#WeWriWa - ROMANCE REKINDLED: The man in Mother's cell.

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors where authors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by last week and left comments. Sorry it took me so long to get to everyone. This snippet is from my Christmas story, ROMANCE REKINDLED.

To orient you: After Abby got a middle-of-the-night phone call from the police, she and her teenage daughter, Bethany, race to the jail. 

Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines. It's also edited some from the original.

“Who are you?” Abby demanded of the old man sitting in the cell next to Mother . . . and holding her mother’s hand!

Florence bounded off the cot with the agility of a much younger woman, all those classes at the Senior Center must be paying off, “Abigail Louise, what are you doing here?”

Abby fisted her hands on her hips, “What are you doing in jail—and who is that man?”

That man rose more slowly than Mother had—he looked to be about her age, or slightly older, and a little taller with a head of thick, gray hair and a weathered face that had seen a lot of sun. When he reached Mother’s side, he placed his arm around her waist. Around her waist! How dare he?

“Abigail, go home, I don’t want you here. How could you drag poor Bethany out of bed at this hour of the morning? And it’s such a nasty night with the storm coming in across the lake.”

I said in last week's comments I'd reveal why Mother is in jail. Sorry. I'm going to tease you a little longer.

Blurb:

Abby Ten Eyck likes her life the way it is. She runs a successful business, has a well-adjusted teenage daughter, and has managed to keep men at bay since her divorce fifteen years ago. Just before Christmas, she’s hit with change. Her mother decides to sell the family home. Then she’s arrested, with an unknown man. Could this new man in her mother’s life create more upheaval? Or could his handsome son be just what Abby needs to revive her dormant feelings?

Sam Watson embraces transition from frenetic Wall Street to a small Michigan resort town. His health is worth moving close to his dad who seems over the moon in love. But it’s the daughter of his father’s girlfriend who fascinates him. Abby Ten Eyck reminds him of his driven self. He must help her slow down before she burns out. Like he did.

ROMANCE REKINDLED is available at:

Amazon  ~  Amazon UK  ~  iBooks  ~  Kobo  ~  Smashwords  ~ Nook

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

#Michigan Mini-Vacay

map credit: Bruce Jones Design

If you noticed last Monday, I didn't post my usual "musings." Hubs and I took a mini-vacation. We started out by driving across the state to the western Detroit suburbs for our good friends' 50th wedding anniversary then to my sister's to celebrate my birthday. From there, we drove north past Bay City (between the Thumb and "fingers) then along the Lake Huron shoreline. For all the years we've lived in Michigan, I can't believe we'd never done that before. We were in no hurry. Our destination was Mackinaw City at the fingertip of the Lower Peninsula. Lovely drive, resort towns similar to those on the Lake Michigan side, fewer trees.

Speaking of trees, we hoped to see the color changes. Not so much. Not sure if there was/will be a peak this year. In fact the best color was outside our motel window in Cadillac on the way home-- two brilliant red maples between two evergreens.

At Mackinaw City, we took the ferry over to Mackinac Island. (Yes, the spellings are correct--Mackinac was the French spelling, while Mackinaw City kept the English spelling; both pronounced the same: Mack-i-naw.) For a special treat, the ferry took us under the Mackinac Bridge, which spans the Upper and Lower Peninsula..

Fudgies, as tourists are called because of all the fudge shops, overwhelm the island in the summer. Even in the fall, full ferries dropped off passengers then turned around to return for more. No cars are allowed on the island. Pedal power (feet, bikes) and carriages are the way to get around. We took a carriage tour. These Belgians pulled our carriage.

Hubs, who hadn't been to the island in over thirty years, kept remarking about the changes--more buildings, newer paved roads. I'd been there five years ago with my sisters and cousin. Usually oblivious, I noticed some changes, too. The carriage driver gave us history and little tidbits of info along the route, including the fact that the horses are raised and trained by the Amish.

Of course, we had to stop at a fudge shop (mint chocolate and dark chocolate macadamia nut) and some souvenir shops (for the grandkiddies) before heading for the ferry dock and back to Mackinac City. Usually, I like riding on the top deck. Not this time. With the strong wind and water spray, we stayed on the enclosd lower deck rather than get soaked.

photo credit: Sheplersferry.com

The next morning, we headed to Sault Ste. Marie in the Upper Peninsula. That meant crossing the Mackinac Bridge. I love looking at it from a little park.

