tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54166796656778081862024-03-13T03:03:18.058-07:00Stories of Faith, Hope and LoveLynette Sowell: author, columnist, journalist, foodie, sometimes traveler, fond of all things coffee and chocolateUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416679665677808186.post-30502816281129284852014-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:002017-06-27T09:45:36.969-07:00A Path Made Plain <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you remember Betsy from <i>A Season of Change,</i> you'll know things didn't quite turn out for her like she'd thought they would. But she's firm in her resolve to build a life for herself in Sarasota, away from the bulk of her Amish family in Ohio, yet still under the watchful eye of her Great-Aenti Sarah and her Mennonite <i>Aenti</i> Chelle.<br />
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And then, when formerly Amish Thaddeus Zook shows up in Pinecraft, things get pretty interesting for both of them. After culinary school, he became <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">a pastry chef and has worked most of his adult life in restaurants among the Englisch. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">While Betsy nurses a hesitant heart, Thaddeus shows a similar hesitancy about rejoining an Amish community. Though neither can deny the attraction between them, Thaddeus is hiding a past that could threaten their future together. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Where to order:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Path-Made-Plain-Seasons-Pinecraft/dp/1426753659/ref=tmm_pap_title_0" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-path-made-plain-lynette-sowell/1119461715?ean=9781426753657" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/path-made-plain-seasons-in-pinecraft/lynette-sowell/9781426753657/pd/753657?event=ESRCG" target="_blank">Christian Book Distributors</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><i>"</i></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><i>This is Elizabeth [Betsy] Yoder’s story, and I now have a much better feeling about her, and learned to love her! It is also about Thaddeus Zook and his foot in both cultures, and not feeling he belongs in either."</i> </span><span style="line-height: 16px;">—</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><b>Maureen</b>, via Goodreads </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><i>Lynette Sowell does a very good job of continuing the story of those in Pinecraft. Henry is still doing his construction while Imogene is still taking her pictures. I cannot wait for book 3 to continue and return to their lives. Will Rochelle find love? Why is Emma staying in Pinecraft? </i></span><span style="line-height: 16px;">—</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><b>Melissa</b>, via Goodreads</span><br />
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<i>“A wonderfully vivid picture of the Amish community in Florida that keeps you on your toes with suspense. Absolutely captivating!”</i>—<b>Serena B Miller</b>, RITA and CAROL award-winning author</div>
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<i>“Lynette Sowell uses vivid imagery and well-rounded, warm and friendly characters to bring home the Amish community in Pinecraft.”</i>—<b>Elizabeth Goddard</b>, award-winning author of <i>Love in the Air, Love on the Slopes</i> and <i>Love in the Wind</i></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416679665677808186.post-79212137423137148452014-10-03T09:58:00.001-07:002014-10-03T09:58:24.159-07:00Seasons in Pinecraft <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>A SEASON OF CHANGE</i></b>, Book 1</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">An Amish widower finds love in unexpected places</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Amish widower Jacob Miller believes it was a mistake to visit the Amish village of Pinecraft for winter vacation, especially after his daughter is struck by a car. Stranded in Sarasota until his daughter recovers, Jacob grows increasingly wary of events that unfold in his unfamiliar surroundings—including the strange curiosity of Englischer Natalie Bennett.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Natalie never thought her circus career as an aerial silks artist would end with a blown-out knee at the age of 25. She also never knew her late mother had a secret—that she was once Amish.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When Natalie meets the Millers at the Sarasota hospital, she is attracted to their warm hospitality and simple ways—and soon wonders if they can help her find her mother’s family. As Jacob and Natalie fall in love, their worlds collide. Will their differences tear them apart? Or will their love be strong enough to blend their clashing cultures?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Order </i>A Season of Change<i> here:</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Season-Change-Seasons-Pinecraft-Book/dp/1426753551/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398871948&sr=1-1&keywords=a+season+of+change+lynette+sowell" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Amazon</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-season-of-change-lynette-sowell/1117516875?ean=9781426753558" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Barnes & Noble</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.christianbook.com/season-of-change-seasons-in-pinecraft/lynette-sowell/9781426753558/pd/753558?product_redirect=1&Ntt=753558&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Christian Book Distributors</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">What readers and reviewers are saying:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">"I grew up in a Plain community (not Amish) and once people find out, they are always trying to get me to read 'Amish romances.' I find most of them simplistic and overly sentimental as well as syrupy. I chose this one because the description seemed unique. </span><span style="background-color: white;">This book is in many ways a fairly standard Amish type romance; simple, clean and straightforward. What Sowell has done is injected some complexity and shading to the Plain experience I don't often see. I found her research far better than most and the fact that she used a real life town was refreshing. She did a very nice job pointing out how there are differences in belief and custom amongst Plain communities. So many of this genre just seem to be aiming for patronizing escapism; I don't see that here. This book feels genuine and the characters three dimensional."</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">~An Amazon reviewer</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“Lynette Sowell’s new twist on the genre will capture fans of Amish fiction as well as lovers of unlikely romance. Readers will pull for Natalie and Jacob to stitch their two very different worlds together into a comfortable quilt of family, faith, and future plans.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">~ Lisa Wingate, best-selling author of <i>The Prayer Box</i> and <i>Wildwood Creek</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Authenticity and heart are guaranteed between the pages of a Lynette Sowell novel. She never disappoints, and I eagerly anticipate escaping into her next engaging tale.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">– Kim Vogel Sawyer, award-winning author of <i>My Heart Remembers</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"While this is the first book in the Seasons in Pinecraft series and the first book I’ve read from Sowell, with the well-crafted, emotion filled story, this will certainly not be the last. With Amish and Mennonite fiction being more popular than ever, I would add this new series to my shelf today. Amish fiction fans will love this new story as much as I do."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">-- Becky at BrodartVibe</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This is a book to be read in one sitting, if your family will leave you alone, and not demand that you return to the realities of life- to cook meals, clean, etc.!! I could not put this book down!! I kept saying "Just one more page!" – </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The Quiet Quilter's Blog</span></div>
