You’re never quite prepared to say, “Good-bye”, to someone you love and cherish to have around,… human or animal, our loved ones enrich our lives…
When the week of the 19th of May first dawned, I thought that my beloved tabby whose name rhymes with Beta, was going to pull through and make a turnabout in his fight to live. With my heart and head still consumed by grief and the loss that overtakes anyone whose experienced a similar loss can attest too, you tend to find things to fill in the consuming voids of time. Its hard not to notice the hours as they click off on the clock, as I remember the first hour, the second hour, and the third as he first passed. Then, it was the twelfth hour and the twenty-eighth, which is when I asked my head to stop ‘noticing’,… to allow time to fold back in on itself, and away from my eyes seeing the advancement of Time’s progression. One of the curious things that alighted in my mind to do was to re-open my Tuesday’s Shelf Awareness newsletter which was barely acknowledged when it originally arrived. The only bits of it that even interested me were the adverts at the bottom, as the crust of the content wobbled my head a bit, as you need a clearer mind than the one I have to digest what your reading!
This is when I saw the advert for “Sleeping in Eden” by Nicole Baart, whose last name struck a bell of recognition but the cloudy mess I was in I couldn’t begin to ascertain as to ‘why’,… I clicked over to her personal website, read the blurb for the novel, which interested me, and then, I clicked the curious little icon that would lead me to Vimeo {a platform I sort of prefer over YouTube}, and to this lovely little video about Ms. Baart’s writing life.
{I originally was going to encourage you to click the link, as I could not sort out how to embed the video to my blog, as a ‘share url’ box was not visible; until I read through the help sections for WordPress and realised Vimeo automatically embeds via the video url! Blogging is a perpetual learning curve!}
After the video concluded I tossed my hat into the contest, but that was only half of it, the video itself lifted my spirits if only for a short few minutes. I go through waves of emotion, where my heart grieves, my mind remembers his presence, and I will myself to remember he’s at peace, he’s in a better place, and his spirit will carry on with me through my tomorrow’s as all companions who enrich our lives with their love, their warmth, and their quirky personalities do. He had a penchant for vocality that was loss to him in the ending chapter of his life. He became a bit too silent, too soft spoken, and yet, in his enduring strength to overcome the plight he faced, his indomitable courage shined. He taught us so many things whilst he was here, eight years and four months shy of his ninth birthday. The greatest of all, I should think, is a calming of spirit inside adversity and a stealth of patience during the in-between. His gentleness and loving affection will remain with me always,…
As I was saying “Good-bye“, whilst he lived his last days, these were the events only a few weeks prior I had been itching to attend. How quickly life can alter our plans,…
Book Featured: Bunker Hill: A city, a siege, a revolution
Moderated by: Tony Horwitz
Question I proposed: Mr. Philbrick, What was the originating inspiration to dig into the history of the battle at Bunker Hill which ignited the Revolutionary War? And, how were you so fortunate to uncover not only new information that is pertinent, but wholly new to the readers who will read your book with a solidified appreciation of the history as it was previously known!?
Question I proposed: Since your novel The Firebrand delves into the gift of Sight, what do you think draws you and your readers into stories that are touched with an element of the paranormal that can assimilate into the storyline as one readily breathes!? As though the element is organic in nature, and not an addition but rather a natural component!?
I’ll never know if my questions were read aloud during the events OR what inspiring bits of knowledge I would have gleamed from them, as I am finding that each author event that I attend through *Booktalk Nation*, is simply that ~ a way to broaden my horizons through getting to know the eclectically lovely authors that they host by way of phone and video telecast events! Instead, I am simply going to see if I can fetch these particular books through my library, and glisten a bit more insight into the authors through their stories,… as to me, that is always the first door that opens that leads us to understanding the person behind the pen!
Life is a constant balance of heartache and calm. I will regain my joy of reading and of blogging. I will find the light that shines through my posts on regularly read blogs, as I recapture what leads me to visit with the authors and bloggers who populate them. Right now, all of it feels too oppressive and evading. I want to pull back and withdraw and I shall. When I re-emerge I’ll feel lighter and more at peace with his passing than I do now with a heart bled open and raw from the pain of his passing.
{SOURCE: The video of Nicole Baart’s writing life by Todd Montsma had either URL share links or coding which made it possible to embed this media portal to this post and I thank them for this opportunity to share this uplifting video that helped me through a very difficult time.}
17th of May – 19th of May, 2013
{annual event! 2012 was the début!}
Hosted by: Lisa Tawn Bergren
A curious little blog hop whereupon you can visit or meet authors who pen the inspirational fiction stories that captivate us as they endear our hearts to their characters and stories. I cannot remember exactly which blog I regularly read that alerted me to this Hunt, which is why I gave credit to “The Cross and Cutlass”, MaryLu Tyndall’s blog as I do remember visiting her blog this week, and seeing the reminder of the Hunt posted! Although, it could have readily been read on “Writes of Passage” which is an author group blog that features Robin Lee Hatcher, who is also taking part of the Hunt!
The Grand Prize:31 books by 31 authors! Ooh, my how I would find it incredible to win such a smashing piece of scavenger hunt treasure! I’d have to opt for the ‘printed’ copies, as anyone whose read *My Bookish Life* knows which types of books I read! I’d not hesitate to pass the ‘win’ on to someone else if perchance my name is drawn to receive these in e-book format on an iPad mini! Afterall, it’s a game, err, hunt of chance! Estimated value is: $300! for the 31 books in printed format!