Driving across the bridge is another story. At the center between the two towers, the road bed is 200' above the water. Since heights are a bit of a problem for me, we usually don't drive next to the rail. But then we have to contend with the "hum" from tires on grating. Open grating, through which you can see the water. I can't get across fast enough. The no-passing, 35 mph speed limit (and road construction) slows traffic. Not complaining, mind you. When I was a kid, the bridge wasn't there. The only way to the Upper Peninsula (besides driving around Lake Michigan through Chicago and Wisconsin) was a car ferry. Often the wait for the ferry extended two to three hours. As we rode the ferry, we watched the bridge being built.

photo credit: saultstemarie.com

Another favorite place for both of us is Sault Ste. Marie, the Soo--the terminus of I-75 (and the "deer's" hip). It's claim to fame is the Soo Locks. Lake Superior connects with Lake Huron via the St. Mary's River, which falls 21 feet. The locks enable ships to travel between the lakes. From the observation platform, you can watch ships enter the locks and the water raise or lower them. You can also take a boat tour and go through the locks yourself. We've done that enough times that just watching from the platform is enough.

While we were there, two ships went through the locks.In the front of this picture is the empty MacArthur lock, behind is a freighter (distinctive red color with the white pilot house in back) entering the Poe, the longest/largest of the locks that's capable of handing the thousand-footers. As boats approach the locks, an announcement is made alerting visitors. This freighter was carrying iron ore for the steel mills near Chicago. What's the fascination of watching boars going up and down? Hubs used to work at a steel mill near Detroit. His company was the recipient of many loads of iron ore from Minnesota. Without the locks, the cost of transporting the iron by rail would have been much more expensive.

My fascination is a little different. Several years ago, during a visit to the locks, my writer brain went into that "what if" place. What if something happened to the locks? Either an accident or deliberate. That story is still percolating. But each trip Up North (as we Michiganders call it), that story is coming more to the fore. First, I need to finish The Case of the Meddling Mama (Alex O'Hara mystery #3) and one more Outer Rim novel.

I guess it's obvious I love traveling around our state. Besides just enjoying the scenery, I always find ideas for new stories.

*Note:unless otherwise noted, the credit for the pictures belongs to me.

Life Without Internet…Again

Last week, we went on vacation Up North. That’s what Michiganders call the area north of the middle of the state. It can mean anywhere from Clare to Mackinaw City—not to be confused with Mackinac Island or the Mackinac Bridge, which are all pronounced the same “Mack-i-naw.” However, Up North does't mean the upper peninsula. That's the U.P. But I digress.

photo credit: Phil Peffley

For several years back in the 1990s, we rented a cottage on Platte Lake along with my sister and her family. Many enjoyable summers while the guys fished and the “girls” sat at a picnic table with coffee and tried to wake up. This time, no kids (all grown), just my two sisters, brother-in-law, Hubs and me. One thing stayed the same, the guys fished. Or tried to. B-I-L’s boat motor had a major problem. It didn’t work. Rowing was the only option until the motor was repaired.

Meanwhile, the girls staggered out of bed, grabbed a much-needed cup of coffee, and just chilled out. My usual morning routine didn’t exist. No internet. If losing internet service had been sudden, I would’ve freaked. At least I was prepared. I got all my blogs (my own and visitors’) scheduled before leaving home. My email piled up, but I wasn’t worried. I’d been through internet withdrawal before—in April on the cruise.

Being disconnected is freeing. As before, I didn’t even take my computer out of its bag. Instead of working on my novella, I read. I talked to my sisters. We shopped until I dropped. LOL Like Energizer bunnies, my sisters kept on going. We certainly helped the local economy at gift shops and restaurants between Frankfort and Traverse City. Afternoons, we napped. In the evening, the five of us played dominoes. No sitting around glued to the TV. Some nights we were so tired we went to bed early.