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Watch for book two in November 2014:<br />
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<i><b>A Path Made Plain</b></i></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416679665677808186.post-71438515824801907822014-08-19T12:35:00.003-07:002014-08-19T12:35:54.016-07:00Come visit Starlight, Texas!<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: #ffffe5; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 30px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">Do you like cowboys and ranchers, and do you have a soft spot for wounded heroes? Do you like all things Texas, like high school football and barbecue? If you do, I hope you'll come with me on a journey to the town of Starlight, Texas--close to Fort Hood. You'll find a kaleidoscope of characters, grizzled veterans, expats from Germany and Korea, strong men and women from all walks of life, who make up a community that sticks together when the going gets tough.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For a limited time, I'm running a mail-order special on my three titles in the Starlight, Texas series. I'll personalize and autograph all three titles and have them mailed to you, or a friend if it's a gift, <b>all for a total of $12, postage paid!</b> (U.S. Only, first class mail)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here's more about the series and a link to order at the bottom:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i>Catch A Falling Star</i></b></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Justine Campbell would gladly rewind her life a few months…back before it crumbled around her like so much gilded plaster. Yet she finds herself back in her hometown, away from the Hollywood spotlight.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Billy Tucker could use a rewind button, too. He’d go back to the day before his humvee hit a landmine in Iraq, injuring himself and killing two of his buddies. It's been a long road back, healing inside and out, and Billy now excels at handcrafting custom made cowboy boots. He has a vision to help veterans like himself, yet struggles with the past.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Billy’s bitterness and Justine’s humiliation make for a prickly pair when they first meet, but can either of them let go of the past long enough to let God make their paths straight again?</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOJQbFRnopkBUFcaNXpCC7ajU46sNo5Fh_BZXnceQsIYkjZX1zGdD2-0RLrg-Dl0sbS21VqHCwWE9vduPnIiMXtaMcw9p7LewrAdKKu-uqkr98WeMkseR4jY0tldimGxr-RnWAxGZWTwY/s1600/countingonstarlightcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #aa0033; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOJQbFRnopkBUFcaNXpCC7ajU46sNo5Fh_BZXnceQsIYkjZX1zGdD2-0RLrg-Dl0sbS21VqHCwWE9vduPnIiMXtaMcw9p7LewrAdKKu-uqkr98WeMkseR4jY0tldimGxr-RnWAxGZWTwY/s1600/countingonstarlightcover.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.498039) 1px 1px 5px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.498039) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="198" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i>Counting on Starlight </i></b></span></span><br /><div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A canceled wedding, an insistent ex-fiancé, a tempting job offer, and California girl Liann Rivers unexpectedly finds her dreams tied up in tiny Starlight, Texas. Except when she arrives, the job isn’t what was promised, the move doesn’t get rid of the pesky ex-fiancé, and her car won’t even run. What’s a girl to do? </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jake Tucker is tired of being responsible, tired of being the strong tower for his family, and ready to escape Starlight, once and for all. The chance of a lifetime—coaching football at the college level—is finally within reach. Except there’s this new girl in town, and somehow he can’t see himself anywhere without her.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFp8HmK5rWNSGdr-FfA9F2_G2lC6SEWqbZKdcAYMmTLXTqdTJHED_VvhoTsAiX_e7fhPWoLjtdcEJFHztM_6AF8kxA5J5xjx_UHSabAfgwDxeQYX14IinUQmg7Ro9DzL7aOTvfl_nk5Oo/s1600/sweetheartofstarlightcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #aa0033; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFp8HmK5rWNSGdr-FfA9F2_G2lC6SEWqbZKdcAYMmTLXTqdTJHED_VvhoTsAiX_e7fhPWoLjtdcEJFHztM_6AF8kxA5J5xjx_UHSabAfgwDxeQYX14IinUQmg7Ro9DzL7aOTvfl_nk5Oo/s1600/sweetheartofstarlightcover.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.498039) 1px 1px 5px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.498039) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="202" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i>The Sweetheart of Starlight</i></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tamarind Brown knows Texas barbecue. . .</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">She also knows how to run a restaurant, even if The Pit is a bit shabby around the edges and needs renovation. Her place is a local favorite in Starlight, Texas. So why is she losing money? </span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rick Mantovani knows pasta. He has a string of successful Italian restaurants on the East Coast, but he wants to conquer barbecue. And the place to prove himself is the heart of Texas. The fact that Starlight is also the home of a beautiful, green-eyed barbecue champion doesn’t hurt.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As their friendship grows, Rick visits Tamarind’s church to do a little business networking. He’s never had time for God or religion, and when tragedy strikes Starlight, Rick finds himself at a crossroads of faith. Why believe in a God who has the power to take away everything?</span></div>
<br /><form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_top">
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</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416679665677808186.post-17113237745365207192014-07-06T22:04:00.000-07:002014-07-07T06:03:41.953-07:00Christmas in July!Where did the first half of 2014 disappear to? I'm sure some of you must be wondering the same.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hEyqP8VOMuNrROKWSZNGHxSWqY510tqeAiHPeQ0wy9hOP61oo3FoaMD9_xvP1gAL_dWMcH7SCo3gIyQCUbr_FNXXRevkM1vEv8kitiSVrPZE6lY6_q4IlVEsPR75uARfVyVEbVcQUFI/s1600/NE+romance+collection.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hEyqP8VOMuNrROKWSZNGHxSWqY510tqeAiHPeQ0wy9hOP61oo3FoaMD9_xvP1gAL_dWMcH7SCo3gIyQCUbr_FNXXRevkM1vEv8kitiSVrPZE6lY6_q4IlVEsPR75uARfVyVEbVcQUFI/s1600/NE+romance+collection.png" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
I'd like to kick off July by having a giveaway this month, my version of Christmas in July. I'm going to have Rafflecopter choose two names and give away two copies of The New England Romance Collection, which includes five standalone novels authored by Susan Page Davis, Lisa Harris, Pamela Griffin, Darlene Franklin, and me. Five historical novels, set in five different New England States.<br />
<br />
Here's more about the collection:<br />
<br />
New England is not just colorful in autumn but throughout the history of its states—including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Through the trials and triumphs of the early years of American history, to the turbulent 1930s, enjoy five stories laced with history, faith, and romance. Will these couples find a place to call home among the northeastern states?<br />
<br />
I think Barbour outdid themselves on packaging this set together -- the cover has a front flap and is embossed, the page edges are deckled.<br />
<br />
This book was on the ECPA best seller list for February and March 2014.<br />
<br />
So, how do you enter?<br />
<br />
Leave a comment below. Also, Tweet about it via Rafflecopter and check out my Facebook page as well. You can enter via the box below.<br />
