Flee the Night by Susan May Warren didn’t make my tears flee into the night; it brought them forth to my eyes. The ending to Ms. Warren’s romantic suspense novel made me sniff my tears back.
Along the way, Flee the Night brought a chuckle or two. Susan’s heroine, CIA operative on-the-run -– Lacey Montgomery -– needs to find her missing daughter and begin a new life, in that order. The world of conspiracy and terror that her late husband, John, drew her into quickly turned Lacey’s life into a nightmare. Will she ever wake up and find the nightmare gone?
Maybe Jim Micah can help out on that end. Ms. Warren’s hero, Green Beret-on-leave Jim Micah has all the tools Lacey needs to help her with both problems. But will he use them for her? Chances are Lacey’s going to be out of luck. Jim Micah happens to be her former friend and her dead husband’s best friend. Then what’s the problem? Jim Micah happens to believe that Lacey Montgomery has gotten away with murder far too long - the murder of her husband.
This was the first book I’ve read by Susan May Warren, but it won’t be the last. I’m now in search of the next book in the Team Hope series. I’m hoping that Hank and Sarah will be featured. They captured my attention immediately in Flee the Night.
kmparis
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Boo Hiss - A Book Review
Boo Hiss slithered on the scene and has taken readers aback. Rene Gutteridge’s newest installment in the Boo series has the town searching – for why a soccer field has just appeared in Skary, Indiana when there are no soccer teams, for why all of the sudden everyone in town is Internet crazy when the local coffee shop begins offering Internet access along with its new fancy coffees, and for a missing two-headed pet boa constrictor named Bob and Fred.
Throw into the mix a newly-wed couple, Melb and Oliver, who discover they are expectant parents unexpectedly, strife between newly-weds Wolfe and Ainsley Boone because of Melb’s and Oliver’s little problem, the hunt for Bob/Fred that goes on all over Skary, and the breach in reality for the town’s mayor thrusting the assistant mayor into the position of finding a solution to Skary’s money problems all alone, and you have a hilarious mix of plotlines to tickle your fancy.
Poor Wolfe is still at a loss, searching for that elusive new writing project. Facing editors to pitch projects is scary. It’s been a long while since Wolfe has had to do that. And poor Alfred, because of Wolfe’s desertion of his horror writing career, has had his career as an agent bottom out as well. Now Alfred, too, must find a new way to continue his career. Since Wolfe is so gung-ho Christian writing, Alfred figures he might as well join the bandwagon too. The results – totally insane.
Boo Hiss is fast-paced and captivating. You’ll turn page after page, looking for the next comic installment in the lives of Skary’s townspeople. And you’ll be sad when you reach the last page for the characters in Skary have become like friends to you, and you’ll miss them when the book is finished.
kmparis
Throw into the mix a newly-wed couple, Melb and Oliver, who discover they are expectant parents unexpectedly, strife between newly-weds Wolfe and Ainsley Boone because of Melb’s and Oliver’s little problem, the hunt for Bob/Fred that goes on all over Skary, and the breach in reality for the town’s mayor thrusting the assistant mayor into the position of finding a solution to Skary’s money problems all alone, and you have a hilarious mix of plotlines to tickle your fancy.
Poor Wolfe is still at a loss, searching for that elusive new writing project. Facing editors to pitch projects is scary. It’s been a long while since Wolfe has had to do that. And poor Alfred, because of Wolfe’s desertion of his horror writing career, has had his career as an agent bottom out as well. Now Alfred, too, must find a new way to continue his career. Since Wolfe is so gung-ho Christian writing, Alfred figures he might as well join the bandwagon too. The results – totally insane.
Boo Hiss is fast-paced and captivating. You’ll turn page after page, looking for the next comic installment in the lives of Skary’s townspeople. And you’ll be sad when you reach the last page for the characters in Skary have become like friends to you, and you’ll miss them when the book is finished.
kmparis
Friday, August 03, 2007
The Reluctant Burglar - A Book Review
Jill Elizabeth Nelson has written a suspense named Reluctant Burglar that will steal your attention. Reluctant Burglar is the first in Ms. Nelson’s To Catch A Thief series.
In this novel Desiree “Desi” Jacobs is pitted against her neimisis, Special Agent Anthony Lucano. Tony belives Hiram Jacobs and possibly his daughter, Desi are stealing priceless works of art. Before Tony can make his arrest, Hiram Jacobs is murdered. That leaves Desi. Is she involved? Or is she innocent?
Special Agent Lucano is a fake Christian, in Desi’s opinion. He joined their church just to harass Desi and her father. Now he is the one to announce to Desi the news of her father’s murder.
Desi is left to sort out the facts, alone, after the death of her father. Will Desi be able to clear her father’s name before her life is taken as well? Can Desi ever trust anyone again?
Tony continues to hound her in his efforts to solve his missing art case. Then the whole case explodes. Can Desi ever make sense of the pieces of her life raining down around her?
Jill’s writing style is easy to read and her characters are attractive. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in her series, Reluctant Runaway.
kmparis
In this novel Desiree “Desi” Jacobs is pitted against her neimisis, Special Agent Anthony Lucano. Tony belives Hiram Jacobs and possibly his daughter, Desi are stealing priceless works of art. Before Tony can make his arrest, Hiram Jacobs is murdered. That leaves Desi. Is she involved? Or is she innocent?
Special Agent Lucano is a fake Christian, in Desi’s opinion. He joined their church just to harass Desi and her father. Now he is the one to announce to Desi the news of her father’s murder.
Desi is left to sort out the facts, alone, after the death of her father. Will Desi be able to clear her father’s name before her life is taken as well? Can Desi ever trust anyone again?
Tony continues to hound her in his efforts to solve his missing art case. Then the whole case explodes. Can Desi ever make sense of the pieces of her life raining down around her?
Jill’s writing style is easy to read and her characters are attractive. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in her series, Reluctant Runaway.
kmparis
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Boo Who - A Book Review
Boo Who is Rene Gutteridge’s next installment of the Boo series. And it follows with just as much fun as the original. Wolfe “Boo” Boone is trying to live a new life as Skary, Indiana’s newest used car salesman instead of writing the horror novels he is so known for all over the world.
But something’s not working. Wolfe finds the requirements of selling used cars a little too uncomfortable. Writing is what he knows, but he refuses, despite all efforts of his agent, to continue to write such things for the secular market. While he searches for a topic better suited to his status as a new Christian, Wolfe finds himself being overshadowed by the rising status of his finaceé, Ainsley Parker.
Alfred Tennison, Wolfe’s agent, devises a plan to get his best resource back on track – he’ll use Ainsley’s talents in cooking, decorating, etc., to make Wolfe jealous enough to return to his writing life.
Meantime the town has been inundated with mysterious figures flitting through the woods, strange screams in the night, and a psychological therapist who sets up for business in Skary, quite by accident, and has more patients than he ever dreamed of in his life.
Will all the new stresses in Ainsley’s life tear her apart from Wolfe and send their dream wedding down the drain? Will Wolfe give in to Alfred’s efforts and return to writing horror fiction? Will Sheriff Parker’s cat recover from his deep state of depression? All are questions that can only be answered by reading Boo Who.
kmparis
But something’s not working. Wolfe finds the requirements of selling used cars a little too uncomfortable. Writing is what he knows, but he refuses, despite all efforts of his agent, to continue to write such things for the secular market. While he searches for a topic better suited to his status as a new Christian, Wolfe finds himself being overshadowed by the rising status of his finaceé, Ainsley Parker.
Alfred Tennison, Wolfe’s agent, devises a plan to get his best resource back on track – he’ll use Ainsley’s talents in cooking, decorating, etc., to make Wolfe jealous enough to return to his writing life.
Meantime the town has been inundated with mysterious figures flitting through the woods, strange screams in the night, and a psychological therapist who sets up for business in Skary, quite by accident, and has more patients than he ever dreamed of in his life.
Will all the new stresses in Ainsley’s life tear her apart from Wolfe and send their dream wedding down the drain? Will Wolfe give in to Alfred’s efforts and return to writing horror fiction? Will Sheriff Parker’s cat recover from his deep state of depression? All are questions that can only be answered by reading Boo Who.
kmparis
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Before I Wake - A Book Review
Before I Wake, Dee Henderson’s most recent novel, is just as gripping as the rest of her books. Rae Gabriella arrives in Justice, Illinois in search of a quiet place to settle and regroup her life. A former undercover investigator for the FBI, Rae is left dangling after her last case goes awry.
Rae’s former boyfriend, Bruce Chapel, has invited her to come to Justice to work with him as his partner in his private investigation service. Rae moves into town just as peace and quiet abandons Justice. On her way into town, Rae meets Sheriff Nathan Justice, thanks to her lead foot.
When bodies begin appearing in Justice, the town is flabbergasted. Could the murders be connected? Together Rae, Nathan and Bruce work to solve the crimes. Then Rae becomes a target. Why? What did she know? Time is against them. Will they figure it out before Rae becomes another casulty?
As usual, Dee’s writing grabs the reader and keeps the pages turning. The dash of romance Dee mixes into her suspense is just enough to satisfy readers who want it but not so much as to turn off readers who’d rather not have it.
Now, who will Rae Gabriella end up with – Nathan Justice or Bruce Chapel? We’ll just have to wait and see.
kmparis
Rae’s former boyfriend, Bruce Chapel, has invited her to come to Justice to work with him as his partner in his private investigation service. Rae moves into town just as peace and quiet abandons Justice. On her way into town, Rae meets Sheriff Nathan Justice, thanks to her lead foot.
When bodies begin appearing in Justice, the town is flabbergasted. Could the murders be connected? Together Rae, Nathan and Bruce work to solve the crimes. Then Rae becomes a target. Why? What did she know? Time is against them. Will they figure it out before Rae becomes another casulty?
As usual, Dee’s writing grabs the reader and keeps the pages turning. The dash of romance Dee mixes into her suspense is just enough to satisfy readers who want it but not so much as to turn off readers who’d rather not have it.
