Blog

Follow the Beaten Path

ellenparkerwrites

Several Januarys ago, I spent a day walking and exploring downtown St. Louis. Feeling curious (and energetic) I started to follow a bike trail.

Soon I was between industrial buildings and feeling hints of trespassing. But I stayed on the marked route and soon found this hidden gem.

I’m not aware of the decade this was built — but it was designed with a little touch of “style”. Do you suppose this is where a giant stores a marble?

Does this January have you feeling adventurous but not energetic? May I suggest you settle in and read a book — travel through time and space with hot drink at hand.

The sweet romance, Starr Tree Farm, is an excellent place to begin. After all, Laura Tanner, widowed one year ago, comes to a relative’s Christmas tree farm to relax — and prod her uncle into finding her husband’s killer. All is well until she hears gunshots. Follow the link for more book information: https://amzn.to/2zqIQEw

Blog

Swish. Swish.

ellenparkerwrites

Exercise. Get outside. Change the air in your lungs. (The third one is advice from my mother.)

Contrary to some — a person can do a lot outside in the winter. Walking is my exercise of choice. Year-round. Minimal equipment (good shoes). Variety of places – your neighborhood, local park, or far-end of parking lot from the store.

Other activities are limited to winter. Here’s one which I never tried in a serious manner.

Skiing — either downhill or cross-country — is vigorous exercise. Prepare yourself — walking, hiking, or jogging will be helpful. Wear warm clothes which allow good movement. Buy or rent good equipment. Best with like-minded friends or relatives. Enjoy the day!

Laura, heroine of the sweet romance, Starr Tree Farm, experiments with a relative of skiing — snowshoes. January in Wisconsin is a great time to learn — until the shooting starts. Book details at the link: https://amzn.to/2zqIQEw

Blog

How’s my Sparkle?

ellenparkerwrites

Sunshine makes me sparkle. However, it also limits my size – and life. I’m only going to make an appearance when the weather cooperates. Enjoy my visit.

Look up to see me at my best. In this photo, I’m hanging tight to the underside of a gutter. I love this sort of home. If the right temperature persists, I can grow to large proportions — not limited by things like the short distance between a car bumper and the ground.

Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you. You’ll get nothing from me except a few drops of water when the sun’s warmth puts me on a diet.

Romance with a touch of suspense makes a good read in January. Starr Tree Farm suits the bill. Set in Wisconsin during January, you can curl up in a chair with a cup of hot tea or cocoa and visit the tiny village of Crystal Springs. No snow shovel required!

Here’s a book link: https://amzn.to/2zqIQEw

Blog

After the “Day After”

ellenparkerwrites

Did you party while 2025 slipped into 2026?

Did you sleep through the transition?

Or were you awake and distracted enough to miss the moment?

At one time or another in my life, I’ve managed each of those three possibilities. I do need to admit, most of the times I was awake during the turning of one year to the next I was a number of years younger than at present. In recent years, I feel accomplishment if I make it to only one time zone away.

At least twice, New Years Eve was celebrated at the movie theater followed by a breakfast buffet. (And that was followed by sleep.) One benefit I did not anticipate from those celebrations was minimal clean-up. No discarded party hats. No empty beverage bottles. No confetti on the carpet.

A modest party hat, suitable to wear during clean-up duties is modeled by Ms. Foamhead.

“Three…two…one. Happy New Year!”

Starr Tree Farm, a wholesome contemporary romance, begins at a community party. A young widow, expecting a peaceful interlude tending a few animals on her uncle’s Christmas tree farm, finds surprises — from an unexpected old friend to gunshots where they don’t belong. Find more information at the link: https://amzn.to/2zqIQEw

Blog

By the Light of the…

ellenparkerwrites

Horses don’t wear headlamps. Only the most expensive carriages had lamps. Street lamps – coal gas – arrived in the large cities first.

Look to the sky for your light.

Earlier this month, we were graced with the final full moon of the year. It was a beauty! Can you imagine using this light to either walk or ride your horse to visit your sweetheart? Perhaps you treated her to a moonlight carriage ride. (If her father/guardian approved.) Warm or cold, this secondary sky light calls you outside.

The residents of fictional Elm Ridge, Illinois kept an eye on the moon’s cycle. On a clear, full (or near full) moon night a person had no need to carry a candle lantern in 1851. In the sweet romance, Stitching a Dream, the characters keep a lantern nearby during the long winter evenings. More book information is at the link: https://amzn.to/3VwoeFh

Happy New Year, faithful reader!