The 31 books are as follows:
Grave Consequences by Lisa T. Bergren
Trouble in Store by Carol Cox
Rosemary Cottage by Colleen Coble
The Face of the Earth by Deborah Raney
Captives by Jill Williamson
Fall State Legends by John W. Otte
Adoring Addie by Leslie Gould
Love At Any Cost by Julie Lessman
When Love Calls by Lorna Steilstad
A Lady of Quality by Louise M. Gouge
When A Secret Kills by Lynette Eason
All in Good Time by Maureen Lang
Forsaken Dreams by MaryLu Tyndall
Scorned Justice by Margaret Daley
Once Upon A Prince by Rachel Hauck
King by R.J. Larson
Georgia Sweethearts by Missy Tippens
A Bride for All Seasons by Robin Lee Hatcher
Mountain Homecoming by Sandra Robbins
Stress Test by Richard L. Mabry, M.D.
Talon by Ronie Kendig
The Message on the Quilt by Stephanie Grace Whitson
Moonlight Masquerade by Ruth Axtell
So Shines the Night by Tracy L. Higley
No Way Out by Susan Sleeman
Truth Stained Lies by Terri Blackstock
Tiny Dancer by Patricia Hickman
Whispers on the Prairie by Vickie McDonough
The Bride Next Door by Winnie Griggs
Lydia’s Hope by Marta Perry
Dragonwitch by Anne Elisabeth Stengl
The Hunt Hop Route: {32 stops to complete the loop of the hop!}
Each blog along the Hunt , features the next author to be found as you make your way around the stops! Therefore, each blog you visit is hosted by a different author than the one being featured, yet the one being featured is a bit of a clue of what you will find on the next stop you will click-through too! It’s a bit like an unsuspecting rail ticket to chart through sleepy hamlets and rambling scenery as you shift through the countryside in the comfort of your seat by the window!
{NOTE: I began this hunt on Friday, the 17th of May 2013 and completed it forty minutes shy of midnight, Sunday, the 19th of May 2013, being inches of minutes still on the Saturday, the 18th of May side of things! Whilst I made my rounds to each blog, I must confess, that initially I could only gloss over and make my extra entries as I jotted down the words in order to have built the winning phrase in time before the deadline! There simply wasn’t enough time for me to drink in the content as I normally would prefer whilst visiting blogs, which is why I went back as I formulated this listing!}
Lisa Tawn Bergren* – Where the hunt is happily underfoot! The Hunt begins with an introduction to Rachel Hauck
Rachel Hauck* – One of the authors who has residency on Southern Belle View Daily, and of whom, I enjoy conversing with through their weekly topics of conversation! Similar to the other Belles, I have not yet had the pleasure of reading her novels. She is featuring the author: Stephanie Grace Whitson, of whom I haven’t realised pens books on quilting in a similar vein as Jennifer Chiaverini, as she writes my beloved Elm Creek series!! I was so engrossed into the interview today, that I promptly started to write a lengthy email to accompany the request to receive the poem, “The Patchwork Quilt” which she offered to give to those who personally email her! I was quite enthused with everything that I learnt, that I promptly subscribed to her NL as well!
Stephanie Grace Whitson – As you may have noticed the next author on the blog hop is the one that is featured on the previous stop! Ms. McDonough shared a scene from her July 2013 release Whispers on the Prairie. She was attempting to sort out how to give a character a severe asthma attack given that they didn’t have the same treatments in 1873 as they do today to make the attacks easier to manage!
Vickie McDonough – One of the authors I was enjoying getting to know through the Society+ {February, March, and part of April 2013}, until of course, due to needing to make a reduction in spam, the Name/URL option was removed. I could not start to use my blog through OpenID, until I was ready to ‘launch’, so I’ve been reading from the sidelines! Oh, how I miss making comments!
Colleen Coble – {unfortunately I took too long to compose my thoughts and the posting was already down!}
Julie Lessman – Ms. Lessman hosted Ms. Raney, who spoke about her book “The Face of the Earth”. Ms. Raney shared a link for her Pin(terest) board of inspiration for the novel. I can understand where she is coming from by creating fiction settings anchored in reality, as I tend to do that myself!
Deborah Raney – {unfortunately I took too long to compose my thoughts and the posting was already down!} I can say, that I loved the look of her blog/website, and the fact she’s a fan of Tom Selleck’s Jesse Stone was alright by me!
Maureen Lang* – Ms. Daley spoke highly of the Texas Rangers which she focuses on in her series: The Men of the Texas Rangers. Ms. Lang offered an additional prize but I think it was one that I couldn’t enter. I have appreciated the Texas Rangers ever since they came alive in the series: Walker, Texas Ranger as well as The Lone Ranger.
Margaret Daley – Ms. Tyndall is one author I’ve been following for most of the year, as in late Winter 2012 and early Spring of 2013, she was on blog tours for her latest release “Forsaken Dreams”. I sort of garnished a proper sense about the novel due to all the conversations that sparked out of the tours! Including, how would it feel to leave everything that you had ever known behind to embark of an incredible change of lifestyle as you emigrated to a new country!
MaryLu Tyndall* – Ms. Axtell spoke about the difficulty in writing about spies and deciphering codes. She even provided a code sampler which would reveal the names of her characters in “Moonlight Masquerade”.
