I love the colors and scents of fall. I miss the days of watching my sons play football and listening to my daughter in the marching band. Hot chocolate, nachos, sitting on the bleachers cheering them on.
I love the changing colors of the leaves outside my windows.
I like going to the apple orchard. I especially enjoy apple cider and pumpkin spice donuts.
Do you know what I also love about fall? God’s grace is evident in the changing of seasons. The words, “this too shall pass” brings to mind the fact that we go through seasons in our lives. Childhood, young adulthood, career establishment, weddings, becoming parents—seasons that bring us joy.
Then we might go through seasons that bring us sorrow—loss of a career, a spouse through death or divorce, financial hardships.
God is with us in the good seasons, and He is especially near to us in the seasons of heartache.
I lost my husband in 2010 after only 20 years of marriage. We were in our mid-forties. I thought I would never get past the grief.
However, that season of grief has passed because of the gifts of a loving and supportive family, a network of good friends, a church family who prayed for me, a counselor to help me through the especially dark times.
I will always miss my husband, as if a part of me has been amputated (C.S. Lewis).
But I’ve found joy in life again. As an expression of that joy, I welcome you to participate in a giveaway for a copy of my novella.
What is your favorite part of fall?
A. Color change of leaves
B. Football
C. Marching Band
D. Youth Hunt
E. Pumpkin spice anything
F. Apple orchard
Go to my Facebook author page to post your answer for a chance to win.
September’s Theme is Hometown Pride. I’ll be posting a chapter each week of my own sweet romance about the high school quarterback and valedictorian who reconnect at a high school reunion.
Today’s featured book is also about two classmates who end up working together a few years after school. They have both been changed by their life’s circumstances and must find a way to put the past behind them.
Here’s today’s Friday Feature:
Author’s Inspiration:
I love the “forced proximity” trope, so this book began with my vision for the scene where Sydney and Grant are trapped in a stalled car together in the middle of winter. I enjoyed writing how Sydney’s walls slowly tore down after that experience, and the rest of the story eventually took shape.
About the book:
After a disastrous failed engagement, Sydney Hampson is leaving her past—and her faith—behind to focus on her career instead. However, following through with her new, albeit misguided, resolution proves easier said than done when former classmate, and reformed bully, Grant Williams signs on with her company, and they must work closely together.
Grant Williams gave up his teenage antics years ago, and now he’s looking forward to a future that includes a strong relationship with God. When he realizes he’ll be working with none other than Sydney Hampson—the girl he had a secret crush on throughout high school—he couldn’t be more thrilled. Until he discovers she’s not the same caring, compassionate woman she used to be.
When a business trip gone awry leaves the pair stranded in the middle of a snowstorm, Grant sees his chance to make things right and put their past wrongs behind them…if only Sydney can get over her distrust of men. And with a conniving coworker working to destroy Sydney’s happiness, no matter the cost, can she put her faith back in God and learn to trust in Grant before she loses her chance at happiness?
Excerpt:
They sat on the beat-up couch, with an entire cushion between them. “Sorry. The living room is one of the next things on my to-do list. The kitchen and bathroom were a lot to tackle, so I had to stop and focus on replenishing my funds for a while.”
Sydney laughed. “You don’t need to apologize. I think you’ve done an amazing job with this place. It’s unrecognizable, really.”
“Hmm.” Grant leaned over to put his glass on the coffee table. “Kind of like you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Unrecognizable. I mean, I literally didn’t know it was you when I saw you at the Snowball Reunion last month. It took a few minutes for the fog to lift.”
“That’s because I lost some weight and started using a flatiron on my hair,” Sydney said with a playful smirk. “So, what did you think when you realized we’d be working together?”
“Honestly?” Grant asked, and Sydney nodded. “I couldn’t believe my luck. I knew I’d missed my opportunity with you in high school. And I know people change. Clearly, we both did. But I figured our connection might still be there.”
“Our connection?” Sydney asked, her tone incredulous. She almost wondered if she’d heard him right. “What high school did you go to?”
“I know, I know. But you get what I mean, right? If circumstances had been different, I believe we really could have clicked back then. Don’t you?” Grant paused, but Sydney couldn’t give him the validation he was after without it being a bald-faced lie, so she shook her head and gave him an apologetic look.
