Serials and Scenarios ~ Dale Cramer's The Captive Heart (No Review)

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Captive Heart Bethany House (January 1, 2012) by Dale Cramer



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dale Cramer spent his formative years traveling the world as an Army brat, then settled in Georgia at the age of fifteen when his father retired.

After high school he became an electrician, a job that took him to places as diverse as power plants, stadia, airports, high-rise office buildings and a hard-rock mining operation.

Twenty-five years of experiences in the trades provided him with the wealth of characters, stories and insights that populate his novels.

When he married his childhood friend, Pam, in 1975 he had no way of knowing they would not have children until fifteen years later.

In his early forties, when Dale left his job to become a stay-at-home dad, he suddenly found himself with time on his hands, so he pursued a lifelong dream and taught himself to write.

Using an online writer’s forum as a training ground, he wrote his first short stories in 1996. As his writing skills improved he turned to novels, publishing his first book, Sutter’s Cross, in 2003.

Since then, Dale has published four more novels and garnered a measure of critical acclaim with two Christy Awards, a listing among Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2004 and numerous other Best lists. Dale and his wife Pam live in Georgia with their two sons.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Bandit troubles intensify as Caleb Bender's family tries to settle into their new life in 1920s Paradise Valley. When El Pantera kidnaps Rachel and leaves her brother, Aaron, for dead, Jake Weaver and the Mexican native Domingo pursue the bandit leader to his mountain stronghold in a hopeless rescue attempt. Jake and Domingo manage to escape with Rachel, with the bandits hot on their trail. In a desperate attempt to avoid recapture, Domingo puts himself squarely in harm's way, giving Jake and Rachel time to get away. This is not the quiet life Caleb Bender envisioned when he led his family out of Ohio. What is a father to make of his daughter's obvious affection for a man outside the fold? And how will a pacifist Amishman like Caleb respond to the events that threaten his family and their way of life?


If you would like to read the first chapter of The Captive Heart, go HERE

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ That's the Plan, Man....

I set the goal to get a book review posted at Novel Reviews and a post crafted for Scrambled Dregs before I headed off to work today. So far, so good. However, I am currently typing the post for Scrambled Dregs and who knows what drivel is going to come out of my fingers.

I don't have a whole lot of anything of value to share. If you are expecting a takeaway, click out quick before the drivel oozes onto you.

& and I cleaned and organized our new craft room. AKA the guest room. Mostly. I have taken the liberty of posting a picture of the organized closet because I'm sure you will all want to see it. And I should probably have proof that at one point the darn thing was organized. We will put a table in the room and craft there rather than in the kitchen. (This is the plan...we'll see what happens in reality.) Netflix instant streaming is a valuable resource. We set up the laptop, pulled up some episodes of Burn Notice (very addictive, and a multi-task win/win. I'm thinking it is subliminally giving me resources for the going-on-five-years-in-progress-mystery novel....shout out Michelle, see I do think about Frying Pan...). 

Seeing all our craft supplies and scouring Pinterest has, of course, given us ideas. We are attempting to use what we have, craft-wise, and hoping to avoid any, and especially big expenditures when the ideas hit. & has the idea of doing a craft a day in February. I laugh. But, I might be more inclined to do a craft more often if I know where the heck everything is and if I have a room that I can shut the door on to contain the debris.

I also hit the thrift store one more time this month. When our Minnesota friends were here we hit MANY thrift stores. I got a Fossil purse for a buck. Score. And Saturday I scored a wallet for $2.00. But I need to be done. I found so many bargains I need to clean out my closet to make room.

On a food note. We are still eating leftovers from our friend visit. Not kidding. I cut back so much on food I thought the males were going to curl up and die, but yet, we still have some left. Hmmm. Anyhoo. That's been great. I haven't stepped foot in a grocery store for a week, and I haven't really had to be very creative, there's always a side, or a main dish just waiting to be noshed.. Yay. But, we are now out of fruit, down to two grapefruit, and I'm going to have to start being creative for meals again. I am also going to work on a cookie recipe for a contest. So, I'll be in the kitchen lots this week.

