Month: July 2022

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River Taming

ellenparkerwrites

Humans have been tinkering with rivers since the dawn of civilization. Have we mastered the art?

Well — not exactly.

Rivers appear to cut their own way through geography and history. Flood? Yeah, we can do that. Cut a new channel? Sure, just give us a little time. Shrink? Give us a few drought years and light snowfall at our source and we can make your barges and boats scrape bottom.

Of course, size matters. Just like you talk about a stream, a creek, or a rivelet feeding into a river, the rivers come in all sizes and lengths. And don’t expect a straight line from point A to point B. We like to wander, find the low spots and the softer earth to yield to our power.

But humans continue to attempt to control these forces of nature.

Along the mighty Mississippi River, from Minneapolis to St. Louis, you will find a series of dams to control navigation. This one, Melvin Price Locks and Dams, replaced the previous structure of Dam #26 near Alton, Illinois. Built and maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers, each of the 27 locks and dams do their part to ensure barge and other water traffic moves steady on this liquid highway.

Morning Tryst, a sweet, contemporary romance, includes scenes along the Mississippi River where it forms Missouri’s eastern border.

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

Blog

Fly-in Dining

ellenparkerwrites

Do you have six legs? Four wings?

Welcome to the Fly-In Buffet. The special this week is fresh black-eyed Susan. Always on the menu is the popular butterfly bush and salvia.

This small space is busy on sunny days. Bees, butterflies, and other flying creatures stop for a sip. No problem with drinking and flying for these diners. Energy and perhaps a little bit of a “sugar high” are the results.

Want to practice photography skills. This is a perfect place. Bring your patience. Sunscreen and a hat might be good accessories.

Do you or your neighbors have flowers to attract our flying friends?

No two days are the same in the garden.

Blog

In the Beginning…

ellenparkerwrites

“Three…two…one. Happy New Year!”

Janet Zwingel sent a glance and a sigh toward her chirping phone.

Lifting her glass, Serena Carter focused her attention on her best friends.

From the opening line of three different books — do you know where you are? When you are?

In the first — the date and time are clear. The second — definitely a contemporary story. The third — we know our heroine is not alone — and beverages are involved (probably not coffee.)

Think about one of your favorite books. How soon did the author sweep you into the world of the characters? One page? One paragraph? Did the tone — comedy, thriller, mystery — leap from page to reader by the time you turned the page?

Writing groups, and authors when gathered together, frequently talk about beginnings. How do I “hook” the reader into my world? Do I need more than a “time stamp” to ground them in time and place? Is present day easier to deal with than historical or futuristic?

The general consensus — sooner is better. Specific is better — St. Louis instead of Midwest. Season is good — August heat wave or January’s freezer temperatures.

Not caught in the first paragraph? Please, bear with the author a little longer — at least several pages.

Intrigued by the examples? Here are the Kindle links to second and third.

Comfort Zone: https://amzn.to/2ZvL0Av Morning Tryst: https://amzn.to/35gH37S

Blog

Farewell, My Friend

ellenparkerwrites

All good things must come to an end. Sometimes we mark them with a celebration such as a graduation ceremony, or a wedding reception (both an ending and a beginning) or an after-funeral lunch.

Other events slip past with less notice.

Three years ago (oh, my, time passes fast these days) I bid farewell to the large oak tree which had stood on the property likely longer than the buildings. I enjoyed the summer shade and year-round antics of the squirrels and birds which it hosted for twenty of those years.

But — all good things must come to an end. So…three or four years into the arborist’s diagnosis of a fatal disease (he gave it five years at most), when the crown browned almost as soon as the leaves were full size, the crew came.

I can imagine my father now — How many nice corner fence posts can we get from one tree?

Do you have a shade tree? Do you take advantage? Have you planted one for the next generation?

Blog

Summer Meeting Place

ellenparkerwrites

Forget the details of the song. Once upon it a time, the fair may have been the place to meet people in St. Louis. But the fair is gone, kept alive in the memory of St. Louis with artifacts in homes and museums. And traces in Forest Park.

Want to set a meeting place in St. Louis this summer?

Baseball’s the name of the game. Select a Hall of Fame player and gather your group pre-game. Swing. Throw. Leap. Slide. Take your pick of these heroic action figures to get your hometown spirit flowing.

Arrive early? No problem. Favorite activities while waiting include people watching, note taking (some things you don’t want to forget), or reading. Didn’t bring a book? Shame on you — what do you plan to do during a rain delay? Suggested topics — well, baseball player biographies come to mind. Or perhaps enter a fantasy world and read a baseball themed romance. Don’t have one at hand? How about a St. Louis themed book — a sweet romance with a dash of suspense.

Oh, look, I see one now.

Kindle edition available here: http://amzn.to/1LXiTwP

Blog

Ready and Waiting

ellenparkerwrites

Summer is in full swing in the Northern Hemisphere. In St. Louis, the season brings hot days, some rather warm nights, and thunderstorms.

A very popular way to deal with some of those hot days involves water. More than water to drink – although I encourage you to stay hydrated. Your flowerbeds and potted plants appreciate a drink in the coolest part of the day also.

Splashing and swimming. Relax on a lounge for a sun tan (or burn). Another dip to cool off.

When you don’t have access to ocean or lake — a pool is the place.

Be sure to bring a book — I recommend a romance — to fill the time when you are not actually in the water. Call it a “pool read” instead of a “beach read”

Two titles if you like your romance sweet:

Comfort Zone: https://amzn.to/2ZvL0Av

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

Blog

Meet a Heroine

ellenparkerwrites

Serena Carter may look ordinary at first glance. But she’s a heroine–an independent businesswoman who knows her own mind. As a free-lance photographer, daughter, sister, and aunt, she has a full life.

Who would have suspected a six-foot-two-inch hole?

Clink on over to: https://wildwomenauthorsx2.blogspot.com/ to read the entire interview.

Find her story – and meet the six-foot-two-inch man who comes into her life — inside the covers of Morning Tryst.

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

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

Blog

State your Opinion

ellenparkerwrites

Did you like it? Hate it? Would you do it again or not even consider it?

The twenty-first century appears to be a time when everyone expresses their opinion on everything.

Well — not exactly. Know who wants to hear from more of you? Yes, you — the silent citizens.

Authors! Artists! Creators of all the visual and audio arts.

Did you like the new song? Photograph? Book? Movie?

Let the artists know — good or bad. (We prefer good, but were warned to grow a thick hide.)

Often this is as simple as going to web site, browsing around a little to find a “leave a review” button, and stating your opinion. Is the item no longer new — perhaps last year’s movie — leave a review. This is a situation where late really is better than never.

Read any good books? Did you leave a review? I suggest any of this trio for sweet romance readers.

Blog

Tick…Tock…Tick

ellenparkerwrites

The clock is ticking…counting down the final hours.

Comfort Zone, a sweet romance with a charming HVAC tech and a detective customer, will soon return to regular price.

Are you a “do it ahead” sort of person? Are you typically early to an appointment? Do you hang out in the hall waiting for the timeclock to hit the “magic minute” where you can “insert your card” or “swipe your badge” to be officially at work?

Or do you wait for the deadline? Have you stayed up all night completing a paper? Walk in at the final “grace moment” to work?

Either way, our heroine, Janet, will help you out. When not repairing furnaces and A/C units, or keeping house, worrying over aging parents and an adult daughter — you know — in her free time. You will find her repairing antique shelf clocks purchases at garage and estate sales.

Tick…tock…tick.

Act now put her story on your Kindle at bargain price.

Click here: https://amzn.to/2ZvL0Av