Beginnings that Grab the Reader and Carry Her Along to the Last Page.

I gave a talk in Mexia, Texas about my writing journey. It seems everywhere I go there are people who want to write a book. In this group of 12-15, three were writing. I told them how I got started, the classes I took, the organizations I belong to, and the importance of joining a critique group.

I also talked about ways to organize a novel to keep the reader interested from start to finish. This lead to a discussion of the importance of the first scene. Writers tend to start the book a few pages, sometimes chapters, before the action begins. In my first book, Where Love Once Lived, I stripped off page after page of the beginning while at the Yosemite Writers' Conference preparing to read from my work in process the next day.

I did more stripping and editing when I got home. Here's what I ended up with:

Karen felt loved on Tuesdays. She was fifty-three and divorced with a college-aged daughter at home who’d probably flee the nest soon, leaving Karen to live alone. She’d missed her chance for happiness. Still, she wasn’t sad. Teaching and her volunteer work as a lay minister, hospital chaplain, and member of her church choir fulfilled her. To be honest, she wanted more. She wanted the special kind of love she felt on Tuesdays.

This is not great, but it's not bad for a first novel. Readers should want to know why Karen felt loved on Tuesdays and, perhaps, wonder how she'd missed her chance for happiness. She seems to have a good life, but something is missing. They learn a little about her, age, family, job, church, etc., without getting bogged down in too much backstory.

My second novel, The Vengeance Squad, is written in first person with a young male protagonist. There is a prologue, too short to warrant chapter formatting, which I placed above the Chapter One beginning. See how this grabs you. Would you want to read more?

I’ll never forget the look on her face. It sustained me for months afterward. Without the memories, I wouldn’t have survived. Chapter One Sometimes it worried me because I thought I must be wrong, but there were times I could read her mind. I’d heard stories about couples who had been married for years who experienced a level of silent communication, but Sarah and I had known each other for only two years. Perhaps it was the intensity of love for one another rather than the length of time together that made the difference. Quite honestly, the love we shared was stronger than I believed possible. It was as if God brought us together and blessed the joining of two faithful servants of the Lord. I thanked Him daily for that.

The prologue gives us a glimpse into the future and, hopefully, a desire to know what happens. The first paragraph of Chapter One gives the reader an understanding of how in love the narrator is.

Love Lives On, my third novel, is a sequel to Where Love Once Lived. It also ties in some of the characters from The Vengeance Squad. I don't call them sequels because each will stand alone. However, I think readers would enjoy them more if the books are read in chronological order.

Here's how Love Lives On begins:

Karen Williams was fifty-four and divorced for so long she'd given up hope for that special marriage everyone talked about, but few probably had experienced. Then, a year ago, her life changed. Her college sweetheart charged back into her life, acting as if he'd never stopped loving her. He was waiting for her at the altar now as she touched up her makeup in the bride's room of her church. She hurried to apply mascara, but her right hand wouldn't be still. The pencil hit the table with a soft clunk. Tears followed. Tears from nowhere. A glance into the mirror showed mascara running down both cheeks. What was happening? Was it that feeling of unworthiness that crept in when she least expected it? Couldn't be. God had forgiven her long ago, but she would never forget what had happened. Second thoughts? Definitely not. She loved Brian and he loved her. He would never do anything to hurt her. Not again.

This excerpt is a little longer because the backstory was necessary to remind readers of the last book or to introduce Karen to new readers. It was her wedding day. Why was she crying? What did she do that caused her to need God's forgiveness? What had Brian done before to hurt her? Will the wedding go on as scheduled?

Presenting questions at the beginning will cause the reader to seek answers by continuing to read.

My fourth novel, The Vengeance Squad Goes to England begins this way:

Tex removed his ten-gallon cowboy hat, swiped his brow and leaned back in his wheelchair to get his hug. I stood behind him knowing I'd be next. But nothing happened. Liz sat at the end of the conference table with her head in her hands. My friend and former computer science student, Tex Thompson, locked his eyes on mine and I stared back at him in disbelief. Something was wrong. Liz Siedo, the happiest librarian in the world, the person who accepted God's will in every situation and hugged everyone who came within five feet of her, was either sick or depressed.

