Month of Love: Heartbeat of the Moon

For February, the Pen Dames are each taking a week to highlight one of our books. Of course, the theme this month is Love.

Heartbeat of the Moon is Book #2 in my Rhythm of the Moon series. It's a historical romance that features a midwife and a musician and apothecary who suffers from bipolar disorder. 

What does love mean to me? Love is about accepting each other's flaws and weaknesses. My stories reflect that even those of us who aren't "perfect" deserve a chance at love. We all have our struggles; we all make mistakes. Love is forgiving. And sometimes love requires strength and mercy. The following excerpt reflects my two main characters, Maggie and Ian, as they work toward understanding each other's complexities. After a long trip, Ian had returned with a precious book by the great Greek doctor and philosopher Galen. He is very excited.

     She could not help but be wrapped up in his enthusiasm. "How interesting. I will look forward to reading it, when I am not so busy."

     He cocked his head. "I will read it to you later."

     She scowled. "Read it to me? Am I a child of five? You know I can read, well or better than you." The old woman who had schooled her in midwifery had also taught her to read. "Do you think I am not intelligent enough to understand it?"

     He grinned, tapping his fingers on the counter.

     Aggravation prickled her skin like stinging nettles.

     His eyes followed the blush burning from her cheeks to her bosom. He stepped back in mock alarm, and she gave in to her rage. Insufferable man!

     "Do you think you are far smarter than I? Do you think because you have traveled to the ends of the earth, seeing more in one trip than I have seen in my life, you can lord it over me?"

     His lips quivered. God help him if he smiled. He reached out his hand, and she backed away.

     "I will not be patronized like a child. Read it to me?"

     He grasped her hands and brought them to his lips, despite her struggle. "Maggie."

     Did he think her nothing but a lowly midwife from London's slums? What kind of rare women did he meet, traveling so far away from her, for him to think of her in such a way?

     "Maggie."

     His voice caressed her inside with long, slow strokes. His lips lingered enticingly near, firm, long, and tilting at the corners. He had a small nick on his chin from shaving. 

     "What?" God curse her, she squeaked.

     "It is written in Greek."

                                                                      ****

Love endures, through setbacks and misunderstandings, and requires humor, kindness, and self-love to survive. 

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. 

Month of Love: Water Desires

 

For February, the Pen Dames are each taking a week to highlight one of our books. Of course, the theme this month is love.

Water Desires

by Katherine Eddinger Smits

Water Desires, Love’s Siren Song Book Two

Nik is in Greece waiting for her shapeshifter lover to return from rescuing migrant humans when a stranger carries an unconscious and badly injured Bas in from the Aegean Sea. She’s desperate to take him to an island in the Atlantic where a hidden spring of healing water will restore him.

But at the same time, Nik’s adoptive father is dying from a boating accident in her hometown of Tarpon Springs, Florida, and he’s asking for her. 

While battling a strange illness which antibiotics won’t cure, Nik must figure out a way to save Bas and get home to help her father. 

When Bas follows Nik to Florida, he is forced to keep his distance from her. He has already escaped one death sentence because of their relationship, and he can’t risk another. Still, he’s furious when Nik turns to her old friend, a mage Bas dislikes, to help her unravel the hidden truth behind her father’s accident. 

Water Desires is Book Two in the Love’s Siren Song Series. The thrilling sequel to the award-winning Water Dreams will drag you under and not let you up for air until the end. 

If you like mermaids, mages and magical romantic suspense, you’ll love this book. 

#star-crossed lovers #shapeshifters #paranormal

For fans of Debbie Herbert, Emma Hamm, and Christine Feehan  

Amazon 5 Star Review:

This is a great follow up to water dreams. There is tragedy, intense moments and love. Nik is strong, and determined to do things her way and figure herself out. Great book!!!

Buy Link:

Water Desires, Love’s Siren Song Book Two

Pen Dames Pointers! Tips to Jazz Up Your Writing 2024-1-8

 

A passion of Pen Dames is to help other writers by sharing tips and insights we have learned along the way. We hope you will find the pointers beneficial to your writing process.

Loretta C. Rogers

Read Recent Books in Your Genre

Avoid modeling your story after a book written 10 years ago or you may find that your novel is hopelessly out of date. When you research the market for the genre you plan to write, definitely study the classics, but also read books with recent copyright dates to check out the newer story lines.

