Author: Carol Underhill

Meet the Author: Michelle Lowe

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

Today I’m interviewing author Michelle Lowe about her new book, The Autumn Keepsake. Michelle, I’m happy to have you here. Tell us a little bit about yourself:

I live in Asheboro, North Carolina with my husband, Brian, and our eighteen-year-old son, Jake. We have a very spoiled bluetick hound-mix named Daisy. I am a Registered Nurse as well as an author. I work part-time for a small company out of Raleigh completing nursing assessments during the week, and I enjoy writing whenever I have free time. I also enjoy cooking and searching for Native American arrowheads on our property.

What is The Autumn Keepsake about?

Tessa Stanley survives an unimaginable childhood tragedy. Her best friend, a sweet old hound dog named Laura, has been with her through thick and thin– even more recently during a broken engagement.

When Tessa befriends an eccentric neighbor, and accidentally calls the police on the woman’s great-nephew who also happens to be the local fire chief, she and Laura embark on a special journey reconnecting her with the past and the reason behind her dog’s personifying name. And most importantly, she learns the events in her life, good and bad, have all been a part of His greater plan.

What is the inspiration behind your story?

I love dogs, and as you have probably gathered, our sweet Daisy is partly the inspiration for this story. She has been a faithful friend to our entire family! The grandparents even love her and bring her special treats!

I also lost my mom to Multiple Sclerosis many years ago. And although this loss is still very painful, I can see many blessings in my life, too.

Are you a night owl or a morning person?

I am definitely a morning person. I got into the habit of going to bed early when my son was small, and I still go to bed before anyone else in our house, sometimes around 8:30 p.m. or so! I’m usually pretty tuckered out by then! I am much more creative and ready to go early in the morning.

How did you come up with the names of your hero and/or heroine?

I often look at lists of boy or girl names until I find something that fits with the character I have in mind. For example, the name Tessa just seemed to fit perfectly for the strong heroine in THE AUTUMN KEEPSAKE. When I chose this name, I could picture my character, with her chestnut-colored hair and her pretty brown lace dress, in one of the last scenes.

What are your favorite three books?

I have read almost every book by Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney. I have my mom’s old hardbacks which I treasure. This is kind of funny, since these are historical romances, and I write contemporary romances. My favorite books by these authors are:

THE BLACK OPAL by Victoria Holt

THE INDIA FAN by Victoria Holt

DREAM OF ORCHIDS by Phyllis Whitney

What does your family think of your writing?

My family is very supportive of my writing, and I am grateful for this. My son, Jake, even read my first novella on his tablet. Being an eighteen-year-old, I’m not sure he’d want anyone to know this, but it sure meant the world to me!!

What’s next for you as an author?

I have a Christmas novella which will be released on November 4th by Anaiah Press, and another novella set to be released next summer in July. I am very excited!

Where can readers find you online?

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormlowe/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichelleSLoweAuthor/

Link to buy THE AUTUMN KEEPSAKE: https://amzn.to/3d1mhNE

Good Monday Morning: Sept. 26

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This is the last Monday in September. This month went by so fast.

Summer is over and fall is here. That turning of the season was a difficult time for me when my kids were in school. It was as hard for me to shift from lazy summer mornings to bustling everyone out the door in time to catch the bus or drive to school. In fact, many years during this change of season, I suffered from increased anxiety.

It feels like I still experience the aftershock of those hectic days when this time of year rolls around. My mood shifted a few days ago. A little bit of depression is creeping in, stealing my motivation and my joy. That affects my mindset and my thoughts turn inward. I self-reflect and pick out the negatives instead of focusing on the positive.

It’s time for another appointment with my counselor. I can get through this, but I need a little help to sort through my emotions.

Three years ago I was on top of my game. I was in great health and my first novella was about to be released.

Two years ago, I had good lab results and felt physically stronger than I ever had, but I struggled to find a job. Finances became a hardship. I learned how to cook dry beans and make up my own soups, as well as portion out the meat that I ate so that it stretched farther.

Last year, I’d already started to let down my guard, not paying attention to what I ate and not exercising regularly. I had some disappointments that I couldn’t seem to get over.

In November last year, I began working with children’s church. Like I often do, I came up with my own ideas for curriculum. For the next few months, I focused on preparing lessons weekly with Bible stories, games and crafts. It didn’t matter to me that we only had 1-3 kids most Sundays. It was a lot of fun for me to get back into the area of children’s ministry that I enjoyed when my kids were little.

I decided that last year, in 2021, I chased after things that weren’t important. I decided that in 2022, I would focus on what God had planned for me.

I spend a lot of time working on curriculum to use in our local church and in preparation for future publishing.

Although I have several ideas for Christian fiction, I haven’t written anything this year. I keep thinking I want to get something going, but I don’t have the drive.

I can’t tell if it’s because the church curriculum consumes all of my creative energy or if it’s wrter’s block that’s lasted for several months.

Maybe a little bit of both?

As any of you who follow my blog can tell, I’ve been lax this summer in writing new posts. One thing I have continued is the Pet Tails Series. I’ve requested photos and stories of pets who are available for adoption from our local animal rescue coalition. The last one named Hash brown almost tempted me to seek adoption.

My “baby,” my Black Lab named Rosie, turns thirteen next month and is slowing down. I think she may have a tumor and plan to call the vet this week and get her an appointment. I don’t really want another dog to replace her, but after my husband died, she was the only reason I went outside the house. She’s been a good companion in spite of her stubbornness and occasional digging into the trash. I don’t know when but we will be saying goodbye to her sooner rather than later.

