excerpt

How could she not let herself fully trust this man? He understood the tug-of-war inside her head without her having to say a word. Liz took Michael’s hand and headed back toward the surf.

Yes, I'm writing today!

Feelings stirring inside...

Ah, sweet love! Romance novels... Most ladies have read at least one or two. Some women are addicted to them. Personally, I like something a little deeper. But, even without a murderous plot or intriguing secret, romances do hit a chord. We read the words, "in his embrace, he stroked his fingers along her neck, brushing back her locks..." and suddenly we're remembering a touch, a moment, a feeling. A pretty nice feeling actually!

My book is not a love story. Well, it is in a strange kind of way. No, it's not. If that's love... Anyway, something happened when Liz was going through Chapter Eleven. She fell in love. She didn't see it coming. Heck, I didn't see it coming! It just happened.

[Liz touched her fingers to her lips as she closed her eyes. In her dreams, she allowed herself to be swept up into Michael’s arms.]

Maybe I shouldn't be telling you this. Now you know too much! Ok, no more details. This post isn't about the story. It's about my story. My journey writing this book. I'm posting this to share what I've learned in this part of my journey... Shhh... Let's keep this between you and me: Writing romance can be fun!

I Heart Ohio! (excerpt)

I ventured out into the pollinated world today. Hubby drove me into town to run a couple of quick errands. The last stop was the vet clinic out past the north edge of town to settle yesterday's farm call bill. Since I didn't need to go back into town, we took the back roads home. I love the gently rolling pastures surrounded by horse fence. We pass along a very scenic stream, surrounded by one of those subdivision-in-the-middle-of-nowhere spots. The sloping backyards angle toward the main road. Their landscapes naturally blended with God's design.

Our conversation drifted to a relocated friend's comments last night. She lived about an hour from here and her old area was quite different. Now she is farther away, but in an area similar to the topography we enjoy. She said she never thought Ohio was pretty until she moved there.

No offense to you Floridians out there... Most of my family is in Florida. I will not move. I always cite the sweltering ever-lasting summers and the huge bugs, but truthfully... The thing I dislike most about Florida? It's flat! It's not only flat, the trees are ugly. OK, I know there's not very many trees that rival the huge elderly oaks spread wide and dripping in moss. But those poles with the hula skirts on top? They get old. Cabbage palms coiled in snakes? Look like shrubs, not trees.

So what on earth does this have to do with my book? Keep reading...

The chapter I'm in now has my main character leaving her adopted Florida for a trip north. While driving down that country road, I stated to Hubby, "I've got to mention the flat land and skinny trees!" When I returned home and opened my document, I scrolled to a previous paragraph that would nicely fit the new injection.

And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, for your reading pleasure: An Excerpt from 'Unfinished Business'...


When she had first settled in Davie, she adored the tall, bare palm trunks and the see-forever horizon. Now that those things were old hat, she realized the beauty in rolling hills and foliage. The huge oaks dripping with Spanish moss were her favorite. They reminded her of the canopy of leaves along the creek banks where teens could slip away from supervision and explore their new found desires.