When I give talks, I tell people not to try to write the perfect beginning before finishing the rest of chapter one. If you do, you'll never finish the book. Write the whole thing and then come back and rewrite the first chapter. Often, my characters have something to say about the endings and the results lead to the need to make changes to the beginning. For example, when I wrote Murder in Sun City I didn't know who the killer was until I was halfway through the book. This caused a need to change the beginning. Here's the original opening:

"Liz! Are you okay?" I looked up at Margie and wondered if I was. I wiggled around before I answered. "Nothing seems to be broken. I guess I'm lucky I landed on my God-made cushion." I could tell Margie was amused by my comment because she was clearly trying not to make light of my mishap. So I laughed to let her know it was okay. I'd never been embarrassed by my ample bottom and was rather pleased with the way it broke my fall today. I wished I hadn't left my coat in the bookmobile, but it was such a short walk to Sharon's house. Margie laughed. "Well that's good to hear. When I saw you slipping and sliding on that iced driveway, I knew you'd end up falling. "Watching you throw books into the air like that was the funniest thing I've seen in some time. Then she sobered. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be laughing at your fall." "That's okay. Glad to brighten your day. Besides, I'm not hurt. Just not sure how to get up."

Besides the unexpected turn of events as I got into the book, there were other reasons to change this beginning. It just didn't grab me.

I should explain that this is the first in the so-called bookmobile series where the reader sees things through Liz's eyes. If you've read the other books, you know she is large, but happy and confident. So this beginning is to let you know she sees herself the same way other people see her. It's okay, but it is irrelevant to the story. It doesn't ask questions. It doesn't cause the reader to want to keep reading. Hopefully, the revision below does:

Margie was waiting on the icy driveway as I parked the bookmobile in front of Sharon's house. Had she been crying? I climbed out and gave her a hug. "Are you okay?" She held on a little longer than usual. "I'm okay." I pushed away and looked into her eyes. "Something's wrong. You've been crying." "No." She brushed at her eyes with a gloved hand. "Must be from the cold." I knew she needed to talk. "Why don't you wait in the bookmobile and get warm? I brought those books you asked for." "Okay." Margie didn't look at me as she spoke. "I guess you should see Sharon first." I stepped into the library and picked up the five books I'd brought for Sharon and a white paper bag. Margie moved back to give me space. "What's in the bag?" "Some scones for Sharon. I got them at the library coffee shop while I was loading books this morning." "Scones?" "Hey. Come with me." I held up the bag. "Carry this for me. I've got enough for all of us."

I will probably change this more before it is published, but I think this works better. What do you think?

If you are a reader only or a writer and reader, check some of your favorite books and see if the magic began on page one.

I talked about this in a previous post where I included the openings of some Pulitzer Prize winners. See Pulitzer Prize First Sentences. Some are better than others. What do you think? Would you read the books based on beginnings, or only because it won the Pulitzer Prize?

COTT: Introducing Caryl McAdoo's latest title, Hope Reborn!

by Michelle Massaro

Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to author Caryl McAdoo and her newest release Hope Reborn. (Look at that sassy expression, and that billowy feather in the heroine's hat. She's got to be up to something!)

{About Hope Reborn}

Dime novelist May Meriwether decides a Texas Ranger will make a great love interest for her new heroine and sets out to the Lone Star State with her companion Chester in tow; dreams of a family relegated to the recesses of her heart. But a widower resurrects a smidgen of hope. Only his superstitious beliefs stand in the way, and his love for his dead wife. Would there ever be room for her in his heart? Would he give up his God?

Give up his God? Yikes! This is going to be sticky!