Now, who will Rae Gabriella end up with – Nathan Justice or Bruce Chapel? We’ll just have to wait and see.
kmparis
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
The Wedding Caper - A Book Review
Janice A. Thompson has written a cozy mystery, The Wedding Caper, that presents readers with a slightly off-kilter ameuter sleuth. Annie Peterson has stumbled onto clues that point to her husband as the thief in a recent robbery of the Clark County Savings and Loan. Her clues? Warren has motive and opportunity – their twin daughters are both getting married soon, and Warren and Annie need money, thus the motive, and Warren works at the bank, thus the opportunity.
Could the Christian man Annie has been married to for the past twenty-seven years be guilty of such a felony? Annie sets about trying to stack up the clues so they point to someone, anyone else. The facts seem to be destined to stack up their own way and point directly to her husband. But then the case becomes even more clouded. Other suspects find their way to Annie’s list.
Janice places us in the mind of Annie when she writes the story in first person. We hurt for Annie as she tries desperately to rule out her husband. We laugh at Annie when she tries to hone her sleuthing skills over the Internet. We root for Annie to win the day and solve the crime in such a way that she will prove, without a doubt, that her husband is innocent of the crime.
If you like a light mystery versus heavy, dark ones, you’ll enjoy The Wedding Caper by Janice Thompson.
kmparis
Could the Christian man Annie has been married to for the past twenty-seven years be guilty of such a felony? Annie sets about trying to stack up the clues so they point to someone, anyone else. The facts seem to be destined to stack up their own way and point directly to her husband. But then the case becomes even more clouded. Other suspects find their way to Annie’s list.
Janice places us in the mind of Annie when she writes the story in first person. We hurt for Annie as she tries desperately to rule out her husband. We laugh at Annie when she tries to hone her sleuthing skills over the Internet. We root for Annie to win the day and solve the crime in such a way that she will prove, without a doubt, that her husband is innocent of the crime.
If you like a light mystery versus heavy, dark ones, you’ll enjoy The Wedding Caper by Janice Thompson.
kmparis
Monday, July 30, 2007
Snitch - A Book Review
I confess…I confess. I snatched Snitch from the arms of a stocking clerk in LifeWay Bookstore a few weeks ago. That’s right, straight from the young man’s arms. Shock, surprise, and awe flittered across his face. “I must have this copy,” I said as I made my way to the check-out counter to pay for my copy.
I didn’t need another book to read. I had just had a copy of another author’s newest book autographed to add to my ever towering stack of books to read. But I had to have Snitch. Rene Gutteridge’s Occupational Hazards series is just too enticing to put off purchasing. In fact, I read it immediately. I couldn’t resist – tempation got the better of me.
Snitch didn’t disappoint me. The characters are engaging, likeable and real. They have flaws; they’re not perfect, but they try. And the humor remains. For me, I think, the humor that Rene uses in her novels is one of the biggest draws of her writing style. Her style absorbs her readers. You’re in the midst of the book without trying.
Oh, yes, what is the plot of Snitch? Well, Mackenzie “Mack” Hazard, a member of the Hazard family (all former clowns), takes on a new job in undercover work for the Las Vegas Police Department. The task force she has been assigned to has a tough job – uncover the culprits in an auto theft ring operating in Las Vegas. The task force is headed by Sergeant Ron Yeager, a man a couple of years away from retirement. Yeager’s task force is comprised of rookies, expereinced undercover officers and a minister … a minister? Yes, an undercover minister on sabatical from his pulpit.
How can such a misfit group of people work together to achieve their purpose without getting them all killed? Read Snitch to find out if and how the task force solves their problem. Snitch is a book laugh-packed with thrills.
kmparis
I didn’t need another book to read. I had just had a copy of another author’s newest book autographed to add to my ever towering stack of books to read. But I had to have Snitch. Rene Gutteridge’s Occupational Hazards series is just too enticing to put off purchasing. In fact, I read it immediately. I couldn’t resist – tempation got the better of me.
Snitch didn’t disappoint me. The characters are engaging, likeable and real. They have flaws; they’re not perfect, but they try. And the humor remains. For me, I think, the humor that Rene uses in her novels is one of the biggest draws of her writing style. Her style absorbs her readers. You’re in the midst of the book without trying.
Oh, yes, what is the plot of Snitch? Well, Mackenzie “Mack” Hazard, a member of the Hazard family (all former clowns), takes on a new job in undercover work for the Las Vegas Police Department. The task force she has been assigned to has a tough job – uncover the culprits in an auto theft ring operating in Las Vegas. The task force is headed by Sergeant Ron Yeager, a man a couple of years away from retirement. Yeager’s task force is comprised of rookies, expereinced undercover officers and a minister … a minister? Yes, an undercover minister on sabatical from his pulpit.
How can such a misfit group of people work together to achieve their purpose without getting them all killed? Read Snitch to find out if and how the task force solves their problem. Snitch is a book laugh-packed with thrills.
kmparis
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Renovating Becky Miller - A Book Review
Reading books written in first person is not usually my first choice, but I found Renovating Becky Miller so enticing that I forgot it was in first person.
Sharon Hinck drew me into the book by opening each chapter with a daydream Becky Miller was having. In beginning of each chapter, Becky loses herself in a movie she and her husband have seen on their weekly date nights. Then her real life comes crashing into reality!
Becky Miller’s life is not easy. She’s a mother, a wife, has a part-time job at her church working with the women’s ministries, and is disabled, just to add a little icing to her cake-of-a-life.
Already harrying, Becky’s life is complicated by the purchase of a new home for her family. What looked like the perfect solution to a cramped home life turns into a renovation nightmare for Becky and husband Kevin.
Will their marriage survive? Will the family survive? Will Becky remain sane, or will she lose herself in one of her daydreams and never come home?
I kept turning pages of Renovating Becky Miller partly because I had to know what Sharon would use as her next chapter opening, but mostly because I became engrossed in Becky’s life. I laughed and I cried and now I have to go back and find the first book in Sharon’s series about Becky Miller, The Secret Life of Becky Miller.
By the way, I guessed most of the titles of the movies Sharon uses as chapter opening scenarios, but in case you don’t recognize them, there is a list of them at the end of the book, just so you can satisfy your curiosity.
kmparis
Sharon Hinck drew me into the book by opening each chapter with a daydream Becky Miller was having. In beginning of each chapter, Becky loses herself in a movie she and her husband have seen on their weekly date nights. Then her real life comes crashing into reality!
Becky Miller’s life is not easy. She’s a mother, a wife, has a part-time job at her church working with the women’s ministries, and is disabled, just to add a little icing to her cake-of-a-life.
Already harrying, Becky’s life is complicated by the purchase of a new home for her family. What looked like the perfect solution to a cramped home life turns into a renovation nightmare for Becky and husband Kevin.
Will their marriage survive? Will the family survive? Will Becky remain sane, or will she lose herself in one of her daydreams and never come home?
I kept turning pages of Renovating Becky Miller partly because I had to know what Sharon would use as her next chapter opening, but mostly because I became engrossed in Becky’s life. I laughed and I cried and now I have to go back and find the first book in Sharon’s series about Becky Miller, The Secret Life of Becky Miller.
By the way, I guessed most of the titles of the movies Sharon uses as chapter opening scenarios, but in case you don’t recognize them, there is a list of them at the end of the book, just so you can satisfy your curiosity.
kmparis
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Wild Rose - a Book Review
Ruth Axtell Morren has written a tender Cinderella story – Wild Rose. In this historical, Geneva Patterson is scorned by the members of her small fishing village, Haven’s End, rather than the members of her family. What family? She has none.
After the death of her father, Geneva is left alone to fend for herself. Her mother had passed away years before, and there are no siblings. Geneva lives her life as she sees fit, doing the best she can and ignoring the loneliness.
Only one bright light appears on Geneva’s horizon, Captain Caleb Phelps. He comes to her rescue when a group of village boys pick on her as she is tying to sell her fruits and vegetables. His kindness touches her and is branded in her memory.
Almost a year later, Captain Phelps returns to Haven’s End to live. He has fled from Boston where his name is running through the gossip mill. Even his father has succumbed to the rumors.
In a rough sort of way, Geneva and Caleb form a friendship. She offers advice and assistance in growing his garden, and he returns her help by loaning his muscles for her heavy work and treating her as an equal.
As you read, Wild Rose, you will be drawn into the story and the characters. You’ll cheer Geneva and Caleb along their journeys to freedom, joy, spiritual enlightenment, and love.
kmparis
After the death of her father, Geneva is left alone to fend for herself. Her mother had passed away years before, and there are no siblings. Geneva lives her life as she sees fit, doing the best she can and ignoring the loneliness.
Only one bright light appears on Geneva’s horizon, Captain Caleb Phelps. He comes to her rescue when a group of village boys pick on her as she is tying to sell her fruits and vegetables. His kindness touches her and is branded in her memory.
Almost a year later, Captain Phelps returns to Haven’s End to live. He has fled from Boston where his name is running through the gossip mill. Even his father has succumbed to the rumors.
In a rough sort of way, Geneva and Caleb form a friendship. She offers advice and assistance in growing his garden, and he returns her help by loaning his muscles for her heavy work and treating her as an equal.
As you read, Wild Rose, you will be drawn into the story and the characters. You’ll cheer Geneva and Caleb along their journeys to freedom, joy, spiritual enlightenment, and love.
kmparis
Friday, July 27, 2007
Bygones - A Book Review
Kim Vogel Sawyer has written another thought-provoking novel, Bygones. Marie Koeppler was shunned by her father when she left the Mennonite order in Sommerfield, Kansas to wed Jep Quinn. Her husband is killed early in their marriage, leaving her with a small child, daughter Beth.
Marie’s father’s heart is so hardened toward his daughter he refuses to even speak of her. As a result, Marie raises her daughter alone, abandoning her Mennonite beliefs. Her aunt, Lisbeth, never forgot her niece. She and Henry Braun, a friend of Marie’s, had prayed through the years for Marie to return to her home and her roots.