Ruth Axtell* – Ms. Sleeman spoke about how characters are conceived and written into stories. Focusing on her Love Inspired Suspense “No Way Out”. I haven’t picked up a lot of Love Inspired stories in the past, although I have a few on my shelf that I found at a used book shoppe!
Susan Sleeman – Ms. Blackstock shared her process for building a new series, focusing on her Moonlighter series. She talked the process of attaching which character to which book in the series and how using pictures helps her paint the characters features in her mind’s eye.
Terri Blackstock – Mr. Mabry spoke about his hero from Stress Test, who suffers from a similar condition as writers where he never feels as though he’s worthy or succesful in life. About how our inner voices can play havoc on our overall well being and that we need to learn to silence them in order to realise our full potential. Having doubt is one thing, but to allow ourselves to be talked out of doing something OR out of believing in our abilities is quite another!
Richard Mabry – Ms. Larson delved into the complexities of creating an entire world out of a writer’s imagination borrowing on cartography that is available of ancient worlds. She had an artist render her world on parchment set in ink to give it a more realistic touch. Adding in fantastical creatures and beasts set the stage for the characters that would populate the newly created world. Everything she spoke about is how she pulled together the setting behind “King” her Biblical-fantasy release.
RJ Larson – Ms. Higley spoke of a first-hand account of travelling to conduct research to bring a pulsing realism to your story. She travelled to Ephesus for her book “So Shines the Night”. She provided written commentary as well as a video!
Tracy Higley* – Ms. Eason talks about how you can go from short sentences to a full-on novel! This is something I can directly appreciate because one of my last manuscripts was based on five short plot directing points of interest! You’d be surprised how far you can go with only a little bit of inspiration to carry you forward! She was asking for people to email her directly after they had the chance to read “When a Secret Kills”. The title to me should be a forewarning not to hold secrets!
Lynette Eason – Ms. Cox spoke about how you can unexpectedly dip into a well of creative musings that lead you down a writing path you might not have thought you’d take OR at the very least, have the ability to uncover a piece of your travels that might have eluded you!
Carol Cox* – Ms. Seilstad posted an article about the operator girls in the 1900s, including facts about the industry. Her novel “When Love Calls” is one of the ones I am looking forward to reading one day!
Lorna Seilstad* – Ms. Perry shared a scene from her new book “Lydia’s Hope”. She’s on my 70 Authors Challenge due to the fact that I am attempting to branch out into more Amish & Mennonite fiction!
Marta Perry* – Ms. Gould cross referenced Shakespeare with the Amish., where she proposed the question if you thought your favourite Shakespearian play could be turned into an Amish story?! She gave examples of how “Courting Cate” is based on “The Taming of the Shrew” and how “Adoring Addie” is based on “Romeo & Juliet”!! I am a Shakespearian scholar, so I must say, this perked my interest!
Leslie Gould* – Ms. Hatcher bespoke of what she would have carried with her whilst travelling as a mail-order-bride! I must confess, that mail-order bride stories are some of my most favourite to read! There is something about the freedom of attempting to direct your stars and better the life you’ve been given.
Robin Lee Hatcher – Ms. Kendig writes military fiction stories that not only involve soldiers who are deployed but the MWDs as well! {ie: Military Working Dogs} Being a volunteer with Soldiers’ Angels, giving back to deployed servicemen and women each year by sending uplifting mail, I can attest to the need for inspiring and positive stories about our dedicated men and women who serve! I think the best thing that I learnt by her post was that you can *adopt!* MWDs!!
Ronie Kendig* – Ms. Stengl wrote about how you can take a seemingly normal and unextraordinary plot and turn it into something rather fantastic!
Anne Elisabeth Stengl – Mr. Otte’s post I must admit did not captivate me as much, because I do not read comics. Although I do appreciate comics and the readers who enjoy them! One thing I can say, is that I appreciate the art that is set between the words to bring the worlds alive!
John Otte – Ms. Williamson spoke about the intricacies of creating a ‘future’ setting whilst building the world by which your writing. Complete with cartography, and the realistic issues of making it a fully lived world realised for the reader who finds your stories.
Jill Williamson – Ms. Hickman introduced us to “Tiny Dancer” which was releasing in mid-June.
Patricia Hickman – {unfortunately I took too long to compose my thoughts and the posting was already down!}
Missy Tippens – Ms. Griggs shared a sneak peek of “A Family for Christmas”.
Winnie Griggs – Ms. Gouge wrote an essay about Regency romances and why they have such a hearty following. Considering that I duck into the Regency quite often myself, I can attest that there is something that pulls a reader into that era!
Louise M. Gouge – Ms. Bergren wrote about what to do whilst in Venice, complete with a video! Her “Grave Consequences” novel has me most interested!
{*KEY: * denotes the authors who are listed in my *70 Authors Challenge 2013-14. It was quite exciting in the end after I had participated to realise how many of the authors I had chosen were taking part in the Hunt! + denotes my endearing name for the Christian Fiction Historical Society; ie: the Society! NL refers to ‘newsletter’ that an author promotes to keep readers in touch about their latest releases and bookish news. Unless I said the post was taken down, you can still read and view the stops along the Hop!}
Whilst your visiting each blog, you were meant to ‘pick’ up a clue to reveal the *secret phrase* by which you give to Ms. Bergren if perchance your name is drawn at the conclusion of the Hunt! Being that my blog will not go ‘live’ until well after the winner’s circle is announced, I am safe to relay to you that this is the phrase that was collected by each entrant:
Inspired toShare:I truly did not know what to expect, as I had decided to select authors that I would be curious to read as much as choosing authors I might causally know of, if I had not yet read their offerings. In this particular case, Ms. Pelletier falls under the category of curiosity!
