The Refuge
These Healing Hills
Murder Is No Accident
For some of my books, the publishers have designed graphics with quotes from the stories. They usually let me pick them out. Sometimes I can find one sentence that I think tells a bit of the story and makes you get a feel for the character or setting. But often I want to include more that one sentence. After all when I’m writing, one sentence leads to another to build the story.
Right now I’m in editing mode on my work in progress. I’ve read through the story and feel better about it than while I was writing it. That nearly always happens when I’m writing. I’ll think nothing is working with the story and then those sentences somehow connect and build a story I think somebody might want to read.
That’s not to say I can’t make it better by doing some tightening and cutting out unnecessary words. In editing I have to consider every word, every line, every paragraph and every scene. Does it work? Could it be better? Can I improve the story by hitting the delete key on some of the words? Have I let the reader discover the story through what’s happening?
Murder Comes by Mail
River to Redemption
So since I’m thinking about the value of each sentence I decided to do a little more line sharing. Sunday I shared those last lines. Today I’m sharing random lines from several stories. Some are dressed up in beautiful graphics. Others I’ve just shared in black and white. I don’t have time to make new graphics since I’ve got a lot of editing to do before the end of the month. But I do have this giveaway going and you need to have a reason to leave a comment on this post to get your name in my giveaway drawing hat. You can get an entry by leaving a comment with the graphic or the quote that pulls you into a setting or a story. Deadline to enter is Saturday night, June 15, 2019 at midnight EST. Winner gets a choice of one of my books plus a grab bag book by a different author. You must be at least 18 years old to enter.
So here goes with some extra random lines from some of my other books.
Secrets. Everybody had secrets they never told. (Scent of Lilacs)
Lorena laid her head down on Kate’s shoulder. “You smell like an angel.”
“Oh really? And what does an angel smell like?”
“You,” Lorena murmured. (Angel Sister)
Their father told Elizabeth not to worry about Hannah. That she would surely outgrow her wildness. That lacking a mother had opened a window in her mind that not many flew through. He had sounded almost proud. (The Believer)
Love could complicate matters. Or the lack of love. (An Appalachian Spring, my work in progress)
“Ma’am, you need to put down the gun and keep a hold on your dog,” the sheriff said.
Carlyn found her voice. “The gun’s pointed at the floor and the dog won’t bother anybody who doesn’t bother me.” (The Innocent)
Okay, your turn. Share which of these random sentences makes you wish you knew what happened next. And as always, thanks for reading.
Comments 58
I like The Refuge qoute. I haven’t read it yet but it has my attention. I am currently reading These Healing Hills and am enjoying every word. You have a talented way of making us feel what your characters are feeling and anticipating what is going to happen next.
Author
I’m so glad you are enjoying my mountain story, Susan. I did enjoy learning about the Frontier Nursing Service and going to the mountains to write These Healing Hills. I actually when to interview a former nurse midwife today. She’s 94 now and was a midwife there for many years. Then she eventually went to Alaska where she practiced her midwifery skills among the native Alaskans. Her stories and adventures are fabulous. I could have listened to her talk about her experiences all day. She said she delivered about 1,000 babies.
I hope you’ll enjoy The Refuge when you get a chance to read the story.
Secrets, Everyone had secrets they never told.
Author
This line might be the winner if I were to count which line was most popular. Several, like you, have liked the ideas or imagining those words have a way of conjuring up. And then make one curious about those secrets. Have you ever noticed that kids can be totally interested in anything you are saying until they think you’re telling something they shouldn’t hear. Then they are all ears.
I like the one about how night comes in the mountains. It makes you feel like you are there all warm and cozy.
Author
Neat that you followed on the heels of Lucy who also liked the one about night coming to the mountains, Janice. I think I sometimes struggle to describe my settings, but I liked bringing night to the mountains in that paragraph. Warm and cozy is a good feeling.
The one posted from These Healing Hills. 💕❤️
Author
I liked that imagery too, Lucy. Glad you liked it too.
My favorite was; Lorena laid her head down on Kate’s shoulder. “You smell like an angel……. That touched the center of my heart. When you totally love someone and you feel cocooned by their love there is nothing better on this earth than their smell when you are close to them. My dad used to smell of tractor fuel and sweat when he bounced me on his knee taking an imaginary trip to Bona, a small one store town. I would tell him all the wonderful things we might buy there. My mom in the closeness of of our kitchen would smell of fresh baked bread and garlic. Not always attractive smells, but in the comfort of their remembered love they did indeed smell like angels. I loved the book Angel Sister! It’s story was a gift to my soul.
