Annabelle's Ruth won in the Women's Fiction/General Fiction category, and Saving Eric won in the Action Adventure/Western/Historic Epic Fiction category.
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Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Two Winners in the Grace Awards
Congratulations to Betty Thomason Owens and Joan Deneve for winning a Grace Award!
Annabelle's Ruth won in the Women's Fiction/General Fiction category, and Saving Eric won in the Action Adventure/Western/Historic Epic Fiction category.
Annabelle's Ruth won in the Women's Fiction/General Fiction category, and Saving Eric won in the Action Adventure/Western/Historic Epic Fiction category.
Monday, May 23, 2016
New Release: Carlotta's Legacy by Betty Thomason Owens
We're thrilled to announce the release of our latest novel, Carlotta's Legacy by Betty Thomason Owens.
Her life is in a downhill plunge. Will marrying an Italian count bring Rebecca the love she’s dreamed of?
Rebecca Lewis is a reluctant bride-to-be. Marrying Riccardo Alverá, a young Italian count, may seem like a dream come true—an instant answer to her family’s dire straits. But it also means she must leave American soil, possibly forever.
Riccardo is relentless in his pursuit of Rebecca. After her father’s death, she and her mother set sail for Italy. Though Rebecca is still plagued by doubt, Riccardo’s warmth and humor soon melt the icy frost encasing her heart. But as Rebecca settles into his Italian villa, her questions and fears return.
His mother, Carlotta Alverá, is dedicated to strict Roman Catholic beliefs. Will she ever accept Rebecca, who has no real faith? After Rebecca’s mother decides to pursue life on her own terms, peace comes to the villa. But not for long.
Trouble finds Rebecca, even in the tranquil heart of Italy. As political unrest shakes the core of Italian society, a dark shadow falls over Riccardo’s beautiful estate. In her deepest despair, Rebecca confronts her past, finds forgiveness, and finally … the love and acceptance she’s always longed for.
Carlotta's Legacy is Book Two in the Legacy Series.
Available in paperback, Kindle edition coming soon.
About the Author:
Rebecca Lewis is a reluctant bride-to-be. Marrying Riccardo Alverá, a young Italian count, may seem like a dream come true—an instant answer to her family’s dire straits. But it also means she must leave American soil, possibly forever.
Riccardo is relentless in his pursuit of Rebecca. After her father’s death, she and her mother set sail for Italy. Though Rebecca is still plagued by doubt, Riccardo’s warmth and humor soon melt the icy frost encasing her heart. But as Rebecca settles into his Italian villa, her questions and fears return.
His mother, Carlotta Alverá, is dedicated to strict Roman Catholic beliefs. Will she ever accept Rebecca, who has no real faith? After Rebecca’s mother decides to pursue life on her own terms, peace comes to the villa. But not for long.
Trouble finds Rebecca, even in the tranquil heart of Italy. As political unrest shakes the core of Italian society, a dark shadow falls over Riccardo’s beautiful estate. In her deepest despair, Rebecca confronts her past, finds forgiveness, and finally … the love and acceptance she’s always longed for.
Carlotta's Legacy is Book Two in the Legacy Series.
Available in paperback, Kindle edition coming soon.
About the Author:
Betty Thomason
Owens writes romantic comedy, historical fiction, and fantasy-adventure. She
has contributed hundreds of articles and interviews to various blogs around the
Internet and is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW),
where she leads a critique group. She’s a mentor, assisting other writers, and
a co-founder of a blog dedicated to inspiring writers and serves on the board
of the Kentucky Christian Writers Conference.
Her writing credits include Annabelle’s Ruth, Book 1, Kinsman Redeemer Series (2015), a 20’s era romance, Amelia's Legacy, Book 1, Legacy Series (2014), both through Write Integrity Press. Carlotta’s Legacy, Book 2 of the Legacy Series. She writes contemporary stories as a co-author of A Dozen Apologies and its sequels, The Love Boat Bachelor and Unlikely Merger, (2015). She has two fantasy-adventure novels, The Lady of the Haven and A Gathering of Eagles, in a second edition published by Sign of the Whale BooksTM, an imprint of Olivia Kimbrell PressTM.
Her writing credits include Annabelle’s Ruth, Book 1, Kinsman Redeemer Series (2015), a 20’s era romance, Amelia's Legacy, Book 1, Legacy Series (2014), both through Write Integrity Press. Carlotta’s Legacy, Book 2 of the Legacy Series. She writes contemporary stories as a co-author of A Dozen Apologies and its sequels, The Love Boat Bachelor and Unlikely Merger, (2015). She has two fantasy-adventure novels, The Lady of the Haven and A Gathering of Eagles, in a second edition published by Sign of the Whale BooksTM, an imprint of Olivia Kimbrell PressTM.
