My publisher has romance novels on sale for Valentine’s Day–beginning today. I’m excited about this sale. If you have never read Annabelle’s Ruth or Rebecca’s Legacy, now is a great time to do that. Click on the meme for direct links to purchase the books.
We are just four and a half weeks from the release of Open Water, book 2 of the Home Found series. I’m on pins and needles about this book. I had so much fun writing it, but let me tell you, there were tears along the way. Maybe a trail of tears. And danger.
Make a “date” to join Lisa and Jake on this second installment of the Home Found Suspense series!
Release Date: March 12, 2024
So many secrets whirl around in this second chronicle of the Home Found series. Lisa and Jake learn more about her past, and about each other, in this dramatic suspense.
Winner! Thank you, everyone who entered on last week’s blog post to win a $5 Amazon gift card. The winner is author, Terri Wangard! And it just so happens, Terri also has a book releasing on March 12. So, as a bonus, here’s a link to her new release, Seashells in My Pocket. Congratulations, Terri!
As much as Lisa Oliver wanted to believe that she could be safe in the small Kentucky village, she knew that wouldn’t be the case when Agent Farrow’s car pulled next to the school where she had been working. They’d found her again? Who was stalking her and why?
Jake Bradley uses his widely popular “Jake on the Road” articles to help him continue to follow leads into Lisa’s past, but he didn’t expect the people whom he spoke with to be attacked and killed. How could he possibly protect this woman who had become so important to him when he so miserably failed at learning about her past and why someone had killed her parents?
So many secrets whirl around in this second chronicle of the Home Found series. Lisa and Jake learn more about her past, and about each other, in this dramatic suspense.
Long Awaited. Yes, many of my readers have wondered, “When can we expect book two?” In fact, I was wondering, too. Confession time: I’m not a fast writer. I’m not really even a consistent writer. If the story is building and I have the entire thing ready to write, I can sit for long hours and type, type, type. I love those times. But there are other times, when I have to work things out, research facts, and rearrange timing for the best flow, etc. It’s time consuming. Distractions come to whisk me away.
What’s the story? If you have read Still Water (Book One), you will be happy to know book two continues the journey for Lisa Oliver and her handsome friend, Jake Bradley.
What’s with the water theme? In Still Water, we learn that Lisa is troubled by recurring nightmares. Not only that, but she has a deeply-rooted fear of water. She’s not sure why. The nightmare is her only clue.
Still Water
No spoilers here (not yet, anyway). If you have not read book one, now is a good time to do that. The Kindle version of Still Water is on sale for only 99 cents – for a limited time. You’ll find more information about the book and a handy buy link here.
You may have found this blog post in your email, if you are following my blog. Thanks so much for following, by the way. Or, maybe you’re on my newsletter list. However you found it, thank you so much for reading. I hope you will buy and enjoy the books. If you do enjoy reading them, please consider leaving a review. Good reviews help writers sell books. 🙂
All right, dear readers, if you made it this far, I’d like to ask you a question. Please leave a comment with your answer to be entered in a drawing for a $5 Amazon Gift Card. Here’s the question: In Open Water, what was Lisa doing when Agent Farrow found her?
If you find it hard to laugh at yourself, I’d be happy to do it for you.
Groucho Marx
I sat next to my husband as we drove to our favorite taco café – I ❤ Tacos. I asked about his day. He answered. I had no idea what he said. I waited. Should I ask him to repeat himself, or just let it slide?
He looked at me. “You didn’t hear what I said, did you?”
“Sorry.”
I’m hearing impaired. I wear hearing aids, but they don’t always work. Sometimes background noises, especially road noises, cancel out other sounds. He could have been shouting and I may not have understood his words.
That’s life for a hearing-impaired person. And then there are the times someone speaks to me and I don’t respond. I’m not being rude–I can’t hear you. That’s what happened the other day when one of my neighbors was in her yard down in the court. When I walked out to the mailbox, I lifted my hand to greet her. She waved back. On the way back to the house, something told me she had spoken to me.
I looked again and she was gone. The next time I saw her out, I apologized and confessed that I don’t always hear when someone speaks.
