Southern Belles

The last book in my Cactus Creek series, Southern Belles, just released on Friday. In the novel, Joanna Dobson comes to stay at the King Ranch. Magnolia, her mother was Abby King's cousin in Second Choice Bride to begin the series. Joanna is interested in Grayson Fox from the moment she first sees him, but the recent death of his parents has him questioning if he ever wants to marry. In the meantime, Adele Mead is caught up in a tough situation in Maryland. When she rescues a hurt man, she falls hard for him, but she has a difficult time convincing him he's the right man for her, although she knows he cares for her. When she does, they must flee, and they plan to head West toward Cactus Creek. As these stories merge, can they all find the happiness they so desperately long for in the aftermath of the Civil War?

Link to book - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09C914PW1

Southern Belles wraps up the series. Cactus Creek became a five-book series, my longest one to date. However, I do have another five-book series scheduled to come out in 2022.

The Idioms and Cliches series will begin in Pennsylvania during the colonial period and move through the Appalachian Mountains, Kansas, D, C.,  and back to the Appalachians.

Like my readers, I will miss all the main characters in the Cactus Creek series. But who knows? Some of them may reappear again in some form. I never know what my future writing might hold, but the surprises are part of the fun and excitement of writing.

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 The History Behind Nehemiah

When the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC, Judah lost its political independence, and many citizens were taken into exile. The holy city lay in ruins with the temple plundered and burned. But the exiles could have been treated worse. In Babylon, they were able to keep their Jewish identity, worship their God, and sometimes even own homes and businesses.

King Nebuchadnezzar died in 562 BC, and Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered the empire in 539 BC. He decreed that the exiles could return home and rebuild the temple. However, the project remained unfinished until Darius came to the throne. His grandson, Artaxerxes, sent Ezra to Jerusalem to repair the temple that had already fallen into disrepair because he believed a strong Jewish community in Israel would serve as a buffer from Greek invaders that threatened. But when he made a treaty with Greece and a buffer was no longer crucial, he stopped favoring the Jewish relocation.

The wall around Jerusalem was in worse shape than the temple when Nehemiah comes to our attention. As the king's cupbearer, he had the ear of the king and asked permission to repair the walls around Jerusalem. Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem about 75 years after the temple rededication and 13 years after Ezra began his ministry there. Nehemiah had Artaxerexes' permission to rebuild the walls and serve as governor, but he found stiff opposition from Sanballet, the governor of Samaria, and others. Amidst growing hostility and attacks, Nehemiah still managed to rebuild the wall in just 52 days. He remained in Jerusalem for 12 years before returning to Artaxerxes as promised. He became governor of Jerusalem one more time and brought significant reforms to the city during his two administrations. God is faithful to those who seek Him.

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Announcing Fairy Gold

Fairy Gold is now available on Audible. The novel was originally published in 1897 by Christian Reid, a pseudonym for Christine Fisher Tierman from Salisbury, North Carolina. Although her writing style resembles many of the 19th-century classical writers, such as Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, and Grace Livingston Hill, Reid's novels have a charm all their own. This is a revised edition to make it easier to read or listen to.

In the book, Marion and her two friends graduate and get ready to leave their private school to begin new lives. Clara wants to succeed in art, Helen just wants to be happy, and  Marion is determined to become wealthy. Clara learns there are more important callings than her art, Helen's fiance betrays her but she learns where real happiness lies, and Marion eventually sees what she had to give up to win her goal. When compared to what's really important, material wealth can end up being just fading "fairy gold." If you like rich characters that learn and change throughout a novel, you'll love Fairy Gold.

Maya Berry, the narrator and producer, has experience in  Shakespearean theater and does an excellent job reading this classical 19th-century language and making it come alive for the listener. She is a New York-based actress with a BFA in acting from the California Institute of the Arts. She contacted me and did a cold audition for Fairy Gold. Listen to her sample, and I think you will be as impressed as I was.

 

Link: https://www.audible.com/pd/Fairy-Gold-Audiobook/B09D5FVV7Z

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Esau's Choices

"And the Lord said unto her...and the elder shall serve the younger" (Genesis 25:23).

Most of you probably remember that Esau was Jacob's twin, born of Isaac and Rebekah. Esau actually entered the world first, but Jacob came a close second by holding onto Esau's heel. Even in the womb, the two had struggled -- so much so that Rebekah "went to enquire of the Lord." He told her two nations would come from these two boys, and contrary to tradition, the older one would serve the younger one.

"And the boys grew, and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents" (Genesis 25:27).

Their differences became obvious as they grew up. Jacob liked to stay closer to home. He fit into the life of a shepherd better than Esau who liked to go afield on long hunts. Esau acted more impetuous and lived more in the here and now. This is illustrated in one event when Esau came in hungry from a long hunt. Jacob had prepared a lentil stew, and Esau traded his birthright as the firstborn for a bowl of the stew.

"And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob" *Genesis 28:41).

More discord was brought into the family when Isaac favored Esau, the hunter, and Rebekah preferred Jacob. However, Esau displeased both his parents when he married Hittite wives. Then, after he lost his blessing, he married Ishmael's daughter. All of these women worshipped idols. But when Rebekah and Jacob tricked Isaac into giving Jacob his blessing, things really got unstable. Esau became so angry he wanted to kill Jacob, and Rebekah sent Jacob to live with her brother, Laban, for safety. It almost reminds one of Cain killing his brother.