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| Amelia's Legacy Available in paperback and on Kindle |
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Thirsting for More Named Finalist in 2016 Selah Awards
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| Thirsting for More by Marie Wells Coutu is a Finalist for the 2016 Selah Awards, sponsored by Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference |
BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. — Edie Melson, Director of the Blue Ridge Mountains
Christian Writers Conference, and Eva Marie Everson, BRMCWC Contest Director,
announce the finalists in the 2016 Selah Awards, awarded to published authors
each year during the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers conference.
The Selah Awards are
open industry wide and internationally to authors published by traditional and
nontraditional publishing houses during the previous year. Winners will be
announced during the awards banquet on May 25. The 2015 Book of the Year award
is chosen by the contest director from the top scores/first place recipients.
This year Thirsting for More (Write Integrity Press), by Marie Wells Coutu, is a finalist in
the category of Fiction:
Contemporary Women.
In this modern-day version of the woman at the
well, the whole city of Charleston seems to be watching, waiting for Northern
transplant and recently hired director of tourism, Victoria Russo, to either
work a miracle or to stumble and fall. The change of geography is a chance for
multi-divorced Victoria to start a new life. Hoping to gain acceptance, she
purchases and tackles the renovation of an historic home, but soon falls back
into her old ways.
Thirsting
for More is the second in the Mended Vessels series,
contemporary stories loosely based on Biblical women that
reveal how God takes broken lives and restores them to usefulness. The first
book, Coutu’s debut novel titled For Such
a Moment, won the Books of Hope award in 2013. The Secret Heart, the third book in the series, will be published
later this year.
Recently, Coutu also received an
honorable mention in the Great Beginnings Contest for an unpublished historical
work-in-progress titled Judgment Between
the Rivers.
Thirsting for More is available from
bookstores and online retailers. For more information, visit www.MarieWellsCoutu.com/books.
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| For Such a Moment, Book One in the Mended Vessels Series, is available in print and Kindle formats, on Amazon and other online retailers, and at most bookstores by request. |
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Author Trip to Ecuador Needs YOU!
One of our passions around here is missions - Tracy's had a heart for missions and missionaries since she was a young girl, and she's always considered most opportunities as a mission field. She's honored to work with so many authors who have similar hearts, and when she heard the latest news about Write Integrity author Betty Thomason Owens, she was ecstatic and had to share!
Betty, thanks for
joining us today. We’re so excited about your upcoming trip to Ecuador! When do
you leave?
The 10-day trip is planned for July 16th through
July 26th.
How did it come
about?
In a most unexpected way! Our good friends, Bill &
Connie McDonald, have been stationed in Cuenca, Ecuador since 1989. A couple of
months ago, my youngest son, Todd, became interested in spending his vacation
helping the mission efforts in some way. He asked me to go with him. Well, I
had always wanted to make that trip, but had relegated it to my “bucket list.”
I told him I’d pray about it, but in the back of my mind, I was already making
excuses. I could think of at least a dozen good reasons why I couldn’t go.
Todd contacted Bill McDonald, who was stateside at the time,
and due to speak at our church a few days later. They agreed to meet after the
service and discuss the details.
We went up to speak with Bill, and he spent a few minutes
talking to Todd, then turned to me. “And I’d like you to speak at a three-day
conference with maybe a hundred and fifty women, possibly as many as five
hundred…”
You know that moment in your life when you arrive at a
pivotal point and you’re aware that your next words could mean the difference
between … well, maybe not life and death, maybe not even success and failure, but
something really important. I was
there at that moment—and actually felt myself nodding in agreement—when normally,
I’d be shaking my head and making excuses.
In advance of this big moment, I’d been actively praying
that God would use me, especially in the area of ministry—something I had been
called to do at an early age—speaking. I don’t want to arrive at the end of my
life with regrets, knowing I’d let myself, God, and others down.
As Bill went on talking about the deepest needs of these
women, I became aware that God had been preparing me for some time. How could I
say no? In that moment, I knew that if God was truly calling me to do this, He
would provide whatever I needed.
What will you be
doing?
My main function will be ministering to the women at the
gathering. Outside of that, whatever they need me to do. The plans are still in
progress at this moment. We’re also looking into translating my books into
Spanish for distribution in Latin America. Bill and Connie McDonald founded the
Unsion Foundation and Unsion Television. According to Unsion’s website, “Unsión Ministries
continues to move toward its goal of reaching 500 million in the Hispanic
world, and their church planting movement is growing in momentum.” So, looks
like I’ll have plenty to do …
Tell us more about
the conditions and why your visit is so important.
