Wreader Fun

In this blog, I'm usually talking about either my writing or what I've been reading. Today, in honour of Canada Day, I've decided to let you read what I've been writing. I'm sure you've heard me mention the writing challenges on the eharlequin discussion boards. The last challenge just ended this weekend. We had to write a scene/story under 1000 words using a hero and heroine and it had to be a historical piece about our national day. Since my fictional historicals are usually set in the American Old West, this was definitely a challenge for me. What follows is my entry: The Choice 998 words On the eve of Canada's 10th birthday, Stephen Powers slipped his dusty boots out of the stirrups, swung his right leg over the back of the black gelding and slid to the ground. Shoulders slumped in weariness, he tugged the reins. The gelding plodded along, its head hanging down, bobbing in rhythm. They passed the barracks, ignoring the men lounging on the wide wooden ste...

Abbie's Outlaw by Victoria Bylin - Harlequin Historical #750 - Apr 05 I cried buckets reading this book. A strong woman. A flawed hero. Wills that clash. Love that endures. Wow! You want to know what the scariest part of this book is? How does Vicki know this stuff? How did she research for it? I cried enough reading the book without knowing what I'd do if I found out there's even a grain of personal experience involved. And no, I can't tell you what I'm talking about, but I'll give you a hint: John Leaf is what we like to call a ‘bad boy'. He took Abbie's innocence, gave her a child and walked away without a backward glance to continue his bad boy ways. Suffice to say that young Abbie Windsor did what she had to do to survive. Her main concern was for her daughter to have a decent life regardless of any personal sacrifice Abbie had to endure. Now, 15 yrs later, Abbie and her daughter are back in John's life. Only, he's not a ‘bad boy' any lo...

The Bounty Hunter's Bride by Victoria Bylin Love Inspired Historical #8 - May 08 This is a great book! We all know that no one is infallible, but many people think that when you become a Christian, your brain is automatically washed and you never have another bad thought. That your hands never commit another bad act. That feelings of love overflow and you can't possibly dislike anyone, never mind hate them. But a Christian is still human with all the failings of our race. And it's an everyday battle to choose to walk the narrow path to heaven. Beau Morgan is such a man. He believes in God - he might be angry with Him but he still believes. And, his best friend is a preacher. But he's filled with hate for the man who killed his wife six years ago. He can't shake the pain of her loss. Every time he closes his eyes, he sees her falling from the bullet that struck her down. And he's still trailing the guy after all these years. He's fixated on revenge. Mail-orde...

A Holiday To Remember by Jillian Hart (A Tiny Blessings Tale) Dec 07 - LI # 424 I loved the young teen in this book. She sparkles with hope and God's love. Every time she opened her mouth, I felt that God had his hand on her shoulder - so refreshing from the youth we usually read about. Debra Watson wasn't true to her values as a young woman and had a child out of wedlock - not an uncommon event in this day and age. However, Debra's mother took the news hard and the mother daughter relationship deteriorated. Now, Debra's taken her 13 yr old daughter to Chestnut Grove, VA to meet her brother's family. He's the brother she never knew about until just recently when it was revealed that her mother, now deceased, also had a child out of wedlock but had given it up for adoption. I guess her mother didn't like Debra following in her footsteps. Big Jonah Fraser, minister's son, has war medals to prove his valor in the Iraqi war. But Jonah considers himself a cow...

Giving Thanks For Baby by Terri Reed (A Tiny Blessings Tale) Nov 07 - LI # 420 This book was a fascinating look at a pastor and a member of his congregation. I mean, there's no law that says a Pastor can't date a member of his own flock, but what happens when the member happens to be a recent divorcee and her husband wants her back? Suddenly, the pastor is caught in a conflict of interest. How can he come between a man and his wife, ex or otherwise? Lawyer Trista Van Zandt has recently moved to Chestnut Grove, VA to be close to her brother and his family. A divorcee with an infant, she's struggling to overcome her failed marriage. Lonely, she joins an on-line chat group for singles and starts looking forward to emails from a ‘chat buddy'. Assistant Pastor Scott Crosby keeps himself busy with volunteer work with the church and the youth centre. It's not that he doesn't want to go looking for a wife, he just doesn't have the time to find the right one. It take...