I learned something important when I went to an outdoor concert with friends. Hearing aids can actually “overhear”. The loud music that my friends enjoyed so much actually hurt my ears. I had to turn off my hearing aids. If I ever attend another concert, I will take my noise-cancelling headphones. I might look silly, but I will be comfortable. Oh, and when my friends tried to communicate with me, I could not hear them at all, so we ended up texting one another.
And laughing. A lot.
A few helpful things you can do when you speak to someone who is hearing-impaired:
Make eye contact – we hear better if we can see you talking
Text, don’t call – telephone conversations are difficult!
If you must call, follow up with a text when details matter
You don’t have to shout, just enunciate better
Try not to lose your temper when we ask you to repeat something
Oh, and if you want to share a secret with me, and whisper it in my ear–believe me–your secret is completely safe with me. I cannot hear that whisper! 🙂
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Light. It is the most powerful force in the universe.
Looking back, the last couple of years brought a lot of heartache and loss, not just for me, but for many. Turmoil, struggles, sickness, and death, became our everyday. And it’s not over yet. We stand in the predawn darkness, knowing that the sun will rise again. Waiting. And then it happens.
Light bursts upon the scene and changes everything. Sometimes the light of day brings clarity. Renewed vision. Hope.
A few months ago, I stood on a balcony overlooking the Atlantic. It was early morning. The sun had not yet risen. In that predawn blackness, I could hear the waves crashing against the shore. And then the sun’s golden rays tinted the horizon.
Dawn can be sudden and even startling at times. Its beauty is undeniable. The watcher stands in awe.
Back home, watching from my kitchen window . . . well, the scene is not quite so dramatic. If I turn on my ambient noise and set it to ocean, I can pretend. Still, there is no denying the power of light. Even breaking over the rooftops in my subdivision, it can be breathtakingly beautiful.
There is a beauty in every season of life that must be experienced to be appreciated fully.
Coffee helps. 🙂
We are called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light. Each day is a gift to use wisely. To work at the task given. To be a blessing. It’s one more chance to say, “I love you.” Maybe one more chance to say, “I forgive you.” Or, “please forgive me.”
I suppose the holiday week combined with the end of the school year sent everyone into a frenzy. My phone has been busy, busy!
I finally sit down at my laptop, close my eyes, and enter my story world. My phone light flashes and the thing buzzes and jumps around on the desk (silent mode for the hearing impaired).
I love to hear from family and friends. Honestly, I don’t hear from them often. That’s my fault. I’m not a great communicator. I plan to call or text. I have conversations in my mind, planning what I will say. And then I never actually call or even send a message. It’s genetic. Mom is the same way.
So, I have to set my phone on DND. Do Not Disturb. It doesn’t ring, flash, or vibrate.
This worked great until the noise started outside. What was that?
Kids at play! The neighbors had one of those huge blowup slides with water streaming down. Children lined up, waiting for their turn. The kids screamed and laughed. Their dogs barked. It was great fun.
Out came the noise-cancelling headphones.
I don’t usually play music while I write. It’s distracting. I end up singing. But, I can turn the television on with the sound low. I usually find a movie I’ve seen several times. The background chatter helps me into “the zone.”
We do what we must to get the job done.
I am working hard to complete the second book in the Home Found Suspense series. I’m really enjoying the story, taking the characters farther but closer. Lisa, my main character, has to go into protective custody for a while. She’s farther from her closest friends. Meanwhile, Jake disappears. Will she ever see him again?
Thanks, all of you who have read (or are reading) Still Water. Your encouragement and urging keeps me writing. Finish that book! I need the next installment!
Good news! I took part in a cozy mystery anthology called The Visitor. There will be 7 stories, releasing individually in early 2023. Mine is #6, and is slated to release in July, 2023. I can’t give you any details other than those, but stay tuned–we’ll be dropping clues along the way.
I have only read a few cozies. What I like about them is their typically nonviolent nature (any violence happens offstage). Their humor and likable characters. Small town, girl-next-door sleuths. Romance or not. Think Jessica Fletcher.
Watch this space! Mid-June, I’m featuring a fellow Pursued Books (Write Integrity Press) author, Julie Cosgrove. I love her cozy mysteries, especially the Wordplay Mysteries. I think you’ll like her as well.
Betty Thomason Owens 