I don’t think I will get another dog, however. We have several cats. Adding a puppy or even an older dog to the household will be more work for me. I’d like to do some traveling in a couple of years and I don’t want the responsibility of a dog that I’d have to ask someone else to take care of while I’m gone.

Then there is the expense: Vet visits, spaying or neutering, shots, as well as food. My kids have been paying for all of that over this past year as I have struggled financially. I can’t afford another dog until my finances get sqared away. I’m working on budgeting but there isn’t much left over after bills to budget.

I have to believe that will all change one day, hopefully sooner rather than later. I made some poor decisions in the past that have put me in this situation. I am unable to work full time due to mental health issues. But I’ve missed a lot of part time hours this summer due to illness or said issues.

The Passport Journey curriculum has gone amazingly well and is still a fun project for me. I’m also working on a series called Hall of Faith, based on Hebrews 11 and am making trading cards to go along with the stories. I’m also working on New Testament stories that we can begin in January if God directs us to.

So there are some positive things in my life, I just have to look a little harder for them right now. I’m also making the commitment to eating healthier and exercising more often, but we all know how hard it is to stick with those good habits.

I hope you all have a good week and I’ll see you back here soon!

Oh, and I’ve lined up some author interviews and book features for the next few months so I can introduce you to some great Christian fiction.

Recipe: Salmon Patties

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I often have canned salmon in the pantry. While I have purchased boneless, skinless pouches of salmon for certain recipes, I have let these cans sit on the shelf for a few months because they have the bones and skin on the salmon.

I’m not a fan of fish to begin with. Add in the bones and skin, well, let’s just say it’s not enjoyable to me to work with it. Still, I made the effort to try a couple of recipes for salmon patties and salmon loaf. Although good, neither recipe was truly satisfying.

Then I ran across a simple recipe for patties that contained cornmeal and mayonnaise. Those are among my favorite ingredients. So I took the plunge. I used a pair of non-powdered gloves and opened two cans of salmon. I peeled off the skin and took out the bigger bones. Then I mixed the ingredients from the recipe, changing it up a little to suit my tastes.

After mixing well, I put olive oil in a fry pan and heated it. Then I fried the patties until they were golden brown and crisp on both sides.

For condiments, I prefer my own “tartar sauce.” I don’t like all the ingredients in purchased tartar sauce. My simple recipe is below.

I also served the salmon patties with a side of white rice with the sauce added to the rice.

Disclaimer: This is not a healthy recipe with all the mayo, but I use one that is blended with olive oil to make it somewhat lighter.

Salmon Patties

Ingredients:

2 cans salmon, deboned and skinned

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup flour

2 eggs

1/4 cup mayonnaise

Mix together. Shape into patties. Heat olive oil in large skillet. Cook patties on both sides until golden brown and crispy.

Sauce for Salmon Patties

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon dry dill weed

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon milk

Mix and serve with salmon and rice.

From the Archives: You Prepare a Table Before Me

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“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…”

Psalm 23:5-6a

Today marks the end of a pretty good week. Drama free, no missed work or car problems. It was payday yesterday so that makes it even better. I was able to catch up on a couple of bills and buy a few essentials.

The above verses from Psalm 23 follow verse 4: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

You’ve probably heard me say that losing someone you love so much is like going through the Valley of the Shadow of Grief. Their death, not yours, but it affects every aspect of your life. There is no part of your day that your loss doesn’t touch, at least in the beginning.

I feel like I came through the shadows and into the light of God’s grace. I’ve shared most of my journey on this blog in previous posts.

The shadows linger over my head at times, like during the past month when the struggles of life bombarded me and were almost more than I could take.

Almost.

There is no question that the love and support of my family and friends brought me through.

I specifically asked for prayer last week when I was faced with a staff training day which meant sitting in a room with 30 other people. I didn’t find the chair comfortable, I was in the middle of the room, not the back or off by myself, which meant I felt claustrophobic, and IBS kicked in. But the seminar was on dealing with anxiety and stress, and by the time it was over my anxiety symptoms had faded.

One of the other homemaker aides took me under her wing that day, knowing I had problems with anxiety. She gave me the end seat at lunch, becoming the buffer between other employees and myself.

The company paid for lunch, then we bowled afterwards. My new friend invited me to be on her team, along with two other women from our department.

I had fun.
I was suprised at that.

I haven’t bowled for 20 years and I had a horrible score.

But I laughed a lot. I enjoyed myself in the company of my new friends.

I have not socialized aside from family and church for a long time, so it was a good experience for me. Sure, I had some socially awkward moments, but for the most part I felt good about the day’s events.

God prepared that table before me, in the restaurant and at the bowling alley. The employer is not my enemy and the other workers aren’t enemies, either.

No, the enemies that surrounded me that day were fear, anxiety and insecurity.

God anointed that time and place. He saw ahead and paved the way through my new friend, a table that had an open spot on the end, and a group that I was comfortable bowling with.

Although we had time to play three games and two of my teammates did so, I stopped after one. I don’t have great balance and I feared I would take a fall. It wasn’t so much fear as caution.

Even after I quit bowling, I spent time socializing and stretching outside the box.

For that afternoon, I forgot all about my troubles.

My cup of joy and laughter overflowed.

I had asked for prayer to get through the day, and I know many of my friends and family responded. I could feel the difference.