Hailey's Chance Is Out!

Hailey's Chance is now ready for your enjoyment at:
 http://www.amazon.com/Haileys-Chance-Will-Baby-Deerview-ebook/dp/B013D2FB78




Here's what this Christian Women's Fiction story is about:

 Bursting with anticipation, Hailey awaits the arrival of her first child. Then, one morning, the unthinkable happens, turning her joy to grief.

 When her neighbor offers a startling suggestion, Hailey’s torn. Should she take a chance? The offer is tempting, yet if something goes wrong, she’d be wide open for more heartbreak.

This standalone novella is a prequel to the previously released Christmas Carol. Both are set in the fictional small town of Deerview, Wisconsin.

 

 

 

**EXCERPT FROM HAILEY'S CHANCE: WILL BABY MAKE 3**

                   

                   CHAPTER ONE - JUNE 27

Will this day ever end?

Hailey Burke shifted her weight behind the checkout counter at Deerview Foods and turned to the next customer. At sight of the tight tank top, short shorts, and tats running up and down the arms of her former classmate, Lynn Manning, Hailey flashed a welcoming smile.

Sure, the dishwater blonde’s coal black eyeliner and matching lips seemed extreme, but appearances were deceptive. Inside lurked a sweet and loyal soul. Too bad Lynn had chosen troublemaker, Billy Wallace, as the object of her affections.

Thinking back to their high school senior year, when Billy had tripped the fire alarm to get out of taking a math test, Hailey resisted a chuckle. He sure was a character. It’s a wonder he’d graduated with the rest of them.

Five years had passed since then, yet nothing much had changed. Enough tourists drifted into town to keep businesses going, but not enough to make anyone rich. Jobs might be scarce, but Deerview was where Hailey was born and would stay, alongside her hubby, Ryan.

“How’s it going, Lynn?” Hailey pretended not to notice the home pregnancy test sliding past her on the conveyor belt between the frozen pizza and the cold cereal.

“Same old, same old,” Lynn said, her eyes lingering on Hailey’s belly. “Say, aren’t you about due? How much longer?”

“A month, give or take a few weeks.” At the thought of finally seeing and touching her baby, Hailey’s heart soared and her smile widened.

“Looks like you can hardly wait.”

“You’ve got that right. It’s no fun carrying this extra load, but it will all be worth it.”

“Your child will be so lucky.”

“No, we’re the lucky ones.”

At Lynn’s wistful look, Hailey felt a pang of pity. If Lynn’s test proved positive, life would not be easy for her. She’d get small support from her single mother, who existed in a drunken haze, nor knucklehead Billy, the likely father.

 

This book is available for Amazon Kindle purchase, or borrow from Amazon Prime or Kindle Unlimited at

http://www.amazon.com/Haileys-Chance-Will-Baby-Deerview-ebook/dp/B013D2FB78

 

Short Link: http://amzn.com/B013D2FB78

 

 

 

Find all of Morgan Mandel's Romances, Mysteries,

Thrillers, and Women's Fiction on Amazon on;

 

http://www.amazon.com/author/MorganMandel

 

Excerpts on:

http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com

 

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/morgan.mandel

 

Twitter:

@MorganMandel

 

 

 

Hailey's Chance is Almost Ready!

Yesterday, I finally typed the magic words, "The End," on my Hailey's Chance: Will Baby Make 3 manuscript.

I had been editing right along, but still, I'm going to be more stringent now when looking for problem parts to change.

Anyway, this book, which I'd originally hoped to get ready by Easter, is looking toward an August release. It turned out to be longer than originally intended. Also, a bit of research was involved.

I'm getting there!

 

 

 

Hailey's Chance is about making the best of what life hands you and rising above it. Here's the blurb from the front of the book:



 

Bursting with anticipation, Hailey awaits the arrival of her first child. Then, one morning, the unthinkable happens, turning her joy to grief.

 When her neighbor offers a startling suggestion, Hailey’s torn. Should she take a chance? The offer is tempting, yet if something goes wrong, she’ll be wide open for more heartbreak.

 This standalone novella is a prequel to Christmas Carol. Both are set in the fictional small town of Deerview, Wisconsin.

 

Find all of Morgan Mandel's books at

http://www.amazon.com/author/MorganMandel

 

Excerpts are at:

http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com

Twitter: @MorganMandel

Proverbs to make you smile! by DL Larson

In the midst of my re-writes and the rain today, I checked my email and found a sweet story from a friend. I don't know who started this, but I wanted to share it with you. I hope it brightens your day ~ it did mine. It has no redeeming value on the writing front, other than it is a new twist on old proverbs, made up by children. Here goes ...