<br />
Thanks, and happy July!<br />
<br />
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/734fae3/" id="rc-734fae3" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
<script src="//widget.rafflecopter.com/load.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416679665677808186.post-14628029571742229972014-06-19T08:00:00.002-07:002014-06-19T08:00:20.308-07:00So what are you doing this summer?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqX0ObB6GvHH6p2MUgjhwMusfZ9CZ-GxQaAcGEnwUrYOQhW2YNl3IEeIvfB93JyEYIh4_hgQLwLxQACC3pIBG1XGD_F0CYjh3cIvorRXlAETQE_bJl57xG7tcLRHklrUjY13uFIPD_xM/s1600/NQAsummerroad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqX0ObB6GvHH6p2MUgjhwMusfZ9CZ-GxQaAcGEnwUrYOQhW2YNl3IEeIvfB93JyEYIh4_hgQLwLxQACC3pIBG1XGD_F0CYjh3cIvorRXlAETQE_bJl57xG7tcLRHklrUjY13uFIPD_xM/s1600/NQAsummerroad.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Texas backroads farm stand</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I'm blogging over at Not Quite Amish Living today, <a href="http://notquiteamishliving.com/2014/06/five-things-to-remember-for-simple-summer-getaways/">Five Things To Remember for Simple Summer Getaways</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; line-height: 20px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Hooray for summertime! Who’s with me? Time for a little unwinding, relaxation, time for “getting away” as a family.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; line-height: 20px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We tend to sometimes try to do the biggest, best-est, most jam-packed activities during the summer because, well, we know—it doesn’t last forever, and “before you know it,” school days and regimented schedules are upon us once again.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; line-height: 20px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Gone are the late nights, the adventures, and we don’t want to waste a single minute of those long hours of daylight.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; line-height: 20px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Then it happens. You’ve heard it’s been said, “I need a vacation after my vacation.”</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; line-height: 20px; padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">My sisters (and brethren), this simply need not be. Read more <a href="http://notquiteamishliving.com/2014/06/five-things-to-remember-for-simple-summer-getaways/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416679665677808186.post-8780069753501584472014-05-02T03:55:00.000-07:002014-05-02T03:55:00.306-07:00Welcome to Pinecraft ~ <div class="western" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; line-height: 29.25px; margin-bottom: 26px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Last time I <a href="http://www.inspyromance.com/but-im-not-an-amish-widower/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #e5554e; text-decoration: none;">posted</a> at InspyRomance, I wrote about Jacob Miller, my hero in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Season-Change-Seasons-Pinecraft-Book/dp/1426753551/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1398572825&sr=8-1" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #e5554e; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;">A Season of Change</i></a>, and how I “met” him, along with the village of Pinecraft. The place wiggled its way into my heart and hasn’t left. The village itself became a major character in <i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Season-Change-Seasons-Pinecraft-Book/dp/1426753551/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1398572825&sr=8-1" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #e5554e; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">A Season of Change</a>.</i></span></div>
<div class="western" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; line-height: 29.25px; margin-bottom: 26px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So this time, I’d like to introduce you to Pinecraft. Pretend we’re flying into Tampa, Florida, and hopping into our rental car and heading an hour or so south, to Sarasota.</span></div>
<div class="wp-caption alignright" id="attachment_1744" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; float: right; line-height: 29.25px; margin: 0px 0px 24px 24px; max-width: 100%; text-align: right; width: 610px;">
<a href="http://www.inspyromance.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/045.jpg" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #e5554e; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img alt="Pinecraft has the only Amish-run post office in the U.S. Here's the local message board (think Craigslist)." class="wp-image-1744 size-large" height="450" src="http://www.inspyromance.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/045-600x450.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="600" /></span></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Pinecraft has the only Amish-run post office in the U.S. Here’s the local message board (think Craigslist).</span></div>
</div>
<div class="western" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; line-height: 29.25px; margin-bottom: 26px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Even before you turn onto bustling Bahia Vista Avenue, you’ll know you’re not in a place where you’d expect to find an Anabaptist settlement. You’re in Sarasota, Florida, a lively city of 52,000 on the Gulf Coast.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">For the rest of the post, follow me over to the InspyRomance <a href="http://www.inspyromance.com/welcome-to-pinecraft-florida-34278/">blog</a>, where you can learn about the Amish/Mennonite village of Pinecraft, Florida.</span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416679665677808186.post-7477865467899980522014-02-12T09:45:00.000-08:002014-02-12T09:45:00.762-08:00Lookin' for love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOMZj8pkNSThTdmLA2GhelgNT4BjXkwCHI7JMKZhWfXv69U6xOl5jyHxmBEuuW3WYdYMcsCNKqqdvlpKg7Vq1CpFBL3nz5h2bHMHuBc7Q51O4i93CWO1yi2aQ1aSHrvGaexVHYBwVI4Q/s1600/422130_3273758812912_1904532829_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOMZj8pkNSThTdmLA2GhelgNT4BjXkwCHI7JMKZhWfXv69U6xOl5jyHxmBEuuW3WYdYMcsCNKqqdvlpKg7Vq1CpFBL3nz5h2bHMHuBc7Q51O4i93CWO1yi2aQ1aSHrvGaexVHYBwVI4Q/s1600/422130_3273758812912_1904532829_n.jpg" height="261" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">For
the last few weeks, any time I've gone to the store, I've had to
negotiate carefully past displays that urge us to spend money to show our love. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Chocolate dipped strawberries, cakes, cookies, flowers, champagne,
wine, stuffed animals (destined for the thrift store donation pile
someday).</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="en-US">It's
a lot easier to play at romantic love than to nurture the real thing.
“Falling in love” is probably one of the easiest things in the
world to do.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="en-US">First
there's eye contact, then a smile, then that spark of attraction.
Those endorphins in our brains send our hearts soaring when the
interest is mutual—yes, that's the falling in love part. The
feeling we get comes from a chemical in our bodies called oxytocin. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="en-US">Then people try to hold onto that feeling with flowers and chocolate.
</span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="en-US">Unfortunately, a selfless sacrificial love isn't shown by calories and flowers that will be dead in a week or so.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="en-US">One
of the most romantic movies (and the only one in which I can tolerate
Kevin Costner, besides </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><i>Field
of Dreams</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="en-US">)
is </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><i>Robin
Hood: Prince of Thieves</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="en-US">.
