It is my pleasure to share a guest post by author Linda Bennett Pennell, one of the Roses in the Wild Rose Press garden, who shares her thoughts on...
Reinvention
By Linda Bennett Pennell
Life can at times be frustrating,
joyous, depressing, boring, even mysterious. It is not always clear in the
moment why things happen as they do, but one thing is for certain, unless we
make the best of what we’ve been given, life cannot be lived to the fullest. I
think I always knew this, but it took a change in direction and taking a risk
to grasp its true meaning.
I never intended to be a writer.
In fact, as an elementary student, I despaired of even being competent in the
language arts. It should be said that my early education left a great deal to
be desired, but that is another story. It was not until my senior year of high
school that I had a rewarding creative writing experience. Thank you, Miss
Miller, wherever you are. Once in college, however, I put aside creative
writing for the rigors of historical research and expository writing. Another
degree and several certifications later and I have come full circle.
My other life is in public
education as a reading specialist and secondary school administrator, but about
five years ago after I retired to part time work, I decided to pick up my
creative pen again. I can’t say exactly why or when the decision was made. That
is one of those mysteries. All I can say is that I came to feel a burning
desire to write and the experience has been a revelation and a joy.
It hasn’t
been all easy sailing. Nothing in life worth having ever really comes without
some pain. Sending out queries and the rejections that came with them were not
particularly fun, but it was not as difficult as I thought it would be. With novels
that are being well received, I can now say that the process was definitely
worth the risk. More importantly, my venture in writing has allowed me to
reinvent myself, and through reinvention, I have found renewal as well. We
humans are truly multifaceted creatures, but unfortunately we tend to sort and
categorize each other into neat, easily understood packages that rarely reveal
the whole person. Writing has allowed me to tap into skills and talents I had
all but buried for many years. I am a newer, better version of myself for the
experience.
Perhaps you, too, want to step
out of the box in which you find yourself. I encourage you to look at the
possibilities and imagine. Be filled with childlike wonder in your mental
wanderings. Envision what might be, not simply what is. Let us never forget,
all good fiction begins when someone says to herself or himself, "Let's
pretend."
*******************************
by Linda Bennett Pennell
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: historical fiction with romantic elements
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Casablanca,
1943: a viper’s nest of double agents and spies where OSS Officer Kurt Heinz
finds his skill in covert operations pushed to the limit. Allied success in
North Africa and the fate of the First Allied Conference—perhaps the outcome of
the war—hang on Kurt’s next mission. The nature of his work makes relationships
impossible. Nonetheless, he is increasingly torn between duty and the beautiful
girl who desperately needs his protection and help.
Sarah Barrett, U.S. Army R.N., is
finished with wartime romance. Determined to protect her recently broken heart,
she throws all of her time and energy into caring for her patients, but when
she is given a coded message by a mysterious dying civilian, she is sucked into
a vortex of danger and intrigue that threatens her very survival. The one
person who can help Sarah is Kurt Heinz, a man with too many secrets to be
trusted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
“I’m Heinz. What do you want?”
“Oh. It’s you.”
“Yeah?”
“From the restaurant on New Year’s Eve.”
Kurt was silent for a moment, then it came back to him. “I remember. Sarah, right? You’re the girl who refused to dance with me.”
A red flush crawled from her throat onto the apples of her cheeks. “Yes. I’m sorry if I was rude.”
“I’ve been cut dead before. I got over it.”
The girl’s eyes glittered. “I’m sure you did. Are you going to keep me standing here on the doorstep for everyone to see?”
“Why? I’m not expecting company. Would it be a problem?”
“It certainly might if the people who tore my apartment apart followed me here.”
Kurt looked into her eyes with complete attention for the first time since opening the door. Whatever had happened to this girl, she looked terrified and angry. Not a particularly good combination for the covert activities he and Phelps were up to.
Kurt made a quick decision. He stepped back and pulled the door wide while raising his voice.
“You better come inside and tell me why you think what happened to your apartment has anything to do with me.”
When they stepped into the living area, Phelps had disappeared. Kurt gestured toward the sofa and the girl sat down. Propping himself on the sofa’s arm, he looked down into her frightened eyes.
“Now tell me how I can help you, Miss, uh…”
“Barrett, Sarah. US Army. RN.
“Well, Nurse Barrett, what can I do for you?”
The girl stuck her hand in her coat pocket and whipped out a scrap of paper that she waved in his face.
“By telling me what’s on this paper and why it’s so important that somebody took a knife to my furniture.”
Amazon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
I have been in love with the
past for as long as I can remember. Anything with a history, whether shabby or
majestic, recent or ancient, instantly draws me in. I suppose it comes from
being part of a large extended family that spanned several generations. Long
summer afternoons on my grandmother's porch or winter evenings gathered around
her fireplace were filled with stories both entertaining and poignant. Of
course being set in the American South, those stories were also peopled by some
very interesting characters, some of whom have found their way into my work.
As for my venture in
writing, it has allowed me to reinvent myself. We humans are truly multifaceted
creatures, but unfortunately we tend to sort and categorize each other into
neat, easily understood packages that rarely reveal the whole person. Perhaps
you, too, want to step out of the box in which you find yourself. I encourage
you to look at the possibilities and imagine. Be filled with childlike wonder
in your mental wanderings. Envision what might be, not simply what is. Let us
never forget, all good fiction begins when someone says to her or himself,
"Let's pretend."
I reside in the Houston area
with one sweet husband and one adorable German Shorthaired Pointer who is quite
certain she’s a little girl.
"History is filled with
the sound of silken slippers going downstairs and wooden shoes coming up."
Voltaire
Books:
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Thank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome!
DeleteThank you for hosting me!!
ReplyDeleteHappy to do so, and I appreciate you taking the time to interact with my visitors. Hope the tour is going well, and thank you for the thoughtful and inspirational guest post!
DeleteI love talking with readers! Blogs like yours make it so much easier! The post was fun to write. Thank you for asking for something different!
DeleteI enjoyed the excerpt, sounds like a great book, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by and commenting, Eva!
DeleteGlad you like it, Eva. Thanks for dropping by!
DeleteI liked the excerpt, thank you. Sounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteHappy to hear that, Rita. Thanks for taking the time to visit!
DeleteThank you for dropping by, Rita!
ReplyDeleteWhat literary character is most like you?
ReplyDeleteYou ask interesting, but sometimes difficult questions. I guess Sarah from this book embodies some of the traits I value most: honesty, loyalty, and persistence.
DeleteAnother fascinating question, Mai. I should write all of them down so that I will never lack for conversational gambits, lol. Thanks for coming by!
DeleteWhat an exciting sounding story. I loved the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteI hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing! Thank you for stopping in!
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DeleteGreat to hear, Jane. Thanks for taking the time to read it!
DeleteReally great excerpt, sound like a great book! Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed it, Victoria, and I hope you will enjoy the rest of the story.
DeleteHappy to share, nice to see you, Victoria. Thanks for popping in!
DeleteI really enjoyed the excerpt. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteExcellent, Ree Dee. Thanks for the visit!
DeleteI'm so glad, Ree Dee!
DeleteAn interesting bio.
ReplyDeleteAlways great to find out things about the authors, isn't it, Mary? Thank you for dropping by!
DeleteThank you, Mary! Hope you will take a look at the excerpt, as well.
DeleteI don't usually read historicals but I really enjoyed the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary! If you liked the excerpt, I think you might enjoy the whole story. If you like your fiction flavored with suspense and spiced with a touch of romance, you are at the right place!
DeleteGlad to hear that, Mary. Thank you for taking the time to visit!
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