{What are readers saying?}

Ms. McAdoo once again has gripped me from page one. (I read this book in almost one sitting. I quit reading around 2/3 one morning and resumed later in the day after I got caught up on sleep.) These Texas Romance/Christian Romantic Historical Western Adventures are certainly full of all of the aspects of each genre individually and meshed into a wonderful story that is very unique and unforgettable. - Rachelle WIlliams, a Mississippi reader

Sounds like some serious page-turning!

And now, let's meet Caryl!

{About the Caryl McAdoo}

With fourteen titles released by six publishers, Simon & Schuster author Caryl McAdoo is excited about her newest historical Christian Texas Romance series HOPE REBORN (1850/Jan. 9, 2015), book three after VOW UNBROKEN (1832/March 2014) and book two HEARTS STOLEN (1844/September, 2014). The novelist also edits, paints, and writes new songs. In 2008, she and her high school sweetheart-husband Ron moved from the DFW area—home for fifty-five years—to the woods of Red River County. Caryl counts four children and fourteen grandsugars life’s biggest blessings believing all good things come from God. Praying her story gives God glory, she hopes they books will also minister His love, mercy, and grace to all their readers. Caryl and Ron live in Clarksville, the county seat, in the far northeast corner of the Lone Star State.

If you want to know more about Caryl and her books, here are some of her cyber-haunts:

{Links}

All Books

Hope Reborn

Website

;

 (All First Chapters are offered here)

Facebook

;

Blog

;

Newsletter

;

(Get FREE books for subscribing!)

Google+

;

Twitter

;

Pinterest

;

Be sure to visit Clash of the Titles for our current literary sparring match!

Do you sometimes wonder what God has in store for you?

Has God ever led you to a place where you didn't want to be? What did you do?

 

In Love Lives On, fifty-four-year-old Karen Williams is reunited with Brian Donelson, her college sweetheart, after thirty years apart only to learn a step-son she's never met has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against her for back child support. Brian has the assets to settle the law suit, but she won't let him. Her marriage to the young man's dying father was out of compassion and she feels she is only being sued because of Brian's money.

Her decision to fight the shadows from her past puts her marriage and life in jeopardy. While fighting the claims, she takes time away from her new life with Brian to respond to the charges. And, while doing so, she is being stalked by someone who is threatening her life.

A lifetime Christian, Karen begins to wonder why God put her in such a situation. Karen turns to George McCullough, the 79-year-old father of Brian's best friend, to talk to about her doubts. George tells Karen she has the gift of encouragement and has devoted herself to helping others. That is why she wants to fight the lawsuit. Not for herself, but to help the ones suing. You just want to jump into the fray because you believe that's what God wants of you. (Romans 12:8)

George also tells Karen, "Remember in Acts 9 where God asks Ananias to go put his hands on Saul, the man who jailed Christians? You're like Ananias. You're a good Christian, but you've been called to get into this lawsuit for some reason. The results can be devastating. Be open to what God is calling you to do. And, remember, it may not seem like it sometimes, but eventually, good overcomes evil. Ananias was asked to step outside his comfort zone. God works through others to help us. Aren't you curious about what God has for us next?"

While Brian is in California tending to his mother's medical condition, someone sabotages the bookmobile Karen drives and she ends up inside the vehicle as it rolls down a hill. Brian returns as soon as he learns about it and sits with her in the hospital, praying that she will regain consciousness.

I hope you'll read the book to find out what happens.

COTT: Lexi's Heart, A Romance for Mothers

LEXI’S HEART

by Delia Latham

COTT’s Image Creator, Delia Latham, is excited to announce a new e-Novella in the ongoing Heart’s Haven collection she co-writes with three other Pelican Book Group authors: Tanya Stowe, Marianne Evans and Mary Manners.