What Bill shared with me that day pierced my heart. These
women suffer from abuse—sexual, verbal, and physical. What’s more, they live in
a country that up until recently, didn’t actually condone such behavior, but
didn’t really disagree with it either. It was so widespread, and since they’re
“only women” – subject to the men in their lives…you know how that goes.
Bill did say that recent inroads have been made, with the
help of the government, and they hope to continue making improvements. I’ve
also connected with a young lady who serves at the Hope House in Sucua. The
Hope House is a home for young girls from the jungles of Ecuador. How
interesting is that? I’m featuring her on my blog soon, and hope to connect
with her while I’m there.
I desire to be an encouragement to these hurting women. To
deliver a message of forgiveness and hope. I have personal experience with the
pain of abuse, and the feelings of inadequacy that dog your life for years
afterward. God delivered me, helped me find freedom through forgiveness, gave
me hope.
How can we help?
What we need more than any other thing, is the gift of your
prayers for me and for our team. In addition, prayers that our specific needs,
as well as funds for travel and lodging, will be met as needed. If you’d like
to help with those, we’ve set up a GoFundMe page, or you if you prefer, you can
contact me through my website contact page or on Facebook.
We’re working on a Spanish version of Annabelle’s Ruth, in preparation for this mission trip. Funds from the sale of the first printing will be for the women’s ministry in Ecuador. To make this possible, we need to raise the funds. The estimated cost of printing five hundred copies is $2,500 - $3,000. If you’d like to contribute to this first printing of the Spanish version Annabelle’s Ruth, you can visit our Giving fundraiser page, and please reference “Annabelle’s Ruth” in the comments.
Owens to Ecuador Go Fund Me link
Betty Thomason Owens website
Betty Thomason Owens Author Facebook page
Associated links:
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
TV Interviews
This evening, October 7, 2015, I have the honor and privilege of being a guest on WATC-TV 57's Atlanta Live program, 7-8:30 PM (Eastern). The program is available by live stream here.
I would greatly appreciate your prayers - I tend to enjoy being a hermit, so being interviewed on TV is a huge step outside my comfort zone. But we're talking about books, about faith, about my walk with Jesus - and that THRILLS me. Just pray I don't make a fool of myself or embarrass my Lord.
I'm so proud of our other authors who've recently been interviewed on both TV and radio. You can view and listen to those at the links below:
I would greatly appreciate your prayers - I tend to enjoy being a hermit, so being interviewed on TV is a huge step outside my comfort zone. But we're talking about books, about faith, about my walk with Jesus - and that THRILLS me. Just pray I don't make a fool of myself or embarrass my Lord.
I'm so proud of our other authors who've recently been interviewed on both TV and radio. You can view and listen to those at the links below:
TV Appearances:
(YouTube links)
Deborah Harper - WATC-TV 57 Atlanta
Elizabeth Noyes - WATC-TV 57 Atlanta
Joan Deneve - WATC-TV 57 Atlanta
Radio Interviews:
(SoundCloud links)
Betty Thomason Owens - The Dottie Coffman Show - Victory Radio
Cynthia Toney - The Dottie Coffman Show - Victory Radio
Elizabeth Noyes - The Dottie Coffman Show - Victory Radio
Fay Lamb - The Dottie Coffman Show - Victory Radio
I'll keep the PRESS page (see tab above) updated with new interviews as they're available, so stay tuned.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
On Music and Writing
Today, we welcome some very special guests to the Write Integrity blog. Best-selling author Elizabeth Noyes interviews accomplished musician J. Mark Perry to get his thoughts on music and writing. Enjoy!
On Music and Writing
by Elizabeth Noyes
“Music is the universal
language of mankind.”
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
History tells us about
the Nine Muses of ancient Greek mythology, those fabled
daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (memory) who were believed to be the inspiration for
all forms of literature, science, and the arts. The muses include Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato (love poetry), Euterpe
(music), Melpomene (tragedy), Polyhymnia (sacred poetry), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy), and Urania (astronomy). It is easy to see
from their areas of devotion how creative threads overlap.
Today, the term “muse” is
a general reference to any person or idea that inspires an artist, writer, or
musician. I recently spoke with an accomplished musician to gain his
perspective of some of the commonalities of music and writing.
J. Mark Perry grew up in
Cartersville and Marietta, Georgia, the son of a pastor and youngest of three
siblings. His family’s passion for Jesus and their deep-seated love of music
led Mark to trust in Jesus as his Savior at the tender age of six and one-half,
and also influenced his decision to make music his future.