Katherine Eddinger Smits

Sensory Details

Readers want to be immersed in a book, to become so involved in the fictional dream they forget where they are and feel like they are living the story along with the protagonist.

How do authors create that experience for them? By using sensory details in description. Sensory details include what the character sees, hears, smells, tastes, feels (both external and internal), and anything they perceive, filtered through their own unique personality, mood, and circumstances.

What does your heroine notice as she runs through the woods? 

It depends. 

If she’s Little Red Riding Hood trying to escape the Big Bad Wolf, she may only pay attention to the distance remaining to Grandma’s cottage, the weight of the basket thumping against her legs and slowing her down, the blur of tree limbs as she passes by, the wheeze of her breathing: only those things immediately relevant to her dire situation. 

What if she is Belle, running through the woods to warn Beast that Gaston is on his way with the torch-bearing villagers intent on destroying him and all those who dwell within his doomed castle? Her heart will be thudding with fear for him, not herself. She’ll spot every root and branch which is about to trip her up or delay her progress. The howling wolves are circling. And the pounding footsteps of the townspeople get louder as they gain on her. 

Or what if she is Katniss Everdeen before she volunteers as Tribute? As she runs through the forest, she concentrates on the hunt; her belly grumbles for something to eat; she focuses on the trail of the animal she plans to bring home to feed their family. Small, rustling sounds in the brush indicate where her prey hides. She imagines the aroma of the meal roasting over the fire, and she salivates as she anticipates the meaty, savory taste.

Place your protagonist in a critical scene. Then, consider the sensory details he or she experiences in the moment. Describe two or three of the most evocative ones to your reader, and your story will work its spell on them!

Barbara Cairns

Write What You Want to Read

When you create a story that you love yourself, it comes through in the writing. It will read as if in the words, and your protagonist and characters as a whole, pop off the page instead of being flat. It will also be much easier to write, and you’ll get excited about your story or topic. Picking the right genre for your book matters as you progress on your writing journey.

Jennifer Taylor

Honor Your Accomplishments

Making New Year's resolutions? There's nothing like making a fresh start at the beginning of the year. Some years I am as ambitious as a squirrel in a peanut factory. I leave no to-do stone unturned. At the end of the year, when I look back at what I'd written, I laugh like a maniac. There is no way a thousand Nora Roberts could have accomplished the writing goals that I had set out to do (and let's face it, one Nora Roberts is pretty formidable in her ability to produce stories). Now, there's nothing wrong with aiming high, and good for you if you can accomplish every goal you set out to do. And this applies to all life goals. But if you didn't, give yourself Grace. 

Even the most realistic writing goals can get derailed by life's unexpected events. For example, you're working like a house afire on that 5,000-word-a-week goal that you had set on January 1, and Pestilence hits the house. Take the Kleenexes that you've stuffed inside your runny nostrils to keep working and go lie down for a nap. We all need to remember Self-Care. You'll be up and running (and hopefully not your nose!) again soon.  

At the end of the week/month/year, take a look at what you were able to accomplish. Give yourself a break and a pat on the back. You made it through and now you can begin again. Maybe you'll even get an opportunity to get a few extra thousand words in.

Whatever your goals, be it writing, getting in shape, or learning a new hobby or skill, remember there are people who care about you and who will cheer you on. Just reach out. And most of all, have a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Flossie Benton Rogers

Sequential Action vs Consecutive Action

Be careful not to show actions happening at the same time when it's impossible for the actions to be anything but sequential. (Exception: Keep in mind that writing style is a factor, and allowances are sometimes made to show a rapid, seamless flow of action.)

Error: She walked into the room, taking a seat beside her friend. (She can’t walk and take a seat at the same time.)

Fix: She walked into the room and took a seat beside her friend.

            

Error: Sitting down, she sipped tea from the ornate cup. (Sitting down and sipping tea at the same time may be physically possible but would be awkward.)

Fix: She sat down and sipped tea from the ornate cup.

       

Possible exception to show rapid, seamless action:

The Marshall whipped out his gun, blowing the bad guy to Kingdom Come.

Did these suggestions resonate with you? Let us know, and also tell us of any writing questions you have and topics you’d like us to cover in these Pointers.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy writing! Cheers from the Pen Dames.

