Month: June 2022

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Duck! Duck!

ellenparkerwrites

No, I’m not playing a children’s game with poultry.

This would be a wise command in the Missouri village of Athens on August 5, 1861.

For a battle was raging between two militias of different opinions in the recently begun war. While the conflict proved to be small, and far from a turning-point in the war, items like that would matter little to the town residents during the two hours of conflict.

For example:

Cannonball entered near kitchen door.

Can you imagine? Here you are, possibly going from window to window trying to get a rifle shot off at one of the cannon crew. And…

Cannonball exits on back porch.

Yikes! Too close for my comfort.

This is only one of the interesting, historic, and/or scenic items in Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites.

While this particular location is not featured in Morning Tryst, you can be sure our heroine photographer visited and captured multiple images in the various seasons to tempt Missourians and others to visit.

What is Morning Tryst? I’m so glad you asked.

Join Serena and Zack in this sweet, contemporary romance set in California and Missouri.

Kindle readers order here: https://amzn.to/35gH37S

Nook readers order here: https://bit.ly/3IQfFeG

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Author’s Wish List

ellenparkerwrites

What I wish for my new book is…

Readers

Buyers

Reviewers

Authors work on a slim margin. If you ever calculated royalties to hours of work to develop, write, edit, and publish a book……well…..I suspect you’d have a lot of zeros to the right of the decimal point before you got to the fraction of a penny per hour.

So why do we write? Are we all a little “touched in the head?” Should you send us the name of a mental health professional?

Wait a minute! Most authors write because they have something to say — a story to tell. And don’t take my comments about money as a complaint. Well, maybe a little — I’d like to sell more books and make more money. (Publishers like this idea — after all– they put time and effort into each volume published.)

What I (and other authors) really appreciate — is a review of our work. Did you really like it? Did it miss the mark? Beat expectations? Will it find a permanent place on your bookshelf?

The on-line retailers make it easy for you to be a reviewer. Go to their site, click on the button to create a review, and follow the prompts. You don’t need to get long-winded. A sentence or two is fine. Even a few words.

Who knows — perhaps your words of encouragement will be the bright spot in the author’s day.

Sweet Trio

Stare Down – romance with a touch of suspense in St. Louis.

Comfort Zone – a contemporary romance with mature characters in St. Louis.

Morning Tryst – a contemporary romance featuring several Missouri State Parks.

Kindle links: Stare Down – http://amzn.to/1LXiTwP

Comfort Zone – https://amzn.to/2ZvL0Av On sale for .99 – limited time.

Morning Tryst – https://amzn.to/35gH37S

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Every Good Sunrise…

ellenparkerwrites

deserves a proper Sunset.

Serena Carter, the fictional photographer in Morning Tryst, ranks sunrise as her favorite event of the day to capture. However, she does not neglect the corresponding sunset. In her private collection, as well as the images published in magazines and other media, the final portion of the day is well represented.

Louisiana sunset.

Look to the West at the close of the day to behold the fading light. Can you hear the whispered promise? Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. Go in peace. Find comfort in the moon during the night. The sun with rise again with glory in the morning.

Have you checked out the sweet romance, Morning Tryst? Currently available at all major on-line retailers.

Kindle readers may purchase here: https://amzn.to/35gH37S

Nook readers should follow this link to purchase: https://bit.ly/3IQfFeG

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Fish, Fish, Fish

ellenparkerwrites

Or perhaps I should say: trout, trout, trout.

Montauk State Park is all about trout. Hatched, growing, carefree, and hooked.

Fishermen of all sizes have options. Come for the day. Rent a cabin. Rent a motel room. Camp in comfort ranging from tent, to small trailer, to luxury motorhome.

At the park store, you can find last minute supplies and the all-important trout tag. Be sure to pin it to your hat or shirt.

Future fish (trout) dinners grow under the watchful eye of Missouri’s Department of Natural Resources.

A coin and turn of the vending machine knob gives you enough pellets to start a brief feeding frenzy. No hooks allowed in this portion of the park.

Caught your limit for the day? How about a tour of the old gristmill? A hike on a well-marked trail? A little time watching children on the playground? Or a friendly chat, trading fish stories, with you temporary neighbors?