He earned a Bachelor of
Music and a Master of Music Education from the University of Georgia and, while
there, served as Drum Major for the UGA Redcoat Band. That’s where he met his
future wife, Suzanne, who was also a member of the band.
Today, Mark serves as
Pastor of Worship Music at Sunrise Baptist Church in Lawrenceville, Georgia (www.SunriseBaptist.com).
He and Suzanne have two sons, Alex and Andrew, a daughter-in-law, Mary, and a
new grandson, Gibson.
Elizabeth Noyes: Mark, thank you for sharing
a glimpse of your life with our readers. You’re an accomplished musician with a
passion for the Christian ministry. You’re also a husband, father, new
grandfather, pastor, speaker, teacher, musician, performer, mentor, and
counselor -- all in the course of a normal day. Would you share a tip with our readers on how you manage all the demands
on your time?
Mark Perry: Managing time is by far the greatest
challenge of my life. In the "big picture" I try to keep things
prioritized and, as cliché as this sounds, it truly is effective for me. The Lord
Jesus comes first followed closely by my relationship with my wife, and then
with my family. Church-related ministry comes next, but I’m also careful to
guard calendar time for my personal interests and hobbies.
I adopted this "priority
concept" several years ago. If you picture your life as a wagon wheel with
God as the center hub, the surrounding spokes that reach out to the rim of the
wheel represent established priorities. At any given time, those spokes bear
the weight of the whole wheel and represent the changing priority of our focus.
I am blessed to have an understanding family that realizes my ministry
sometimes forces me to put the needs of others first, but it’s my
responsibility to ensure my loved ones regain their proper priority in my life in
due season.
EN: You come from a musical family background. At what point did you know with certainty
music was your future? Did you ever consider another vocation?
MP: I knew I would choose music as a career during
my junior year of high school. I had given the idea serious thought for several
years prior, particularly when visiting my older brother while he was in
college and was a member of the University of Georgia Redcoat Band. I remember
thinking the Redcoats were one of the coolest groups I’d ever been around. I
still do! After completing my education, I taught high school band for a few
years before entering church music ministry fulltime.
EN: As a writer, I’m often
asked where I get my ideas. I’ve watched and listened to your creativity as
Pastor of Music Worship for Sunrise Baptist Church for several years, so let me
pose a similar question to you. Where
do you find inspiration?
MP: It’s difficult to pinpoint only a few places of
inspiration. I’m curious by nature. I enjoy people-watching, observing social
situations, watching performances, and studying various forms of art, but I
have to confess that most of my ideas come from Scripture. I think when you pay
attention to the world around you inspiration can come from almost any
environment or circumstance.
EN: I’ve often said writing is like music. It has
a rhythm, tone, and flow that must mesh to create a state of mind where the
reader forgets they are reading words and are not actually part of the story. Walk us through the steps you follow when
customizing a piece of music for your choirs and orchestra.
MP: I believe
the language of music crosses all cultures. When I first begin work on a
particular piece of music, I have to consider the style (or culture) the music
was created in. I use five simple characteristics to determine how to present a
piece of music that is authentic to its style. Every style of music is unique
in nuances, pronunciation of lyrics (for vocal music obviously), rhythmic
groove or pulse, tonal quality, and vibrato style. Once you get past the
musical stylings of a composition, you also have to move past what I call the
"musical encumbrances" of music, such as rhythms, melodic line,
harmonies, etc. This will allow the performers to internalize the music to the
best of their abilities. Once this happens, it gives the performers the ability
to communicate and connect with their audience. And once you connect with the
audience, you move past simply hearing a musical composition to a musical
experience.
EN: You had the distinct and
elite honor of performing as drum major for the University of Georgia Redcoat
Band during your college years. Now, you lead the UGA Alumni Redcoat Band. You
must have a multitude of quirky stories from these experiences. Please share one poignant memory—good or bad,
funny or perhaps not so funny.
MP: I had the awesome opportunity of performing
as drum major for the very first night game in Sanford Stadium at the
University of Georgia. It occurred on Labor Day, a Monday night, in 1982, and
pitted the UGA Bulldogs against the Clemson Tigers. Of course the Dawgs won,
which made it even more special.
EN: I know you’ve also performed as an orchestra
member with the Sons of Jubal. How many
instruments do you play and, as a performer, do you prefer singing or playing
and why?
MP: I can make a decent tone on most every
instrument and play the trumpet and piano reasonably well, but the French horn was
my principal instrument as a college music major. My favorite thing to do as a
musical performer is to conduct rather than play or sing. I enjoy bringing many
musical elements together.