A first grade teacher had twenty-five students in her class. She presented each child with the first half of a well-known proverb. She asked all to finish the proverb in their own way. This is what she received: (the underlined words are the answers from the kids.)

1. Strike while the  bug is close.
2. It's always darkest before  Daylight Saving Time.
3. Never underestimate the power of  termites.
4. You can lead a horse to water, but  how?
5. Don't bite the hand that  looks dirty.
6. No news is  impossible.
7. A miss is as good as a  Mr.
8. You can't teach an old dog new  math.
9. If you lie down with dogs, you'll  stink in the morning.
10. Love all, trust  me.
11. The pen is mightier than the  pigs.
12. An idle mind is the way to relax.
13. Where there's smoke, there's  pollution.
14. Happy the bride who gets all the presents.
15. A penny saved is  not much.
16. Two's company, three's  the Musketeers.
17. Don't put off till tomorrow what  you put on to go to bed.
18. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and  you have to blow your nose.
19. There are none so blind as Stevie Wonder.
20. Children should be seen and not  spanked or grounded.
21. If at first you don't succeed  get new batteries.
22. You get out of something only what you see in the picture on the box.
23. When the blind lead the blind  get out of the way.
24. A bird in the hand  is going to poop on you.
25. Better late than  pregnant.

Hope that brightened your day! Now it's back to work for me!

Til next time ~

DL Larson
www.DLLARSON.com

Bringing Back A Hero! (Captain Jornlin's Story!) by DL Larson

Bringing Back A Hero!

A story of senior vets bringing home an 

LST 325,

A Landing Ship Tank

from World War II.

by

Captain Robert D. Jornlin

If you are interested in history, then this is the book for you. Captain Jornlin was the youngest of the crew, the others averaged about 70 years old.

As true Americans, they did the impossible, against impossible odds and brought home a decommissioned LST from Greece. It was an American ship, sold to the Greeks after being retired from the U.S. Navy. 

No one officially helped them. The Greeks did not help them, the U.S. government did not help them.... but then everyone began to help these determined men who crossed the Atlantic on their own dime, stayed for several months in order to repair the ship for sail - an impossible feat for all but this group of men. Still all at their own expense. The Greeks, at first, thought the American Navy was helping these retired sailors, but once they realized these men were there on their own and the military was not involved, nor the government, things began to change ~ in a good way.

Winston Churchill said the LSTs won the world war. I'm paraphrasing, but if these ships had not been built,  many in the Midwest, transporting equipment, tanks, and men, wounded and those ready for combat, the war would have dragged on for several more years. 

Capt. Jornlin is a retired Navy Officer, a farmer, and we are from the same, small Midwest town called Earlville IL. Bob approached me a few years ago, said he had a book he wanted to write. I encouraged him to sit down and write it. He had already given hundreds of speeches by then, and I told him that was wonderful, but speech giving and writing a nonfiction book are quite different. About a year later, he had most of it written. He was very determined and I'm glad he decided to share his story.

My family and I have visited the LST 325 twice now. The first time was in Louisville KY, several years ago. Captain Jornlin was aboard and he gave us the grand tour - up decks and down below in the engine rooms. It was a great experience and very educational.

Just this last week, we visited the LST 325 again, this time in Evansville IN. The tour was nice, but the young man who was our guide said we had been to more parts of the ship than he had since he started giving tours a few years ago. So we appreciated our first tour all the more.

The LST 325 put on a battle reenactment while we were there. Cannon fire, opening the bow doors, winching the smaller boats called higgins to the craft after deploying soldiers to the beach. The higgins transported men to and from the beach to the LST in times of war. Thousands of people gathered at the Ohio Riverfront to watch. At the same time as this was going on, the Blue Angels performed an air show. We also saw a great performance by the Canadian Snow Birds. 

  

This is a picture of how the LST let other craft on and off the ship. 

This picture on the right, is one of the compartments used for sleeping quarters. Not much luxury on this ship!

The LST 325 is now a floating museum, privately funded. The government does not support this ship. If it had not been for these retired sailors, our children would not know about these ships. We hear so much about the great battle ships and carriers, but not much about the workhorse called the LST.

The LST has traveled up the Mississippi River to the Illinois River. It will travel again later this summer. But for now it is docked in Evansville IN. 