Fictional photographer Serena Carter had an adventure worth recording in “Morning Tryst” in this park.

Check it out with a Kindle pre-order here: https://amzn.to/35gH37S

Official release date = June 20

Blog

The Table is Ready

ellenparkerwrites

Guests for dinner. How delightful. Come. Sit. Eat.

Set in the French style, the dining table at Felix Valle House State Historic Site is ready for guests. Located in Ste. Genevieve presents house, trading post, and grounds as they would have appeared in the early 19th century. Charming to see that clear glass, blue & white china, and a white tablecloth never go out of style.

Fair or foul weather, this is a delightful stop for a little history lesson made interesting. Can you imagine voices in the mercantile discussing the quality of the fur brought to trade for an iron kettle? Or the joy when a letter from a New Orleans acquaintance arrives?

Keep a careful watch on the river. Spring floods can damage the crops in the “great field”. Live is not all work — a lively religious and social life filled the days of this thriving settlement. Did you know — at one time, Ste. Genevieve was larger than St. Louis?

Parks and historic sites — photograph them all in all seasons — quite an assignment. But fictional photographer Serena Carter is up to the task in the sweet romance “Morning Tryst.”

Countdown: six days to the June 20 release.

Preorder for your Kindle here: https://amzn.to/35gH37S

Nook reader? Preorder here: https://bit.ly/3IQfFeG

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Park in Two Parts

ellenparkerwrites

You can’t get there from here. Well, technically that’s a false statement.

However, sometimes an obstacle makes it very difficult, or perhaps time consuming to get from the spot you are standing to the spot you see.

Allow me to show you the “old bridge” across the Meramec River in Missouri’s Route 66 State Park.

To get from this end of the bridge to the other: retrace your route to the Interstate Highway. Drive to the next exit, re-enter freeway going opposite direction and take first exit. Then wind your way under the freeway to part 2 of this unique (for several reasons) state park.

Thinking of the future, when perhaps more than a talented squirrel (or other creature following the below-deck girders, will be able to cross the river at this spot again. Citizens have created an organization with the goal of re-decking this bridge as a bike/walking trail.

In the more immediate future, check out “Morning Tryst” a sweet romance using the backdrop of several Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites.

To pre-order for your Kindle, click here: https://amzn.to/35gH37S

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Stay Protected

ellenparkerwrites

Ice. Sleet. Snow. Rain. Mother Nature can be wearing on man-made things, like bridges.

Our ancestors had a solution. Build a cover, actually a shed, which will incorporate a design to add strength and protection.

Once popular, four such bridges remain in Missouri. Each of them is protected with the status of State Historic Site and has been restored.

I’m not even close to an engineer — but informational displays at the sites explain the construction types with advantages and disadvantages. Perhaps a future engineer will be happy to explain the information to you.

I get a special feeling as I walk through one of the structures. Stepping back in time. Life moved at a different pace. You can imagine the clop clop of horses pulling a wagon. Did you bring a coin for the fee? (Many covered bridges charged a toll for maintenance.)

Postcard perfect Sandy Creek Covered Bridge State Historic Site is an easy day trip for St. Louis residents.

Bring a picnic. Prepare to sit and LISTEN to nature’s music. Pack a book to read. (My recommendation is Morning Tryst a sweet romance featuring several Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites.

Available June 20. Pre-order for Kindle here: https://amzn.to/35gH37S

Blog

A New Day

ellenparkerwrites

At sunrise, the world displays a moment of hope and promise.

My normal, daily routine does not include taking fifteen or twenty minutes to appreciate dawn.

On the occasions when I make the effort, the reward is worth more than the time.

The sunrise above, taken from a St. Louis County Park with a view of the Mississippi River does not show the early morning birdsong. Or the deer rather startled to find a human at this hour.

Hope and promise. Fictional photographer Serena Carter is onto something. At dawn, the day is not marred by petty arguments with another human. Or frustration with mechanical or electronic gadgets.

No matter if your view is city skyline, rural fields, or majestic mountain — the world appears to pause in anticipation of what the new day will bring.

Have you paused to watch sunrise recently? Where?

For more of Serena’s sweet romance and adventures in Missouri State Parks, check out Morning Tryst.

Available June 20. Preorder for Kindle here: https://amzn.to/35gH37S