Author
What a wonderful thing to tell me about my book, Angel Sister. It’s a book of my heart since it has so much of Mom’s childhood in the background and setting of the story. You’re so right about those smells too. Love, in your case, smelled of tractor fuel, sweat and baked bread. That you so much for sharing those thoughts, Donna. That’s a fun story time you had with your dad. I can imagine you bought some neat things there at the one store town of Bona.
I always like reading your books. I guess the quote from The Innocent intriqued me the most. I haven’t read this one yet
Author
I so appreciate you telling me you enjoy my books, Carol. That means a lot to me. And I hope you will get a chance to read The Innocent to find out what happens next for Carlyn. She has some troubles.
“Ma’am, you need to put down the gun….(from the Innocent). I haven’t read this book yet, I would love to know what happened next.
Author
You’ll have to read the story to find out, Connie. I really liked my characters in that Shaker book. Carlyn did have to put the gun down, but then what happened?
I enjoyed them all, but this one especially made me smile!
“Ma’am, you need to put down the gun and keep a hold on your dog,” the sheriff said.
Carlyn found her voice. “The gun’s pointed at the floor and the dog won’t bother anybody who doesn’t bother me.”
I also really liked the one from your work in progress. Thanks for the opportunity to win books! That’s my favorite prize of all!
Author
Glad you like the random story lines, Erin. I liked my character, Carlyn, in that story. She was desperate at times, but also feisty. Thus the gun and the dog.
It’s encouraging too that you liked the line from my work in progress. Maybe I shouldn’t edit that one out. 🙂 Good luck in the drawing. I’m with you. Books make the best prizes and the best gifts.
Oh, choices, so many choices…love them all. Guess my favorite would have to be:
Secrets. Everybody has secrets they have never told.
Love can complcate matters, or the lack of love, delicious ideas popping in my head! What does this reference too?
Author
You will probably be surprised, Judy. My character is being encouraged to marry one man when she’s in love with another man. So her dilemma. The story is set in 1933 when a woman’s role was expected to be generally more traditional. So I have my character thinking about that role. Here’s a sneak peek at the paragraph that comes before that line.
Piper supposed her mother was right. Women needed to be wives and mothers to keep things in balance. To keep the world spinning on its axis. The Lord said to go forth and be fruitful. There was Adam and there was Eve. Abraham and Sarah. Isaac and Rebekah. Jacob and Rachel. Well, Leah in that story did complicate matters a bit.
Author
Glad you liked them all, Phyllis. That one from Scent of Lilacs about secrets does seem to be grabbing some reader interest. Maybe because we do all have secrets.
Ma’am, you need to put down the gun and keep a hold on your dog,” the sheriff said.
Carlyn found her voice. “The gun’s pointed at the floor and the dog won’t bother anybody who doesn’t bother me.” (The Innocent)
I haven’t read this book yet, and now I want to!
Author
It that has you curious about the story, Hope, the sentence did its work. The Innocent is the Shaker book I wrote because my son-in-law kept telling me I should write a Shaker mystery. I’d tell him I didn’t know how I could work a mystery into the Shaker stories, and he’d say, “Just write a story about a Shaker and a sheriff.” So this story is my Shaker and a sheriff story and it does have a hint of mystery. 🙂
Secrets. Everybody has secrets they have never told.
Author
That seems to be one that is catching the eye of several of you, Ola. Thanks for joining in with the fun.
I liked most of those quotes, but “A person can’t hide forever from what comes next” really made me think introspectively. It’s interesting how shy people like me back off from certain types of situations to avoid them–or hide from them.
Author
Sometimes those next things can be hard to face, Suzanne. That was certainly true for my character in The Refuge. And I suppose we all avoid unpleasant situations or tense situations at times if we can.
I’m really enjoying reading these comments and hearing what about the quotes touch you as a reader.