Happy New Year 2024 from the Pen Dames

 

Happy New Year 2024 from the Pen Dames! Blessings for all good things in your life, including warm family time, sparkling good health, spiritual uplift, prosperity and abundance, bountiful creative accomplishments, and tons of marvelous reading!

Introducing Guest Author: Barbara Whitaker

 Greetings, everyone! 

The Pen Dames and I (Jennifer Taylor) are thrilled to have author Barbara Whitaker with us for December. This talented author writes Historical Romances set during WWII. She skillfully weaves an intriguing plot and infuses her characters with heart and sensitivity. 

Her latest book is called Scarred Dreams. Here's the back cover blurb:

In 1944, a German artillery shell destroyed Milt Greenlee’s future in professional baseball. His hideously scarred face and useless arm require him to relearn and recondition. But no amount of rehab will restore his looks or his self-confidence. There’s no chance a “cripple” like him could catch the eye of the stunning Nurse McEwen.

Army Nurse, Annie McEwen dreams her voice will take her far away from her hateful, overbearing father. She hopes Milt, a patient who fought in Sicily, might be the one who can help her find closure with the death of her cousin.   

 As their attraction grows, how can their relationship survive Annie's fears and Milt's secret?

                                                            

Please enjoy this fascinating interview with Barbara: 

 How and when did your writing journey begin?

You could consider me a late bloomer because it was later in my life before I started seriously writing. Although I had made up stories in my head for as long as I can remember, I didn’t write them down or try to organize them until I was older. Once I decided I wanted to write a novel, I realized that I had a lot to learn. That’s when I joined a writing group and started reading books on writing. I soaked up all I could. Since I wanted to write historical novels (because I love history), I researched everything. I wrote my first draft, revised it, and revised it again and again. It was probably fifteen years from the time I decided I wanted to write a novel until my first one was published. I learned a lot during those years, and I became a better writer along the way.

What genre is your book? What do you like about writing in that genre?

My novel, Scarred Dreams, is a Historical Romance set during World War II. I love the history of any era and I love romance. I decided to set my romance novels during World War II because I never tire of reading about that time, which makes research easier. As a matter of fact, I can get lost in researching World War II. Another reason I chose World War II was because of all the stories I heard growing up. Everyone’s father, uncle, grandfather, or brother had fought in that war. Some of the mothers had also served, as nurses, in the Women’s Army Corps, or working defense jobs. These stories gave the history a personal touch, especially the ones about how couples met and married during or after the war.

Describe your main character—life, personality, motivation—whatever you think will make us want to get to know the person.

In Scarred Dreams I consider the hero, Milton, as the main character, since he is the wounded warrior who is brought back to the U.S. to recover.  He grew up in a small town and was next to the oldest of five children. Talented in all sports, he chose baseball as his future career and he could have made the big leagues had he not been wounded. He longs to make his own way in life, but the damage to his body makes it more difficult for him to see a way forward. If you like reading about underdogs who overcome obstacles, then Scarred Dreams is the book for you.

 If you could spend an afternoon with any of your secondary characters, who would it be and why?

Sgt. Lloyd Baker is a rehab specialist or physical therapist who I loosely based on my father since that was his job during WWII. An afternoon with him to talk about all his experiences during the war would be wonderful. My father was stationed at the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, which the Army converted to a hospital. Stories from that time inspired me to use that location, with a fictitious name, in Scarred Dreams. Later, in Atlanta, my father worked with professional baseball player Luke Appling, so the character Louis Applegate was based on a real Baseball Hall of Famer.  

Which authors/books are on your keeper shelves?

Susanna Kearsley writes a kind of time-travel where part of the book is current and part is in a historic time with connections between the characters in different times. The historical portions are often in Jacobean Scotland, although some have been in France or even Russia. I love Susana’s writing style and I anxiously await her next book. 

Speaking of Scotland, I love the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. If I had time, I would reread the whole series.

 Another favorite is Madeline Martin. (Note: Please see below the kudos Barbara received from Madeline for her first book, A War Apart.) I enjoyed her Scottish Highlands romances. Then she started writing World War II historical novels, which I love. As for World War II writers, Sarah Sundin can’t be beat. I’ve read all her books and always look forward to the next one.

 I also enjoy a good, quirky mystery by Deanna Raybourn. With elaborate Victorian settings and most unusual characters, these novels are always a fun read.