Unexpectedly, Henry shows up at the diner where Marie works in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He brings with him the news that Marie’s Aunt Lisbeth has died and left her property, a house and a café, to Marie’s daughter Beth.
The glitch – Beth must reside in Sommerfield for a minimum of three months in order to inherit the property. Marie’s dilemma – Will she allow Beth to go alone, or will she return and suffer through the three months in the midst of people who see her as a traitor to their way of life?
Marie chooses to go with Beth to help guide her and protect her. Marie realizes the time will pass quickly, but it won’t be without turmoil. Her motherly instinct spurs her to accompanying her daughter.
Henry is torn between his love of Marie, which never ended, and his duty to Lisbeth. His friendship with Lisbeth carries its own turmoil. Lisbeth held the belief that one day, with enough prayer and time, Marie would return to her heritage. Henry, knowing Lisbeth as he did, hopes her opinion will be proven true, but he is afraid to let his heart believe.
Can Marie resolve her emotional conflicts, as well as the mystery surrounding her return to Sommerfield? Or will she and Beth leave town once more amidst a cloud of accusation and controversy? Will Henry’s heart be broken once again, or will he find the love he has longed for during the past twenty years?
Kim Vogel Sawyer’s writing style will draw you into the lives of her characters with ease, and you’ll have to let the housework go because you can’t put Bygones down. So pick a time when you can send the kids off to friends’ homes and your husband is on an out-of-town trip, or else call the pizza delivery number and let them all fend for themselves while you lose yourself in Bygones.
kmparis
Marie’s father’s heart is so hardened toward his daughter he refuses to even speak of her. As a result, Marie raises her daughter alone, abandoning her Mennonite beliefs. Her aunt, Lisbeth, never forgot her niece. She and Henry Braun, a friend of Marie’s, had prayed through the years for Marie to return to her home and her roots.
Unexpectedly, Henry shows up at the diner where Marie works in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He brings with him the news that Marie’s Aunt Lisbeth has died and left her property, a house and a café, to Marie’s daughter Beth.
The glitch – Beth must reside in Sommerfield for a minimum of three months in order to inherit the property. Marie’s dilemma – Will she allow Beth to go alone, or will she return and suffer through the three months in the midst of people who see her as a traitor to their way of life?
Marie chooses to go with Beth to help guide her and protect her. Marie realizes the time will pass quickly, but it won’t be without turmoil. Her motherly instinct spurs her to accompanying her daughter.
Henry is torn between his love of Marie, which never ended, and his duty to Lisbeth. His friendship with Lisbeth carries its own turmoil. Lisbeth held the belief that one day, with enough prayer and time, Marie would return to her heritage. Henry, knowing Lisbeth as he did, hopes her opinion will be proven true, but he is afraid to let his heart believe.
Can Marie resolve her emotional conflicts, as well as the mystery surrounding her return to Sommerfield? Or will she and Beth leave town once more amidst a cloud of accusation and controversy? Will Henry’s heart be broken once again, or will he find the love he has longed for during the past twenty years?
Kim Vogel Sawyer’s writing style will draw you into the lives of her characters with ease, and you’ll have to let the housework go because you can’t put Bygones down. So pick a time when you can send the kids off to friends’ homes and your husband is on an out-of-town trip, or else call the pizza delivery number and let them all fend for themselves while you lose yourself in Bygones.
kmparis
Sunday, May 13, 2007
The Reliance by M. L. Tyndall - A Review
Weigh anchors, set sail, and hang on for a stormy ride! M. L. Tyndall is back with book two of the legacy of the King's Pirates - The Reliance. In this second book, Ms. Tyndall brings back to the pages of her book the same characters she introduced us to in The Redemption. Captain Edmund Merrick and his bride, Charlisse, are abruptly torn apart when the pirate, Captain Morgan and his formidable pirate crew attack Fort San Lorenzo in the dark of the night.
Ripped apart from one another by an evil plan of Kent Carlton, captain of the Vanquisher and compatriot of Captain Morgan, both Edmund and Charlisse fall victim to the despair of grief. They are cast adrift by their separation and must battle evil doubts and temptations thrown before them by the evil one who tries to steal all Christians from their God. Can Edmund and Charlisse win their battles? Or will they each give in and sink to the depths of hell? Only by reading The Reliance will you find the answers to these questions.
Ms. Tyndall has once again managed to transport the reader back in time to the period where travel on the high seas was as dangerous from assault by pirates as it was by assault from tempest-tossed seas in the midst of violent storms. Although the book is the second in a series of three, it can be read and enjoyed without having read The Redemption. But, for those of us who did read the first book, this is a chance to see what has happened to Edmund and Charlisse in the past three years of their lives.
The Reliance is a page-turner that will have you staying up late to finish just one more chapter only to find that you've spent hours reading and are nearing the final chapter of the book while daylight brightens the eastern sky.
kmparis
Ripped apart from one another by an evil plan of Kent Carlton, captain of the Vanquisher and compatriot of Captain Morgan, both Edmund and Charlisse fall victim to the despair of grief. They are cast adrift by their separation and must battle evil doubts and temptations thrown before them by the evil one who tries to steal all Christians from their God. Can Edmund and Charlisse win their battles? Or will they each give in and sink to the depths of hell? Only by reading The Reliance will you find the answers to these questions.
Ms. Tyndall has once again managed to transport the reader back in time to the period where travel on the high seas was as dangerous from assault by pirates as it was by assault from tempest-tossed seas in the midst of violent storms. Although the book is the second in a series of three, it can be read and enjoyed without having read The Redemption. But, for those of us who did read the first book, this is a chance to see what has happened to Edmund and Charlisse in the past three years of their lives.
The Reliance is a page-turner that will have you staying up late to finish just one more chapter only to find that you've spent hours reading and are nearing the final chapter of the book while daylight brightens the eastern sky.
kmparis
We're Back!
We've had a long hiatus due to many things happening in our lives. Hopefully this blog will be maintained and updated in a timely fashion from now on. If you're returning in hopes to catch something new, please forgive us for the long delay. Life happens. There are only so many hours in a day and so many days in a week. Thanks for your patience with us!
East Texas Writers' Association is a group of individuals who share a love of writing, or readers who love to read others' writing and want to associate with those who have a passion for writing. We meet every second Friday of each month. From January through November, we are currently meeting at Casa Ole on Spur 63 in Longview, Texas, next door to Kroger. Our meeting begins at 7:00 P.M. We have a short business meeting and then, generally, a program on some writing related topic. After a short break, members who wish to do so share a piece of writing with the rest of the group. Please join us when you are able and bring something of yours to share with us if you'd like. We welcome all visitors and hope those visitors will return the next month as new members. Our dues are $20 per year and must be renewed by the end of January each year.
kmparis
East Texas Writers' Association is a group of individuals who share a love of writing, or readers who love to read others' writing and want to associate with those who have a passion for writing. We meet every second Friday of each month. From January through November, we are currently meeting at Casa Ole on Spur 63 in Longview, Texas, next door to Kroger. Our meeting begins at 7:00 P.M. We have a short business meeting and then, generally, a program on some writing related topic. After a short break, members who wish to do so share a piece of writing with the rest of the group. Please join us when you are able and bring something of yours to share with us if you'd like. We welcome all visitors and hope those visitors will return the next month as new members. Our dues are $20 per year and must be renewed by the end of January each year.
kmparis
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Boo by Rene Gutteridge - A Book Review
Rene Gutteridge penned a sweet romantic comedy named Boo a couple of years ago. Strange title, strange town, strange people - but oh, so much fun to read. Rene is an artist, pure and simple, in the creation of touching comedy.
Boo is the nickname the townspeople of Skary, Indiana have given to the town's favorite celebrity, Wolfe Boone. Wolfe is a world-renown horror writer who has chosen to settle in Skary. The town is small and was on the verge of dying like many tiny places in America when the interstate highways bypass them. They have nothing to draw tourists to the businesses populating the town. So one by one the proprietors close out, shut down and fade into oblivion.
But, when Wolfe Boone moves into town things changed. Business owners renamed their establishments to reflect Boo's writing genre. A local, once ordinary diner formerly called Sylvia's, is now known as The Haunted Mansion and serves such ghoulish fare as "Bloody Fingers", French fries doused in ketchup, and "Queasy Quesadillas", a disgusting mixture of cheese, red tortillas, mashed green chilies and black bean paste.
Other shop owners joined the horror revolution turning Skary into the horror capital of the world, or at least rural Indiana. Pretty much everyone in town became gung ho on the horror train, except Ainsely Parker that is. Skary's version of Shirley Temple is completely turned off by the town's embracing of Wolfe Boone's eerie writing genre.
Ainsley refuses to join her fellow townspeople in adoring Wolfe's books. In fact she doesn't like him, even though she's never actually met him. She's seen him, of course, around town and in The Haunted Mansion, where she works as a waitress. But she refuses to serve him herself. Instead she makes anyone else working at the restaurant when he comes in as a customer wait on him.The renovation of Skary into a museum of sorts in honor of Wolfe's books brings tourists to town in droves, in the form of horror fans wanting to buy Boo's latest book in the town where he lives. They spend their money and their time there in hopes of catching a glimpse of Wolfe.
But now, there are a couple of problems. Wolfe is not the man of the reputation the town has created. Instead he's a kind and gentle person who's really lonely. He only has his pet German shepherds, Goose and Bunny, as close friends. It wasn't what he had foreseen when he moved into town. And it surely wasn't what he wanted. Now something's happened that has changed his life forever and is going to affect the future of the town - Wolfe Boone has become a Christian and plans to write horror no more.
Ainsley Parker, Martha Stewart's number one fan, and town do-gooder can't believe the change in Wolfe is for real. She feels like his "conversion" is a publicity stunt and that his true nature will surface once again, soon. Then she is forced to become acquainted with Wolfe and begins to see through the outer layers into the true man inside.
Throw into the mix a would-be suitor for Ainsley in the guise of Garth Twyne, local veterinarian, and Miss Missy Peeple, town busybody, and then top the whole thing off with more cats running loose than any town has a right to have, and you have a recipe for disaster.