The Details:
Cathie Pelletier, participated in a real-time conversation with Booktalk Nation to discuss her book “The One-Way Bridge”.
Once you’ve reserved your spot via email registration, from the author’s sign-up page, you return to the url dial the number they provide you at the time they specify, keying in the code to enter the discussion. In this instance, 6:00pm (EST) / 3:00 (PST). The interviews typically run for thirty minutes. And, on this particular day, originally we were meant to go to a video feed but were changed to a phone-in a day ahead of the interview taking place.
Question that I submitted upon sign-up:
{NOTE: I had a sneaking feeling that the phone interviews might work a bit like the video feeds where the audience would be asked to question the author direct rather then to relay on the previously submitted questions! Therefore, I shortened my question from this: Ms. Pelletier, I read the biography of yours attached to your author’s page, noting that you’ve lived in four uniquely different areas of North America! May I ask, familial connections aside, what is it that drew you instinctly home to Maine?! Or is it something that is hard to formulate into words, and is resonated more in emotion?! When you went back home, did this spark your resurgence in writing?}
In order to reflect this instead: Hi, it’s Jorie and I have a question? What drew you back to Maine because I read in your biography that you’ve lived in different states and once you were back home in Maine is that what gave you a resurgance to your writing?
{I was recovering from a virus as I spoke to her on the phone via speaker, and hadn’t realised that my name “Jorie” sounded like “Joey or Joy” to her; I simply rolled with it, because try as I might I couldn’t get “Jorie” to come through!}
And, she replied: She lived in Connecticut as a child, but lived in Tennessee most of her life. She relocated to Quebec as her husband’s family lived in Montreal and Toronto (Ontario). Her family was shifting East, as her mother died in 2000 {same year as my grandfather!} and her father is 93 years old living alone in the house she was bourne in. He actually dug the foundation of the family home with horses and her grandfather assisted as well. They converted the room she was bourne in to a bathroom, but the history of the place evokes an emotional connection that cannot be topped. She came back to Maine for her father, expecting on a short furlough of six months! She was thinking of Houlton. She actually found that her writing voice was mostly contained to her life in the South. She prefers to look back in the past to write a book rather than to look at the present and base a story on what is surrounding her.
A second question I formulated on the fly whilst listening to Ms. Pelletier: What is your favourite part of Spring in Maine compared to Spring in Tennessee or the South? {which led to an interactive expose!}
And she replied: The main difference for her to recall is when her mother would call her on the phone speaking about a blizzard whilst she was laying out in the sun because it was February, with a glass of orange juice! The wisteria, honeysuckles, and the rattle of cicadas of Nashville are lulling to her. She instantly knows she’s in the South when she steps off the plane into the humid air. In direct difference she has moose walking through her property now!
I interjected: Do you prefer Maine or the South for Spring? She’s a birder who prefers to have the best of both worlds! This way she will not miss any of the birds for sake of one location or the other. She could no more pick between two children than deciding between two locales. I stated that I’d prefer Maine, as a reprieve from the humidity where I live. She needs Autumn to re-balance as I wish I could. I told her I get ‘a kiss of Autumn and then it’s gone’. She loves Winter but stresses about the lack of food for the animals. Her husband is quick to point out that if she ever drove in Winter, she would no longer be romantic about the season! She enjoys sitting at home by the fireside and feeds the birds. She enjoys watching the rivers freeze over marking the next passage of time. She still is poetic as she called the frozen river “a scar that heals itself”. She reflected about the ice that took out the one-way bridge. Her small towne celebrates the river’s release of freedom in April as it sheds its ice. I said that she’s in harmony with nature, like I am. I like to walk in nature by our lakes on a nature trail. I feel more at peace when I see the marsh rabbits, the sandhill cranes, and the white ibis. And, when I have that direct connection like you do, it changes your perception and you feel more grounded. She believed the same, telling me that her novels are full of nature. Nature plays a central theme to all of her novels. I told her I look forward to reading this one, as it will be the first one I read of hers.
My recollections of what I overheard throughout the conversation that evolved between Ms. Pelletier and the interviewer Mickey Raphael. I am relaying what I felt was pertinent to share as much as what I found the most interesting to be revealed.
Curious Tidbits I Learnt:
Ms. Pelletier originally comes from a small towne in Maine called Allagash, which was known for three one-way bridges. Whilst living in Nashville {1991} she overheard that ice had taken out one of her hometown bridges! This inspired her to finally include such a bridge in one of her stories, where previously she hadn’t done so. Bridges are their own metaphors and to have the inspiration to include a ‘one way bridge’ she took as a special gift.
Ms. Pelletier started to pen the story in the early 1990s, with certain characters coming forward that stood out to her, such as Orville Craft, the mailman and the Vet, Harry Plunkett.
Ms. Pelletier relayed to us that a copy of her book ended up in the University of Moscow, Russia because it was a universal impression of life in America.
Ms. Pelletier said in her real town of Allagash, there is only one true road in and out of towne. And, she’s had the honour of being the Northernmost writer in the {lower 48} United States.
Martin W., an aspiring songwriter from New Brunswick wrote “The One-Way Bridge” song out of inspiration from the book.
