If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be – mountains, beach, desert, in the middle of a forest, or the heart of a big city? Many people would say the beach with the constant ebb and flow of the tide, sea birds screeching overhead, and the smell of saltwater.
In Secrets of Sandhill Island, Meg gave up her life in a big city for a tumble-down beach house on the shore that brought her happiness as a child. It also gave her a chance to hide out from the high society world her father pushed her into. The only thing in life precious to her besides her son, was her garden. She toiled in the dirt daily bringing forth life where once there was nothing. She mixed the sandy soil with loamy topsoil and expanded her garden each year bringing forth more plants and beauty. The sound of the waves nourished her soul like the vegetables nourished her body. And she shared the garden’s bounty with her neighbors.
But life was not always so serene for Meg. Her father, a tyrant who thought nothing of cheating his neighbors to feather his own nest, disapproved of her one true love, Evan. Then Evan died, leaving her to raise their child alone.
Just as she had settled into her everyday life of growing and selling vegetables, along came Alex. A man with a past that might be the key to her future. He was an artist, fired from the university because of a fake sexual harassment charge, who wanted to paint her beach house. And then he found a new medium for his painting – organic – from her garden.
Set on a tiny tourist island off the coast of Corpus Christi, Sandhill Island has many secrets, and if you stick around long enough you’ll learn who holds the key to unlock them. Just as the secrets are heating up, so is hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico. Secrets of Sandhill island is a mainstream suspense novel with plenty of twists and turns.
A friend gave me a thank you gift after I provided them with food post-op. I never know whether to send a thank you note for a thank you gift. If I do, will they respond in kind and where will it all stop? But it is lovely to look at and reminds me that spring is just around the corner.
With all the political ruckus this week, we need a little fantasy. And I’ve got just the thing – a fun story with original art by Andy Fish and Zachary Bruner.
I remember the Enid ice storm in 2002. We lost tree limbs, were without power for over a week, I came down with a respiratory infection, and my best friend died of cancer. It was my birthday. The grocery store shelves were empty and lines at the gas station snaked into the street. ATM’s didn’t work and stores allowed you to write a check. T-shirts were made for the survivors of that event.
AUTHOR FEST POSTPONED TO MARCH 4 In an abundance of caution, due to the potential of bad weather this weekend, the Enid Public Library’s Author Fest has been postponed until March 4, 2017. If you have questions, please contact the library or me.
It’s coming! The very first Author Fest presented by the Public Library of Enid and Garfield County and the Enid Writers Club will be held on Saturday, January 14, 2017. Forty Oklahoma authors have signed up and will take over the downstairs library that Saturday morning. Many will read from their work and will have their books with them for selling and signing. The library is creating a booklet so attendees can have their favorite author autograph it. The fest will be held from 10 am to 3 pm.
Each year as I begin a series of blogs, I try to find a theme to follow. This year that theme is “something new.” I will try each week to bring a new experience to my blog. This week I am interviewing local artist, Robert Steele (portrait by Wes Gray Photography). I’ve known Robert and his wife, Julie, for over 20 years and we don’t see each other as much as we used to. But like old friends do, we recently gravitated back to each other due to reunions, deaths of friends, etc. And for the first time, I bought some of Robert’s art. He is also the artist for the Q-Spot in Enid and uses many different media for a canvas. His art can be insightful, funny, strange, but always unique, like the artist himself. So, please welcome local Enid artist, Robert Steele.
The scent of my mother-in-law’s Italian Cream Cake recipe wafting from the oven for the big dinner tomorrow, I prepare our annual Christmas Eve dinner. It was something we did years ago with kids – snacks and Christmas goodies in front of the fire. There would be plenty of food tomorrow. When I was young you could bet I was cooking for Christmas, probably still wrapping, and the frig was full with items for the family dinner tomorrow. So we had snacks for Christmas Eve. No one ever complained. And years later we still do it.
It’s coming! The very first Author Fest presented by the Public Library of Enid and Garfield County and the Enid Writers Club will be held on Saturday, January 14, 2017. Forty Oklahoma authors have signed up and will take over the downstairs library that Saturday morning. Many will read from their work and will have their books with them for selling and signing. The library is creating a booklet so attendees can have their favorite author autograph it. The fest will be held from 10 am to 3 pm.
The Christmas wreath is a standard in our home. It hangs on the inside of the door. It is too thick to hang between the wooden door and the storm door without being crushed, so I hang it so the people on the inside of the house can feel its Christmas spirit. 