“Well anyway, I guess I was excited that I might have a second chance to see if something could happen.”
Sydney struggled with how to respond to his confession. It had been a long time since she’d been with a man who was insinuating that they had chemistry. Was she ready to admit the same?
“So, what did you think of me after spending some time with me in the office?” She hoped her question would force him to confess how horrible she had become as a person. Self-sabotage, Sydney. Atta girl.
After a pause, Grant replied, “Well, I knew I was right.”
“In what way? That people change? I guess I wasn’t the person you remembered, was I?” Sydney asked somberly.
“No, I mean I knew I was right that we would have clicked.”
About the author:
Katy Eeten lives in southeast Wisconsin with her husband, Jason, and their two sons. She works full-time crunching numbers and analyzing data, but her true passion is writing. She has four contemporary Christian romances and a Christmas novella due out this winter. When she’s not working or writing, she enjoys taking walks or bike rides, baking goodies, and spending time with her family.
Back to school, football, hot chocolate and marching band. Those are what I think of when I think of September.
One of my favorite memories is going to the high school football games with my sister, who was older and in marching band. I’d buy hot chocolate and sit in the bleachers. I’d pretend that I was a high schooler. I loved the atmosphere, the chilly weather and hot drink, but it was the atmosphere that I liked the best.
When I got in high school, I hung out with my friends at the games. But none of those games holds the nostalgia that those early football games do.
As a parent, I watched both of my sons play football and my daughter play in the marching band. I went to the home games and enjoyed them. One year all three kids were in the homecoming parade, and that was a joy to watch.
Now that they are all grown and no longer in school or sports, I sometimes long for the days when I can sit in the bleachers and cheer on the games and the band.
Maybe that’s why my Hometown Pride series means so much to me.
The first book in the series is about the high school quarterback and the valedictorian who connect at their 15-year class reunion. Both widowed with children the same ages, they find more in common now than they had back then. And there is an undeniable spark between them.
May I have this Dance is the first book in the Hometown Pride series. Each Saturday, I will publish a chapter here on my blog, as I did the previous book.
You should know that this series is not Christian fiction. However, it is a sweet romance that doesn’t contradict my faith.
I hope you will stop by on Saturday, September 4 for the first chapter in
Anyone who knows me well knows that I’m not an outdoorsy type person. I’m also very afraid of heights, so you would not ever catch me rock climbing. However, the idea of rock climbing became very significant to me this week.
I was under a lot of stress and felt like I was falling into a pit of anxiety and depression. I’ve been in that pit before. I’ve worked very hard in the past 7 years to get out of the pit and stay out. There have been times when I’ve slipped and almost fallen. Thanks to God’s grace, and the support of family and friends, I’ve managed to find the footholds to climb out before I hit the bottom.
Earlier this week, however, as I struggled with the idea of trying to claw my way out of the pit that stress had caused, God gave me an amazing word picture.
Psalm 94:18-19 reads:
“When I said, my foot is slipping, your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great with me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul.” (NIV)
The image of a rock climber came to mind. Not knowing anything about it, I took a look at some photos and watched videos of rock climbers. I was impressed by the use of a belayer to assist in a safe climb.
Wikipedia describes the belaying process as follows:
“As the climber moves on the climb, the belayer must make sure that the climber has the right amount of rope by paying out or pulling in excess rope. If the climber falls, they free-fall the distance of the slack or unprotected rope before the friction applied by the belayer starts to slow their descent. Too much slack on the rope increases the distance of a possible fall, but too little slack on the rope may cause the climber to “whip” or swing into the rock at a high velocity, possibly injuring themselves. It is important for the belayer to closely monitor the climber’s situation, as the belayer’s role is crucial to the climber’s safety.”
Wikipedia.com
I have the sense that Jesus is my belayer as I climb the wall of life. He holds the rope, and He is attached to me through my relationship with Him. Though my foot may slip, He’s not going to let me crash to the ground.
Of course, I have some personal responsibility when it comes to my safety. I have to choose my path wisely. I can’t expect Jesus to save me when I am climbing outside the safety of His will. And the Bible makes clear what His will is in almost every situation that I face.
