Author: karentezenwrites

I love to write inspirational fiction when I'm not spending time with my family and reading.

Love Sidelined

~ karentezenwrites ~ Leave a comment

Tiffany Odekirk’s debut book, Love on Pointe, was awesome enough that I knew I wanted her second book, Love Unscripted. When she announced Love Sidelined, I immediately added it to my MUST BUY list. From the second I clicked the buy button, I counted down the moments until I could reasonably expect it to arrive. Four days after the earliest expected date and multiple trips to the USPS tracking site, the postman finally delivered it. One of my daughters spotted him walking up to the front door with a box and alerted me at the top of her lungs. I peered through the peephole in our front door until he was far enough away that I wouldn’t give him a heart attack by abruptly opening the door.

Why all the excitement? Why was the wait so excruciating?

If you are asking that, you obviously haven’t read one of her books. Tiffany Odekirk deftly entwines a swoon worthy love story with laugh out loud humor and real life issues for a highly enjoyable reading experience that leaves you wanting more. Her characters aren’t shallow caricatures for mere entertainment. They have issues and problems that can’t just be resolved by one short conversation at the end of the book before they settle down for their happily ever after.

While Love Sidelined is a stand alone story, I would recommend reading the three books in order for maximum enjoyment. Maybe even multiple times…

I really just want to gush about all the cute scenes and the great flirting, but I can’t without ruining your reading experience. I will say that the beginning sucks you in with its adorableness and just when you’re seeing hearts, there’s a gut punch. Also, Chapter Fifteen is absolute perfection, but don’t read ahead! The end scene is just as appealing as the beginning.

The two main characters are equally charming. Jason’s playfulness is a perfect foil for Allie’s seriousness. I love the fact that Jason, as a star quarterback, is competitive enough to pursue what he wants without losing sight of his end goal. I love that he is able to help Allie relax and enjoy life. On the other hand, Allie’s ability to see past his star status to the man he wants to be provides a steady influence for good. They are a delightful combination.

Okay, enough gushing on my part.

For me, this book is about two things: the power of choice and how the pasts affects the present. Both Jason and Allie have difficult things in their pasts that affect their behavior, mental patterns, and potentially set the tone for their individual futures. This is why they are so lovable and relatable. Their emotions are human. Their reactions are recognizable. We can empathize with both of their struggles because all of us have things we carry and all of us make choices.

Donald Hallstrom once said, “Who we are is not who we can become.” This small quote can be applied to the main characters of Love Sidelined. While it is true that the past shapes the present, it does not have to define the future. Both Jason and Allie illustrate the power of personal choice to define who they become.

Jason’s past decision to drink means he has a reputation for partying and playing the field. He’s straightened out his life, but the reputation and the rumors linger and cause hard feelings for people important to him. He chose his actions, and now he has to pay the consequences. Jason could easily give in and live up to his reputation, but he chooses to not let it define who he will become. In a moment of crisis, he takes a stand and chooses who he will be.

Allie struggles with her secret past as a sexual assault victim. She has dealt with the incident by making a plan and sticking to it as rigidly as possible. Meeting Jason upends her life and affects the plan. Even though she hasn’t consciously let the past define who she is becoming, she learns that until she can confront the fear, shame, and stigma, her past will continue to dictate her present and her future.

One choose his past. The other’s past was forced. Both have to decide who they want to be before they can be together.

I have no reservations in recommending this book! I can’t wait for the next one!

 

 

Ashes on the Moor

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Sarah M. Eden’s Ashes on the Moor is one of Shadow Mountain’s Proper Romances.  Set in Victorian Yorkshire, the book follows the plight of newly orphaned Evangeline Blake as she is thrust into being a self sufficient schoolteacher without any warning, training, or supplies. Desperate for help, Evangeline turns to the cantankerous Irish man who carried her trunk to the dismal schoolhouse. His grudging help eventually turns to an unlikely friendship.

Ashes on the Moor (Proper Romance) by [Eden, Sarah M.]

The meticulously researched novel is touching on many levels, from the love story to the relationship Evangeline forges with her pupils, but the one that touched me the most was the bond between Evangeline and her younger sister, Lucy. The two of them are ruthlessly separated after their parents die even though Evangeline has promised that they will stay together. Getting Lucy back becomes the driving force in Evangeline’s life.

So much of the novel focuses on overcoming the challenges and circumstances in the lives of the characters, but Eden doesn’t content herself with everyone succeeding. Instead she furnishes a sharp contrast by realistically providing a few characters who don’t learn to look beyond themselves and remain stagnant. The selfishness of these people creates adversity for the rest of the town in varying degrees.