Toward the end of the movie, when Robin comes to rescue Marian, she
tells him,“ You came for me...you're alive...” </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="en-US">He
replies by saying, “I would </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="en-US"><i>die</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="en-US">
for you.” (Swoon!)</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Now,
that's worth a whole lot more than roses and chocolate. That's the
stuff of real love. You can't buy that in a store at any price. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">If
you've found that type of love, you won't keep it with typical gifts,
and if you're looking for that type of love, you won't earn it by
those kinds of gifts either. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Although
chocolate, chocolate, chocolate will win points any time. </span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">So
will genuine gestures of love instead of an over-the-top budget
blowout once a year. </span>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416679665677808186.post-85955381477272278332014-01-25T07:06:00.000-08:002014-01-25T07:16:07.969-08:00Night owl? Here's a nifty computer tool<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cmZxY6TcuT3U6qHHmTGcJOhNtU-vF30qAdfbdU4wN1XxGQ-kyhl0vAPwExENpP_i1zDmQEBJQkniLjInTIXnyJoFhZwHuAatBJnEur0baWgizMR4FjuEZUPFRwBQ5z4pfa8ZpK9SLpQ/s1600/flux-icon-sm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cmZxY6TcuT3U6qHHmTGcJOhNtU-vF30qAdfbdU4wN1XxGQ-kyhl0vAPwExENpP_i1zDmQEBJQkniLjInTIXnyJoFhZwHuAatBJnEur0baWgizMR4FjuEZUPFRwBQ5z4pfa8ZpK9SLpQ/s1600/flux-icon-sm.png" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">F.lux logo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you're like me, sometimes you find yourself up late working on the computer. I can be really productive when it's really late. "Early to bed, early to rise" isn't often part of my daily routine.<br />
<br />
Studies show that people can have issues falling asleep at night, due in part to mental stimulation from the phone or computer. We just don't know when to turn it off. Then some of us toss, and turn, and have a hard time "shutting down" mentally for the night.<br />
<br />
I didn't consider myeslf having a problem falling asleep at night, especially if I'm up until the wee small hours of the night (or morning) writing. I'd write until bleary-eyed, then slither into bed. But I discovered a computer tool, a software that helps with my computer eyestrain at night. If it gives me no other benefit than that, it's worth it.<br />
<br />
I found <a href="http://justgetflux.com/" target="_blank">F.lux</a>.<br />
<br />
Here's the brief scoop:<br />
<br />
Sleep researchers don't just blame people's sleep issues on mental stimulation via television, computers and phones. It's also that "blue light" spectrum in the color field that mimics daylight. According to these sleep experts, being exposed after daylight hours to this blue light from our screens messes with our body's production of melatonin as well as our Circadian rhythm. Which makes us have a hard time falling asleep, or having a good quality sleep.<br />
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Even if you're not a night owl, chances are you might be working on your computer after dark, What F.lux does is gradually removes the blue light from your computer's display based on the time of day where you are. Okay, some might say, "Just don't use your computer or tablet at night." For writers, sometimes that's not an option for us.<br />
<br />
So I installed F.lux on my laptop.<br />
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The first night, I noticed the slight "pinker" tone to my display. It's a warm light and it mimics the soft light of lamps in my home. I can't say I noticed a better night's sleep the first night, or the second. However, I did notice my eyes are less tired, only three nights after trying F.lux.<br />
<br />
You can even adjust the level of brightness as you see fit. Or, if you're working on something where seeing true colors is necessary, you can disable the filter.<br />
<br />
Here are some reviews of F.lux at CNET. CNET is what I consider one of the more reputable sites that evaluates computer software: <a href="http://download.cnet.com/f-lux/3000-2094_4-75447318.html" target="_blank">F.lux reviews at CNET</a><br />
<br />
Currently it's available for Windows, Mac, Linux, and iPad/iPhone. Not available for Android yet, or I'd have installed the app on my phone by now.<br />
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Have you heard of F.lux? Have you tried it? So far, I'm pleased. Especially since I don't have a sunrise to sunset kind of work day.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416679665677808186.post-9815143512815530312014-01-21T08:19:00.003-08:002014-01-21T08:19:26.344-08:00Taking a Cue From the AmishI'm blogging over at Not Quite Amish Living, about simplifying our lives, and how a little four-year-old can get even the most well-intentioned person overbooked and cranky:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://notquiteamishliving.com/2014/01/time-to-simplify/">http://notquiteamishliving.com/2014/01/time-to-simplify/</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416679665677808186.post-10935180376274967242014-01-02T06:00:00.000-08:002014-01-02T06:00:07.252-08:00Meet Gray House<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Gray House is a grand old lady, but a bit rough around the edges when Kelly Frost first caught sight of her on historic County Street in New Bedford, Mass.</div>
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Inside, though, like many forgotten places, the entryway made her stop and stare.<br />
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We did the same when my finally-thawed-out hubby and I visited the <a href="http://www.rjdmuseum.org/" target="_blank">Rotch-Jones-Duff House</a> on County Street. The historic mansion was once the home of a whaling merchant and passed through several families' hands until it became a museum.<br />
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That frozen December day two years ago, my hubby and I stopped there for a tour. Nobody else except writers on a research trip would have ventured out on a weekday to a house-turned-museum, so I felt very special that we sort of had the "run" of the place. I snapped photos to my heart's content. Thankfully, my Cowboys fan hubby likes history and old homes, too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUoBI_qov5-CQYgeXTYFca0J-Cfh4g4tCV_txqWPKAI2_d_m8mZK1Wr-qK4WF0Y2LwTf7HY88yzTnRxTF-0XOM4BOkQxnzxtyS_-zZSj0D9bGwNaIE_mPIrxawEGEMWahj2ALAxVuD5VI/s1600/376075_2916521482202_981893261_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUoBI_qov5-CQYgeXTYFca0J-Cfh4g4tCV_txqWPKAI2_d_m8mZK1Wr-qK4WF0Y2LwTf7HY88yzTnRxTF-0XOM4BOkQxnzxtyS_-zZSj0D9bGwNaIE_mPIrxawEGEMWahj2ALAxVuD5VI/s320/376075_2916521482202_981893261_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7dukv6Yrq5BdVQePkZ78VJXNdHDQNmxdv4goqpsgHR25ilcx1icN5e8mc_XmeMH8pl95QAI5kfSsbn1RP6FhFocxV6q2LJ3LfgzvnA7Z3RoJC8Ku2Th3lOS1e6J3tz5rvWUwF8AZwkE/s1600/399335_2916535202545_1053447327_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7dukv6Yrq5BdVQePkZ78VJXNdHDQNmxdv4goqpsgHR25ilcx1icN5e8mc_XmeMH8pl95QAI5kfSsbn1RP6FhFocxV6q2LJ3LfgzvnA7Z3RoJC8Ku2Th3lOS1e6J3tz5rvWUwF8AZwkE/s320/399335_2916535202545_1053447327_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exquisite details with the light fixtures,<br />