First in a collection of four Heart’s Haven Holiday romances, LEXI’S HEART is the Mother’s Day feature. Follow-up holiday stories will include Independence Day, Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Here’s a blurb:

Forty-three-year-old Lexi Carlisle’s abusive marriage ended three years ago. Deeply scarred by the experience, and helplessly watching her beloved mother succumb to Alzheimers, Lexi is devastated. After selling her fancy home, she rents a cottage in Heart’s Haven, a special place unlike any other. Slowly learning to live again, she despairs of ever delivering the message of love that burns within her heart for her ever-worsening mother. But Mitch Gaynor, a handsome Christian author, reminds Lexi that with God all things are possible, planting within her battered and distrustful heart the seed of hope for a miracle. But can she open her fortressed heart to God? And is Mitch a part of His plans for her future?

Her Heart. His faith. Love Reborn.

The Heart’s Haven Collection started last October with Delia’s book, Jewels for the Kingdom, followed by Evans’ Operation Breathless, Stowe’s Leap of Faith, and Manners’ Dance with Me. Each Heart’s Haven e-Book is set in Angel Falls—a lovely but fictional small town in East Texas. More specifically, all stories focus on the tenants of Heart’s Haven, a one-of-a kind cottage-rental complex owned by a crotchety old guy named Andrew Hart. Folks ‘round those parts believe old Hart actually sees and speaks with angels, and that Heart’s Haven is a favorite hangout for the heavenly creatures. The taciturn gentleman has never come right out and corroborated that rumor. ‘Course, he hasn’t come right out and denied it either.

But then, lots of things are said about Heart’s Haven. Some folks think the place makes folks fall in love. And to add grist to that rumor mill, each little cottage on the property sports a sign hanging over the gate, carved with the sweet blessing: May love find all who enter here.

Thing is, it usually does.

You’re invited to hang out with the Heart’s Haven gang any time. Come on over and find out who’s falling in love with whom, and what the angels are up to around Angel Falls, Texas. We’re not hard to find—Angel Falls isn’t big enough to get lost in. If you don’t find us kicking back in the rec room at Heart’s Haven, we’re probably having a barbecue…or wedding…or something else we came up with so we could all get together at one of the following places:

Heart’s Haven Blog

Heart’s Haven Facebook Page

We love company, so don’t bother to knock—just come on in!

Born and raised in a place called Weedpatch, DELIA LATHAM enjoys multiple roles as a Christian wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend, but especially loves being a princess daughter to the King of Kings. She’s got a “thing” for Dr. Pepper and absolutely loves hearing from her readers. Delia writes inspirational romance, and is currently contracted through White Rose Publishing and Vinspire Publishing.

You can contact her at an of the following locations:

Her website

Her blog

Facebook

Twitter

Taking Time to Smell the Oats

After our recent 10-day vacation in the Netherlands and Belgium on a Viking River Cruise (http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/), I've been craving the steel-cut oatmeal they served on the ship. I enjoy the five-minute type oatmeal at least once a week at home, but it doesn't compare to the Irish style of oatmeal.

I tried to cook it once before (after a trip to Scotland) and decided it was too much trouble to cook. When I mentioned this to an Irish friend here in Georgetown, Texas last week, she said she prepares a large batch and stores the leftovers in the refrigerator. When you're ready for more, all you have to do is warm it up. That made it sound feasible, but I stayed with my five-minute style.

Then, the April 15, 2013 issue of Bottom Line/Personal (http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/), a newsletter I read regularly talked about cooking steel-cut oatmeal in a rice cooker. In the article the author mentioned soaking the oatmeal overnight to speed up the cooking time. My desire for the oatmeal I had enjoyed every day on the ship grew.

Yesterday, while shopping for groceries, I picked up a box of McCann's Irish Oatmeal (http://www.mccanns.ie/) and checked the cooking instructions. It mentioned a short-cut method. By boiling for a minute and storing overnight in the refrigerator, the cooking time is reduced from 30 minutes to 9-12 minutes. I bought the box and tried it.

Wow! It was even better than what I had on the ship. I brought the water to a boil and added the oatmeal last night, let it simmer for two minutes (one minute seemed to pass too quickly), and then put it in the refrigerator until this morning. I took it out while having coffee and didn't start cooking it until an hour later. After bringing the oatmeal to a boil, I turned the burner down to until the oats simmered.