Enough drivel for ya? Yeah, thought so. Signing out.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ So Beautiful...

It is 66 degrees in Iowa. Not kidding. On January 5th it's 66. The ground in the picture to the left was snapped during a spring walk. BUT today's ground looks just like it. I have never, never seen a winter like this one.

Twice we've had snow. Once was scoopable, the other just pretty much blew and melted.

The girls, & and I just walked two miles in January Springtime. No jackets, and even a little bit of a temptation to shed a sweater weather.

The other picture has nothing to do with today. Just a cute dog. And a picture of a floor that I'll never have to contend with again. That sucker is covered with fabulous faux stone flooring and it looks so nice.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Inner Grown-Up Shows Up for Duty...Kind of...

Post-Holiday life begins today. 

After weeks of preparation for get together upon get together I have nothing on my schedule to prepare for. (Disclaimer: I should probably say nothing fun or exciting or requiring great creativity.  Possibly moderate creativity born out of a need to avoid blah.) 

No need to plan ahead and make items to squirrel away in the freezer, or shoved-in-sideways-door-shut-tight-hope-for-success fridge packing.

On one hand, this is good. Communal living is something that calls to me on some level, BUT, there is something to be said for simplicity. One can't truly appreciate the parties without downtime. Right? And it's impossible for me to be content wrestling with the omnivore that still lurks inside my husband and screams for bacon at special company breakfasts. And frankly, my pots/pans and dishes are complaining at the use and abuse of the past few weeks.

Vacations or staycations are not reality. As much as I hate to admit that, it's true. They cost too much money, the time invested in them is borrowed time. The reentry into the work world, real life world is punishing. The real world has moved on, regardless of the time I've taken to have some fun. My desk will be packed full of stuff for me to do tomorrow. There are bills to be paid, and income tax details that need to jump onto my radar. I love my new kitchen floor. And it needs to be swept. My thrift store finds need to be washed and put away and my closet needs to be purged to make room for them. And I need a haircut. Real bad.

I'd love to be independently wealthy, able to coffee with friends on a whim, shop til I drop daily, go to exotic places without calculating what that's going to cost, sleep in every day. But. That is not my life, or my truth. And I'm telling myself that I'd hate that life, eventually. That I need the discipline of needing a paycheck, needing the budget, needing the restraint that comes with both of those. 

I'll tell you, though, I do like the occasional taste of freedom, even with the price tag.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Randomocity...

It's Monday, and though it's technically a holiday, I am sitting here, mindlessly, checking my email, and my inner control freak says I should post.

So. I will post a few random things.

& just said, "why do my crafts always fail?" Notice the picture? This is an adorable owl purse she made out of a thrift store sweater, tie and her creative little brain.

My children rode to the antique store together. Toad-Boy got an Adventures in Odyssey CD for Christmas so they listened to them on the trip. They had a sweet childhood bonding experience.

Our Minnesota friends are upstairs chilling. I just finished a woman-possessed-cupboard-clean-out. I got some fabulous bins at a thrift store and couldn't wait to put stuff in them and put them in their place.

We have a girl's night planned. Jane Eyre is on the agenda and crafts and food. One of the crafters is here and mentioned a friend who had eaten an entire loaf of banana bread in a day. He's started on his second loaf and & told her to tell him that banana bread might constipate him.

I am now also facing pressure on Facebook. Someone just asked to be my friend and who couldn't use a few more Facebook friends?  Then she said she's looking forward to all my witty comments. Oy. Guess I need to work out my wit muscles.

Pretty much sums up what I've done this year.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ A New Kind of a New Year....

Here's wishing you all a Happy New Year.