                                                                        

Here's a sample from Scarred Dreams:

“Good morning, soldier.” She met his gaze and for an instant he saw recognition before she shut it down as if she’d never seen him before. “Time for your penicillin shot,” she said. Her melodious speaking voice almost matched her singing voice.

“Sure,” Milt replied, making an effort to smile despite his pounding head. If she didn’t want to acknowledge their brief encounter the previous day, why should he care? It didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy having a beautiful singer as his nurse.

“Which side?” she asked.

“Huh?” Had that sound come from him?

“Which side do you want the shot in? Right or left?”

He watched her lips form the words. Soft, expressive lips. He blinked, knowing he had to reply. “Uh, left is okay.” The cast on his left arm stuck out so much it made it near impossible to roll onto his left side to expose his right cheek. Which made the left as his only choice. In the last few weeks, he’d gotten so many shots in his left butt cheek it probably looked like a purple pin cushion.

“All right. Just roll over and push down your pajama bottoms.” She turned to retrieve a hypo from one of the trays.

Praise for Barbara Whitaker

“Barbara Whitaker’s A War Apart is a riveting novel set during WWII that has been researched to perfection. Whitaker brings history to life with her incredible descriptions and presents us with an entirely plausible way for two people to find love during such tumultuous times where war has pushed them apart…This is a fantastic book that will draw you in by the heart…”

~ Madeline Martin, NYT Bestseller.

“…achingly beautiful. True to the time…many ups and downs for these characters both personally and together. A great attention to detail from the author in which she uses wonderful imagery to transport you to the time…”

~ Novel News Network Blog.

 Here are the social media and buy links for your convenience:

Website – www.barbarawhitaker.com

Facebook Author Page - https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraWhitakerAuthor/

Facebook Personal Page - https://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitaker13

https://www.amazon.com/Scarred-Dreams-Barbara-Whitaker-ebook/dp/B0BGX17914/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1700857496&sr=8-1

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/scarred-dreams-barbara-whitaker/1142306104?ean=2940185591581

 

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/scarred-dreams

 

All you lovers of WWII Historical Romance, you're in for a treat.

 

 

Pen Dames Pointers! Tips to Jazz Up Your Writing 2023-11-7

A passion of Pen Dames is to help other writers by sharing tips and insights we have learned along the way. We hope you will find the pointers beneficial to your writing process.

Flossie Benton Rogers

Procrastination Tip

Are you working on a rough first draft but having trouble getting started on your daily writing routine this morning? Feel the need to check a few more dozen emails and social media sites? Isn’t there a load of laundry requiring attention? Does heading toward your writing space feel more like Daniel entering the lion’s den? Sometimes we want to write the words, but something inside us is reluctant to get in that chair. Something in us balks at doing the job. Some writers even experience physical sensations such as queasiness and upset stomach. Here is a mental trick that may help. Reframe your perception. Instead of focusing on you and how you are feeling, change the central focus to THE BOOK. The book is it. The book is the focus, and it is coming into being. See it in your mind—all finished, published, with a beautiful cover. You need only allow it. The book is the center. You are the conduit. All is well. Sit in the chair and with a spirit of play allow THE BOOK to come into being.

Loretta C. Rogers

Four Tips for Crafting a Suspenseful Scene

Part II

“I Couldn’t Put it Down.” Those five words are music to an author’s ears. It’s the ultimate compliment. It means the reader will probably be waiting for your next book! Here are four suggestions for crafting a suspenseful scene to keep the reader turning the papers:

1. If a villain is causing problems, make him a strong villain so he can make things progressively worse.

2. Give the hero/heroine conflicting goals. This way, while they are falling in love, their progress toward their own individual goals makes matters worse for the other and their relationship. Ultimately, they must choose between their goals and the one they love.

3. Let your hero/heroine inadvertently make things worse by their own actions. Maybe your hero reluctantly decides to take abuse from the villain because fighting back will make things worse for the heroine. Maybe the heroine hurts the hero’s cause by being so honest she unwittingly gives away an important secret to the villain.

4. Let outside forces unexpectedly turn the tide against your protagonists. If the hero is trying to save a child from a burning building, the wind changes direction, and the flames shift toward the child’s bedroom. If the heroine has been trying to prove her worth by making a killing on the stock market, the stock market crashes, and she loses everything.