Missy Peeple, who knows all the dirt on all the townspeople, uses her knowledge to her advantage to try to get Wolfe to return to his old ways. If he stops writing, then Skary will start dying again, and Missy is not about to let that happen. Using blackmail, she enlists various people around town into helping her.
Garth Twyne is pretty much stalking Ainsley, and there's nothing she can do about it. The sheriff, her own father, thinks there's nothing wrong with Garth's pursuit of Ainsley. In fact, he's all for it. Garth has hung around so long, that Sheriff Parker can't understand Ainsley's reticence in regard to his frequent efforts to get her to date him.
How will it all end? Will Missy Peeple succeed in causing Wolfe to backslide? Will the town really be destroyed if he never again pens another horror tale? Will Garth win the love of his life and get Ainsley to marry him?
Once more, Ms. Gutteridge has created a group of characters that could live right in your own town. I got so involved in the lives of the people of Skary that by the end of Boo I wanted to throttle Missy Peeple and kick Garth Twyne in the shins.
I would have felt bereft at the end of Boo because there was no more to read about Skary and it's people, but I didn't have to - there are already two more books in the series in print! Boo was released in 2003. It was followed by Boo Who in 2004 and Boo Hiss in 2005, and they will be followed by Boo Humbug in 2007.
Sitting in my to-be-read library are copies of the two released sequels in the Boo series. They came in the mail today. I'm going to start on Boo Who as soon as this entry is posted. I can't wait to get back to Skary, Indiana.
kmparis
Boo is the nickname the townspeople of Skary, Indiana have given to the town's favorite celebrity, Wolfe Boone. Wolfe is a world-renown horror writer who has chosen to settle in Skary. The town is small and was on the verge of dying like many tiny places in America when the interstate highways bypass them. They have nothing to draw tourists to the businesses populating the town. So one by one the proprietors close out, shut down and fade into oblivion.
But, when Wolfe Boone moves into town things changed. Business owners renamed their establishments to reflect Boo's writing genre. A local, once ordinary diner formerly called Sylvia's, is now known as The Haunted Mansion and serves such ghoulish fare as "Bloody Fingers", French fries doused in ketchup, and "Queasy Quesadillas", a disgusting mixture of cheese, red tortillas, mashed green chilies and black bean paste.
Other shop owners joined the horror revolution turning Skary into the horror capital of the world, or at least rural Indiana. Pretty much everyone in town became gung ho on the horror train, except Ainsely Parker that is. Skary's version of Shirley Temple is completely turned off by the town's embracing of Wolfe Boone's eerie writing genre.
Ainsley refuses to join her fellow townspeople in adoring Wolfe's books. In fact she doesn't like him, even though she's never actually met him. She's seen him, of course, around town and in The Haunted Mansion, where she works as a waitress. But she refuses to serve him herself. Instead she makes anyone else working at the restaurant when he comes in as a customer wait on him.The renovation of Skary into a museum of sorts in honor of Wolfe's books brings tourists to town in droves, in the form of horror fans wanting to buy Boo's latest book in the town where he lives. They spend their money and their time there in hopes of catching a glimpse of Wolfe.
But now, there are a couple of problems. Wolfe is not the man of the reputation the town has created. Instead he's a kind and gentle person who's really lonely. He only has his pet German shepherds, Goose and Bunny, as close friends. It wasn't what he had foreseen when he moved into town. And it surely wasn't what he wanted. Now something's happened that has changed his life forever and is going to affect the future of the town - Wolfe Boone has become a Christian and plans to write horror no more.
Ainsley Parker, Martha Stewart's number one fan, and town do-gooder can't believe the change in Wolfe is for real. She feels like his "conversion" is a publicity stunt and that his true nature will surface once again, soon. Then she is forced to become acquainted with Wolfe and begins to see through the outer layers into the true man inside.
Throw into the mix a would-be suitor for Ainsley in the guise of Garth Twyne, local veterinarian, and Miss Missy Peeple, town busybody, and then top the whole thing off with more cats running loose than any town has a right to have, and you have a recipe for disaster.
Missy Peeple, who knows all the dirt on all the townspeople, uses her knowledge to her advantage to try to get Wolfe to return to his old ways. If he stops writing, then Skary will start dying again, and Missy is not about to let that happen. Using blackmail, she enlists various people around town into helping her.
Garth Twyne is pretty much stalking Ainsley, and there's nothing she can do about it. The sheriff, her own father, thinks there's nothing wrong with Garth's pursuit of Ainsley. In fact, he's all for it. Garth has hung around so long, that Sheriff Parker can't understand Ainsley's reticence in regard to his frequent efforts to get her to date him.
How will it all end? Will Missy Peeple succeed in causing Wolfe to backslide? Will the town really be destroyed if he never again pens another horror tale? Will Garth win the love of his life and get Ainsley to marry him?
Once more, Ms. Gutteridge has created a group of characters that could live right in your own town. I got so involved in the lives of the people of Skary that by the end of Boo I wanted to throttle Missy Peeple and kick Garth Twyne in the shins.
I would have felt bereft at the end of Boo because there was no more to read about Skary and it's people, but I didn't have to - there are already two more books in the series in print! Boo was released in 2003. It was followed by Boo Who in 2004 and Boo Hiss in 2005, and they will be followed by Boo Humbug in 2007.
Sitting in my to-be-read library are copies of the two released sequels in the Boo series. They came in the mail today. I'm going to start on Boo Who as soon as this entry is posted. I can't wait to get back to Skary, Indiana.
kmparis
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Submerged by Alton Gansky - A Book Review
Ohhh, a scary Sci-Fi book! I was really glad Submerged was a book so I didn't have a modern screen version flashing in front of my eyes as I read the prologue. Mr. Gansky's verbal description was enough to make me go Ewww, gross.
Did I quit reading Submerged? No, way. I was hooked. By the time I finished the book, late one night all alone in the mountains of North Carolina in a strange cabin, I was almost too spooked to turn off the light. Now that's good writing. I'm not easily scared by reading material. The last time a book frightened me this much was in the early 70's when I tried to read In Cold Blood. Now, that book I returned to the library unfinished. But In Cold Blood was about a real situation and this one I knew was fiction.
Alton Gansky has written a tight, page turning novel with characters that are engaging. As Henry Sachs lies dying in the hospital, his son Perry and a couple of friends drive to Nevada in search of clues to Henry's mysterious illness. In reading Submerged I could feel Perry's desparation as his mission drew him away from his father's bedside. He wants to find the answer to his father's illness, yet he yearns to be with his father and support his mother as she waits the final outcome of her husband's illness.
The group's journey is delayed and nearly ended by interference from government troops trying to keep everyone away from the area known to only a few as Lake Loyd. The top-secret underground base located beneath Lake Loyd seems to be the source of some fantastic incidents affected anyone entering it.
Henry Sachs and a team of scientists investigated the base four decades earlier, and now two of them are dead. Two members of the team remain. One of them is not expected to live out the week. The other one, Dr. Victor Zeisler, joins Perry's team in search of answers. He alone appears to have not been affected by the illness that has killed the other two members of the investigative team, Monte Grant and Cynthia Wagner. Why is Zeisler still alive?
Will Perry's team find the answers they seek? Will they make it out of the hidden base alive, or will they be affected by the unknown illness as well? Will Henry Sachs live through his ordeal? And what is the source of the power that drives the mechanisms inside the base?
Submerged is a thought provoking novel. It will speed up your heart rate. This is another novel you need to read during the light of day. It is not a book to read just before bedtime, unless you like having nightmares.
kmparis
Did I quit reading Submerged? No, way. I was hooked. By the time I finished the book, late one night all alone in the mountains of North Carolina in a strange cabin, I was almost too spooked to turn off the light. Now that's good writing. I'm not easily scared by reading material. The last time a book frightened me this much was in the early 70's when I tried to read In Cold Blood. Now, that book I returned to the library unfinished. But In Cold Blood was about a real situation and this one I knew was fiction.
Alton Gansky has written a tight, page turning novel with characters that are engaging. As Henry Sachs lies dying in the hospital, his son Perry and a couple of friends drive to Nevada in search of clues to Henry's mysterious illness. In reading Submerged I could feel Perry's desparation as his mission drew him away from his father's bedside. He wants to find the answer to his father's illness, yet he yearns to be with his father and support his mother as she waits the final outcome of her husband's illness.
The group's journey is delayed and nearly ended by interference from government troops trying to keep everyone away from the area known to only a few as Lake Loyd. The top-secret underground base located beneath Lake Loyd seems to be the source of some fantastic incidents affected anyone entering it.
Henry Sachs and a team of scientists investigated the base four decades earlier, and now two of them are dead. Two members of the team remain. One of them is not expected to live out the week. The other one, Dr. Victor Zeisler, joins Perry's team in search of answers. He alone appears to have not been affected by the illness that has killed the other two members of the investigative team, Monte Grant and Cynthia Wagner. Why is Zeisler still alive?
Will Perry's team find the answers they seek? Will they make it out of the hidden base alive, or will they be affected by the unknown illness as well? Will Henry Sachs live through his ordeal? And what is the source of the power that drives the mechanisms inside the base?
Submerged is a thought provoking novel. It will speed up your heart rate. This is another novel you need to read during the light of day. It is not a book to read just before bedtime, unless you like having nightmares.
kmparis
Monday, October 30, 2006
Landon Snow And the Island of Arcanum by R. K. Mortenson - A Book Review
As a fourth grade teacher, it was part of my job to encourage students to read as much as possible. When Harry Potter came on the scene it took the world by storm. Everyone was reading and discussing the books including students in my classes.
I had a problem because of the subject matter in the Harry Potter series. Other teachers in my building, my district and other districts were promoting the books even to the point of reading them aloud to their classes. Since I disagreed that the books were wonderful, I was an island of negativity in the ocean of promoters. I chose not to recommend the books to my students, but I didn't refuse to let them read the books. I didn't have anything to suggest in place of them.