Captain Jornlin's book is available at the museum shop and also online. 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_20?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=bringing+back+a+hero&sprefix=bringing+back+a+hero%2Cstripbooks%2C215

Visiting the LST 325 is a great weekend get-away! Floating history, as they say!

Til next time ~

DL Larson www.DLLARSON.com

What is Real Writing? by DL Larson

I'm in the middle of reading two books. Neither has held my attention for long and for that I'm disappointed. The first one, "While Beauty Slept," by Elizabeth Blackwell intrigued me because it is supposedly a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story. It is not. But it is a telling type of story, which is where I find my biggest frustration with the book. It's tell, tell, tell, tell, tell, with a bit of dialogue, smidge of action and then back to tell, tell, tell.

My next frustration is the retelling is supposed to be to a child, but it is not a juvenile topic, or told in a child-like way that should hold some excitement. I'm a children's librarian. I'm a writer. I want characters I can care about. I continue to page ahead, looking for a break. I'm not involved with the characters and am disappointed because I thought I was immersing myself into a new twist on an old fairytale. While Ms. Blackwell has beautiful writing, it's doesn't engage me, the reader, on a level I was hoping for. It's almost too sanitary. Does that make sense to anyone?

The second book I'm reading is called, "Hell for Leather," by Julie Ann Walker. She is a NYT best seller and I was excited to read her next book in Black Knights Inc. romantic suspense series. This is a contemporary setting, action packed, with great characters. I became involved immediately, but have grown tired of the sidebar mutterings each character continues to display. They talk to themselves mentally. At first it was cute, then okay, let's move on, then, really? These snippets irritated me and I didn't understand why. I really enjoyed her writing. I finally realized these little thoughts pulled me out of the story, they were not enhancing the story for me. Rather than clarifying the character's inner reflections, they had become intrusive to me.

So here I am with two books, one too clean and the other with editing issues. These authors are great writers, please understand that. But for me, this summer, they were not the books that will make me say, "I'm putting that on the shelf to read again."

All this makes me wonder who were the official editors? How much was changed? And did they improve the story line or not from the author's original version? Did they clean up "While Beauty Slept" until it was squeaky clean and bone dry? Did they italicize one too many lines in "Hell for Leather," thinking this is a new fad and readers will love it?  This is a fear many writers think about. Editing generally improves the story, but sometimes ... it scalpel reaches too deep.

I remember a night class I took years ago. It was a creative writing class and I found out the instructor edited with a heavy hand. There were about ten of us in the class and we sat around in a circle to talk about our WIP. Each week we would turn in an assignment and the following week we would receive the one we had previously turned in. At first no one said anything, thinking they were the only one that had severe changes made on their work.

One week my paper was returned with ideas on how to make my poem more vivid. But it wasn't a poem about images. It was a poem on bribery and simply making it through the day. The instructor had missed the point. He suggested I clarify more, create a clearer sense, etc. As I read his ideas scribbled on the paper the gal next to me, said, "You didn't understand her poem." I looked up and realized she meant my poem. I still think she couldn't bring herself to argue with the instructor about her own work, but she went to bat for my work. I did not know this woman other than to chat a bit before and after class.

She went on, saying, "It doesn't matter what color the kid's mittens are, he knows. And it doesn't matter what treat she offers, she wants him to behave! She's a mom, she's trying to get where she needs to go."
The dam broke and many others learned that day to defend their work. I don't know if that was the instructor's point all along or not. He didn't get upset and real discussion began from that brave woman stepping up to defend my very inadequate poem. The next several weeks, real learning took place.

So what is real writing? I learned it is something to defend when needed, and to always search for the true message in every sentence. Is it fluff? Or is it necessary? Only the author knows.

Til next time ~

DL Larsonwww.DLLARSON.com



OK - Here's the poem - please understand it's dated January 1985 - I was young, very, very, very young! And soon realized, a poet, I am not! But I still enjoyed trying.

JUST GETTING THERE

Listen to me - I'm talking to you.
Where are your mittens?
Let's go you two.

Climb into your seat, buckle up snug,
You know the way -
Give it a tug.

Appointments can't wait,
Race through downtown
Smile at the cop - better slow down.

It won't be long now.
No, you can't drive.
Sit still Jessica, take a look outside.

Everyone pile out,
Stand still, take my hand.
No, don't do that - listen to me, young man!

Hurry now, Momma is late.
I wish we could too, maybe tomorrow
But I can't promise you.