EN: It’s easy to see that you have a heart for
Christ and a passion for music. If you
could condense your wealth of experience into one “do” and one “don’t” for
writers/musicians/artists, what advice would you give?
MP: You can
probably tell from my previous answers (and my wife would totally agree) that I
don't do a very good job of condensing things down to "one anything."
I guess the best I could come up with for one “do” and one “don't” would be two
sides of the same coin. Do be as genuine and as authentic as you can. Don't try
to fake your way through your musical expression. People can sense a fake a
mile away, but are drawn to someone who is genuine and authentic.
WIP: Thank you both for an insightful interview. May God continue to use you both to touch hearts and change lives.
About Elizabeth Noyes:
Elizabeth Noyes—professional writer, aspiring author, dedicated dreamer—lives in the suburbs of Atlanta with her husband and best friend, Paul, who listens tirelessly while she regales him with all the tales in her head of damaged, but very human characters clamoring to be heard.
A native of the Deep South, she claims to still “speak the language,” even after traveling around the world for most of her adult life. Recently retired from a career as a professional business writer and editor, she now fills her days editing, critiquing, reading, playing with the grandkids, learning more about Social Media than she ever wanted, and putting her stories into words to share with others.
Her second book, Imperfect Trust, released this summer, and is the second book in the romantic suspense Imperfect Series. Book One, the award winning Imperfect Wings, was released August 2014. She also co-authored two multi-author novellas, A Dozen Apologies and The Love Boat Bachelor.
Friday, August 28, 2015
New Release and TV Interview
We're excited to announce the release of Misstep by Deborah Dee Harper. This cozy mystery is the first of her Road's End Series, and it's the first in our new Pens of Mystery line of books.
We're also excited to announce that Deborah will be interviewed on TV tonight, August 28. She'll appear on Atlanta Live, which broadcasts on WATC-TV 57 in Atlanta Monday-Friday, 7-8:30 PM.
You can livestream the program here.
For any WATC-TV viewers joining us - WELCOME! We're glad you're here. Feel free to look around, check out all our books, and drop us a note.
About Misstep:
"Winnie and Sadie are still fighting, and I'm still living in the strangest town on earth."
It’s December in Road’s End, Virginia, a tiny town long forgotten by anyone but its residents, where Colonel Hugh Foster and his wife, Melanie, have chosen to live—for better or worse. The jury’s still out on that one!
Road’s End is comprised entirely of senior citizens whose kids have grown and left for greener pastures. Hugh, Melanie, and Bristol (one of the few sane people in town) are faced with a crumbling church in desperate need of repair and renovation, a dwindling congregation of opinionated, ornery senior citizens, and a camel—yes, a camel.
And if that's not enough, the trio and the rest of the Road's End residents, are soon mired in danger and intrigue when a group of gun-toting drug dealers arrive in town, bent on killing the church handyman, and conspiring to ruin the doggonedest record-breaking blizzard the town has ever seen.
Poor drug dealers.
Available on Amazon and Kindle
and by request from most booksellers
About the Author
Deborah Dee Harper writes from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and specializes in humorous, inspirational Christian books for both children and adults. Her novel, Misstep, is the first book in her Road’s End series for adults (although children are welcome to read them as well). She’s also written a children’s adventure series, Laramie on the Lam, that is inspirational, humorous, and full of fun. (Many of Laramie’s fans are adults!)
Deb has three grown children—Derek (married to Renee), Dennae (married to Richie), and Darice (married to Ron). Between them, they’ve given her five lively grandsons—Dustin, Hunter, Cannon, Tyler, and Adam, and one beautiful granddaughter, Molly. Deb took an early retirement from a mid-sized school district in Michigan and began writing seriously, and wrote two newspaper columns, feature columns, greeting cards, essays, articles, poetry, and had stories included in multiple anthologies and Chicken Soup. She was a member of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild and took the Apprentice, Journeyman, and Craftsman classes. Her manuscript for Misstep was a finalist in the 2009 Operation First Novel competition.
Deb finds humor everywhere and believes God deliberately gave us a sense of humor to enjoy the truly funny or joyous or unbelievable or downright silly things in life. Humor not only gives us joy, it often changes our opinion of others (or ourselves) and helps bridge the gap between people of differing opinions. When she’s not writing, Deb enjoys photography, herb gardening, astronomy, and chasing the occasional grizzly bear for a picture.
She writes three blogs:
www.deborahdeetales.blogspot.com,
www.deetrails.blogspot.com, and
www.laramieonthelam.blogspot.com
Her website is at www.deborahdeeharper.com.
We're also excited to announce that Deborah will be interviewed on TV tonight, August 28. She'll appear on Atlanta Live, which broadcasts on WATC-TV 57 in Atlanta Monday-Friday, 7-8:30 PM.