It's too bad that I'm now retired. Landon Snow And the Island of Arcanum would be one book I could recommend to students to read. Instead of evil and sorcery, Landon Snow depends on the power of the Auctor, R. K. Mortenson's term in this series of books for God, to help him defeat evil.
Written for the upper elementary school age child, Landon Snow And the Island of Arcanum is book three in Reverend Mortenson's series. Landon Snow and his sisters, Holly and Bridget, are drawn into another world when they visit the Button Up Library. Characters from the first two books in the series reappear in this current installation when the three siblings are transported to what appears to be another time period, that of Noah's Ark.
All the animals from a place called Wonderwood have been sent to the island of Arcanum where they are held captive by the evil presence of Malus Quidam. Landon and his sisters learn of the animals' disappearance when they are confronted by the arrival of a vessel on their lonely ocean that seems to be Noah's Ark and is manned by friends Landon has encountered before, Vates, Epops, Trumplestump, Wagglewhip, Melech, Hardy, Ditty and Ludo to name a few.
The mission Landon and his compatriots must complete is an important one to the world of Wonderwood and carries much danger with it. Can Landon and his troupe save the animals of Wonderwood and return them home again? Or will Malus Quidam succeed in destroying the whole group and drawing them into his evil world?
Children will find Landon Snow And the Island of Arcanum entertaining, especially if they read the first two books in the series, Landon Snow and the Auctor's Riddle and Landon Snow and the Shadows of Malus Quidam, prior to reading this third installment in the series.
km paris
I had a problem because of the subject matter in the Harry Potter series. Other teachers in my building, my district and other districts were promoting the books even to the point of reading them aloud to their classes. Since I disagreed that the books were wonderful, I was an island of negativity in the ocean of promoters. I chose not to recommend the books to my students, but I didn't refuse to let them read the books. I didn't have anything to suggest in place of them.
It's too bad that I'm now retired. Landon Snow And the Island of Arcanum would be one book I could recommend to students to read. Instead of evil and sorcery, Landon Snow depends on the power of the Auctor, R. K. Mortenson's term in this series of books for God, to help him defeat evil.
Written for the upper elementary school age child, Landon Snow And the Island of Arcanum is book three in Reverend Mortenson's series. Landon Snow and his sisters, Holly and Bridget, are drawn into another world when they visit the Button Up Library. Characters from the first two books in the series reappear in this current installation when the three siblings are transported to what appears to be another time period, that of Noah's Ark.
All the animals from a place called Wonderwood have been sent to the island of Arcanum where they are held captive by the evil presence of Malus Quidam. Landon and his sisters learn of the animals' disappearance when they are confronted by the arrival of a vessel on their lonely ocean that seems to be Noah's Ark and is manned by friends Landon has encountered before, Vates, Epops, Trumplestump, Wagglewhip, Melech, Hardy, Ditty and Ludo to name a few.
The mission Landon and his compatriots must complete is an important one to the world of Wonderwood and carries much danger with it. Can Landon and his troupe save the animals of Wonderwood and return them home again? Or will Malus Quidam succeed in destroying the whole group and drawing them into his evil world?
Children will find Landon Snow And the Island of Arcanum entertaining, especially if they read the first two books in the series, Landon Snow and the Auctor's Riddle and Landon Snow and the Shadows of Malus Quidam, prior to reading this third installment in the series.
km paris
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Just In Case - A Book Review by Mike Lantz
I’d like to think that most people have a favorite book. I have several. One of my favorites right now is 78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published, And 14 Reasons Why It Just Might by Pat Walsh.
Walsh, a former editor and publisher, presents a concise and informative book about writing from an editor’s perspective and discusses the good things and bad things writers do (and don’t do). Walsh is humorous and serious at the same time. You have to laugh at some of his stories but then shake your head when you realize he is serious.
You’ll note from the title that there are over five times as many reasons why a book will not get published than there are why it might. And there are probably a lot more than that; Walsh never claims to have a definitive list. Definitive or not, the book is a good one, and it should make an excellent check list for any aspiring writer who thinks he might be ready to submit his book for publication.
Walsh’s list is too long for me to list here. Suffice it to say that much of Walsh’s advice to the aspiring writer is common sense, and practical advice though it may be, Walsh leaves little doubt there are numerous aspiring writers apparently lacking or deficient in this attribute. Certainly, should one aspire to publish, the writer would hope to use common sense to his own advantage; and in that sense, Walsh gives the aspiring writer a head start.
I have read and re-read this book and attempted to commit parts of it to memory. It is remarkable to me that such pragmatic advice should sound so profound. Here is just one example from “Reason #6 (why your book may never be published): You Think Writing Is Easy”:
“Great writers do not rest on their laurels and they do not ever feel they have produced their best work. They look for areas in which they have failed so they can improve and they want feedback that is honest and blunt. They know that biting criticism may hurt, but misguided praise can harm.” (p. 23)
That sounds almost Biblical to me. It’s hard advice, but it’s true. That’s why this book sets on a shelf in my study next to other books I think are essential to good writing. My personal recommendation is if you only read one book on writing this year, this should be it. I don’t think you can go wrong by reading and applying Walsh’s advice.
Mike Lantz, East Texas Writers Guild
Guest Reviewer
Walsh, a former editor and publisher, presents a concise and informative book about writing from an editor’s perspective and discusses the good things and bad things writers do (and don’t do). Walsh is humorous and serious at the same time. You have to laugh at some of his stories but then shake your head when you realize he is serious.
You’ll note from the title that there are over five times as many reasons why a book will not get published than there are why it might. And there are probably a lot more than that; Walsh never claims to have a definitive list. Definitive or not, the book is a good one, and it should make an excellent check list for any aspiring writer who thinks he might be ready to submit his book for publication.
Walsh’s list is too long for me to list here. Suffice it to say that much of Walsh’s advice to the aspiring writer is common sense, and practical advice though it may be, Walsh leaves little doubt there are numerous aspiring writers apparently lacking or deficient in this attribute. Certainly, should one aspire to publish, the writer would hope to use common sense to his own advantage; and in that sense, Walsh gives the aspiring writer a head start.
I have read and re-read this book and attempted to commit parts of it to memory. It is remarkable to me that such pragmatic advice should sound so profound. Here is just one example from “Reason #6 (why your book may never be published): You Think Writing Is Easy”:
“Great writers do not rest on their laurels and they do not ever feel they have produced their best work. They look for areas in which they have failed so they can improve and they want feedback that is honest and blunt. They know that biting criticism may hurt, but misguided praise can harm.” (p. 23)
That sounds almost Biblical to me. It’s hard advice, but it’s true. That’s why this book sets on a shelf in my study next to other books I think are essential to good writing. My personal recommendation is if you only read one book on writing this year, this should be it. I don’t think you can go wrong by reading and applying Walsh’s advice.
Mike Lantz, East Texas Writers Guild
Guest Reviewer
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Moongate by William Proctor & David J. Weldon, M. D. - A Book Review
Moongate by William Proctor and David J. Weldon, M. D. is a novel for the science-minded individual.The novel is set a few years into the future and presents some realistic predictions of technology that could conceivably develop by then, if some of it is not already here. Moongate is heavy with technology and suspense.
Scott Andrews is the central character. His job is to coordinate the construction of a laser-based fusion generator on the moon that will produce enough energy to allow Earth to forgo its dependency on fossil fuels for electricity.
An international team of scientists is headed for final training in Houston. Before all of them can arrive one of the members is killed in a car accident. His substitute is a Russian scientist with some suspicious philosophies. Andrews is unhappy with the new member and his associate, but there is nothing that can be done at that point without delaying the mission.
A series of accidents casts doubt on the success of the venture as the book unfolds. Scott Andrews receives information from his assistant back on Earth that exposes a secret, secondary experiment some of the team is planning. Can Andrews stop the experiment in order to focus on the primary mission in time?
Then the group receives a mysterious message. What does it mean? Who sent it? What impact will it have on the final outcome of the mission?
As a long-time fan of good science fiction, it was nice to finally read a book not chocked full of foul language and sexual scenes. Actually, this was the first book in the science fiction genre that I purchased and read that was published after 1963. It was in 1969 that I bought and read Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. It ruined science fiction in book form for me. After that I refused to buy anything with a publication date in the mid-60's and beyond.
Oh, it wasn't that I didn't want romance mixed with my science fiction. I'm all for romance in any genre, but why the need for crude vulgarity and sexual explicitness? I was excited a couple of years ago to realize that writers were producing science fiction and fantasy in the inspirational markets. Maybe I could start reading science fiction again. I bought Moongate at the American Christian Fiction Writers conference in Denver in 2004. I just got around to reading it. If you could see my stack of books-to-be-read you would understand. Also, I've been concentrating on suspense in order to write suspense.
Though the writing in Moongate was a little stiff and technical, I enjoyed the story. One of the secondary characters, Michael James, really caught my attention. I believe Michael James is a cross-over character from a novel by William Proctor titled The Last Star. This character interested me enough that I want to track down and purchase a copy of The Last Star in order to read it.
Moongate gave me hope that there is more good science fiction out there and more to come. I know now where to look for it - in the Christian bookstores.
kmparis
Scott Andrews is the central character. His job is to coordinate the construction of a laser-based fusion generator on the moon that will produce enough energy to allow Earth to forgo its dependency on fossil fuels for electricity.
An international team of scientists is headed for final training in Houston. Before all of them can arrive one of the members is killed in a car accident. His substitute is a Russian scientist with some suspicious philosophies. Andrews is unhappy with the new member and his associate, but there is nothing that can be done at that point without delaying the mission.
A series of accidents casts doubt on the success of the venture as the book unfolds. Scott Andrews receives information from his assistant back on Earth that exposes a secret, secondary experiment some of the team is planning. Can Andrews stop the experiment in order to focus on the primary mission in time?
Then the group receives a mysterious message. What does it mean? Who sent it? What impact will it have on the final outcome of the mission?
As a long-time fan of good science fiction, it was nice to finally read a book not chocked full of foul language and sexual scenes. Actually, this was the first book in the science fiction genre that I purchased and read that was published after 1963. It was in 1969 that I bought and read Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. It ruined science fiction in book form for me. After that I refused to buy anything with a publication date in the mid-60's and beyond.