It seemed to stick to the bottom of the pan more than my regular oatmeal, so I ended up lowering the heat several times and stirring more frequently. By the end of the time, I was stirring constantly. When the consistency seemed right (about 12 minutes), I turned off the burner, added a little butter, covered the pot and let it set for five minutes.

On the ship they had walnuts, half and half, fruit, etc. I added only sugar.

The McCann recipe:

Boil 4 cups of water, add 1 cup of oats, stir well. When the porridge is smooth and beginning to thicken, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

This supposedly makes four servings with 150 calories each. I like a little more so I divided it into three servings at 200 calories each and stored away two of the servings for another day.

What's this got to do with writing? I've been so busy preparing the Kindle edition for my new novel, Love Lives On, I didn't have time to watch TV and get weather reports. Something happened here and the temperatures dropped from the 80s and 90s to the 40s. Perfect oatmeal weather.

Now, back to work.

Memorial Day 2012

I've attended the Sun City Memorial Day Ceremony nearly every year since it began ten years ago. The ceremony is held in the Georgetown-Williamson County Veterans Memorial Plaza in Sun City, Georgetown, Texas, less two miles from our home. We took the golf cart, knowing parking would be a problem. We went early to get a place to put our folding chairs. Still, we barely got there in time to get into the inner ring of grass between a sidewalk and the memorial wall. It was not a shady spot and the sun was bright and hot. The ceremony is short, but getting there so early turns it into a longer time in the sun.

Chrissy, Hawk, Dane, Jakob, Celeste 

This is our second year to share this time with Celeste's son Dane Johnson and his family, wife Chrissy, sons Jakob and Hawk.

In attendance were veterans from as far back as World War II, who stood and were applauded. Then all veterans were asked to stand. Many men and women stood, some in uniforms that no longer fit and some with military caps or shirts designating their unit. Another group was separately honored, that of those currently on active duty. I saw only a few, five or six, in front of me, but there could have been others.

The music was provided by the 36th Infantry Division Band of the Texas National Guard. The color guards were from the Navy Junior ROTC at Georgetown and Stony Point High Schools, the Georgetown Fire Department, and the Williamson County EMS.

The Ladies of the Robert Gilbert Livingston Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution passed out the programs at the start of the ceremony and cookies and lemonade at the end.

Jim Watters with Gov. Perry

The Invocation and Benediction was given by Chaplain James Shaw, Colonel, U.S. Army, Retired.

The guest speaker was Governor Rick Perry.

It was a ceremony that makes you proud to be an American.

Smoking Grapevine and Other Memories of Growing Up in Austin Texas

In Where Love Once Lived, one of my characters lives in the Clarksville area of Austin, a neighborhood reserved for blacks only back when I lived there. I lived on a white street, but my backyard was adjacent to the backyard of a black family. I don't remember anything about the parents of that family, not sure I ever saw them. But, I did talk to the children. We would often meet at the wire fence and stare at each for awhile until we finally got into a normal childhood conversation. I'm not sure how old I was, but since my family moved from there in 1946, I had to be about nine years old.

In future posts I'll tell you more about living near Clarksville because it made a big impression on me. However, today I would like to tell you about the move to South Austin. Back then, and to a certain extent now, South Austin was like a separate town from Austin. I remember telling my girlfriend goodbye because I was moving so far away I knew I'd never see her again. Lajuana Jolly. I bought her a necklace so she'd always remember me. As it turned out, we were together again in high school, but by then our love had died.

Checking Google Maps, I see that it is only 2.3 miles from the Clarksville area to where we moved on Josephine Street. Today, I walk further than that for exercise.

The nearest grocery store from the Josephine house was on Kinney Avenue and it was the size of a two-car garage. Maybe smaller. Mother would send me to the store nearly every day to get groceries. We had a charge account there. They would give me whatever was on the shopping list and then Dad would go in on Saturday to pay for the week's purchases. I would often sneak a candy bar on to the list so I didn't mind doing the shopping.