You can livestream the program here.
For any WATC-TV viewers joining us - WELCOME! We're glad you're here. Feel free to look around, check out all our books, and drop us a note.
About Misstep:
It’s December in Road’s End, Virginia, a tiny town long forgotten by anyone but its residents, where Colonel Hugh Foster and his wife, Melanie, have chosen to live—for better or worse. The jury’s still out on that one!
Road’s End is comprised entirely of senior citizens whose kids have grown and left for greener pastures. Hugh, Melanie, and Bristol (one of the few sane people in town) are faced with a crumbling church in desperate need of repair and renovation, a dwindling congregation of opinionated, ornery senior citizens, and a camel—yes, a camel.
And if that's not enough, the trio and the rest of the Road's End residents, are soon mired in danger and intrigue when a group of gun-toting drug dealers arrive in town, bent on killing the church handyman, and conspiring to ruin the doggonedest record-breaking blizzard the town has ever seen.
Poor drug dealers.
Available on Amazon and Kindle
and by request from most booksellers
About the Author
Deborah Dee Harper writes from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and specializes in humorous, inspirational Christian books for both children and adults. Her novel, Misstep, is the first book in her Road’s End series for adults (although children are welcome to read them as well). She’s also written a children’s adventure series, Laramie on the Lam, that is inspirational, humorous, and full of fun. (Many of Laramie’s fans are adults!)Deb has three grown children—Derek (married to Renee), Dennae (married to Richie), and Darice (married to Ron). Between them, they’ve given her five lively grandsons—Dustin, Hunter, Cannon, Tyler, and Adam, and one beautiful granddaughter, Molly. Deb took an early retirement from a mid-sized school district in Michigan and began writing seriously, and wrote two newspaper columns, feature columns, greeting cards, essays, articles, poetry, and had stories included in multiple anthologies and Chicken Soup. She was a member of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild and took the Apprentice, Journeyman, and Craftsman classes. Her manuscript for Misstep was a finalist in the 2009 Operation First Novel competition.
Deb finds humor everywhere and believes God deliberately gave us a sense of humor to enjoy the truly funny or joyous or unbelievable or downright silly things in life. Humor not only gives us joy, it often changes our opinion of others (or ourselves) and helps bridge the gap between people of differing opinions. When she’s not writing, Deb enjoys photography, herb gardening, astronomy, and chasing the occasional grizzly bear for a picture.
She writes three blogs:
www.deborahdeetales.blogspot.com,
www.deetrails.blogspot.com, and
www.laramieonthelam.blogspot.com
Her website is at www.deborahdeeharper.com.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Road Trips: One She'll Never Forget
A Trip I’ll Never Forget
by Harriet Michael
Born in the jungles of the Niger River Delta, my memories of family road trips are filled with adventure. My parents were missionaries to Nigeria, West Africa in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Road trips back then involved packing lunches, and drinks because there were no restaurants along the way. No, our roads had only bush, small villages, and more bush. Bush was the term for the Nigerian landscape.
Though we could sometimes fill our tanks with petrol, as it was called, the petrol stations did not have bathrooms. So, the bush was used for both our bathroom stops as well as lunch stops. But nothing is quite as wonderful as stopping along the side of a rural African road, parking under a lush tree, getting out of a hot car that had no air conditioning, and lunching on tomato sandwiches, peanuts, bananas, and cold Kool-Aid, from an ice chest.
Most of my childhood road trips were hot. But there was one exception. Once when my father was traveling home from a preaching engagement with my little sister and me along for the ride; a rock from the dirt road flicked into our windshield. This was before the days of shatterproof glass and the rock shattered our windshield. Fearing glass would blow onto us as we traveled the rest of the way home, my dad stopped and carefully removed the entire windshield, one little piece at a time.
This would have been a good idea, except for the fact that it was rainy season. Sure enough a sudden rain storm blew up and my father had to drive with the rain pouring in on him. He told my sister and me to get in the floor of the back seat so the front seats would partially block the incoming water. I remember thinking it was one of the grandest adventures I had ever experienced. My sister and I hunched down in the back, each behind a seat and giggled at each other as the water pooled at our feet. I don’t think it was as much fun for my poor dad though. He drove slowly on ahead in spite of the rain in his face. When we arrived home, we took warm baths and then my mom made hot cocoa. That too was an adventure! I had never had hot cocoa in Africa before ... or since.
****
Born in Nigeria, West Africa, as the daughter of missionaries, Harriet E. Michael is a writer, gardener, wife of over 35 years, mother of four, and grandmother of one. She holds a BS in nursing from West Virginia University but has discovered her passion for writing. Since her first published article in 2010, she now has over a hundred and fifty published articles and devotions.