Oh, it wasn't that I didn't want romance mixed with my science fiction. I'm all for romance in any genre, but why the need for crude vulgarity and sexual explicitness? I was excited a couple of years ago to realize that writers were producing science fiction and fantasy in the inspirational markets. Maybe I could start reading science fiction again. I bought Moongate at the American Christian Fiction Writers conference in Denver in 2004. I just got around to reading it. If you could see my stack of books-to-be-read you would understand. Also, I've been concentrating on suspense in order to write suspense.
Though the writing in Moongate was a little stiff and technical, I enjoyed the story. One of the secondary characters, Michael James, really caught my attention. I believe Michael James is a cross-over character from a novel by William Proctor titled The Last Star. This character interested me enough that I want to track down and purchase a copy of The Last Star in order to read it.
Moongate gave me hope that there is more good science fiction out there and more to come. I know now where to look for it - in the Christian bookstores.
kmparis
Friday, October 27, 2006
Scoop by Rene Gutteridge - A Book Review
What fun! I received a copy of Scoop as a gift for working in the American Christian Fiction Writers bookstore during the 2006 conference in Dallas. I took the book with me to a late night chat that the Rene Gutteridge was giving on Saturday night. I had missed her during the book signing session earlier that afternoon, and I wanted to meet her.
Rene Gutteridge was a curiosity to me. I had read her novel, Ghost Writer, several years ago and liked it. It is different. It intrigued me. The main character was male. I thought Rene was male because she writes such a strong male character. I realized my mistake on Thursday, September 21, when I walked by her talking with a couple of conference attendees and saw her name tag. So when I was offered a couple of free books for volunteering in the bookstore, and I saw Scoop in the pile, I took it.
After the late night chat, I approached Rene with Scoop in order to get her autograph. She surprised me when she wanted to know how I had gotten hold of a copy - the book's publication date wasn't until the middle of October, a month away. The publishing company wouldn't even send copies of Scoop for her to sell in the bookstore, though she had pleaded with them. Apparently they had sent at least one copy in a shipment of books they were donating to the conference, and I was lucky enough to get it.
I took Scoop along with me on vacation the next week. I am now a die-hard Rene Gutteridge fan! What a sense of humor her writing has. I've bought and read books with labels on them claiming that my money would be returned if I didn't find them hilarious. I didn't find them as funny as the publisher claimed, but I never returned the books for my money back. I'm working too hard to get published to snub another writer that way. Those books were good - just not as funny as claimed.
But Scoop is a different story. From the obituaries prior to chapter one (Yes, I said obituaries.) forward through the end, I laughed and laughed and laughed some more. I just had to read parts of it aloud to my friend while we were at the cabin in North Carolina as we sat on the porch in our rocking chairs, reading. She laughed too. I was afraid that I would wake her up with my laughing from half way across the cabin that night as I cackled at the story I was in the middle of. We both had our doors closed and a closet and the bathroom separated the bedrooms, but I laughed so hard I was afraid she would tell me to be quiet.
Rene's characters are so real I'd like to meet them. Ray Duffey, news reporter, could be your next door neighbor. Hayden Hazard might be your sister. Roarke Keegan will bring tears to your eyes as you suffer with him through his trials. Your sympathies will go out to Gilda Braun, aging news anchor, as she nears the end of her broadcast career.
Scoop takes you into the world of broadcast news during an all-important sweeps week. For a small broadcast station in competition with a couple of larger ones in town, coming up with a scoop to bring in viewers is vital. So the hunt is on for a high-profile breaking news story.
Hugo Talley, Channel 7 news producer, is determined to make his station come out on top this year. So he orders his news reporters to be on the lookout. He knows, if they work hard enough, they will find him a good story. But a series of disasters within his news staff threatens to bury his goal and even lose his job for him. Can he save the week and bring Channel 7 out on top anyway? Or will Hayden Hazard, his new assistant, destroy the station with her goody-two-shoes act instead of helping him solve the problems? What does she mean, anyway, bringing prayer into the work place?
If you love romantic comedy, you'll rush out and get a copy of Rene Gutteridge's Scoop as soon as you can. And then, I'll bet you'll be like me and search for anything more by Rene that you can find.
kmparis
Rene Gutteridge was a curiosity to me. I had read her novel, Ghost Writer, several years ago and liked it. It is different. It intrigued me. The main character was male. I thought Rene was male because she writes such a strong male character. I realized my mistake on Thursday, September 21, when I walked by her talking with a couple of conference attendees and saw her name tag. So when I was offered a couple of free books for volunteering in the bookstore, and I saw Scoop in the pile, I took it.
After the late night chat, I approached Rene with Scoop in order to get her autograph. She surprised me when she wanted to know how I had gotten hold of a copy - the book's publication date wasn't until the middle of October, a month away. The publishing company wouldn't even send copies of Scoop for her to sell in the bookstore, though she had pleaded with them. Apparently they had sent at least one copy in a shipment of books they were donating to the conference, and I was lucky enough to get it.
I took Scoop along with me on vacation the next week. I am now a die-hard Rene Gutteridge fan! What a sense of humor her writing has. I've bought and read books with labels on them claiming that my money would be returned if I didn't find them hilarious. I didn't find them as funny as the publisher claimed, but I never returned the books for my money back. I'm working too hard to get published to snub another writer that way. Those books were good - just not as funny as claimed.
But Scoop is a different story. From the obituaries prior to chapter one (Yes, I said obituaries.) forward through the end, I laughed and laughed and laughed some more. I just had to read parts of it aloud to my friend while we were at the cabin in North Carolina as we sat on the porch in our rocking chairs, reading. She laughed too. I was afraid that I would wake her up with my laughing from half way across the cabin that night as I cackled at the story I was in the middle of. We both had our doors closed and a closet and the bathroom separated the bedrooms, but I laughed so hard I was afraid she would tell me to be quiet.
Rene's characters are so real I'd like to meet them. Ray Duffey, news reporter, could be your next door neighbor. Hayden Hazard might be your sister. Roarke Keegan will bring tears to your eyes as you suffer with him through his trials. Your sympathies will go out to Gilda Braun, aging news anchor, as she nears the end of her broadcast career.
Scoop takes you into the world of broadcast news during an all-important sweeps week. For a small broadcast station in competition with a couple of larger ones in town, coming up with a scoop to bring in viewers is vital. So the hunt is on for a high-profile breaking news story.
Hugo Talley, Channel 7 news producer, is determined to make his station come out on top this year. So he orders his news reporters to be on the lookout. He knows, if they work hard enough, they will find him a good story. But a series of disasters within his news staff threatens to bury his goal and even lose his job for him. Can he save the week and bring Channel 7 out on top anyway? Or will Hayden Hazard, his new assistant, destroy the station with her goody-two-shoes act instead of helping him solve the problems? What does she mean, anyway, bringing prayer into the work place?
If you love romantic comedy, you'll rush out and get a copy of Rene Gutteridge's Scoop as soon as you can. And then, I'll bet you'll be like me and search for anything more by Rene that you can find.
kmparis
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
The Redemption by M. L. Tyndall - Book Review
Swashbuckling pirates, battles at sea, a lady in distress, and a missing father all combine in The Redemption by M. L. Tyndall. This is book one in her Legacy of the King's Pirates series from Barbour.
The first surprise came when I realized that the pirate captain, Edmund Merrick, had already become a Christian. How could this be? How could he continue his "occupation" as a pirate and profess to be a Christian? The questions drove me to read as quickly as I could. Finally it dawned on me. Edmund was a British subject in 1665 working at the Queen's order. He was a "legal" pirate. He and his pirate crew hunt down Spanish ships for the Queen. The British were at odds with the Spanish during this time period. With these facts straight in my mind, I could finish the book.
The problem with not with Ms. Tyndall's writing; it was with my lack of quick knowledge of the history of the time period.
I must say that in spite of my confusion I had to keep reading. Edmund Merrick's character enticed me to keep going to see how he would deal with the conflicts he experienced between the requirements of his job and his need to follow a more Christian path. Would he change or revert to his pre-Christian ways?
In Lady Charlisse Bristol, M. L. Tyndall created a strong heroine. Her determination to live after the shipwreck that stranded her alone on a deserted island and to find her missing father made me want to cheer her on. As Charlisse struggles to get through all the trials, I wondered how much more could she endure?
I've watched a lot of movies about pirates and enjoyed them, but I've not done a lot of reading from this time period. I am looking forward to the next book in this series, though. Ms. Tyndall's writing style, characterizations, and historical settings made me wonder what will happen in The Reliance when it is published next spring. The weaving of the threads of historical facts is so well done in this novel that the unfamiliar nature of them became a rich background instead of a jarring intrusion.
The romance M. L. Tyndall writes in The Redemption drew me into the story as well. Would Edmund and Charlisse find a way to cross the ocean of doubt and fear between them in order to be able to acknowledge their attraction for one another?
Women readers will find this story captivating, yet it is written with a strong enough hero to attract male readers as well.
kmparis
The first surprise came when I realized that the pirate captain, Edmund Merrick, had already become a Christian. How could this be? How could he continue his "occupation" as a pirate and profess to be a Christian? The questions drove me to read as quickly as I could. Finally it dawned on me. Edmund was a British subject in 1665 working at the Queen's order. He was a "legal" pirate. He and his pirate crew hunt down Spanish ships for the Queen. The British were at odds with the Spanish during this time period. With these facts straight in my mind, I could finish the book.
The problem with not with Ms. Tyndall's writing; it was with my lack of quick knowledge of the history of the time period.
I must say that in spite of my confusion I had to keep reading. Edmund Merrick's character enticed me to keep going to see how he would deal with the conflicts he experienced between the requirements of his job and his need to follow a more Christian path. Would he change or revert to his pre-Christian ways?
In Lady Charlisse Bristol, M. L. Tyndall created a strong heroine. Her determination to live after the shipwreck that stranded her alone on a deserted island and to find her missing father made me want to cheer her on. As Charlisse struggles to get through all the trials, I wondered how much more could she endure?