One day, a neighborhood friend went with me and he showed me a shortcut to the grocery store through a wooded area. Right in the middle of the forest he stopped and pulled out a knife. I didn't know what was going on and thought I better get out of there. But before I could move, he grabbed a thick piece of grapevine and cut off a few inches of it, stuck it in his mouth and lit the other end just like adults did with cigarettes. He took a few puffs, coughed, and passed it to me.

There were many interesting childhood times while I lived in the Josephine house. I wish I could put them in the book along with the Clarksville story. But, I'll tell you more here in the future.

Smoking grapevine is not smart, but it is not as serious as what our children and grandchildren face today. Did you have similar temptations when you grew up?

Bicycling Memories of Austin, Texas

A year or so ago, I pedaled around Sun City in Georgetown, Texas for my health. In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have gone quite so far the day after donating two pints of blood. Also, if I had it to do over again, I would have eaten breakfast first or at least had some orange juice. I thought about all this while parked on the side of the road trying to decide if I should call 911 or just fall down and hope someone found me.

After some deep breaths, staying close to the flower garden at the woodworking shop in case I had to throw up, I managed to get past the nausea. I had already thought of a way to hold on to the branch of a tree for support if needed. But soon, I felt better and was back on the bike heading for home.

Perhaps I was delirious, but as I rode the rest of the way (mostly downhill, by the way), I had vivid memories of bike riding as a kid. I remember sneaking off when I lived near Clarksville in Austin, so I couldn't have been more than nine years old. My friend, Bobby Bayer, went with me. We told our parents we were just going to see someone a few blocks away and we ended up in deep South Austin. I felt terribly guilty for lying to my mother. But not guilty enough to keep me from repeating the trip several more times on other days.

Those memories and reminders of the guilt I felt, made me think about Brian, the male protagonist in Where Love Once Lived. Don't forget I said I may have been delirious at the time all this was going through my head.

In the novel, Brian had been brought up in a Christian family and attended church every Sunday. What's more, he loved to go to church and continued to go while he was away from his California home attending the University of Texas. Then, he committed a sin and, even though he knew better, the guilt is so strong he believes he is being punished by God. His punishment is to be in a loveless marriage.

He drops out of church for the next thirty years. This is all leading up to my wanting to tell you this is not a biographical story. It didn't happen to me. I was brought up in a Christian home and while there were some times in my life where I missed church because Sunday mornings were the only time I could rest, I never left the church completely the way Brian did in the story.

I am still friends with some of the people I met at church as a youth and we still get together frequently. I continued to be involved in church in college and while in the marines. After marriage and kids there were times when I wasn't involved as much as I should have been, but that didn't last long. I may tell you about that period of my life someday, if I'm ever delirious again.

How about you? When did God become a major part of your life? Have you ever dropped out? What brought you back?

Texas State Capitol Memories

Where Brian Donelson and
George McCullough Walked

A novel is fiction. It's not true. Pure imagination. Right? Well, yes, but... I suspect every novel contains some little something from the author's past. Where Love Once Lived is no exception. While I didn't make the same mistakes Brian did, there are events in my life I wish hadn't happened. But I trust God lead me to where I am today.

In the following excerpt, I describe a scene at the Texas state capitol that I had with my mother and dad and sisters when I was a child. Photos reminded me of the event for years after it happened. My dad tricked me into drinking the sulfur tasting water that day cementing the memory forever. I also remember a time when I wondered if people were staring at me and a fellow marine who happened to be black as we traveled from California to Texas.

When we finally reached my parent's house in Austin, I was concerned about their reaction since, as far as I knew, Bill would be the first black person in our home. However, he was accepted graciously. My dad even drove us the rest of the way to Houston, saying we were probably too tired to drive further.

In this excerpt, Brian had asked to meet with Mr. McCullough, the 78-year-old father of Brian's best friend Phil, because Brian wanted advice on being close to God. You'll have to read the book to find out more. I only included enough here to describe the setting.