Evangeline, as the heroine, faces the most adversity, but her noble goal of caring for her sister impels her to action. She learns how to work while simultaneously learning not to judge. She finds a strength of character she didn’t know she had. She also discovers that character, not money, is the real mark of being a lady or a gentleman.

The novel also addresses prejudice and suspicions common between different classes, nationalities, language, and even social skill. Learning to look past our differences to embrace our commonalities is a recurring theme in the novel. Those who put their differences aside find their lives richly blessed. This is a lesson we can all learn!

 

Moira’s Stand

~ karentezenwrites ~ 1 Comment

Grayscale Photo of Gray Door Lever and White Door Panel

The sharp raps on the kitchen door startled me enough that I lost my grip on the piping hot cookie sheet. It clattered to a precarious balance on the assortment of pans from dinner left on the stove top. I heard my sister’s footfalls as I picked up the cookie sheet and transferred it to the waiting cooling rack.

Moira sucked in her breath. “It’s Tom.”

“Don’t answer the door!” I whipped around to give her a death stare even though I was in her home.

“I have to.” Moira’s blue eyes stood out in her white face. “He’s got Jimmy.”

“Jimmy’s in his bedroom. I was just in there to tell him the cookies were almost ready.”

“He’s outside with Tom.”

My eyes closed as I exhaled with a long sigh. It was bad enough that my soon to be ex brother in law was outside, but Jimmy being with him was worse. “At least let me answer the door.”

Moira nodded.

I skirted past the island and peered through the blinds. Tom, his hand wrapped around Jimmy’s, stood on the deck. Steeling myself for anything and everything, I opened the door.

Tom squinted when the light from the kitchen hit his face. He shifted his weight to the right so he could see past my shoulder. His smile widened when he caught a glimpse of Moira. He refused to look at me and addressed Moira. “Can we come in?”

“You can’t, but Jimmy can,” I said.

Jimmy, shivering in his pajamas, stepped toward the door, but Tom jerked him back. Jimmy whimpered. His eyes, an exact replica of his mother’s, implored me for help.

“What are you doing here?” Moira’s brittle voice betrayed her battle between anger and panic.

“I wanted to see my son, but it’s getting dark and cold. We’d like to come in and warm up.” Tom sounded reasonable, but I noticed he let go of Jimmy’s hand to clench his fists.

Jimmy darted toward me. Tom grabbed for him, but his hand closed around air. I scooted aside to let my nephew in before blocking the entrance. I heard Moira’s half sob behind me.

I squared my shoulders and faced Tom head on. “You need to leave.”

His eyes narrowed. “I just need to talk to Moira.”

“Go home Tom,” said Moira over my shoulder.

“I am home!” Tom lunged forward.

I slammed the door shut and shot the bolt home. Through the blinds, I watched him kick over the watering can Moira kept by the door. With one last vicious glare at the house he stomped off the deck and crossed the yard to the swing set he and Moira picked during the previous spring.

“What’s he doing?” Moira’s voice quivered.

“He’s watching the house from the swing set.” I let go of the blinds and faced her. “Are the rest of the doors locked?”

Moira’s eyes widened as her hand covered her mouth. “I took out the trash earlier. I can’t remember if I locked the door.”

I peeked out the blind, but Tom was gone.

Without a word I spun around and sprinted through the laundry room to the garage. The outside door swung as a cool breeze blew into the garage. My breaths came in gasps as I rammed into it, forcing it closed. I twisted the deadbolt into position just as the handle turned.

The door shuddered as Tom threw his weight against it.

I didn’t wait to see if he could break it down. I ran back into the laundry room and locked it behind me.

I leaned against the door to catch my breath and calm my pounding heart. I closed my eyes, and immediately pictured Tom and Jimmy standing on the deck. I knew deep in my bones that Jimmy had not exited through the garage because we would have seen him walk through the kitchen. The only other door Jimmy could have used was the front door.

Unpleasant prickles shot up my spine. My eyes popped open. I tore through the house toward the front door. Breathless but propelled by adrenaline, I rounded the corner to the entry hall.

I skidded to a stop at the sight of Moira sobbing into her arms as she huddled in front of the locked door. She was out of the sight lines afforded by the decorative windows on either side of the door, but I could see out.

Moira lifted her head. Tears streaked her face. Her eyes met mine in silent panic.

“Get away from there,” I hissed.

“I called 911. The police are on the way.”

That was the moment I noticed the phone she held to her ear with her left hand. She cradled her right hand in her lap, the hand she confessed Tom broke two years ago instead of the accident she’d claimed at the time.

“Move, Moira!” I beckoned at her.

She started to stand.

Tom suddenly loomed in the window, casting a long shadow across the tile floor. The door handle rattled.