I've watched a lot of movies about pirates and enjoyed them, but I've not done a lot of reading from this time period. I am looking forward to the next book in this series, though. Ms. Tyndall's writing style, characterizations, and historical settings made me wonder what will happen in The Reliance when it is published next spring. The weaving of the threads of historical facts is so well done in this novel that the unfamiliar nature of them became a rich background instead of a jarring intrusion.
The romance M. L. Tyndall writes in The Redemption drew me into the story as well. Would Edmund and Charlisse find a way to cross the ocean of doubt and fear between them in order to be able to acknowledge their attraction for one another?
Women readers will find this story captivating, yet it is written with a strong enough hero to attract male readers as well.
kmparis
Friday, October 20, 2006
Vacations From Vacations
Vacations are wonderful things - up to a point. Planning and looking forward to going on vacation can be exciting. The anticipation of the day coming for departure can be agonizing to wait for. Finally the day arrives, and you're off!
Vacation this year had been planned for Maggie Valley in the western mountains of North Carolina. Elaine and I were going to leave on September 29 and meander around until Monday, October 2. On that day we would move into the cabin we had rented (prepaid, non-refundable!) for 10 days. This was to be a sit and write and take short day trips vacation. No moving in and out of motels every day or so for us this year.
Before we could leave my house we got a phone call from my sister's boss - she had fallen and hurt her knee. They were on the way home from the hospital. I picked up her truck, and Elaine arrived. We cautioned Krissy to be careful, loaded Elaine's Trail Blazer with my stuff and headed out.
My mother was developing bronchitis, so I asked my two sisters to get her to the doctor for antibiotics - they didn't. Everything else seemed to be going smoothly. We stopped at Pigeon Forge for a couple of nights and checked into the cabin on Monday. Tuesday the 3rd I got a phone call from home. My mother's brother had died. The funeral was planned for Friday. I offered to fly home, but my mother said for me to stay put. Tuesday night Elaine got a phone call from home. Her mother had fallen on her face and given herself black eyes and a broken nose. Also on Tuesday another one of my sisters (there are 3 others besides me) had carpal tunnel surgery on her right hand. She did fine.
Enough, right? But no, it didn't stop there. Another phone call from my house on Thursday. My mother's youngest sister had been sent to the hospital. Saturday morning brought yet another phone call. A teacher friend I had worked with for 18 years was letting me know that her husband had just died.
The object had been to write. We were managing to work on a new book and a new food product we're developing during all this mess. I didn't get a chance to work on my individual work in progress, but that was okay.
Sunday came and went without any new tragedies. The rain came down steadily from Saturday night through Sunday. We attended church at the Maggie Valley United Methodist Church on Sunday, and then decided to try Mexican food in North Carolina. Bad idea. It usually is when Texans try to find Mexican food out of state. We eat Tex-Mex, and most other people cook true Mexican food. It is usually much more bland and doesn't fit the taste buds of Texans.
Oh, by the way, don't try barbecued beef brisket outside of Texas either. It's not a good thing. Pork and chicken might be alright, but not brisket. Too dry - too tough, and the sauce requires finagaling with in order to get the correct taste. We managed to mix a decent sauce when we ate at Butts on the Creek in Maggie Valley. It took combining the molasses version with a good bit of the honey mustard version and adding a big dash of the spicy vinegar sauce they had on the table in order to bring it to Texas standards.
Our plan for Monday was to drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway toward Deep Gap, North Carolina. The mission for the day - see the trees along the parkway, take lots of pictures and buy cheese curd (pounds of it) and fresh apples. The first part of our mission we would accomplish along the parkway, and the second (and most important part) was to get to Deep Gap and buy the cheese curd and apples. Those items alone would be worth the 300 mile round trip.
Elaine had gotten up, dressed and then woke me up. I showered and dressed as she cooked a little breakfast and packed the ice chest for the day. I ate quickly and grabbed the jelly, butter, etc., to put back in the refrigerator. She picked up the ice chest and started to the car. Before I could make it across the room with the stuff in my arms I heard the crash of the ice chest hitting the ground. I winced and asked, "You didn't fall, did you?" Elaine has a tendency to be just a little klutzy from time to time. Ask her sometime about falling down the side of the mountain in Arkansas when she was a teen.
As you can surmise, she slipped on a step and sat down really hard. Her right foot slipped forward, but her left foot hung behind her, knee bent completely back and a little twisted. She answered, "Uh, yeah," to my question. I dropped the food and went out the door. She had straightened out her knee and was rubbing her left ankle and trying to stand up. She managed to get to her feet and walked around for a few steps. She thought she might have sprained her ankle. Back up the stairs she went (there are about seven steps from ground to porch) into the cabin to take off her shoe, sock, and brace (yes, she already had a brace on her left foot/ankle). She rubbed some Aspercreme on her ankle and various other spots on her body that were smarting from the fall and put her shoe back on along with the brace. We got to the car to get gas and decide whether to go ahead with our trip or rest for the remainder of the day. Once in the Trail Blazer, me at the wheel since she was a little shaky, Elaine decided she'd better get her ankle checked out.
We had been on vacation in the area a couple of times before and stayed in the town of Waynesville about 6 - 7 miles from Maggie Valley. We knew where the hospital was, so we headed there. Elaine is an R.N. and the last place she wanted to visit on vacation was a hospital, but check it out we did. Nice people, but we'd rather not have met them, if you know what I mean. The doctor was cute but much too young for us. The nurse-tech turned out to be a retired nurse who had lived in Dallas for 20 years working in the area. The final diagnosis - hairline fracture of the outer leg bone just above the ankle!
The prescription - a "boot" up to her knee, crutches and no weight on the broken leg until she could get back to Texas and a doctor here. As I mentioned before, Elaine is not a ballerina and Grace is not her middle name (mine either!). I could see her trying to "hop" up the stairs to the cabin for the next three days and falling backward to the ground when trying to use the crutches. We talked it over, and I suggested a walker instead. We conferred with the nurses when they arrived; they agreed and supplied her with a walker.
After being released came the flurry of activity to fill pain meds and call work to let them know what had happened to her and to find the number of a doctor back home who accepted her insurance and had an open appointment for the next week. We did this while away from the cabin because we didn't have much "tower" for the cell phones in the cabin. Finally we got back to the cabin about 3:30. We started out at 9:15 that morning.
It is extremely difficult to carry things while using a walker. I was experienced. Oh, not for myself but by watching my mother on hers. Elaine had to use her walker as crutches and hop instead which increases the difficulty of carrying things. So the retired teacher, untrained except in minor first aid becomes the nurse to the nurse. Not a pretty sight, let me tell you.
Then the thought struck me. Elaine couldn't load the car. I'm slow due to being very overweight and out of shape. I commented on that and figured it would take a long time for me to get it all done. Elaine is much faster at packing the car. I did work out a plan so that she could help, but she just laughed at my suggestion. I had my backpack with me. I could move everything to the porch, drive the car to the edge of the porch, Elaine could get down the stairs to the ground and put on the empty backpack. I would fill up the backpack and she could hop over to the car and unload the backpack before coming back to the porch for another load. She laughed and refused. Can you believe it?
On Tuesday, after the broken leg incident, we tried once more for the Blue Ridge. It was gorgeous and cold. We took many rolls of pictures and made it to Deep Gap for cheese curd and apples. Along the way there was another phone call from my home. My mother's bronchitis had turned into pneumonia and the ambulance had taken her away to the hospital. In a way it was a relief. I had been more worried about her being at home and suffering. In the hospital she would get the medications and breathing treatments she needed to get well.
Wednesday brought more rain and packing. We had lots of dirty clothes, so I loaded them up and went to wash in the afternoon. On the way into Waynesville I passed a gasoline station we had been watching for over a week. The price kept going lower and lower. A few days before it dropped to $1.99 9/10! That day it had dipped to an all-time low (in recent history) of $1.97 9/10. I pulled in and filled up. I wasn't risking a rise while I was at the laundramat, no sir. I knew it might drop a bit lower, but I refused to wait. When I drove back by it was still at the same price, thank goodness.
I packed as much as I could Wednesday night and finished up Thursday morning. On the way out of town we took pictures of Maggie Valley and stopped to drop off the keys to the cabin and tell them to clean off the stairs before the next renters moved in and apply that slip resistant gritty "stuff" to the steps to keep someone else from slipping when the steps get wet. We hadn't reported the accident because a clause in the contract prevented Elaine from filing a claim for the cost of her injury. There is a little gray area in the contract, but we let it drop. Someone with a really good lawyer might win the point though.
The trip home was uneventful except for traffic delays in getting through Knoxville, due to construction, and again (same reason) in getting through Memphis the next morning. There was a positive point at the end of the day on Thursday. We checked into a motel, The Old English Inn in Jackson, TN and there were two, yes two, wheelchairs in the lobby for use by customers! A surprise for Elaine after a tiring day. She could ride to our room instead of hop. Oh, she could do some of the driving since it was her left leg that was broken, and that was a great help. And she made a record of NOT stopping to take bathroom breaks - too far to hop to the facilities often. McDonald's holds the record for being about the shortest distance from car to restroom in case you're interested.
All in all it was a good vacation. The weather was beautiful most of the time. The trees were blooming glorious shades of red, yellow, and orange. We got to see an expanding herd of elk near Maggie Valley. There was a quilt show the first week we were in Maggie Valley - perfect scheduling in my opinion. I found $115 in the cabin the first night we were there, but, sigh, turned it into the rental agency and never heard about it again. Someone had hidden it beneath the base of a pole lamp in my bedroom. I moved the lamp that night to place it beside the bed so I could read at night and not have to get out of bed to turn off the light. There was a wad of money staring up at me from the floor. I thought it was fake at first. We laughed a lot at the weird situations cropping up almost daily. We made it home with 8 1/2 pounds of cheese curd and about 20 pounds of fresh apples and 10 pounds of fresh oranges.