many of which are original </td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_YYCRI7WFg9ltDgXDpplYNJQ1PkNcPsoUeCpgivomqn5BqMr53lLBlzNJ75WdkTwEDOk6CIprA0JST1V0fBZ8j6zHWDMyKYtVshz7uLcIe6l13d8pLbubYkxmLpWG_MxTNGQA53j3P0/s1600/382657_2916522842236_1413590436_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_YYCRI7WFg9ltDgXDpplYNJQ1PkNcPsoUeCpgivomqn5BqMr53lLBlzNJ75WdkTwEDOk6CIprA0JST1V0fBZ8j6zHWDMyKYtVshz7uLcIe6l13d8pLbubYkxmLpWG_MxTNGQA53j3P0/s400/382657_2916522842236_1413590436_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-ZREsn1Xjoc2jy4YnqZEiaNzgQ6c9IzzpB0Ka_wfOet4ayk85ZtpPGBIay7Bpd-hjxGsRbX_3g50gA2L0SpcJl1iLyMxMCBMt8jJQUp-g1NeYC10vmGK4wINdulmEeRCRCP9Bl5y4fA/s1600/394005_2916530482427_355424449_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-ZREsn1Xjoc2jy4YnqZEiaNzgQ6c9IzzpB0Ka_wfOet4ayk85ZtpPGBIay7Bpd-hjxGsRbX_3g50gA2L0SpcJl1iLyMxMCBMt8jJQUp-g1NeYC10vmGK4wINdulmEeRCRCP9Bl5y4fA/s1600/394005_2916530482427_355424449_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-ZREsn1Xjoc2jy4YnqZEiaNzgQ6c9IzzpB0Ka_wfOet4ayk85ZtpPGBIay7Bpd-hjxGsRbX_3g50gA2L0SpcJl1iLyMxMCBMt8jJQUp-g1NeYC10vmGK4wINdulmEeRCRCP9Bl5y4fA/s1600/394005_2916530482427_355424449_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-ZREsn1Xjoc2jy4YnqZEiaNzgQ6c9IzzpB0Ka_wfOet4ayk85ZtpPGBIay7Bpd-hjxGsRbX_3g50gA2L0SpcJl1iLyMxMCBMt8jJQUp-g1NeYC10vmGK4wINdulmEeRCRCP9Bl5y4fA/s1600/394005_2916530482427_355424449_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </a>The entryway, decked out for Christmas</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05JZhXlCNunyY2DbiFfuisCrImzMl6o5M1BrRV3AugZn87d27TXP4V-V82DiD-RosqRZaYf8GgXsTQ3nVlZegQs92PM-zUQrxHZ-_mySterN44fR7juQI1LC8Rhr_Lzh4xwt7557WQRA/s1600/407845_2916523282247_1430320772_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05JZhXlCNunyY2DbiFfuisCrImzMl6o5M1BrRV3AugZn87d27TXP4V-V82DiD-RosqRZaYf8GgXsTQ3nVlZegQs92PM-zUQrxHZ-_mySterN44fR7juQI1LC8Rhr_Lzh4xwt7557WQRA/s320/407845_2916523282247_1430320772_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main staircase of the Rotch-Jones-Duff mansion</td></tr>
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<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6whfWhWSn4RIkB5JsZB9nGURjMgE0CizMRjHlb5wPLlk0p_7NTM-Y8yPSqpWuWGhft5m48zJD2hxc5ASsirPfXwiMsxr56l3cJdhEMLurxA7ncKNb-cR2Z61-rBYpcxhBONh1CIRTUPc/s1600/408280_2916560203170_1013659868_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6whfWhWSn4RIkB5JsZB9nGURjMgE0CizMRjHlb5wPLlk0p_7NTM-Y8yPSqpWuWGhft5m48zJD2hxc5ASsirPfXwiMsxr56l3cJdhEMLurxA7ncKNb-cR2Z61-rBYpcxhBONh1CIRTUPc/s320/408280_2916560203170_1013659868_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thawed-out Cowboys fan wearing Patriots hat<br />
poses by one of the many fireplaces.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguHBL8EyPSV2pFS4oyXuLH1LHZVcn2MQ3d0iA-b6bfYQ2UiHjhPfomqLuSCGT5wY-6ZYx0zxNLKPkHuLEd755xe-xBkYlDjdt8cvtPncSur01MA-kS236NaEamZMh_l0BZlHCvO6bfha0/s1600/408213_2916530762434_752196906_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguHBL8EyPSV2pFS4oyXuLH1LHZVcn2MQ3d0iA-b6bfYQ2UiHjhPfomqLuSCGT5wY-6ZYx0zxNLKPkHuLEd755xe-xBkYlDjdt8cvtPncSur01MA-kS236NaEamZMh_l0BZlHCvO6bfha0/s320/408213_2916530762434_752196906_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the formal dining room. This mansion didn't have a<br />
ballroom, as Gray House does. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJKYKaa611t9JsXXsFcKNwhZcz7Y_OhRDOvFBPinCFF3FvlAMXYNmhh293gp6DBg2AHWU3QM-0TFXO6jKC-ebJCgWznAlOSJ1qe7DKB1ff5__5eDxKHyQjv8JxcOrhZsjjlUYCICOX-I/s1600/408261_2916531282447_173016102_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJKYKaa611t9JsXXsFcKNwhZcz7Y_OhRDOvFBPinCFF3FvlAMXYNmhh293gp6DBg2AHWU3QM-0TFXO6jKC-ebJCgWznAlOSJ1qe7DKB1ff5__5eDxKHyQjv8JxcOrhZsjjlUYCICOX-I/s320/408261_2916531282447_173016102_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But what dinner parties they must have had here.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-ZREsn1Xjoc2jy4YnqZEiaNzgQ6c9IzzpB0Ka_wfOet4ayk85ZtpPGBIay7Bpd-hjxGsRbX_3g50gA2L0SpcJl1iLyMxMCBMt8jJQUp-g1NeYC10vmGK4wINdulmEeRCRCP9Bl5y4fA/s1600/394005_2916530482427_355424449_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-ZREsn1Xjoc2jy4YnqZEiaNzgQ6c9IzzpB0Ka_wfOet4ayk85ZtpPGBIay7Bpd-hjxGsRbX_3g50gA2L0SpcJl1iLyMxMCBMt8jJQUp-g1NeYC10vmGK4wINdulmEeRCRCP9Bl5y4fA/s400/394005_2916530482427_355424449_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ2DmpVYtpyPISitV1CS0xbs-btpee8Jfic0s1CMQNNMPF5FyYcbqmzs38LU2BYIdDu4V4re8laswkNh8AE91Ju6R8VUf5sbeanTzjsWU3hRBWRadFcK0NXaD69_HsIfVETZY7K8Xp2Wo/s1600/378101_2916528642381_1229373115_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ2DmpVYtpyPISitV1CS0xbs-btpee8Jfic0s1CMQNNMPF5FyYcbqmzs38LU2BYIdDu4V4re8laswkNh8AE91Ju6R8VUf5sbeanTzjsWU3hRBWRadFcK0NXaD69_HsIfVETZY7K8Xp2Wo/s400/378101_2916528642381_1229373115_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here's me, wearing a giddy author-grin while I<br />
stand in the mansion's front parlor. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72VPOMzHVYQDSrfGSMy_APU86cQ3Q15urSl24JdgagrXqBk_tbnw6Gn683csRfOs4KDdmgS5JvZhe6Gzjqxrb9VCQaOUDRabunm6_ZsGmTXJe8FSUh_7fgBNmITqSDG1Fktw0daPToMg/s1600/407948_2916512241971_682865181_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72VPOMzHVYQDSrfGSMy_APU86cQ3Q15urSl24JdgagrXqBk_tbnw6Gn683csRfOs4KDdmgS5JvZhe6Gzjqxrb9VCQaOUDRabunm6_ZsGmTXJe8FSUh_7fgBNmITqSDG1Fktw0daPToMg/s320/407948_2916512241971_682865181_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this is the mansion next door (how many times do you<br />
get to say that?), a Greek revival structure that is<br />
now office space (yawn).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zN1G6EAlCor2hECjfTmDo-DA7ju3ocm7MUyz0VZtVwUYbWxV5P1tULtbxm2eKprUt41ER_BUUegW_47QIQuYhj0gmFlp9GK64PYWOxif8nRlmcr0knWJVAXvoE-dZdbMI3zknwlIeUc/s1600/grayhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zN1G6EAlCor2hECjfTmDo-DA7ju3ocm7MUyz0VZtVwUYbWxV5P1tULtbxm2eKprUt41ER_BUUegW_47QIQuYhj0gmFlp9GK64PYWOxif8nRlmcr0knWJVAXvoE-dZdbMI3zknwlIeUc/s400/grayhouse.jpg" width="316" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this under-appreciated gem was a few doors down<br />
on the opposite side of the street. Built in the 1850s, it<br />