That’s what a vacation is for. Rest and relaxation. Even though most of us are retired, we still have our routines at home. A vacation takes us away from that. Camaraderie with family trumps routine.

photo credit: Phil Peffley

However, it wasn’t all fun and games when the temperature and humidity rose. Along with no internet service, the cottage had no air conditioning. Who needs AC when a cool breeze comes off the lake at night? Except when no breeze came off the lake. We did bring fans, which helped, but even a sheet was too much.

I’ve tent camped, in the wilds of Canada, without AC, internet, or even an outhouse. Dad liked getting away from it all. Not me. I like my creature comforts. I can tolerate no TV, internet or AC, but I need a bed and a bathroom plus a nearby restaurant.

Imagine our surprise and horror when we returned home to the news of the shooting of police officers in Dallas. We left an idyllic setting for the reality of violence in our country once more. My heart aches for the families of the slain and wounded officers. Even more so for all of us in this world who have to keep going through one tragedy after another. Crazed gunmen out for revenge. Terrorists with their warped morals. People who have no respect for life. All compounded by news reporters endlessly replaying the events and speculating ad nauseam about the shooters.

I’d rather be back at the cottage. Being cut off from the world isn’t so bad.

A Mini-Vacay

Last weekend, Hubs and I took a mini-vacation up to Traverse City (Michigan). Just for fun. To see the colors along the lakeshore. Because we needed a break from everyday ho-hum. Two out of three ain’t bad. I thought we might be too late for the great foliage change. Nope. We were too early. I didn’t realize Lake Michigan affects so much. In fact, the colors were much better inland.

That aside, we did have fun. We drove around the peninsula that could be considered the Mitten’s baby finger. Northport, Leland, Glen Arbor, Empire. Quaint towns, lots of tourist shops, great for buying birthday and Christmas gifts – and a Christmas tree ornament for myself. We even took the scenic route around Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. No, we didn’t climb the dune. Been there, done that – when we were a lot younger.

Everywhere you go around Traverse City, you could stop and take pictures. Again, I’ve done that and have a hundred pictures somewhere. This trip, I just enjoyed the journey. Besides, only one day was sunny. Cloudy the second day and rain on the third.

Still, it was great to get away from home. A break from revising the latest Alex O’Hara novel for me, from fall clean-up outdoors for Hubs. We came to the conclusion that a little break every now and then is good – but we both like sleeping in our own bed.

On another note:

Author Liza O’Connor graciously invited me to visit her blog with a post celebrating The Case of the Bygone Brother (An Alex O’Hara Novel, Book 1). I chose to write about Lake Michigan, the setting for the Alex O’Hara books. Here’s the link if you’d like to visit. http://www.lizaoconnor.com/2015/10/diane-burtons-fun-facts-about-lake.html

Have a great week.

Labor Day

The official end of summer. The highways are clogged with vacationers returning home. A day for picnics and one last visit to the beach. Pools close tomorrow and school begins for the kids in Michigan.

For the 56^th time, thousands of people, led by the governor, will walk across the Mackinac Bridge. Labor Day is the only time the bridge connecting Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas is open to foot traffic. Although my sister, uncle, cousin, and friends have walked the 5-mile span, with my fear of heights, I won’t be a participant. It’s all I can do to drive across, white-knuckling the whole way.

Despite my fears, I never get tired of looking at the bridge. Its beautiful white spires rising above the green base with the blue of two Great Lakes (Huron and Michigan) 200 feet below. Before it was completed in 1957, people traveling from one peninsula to the other had to use a car ferry. I remember summers as a child waiting in long lines snaking through Mackinaw City (and St. Ignace on the way back) to board the ferry. We watched in fascination as the bridge was being built then finally got to ride over the longest (at that time) suspension bridge in the world.

As beautiful as the bridge is in summer, travel can be so treacherous during high winds and/or blizzards that authorities will close the bridge. Every time my son returned to college (Northern Michigan University in Marquette), I worried about him driving across the bridge. With my fascination for this icon, I have to use the Mackinac Bridge in a story one day.

Today while everyone else is picnicking, traveling, walking, or just relaxing, Hubs and I are (still) packing the contents of the house we’ve lived in for nearly fourteen years, preparing for our move to the Lake Michigan shoreline.

How are you celebrating Labor Day?