I appreciate good, clean love stories. Stories where the girl meets the guy, they fall in love and live happily ever after. Stories like: You’ve Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle and Hope Floats. We laugh and cry with the couple as they go through misunderstandings, and from the comfort of our sofas, we try to help them make the right decisions. Watching these movies may make us feel happy that everything turned out like it was supposed to, but how often does it leave us feeling a bit dejected? How many times have we wished we could be loved and…
Uncertain Destinations
Visiting an inmate in prison can be exhausting and stressful. The gate opens, and you step beyond tall razor-wired fences. The scrutiny of suspicious eyes from armed guards, the intimidation of metal detectors, and stern voices accompany you to an uncertain destination. The twisting in your gut pulls tighter with each steel door that opens and closes, trapping you inside. Security cameras and guards watch your body language, the movement of your hands and facial expressions. You’re ordered to keep your hands above the table as you wait for the inmate to appear from yet another steel door while feelings…
Accountability
Accountability. What exactly does it mean? The definition according to Google is “An obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions.” January always offers the hope of new beginnings and new challenges. One of the commitments I’ve made this year is to read the Chronological Bible in daily increments throughout the year. Joining in with a group from my church in this endeavor will help with accountability to see it through. Anytime a question arises, or I want to discuss the reading for the day I have several people I can turn to for interaction and…
Code of Valor -Release Day
Happy New Year! Today, January 1, 2019, is release day for Lynette Eason’s newest romantic suspense novel. It’s always exciting to see another fabulous release from an author who makes reading worth your while. This book, Code of Valor, gets five stars from me. I had the opportunity last year to attend Lynette’s Weekend With the Writers where the event was held in Lynette’s home. It was a wonderful relaxing experience and so enlightening hanging out with her, Tamela Hancock Murray, Alycia Morales, Edie Melson, and Lynn H Blackburn. So much wisdom in one room was an aspiring writer’s dream…
Christmas Memories
At the age of ten, I remember opening the hall door and peeking into the living room. My eyes must have sparkled when the twinkling Christmas tree lights lit up the otherwise dark room. A gasp slipped from my lips, and I quickly slapped my hand over my mouth for fear I’d wake up everyone else in the house. The multi-colored glistening of the lights bounced off my new bicycle that stood by the tree. I couldn’t help but giggle with excitement. This scene would have made a great Christmas commercial. Knowing I’d been told not to open that door…
Tis the Season
I love Christmas. I love the festive decorations and twinkling lights. I love what the season represents and witnessing the giving nature in people flourish during this special time of the year. It’s so heartwarming to pull into a drive-thru and find out the person before you paid your bill or to go to a restaurant and discover someone paid for your meal. As I stood in line at the grocery store one day, I spotted a lady digging through her purse while the cashier waited for her to pay. A gentle nudging dropped into my mind that I should…
Thanksgiving at a Glance
With achy feet and tired backs from all the cooking and baking, we exhale a sigh of relief and fall on the sofa. Thanksgiving Day is over, and we have a slight reprieve before another festive family gathering takes place. Take a look at the behind-the-scenes work goes into making these holidays extra special. We sort through recipes for those festive dishes only prepared during the holidays. Make a grocery list, a long list, of all the ingredients needed to make each one. The grocery store is like a major highway with no traffic lights. Long lines at the cash register…
Thanksgiving Traditions & Recipe Swap
Thanksgiving Day will be here in less than two weeks. I don’t know about you, but my mind kicked in gear about the middle of October when I began decorating for Fall. I’ve already started planning for our family Thanksgiving festivities. Of course, we’ll have the traditional smoked turkey, honey-baked ham, dressing, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, deviled eggs, mashed potatoes, cut corn, black-eyed peas, Scandinavian salad (my husband’s favorite), and hot rolls. Dessert is top on my list of favorites. Tell the truth; sometimes we’d rather have dessert first! Right? I must admit to dabbling in some of the…
Make It Happen
“Oh, Loretta, you should make a book out of all your poems,” a friend said. “Who? Me?” My hands grew sweaty, and I choked back feelings of incompetence. Fear gripped my throat, and a shaky voice slipped from my lips. “Ah, thanks, but I don’t know anything about publishing. I just write poems when I feel inspired, and I share them with family and friends.” The thought of putting my poems into book form almost made me hyperventilate. They weren’t your typical prose, nor were they written with literary intelligence. I just wrote the way the words flowed from my…
Writing – Keep on Keeping On
Congratulations to DiAnn Mills on her new release Burden of Proof! I’m especially excited to have DiAnn as a guest on my blog today. It’s a very special occasion – Launch Day for Burden of Proof! Here’s DiAnn… Writing is a series of keep on keeping on. Our minds are geared toward the latest project while balancing social media and staying up to date on the craft and changes in the publishing industry. We waken at 3 a.m. with a forgotten deadline looming over us like a bad case of flu. Yikes! How did I miss that! We bolt from…