"Abd Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him, and they wept" (Genesis 33:4).

Esau somewhat redeemed himself and showed some admirable traits when he welcomed Jacob back many years later. After all, he was Abraham's grandson and had grown up knowing what he should do. However, Esau's choices had set his course, and no one would call him a man of God. Esau's story tells us that choosing worldly things and brief moments of pleasure above God's best for us is always foolish. We should always look to God and His blessings.

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 Demoted Book Posts

It's hard enough to get readers to notice regular posts about books. When these posts must be put in a list of comments, forget it. Unless the comments offer free books, most readers skip them, and as a reader, this includes me. I don't know why Facebook page administrators insist on setting it up this way. My suspicion is that they want to discourage book posts and keep them to a minimum, even those created for this kind of post. But they're defeating one of the purposes for their page -- to connect readers and writers.

Even as a reader, I'd much rather see a full-sized post where it is easier to read and see what's being offered. My poor eyes have problems with minuscule posts. In addition, all the comment posts aren't shown at one time, and therefore, it's easy for a post to get lost in the list. I have no problem with pages limiting the number of posts an author can make as many do, but putting them into comments is almost useless and a waste of the author's precious time.

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Why You Should Be Part of a Church 

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching (Hebrews 10:25).

Being part of a church congregation should be a part of who a Christian is. The Bible talks about this, and it's important for Christian growth. In fact, there are so many benefits to belonging to a church, that it would be impossible to mention most of them in this space.  However, let's briefly take a look at some of them.

A good church will deepen our connection with the Lord. It encourages us to feel the reverence we should have for God. It will help us have a thankful heart, find peace, even in chaotic times, and discover the joy that only having a right relationship with our Maker brings. Going to church will help keep our focus on God instead of letting worldly influences weaken our faith. It helps develop right attitudes and godly vision, and it also offers opportunities to serve others as Christ taught.

But spiritual considerations are not the only thing church attendance strengthens. It also helps with physical and emotional concerns. Church can give us a sense of belonging and connect us to a social family. It can even cause us to bond closer with our spouses and other family members who attend with us. Research shows that people who join and actively participate in church are less depressed, lead healthier lives, and live longer. Church attendance should not be a duty but a pleasure.

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 Poor Relation Audible

To my surprise, the audible version of Poor Relation was published in only eleven days. This is the quickest I've had any audible book make it through ACX's quality control check. Maybe this means they've finally caught up with all their backlog. I hope so. I have one more book scheduled to finish soon, so I'll see.

Poor Relation has been very well received in the Kindle format, and readers are telling me they love it. It features Dan Proffit, the pastor from the last book in the series. Dan mistakenly thinks the niece of the town’s busybody will be a young girl. Instead, Hannah York turns out to be a beautiful young lady with remarkable musical abilities. However, she is also shy, overworked, and under her two aunts’ thumbs. As his attraction grows, so do the problems.

Link to Poor Relation Audible -  https://www.amazon.com/Poor-Relation-Cactus-Creek-Book/dp/B09BFYXBMJ

Again, I have dual narrators because of the number of characters involved and the scope of the Cactus Creek series. Douglas Birk and Jennifer Groberg bring the book to life as they have with the other books they've narrated for me. I love how easy they are to work with and how professional they are. They have also agreed to produce the next book in the series, Returning Neighbor, and have already started work on it. I hope ACX will release it as quickly as it did this one.

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Our Time Should Belong to the Lord

Then Jesus called his disciples unto him and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now for three days, and have had nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way (Matthew 15:32).

Jesus had begun to gather a large following almost everywhere He went. Crowds wanted to hear His teachings and see His miracles. On this occasion, He'd been teaching for three days, and most of them hadn't brought anything to eat. Despite the varying reasons they'd come, these people demonstrated their commitment through this fact alone.

Can you imagine choosing to sit and listen to sermons and lessons for three days? What do you think about also going without food the whole time? I see many people in church today who get upset if the preacher talks beyond twelve o'clock. They want to go home to dinner or make it to a restaurant before the crowds. Where are their priorities? I can't see them listening to anyone for three days, much less going without food to do so.

We should go to church with the intention of worshipping and meeting Jesus in a special way. Our attitudes will determine how much we get out of the service. We should hunger and thirst for God's Word, to have a closer relationship with our Maker, and to know Him better. Going to church is an opportunity, not just a duty. What are your priorities, your attitude?

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 Motifs in Literature

Including a motif in a story can be an effective literary tool. The term motif comes from a French word that means pattern. In literature, it's an object or element that may symbolize something else, strengthen a theme, or foreshadow what is to come. It will occur more than once in the book, thus creating a pattern.

In my book of small-town life in 1963, Unexpected, the song, "Running Scared," becomes a motif. Bits and pieces of the song come at different times in the story and reemphasize what's happening or how the characters feel. A line near the end of the song also helps with the ending scene. Even a reporter that read the book before he interviewed me recognized this motif.

In It All Started at the Masquerade, the masks become a less obvious motif. Lucas's mask symbolizes his retreat from the world since he wears a mask through most of the book to hide his scarred face. When he finally leaves it off, it creates a powerful moment. The mask Melanie wears to the ball symbolizes the persona she is forced to show in front of Lott Jenkins, her brother, and her sister-in-law.

Motifs can add another layer to a book. The reader doesn't have to recognize the literary element to enjoy it. However, it does help to create a deeper, more meaningful story that may stick with readers long after they finish the book.

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