Blog

Nature’s Special Touch

ellenparkerwrites

Snow for the holidays? Do you live in a region where winter brings snow in late December? Or are you in a more mild climate? Perhaps you have temperatures below freezing, but bare ground. Or even warmer — a place where snow is rare.

As a child, I lived in a colder climate than I do as an adult. In the United States, a distance of less than 400 miles to the south can make a big difference. While snow in late December is possible in my current home — our snow is more likely to arrive in the first two months of the New Year.

More than a decade ago, Mother Nature decorated for New Years. (Photo taken 12/29) The new owners of sleds or skis received as Christmas presents were thrilled. People required to drive to work that morning — not as thrilled.

North of St. Louis enough to have a longer winter, fictional Elm Ridge, Illinois, often had small amounts of snow in late December. In 1851, according to the sweet historical romance STITCHING A DREAM, a light snow fell more than a week before St. Nicholas Day. (Dec 6) Click on the link for a more complete description of the story. https://amzn.to/3VwoeFh

Blog

Fear Not …

ellenparkerwrites

Take it easy — I’m not here to harm you.

Angels tend to issue reassurance before they deliver the assigned message. Are they scary? Huge? Glowing?

In holiday displays they tend to have a different demeaner. Friendly? Pretty? Sparkly?

This angel, from a neighborhood display, appears friendly enough. I’d like to invite her to sing in the choir. Or play her harp with us.

Polly Black, seamstress, changes her place of worship near the Christmas holiday. To learn the reason, read STITCHING A DREAM, a sweet historical romance set in 1851 Illinois. Here’s the book link: https://amzn.to/3VwoeFh

Blog

Pretty Poison?

ellenparkerwrites

Bright red berries against dark green leaves. A little prickly around the edges — but looks great in a wreath or vase.

Small children in your house? Think twice. The berries contain poison. Same thinking required if you have pets. While certain species of birds eat the berries with no problems, the story is different with children and pets. Adults? Still poison — but more likely to have stomach upset — think body weight.

Holly — fresh from a friend’s bushes gives a festive note to my home. No small children. No pets. Not expecting any guest to be mentally challenged enough to eat the decorations.

Americans in the 1850’s decorated their homes for the holidays. Often the decorations were ties to their European country of origin. Holly would have been a favorite of English and their descendants. Deutsch, like the characters in the sweet romance, New Dreams, would have set up a Christmas tree. Check the book link for details on a story of new arrivals. https://amzn.to/3vWydWE

Blog

A Cup, A Spoon, and A Dash

ellenparkerwrites

December among my family and friends includes an increase in baking. Favorite recipes, often spotted with traces of ingredients, are pulled out of folders, boxes, and cookbooks. Shopping lists include once-a-year items. Cooks search cupboards for pans stored eleven months ago.

The scents of cinnamon, anise, and peppermint fill the kitchen air. Mumbles, commands, and shouts are given to and by cooks and helpers of all ages. (And species if you have pets.)

Sprinkles and colored sugars add a festive touch to cookies. Cakes and pies appear in record number. And candy — fudge, pretzels dipped in chocolate, and divinity are found cooling on the counter.

Do you have a recipe you make every year? A dish that gives a special “touch” to your holiday?

Louisa Mueller, a young baker in the sweet historical romance, New Dreams, hums and sings as she prepares treats for the fictional village of Elm Ridge, Illinois. Check out the book at the link for more information on this tale of new Americans and their dreams. https://amzn.to/3vWydWE

Blog

Holiday Tunes

ellenparkerwrites

The year is fast approaching the end. Social events are stacking up on calendars all over the United States. Office and work parties. Neighborhood gatherings. Family traditions. Everything wants to be celebrated before the last day of the year.

Draw a deep breath. Sit and listen to the music. These end-of-year holidays are filled with sacred and secular melodies.

Only three of octaves of bells capable of making pretty melodies. Have you ever rung bells? Attended a bell concert?

In the sweet historical romance, New Dreams, Louisa Mueller enjoys all sorts of music. She hums hymns and folk tunes during her working hours in the bakery. And every Sunday afternoon she enjoys music and dancing at the beer garden. Check out the book and join this story of arriving in America in 1851. Here’s the link: https://amzn.to/3vWydWE