Insight into the novel “The One-Way Bridge”: Her hometown was founded by three Diamond sisters, who came to Maine down from Canada, who brought with them the Celtic tradition of story-telling, which is also well-known to have been of the South. She took all of her life experiences and ancestral roots to combine into small towne life that would appeal to a broad audience. Including finding hintings of similarity between Nashville and Maine. She was used to the music of country artists as her father played guitar and harmonica.
She’s never received ill comments about her books from locals in her towne, but she has had issues with reviews published in magazines! She’s only have had positive responses from people she is in touch with and of whom count. She doesn’t attempt to make real life counterparts inside her novel(s), but she said that its plausible. Like most writers, she spends 8 to 10 hours a day writing, and she considers it a regular job. She’s an emotional writer who could avg. anywhere from 10 to 25 pages! She goes through a process of re-writers until a week later she’s confident about what she’s written. When she travels she refuses to take a notebook computer because she is an organic writer. {This I can personally attest to myself!} She lamented that her characters tell her their stories, which is how I approach the written word.
She also shares the ability to use new words that she doesn’t recognise as having known about previously until she cross checks them in a dictionary and realises they are the right words after all. I have noticed that this is a new trend for me. She tends to be indecisive to know when her book is truly done! She likes to celebrate its conclusion then realises it needs more work. It’s frustrating to her, especially once in print and bound form she cannot make any more changes! She envies songwriters who can use a limited amount of words to convey their stories through songs, even though she started out as a poet she doesn’t feel she has this ability. She decided that her writing personality needed a bigger canvas to convey her thoughts properly.
One character in particular changed her course with the book: Harry Plunkett, became a pivotal character who led her to research the Vietnam War. He spoke the words “War is about Words”, and she said that novels are always about the words. PTSD was called “Soldier’s Heart” during the Civil War, which she thinks has far more humanity in it.
Advice she gives to aspiring writers: Stop worrying about the time your waiting to arrive to sit down and write, and just put the words down on the page and BEGIN! Put the metal to the pedal in other words! Start with keeping journals she suggests, because it cultivates the habit of writing.
{I attempted to paraphrase Ms. Pelletier’s actual responses and words, as I wanted to recollect this interview as I overheard it. In a few places, I might have caught her words more exactly than in other places. This is not an attempt to record a transcript, but rather one listeners observations of what she heard.}
A real-time conversation, via video feed on Booktalk Nation, with Deeanne Gist!
Inspired toShare:As I am always humbled and amazed at how giving authors are today of their time! They write engagingly witty blogs, encourage their readers to participate in bookaways or giveaways, inspire us to continue to keen on their works through their author newsletters, and either make appearances at book signings, bookish conventions or festivals, or find new and clever ways to interact with their readership! I was fascinated by this invite that I received via Ms. Gist’s newsletter, on Tuesday 6th of May, and quickly clicked over to reserve my ‘spot’ to take part in the interview on Thursday, 9th of May! This will be my first Book Talk Nation event, and I cannot wait to absorb what she has to share and listen the answers of the questions other readers’ like myself have proposed to her!
The Details:
Deeanne Gist, participated in a real-time conversation on Book Talk Nation.
Once you’ve reserved your spot via email registration, from the author’s sign-up page, you return to the url they provide you at the time they specify. In this instance, 7:00pm (EST) / 4:00 (PST). The interviews typically run for thirty minutes.
Question that I submitted on Tuesday: Ms. Gist: Do you intend to write more psychological suspense novels, such as Beguiled? As it was a departure from your regular faire of historical romances, but contained within it a sense of adventure and intrigue that held my breath throughout the story! Wicked pacing! I’d be keen to know if you have any other suspense novels in the wings with J. Mark Bertrand? Or, was this a one-off?
{NOTE: I re-submitted my question via the live chat interface where we could log in as a guest {thankfully! as I am not involved in social media and hadn’t thought that that could be an issue!} to ask questions directly to Ms. Gist during the Q&A session at the end of the interview. My question was the first one that posted and was happily the first one asked! I choose to re-submit the question, as Jen {who moderated the internet side of the chat} mentioned that she’d take questions pitch through this interface ahead of the ones originally submitted at sign-up!}
And, she replied {at approx. 20 minutes}: It was the first suspense, the first contemporary, and the first collaboration that she undertook. She had such a fun time writing this book. She chose to work with Mr. Bertrand due to the fact he’s an up-in-coming author that she believes we should all keep an eye on as his writing starts to take off. He wrote the suspense bits and she wrote the romantic bits. She is not planning at this point in time to write another romantic suspense, as the rest of the books that are mapped out at this time are historicals.
Background Insight on my Thursday: What I wasn’t expecting when I signed up for this author chat & the RWA Historical Romance one that follows it at 8pm, is that the virus I came down with late Sunday/early Monday would take a turning for the worse! I am plumb miserable dealing with it, but I have a fresh mug of echinacea tea and a heaping pile of ricola’s {the cherry dual-action lovelies!} to keep me company, which I am making a vain attempt to curtail the worse of my symptoms so that I can fully enjoy my FIRST EVER live author chats online! Fingers crossed this is not an effort in futility!