Little Miss Matchmaker by Dana Corbit (A Tiny Blessings Tale) Oct 07 - LI # 416 I really liked this book, particularly the part where the heroine's dad chases all her boyfriends away. I mean if they can't take it, they have no right to date her, right? Dinah Fraser is a PK - that's Preacher's Kid. As a teen, she did what most PK's do and rebelled, but she's older now with a respectable teaching job. Never mind the fact that she lives at home and her dad is still checking out her boyfriends - that is when anyone dares to ask her out - she's a teacher and she takes her job to heart. She feels for the little girl in her class who's mother is away facing chemo treatments. In an attempt to help her, she calls in her student's guardian and life isn't the same after that. Alex Donovan is not just the hero of the story, he's a real life hero - a firefighter - and he takes his job seriously. With his cousin away facing cancer treatment and her husband...

Here are all the books in the 'A Tiny Blessings Tale 'series: #1 - Jul 05 - For the Twin's Sake by Jillian Hart LI #308 #2 - Aug 05 - Brought Together by Baby by Carolyne Aarsen LI #312 #3 - Sep 05 - On The Doorstep by Dana Corbin LI #316 #4 - Oct 05 - The Cinderella Plan by Margaret Daley LI #320 #5 - Nov 05 - Her Christmas Wish by Kathryn Springer LI #324 #6 - Dec 05 - Past Secrets, Present Love by Lois Richer LI #328 #7 - Jul 07 - For Her Son's Love by Kathryn Springer LI #404 #8 - Aug 07 - Missionary Daddy by Linda Goodnight LI #408 #9 - Sep 07 - A Mommy in Mind by Arlene James LI #412 #10 - Oct 07 - Little Miss Matchmaker by Dana Corbit LI #416 #11 - Nov 07 - Giving Thanks for Baby by Terri Reed LI #420 #12 - Dec 07 - A Holiday to Remember by Jillian Hart LI #424

A Mommy in Mind by Arlene James (A Tiny Blessings Tale) LI #412 - Sep 07 This was a 3 tissue book for me. Remember the story of King Solomon when he had to decide who was the real mother? Well, this book is reminiscent of that story. Three months after accepting a newborn to foster parent, Lucia has fallen in love with the child and is in the process of adoption. Unfortunately, the child's biological mother wants her baby back. Lucia is torn between her love for the child and the knowledge that the infant's mother regrets her decision. Ramon Estes is the lawyer hired by the biological mother to fight for her maternal rights. In fact, he jumped at the chance knowing that the mother was an illegal alien. There is no doubt in his mind that the baby belongs with it's mother. Until he meets Lucia and sees her with the baby. He can't deny that she's a wonderful mother and there is no question as to the care she's given the infant. But Ramon starts to develop feelings ...

Missionary Daddy by Linda Goodnight (A Tiny Blessings Tale) LI #408 - Aug 07 Have you ever gone someplace and met someone you couldn't forget? That's the premise of this book. Two people spend a sweltering day working together in Africa and then part. But they can't stop thinking about each other. A year later, they come together in Chestnut Grove, Virginia but something has drastically changed. He now knows who she is and he feels betrayed although he has no right to. Beautiful, rich Samantha Harcourt is on a modeling assignment in Africa when she takes a side trip and ends up at a mission. For one glorious day, instead of being the face that everyone knows, she's just a woman helping to build an orphanage. Not wanting to ruin her image, she doesn't tell the handsome missionary who she is. But she can't forget Africa or the homeless children there. Eric Pellegrino has spent years in the African mission field. He thrives on the land and the people. He's even...

For Her Son's Love by Kathryn Springer (A Tiny Blessings Tale) LI #404 - Jul 07 Don't you just love books where someone is living a double life? Except usually, the double life entails deceit of some kind. Not this time. If you believe only what you read, then you'd think rich Andrew Noble cared more about his social life than anything else. Hardly a newspaper goes by that doesn't have a photo of Andrew with a beautiful socialite hanging from his arm. But it's all a sham to hide his real life. You see, Andrew's secret job is locating missing children. And he's good at it. Andrew has never cared that the world thinks he's full of fluff. Until he meets Miranda. Miranda Jones is running from a bad relationship. When her sister and brother-in-law died, Miranda took on the job of parenting her nephew, then a toddler. Bereft, she dropped her defenses and got entangled with a man who abused her. Now Miranda and her son are on the run, ready to move on at a mome...