provided the perfect outside inspiration for Gray House.</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416679665677808186.post-49895574632976588532013-12-27T07:34:00.000-08:002013-12-27T07:34:01.281-08:00On a cold December day......the day after Christmas 2011, in fact, we flew into Boston. We went from Texas weather of 50-something <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEf6MPk70-tib9G0eQ_4VThe0IyeX9AC32SYx7d6v9SPZvz4AOnEfm2LQiiYgJYTLN67RzaJTTzTzQkUa1BfTkqHQMsCesDC-WGpDn6rHHpEB7ZtvlAiNgtsY0FAYDuOLlmqI6UOTOG4/s1600/291111_2891917347114_1444172393_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEf6MPk70-tib9G0eQ_4VThe0IyeX9AC32SYx7d6v9SPZvz4AOnEfm2LQiiYgJYTLN67RzaJTTzTzQkUa1BfTkqHQMsCesDC-WGpDn6rHHpEB7ZtvlAiNgtsY0FAYDuOLlmqI6UOTOG4/s1600/291111_2891917347114_1444172393_o.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My hubby getting acclimated to Boston<br />weather, while we wait for my sis to pick us up<br />at Logan Airport.</td></tr>
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degrees to a brisk 25 or so. My poor hubby, a stranger in a strange land, gathered a few looks when he slipped on his Dallas Cowboys pullover jacket after we claimed our luggage at Logan.<br />
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We went to celebrate a late Christmas with my family -- I'll never forget the look of surprise on my mother's face when she walked into my sister's spare bedroom and found us there! -- and I also seized the opportunity to visit New Bedford, the setting of Tempest's Course.<br />
<br />
Behind every book is a stack of research, and sometimes a heroic spouse willing to go along for the ride.<br />
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Which C.J. did, a few days after Christmas, when we borrowed my sister's car and drove to New Bedford for the day.<br />
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Google can make planning trips to places you've never been a lot easier, so I went armed with my list of places to visit. That, and good gloves and scarves. The day was sunny, but temperatures that day only reached 32 degrees. Add that to a breeze coming off the harbor and it even made the locals shiver!<br />
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C.J. looked less than thrilled when I told him we were parking in the parking garage and walking a block to the historic district. We found it easily by the cobblestone streets, and warmed up with a visit to the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/nebe/index.htm" target="_blank">New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park</a>. He loves history as much as I do, so we immersed ourselves in New Bedford of the past while we thawed out.<br />
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Then we kept strolling through the historic district, taking photos of the Seaman's Bethel and other notable sites. I didn't go to the New England Whaling Museum, although the idea was tempting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkP0ZTuiIV3KavkdlaSTnXMeM3hq49nheNxix6dsMDTM9n6EBsa1QoD6O9T_msKwWyU5T3NnQll1jwHAXP_eEczzifCB5huElz7RiGu_aszcSa87t7he_w8Il96Or81MAgSnIhYkAVyn0/s1600/332543_2908807209350_757930023_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkP0ZTuiIV3KavkdlaSTnXMeM3hq49nheNxix6dsMDTM9n6EBsa1QoD6O9T_msKwWyU5T3NnQll1jwHAXP_eEczzifCB5huElz7RiGu_aszcSa87t7he_w8Il96Or81MAgSnIhYkAVyn0/s1600/332543_2908807209350_757930023_o.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Cowboys fan wore a New England<br />Patriots hat. This is how cold he was!</td></tr>
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On a side street, we found a delightful little place called <a href="http://www.destinationsoups.com/" target="_blank">Destination Soups</a>, where I had some delicious clam chowder. I don't recall what C.J. had, but he enjoyed the food and warmth. A few locals struck up a conversation when they saw his jacket and his hat. The hat, of course, wasn't his, but borrowed from our brother-in-law.<br />
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Finally, this merciful wife suggested we head back to the car and find the Rotch-Jones-Duff house.<br />
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"Does this mean we'll be indoors?" he asked.<br />
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I assured him that yes, we would be.<br />
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Hats off to my southern hubby and being such a good sport as his wife dragged him around in the cold, outside, in December, all for the sake of a book.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416679665677808186.post-76163286345821256992013-12-24T07:30:00.000-08:002013-12-24T07:30:00.771-08:00When Christmas Stinks<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is an old blog post I blew the dust off, to share again today. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJH5zXg96vPtCjxu_KxMTXCYjiH8z2_GAFIgKgZW_gNrA-F5AJChaNHiFWNFbu4Gq4e9cdRrMOILluRhDlEpM8n5nNs7L7bgiFYG1dx-cOT0zUiTlzaP8fB4LqBXuvTyLPxCTQxuk0r4/s1600/2012-11-22+18.56.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJH5zXg96vPtCjxu_KxMTXCYjiH8z2_GAFIgKgZW_gNrA-F5AJChaNHiFWNFbu4Gq4e9cdRrMOILluRhDlEpM8n5nNs7L7bgiFYG1dx-cOT0zUiTlzaP8fB4LqBXuvTyLPxCTQxuk0r4/s320/2012-11-22+18.56.54.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You can feel it in the air. Everyone’s talking about baking, Christmas parties, good foods, beloved traditions, gifts they’ve tucked away,and leaving town to see friends and family. The feeling can be almost contagious.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Most of us have endured Christmases we’d rather forget. Because troubles don’t keep Christmas from coming. It comes anyway, and if we look at the sparkling joy around us and don’t feel it, we feel like downers who might ruin the most perfect Christmas party.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The new town we’ve just moved to doesn’t have those special memories and people we love. When we’re unemployed, the bare space under the Christmas tree taunts us. After a divorce or breakup, the Christmas parties and gatherings are filled with people who still have their “someone.” No amount of gifts can fill the gap at the dinner table after the death of a loved one, nor the empty space next to us in the bed after losing a spouse. When our hours are filled, not with fun at the mall and baking, but sitting beside a hospital bed, Christmas can seem a million miles away. Painful changes come our way, and sometimes it’s reflected in Christmas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Isn’t that a sometimes a good thing, though? Because the first Christmas was steeped in trouble, its preceding months filled with scandal and rumor. I often wonder if Mary liked to have things just so, or if she was a go-with-the-flow kind of girl. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Sure, I’ll give birth in a cave. Without my mom nearby, in a strange town, without any of my family here. And my ‘midwife’ is my husband, and the baby’s not his.” Talk about a reality show!