A few seconds ahead of 6:50pm, I opened up the url for this chat, and discovered that the chat interface was already *LIVE*, for which I was thankful, as it gave me a chance to get my feet wet! I clicked on the ‘join the conversation’ button, keyed in “Jorie” and signed in as a guest! As thankfully, I wasn’t alerted that most would be using social media outlets to log in — which would not have been an option for me, as I am not social media inclined {save this blog and the blogosphere in general!}! So far, the window reflects myself and Jen, who is most likely the chat mod! The sick girl ends up being the early bird! Now that is something for the memory books! Inwardly laughs, as otherwise to do so would be devastating this close to the chat going live!
I clicked Play, at 6:53pm and was alerted to stand by as the discussion will start soon,… okay, now I’m growing more excited! Especially since this is an author that I discovered whilst getting back into reading after quite a long hiatus, and came to love the way she writes and builds her characters! I pitched my question about “Beguiled” because it was such a departure from her other books,… and one that I was pleasantly wrapped up in! When I first read it, it was through the library, but I happily picked up a copy of “Beguiled” whilst walking through a big box store having a rockin’ sale on inspirational fiction! Don’t you simply live for those sorts of sales!? I brought home “A Bride in the Bargain” that same day, as well! Fast forward a few years, and I am about to meet her through a video chat hosted by Booktalk Nation! Read More
Acquired Book By: Winning a contest adverted through “Shelf Awareness for Readers” bi-weekly newsletter, October 2012. I received the book direct from the author {Ms. Peacock} without obligation to post a review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts herein.
Carol Antoinette Peacock {Photo courtesy of Paula Swift Photography}
Dr. Carol Antoinette Peacock grew up in Maryland, in a suburb outside of Washington D.C. She is the oldest of three children in a family who loved books. When she was young, her parents, Andrew and Gloria Peacock, read devotedly to her, her younger brother, Richard, and her younger sister, Nancy. Carol Peacock has wanted to be a writer since she was eleven. She is now a practicing psychologist and author of six books.
Carol Peacock currently practices at Mt. Auburn Counseling Associates, where she specializes in treating children and families, along with her black Lab, Pepper, as her co-therapist. Her latest book, Red Thread Sisters, a middle grade novel, is the story of two friends, one who is adopted from a Chinese orphanage and promises to find her friend a family too, is forthcoming from Viking Penguin in fall 2012.
The author lives outside of Boston with her husband, a history teacher with the Boston Public Schools. Her family includes her stepson, her oldest daughter, Elizabeth, 19, and her youngest daughter, Katherine, 18. Her family also includes Pepper, four cats and two turtles.
What originally drew me into the premise of the story? I have attended meetings for international adoption programs, where I first learnt of the connection to children who meet in orphanages or group homes. Where their friendship is closer to that of a sibling and how they really do try to either get adopted together or at least get adopted within a similar timeframe. The title reminds me of another story: I have heard about how there is an invisible thread that interconnects all of us, either to each other as a whole society or as individuals. There is a line of compassion and interconnectivity that unites us as humans, but its more than that. There is something to be said for finding someone who both understands you and wants to help you succeed in your own life.
Why is adoption a special part of my own life’s story? I have always known that I wanted to adopt children, since I was quite a young girl. Mostly as I grew up on the film Annie, and my parents oft spoke of their attempt to bring home a younger brother for me from a children’s home. Sadly, this harkens back to the early 80s, and adoptions were not quite as successful as they are today. Originally, I was considering international adoption, but I have since amended that to choosing school-aged children in foster care here in the United States. My journey has not yet begun in this regard, but my appreciation, compassion, and empathy for all prospective adoptive parents throughout the process towards bringing their children home knows no bounds. I am forever an advocate for children in need of families and for those of us who can provide a home, to consider a child who needs a Mum, and a forever family to call their own. Inasmuch, as those who choose to adopt as a two-parent family. We all come to adoption on different lifepaths, and it’s the children who benefit from our loving kindness to give them a renewed sense of Hope for their future.
Inspired to Share: I knew this was going to be a powerful book to read from the moment I first learnt of its existence, and this book trailer only touches lightly on what is enclosed within its pages! I am growing fond of book trailers of late, as they cast a happy glow of what a book could yield to a reader, and starts to embark you on the emotional arc of the characters your more than eager to get to know on a very personal level. Drink this trailer, and prepare your heart for an emotional journey whilst Wen and Shu Ling find their paths are interlocked towards their futures.
Upon returning to visit her daughters’ orphanage in China, Ms. Peacock was inspired to write Red Thread Sisters. Peacock Family Album
A short Q & A with the author:
Carol Antoinette Peacock, thank you for being gracious in answering the following questions! I emailed her personally in early May 2013.
What was your impression of returning to China, and seeing where your daughters were from originally?
When we returned to China, we toured with a group and saw a lot of Chinese sites, like Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall and the Terra Cotta Warriors. We went to a panda preserve in Chengdu and the girls got to hold pandas! But the most powerful part of the trip was the return to our girls’ orphanage in Wuhan. I was moved to be able to have a banquet with Director Li, the former director, who actually “matched” both daughters to us! Seeing the very room where we had had Elizabeth placed in our arms brought tears to my eyes. Also moving was the time we spent with the older girls, still waiting for families. This experience inspired Red Thread Sisters.