I was immediately drawn to Love could complicate matters. Or the lack of love. Those words got my attention. I think in today’s world so many of the issues are because of a lack of love. I am still sitting here wondering as I type these two sentences made me stop and wonder. My second best is definitely in Murders Come By Mail, “Just like life. We play some of the scenes right and some of them wrong. Except in life, you don’t get the chance to play the scene over.” I have this book ordered and can’t wait to read. I keep a log of thought-provoking sentences from the books I read, and here’s the one I recorded for Murder a the Courhouse — “. . . He said she was born responsible.” That resonated with me because many times I have been told I was born old. 🙂 Enjoy your writing immensely!
Author
Thank you, Loretta. I’m so glad you’ve read and enjoyed my stories. So fun that you keep a log of sentences that make you think from the books you read. That’s neat. I’m pulling a blank on that one you give for Murder at the Courthouse. I’m going to have to hunt it down to see the sentences around it to remember. I did like the one from Murder Comes by Mail too. We don’t get to play our real life scenes over.
And you are so right that people could have more love toward their brothers and sisters in this world. Love in action.
I like the one from Scent of Lilacs because I believe everyone has something they have hidden away that they have never told to anyone but God.
Author
And sometimes we don’t necessarily intend to keep a secret, but we simply never share about the things that have happened to us or that we’ve done, Donna. Of course in my stories, secrets usually have to be found out to add to the conflict. 🙂 Those characters – they just can’t keep a secret. LOL.
I love the idea of finding one line that you can use to sort of sum up the story.
Author
I don’t know if I did that, Birdie. I just tried to find a line that caught my eye and made me wonder what next.
I like the line ” Secrets , everybody has secrets they never told ” , how intriguing !! Just finished The Refuge , loved it. Looking forward to reading your new book set in Appalachia !
Author
So glad you like my Shaker story, The Refuge, Nancy.
I’ve used the idea that everybody has secrets that don’t want to tell in a number of my stories, because a few secrets can liven up a story. 🙂
The Innocent. Most definitely is the one I want to read and know what happens! She has a gun and a dog, sounds like me.😉
Author
I liked giving my character a dog in that story, Joy. And Asher played a big part in The innocent.
I’m a lifelong doglover and sometimes I wonder why I haven’t written more dogs into my story. I did write a story about two dogs and a cat once. It was sort of one of those incredible journey type stories. The story never sold but I put it up on my website on Jocie’s Heart of Hollyhill blog as if she was the author. That was sort of fun. Not sure anybody ever read it, but I had fun writing from a dog’s viewpoint after I humanized him a bit. 🙂
Hi Ann,
I remember I found the line,” Secrets. Everybody has a secret.” to be very intriguing;which made me want to read more when I was enjoying your book, Scent of Lilacs. 🙂 Hope you’re doing well, friend! 🙂 ~ Luke 6 & 7~
Author
I can’t believe you really remember that line from reading the book, Emily. I’m afraid my memory of what I read or even what I write isn’t that good. New sentences and new stories push the old out, I guess. I’m working on making that book audio right now and seeing many places I could have written better. At the same time, I’m enjoying the story all over again.
Ohhh, I like the quote from your work in progress! “Love could complicate matters. Or the lack of love.” It conjures up all sorts of possible storylines, and I’m looking forward to reading the book.
One of my favorite lines from your stories I’ve read so far is in River to Redemption. “Adria pulled in a breath for courage. Will you be my family?” That line is so utterly heartbreaking, yet heartwarming at the same time. You certainly have a God given talent of creating memorable lines, Ann. 🙂
Author
I did like writing from child Adria’s viewpoint. I like letting kids have a part in my stories when I can. I wasn’t really planning to let Leatrice have a viewpoint in The Refuge, but she seemed to need a voice. And I do think it added to the story.
That line from Adria does pull your heartstrings for sure. Thanks for your kind words, Lavon.
The one quote that spoke to me most was
Lorena laid her head down on Kate’s shoulder. “You smell like an angel.”
“Oh really? And what does an angel smell like?”
“You,” Lorena murmured. (Angel Sister)
You keep taking me back to Angel Sister. I guess I’m going to have to read that book again. I’ve read and reviewed many of your books. I wish I still had them, but I’ve shared them with others.
Author
Maybe you can call in the loans, Nancy. Of course by now, those people have probably loaned them on. 🙂 Maybe if you win the drawing, you can pick Angel Sister as your prize. And of course, they do sell the book online and many libraries have copies. (I hope.)
I do appreciate you reading and reviewing my book. Maybe I need to put you on my influencer list for the book next summer. If I get it finished.