Keep your hood up,
Don't run in the street.
Promise to be good, and I'll give you a treat!

Dating Your Book

Depending on which time period you wish to convey, think twice about what to include in your book.

http://amzn.to/1F8w45wa

If you're going with contemporary, do you want to sprinkle in giveaways of when the book happens, or be vague? That may depend on whether you're looking for quick sales and/or longevity. Still, you don't want to seem too unaware of what's going on.

Writing about the here and now can be problematical, if your book is available for a while, such as my backlist mystery, Two Wrongs, which debuted in 2006, yet can still be found online. Fortunately, cell phones had been in use then, and I didn't go into many details about other habits which have changed.

Here are some contemporary habits you might consider including in a book:

1. Texting and e-mailing - Choose to include or  explain why your character doesn't use them.
2. Phone calls  - Even calling someone requires explanation. Almost everyone has a cell phone these days. Many don't have landlines. Make a choice what your character picks up to make or answer a call.
3. Using the mail - Hardly anyone writes letters now. Most bills can also be paid online. However, many people still like to pay bills the old fashioned way, or mail birthday and other special occasion cards. Yes, some use online services to send greetings, but in my experience, I don't get many.
4. Google or other search engines - Finding the answer to almost anything can now be found by a search on a smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer. Your character would have to live under a rock not to know that, or be someone who abhors technology.
5. Clothes - It's the style for women not to wear nylons, though some still like to hide flab or veins by wearing them, or feel more dressed up with them on. Guys don't wear ties as often. They hardly ever wear suits, even to work, unless they're attorneys or other professionals who appear in court or in public venues, where such appearance is expected. Sports coats or just nice shirts are acceptable for dressing up. You can find jean wearers in church or in the nicest restaurants these days.
6. Social media - Even seniors are active online.. You may want to incorporate a Facebook or Twitter experience in the book, or mention something about looking for a job on LinkedIn.
7. Speech - One example: The word, Hi is often replaced by Hey.

Of course, all of the habits I've mentioned depends on your characters. If they're old-fashioned, they'll stick to their own habits and ignore what others do, or they could be unaware of what's going on around them.

Can you think of other examples, either from the here and now, or other time periods?

Find all of Morgan Mandel's romances and mysteries at:

http://www.amazon.com/author/MorganMandel

Excerpts at: http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com

Follow on Twitter: @MorganMandel

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/morgan.mandel

A Minute to Win It! by DL Larson

I'm helping with a high school class reunion this year. It's scheduled for mid-June and I'm in charge of our class olympics.  It's been fun and a challenge to come up with games that all middle-aged people can play. My goal is to not leave anyone out.

This may not sound like writing, but it has turned into quite a writing project. I've selected a few games off of Pinterest, and the rest, I've thought up on my own. I have fifteen minute to win it games.

I made a template, so each game will have instructions, object of the game, supplies and the number of people needed to perform the task. Next, I will collect all the materials needed for three teams to play and assemble them for each round of games.

I have games with water, if it is hot. I have games without water, if it is cold. I have food games, I have ball games. I have games where the players will be wearing ridiculous objects or performing silly stunts. And I made sure all the games are G rated. I have no way of knowing who will be in attendance and I certainly don't want to offend someone because of a game.

I've made notes for our MC and instructions for our Team officials.

This may not have been beneficial to my writing career, but it's been a fun diversion from the regular routine of writing. It was writing for a different reason, for a different outcome and I believe I used another part of my brain that likes dreaming up stuff to make people laugh.

So if you are having a family reunion, or a get-together with friends this summer, I urge you to play a game or two. Exercise your writing talent and your imagination in a different direction. Make up a game of your own.


Need something to get you started?

- Hot Air Solo Cup Relay - 2 people needed.
Supplies for each team: several balloons, several large solo cups, bucket (table if possible)
Object: how many solo cups can each team get into the bucket (in one minute.)
Instructions: One player must blow up a balloon inside the solo cup without touching the cup. Once they can lift the cup using only the balloon, they then transfer cup and balloon to their teammate, who can not touch the cup either! The teammate carries the balloon and cup, touching only the balloon to the bucket (at the end of the table or other designated area.)
Once the player has reached the bucket, the player releases the air in the balloon until the cup falls into the bucket. If the cup does not fall into the bucket, it does not count in scoring. Players may use the same balloon or a new one in the time allowed.
Repeat!


Til next time ~

DL Larsonwww.DLLARSON.com