Blogging Here and There

It’s been a busy, bloggy week. I have one blog post at Pamela Thibodeaux’s blog. It’s all about our church’s wonderful and productive prayer shawl ministry. You can read that story here:

http://pamswildroseblog.blogspot.com/2020/10/wendesdaywordswithfriends-welcomes.html

I have another blog post at Jodie Wolfe’s blog. Jodie interviewed me. If you’d like to know more about me and about Patriot’s Courage just go to https://www.jodiewolfe.com/2020/09/30/welcome-penelope-marzec/

Aside from blogging, I’ve been carefully going through A RUSH OF LIGHT, one of my earlier inspirational romances, which is also one of my most Catholic inspirationals. I hope to reissue it soon. It was originally published by Awe-Struck Ebooks in 2006, which seems like such a long time ago. I really love the book. I love Nick and Callie. I love all the secondary characters, too. The story has mystery, suspense, action, and ❤️. There are still paper copies of it available online at Amazon. (https://www.amazon.com/Rush-Light-Penelope-Marzec/dp/1587495643/ ) I made a book video for it, too, which you can see at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7W_tv23Ujg&feature=share

Books are so much fun. I really love them all. 💕 

Guest Post: FOLLOWING THE SPARROWS by Karen Malley

My guest today is Karen Malley. She lives in Southeastern Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons. She works full time as a scientist, but enjoys writing in her spare time whenever she can fine some! When not writing (with her left hand), she enjoys baking, volunteering at her church, camping hiking, playing board games, and reading. She loves reading faith-based stories, because we can all use a happy ending.

Karen's latest release from Prism Lux is FOLLOWING THE SPARROWS.

It's the story of Kathryn Baker who is trying to escape her past...

After the tragic death of her husband, Kathryn throws herself into her scientific career. She hopes to right the wrongs of her past before they catch up to her. But when she runs into a handsome stranger, she discovers that he just might hold the key to her future.

Adam Harrison is tired of running from his past ...

After losing everything he worked for in life, Adam is finally ready to follow the path God has for him. When a series of chance meetings brings him to Kathryn, he considers the possibility of loving again. But Kathryn is still on the run from God and from her past.

Can Adam convince Kathryn to stop running and trust him with her secrets, or will her fear make it impossible for them to have a future together?

Now for an excerpt!

The smell of burnt coffee intruded into Kathryn’s thoughts. She crossed the room and poured herself a cup. The frozen pizza she’d eaten earlier twisted around inside her. She gulped the coffee to try to settle her stomach, if not her nerves. Normally caffeine at this time of night was forbidden, but she needed to stay alert. A series of commercials played across the TV screen. Trailers for movies she’d never see, commercials for drugs she didn’t take, and promos for shows she didn’t watch. Nothing else in the world mattered right now. Only Robert. Oh, if only their last conversation weren’t a fight.

She walked over to Anne, who sat with her head propped on her hands, hair covering her face. Sitting as quietly as possible, Kathryn tried not to disturb her. She glanced at her watch. When would they finally come tell them something? The minutes dissolved into an ever-deepening puddle that threatened to drown her. 

She got up again. 

She paced. Twenty-four steps to the far wall, twenty-four steps back. 

By the time Kathryn convinced herself they forgot them, a man in green scrubs approached them. “Are you the family of Robert Baker?” Anne and Kathryn nodded in unison. 

“Walk with me.” He guided them down the hall toward the ICU, keeping a continual narrative as they went. 

 “Robert’s condition is critical. He sustained numerous lacerations and fractures, including a complete break of his left humerus and multiple ribs. One of the ribs punctured his right lung, which collapsed. We’ve set the bones, and surgically repaired his lung, but he also suffered massive head trauma. Our biggest concern is the cerebral edema. We’ve put in a stent to relieve the pressure, but it’s touch and go. We’ll know more if he makes it through the next twelve to twenty-four hours.”

Kathryn stopped in her tracks and stared at him. “Wait, what? If he makes it?”

The doctor turned toward her, and the harsh lines around his face softened. “Brain injuries are impossible to predict. He may not make it through the night. I’m sorry. Even if he does wake up, he may not be able to communicate again.” 

“Can we see him?” Anne asked, her voice trembling.

“Yes, but I wanted you to be prepared. I’m sorry there isn’t more we can do for him.” 

Kathryn leaned against Anne to stay upright. Half her life. Half her life she’d been with Robert. Stable, predictable Robert. He was the one thing she thought she could count on in life. She took a deep breath and followed Anne into the hospital room.

You can more information about Karen and her books at any of the links below:

 

Website:

https://www.KarenMalley.com

 

Blog:

https://www.KarenMalley.com/blog

 

Amazon author page: 

https://smile.amazon.com/Karen-Malley/e/B08HRDQ4QW/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1

 

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20700661.Karen_Malley

 

Link to buy the book: 

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08HQZRF8J/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Twitter: 

https://twitter.com/KarenLMalley

 

 

 

Be a Good Writer, Be a Good Listener

Image by Allinoch@pixabay.com

I am a good listener. It is one of the facets of my personality, which has been invaluable to me as a writer. As a child I was shy, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t paying attention. Every conversation, every tidbit of gossip, and every event was tucked away in the file in my mind for future reference. As I grew and became less shy, I began to ask questions. If someone wanted to tell me their life story, I was ready and willing to take it all in. If someone was a bit reticent about divulging their past, I would prod them a bit by telling them about an incident in my life. In most cases, they eagerly responded with a story about a similar event in their life.

I enjoy meeting new people so I can discover what makes them tick. Whenever hubby and I used to go out to eat, I would listen to the conversations of the diners at other tables. Social gatherings gave me an opportunity to meet new people and study them.

When I began to write in earnest for publication, I never had a problem putting together new characters because I had a lifetime of characters to draw from. I usually created composites--a little of this person, a little of that person, and a splash of someone else just for fun.

Then came the pandemic. 

No eating out, no social gatherings, no opportunities to meet new people. Of course, I kept up with everyone I already knew via Zoom. Video chats are nice, but not the same thing as seeing someone in person. Also, video chats usually contain far more than one person. 

Then there is Facebook, but since it’s a presidential election year, Facebook is a dangerous place to be unless you have a dog or a cat, which I don’t. I have come to rely on non-political posts using photos of the beach, flowers, food, or photos of my books.

There is also the phone. Not for texting, but for talking. It takes time to listen but it is worth it in my opinion because some small detail may be useful in a book somewhere. For instance, a friend of mine texted me to ask for the name of our plumber. I gave it to her. I phoned her a few days later and discovered her plumbing problem was caused by work being done in the apartment above hers. She recounted the entire series of events, which took a while. It wasn't a particularly happy situation. However, I thought  it would be a rather interesting way for a young woman and a young man to meet. 

So, I have a new story idea in my file. 

Yes, listening is very useful for a writer. Keep your ears open. 👂