To stay out of the pit and climb successfully through life, I need the firm foundation of the Word of God. That foundation is the truth of who I am in Christ.
What is that truth?
God loves me.
God forgives me.
God accepts me.
I am a child of God.
As you climb the rock wall of life’s stresses, harness yourself to the One who created you, who knows you better than you know yourself, and who wants you to be fulfilled and blessed.
Make Jesus your belayer. He will make sure you have the right amount of rope to safely climb successfully out of the pit. He will not let you fall.
The Mackenzie Goode Books are a series: Mackenzie Goode Makes a Mistake. To date, there are three in the series:
A Big One
In the Kitchen
On the Basketball Court
The genesis of Mackenzie’s first mistake was lifted from my own childhood—I couldn’t keep my mouth shut while the principal read our class a story. I got in BIG trouble—with a punishment that likely didn’t fit the crime: In a dark classroom, my teacher scolded me: “If you were my child, I would hit you.”
My mother was appalled. Certainly, by my behavior, but even more so by the behavior of my educator. Mom told me, in no uncertain terms: “Nobody has the right to touch you, hit or, or threaten to do so.”
Mom had her own talk with the principal and assigned me her own punishment too: I had to write an apology letter to the principal for my rude behavior. My teacher never apologized to me. I always wish she had because we all make mistakes. I wrote the ending I wished for: for me, my kids, and all kids! We must own our mistakes, address them, and learn from them—grownups and kids, alike.
About the book:
Eight-year-old Mackenzie Goode has a sense of humor that always gets her into trouble. But in third grade, she makes the ultimate promise to herself: no more mistakes. Mistakes are for babies and the last huge mistake she made, back in second grade, caused her a forever grounding and to see a look in her parents’ eyes she never wants to see again: disappointment. When the principal of the school visits Mac’s class as a mystery reader, (some of the children were expecting teen pop idol Baylor Fast) Mackenzie’s will is tested. Instead of listening to the principal read, Mac sings her best friend, Cheese, a song she makes up about their friendship. Right in the middle of class!
Mac winds up in the worst sort of trouble! The see-you-after-school kind of trouble. The kind of trouble that is sure to create that look in her parents’ eyes she was trying so hard to avoid. Fixing this sort of mistake won’t be easy, but with the help of Cheese (and her parents) Mac tries.
Excerpt:
Mackenzie Goode looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and tried to brush her hair for the first day of school. ”Wrong,” she said. “Just wrong.” She used water. She used her sister’s fancy hair gel. But nothing worked, and her hair wouldn’t lie flat. Mackenzie was blessed with a great sense of humor, but had eight—count them, eight—cowlicks, those things that made her hair look crazy no matter how many times she brushed it.
On the first day of third grade Mackenzie’s cowlicks were not agreeing with her at all, especially the one above her left ear. That’s why she wore two pigtails every day in second grade. But this was third grade and Mackenzie Goode promised herself she wouldnot wear pigtails in third grade. Pigtails were so last year. The kids would make fun of her. She would shoot a joke back at them. And who would get in trouble? Mackenzie. That’s who. And that would be a mistake. And there was another thing Mackenzie promised herself: she would not make any mistakes in third grade.
About the author:
I have been writing for as long as I can remember. The first book I ever wrote is called The Bunny and The Eggs. This character driven tale is about the Easter Bunny, his hard work, and his love for the holiday. I bound it with masking tape and my mother wrote The End in cursive. To me that was exactly how a real book was supposed to look!
I grew up in Tenafly, NJ, attending Ralph S. Maugham School, Tenafly Middle School and Tenafly High School. I graduated in 1983 and went on to Villanova, but not before my high school guidance counselor looked at my grades and said, “Boy, I thought you were smarter than that.” At the tender age of 16 I was a bit devastated. I have since learned that we all excel at different things and at different times. Academically, I blossomed in college. I have been fortunate enough to pursue what I love—writing. When you find the thing you are passionate about, do it. If you are lucky enough to make a career out of it, that is success.
I write across genres, including romance, women’s fiction, middle-grade and chapter books. There is nothing I like more than telling stories (and mining golden nuggets from my own life). My hope is that my audience enjoys reading them as much as I enjoy writing them.
Inspirational Author 