Monday, July 20, 2015
The Wackiest Trip Ever
I have to agree with this headline ...
The Wackiest Trip Ever
by Deanna Klingel
I’ve been
traveling with my books nearly every week for five years. But this is the
wackiest trip I’ve taken yet.
I leave home
with my Rand McNally Atlas, print out of my destination’s website, MapQuest
directions and my GPS all in agreement. I’m going to Fairview, in Northern
Kentucky, an hour north of Lexington on U.S. 68, to the Jefferson Davis
Monument State Historic Site where I’ll sign books beside the 350 foot obelisk
monument.
Have you
heard of the annual 500 mile long yard sale? It’s on U.S. 68, and it’s today. Every
home, business, church and farm has set up a sale along the road. U.S. 68, a
two-lane highway with a double yellow line, has berms as wide as driving lanes lined
with parked cars. Shoppers dash across the highway carrying lamps and ladders.
Chairs are lashed to the roofs of cars; family pets wander back and forth.
After
several miles I suddenly see Welcome to
Fairview. I’m in an Amish farm community. Ladies in bonnets sort through
the dishes, boys in blue ironed shirts, black pants with suspenders, peddle
their bikes in the highway. Teenage girls load their buggies. In the fields men
and their horses work the dirt. There are no brown and white state park signs.
There is no 350 foot obelisk. Thank you
for visiting Fairview.
A mile further
up the road I see a state park sign, but not the one I’m hoping for. Surely a
ranger there can tell me where to find a 350 foot monument in their
neighborhood?
“No ma’am.
We got nothing like that around here.”
“Is it
possible there are two Fairviews?” I ask.
“Oh no. Not
possible. It’s ag’in the law. Can’t have two with the same name in the same
state. Uh uh. Nope.” It’s true, I remember, Rand McNally only lists one
Fairview, Kentucky.
“Is this
your zipcode?” I point to MapQuest.
“No. It
isn’t.”
“I guess I need
to call this other park ranger and see where he’s hanging out today.” The guy
looks like I just woke him up. Oh! Park Ranger! “I can help!” His park
brochures are not in a rack or alphabetized. They are all in a wash tub.
Together. He sifts through them and eventually finds one that says Jefferson
Davis. “Looks promising,” I say. We turn it over where the locator map indicates
it’s in the far southwest corner of Kentucky. Another Fairview. Five hours
away.
Gladys, my
GPS navigator, is not leaving. She insists we have reached our destination. I
trick her by keying in a town close to the second Fairview. Okay, she says, get
back on U. S. 68, and the fun continues. After many miles of roadside sales we
leave U. S. 68 to travel the Bluegrass Parkway and later the Western Kentucky
Parkway. Now, we’re back on U. S. 68 again. I’m blinking, taking it all in: ladies
in bonnets, boys in blue shirts on bikes, girls in buggies, farmers plowing
with horses. I have a sinking feeling. There’s that little sign…again…Welcome to Fairview. I dare to think how
this could happen. Was it the Parkways in the wrong direction? Did I really
drive in a circle? But no, my dashboard reveals I’m still traveling SW. Suddenly,
rising out of a wheat field in front of me, a 350 foot obelisk. This really is the other Fairview.
But not the
one where I have a hotel reservation.
Both
Fairview, Kentuckys are on U.S. 68, both are State Park sites, five hours apart,
the rangers aren’t aware of each other. Both are rural Amish farm communities
that look just alike, (except for a 350 foot obelisk) including their identical
welcome signs. Both are exactly six hours from my home in different directions.
I don’t think there’s an obelisk in the
Twilight Zone. But, maybe.
****
Deanna and her husband Dave have seven grown children raising their children across the Southeast. Deanna and Dave make their home in North Carolina.
Friday, July 10, 2015
Road Trips: Her Poor Brother!
My Poor Brother!
by Harriet Michael
The Nigerian roads I grew up accustomed to were usually unpaved, bumpy, and challenging. Memories of strange and interesting occurrences traveling those roads flood my mind when I think of my childhood road trips.
There was the time we headed north on our local leave (the term the missionaries used for vacation.) Traffic came to a stand still at the old Jebba Bridge. This was before it was replaced in the 1970’s with a four lane bridge much better equipped to handle traffic flow. Back then it was a long two lane bridge over the beautiful Niger River. After waiting for over an hour, my father walked ahead to see if he could get a closer look and discover the problem. After a while he returned and informed us that a group of nomad cattlemen had been walking their herd over the bridge when a cow died. They were in the process of dragging the dead cow off and then trying to get the rest of the herd across and, well, that takes time.
