Title: Good Ground
Genre: Historical Romance
Synopsis
Jim’s faith in God is tested by the death of his cherished
wife and child. His life becomes barren, and he loses hope and the ability to
continue.
But God plants in his heart the seeds of a new beginning and the will to go on through an orphan child. Jim nurtures this child with the same devotion that he invests in his land. The result is a son of whom any father would be proud. Jim’s gift continues through Ellis.
Ellis in turn cares passionately for his own farm, his friends, and eventually another lost soul. When he finds Clairey in the midst of a blizzard, he rescues her from her desperate life, and she grows into a capable a strong woman under his care. Jim’s legacy comes full circle.
All things grow in love. . .
But God plants in his heart the seeds of a new beginning and the will to go on through an orphan child. Jim nurtures this child with the same devotion that he invests in his land. The result is a son of whom any father would be proud. Jim’s gift continues through Ellis.
Ellis in turn cares passionately for his own farm, his friends, and eventually another lost soul. When he finds Clairey in the midst of a blizzard, he rescues her from her desperate life, and she grows into a capable a strong woman under his care. Jim’s legacy comes full circle.
All things grow in love. . .
About the Author
“By
day, a school librarian. By night, a wife and mother. But in those quiet
moments that are only mine, I write…”
Born
and raised on the flatlands of Central Indiana, Tracy moved to the highlands
of Utah at the age of nineteen. She quickly discovered that her brand
new, top-of-the-line hiking boots were a waste of good money because she
was never quite able to acclimate to the altitude in the Rockies. Tracy
claims to suffer from a type of disorientation she attributes to altitude
sickness to this day. It seems to be a permanent affliction. Her
husband Benjamin cohabitates in a home with Tracy and the four beautiful
but precocious children they lovingly created together. Although to
others, their home may seem alarmingly chaotic, it is an insanity of
their own making.
Goodreads:
Purchase Links
Good
Ground is FREE on Amazon from 9/2
– 9/6.
A True Love Story
What constitutes a true love story? In the beginning you
meet someone, have an attraction or a common purpose and the relationship
grows. While many of us experience that chemical reaction of seeing someone
that you are drawn to because of physical appearance, you general move past
that into meatier substance when you “fall in love”.
I think of my parents who have been married now for
forty-four years. Would my mom say that she thought my dad was dang fine? Sure.
My grandparents who spent a life time together had their beginnings in a
horseshoe game. My grandmother swore that when she saw the back of my grandpa’s
head she knew that was the man she would marry. My own marriage of sixteen
years began with a double take when I saw my husband for the first time walk by
and I thought, wow he is really good
looking.
But then I think of the rest of the story, and I realize
that these relationships may be steeped in infatuation but they moved on to
bigger and better things. I do not profess to be an expert on love, but I will
share with you what I believe love is.
My grandma and grandpa lived in rural Tennessee. Grandma Ruby
was the only child of Frank Amonette. Frank was a professed bachelor for a good
portion of his life and when he finally settled down and married my great-
grandmother he was growing older. When my great-grandma Mary died of breast
cancer, his fear then was of being alone. He asked my Grandma Ruby to promise
him that she would never marry. She would not agree to it, because even as a
young woman she knew that it was a promise she couldn’t keep.
Her father did not approve of my grandpa Douglas, for
various reasons (I’m sure some of them good reasons). While my Grandpa Douglas
was a good man he was human, had his weaknesses and made his mistakes. But she
loved him anyway. Because my great-grandfather Frank would not give his
blessing, they decided to elope. At one point, on their journey to exchange
vows, grandpa Douglas carried my grandma Ruby through a stream so that she
wouldn’t get wet. Doesn’t get much more romantic than that does it?
But here’s the ever after part. They went on to have
children, six of them. At one point my grandma Ruby experienced a very
traumatic and difficult miscarriage. The two of them struggled to make ends
meet on their tobacco farm while raising their family. The work was hard, the
days were long. One of their sons as an adult was involved in an accident and
consequentially became a quadriplegic. My grandparents lovingly took care of
him until they died. They had many ups and downs throughout their fifty-nine
years together.
Similarly, my parents met, fell in love, and were married.
Went on to have eight children! During that time my father worked hard to
support his family. My mother worked hard to keep the house in order and
provide meals for her family and make things stretch as far as they might. They
worked together to raise us children and to do the best they could with what
they were given. They lost their first
grandson shortly after he was born, a constant heartache, even now after
nineteen years, for our family. They had another grandson diagnosed with
autism. I have seen firsthand their struggles and the lengths they would go to
in order to take care of their own.
My own marriage has not been without its problems. My
husband and I now have four children of our own. Our second, a son, was
diagnosed with autism at the age of two. Finances and the stresses of work and
family have been difficult at times. What is my point in telling you all of
this? I guess it is to say that I believe true love happens after the happily
ever after. It is grounded in joy and
sorrow, in work and play, in pleasure
and suffering, in passion and temperance. It is facing hard times
and working through them together. We are older and weigh more and are wiser
and more experienced. I still think he is sexier than ever and sometimes we
still make love like it was the first time. I know him and he knows me, the good,
the bad, and the ugly. And yet, despite the imperfection, we are solid. We love
each other. We love each other enough to work through the moments that are
truly bad, because we know that there is still good somewhere in the future. This, for me, is a true love story, hanging on
and hanging in with the person you have made promises to and choosing to stay
in love despite the odds being against you.
|
I am so pleased to have my book featured on your blog. Thank you for the opportunity.
ReplyDelete