Moira froze. Her wide eyed gaze focused on the dark form outlined against the pale tile.

The door shook in its frame as Tom threw himself against it.

My sister spun on her feet and scrambled backwards as the door shuddered again and again.

In my peripheral vision, I saw Jimmy clutching his stuffed dinosaur. His eyes enormous, he peeked around the corner. I turned to shoo him back to the safety of his room.

At the sound of splintering wood, I whirled.

A wide crack in the paint showed where the door frame was beginning to split. The crack widened with another blow.

Moira stiffened beside me and raised her right hand. Without flinching, she aimed a gun at the door that inched open one shove at a time.  In that split second I saw the determination in her as she stood and refused to be defined any longer by the man who found his worth in stealing hers.

A Lady’s Maid

~ karentezenwrites ~ 1 Comment

The process of self discovery is something all of us experience during our lifetime. For many of us, it is an ongoing journey full of surprises that reveal essential nuggets of truth about who we are. An integral component of the process is learning to use our voice to champion the things closest to our hearts.

My most recent read was the well written A Lady’s Maid by Jen Geigle Johnson. A sequel to A Nobleman’s Daughter, the fast paced book has plot and conflict galore to keep the reader glued to its pages. I would recommend reading the two books in order, but A Lady’s Maid stands on it’s own.

A Lady's Maid by [Johnson, Jen Geigle]

I like books that leave me thinking about issues, and A Lady’s Maid fits this criteria for me. Johnson explores the power of using your voice through the main character, Molly O’Malley. We are able to see a portion the women’s suffrage movement in the 1830s through Molly’s active participation and enthusiasm for being heard. Because Molly found her voice, she was able to propel the movement forward despite being a maid in an era that servants were invisible.

After finishing the book, I couldn’t help pondering what exactly my voice supports. Do I champion the issues closest to my heart? Most importantly, do my children hear my voice in the way that will help them become the best they can be? These are questions worth the time and effort to answer. By answering them I will discover pieces of myself. If I don’t like the answers, am I willing to work on becoming the person I want to be in that area?

Today’s world is a cacophony of tumultuous upheaval and strident voices seeking to influence us to their positions. Finding our own voice and heeding it is the only way to experience peace. Find your voice, and never let it be silenced.

 

Hero Today

~ karentezenwrites ~ 3 Comments

Eggs in Basket

Watching the five squealing children burst through the back door reminded Elizabeth Gibson of the releasing of hounds for fox hunts in black and white movies. The oldest four catapulted across the covered patio to the lush backyard bedazzled with dozens of bright plastic eggs. Exultant shouts filled the air as they claimed their first Easter eggs.

Little four year old Katie Love, her plump short legs churning, scrambled behind them. Her red corkscrew ringlets bounced against her shoulders with each step. The empty bunny shaped basket in her hand rebounded off her legs as she chased after her older brother, Peter. “Wait for me!”

Cynthia Vaughn, Elizabeth’s best friend, neighbor, and mother of the other three children, nudged Elizabeth with her elbow. “I’m glad you saved a few for Katie Love.”

“I thought sharing might not occur to the kids in the heat of an Easter egg hunt.” Elizabeth leaned against a support pillar and took a picture of Peter worming his way under the peonies.

“Look, Mama.” Katie Love, grinning from ear to ear, held up a yellow egg with fuchsia polka dots for Elizabeth to see. “I found a pretty one.”

“That’s a beautiful egg, sweetie.” Elizabeth crouched down to her daughter’s eye level. “Put it in your basket and go find another one. Don’t stop until they are gone.”

“Okay.” Katie Love deposited her prize into her basket. “I’m gonna find lots and lots.”

Elizabeth exchanged worried glances with Cynthia as Katie Love made a beeline for the peonies that Peter had just searched.

Five minutes later Cynthia’s twins, Cassie and Allison, lugged their overflowing baskets back to the patio. Allison plopped herself down on a chair and surveyed her loot. With arched eyebrows, she glanced at her sister’s basket. “I bet I have more.”

“Have not.” Cassie glared at her sister. “I’m a better finder.”

Allison folded her arms. “Let’s count them.”

Elizabeth bit her lip to hold in her laughter and took a few more pictures as Cynthia gave her daughters a pointed look. “Girls!”

Allison’s eyes fell.

Cassie ignored her mom and reached for an egg. “One.”

Nick, the twins’ younger brother, stepped onto the patio. He held up his full basket to Cynthia. “Mom, look how many I got!”

Cynthia beamed at him over the basket. “You did great, buddy.”

His radiant smile made Elizabeth’s heart expand. She loved the Vaughn children almost as much as her own. While Nick was occupied with his mother, she snapped a few shots of them.