“You know,” Mr. McCullough said as he and Brian walked through the capitol grounds, “a few years back, ever’one would be staring at us.”

Brian was six foot two, and Phil’s dad was five two or three at the most. Mr. McCullough had just gotten off work at the Driskill and still had on his white shirt and bowtie. Brian wore shorts and Birkenstocks. Still, Brian knew Mr. McCullough was talking about race, not stature or clothing. Mr. McCullough was from a time in history Brian could never fully understand, but he’d read about how blacks suffered. It was a time of segregation.

The Water Fountain and Bench

Mr. McCullough looked around. “When I was jus’ a kid, nine or ten I’d say, my parents brought me here.” He motioned toward the spot where they sat. “My daddy told me to drink from a sulfur fountain that was here. Said it’d be good for me and make me healthy. But there was a problem. Back then, you see, we had separate drinking fountains. One marked ‘white’ and one marked ‘colored.’”

He paused, but Brian waited for him to continue. “There was only one sulfur fountain and it wasn’t marked one way or ‘nother, colored or white.” He laughed. “Didn’t matter. We sneaked a sip when no one was about. Only once, though.” He shook his head and made a face. “Terrible stuff. Smelled like rotten eggs.”

I would love to hear from you. Do you have family memories about visiting places like the state capitol? What caused the memory to stick in your mind? Have you experienced racial segregation? Have you ever felt people were staring at you because you did something out of the norm? Please comment below or email me: sidfrost@suddenlink.net.

Marriage on Mount Bonnell

Steps leading to the top of Mount Bonnell
(Photo by Sidney W. Frost)

Here's an excerpt from Where Love Once Lived near the beginning of the scene on Mount Bonnell in Austin, Texas.

Rain covered the mountain and the whole city, and it wasn’t going to blow over in a matter of minutes, or even hours. Dark clouds hovered over their cars and blocked the sun and sky, covering them with an ominous darkness.

“Why do they have to get married out here, anyway?” Ron asked. “This is what happens when you don’t get married in church.”

“That’s silly,” Susan said. “They want to marry here because it’s special to them. It’s where they first kissed. That’s what Josh told me.”

“Really?” Liz said as she turned to face Ron and Susan. “Now, everything is beginning to make sense. Being new to Austin, I studied up on this place because of the wedding. Know what I found out? There’s a legend that says a couple who climbs to the top together will fall in love.”

“I never heard that,” Brian said. He’d hiked to the top with Karen once or twice back when they were in college.

“There’s more,” Liz said. “A second trip to the top together, so says the legend, means they’ll get engaged.” Liz’s voice got louder as she talked, and Brian knew she was getting excited. “A third time up that mountain, the story says, and there’s a surefire chance for wedding bells. Does anybody know how many times Josh and Cindy were on that magic mountain together?”

“Well, it must have been at least three times,” Susan said.

“Hogwash,” Ron said.

The weather prevents the couple from getting married on Mount Bonnell, so Brian comes up with the idea of having the ceremony in the bookmobile parked at the base of the mountain. The bride loved the idea. Here is an excerpt that follows the wedding just after they get to the cabin for the reception:

Once inside, Cindy grabbed Brian’s arm. “It was perfect, Uncle Brian. Getting married in the bookmobile was better than what we’d planned. Thank you so much.”

Brian looked at Cindy and realized how much she’d matured in the past few months. It may have been the makeup and wedding dress, but it could have been because she was married and going out on her own and saying goodbye soon to her husband as he went into the marines.

The look on her face turned serious. “When I say perfect,” she added, “you know I wish Dad had been here.”

While a student at the University of Texas, I climbed to the top of Mount Bonnell many times. Usually with my buddies, the Combine, but sometimes with a special girlfriend. We felt safe there back then. If you go today, you'll see a sign saying to beware of crime in the area. I'm sure Mount Bonnell has a special place in the hearts of many Austinites. In Kit Frazier's Dead Copy, there is a scene on Mount Bonnell that describes the area perfectly.

