When the Meadow Blooms is available for a special low ebook price this week only. You can download the book for $1.99 or less according to where you like to book shop online. I have some buy links on my website here. Always look twice before you hit enter when buying a book online to be sure you’re getting the price you expect. This special price is only for a few days. So, you have to grab it quick before the special price disappears.
Photo by Duygu Güngör on Unsplash
Something else in the story appeared after a long disappearance and figured into the story. A locket. When I was writing When the Meadow Blooms, the scenes where Dirk remembers his romance with Anneliese were the ones I most liked to write. He was so in love with her. They had planned to marry when the meadow bloomed. That was always my title for the book after they made that promise in one of the scenes. I was glad when my publishers agreed the title was perfect for the story.
Anneliese had a locket she always wore. The locket first appears when Calla finds a picture of Anneliese in Dirk’s Bible. Then we have this scene between Anneliese and Dirk.
She stepped back from his embrace and touched her neck with a sudden look of panic. “My locket. It’s gone.” She sounded frantic as she looked down at the ground. “I can’t lose my grandmother’s locket.”
He had never seen her without the gold filigree locket around her neck. “Don’t worry. We’ll find it.” And he did. In the leaves under the oak tree. “Here it is. The catch just came undone.”
She ran over to let him fasten the chain back around her neck. She covered the locket with her hand. “Thank you, thank you. I couldn’t have borne losing it. Grandmother said my grandfather gave her the locket after their first child died while still a baby. Ma named me Anneliese after that sister she never knew.”
“Is there a picture in the locket?” She’d never opened the locket for him to see.
“No. Only a snippet of the baby’s hair and something my grandmother wrote on a scrap of paper she placed in the locket.”
“What does it say?”
She stroked the oval locket before she answered. “Love never dies.”
Now he shut his eyes and bent his head as the memory of those words stabbed him. Maisy sat up, whined, and licked his face.
The locket makes another appearance in the story later on. If you’ve read the book, you know how important it became. If you haven’t read the story, you can to find out more about how a locket can play such a big part in the story.
I didn’t know there was going to be a locket at the beginning of the story. Even after the locket showed up in that first picture, I didn’t know the part it would play in the story, but that’s the fun of somehow bringing characters to life in your mind. They begin to show you what happens next.
This locket doesn’t exactly match my imagined locket in the story, but this one looks as though it might have once held a picture or note dear to its owner.
I hope you will give my story a try if you haven’t read it. The price is right and the meadows bloomed around here all summer.
Have you ever had a locket that was precious to you? One with a picture or some other keepsake or note inside?
Comments 6
Ann, you have not written a story yet that I have not loved. Even the Hidden Springs Mysteries! The Shaker stories taught me things I did not know about them, River to Redemption was very poignant, and the Rosy Corner series was one of my favorites. Anything about Appalachia will get read before anything else as this is a unique and special place. I had a very special locket once that held prayer requests, one at a time on a tiny piece of paper that was often replaced with a new one when that one was answered. I eventually passed it on to someone else who I knew would do the same.
Author
What a great comment ot read, Maria. Thank you so much. Love how you include my mysteries. I was blessed to have readers like you willing to jump with me to different types of stories now and again. And watch for that next book when I go back to the Appalachia area for a new story.
That had to be a very special locket. Those prayer requests right there near your heart and always on your mind when you were wearing the locket! Wonderful.
I recently read again one of my favorite books you have authored. This story hit me hard from several angels. My 48 yr old son is a career fire fighter employed long term in a city nearby. For a long time I had nightmares regarding him being caught in flames, recovering, being scarred for life. But our ever-caring Father GOD has spared him and he is now a battalion chief, married 25 yrs, father of 6.I agonized with your heroine and her daughters, even found myself praying for them! I have a very small square gold locket given to me by my mother’s twin sister.
Author
I’m glad you liked the story enough to read it again, Elisabeth. I can understand your worry about your son, but I’m sure you are very proud of him being a first responder ready to help people when things are going wrong. I’m glad you feel less worry about that now. And how wonderful that he has such a good life with his wife and children. I have no doubt you enjoy being a grandmother the way I do.
My two young characters were certainly in need of prayers and I appreciate you feeling that close to them as they went through their hard times.
My aunt had a little locket that I now have. It’s a treasured memory the same as yours surely is.
When the Meadow Blooms is a favorite. I’m happy to have read it. I did have a locket years ago. I put my dog’s picture in it. Seems kind of silly now but Jack was a good dog.
Author
Doesn’t sound silly to me, Lee. A good dog can be the best friend sometimes. I have several Christmas tree ornaments with my sweet dogs’ pictures. Helps me remember how good they were. A good dog is the best. Even a rascal dog like Frankie is still a fun furry friend.