wrong way can be destructive.
Cozy mysteries are by definition light, so I had to balance Felicity’s grief with her sense of humor, and put her into situations where fun/funny things are happening around her, pulling her forward psychologically as she gets pulled into them. And I gave her a quirky group of family and friends who genuinely have her best interest at heart. One of my favorite moments in the whole book is when her matchmaking aunt decides to set her up on a date.
But it is interesting writing a sleuth who has instant empathy with the family of the murder victim, and who needs to see justice done to ease their pain. It gives her this whole extra level of stakes in the story. And it allows what is going on in her personal/business life to mirror what is going on in the investigation. I’ve already drafted the second book in the series, and while she’s made emotional progress throughout the first book, she’s still dealing with the loss in the second (which, admittedly, takes place only a month later).
I hope you enjoy Grand Openings Can Be Murder. It’s got an island setting with Texas flair, plus a bean-to-bar chocolate business to die for.