She looked out into the yard to see Peter eyeballing every possible hiding spot as he returned to the patio. Not a lot escaped her methodical son. Katie Love, on the other hand, still searched the denuded yard. Elizabeth couldn’t tell how many eggs were in Katie Love’s basket, but she knew it wasn’t very many because it still looked empty.

“I think we found them all.” Peter set his basket down on the patio.

“Are you sure?” asked Elizabeth.

Peter, his eyes serious, tilted his head back to meet her eyes. “Yes, Mama. I checked everywhere.”

Elizabeth’s gaze flitted to her daughter. Katie Love’s steps dragged. Her shoulders slumped as she peeked inside an eggless flower pot.

“Hey, Katie Love,” shouted Peter. “We’re done. We found them.”

Katie Love glanced over her shoulder at them. The bunny basket dragged in the grass behind her as she turned. Her usually bouncy curls didn’t bob at all as she moped her way back to the patio. When she was only a few feet away, Elizabeth noticed her bottom lip trembling.

Elizabeth let her camera hang on its strap and sat down on the edge of the patio as Katie Love came to a sighing stop. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

Tears pooled in Katie Love’s eyes. She held up three chubby fingers. “I got this many.”

“I bet they are the three prettiest eggs,” said Elizabeth, knowing it was time to retrieve the extras. She pointed at Cynthia, who smiled at Katie Love. “Can you show them to Cynthia?”

Katie Love, her eyes downcast and her lips still trembling, nodded.

“Come here and let me see,” said Cynthia from the chair she was sitting in.

As Katie Love ambled over, Elizabeth hurried to the back door. She could have the other dozen eggs placed in the yard before Cynthia finished admiring the three eggs.

Elizabeth’s hand was on the door handle when she heard her daughter’s name. She hesitated to listen.

“What’s wrong, Katie Love?” Nick asked, concern filling his voice.

“She didn’t find lots of eggs like us,” answered one of the twins.

“Yeah, she’s too small,” said the other twin.

“That’s not fair!” exclaimed Nick. His voice rose with authority. “Don’t worry, Katie Love. I will fix it.”

Elizabeth’s eyebrows rose. Hoping against hope that she wouldn’t have to intervene, she turned around to see what Nick planned.

Holding his basket with a firm grip, Nick marched back into the backyard. A few feet from the edge of the patio he turned and smiled in Katie Love’s direction. With his eyes on her, he grabbed an egg from his basket and set it down on the ground.

Elizabeth couldn’t believe her eyes as Nick wandered around placing his own eggs on the grass. She walked back to where Cynthia was admiring Katie Love’s last egg and whispered, “Should I go get the other ones?”

Cynthia shook her head. “Let Nick be generous.”

Nick didn’t stop hiding eggs until his stash reached the lip of his basket. He raced back up to the patio and dropped his basket at his mom’s feet. “Come on, Katie Love. Let’s go find more eggs.”

Elizabeth lifted the camera as Nick towed her daughter toward the newly hidden eggs. Katie Love stopped at the edge of the patio. She whirled around and beamed up at them all. “There’s more. I see more eggs!”

The twins and Peter looked up from the goodies they were sorting. Peter started to stand. Elizabeth looked away from the camera and said, “Those eggs are for Katie Love. You have enough.”

Katie Love squealed and grabbed the first egg. Her curls bounced with abandon as she darted from egg to egg. Nick carried her basket, letting her concentrate on the bright plastic treasures. When she found the last one, he returned the basket to her.

Elizabeth wiped away a tear as her daughter raced back to the patio. Katie Love beamed at her. “Look, Mama. I found lots of eggs.”

“Wow. Look at all those eggs,” she replied.

Katie Love smiled. “Nick helped me.”

“Nick is a very nice boy,” replied Elizabeth. She reached over and tousled his brown hair.

He ducked away from her hand to sit Indian style near his mother. He dug through his remaining eggs for the biggest one.

His mother leaned toward him. “That was kind, Nick.”

Nick shrugged and opened the big egg. His eyes lit up as a coveted ring pop fell into his lap.

“Why did you do it?” asked Cynthia.

Nick, his hazel eyes solemn, looked up at her. “I don’t like it when Katie Love is sad.”

Both Elizabeth and Cynthia glanced over to see Katie Love stuffing jelly beans into her mouth.

Cynthia said, “She’s not sad now.”

Nick turned his head and watched Katie Love open another egg. She squealed over the candy bracelet that quickly found its way to her wrist. A smile stretched Nick’s mouth wide and showed off the gap of his first missing tooth. “No, she’s not.”

Elizabeth leaned down and squeezed his shoulder. “Thank you, Nick, for being her hero today.”