Other road trips were memorable for better reasons. My father stopped once when he spied a beautiful wild orchid in full bloom growing near the road. The whole family piled out of the car to marvel at its beauty.
But usually, trips were long, hot, and uncomfortable. The worst was a time my family’s trip involved covering extremely difficult terrain. Mom and Dad sat in the front and my siblings and I in the back with my brother by the window. After a while, my younger sister, who was prone to motion sickness, felt nausea coming on. She stretched her body across my brother trying to get her head to the window but did not quite make it and threw up on him.
We stopped the car. My parents gave my sick sister Dramamine, cleaned him as best as they could and moved her to the front seat with them. We piled back on the road, my brother still claiming the window. But in a bit, we had Act II when feeling sick, my older sister tried to put her head out his window but also did not make it.
Again we stopped. After cleaning both of them and giving her Dramamine too, we started out again with my brother announcing that he wanted me next to him because I never got motion sickness. His statement was true–except for that one time. Soon enough we had Act III with me trying to reach his window and not making it.
Then we rearranged the seating yet again. This time my parents decided to put all three sick, sleepy girls in the back and let my brother sit in the front between them. On his lap, he held the family dog which he had held most of the trip. Guess what happened next? Soon, the dog got sick on my brother too.
It was not funny at the time but it has been a hilarious family tale ever since. We still laugh at the time everyone including the dog got sick on my poor brother.
Born in Nigeria, West Africa, as the daughter of missionaries, Harriet E. Michael is a writer, gardener, wife of over 35 years, mother of four, and grandmother of one.
She holds a BS in nursing from West Virginia University but has discovered her passion for writing. Since her first published article in 2010, she now has over a hundred and fifty published articles and devotions.
Harriet is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Louisville Christian Writers. Her book, “Prayer: It’s Not About You,”a finalist in the 2011 Women of Faith book contest, is set for release in September, 2015 by Pix-N-Pens Publishing Company.
Follow her on:
Website, Facebook, Blog
Monday, July 6
Sunday, July 5
Wednesday, July 1
There was the time we headed north on our local leave (the term the missionaries used for vacation.) Traffic came to a stand still at the old Jebba Bridge. This was before it was replaced in the 1970’s with a four lane bridge much better equipped to handle traffic flow. Back then it was a long two lane bridge over the beautiful Niger River. After waiting for over an hour, my father walked ahead to see if he could get a closer look and discover the problem. After a while he returned and informed us that a group of nomad cattlemen had been walking their herd over the bridge when a cow died. They were in the process of dragging the dead cow off and then trying to get the rest of the herd across and, well, that takes time.
Other road trips were memorable for better reasons. My father stopped once when he spied a beautiful wild orchid in full bloom growing near the road. The whole family piled out of the car to marvel at its beauty.
But usually, trips were long, hot, and uncomfortable. The worst was a time my family’s trip involved covering extremely difficult terrain. Mom and Dad sat in the front and my siblings and I in the back with my brother by the window. After a while, my younger sister, who was prone to motion sickness, felt nausea coming on. She stretched her body across my brother trying to get her head to the window but did not quite make it and threw up on him.
We stopped the car. My parents gave my sick sister Dramamine, cleaned him as best as they could and moved her to the front seat with them. We piled back on the road, my brother still claiming the window. But in a bit, we had Act II when feeling sick, my older sister tried to put her head out his window but also did not make it.
Again we stopped. After cleaning both of them and giving her Dramamine too, we started out again with my brother announcing that he wanted me next to him because I never got motion sickness. His statement was true–except for that one time. Soon enough we had Act III with me trying to reach his window and not making it.
Then we rearranged the seating yet again. This time my parents decided to put all three sick, sleepy girls in the back and let my brother sit in the front between them. On his lap, he held the family dog which he had held most of the trip. Guess what happened next? Soon, the dog got sick on my brother too.
It was not funny at the time but it has been a hilarious family tale ever since. We still laugh at the time everyone including the dog got sick on my poor brother.
****
Born in Nigeria, West Africa, as the daughter of missionaries, Harriet E. Michael is a writer, gardener, wife of over 35 years, mother of four, and grandmother of one. She holds a BS in nursing from West Virginia University but has discovered her passion for writing. Since her first published article in 2010, she now has over a hundred and fifty published articles and devotions.
Harriet is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Louisville Christian Writers. Her book, “Prayer: It’s Not About You,”a finalist in the 2011 Women of Faith book contest, is set for release in September, 2015 by Pix-N-Pens Publishing Company.
Follow her on:
Website, Facebook, Blog
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