Beth Bettencourt begins on a Tuesday in 1962 like this: Why do all the bad things happen at night? Things that go bump never rear their ugly heads in the bright of day. No. They wait. They wait and wait and then, when evening’s shadows have given way to the cloak of midnight, they make […]
Beth Bettencourt–The Idea
I discovered this painting (left) while working on my manuscript, working title: Beth Bettencourt. (I added the name next to it.) The book is set in 1962, during our time of Camelot, in my fictional Southern town of Bynum, Georgia. Bynum is not a real town but is based on my hometown of Sylvania, Georgia. […]
Most Mornings
Most mornings I wake at 6:30. Not because I want to, but because I set an alarm and that’s when it goes off. Stupid alarm. Sometimes I hit snooze. Okay. Most times I hit snooze. Five minutes. I just need five more minutes. By 6:40, I’m up, the coffee is grinding, and I’m preparing my […]
The Story Behind the Picture: Mother and Mickey
The Story Behind the Picture: In early 2008, Mother mentioned that she had always wanted to go to Disney World. The fact that I lived so close by gave me the perfect opportunity to get tickets. Then, I attended an event where I won two all-day passes to any Disney Park. I called Mother on […]
Lessons Learned in Ireland: Day One–Tipperary
I went to Ireland for the first time in 2019 and left with a plan to return two years later. Of course, that didn’t happen, COVID being what it was . . . But when world returned to something akin to normal, a plan was hatched. Before I get into the second trip, let me […]
The Story Behind the Picture: Tel Hazor, Israel
by Eva Marie Everson On a crisp September morning in 2001, I stood beside my husband in the middle of 5th Avenue, New York City, as a plume of smoke rose to the south. We were both in shock; the morning’s events were beyond anything we could have imagined would happen to us during our […]
Sometimes …
Sometimes He calms the storm . . . and sometimes He calms His child. Whatever storm you may be in right now–or you may be in sometime in the future–God is there. If you “shush,” and “be still” (Psalm 46:10), you can hear Him. His voice often comes as a whisper (1 Kings 19:12), but […]
A Tribute to Lucinda Secrest McDowell
Dear Lucinda, Cindy. For years, whenever I drove through Thomasville (your hometown), I’d send a text message to you (later on, never while driving) saying, “Guess where I drove through today!” You’d know, of course. You’d answer back, “Thomasville!” The City of Roses had always been a connection for us, but it wasn’t our only […]