I can only imagine what it was like to re-trace your daughters roots whilst returning to China to breathe in the richness of the country’s history and to walk amongst the living remnants of the past! I had to smile when I read that your daughters were able to hold pandas, as I have fond memories of holding lion cubs as a child, as well as a spider monkey! There is something to be said for interacting with wild animals when your younger, to grow up with a deep appreciation for the natural world whilst an adult. I was touched by your recollection and pictures that you shared with me of your trip to China, as I couldn’t upload a few of the ones I wanted to spotlight, such as the Great Wall snapshot and the group photo of your family with Director Li! For some reason the file configurations are not agreeing with my blog! I was humbled by the fact you allowed me into this part of your life with such openness and willingness to share. I shall never forget your generosity. And, i too, know well of the plight of older children who are awaiting forever families. Many a time, whilst looking through heart galleries of waiting children {esp sibling groups}, I say silent hope filled prayers that there will be families willing to adopt older children, such as I am, who struggle to retain the hope and faith that they will one day be adopted. My heart always aches knowing the swell of children available verse the ready availability of adoptive families. You gave a voice to children like Wen and Shu Ling in such a strong and positive way, that anyone who reads this story cannot but help be touched by the powerful testament of a mother’s love for a children she brought home who needed her most.
Your dog Pepper, and you share a special bond as evident in your photograph, was he a rescue? And, if so, could you share one snippet that endeared you to him as the companion he’s become?
Carol Antoinette Peacock and her dog, Pepper. {Photo courtesy of Paula Swift Photography}
Pepper and I do share an incredible bond. He wasn’t a rescue dog, although all my other dogs have been. Pepper is a therapy dog and he senses when people are sad. He goes up and licks their faces. I also take Pepper whenever I go to the beach to write. We go to a pet-friendly motel right on the beach and he becomes my writing companion. We share so much. He is my companion, friend, colleague, retreat pal. Pepper means the world to me.
I know that my Mum has always wanted another dog since ours passed on in 1992. He was very much the epitome of what you express about Pepper, for Mum! She always wanted to get him trained to be a therapy dog, to enable them to travel to nursing homes, assisted living centers, and hospitals. I know in the back of her mind, she still yearns to find a dog to adopt that would be a great companion but secondly, could help give back to those need a bit of extra encouragement and a smile! I am hoping that perhaps a window will open that we are not yet aware of. Pepper sounds like the most ideal pal to have and I am thankful he’s one of the sweet souls that we all seek to find to have in our lives!
The Peacocks’ return trip to China, when Elizabeth was 11, and Katherine was 10. Peacock Family Album.
The reason why this story has endeared my heart and captured the very spirit of why I cannot wait to embark on my own adoption journey,… As soon as you begin “Red Thread Sisters”, you are being taken on a journey through Wen’s eyes as she leaves her orphanage to relocate to Boston, Massachusetts in the far-off place known as “America – Land of Dreams”. She’s trepidatiously unsure if this is a good thing or an omen of uncertainty, as everything about her life and her world will be turned upside down. In ways, that she is not even expecting, such as not needing to pick up a pail and start washing the floors {a particular scene drawing back memories of watching “Annie” as a young girl by which I tired out the videotape as much as the soundtrack on cassette!} to recognising that she didn’t need to get in line for a week’s worth of clean clothes because her clothes were now stored in a closet and set of drawers of her own. Her yearnings of being with her best friend Shu Ling haunt her as she starts to make in-roads and progress towards adapting to her new life in America. School was one thing she was hoping would be familiar and normal, yet it proved to be just as challenging as sorting out how to interact with her ‘new’ family: a mother, a father, and an eager seven-year old sister named Emily, who although adopted from China like her, was free of the anxiety that Wen felt as she came home as an infant not a young girl who was fully aware of the consequences of a placement that could reverse your course back to the orphanage.
What I appreciated the most, was the inner world of Wen, seeing her thoughts, her emotions, and the ways in which she interpreted everything happening to her. Her inability to draw close to her Mom, always pulling away, and fearing that she shouldn’t get too close to her. The regret and guilt she had over making new friends at school, as a stab of pain knowing her first true friend was Shu Ling, who was still awaiting adoption and had a harder chance at it being listed as a special needs child with a club foot. There is a pure honesty in the story, as it unfolds through the pacing of an average American household shifting through childhood growing years and the instability of economic hardships that plague working class Americans.
I enjoyed watching her parents show patience and acceptance rather than bitterness and resentment towards Wen. They embraced her unconditionally from the moment they picked her up in China, to a very emotional scene on a blistery cold Winter night in Boston. That particular scene is a changing of place and reassurance of who she is and where she is now. I won’t spoilt it for you, but know, when you come upon it, it’s the critical arc where Wen finally understands her life and where it’s heading next.
I have always been drawn to stories of adoption, ever since I was a young girl. Annie became a mainstay in my life, as I think a part of me was hoping things could turn around and my family would expand. As I grew, I noticed that I was always excited about seeing a film or reading a book that revolved around adoption and non-traditional families. I knew in my early twenties that I would adopt children myself when the time was right for me to start my own family. It’s as natural as knowing I would one day be a Mum, as I have always known I was maternal. Even now, I celebrate films like “The Three Gifts” a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie from 2009 and “The Fosters” a new ABC Family tv series that showcases a blended family of foster adopted siblings, a natural bourne son, and two foster placed children in need of a permanent home.
“Red Thread Sisters” for me curls up inside my heart, warms my soul, and allows me to see adoption from a new angle of insight. Wen and Shu Ling will tug at you, and endear you to understand how difficult it is for them to acknowledge they deserve a second chance at having a family. As well as how transformative their lives can become if they learn to trust the family that has brought them home.