Other than working on my wip, I’ve been writing book reviews for here and my eharl blog (4 books behind at the moment). I’ve also been checking out some other writer blogs and having fun: June 10th - I entered a 100 word writing contest using a photo prompt on Literary Agent Rachelle Gardner's blog. The 121 entries (mine included) were added as comments to her blog here: http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/ June 9th – Donna MacMeans was blogging at http://www.writersatplay.com/wordpress/ For my ‘ creative description’ of a superpower (if I had one), I won a copy of Donna’s book, The Education of Mrs. Brimley. June 4th – Cheryl Wyatt emailed about my entry to her May Prompt Contest. She said, ‘ I LOVED this entry. While it didn't win this time...I hope you will finish their story. I truly felt the emotion in the opening with the boy and loved the attraction between your heroine and Gallagher’ (the hero). So, I didn’t win, but it was encouraging enough to try another one. Go her...

This review was originally posted to my book review blog on the eharlequin site. I wasn't going to post this here because I didn't want to embarrass the author but I have 'heard' other authors wondering if they're the only ones making a mistake. The answer is NO and the proof is here: Her Kind of Cowboy by Pat Warren Silhouette Special Edition 1638 - Sep 04 Except for the screw-up listed below, this book drew me in and kept me there! It's the story of first love and what should have been. Only it didn't happen that way. Jesse Calder's final words to 19 yr old Abby was that he'd be back. But due to a horrific accident, he couldn't keep his promise right away. And when he was finally able to contact her, he was told to stay away - that she'd married someone else. But 7 yrs later, unrecognizable due to the accident, he's back. And this time, he not only falls for Abby again, but for her daughter as well who just happens to have familiar blue...

Frontier Courtship by Valerie Hansen - Love Inspired Historical #4 - Mar 08 This book is going straight to my 2008 Top Ten List. I loved it! This is the kind of story that started me on my long journey of writing and reading. (Remember I'm a wreader ) I found it difficult to put this book down. The intense action, lively dialogue and captivating visual descriptions kept me turning the pages wanting more. This book makes you think about what it meant to be a woman in the 19th century. Especially a single woman bent on crossing the continent in a covered wagon. In an atmosphere where the wagon train boss made his own law. It's the story of unwavering faith in a seemingly godless land. When her mother dies, aptly named, Faith Beal takes her younger sister on a journey west to look for their father in the California gold fields. After 2 months of demoralizing travel, with still weeks to go, Faith gets run down in Ft. Laramie. Connell McClain's fiancée was on her way to join him...

Hideaway Home by Hannah Alexander - Love Inspired Historical #3 - Mar 08 I don't often read books that are set in the 1940's but I enjoyed this one. The love story is poignant but the historical details really brought this story to life. If there was a Steeple Hill line for Historical Suspense, this would fall in that category. It's the story of 2 Americans who happen to have German lineage - not a good thing in your background when your country is fighting the Nazi's. It seems like Bertie Moennig has loved Red her whole life even though they didn't have their 1st date until just weeks before he was shipped off to fight the Nazi's in Europe. Undeterred, she writes him letters believing in her heart that he is the only man for her. When the need arises for machinists, she learns a trade and heads out to California to work in the aircraft industry until Red comes home. Bertie's letters had kept Red Meyers sane in an insane war. He kept them in his shirt pocket...

This morning when I awoke, my first thought was my book review for Murder by Mushroom and the ‘Okay - 2 stars (a so-so read for me)' rating I'd assigned it. Interpretation: I felt guilty. You see, my rating list goes like this: ------------------------ Excellent - 5 stars (one to re-read; definitely a keeper) Great - 4 ½ stars (a keeper) Very Good - 4 stars (excellent one time read) Pretty Good - 3 stars (I enjoyed this story, but was not blown away by it) Okay - 2 stars (a so-so read for me) Poor - 1 star (not worth the bother!) --------------------------- Well, that's fine for most books, but Virginia Smith's Murder By Mushroom didn't fit. Why? Because like I said in my review, it was well-written, but not near enough romance for me. Yet it is a book worth reading because of the way it covers gossip and everything that it entails, like hurt, betrayal, and repercussions. So, when I got back from church today, I had decided to up the rating a notch. So I sat at m...