Many of us look at each upcoming New Year with a mix of apprehension. After all, we tend to think of January 1st (and often every Monday) as the day that we will start a new life. We will be more in control, healthier, more patient etc. etc. etc. So we often make a list of things we hope to do differently, or over, or better. And, like in years past, we cling to that spark of enthusiasm until the first time we fall and skin our knees on our new path. Then we default back to the person who just wishes that things could be different.

But let's look at the hope of a clean slate/ a new year differently. Let's consider that this new year holds much promise BECAUSE every day is loaded with choices and opportunities. And if you really think about it, it's true.

What daily choices, Monday thru Sunday do I face? How can those make a difference?

For starters. We can choose our attitudes. If we wake up grumpy. We don't have to remain there. We can tell ourselves to smile even though we don't feel it, and eventually, that smile may become a real one. We can be kind to cashiers and co-workers and family members by remembering that sometimes they might need just a touch of kindness because they may be having a bad day, too. We can start out our mornings with a few minutes of prayer for our loved ones rather than cursing our schedules or others expectations on our schedules.

We can take each choice we make as an opportunity. Will this response to my friend build a bridge or tear one down? Will this item I'm putting into my mouth feed my body or poison my body? Will this item I'm buying stress my finances and my emotional well-being or add joy to my life? On and on. The choices are endless. 

Honestly, life is in the details.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ The Lingerings of the Ghosts of Christmases...Past, Present, Future

I learned a few things this Christmas, and relearned a few from previous Christmases Past.

Hopefully, they won't come back to haunt me.

1) Stressing details is ridiculous. The energy I put into cleaning spots that wouldn't be visited was wasted energy. The spots didn't get visited. Two kinds of soup crackers, three kinds of breads, multiple choices, matching tags and paper are details that no one is going to notice, and if they do, they can own that issue. I don't have to. Even though my freakishness makes sense to me at the time. It really doesn't make sense at all.

2) Quality vs quantity is a decent goal. I have this fear of people starving on my watch. If two soups is adequate, then three is better and four is what I need to do. And each soup needs to have it's own toppings. I'll need to provide lots of things to nibble in case people aren't rolling around, clutching their bellies and begging, "No MORE!" I'm guessing that the time together really is the important thing.

Decorating, too. I seriously put up two Christmas decorations this year. One was a gift, the second was a post-Christmas bargain that had gotten tucked away where I could put my hands on it. The stuff doesn't really add to Christmas. I have too much Christmas stuff. And if I paint a beautiful cozy looking nest, but am a stressed freak who snaps at her loved ones, that nest isn't exactly comfort and joy, merry or peace.

3) Kindness and patience make the whole Christmas season peaceful. From Black Friday to "Rush-to-return-em" 26th, patience will save some from stroking out while waiting in line, or flipping out on the Salvation Army bell-ringer. And if we'd all keep in mind that if we've got a wedge of stinky-crazy on our plate, others will have one, too. My stinky-crazy holiday need list really doesn't take priority because....it's not about me, or mine.

If I had gone ballistic on my husband, because I needed to use the stove on the 23rd, I wouldn't have the beautiful kitchen floor with the little island nest. That floor is a HUGE deal. And it's beautiful. And because I didn't flip out, he's patiently adding things daily. Yesterday I got a door on my pantry. (aka the Troll Cave)

4) If I start eating junk I will eat the junk til it's gone. My Vegan Thanksgiving was pure. Christmas started off that way. I had great intentions and was a good Vegan til about the 22nd. Then I began nibbling on treats that came to the office. Oh my, there were some treats. Boxes of candy, nuts, chips, popcorn, fruit baskets, baked goods. Though I pulled off vegetarian, I sucked in a lot of hidden dairy. The baked goods, the creamy ooey gooey treats, not like I poured milk or cheese directly upon them, but they all contained dairy. I succumbed big time. And paid for it. Am paying for it. I am lethargic and bloated and feeling a lot drawn to processed food.

Enough for now. There are probably eleven more points, now sure to be the ghosts of Christmases Future, but like I said, I've got a coating of dairy on the brain and I'm sluggish.