When Did You First Become Interested in Writing?

I've been interviewed several times since my first novel, Where Love Once Lived, was published and one of the questions often asked was "When did you first become interested in writing?"

My earliest memory of writing is when my sister, Barbara Cagle, decided we would publish  a neighborhood magazine. We were living on Pete's Path in Austin at the time, so I had to be about twelve years old. She had written and produced some neighborhood plays several years before this when we lived on Josephine Street in South Austin.

But, my involvement as a writer didn't occur until the magazine phase. By publish, keep in mind that the magazine was handwritten and each copy was handwritten as well. So there wasn't a wide distribution and the magazine only last for a summer. When school started we were too busy to continue it. But I remember getting to write and I remember the encouragement from Barbara.

She also told me I had to keep a journal of all the movies I went to see. We included movie reviews in the magazine as well as news about our neighbors. I remember getting a spiral notebook and on one side I pasted the ad for the movie clipped from the newspaper. On the other side was the movie review itself. I wish I still had that spiral notebook. It was lost in a heavy rain that flooded my basement bedroom years later while I was away in the Marine Corps. I lost all my precious books in that storm, but that's a story for another time.

I had the writing bug from then on. Aptitude tests showed an interest in creative writing, but my school counselors said I should think of it as a hobby since few people made a living from writing. So, I ended up majoring in computer science and wrote for the fun of it, including a novel written about my time in the marines that was never finished.

I also wrote short stories. Only one was published, but it was a thrill to see it in print. Much of the writing I did was as a part of my jobs as a computer programmer and systems analyst. I was called on to do the reports, or apply for grants, and I learned my writing gave me a way of persuading others that I couldn't do face to face.

I published one computer book, Automated Law Office Systems, but it was short lived due to the rapid changes in computers.

I realize this would be too long an answer to the question posed at the beginning, but there you have it. And, by the way, my sister is still writing. She had a funny article published in the Sunday magazine of a Houston paper and she has placed in writing contests as well.

Thank you, Barbara.

Making Dreams Come True – Part 3

*********************************************************

If you haven't read the previous parts, you may want to do so first. See:

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 1

·         Making Dreams Come True – Part 2

*********************************************************
In the last post, I told you the bookmobile novel idea changed as I learned more about writing. Once I understood the book was about Karen and Brian and how they get back together after thirty years, and Liz the bookmobile librarian was a supporting character, and once I had taken several writing classes, the book began to take shape. It began to look and feel like a novel. In fact, I felt more like all I had to do was write about what the characters were feeling. They took over and told the story.

I set the story in Austin, Texas, because that's where I grew up. While a student at the University of Texas, I worked as a bookmobile driver part-time for the Austin Public Library. Brian, who had sold his business in California before returning to Austin to pursue Karen, bought a bookmobile to impress her. As it turns out, it does the opposite. I used the bookmobile in a third of the scenes to make the setting smaller and more manageable. Supporting characters come aboard the bookmobile as needed.

Is it a romance?

The story is told by the two main characters, Brian and Karen, alternating from one to the other so that the reader can see what's going on in their minds without one character knowing what the other is thinking. With two protagonists and the points of view alternating between male and female, plus the title of the book (Where Love Once Lived), early readers thought the book was a romance. Not knowing any better, I went along with that belief. I joined the Romance Writers Association and, in 2007, the manuscript won several contests. It took first place in the romance division at the Writers League of Texas contest and first place in the inspiration division in New Mexico. Plus a third place in Houston and finalist in California.

The book talks about going back to where Brian was last happy. He sells his company, moves from California to Texas, buys land and builds a house at the same location where he and Karen had once been happy together, he buys a bookmobile because that's where they had been together so many times. The title, Where Love Once Lived, seems to be describing these actions. However, I soon learned the story is really about where the love of God had once lived in Brian's heart and his struggle to regain his faith.

In the next post, I'll tell you about trying to find a publisher.