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When she and Joseph were engaged, they probably had plenty of plans. Don’t we all? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But we never plan for sickness, separation, bereavement, economic hardship. We don’t plan for the bottom to drop out of our worlds, especially at Christmas time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What can we do, then, to find something to celebrate? In the hard times, peeling away the wrapping paper and gifts, the parties that come and go, the songs that fade, we get to the heart of the celebration: hope.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The world can be a dark place, and without the hope of Christmas, we don’t have the comfort of knowing we’re not alone. We don’t have the assurance of God’s provision for our needs. But our hope came wrapped in swaddling clothes and tucked in a manger. That is a reason to celebrate, and get to know Jesus, the child who grew up to reunite us with God, the source of all peace. Without Him, all the celebrations are never enough. With Him, we can always find something to celebrate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We can put our troubles aside, for a moment, and reach out to someone else. Find one new thing, something meaningful, to celebrate at Christmas. This season will pass and Christmas will change for us from now on. But it’s going to be okay. We have a promise. Hold onto hope! Fear not!</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: inherit;">And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: inherit;">Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: inherit;">When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: inherit;">So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.</span></em></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416679665677808186.post-33255677502595441062013-12-17T05:00:00.000-08:002013-12-17T05:00:02.038-08:00Happy birthday, Tempest's Course!December 17, 2013 is here at last! I've been looking forward to this date for two years.<br />
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Two years ago this month I had the chance to travel to New Bedford, Massachusetts and spend a day researching for <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tempests-Course-Quilts-Love-Series/dp/1426752768/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1387242678&sr=8-6" target="_blank">Tempest's Course</a></i>. I visited the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/nebe/index.htm" target="_blank">New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park</a> and dove into the city's past.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi60tqLbzrzyBPmahxBeFtMmQySEGSzvsshcUk7RXB3JFbekLcgKCBu7ABVwZ50Et-3mNoAGQN3SvZicArdgHlNtIyu6nTWrUqHzELxXqslFf_B9JOVqvsRFQmvP73smHBTLFF7T6bB4c4/s1600/378101_2916528642381_1229373115_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi60tqLbzrzyBPmahxBeFtMmQySEGSzvsshcUk7RXB3JFbekLcgKCBu7ABVwZ50Et-3mNoAGQN3SvZicArdgHlNtIyu6nTWrUqHzELxXqslFf_B9JOVqvsRFQmvP73smHBTLFF7T6bB4c4/s200/378101_2916528642381_1229373115_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The front parlor of the Rotch-Jones-Duff house</td></tr>
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New Bedford was once dubbed "the city that lit the world" and was the hub of New England's whaling trade. Because the 1850s were really where the story of <i>Tempest's Course</i> began, I needed to walk through the city's history. The part of me who's a history buff strolled the cobblestoned streets, and saw the Seaman's Bethel where Herman Melville attended services.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1VZctUnlAupnIzSwWPPUiRyeg_j0xhdWvNTn3cWkJUZnT3gN3Rc-N_uf1jImmdPH10WrJxuF88-nyjqSaD0bXOjK_nbC4gglU_GlKmFMcpO5l3sm0pRH7M4Ea6fAj3H81YAJBx-RQ8w/s1600/409450_2916509281897_354384863_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1VZctUnlAupnIzSwWPPUiRyeg_j0xhdWvNTn3cWkJUZnT3gN3Rc-N_uf1jImmdPH10WrJxuF88-nyjqSaD0bXOjK_nbC4gglU_GlKmFMcpO5l3sm0pRH7M4Ea6fAj3H81YAJBx-RQ8w/s320/409450_2916509281897_354384863_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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However, New Bedford wasn't my first choice of a setting for <i>Tempest's Course</i>. A very long stone's throw across the harbor lies the smaller town of Fairhaven.<br />
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Doesn't that have a nice ring to it? "Fairhaven."<br />
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However, Fairhaven didn't have the draw that New Bedford did for me, and for <i>Tempest's Course</i>.<br />
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Despite its warm-sounding name, the town lost out on the setting when I began delving more into the history of the quilt and Mary Gray.<br />
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Poor, poor Mary. The seamstress of the Mariner's Compass quilt in <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tempests-Course-Quilts-Love-Series/dp/1426752768/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1387242678&sr=8-6" target="_blank">Tempest's Course</a></i> made some decisions that, like ripples on a pond, turned into waves that affected the present.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">About <i>Tempest's Course</i>: </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 22.390625px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kelly Frost, a textiles conservator, is invited to the Massachusetts coastal city of New Bedford to restore an over 150-year-old Mariner's Compass quilt. But there is one stipulation: she must live and work in Gray House, a former whaling captain's home, where the quilt is stored. There she meets Army veteran Tom Pereira, the caretaker of Gray House, whose heart seems as hard as the rocky Massachusetts coastline. Over the long-lit months as Kelly works to restore the quilt, she and Tom grow closer. And as she reads stories in a daily journal penned by Mary Gray, she learns the secrets of the quilt and Mary's own sad tale of regret, as an unseen adversary tries to keep Kelly from learning the biggest secret of all.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416679665677808186.post-55572481678005601162013-12-08T06:53:00.000-08:002013-12-08T06:53:01.228-08:00How Does a Facebook Party Work?<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/612399315490102/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTaq_Qjfv-cSUhkirwZq2NLX-r4jEdxC-cqJl1l05eZBemRkc4cBhVgF5JspuQgvaP2S5iEF0kHaJ67sbJzb00_AZLSlOZ2lfezkJtTDx3u8RFf3_H7eYI1_LXpu55jefAycH47qQvKs/s400/christmas+bee.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Good question -- I'm glad you asked. <div>
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I wasn't sure what that meant before I "went" to a Facebook party. </div>