The organisations mentioned in the Afterward & Ending Bits of the novel:
Wide Horizons for Children – is the organisation by which Ms. Peacock and her husband adopted their daughters from China, a little over 20 years ago in 2013. Founded in the 1970s to help children in need in over 60 countries to date. They have current programs for sponsorship or adoption in the following countries: Burundi, China, Columbia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, India, Korea, Moldova, Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Taiwan, and the USA.
Love without Boundaries – is the organisation that Ms. Peacock is donating a portion of the profits from “Red Thread Sisters”. Their continuing mission is to inspire all of us to wrap the lives of children in China with special {medical} needs around our hearts and give as we’re able too, to ensure that these children can thrive under the care they deserve. As my copy of the book was won through the contest, I am going to purchase a copy of “Red Thread Sisters” and give to one of my nieces for Christmas this year. She’s around the age of Wen & Shu Ling, and I know she would benefit from their story. I always like to support authors who give proceeds of their books to charities that have touched their hearts, and I look forward to adding to the silent contributions that have already come to pass.
Half the Sky – an organisation that gives Chinese orphans a chance at a childhood, inspired by a Chinese saying ‘Women Hold Up Half the Sky”. Founded in 1998 to provide the same loving attention to all orphans in China, irregardless if they were adopted or not able to be adopted, due to noting the power of love can affect a child who was raised without human affection. Simply reading these words about their mission and their founding gives you goosebumps knowing the heart of their mission is to simply change the stars of the young people who may not realise they are having an impact on others. Being a Mum-in-Waiting as I have called myself over the years, as my own journey towards adoption has not yet begun, but the heart of a mother has always been inside me, I can attest to knowing that the most important factor in a child’s development is the interactions they have with their caregivers. Mother. Father. Sister. Brother. Aunt. Uncle. Cousin. Grandmother. Grandfather. Adoptive Parent. Foster Parent. Whomever steps into the role in the life of a child, will write the future for them, because children thrive on stimulated interactions and a curiosity about their living environment and world. I ought to know, because my own Mum was my first teacher and she garnished a life-long pursuit of knowledge inside me that I have not yet been able to quench a zest of! How beautiful that this organisation exists and is thriving! I applaud their efforts!
Holt International– is an organisation that gives back to children in need as well as enables those who are able to adopt children through the process of international placements. They work in the following countries: Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Uganda, and Vietnam. I have been aware of Holt for a long time, especially since when I first embarked on researching adoption as a single parent, I turned to international adoption first ahead of domestic adoption choices. Holt is a name that is passed through adoption circles most readily due to their reputation of helping children in need. Through research you will find adoption to be a close-knit circle of supporters and organisations. Holt was founded in 1955.
Children’s Hope International – is an organisation since 1992 who has placed nearly 8,000 children through adoption into forever families! Most of the adoptions took place in China, with the rest in the following countries: Columbia, Ethiopia, India, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Nepal, and Russia. They also believe that every child deserves the resources they need to thrive irregardless if their able to be adopted. They send resources directly to where they are needed most. They offer a Partners in Hope program to help fund their support and outreach.
Our Chinese Daughters Foundation – I was unable to pull this organisation up online.
Families with Children from China – New England– is an organisation founded in 1996 to unite families who have adopted children from China to each other for support and friendship. They provide a guiding light towards adoption as well as resources families might need once they are settled back home post-adoption. A membership supported volunteer run organisation that thrives on providing the interactions between children and parents that might otherwise not be made possible or as easily. I always felt that resources like these are proved to be invaluable as the road towards adjustment and adaptation to a new home is a long transition that could use a bufferment of support and care.
Pepper examines the newly arrived box full of Red Thread Sisters first editions! Peacock Family Album.
There are two sayings throughout “Red Thread Sisters”, as well as in the personal letter attached in the afterword by the author herself,… one is a meditative pause of ‘light reflected as brightly lit as lunar lanterns’, and the second is the poignancy behind the entitlement of the book itself, ‘of the delicate red thread that unites all of us in a shared common bond, where those who cross our path are meant to be in our lives, and despite the appearance of the thread’s nature, will hold steadfast and strong perpetually’. The book gives pause to any woman considering motherhood through adoption and any father choosing his path of fatherhood through adoption, because it touches on the raw emotions that are silently withheld from the adoptive parents, by children who live in constant fear that something they do or say or not do even will be grounds for them to return back from whence they came. To become un-adoptable simply because they didn’t live up to the adoptive parents expectations. It’s also a book that examines adoption from the reflections of the children themselves, as they struggle to yield and bend with a new rhythm completely different from the one they were used too whilst at an orphanage, group home, or foster home. They have to learn its okay to make mistakes, to learn and grow through their experiences, and that a forever family isn’t co-dependent on perfection but rather with honesty, heart, emotion, and love. May we always keep ourselves lit from within with a light of hope as powerful and strong as lunar lanterns, to advocate for adoption and the expansion of our hearts and worlds when a child in need of a family, finds one in those of us willing to open our hearts and homes to them.
{SOURCES: All photographs, quotations of the author, and content from the authors’ website featured in this post were used with permission by the author herself: Carol Antoinette Peacock. The book trailer by COS (Circle of Seven) Productions had either URL share links or coding which made it possible to embed this media portals to this post, and I thank them for this opportunity to share more about this novel and the author who penned it. Book Review badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. #KidsLitBlogHop badge created by Jorie in Canva. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination.}
Red Thread Sisters by 