To refresh your memory be sure to go back and read Part I of Creating Suspense. Also, you don’t want to miss the helpful writing pointers from our other Pen Dames authors.

Katherine Eddinger Smits

Genre

One of the first decisions a writer needs to make is the genre of their book. It’s important to know which genre or genres your book fits in because each genre has expectations that readers want fulfilled. Make them a promise by calling your book a romance, for example, and disappoint them by not giving them a Happily Ever After or Happy for Now ending, and they will throw your book at the wall—before they write a bad review.

Barbara Cairns

Dialogue

Dialogue is so important. It has many functions.

Sometimes, using the narrative technique of dialogue can introduce flashbacks, which allows the reader to understand a character’s past fears and experiences.

Sometimes, dialogue can prevent monologues by the narrator with descriptions, reflections and actions broken up instead of a long narration.

Sometimes, dialogue can provide information about the time and place of the story by the details used in vocabulary, expressions and idioms.

Sometimes, dialogue between characters can advance the plot, by showing, not telling and bringing readers inside the scenes.

And last, but certainly not least, dialogue can help readers know a character better through their voice, through their conflicts, silences and contradictions.

There are different reasons to add dialogue to your narration. You just have to find the right one for you.

Jennifer Taylor

Poetry Inspiration

Having a bit of writer's block? Need some inspiration? Walk away from your desk and read a poem. A poem is a distillation of prose; the use of imagery-metaphors, and similes, for example, enable the reader to look at the very heart of something. It might be a good idea to read a poem before you start. My suggestion would be the classics: Emily Dickinson, Byron, Shelley, and Blake are some of my favorites. Reading poetry regularly can make your prose more powerful. Give it a try and let us know how it goes.

Did these suggestions resonate with you? Let us know, and also let us know of any writing questions you have and topics you’d like us to cover in these Pointers.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy writing! Cheers from the Pen Dames.

Introducing Guest Author: Mary Lu Scholl

 

Introducing Guest Author: Mary Lu Scholl

Happy October to all our Pen Dames readers! We hope you are enjoying cooler weather as autumn approaches. 

We are eager to introduce you to our next guest author, Mary Lu Scholl, a fun-loving, creative writer of Cozy Mysteries, who writes wherever she happens to land. 

Here is the Book Blurb for Fatal Philandering:

Patty Decker is just trying to get along in her new-ish life in a 55+ mobile home and RV Park (well, kind of trying.) She can't help it if she's Johnny-on -the-spot when there's an unexplained death! Of course, they didn't HAVE unexplained deaths until she moved there... 

She's a crotchety old woman who is just a little socially awkward (all right, a lot socially awkward) who struggles with tact, diplomacy, you know, empathy. 

In Fatal Philandering (book 9 of Trailer Park Trevails), a couple of actors show up to get a brief respite from the star-struck life they normally lead; just a little health break. Whoops. 

She didn't do it, but she's in the thick of it again...

A fun interview with Mary Lu: 

1. What can you tell us about YOU that will allow us to get to know you better - where you live, your background, jobs, interests, etc.? 

I'm a retired Postal Manager, but have done dozens of other jobs to keep body and soul together when young, and because I could, after retiring. I've been everything from a waitress to a landscape worker, picked tomatoes and cared for Developmentally Disabled Adults. 

2. What books were your favorites as a child?

Mmmmmm . . . I read a lot of science fiction, and most of the classics in elementary and middle school - The Dune Trilogy, anything by Heinlein or Clarke. Then there was Stephen King. All the mysteries, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew. Others included Jane Eyre, Forever Amber, The Master of the Game by Sydney Sheldon, and Tolkein. Johanna Lindsay wrote remarkable characters. 

3. How and when did your writing journey begin? 

As a young adult, I wrote a couple of novels and had an agent for a while, but couldn't seem to break through. After I retired, I wrote another novel, set in western Colorado. Then I moved here and was, coincidentally, living in a mobile home and RV park for a while . . . That was in 2018. I have written twelve novels since then.

4. What genre is your book? What do you like about writing in that genre?

I write cozy mysteries. I do like it. Blood, guts, gore and sex are 'off screen' implied. There is no - or very little mild profanity depending upon your perspective. My parents told me that profanity was the mark of a lazy vocabulary and I could make my point much more succinctly using real words.