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So you've received the invitation to the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/612399315490102/" target="_blank">Christmas Bee</a> on Tuesday night, or you heard about it on Facebook or Twitter, and you've clicked the "Join" button. Now what?</div>
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Well, now this event will be on your list of events on your Facebook Home page. If you go to your home page, you'll see it listed along with birthdays of your friends this week.</div>
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Facebook will remind you (if you have your settings that way) when the party is coming. But, let's go with the assumption that you are beyond excited about our fun chat Tuesday night and you're rarin' to go. Except you just don't know how it works.</div>
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On Tuesday night, right before the event starts, go to your Facebook Home page. </div>
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Click on "Events." You'll see the Events link on the left side of the page, two spots below the News link.</div>
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Look for the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/612399315490102/" target="_blank">Quilts of Love "Christmas Bee"</a> listing. Click on that.</div>
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Voila! -- You're at the party. Start watching the "posts" on the middle of the page. You'll see our moderator, Quilts of Love, start posting questions. Vannetta Chapman, Lisa Carter, and I will also be posting too.</div>
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Make sure you have your favorite beverage on hand, and join on in with the conversation.</div>
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That's all there is to it. Can't wait to "see" you there!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416679665677808186.post-3867708867643333932013-12-03T07:00:00.000-08:002013-12-03T07:00:03.591-08:00Several giveaways of Tempest's CourseWow, here it is only two weeks from the official release date for <i>Tempest's Course</i>! <br />
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Two years ago, I was diving headfirst into the Christmas season but also looking forward to flying to Boston from Texas for several reasons--to visit my family, spoil my little nephew and celebrate his first birthday, and also research for <i>Tempest's Course</i>.<br />
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In the coming days, I'm going to share about the research fun at places like Museum Textile Services in Andover, Mass., the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, Mass., and traipsing through historic New Bedford. <br />
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For now, though, I'm sharing some links that you can visit this week to read some interviews about my real-life romance and get a sneak peek at the first page of <i>Tempest's Course</i>.<br />
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Visit Shannon Taylor Vannatter's <a href="http://shannonvannatter.com/lynette-sowell-romantic-real-life-interview-part-1-of-2/">Inkslinger Blog</a> today and tomorrow, and read up on my real-life romance. Shannon will be drawing a name for a winner after December 14th.<br />
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Also, stop by Lena Nelson Dooley's <a href="http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/2013/12/tempests-course-lynette-sowell-one-free.html">blog</a> and read a fun Q&A I had with Lena.<br />
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Then, last but not least, check out the December new releases list. They have a BUNCH of books up for grabs, but you have to enter to win. See the list, read more about the books, and enter <a href="http://www.christianfictionsite.com/1/post/2013/11/december-new-releases-in-christian-fiction.html#.Up1drsQjIRI">HERE</a>.<br />
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Have a super Tuesday!<br />
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~ LynetteUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416679665677808186.post-27890618964722455982013-11-30T11:27:00.000-08:002013-11-30T11:30:04.926-08:00Tempest's Course -- where the past meets the present in New Bedford, Mass.<i>Tempest's Course</i> is the latest release in the Quilts of Love book series from Abingdon Press. <br />
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Kelly Frost, a textiles conservator, is invited to the Massachusetts coastal city of New Bedford to restore a more than 150-year-old Mariner's Compass quilt, with one stipulation: she must live and work in Gray House where the quilt is stored. Tom Pereira, whose heart seems as hard as the rocky coastline, is the caretaker employed by the mysterious absent owner of Gray House.<br />
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Over the long-lit months as Kelly works to restore the quilt, she is drawn out of her self-imposed shell and embraces the family God has given her after her own family failed her. As Kelly reads stories in a journal penned by Mary Gray, she learns there is no transgression beyond God's forgiveness, but the real obstacle is forgiving herself. During her and Tom's journey to grace and love, an unknown force works to keep both of them from discovering a long-buried truth that will change their lives forever.<br />
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What readers are saying:<br />
"Reminds me of a Gothic novel by Victoria Holt or Phyllis Whitney."<br />
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"Love hearing all the New England things in the book, wicked, D&D coffee, clam chowdah, treasures of days gone by."<br />
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"My favorite part of 'Tempest's Course' is Kelly's job as a conservator! It was amazing to see inside her job as she worked to repair the quilt"!<br />
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"From her background she knows she is never alone, God is with her always. Story flows seamlessly with each twist and turn that comes up."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5416679665677808186.post-18993762609531132032013-11-29T21:04:00.001-08:002013-11-29T21:19:25.298-08:00Join me for a Christmas Bee
Authors Vannetta Chapman, Lisa Carter and I are gearing up to ring in the Christmas season with a "Christmas Bee" Facebook Party on December 10th!
Our publisher, Abingdon Press, is celebrating the release of the two latest Quilts of Love releases, The Christmas Quilt and Aloha Rose, with a Kindle Fire HDX giveaway and the December 10th Facebook party.
Here's the link <a href="https://www.facebook.com/quiltsoflovebooks/app_181492755297047">here</a>.
Make sure you follow it and mark your calendar! The deadline to enter the drawing for the Kindle Fire HDX is November 30. We'll also have more giveaways at the event. I hope to "see" you there.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0