My mother got home from the hospital on Monday of this week and is doing well. Elaine saw her doctor on Tuesday and was fitted with a hard cast so she could finally WALK again and go back to work next week. The film hasn't been developed yet because I forgot to take it with me to Wal-Mart when I picked up medicine for Moma on Monday, and I haven't been back since. My sister with the torn knee has an appointment next week with a specialist in Shreveport, so things are settling down.
Still, it has been a busy week since we got back. I haven't had time to take a vacation to get over my vacation, though. Maybe I can have some time to myself next week. Maybe.
kmparis
Vacation this year had been planned for Maggie Valley in the western mountains of North Carolina. Elaine and I were going to leave on September 29 and meander around until Monday, October 2. On that day we would move into the cabin we had rented (prepaid, non-refundable!) for 10 days. This was to be a sit and write and take short day trips vacation. No moving in and out of motels every day or so for us this year.
Before we could leave my house we got a phone call from my sister's boss - she had fallen and hurt her knee. They were on the way home from the hospital. I picked up her truck, and Elaine arrived. We cautioned Krissy to be careful, loaded Elaine's Trail Blazer with my stuff and headed out.
My mother was developing bronchitis, so I asked my two sisters to get her to the doctor for antibiotics - they didn't. Everything else seemed to be going smoothly. We stopped at Pigeon Forge for a couple of nights and checked into the cabin on Monday. Tuesday the 3rd I got a phone call from home. My mother's brother had died. The funeral was planned for Friday. I offered to fly home, but my mother said for me to stay put. Tuesday night Elaine got a phone call from home. Her mother had fallen on her face and given herself black eyes and a broken nose. Also on Tuesday another one of my sisters (there are 3 others besides me) had carpal tunnel surgery on her right hand. She did fine.
Enough, right? But no, it didn't stop there. Another phone call from my house on Thursday. My mother's youngest sister had been sent to the hospital. Saturday morning brought yet another phone call. A teacher friend I had worked with for 18 years was letting me know that her husband had just died.
The object had been to write. We were managing to work on a new book and a new food product we're developing during all this mess. I didn't get a chance to work on my individual work in progress, but that was okay.
Sunday came and went without any new tragedies. The rain came down steadily from Saturday night through Sunday. We attended church at the Maggie Valley United Methodist Church on Sunday, and then decided to try Mexican food in North Carolina. Bad idea. It usually is when Texans try to find Mexican food out of state. We eat Tex-Mex, and most other people cook true Mexican food. It is usually much more bland and doesn't fit the taste buds of Texans.
Oh, by the way, don't try barbecued beef brisket outside of Texas either. It's not a good thing. Pork and chicken might be alright, but not brisket. Too dry - too tough, and the sauce requires finagaling with in order to get the correct taste. We managed to mix a decent sauce when we ate at Butts on the Creek in Maggie Valley. It took combining the molasses version with a good bit of the honey mustard version and adding a big dash of the spicy vinegar sauce they had on the table in order to bring it to Texas standards.
Our plan for Monday was to drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway toward Deep Gap, North Carolina. The mission for the day - see the trees along the parkway, take lots of pictures and buy cheese curd (pounds of it) and fresh apples. The first part of our mission we would accomplish along the parkway, and the second (and most important part) was to get to Deep Gap and buy the cheese curd and apples. Those items alone would be worth the 300 mile round trip.
Elaine had gotten up, dressed and then woke me up. I showered and dressed as she cooked a little breakfast and packed the ice chest for the day. I ate quickly and grabbed the jelly, butter, etc., to put back in the refrigerator. She picked up the ice chest and started to the car. Before I could make it across the room with the stuff in my arms I heard the crash of the ice chest hitting the ground. I winced and asked, "You didn't fall, did you?" Elaine has a tendency to be just a little klutzy from time to time. Ask her sometime about falling down the side of the mountain in Arkansas when she was a teen.
As you can surmise, she slipped on a step and sat down really hard. Her right foot slipped forward, but her left foot hung behind her, knee bent completely back and a little twisted. She answered, "Uh, yeah," to my question. I dropped the food and went out the door. She had straightened out her knee and was rubbing her left ankle and trying to stand up. She managed to get to her feet and walked around for a few steps. She thought she might have sprained her ankle. Back up the stairs she went (there are about seven steps from ground to porch) into the cabin to take off her shoe, sock, and brace (yes, she already had a brace on her left foot/ankle). She rubbed some Aspercreme on her ankle and various other spots on her body that were smarting from the fall and put her shoe back on along with the brace. We got to the car to get gas and decide whether to go ahead with our trip or rest for the remainder of the day. Once in the Trail Blazer, me at the wheel since she was a little shaky, Elaine decided she'd better get her ankle checked out.
We had been on vacation in the area a couple of times before and stayed in the town of Waynesville about 6 - 7 miles from Maggie Valley. We knew where the hospital was, so we headed there. Elaine is an R.N. and the last place she wanted to visit on vacation was a hospital, but check it out we did. Nice people, but we'd rather not have met them, if you know what I mean. The doctor was cute but much too young for us. The nurse-tech turned out to be a retired nurse who had lived in Dallas for 20 years working in the area. The final diagnosis - hairline fracture of the outer leg bone just above the ankle!
The prescription - a "boot" up to her knee, crutches and no weight on the broken leg until she could get back to Texas and a doctor here. As I mentioned before, Elaine is not a ballerina and Grace is not her middle name (mine either!). I could see her trying to "hop" up the stairs to the cabin for the next three days and falling backward to the ground when trying to use the crutches. We talked it over, and I suggested a walker instead. We conferred with the nurses when they arrived; they agreed and supplied her with a walker.
After being released came the flurry of activity to fill pain meds and call work to let them know what had happened to her and to find the number of a doctor back home who accepted her insurance and had an open appointment for the next week. We did this while away from the cabin because we didn't have much "tower" for the cell phones in the cabin. Finally we got back to the cabin about 3:30. We started out at 9:15 that morning.
It is extremely difficult to carry things while using a walker. I was experienced. Oh, not for myself but by watching my mother on hers. Elaine had to use her walker as crutches and hop instead which increases the difficulty of carrying things. So the retired teacher, untrained except in minor first aid becomes the nurse to the nurse. Not a pretty sight, let me tell you.
Then the thought struck me. Elaine couldn't load the car. I'm slow due to being very overweight and out of shape. I commented on that and figured it would take a long time for me to get it all done. Elaine is much faster at packing the car. I did work out a plan so that she could help, but she just laughed at my suggestion. I had my backpack with me. I could move everything to the porch, drive the car to the edge of the porch, Elaine could get down the stairs to the ground and put on the empty backpack. I would fill up the backpack and she could hop over to the car and unload the backpack before coming back to the porch for another load. She laughed and refused. Can you believe it?
On Tuesday, after the broken leg incident, we tried once more for the Blue Ridge. It was gorgeous and cold. We took many rolls of pictures and made it to Deep Gap for cheese curd and apples. Along the way there was another phone call from my home. My mother's bronchitis had turned into pneumonia and the ambulance had taken her away to the hospital. In a way it was a relief. I had been more worried about her being at home and suffering. In the hospital she would get the medications and breathing treatments she needed to get well.
Wednesday brought more rain and packing. We had lots of dirty clothes, so I loaded them up and went to wash in the afternoon. On the way into Waynesville I passed a gasoline station we had been watching for over a week. The price kept going lower and lower. A few days before it dropped to $1.99 9/10! That day it had dipped to an all-time low (in recent history) of $1.97 9/10. I pulled in and filled up. I wasn't risking a rise while I was at the laundramat, no sir. I knew it might drop a bit lower, but I refused to wait. When I drove back by it was still at the same price, thank goodness.
I packed as much as I could Wednesday night and finished up Thursday morning. On the way out of town we took pictures of Maggie Valley and stopped to drop off the keys to the cabin and tell them to clean off the stairs before the next renters moved in and apply that slip resistant gritty "stuff" to the steps to keep someone else from slipping when the steps get wet. We hadn't reported the accident because a clause in the contract prevented Elaine from filing a claim for the cost of her injury. There is a little gray area in the contract, but we let it drop. Someone with a really good lawyer might win the point though.
The trip home was uneventful except for traffic delays in getting through Knoxville, due to construction, and again (same reason) in getting through Memphis the next morning. There was a positive point at the end of the day on Thursday. We checked into a motel, The Old English Inn in Jackson, TN and there were two, yes two, wheelchairs in the lobby for use by customers! A surprise for Elaine after a tiring day. She could ride to our room instead of hop. Oh, she could do some of the driving since it was her left leg that was broken, and that was a great help. And she made a record of NOT stopping to take bathroom breaks - too far to hop to the facilities often. McDonald's holds the record for being about the shortest distance from car to restroom in case you're interested.
All in all it was a good vacation. The weather was beautiful most of the time. The trees were blooming glorious shades of red, yellow, and orange. We got to see an expanding herd of elk near Maggie Valley. There was a quilt show the first week we were in Maggie Valley - perfect scheduling in my opinion. I found $115 in the cabin the first night we were there, but, sigh, turned it into the rental agency and never heard about it again. Someone had hidden it beneath the base of a pole lamp in my bedroom. I moved the lamp that night to place it beside the bed so I could read at night and not have to get out of bed to turn off the light. There was a wad of money staring up at me from the floor. I thought it was fake at first. We laughed a lot at the weird situations cropping up almost daily. We made it home with 8 1/2 pounds of cheese curd and about 20 pounds of fresh apples and 10 pounds of fresh oranges.
My mother got home from the hospital on Monday of this week and is doing well. Elaine saw her doctor on Tuesday and was fitted with a hard cast so she could finally WALK again and go back to work next week. The film hasn't been developed yet because I forgot to take it with me to Wal-Mart when I picked up medicine for Moma on Monday, and I haven't been back since. My sister with the torn knee has an appointment next week with a specialist in Shreveport, so things are settling down.
Still, it has been a busy week since we got back. I haven't had time to take a vacation to get over my vacation, though. Maybe I can have some time to myself next week. Maybe.
kmparis
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