5. What inspires you to write?

I like to make people laugh. I enjoy exploring the foibles of human nature. I've had a very varied life with a lot of experiences. Using them in the narratives of my books lets other people experience them. I have learned so much from books. I need to perpetuate the gift.

6. What is the setting of your book? Please describe it.

Citrus County, in Lecanto, mostly. In nine of the books, Patty Decker lives in a fictional trailer park on Gulf-to -Lake Hwy. (A 55+ community with two main roads and amenities like a pool, horseshoe pits, shuffleboard, a laundry and shower house, plus a clubhouse for community events.) The other three existing books are dovetailed to this series, but have a male protagonist living nearby the park. Bernie Murphy lives in a Sears House with a very big barn. He's a handsome Irishman returning to his roots. He finds his Irish mythology came with him, or was it already here?

7. Why did you choose this setting? Is it a real place or did you create it for the story?

It's fictional, but nearly all the situations, most of the conversations, and many of the details are straight out of my life.

8. Is your book part of a series or a standalone? If it is a part of a series, describe the series.

There are two series - In Trailer Park Trevails. Patty Decker has moved to Lecanto (aka Paradise in West Central Florida) to soak up sun and write novels in a twenty-five foot camper. What WAS she thinking? Camper Catastrophe sets the scene . . . The second one is Bernie Murphy in Nature Coast Calamities. He has returned to Citrus County and finds that the Irish mythology of his childhood might be real. (The Lecanto Leprechaun, Big Foot and the Bentley, and InverNessie.)

9. Describe your main character- life, personality, motivation- whatever you think will make us want to know this person.

If you want to get to know Patty, it's mostly to convince yourself that YOU are not like her. You have tact.

10. If you could spend an afternoon with any of your secondary characters, who would it be and why?

Patty's best friend is Dr. Catherine. She's very smart. 

11. What writing projects do you have on the horizon? 

Since I just released a Patty book, I'm writing my next Bernie book now. My last Bernie book, Pooka and the Pirates just received a 5 star review. 

12. What is your best advice for aspiring writers? 

Don't lose heart. Keep writing for yourself even if you never share.

13. Which authors/books are on your keeper shelves?

Too many to name. I keep authors I know - have met one way or another. I keep the classics, plus Kay Hooper and Jules Verne.

14. If you could meet any author, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Frank Herbert - because WOW. Or, Tolkein! 

15. What is your favorite book marketing tip? 

Elevator speeches - 90 second clips to capture your audience.

16. What do you like to do when not writing?

I garden and do needlework.

Excerpt from Fatal Philandering:

Chapter Five- Later Thursday - Patty

People were watering things they'd never watered before, just so they could be outside whrn the actor came. I was front and center, behind a shrub.

A car came. It was predictably, a convertible. Didn't they all drive convertibles?

At least until the squirrels ate the canvas.

JJ had a gold Sebring convertible. He had learned the hard way to protect the top from the adorable rodents with poison and Irish Spring soap.

Two men got out. Two? One was tall, had salt and pepper hair and a full beard, trimmed neatly and just long enough not to be confused with that nasty scruff the younger generation cultivates. He was neatly dressed, and stood with his hands in his pockets while waiting for the other man to join him. The second man was short and kind of soft looking. He had an amazing nose. He did have nice hair, even if the improbable cut (a mushroom shape?) was an improbable shade of strawberry-blonde for a man who had to be in his 50s. He carried a laptop case and wore those fancy big sneakers that make your feet look like aircraft carriers.

"Did Desiree say two of them were moving in?" I asked Doris.

I happened to be standing next to her, while she was carefully pruning a plant that had never been pruned before and would probably die from her enthusiastic ministrations.

"Give me those." I took her clippers away from her. "Text Pete."

Before she could do more than pick up her phone, she had an incoming text from Pete. Desiree says there are two of them moving in.

I read unashamedly over her shoulder. "How does he do that?" He seemed to always know when Doris wanted him and what she needed.

Doris just smiled. She was a newlywed and still under the impression that Pete was patient, perspicacious, and alliteratively perfect in every way.

"I'm the one in the bottom picture. Well, maybe the one in the top picture, too."

To contact Mary Lu, use the following social media link:

https://www.facebook.com/maryluschollauthor?mibextid=ZbWKwL

To buy Mary Lu's books, use this link:

https://amazon.com/author/maryluscholl