POSTCARDS FROM THE MUSE
From A Truly Brilliant Author
By Nandy Ekle
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Tag Archives: Our Time on Route 66
OUR TIME ON ROUTE 66 – Book Review
Outtakes 387
OUR TIME ON ROUTE 66
By Cait Collins
Recently Wordsmith Six released an anthology OUR TIME ON ROUTE 66. The book contained five stories with different time periods and different genres. The uniting theme was Route 66 and the U-Drop Inn in Shamrock, Texas.
Maggie’s Betrayal by Natalie Bright is based on actual events during the Depression Era. Maggie is given in marriage to a gangster as payment for gambling debts. Shy and frightened, she tends to the household chores and is more a servant than a wife. When she meets her husband’s nephew, Alex, she learns not all men are mean and abusive. As their relationship grows and changes, Maggie must decide whether to stay in her loveless marriage or take a chance on love.
I couldn’t believe it when I realized our two guys both wrote romances. Rory C. Keel wrote Waiting. Set in World War II, the story traces a tale of love based on letters a newlywed couple wrote to each other. Brennon and Patricia’s marriage grows stronger even though they are separated by war. The story is enhanced by the inclusion of well researched facts regarding events in the Texas Panhandle and the war in Europe. The ending will touch your heart.
Sudden Turns by Joe Nichols is a hoot. Joe has this wonderful voice that combines details of ranch life and the romance between a young widow and a Texas cowboy who has returned home following his military stint in World War II. Liz and Buster don’t start out on good terms, but she’s desperate to get her cattle to market. For room and board plus a portion of the sales, she hires Buster to “capture” her cows. A cowboy himself, Joe brings just the right amount of humor and “ranching” to the story.
Moira O’Hara, a photo journalist spent months recovering from injuries sustained during an earthquake while embedded with troops in Afghanistan. Much of her time in the Middle East is a distant memory she chooses not to remember; including memories of her rescuer, Aiden Thornton. When they accidentally reconnect at the Rialto Square Theater in Joliet, Illinois, they begin a journey of recovery on the road to a Showdown at the U-Drop Inn by Cait Collins.
Author Nandy Ekle set the final story, Fear of Heights, a few years in the future. Shamrock, Texas has grown. The U-Drop Inn has reopened, and a carnival is set up close to the restaurant. Reylene is in the process of divorcing her abusive husband, Shane. Shane is not happy with the amount of child support Reylene is requesting, so he enlists the aid of his current squeeze, Sherry. Sherry is Reylene’s best friend. Terrified of heights, Reylene reluctantly agrees to a ride on the Ferris wheel. But she is unaware Shane and Sherry plan to scare her into giving up on the child support. Can she forgive the betrayal?
The book gave each of us a chance to test our imaginations, research skills, and take a leap of faith. OUR TIME ON ROUTE 66 is available online or through your local Barnes and Noble Booksellers.
Being Consumed
POSTCARDS FROM THE MUSE
Being Consumed
By Nandy Ekle
I know my job is to write about plot. Plot is very important because that’s the essence of the story. It’s the conflict, it’s how the characters react to the conflict, it’s how the conflict reacts to the characters, and it’s who wins in the end. In short, if you got no plot, you got no story.
Lately, something has happened to me that I crave to happen constantly. I am consumed by a story. This story popped in my head a couple of years ago while listening to a song on my play-list. This song is on an album I had as a teenager and I wore it out listening to it so much. Now, as an adult with the ability to purchase electronic forms of music, I found the album on-line and bought it. So all the songs were familiar old friends.
But when this particular song played, it was more than just remembering how much I liked it back in yore. A seed opened up and a root shot out into my mind. I had to hear the song again, and again, and again, over and over. The root grew a stem, the stem grew leaves, and a bud began to open. And all the while, the roots took over more and more of my mind.
I am now so consumed by this story growing that every thought I have goes back to the song.
Congratulations. You have just received a postcard from the muse.
It’s A Book Event
It’s A Book Event
And You’re Invited!
Please help me celebrate the release of our new Anthology
OUR TIME ON ROUTE 66
Join me for a book signing event on historic Route 66
Saturday, December 1. — 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Lile Art Gallery
2719 SW 6th Avenue, Amarillo
Lile’s is home of the famous Cadilite jewelry, made from paint chips off the Cadillac ranch.
Scroll down for more about the book.
About the Book:
If you’re needing a unique gift or if you’re a fan of Route 66, this new anthology is for you!
OUR TIME ON ROUTE 66 tells of good times and bad, Love and heartache, from the past to beyond tomorrow, and all of them connected by one stop, the Tower Station and U-Drop Inn on Route 66.
It started as a dirt path connecting neighbors, communities, states and a nation. Route 66 was an overland route traveled by pioneers, migrant farmers and anyone going west looking for the American dream. From wagon ruts to an asphalt paved highway, it has connected generations of people.
Five unique short stories and novellas set on historic Route 66 in Texas.
A gripping story of family betrayal, deep despair, and a young girl’s courageous triumph. MAGGIE’S BETRAYAL by Natalie Bright
A young soldier leaves his new bride for war sharing their life through letters in this heartfelt story. WAITING by Rory C. Keel
A down-on-his-luck cowboy sees opportunity in a young widow’s neglected ranch in 1944 Texas. SUDDEN TURNS by Joe Nichols
A Cherokee Chief predicts Mora O’Hara’s future as she travels The Mother Road seeking closure after a career related tragedy. SHOWDOWN AT U-DROP INN by Cait Collins
Raylen Dickey learns the difference between her friends, lovers, and enemies. FEAR OF HEIGHTS by Nandy Ekle
It’s A Book Event
It’s A Book Event
And You’re Invited!
Please help me celebrate the release of our new Anthology
OUR TIME ON ROUTE 66
Join me for a book signing event on historic Route 66
Saturday, December 1. — 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Lile Art Gallery
2719 SW 6th Avenue, Amarillo
Lile’s is home of the famous Cadilite jewelry, made from paint chips off the Cadillac ranch.
Scroll down for more about the book.
About the Book:
If you’re needing a unique gift or if you’re a fan of Route 66, this new anthology is for you!
OUR TIME ON ROUTE 66 tells of good times and bad, Love and heartache, from the past to beyond tomorrow, and all of them connected by one stop, the Tower Station and U-Drop Inn on Route 66.
It started as a dirt path connecting neighbors, communities, states and a nation. Route 66 was an overland route traveled by pioneers, migrant farmers and anyone going west looking for the American dream. From wagon ruts to an asphalt paved highway, it has connected generations of people.
Five unique short stories and novellas set on historic Route 66 in Texas.
A gripping story of family betrayal, deep despair, and a young girl’s courageous triumph. MAGGIE’S BETRAYAL by Natalie Bright
A young soldier leaves his new bride for war sharing their life through letters in this heartfelt story. WAITING by Rory C. Keel
A down-on-his-luck cowboy sees opportunity in a young widow’s neglected ranch in 1944 Texas. SUDDEN TURNS by Joe Nichols
A Cherokee Chief predicts Mora O’Hara’s future as she travels The Mother Road seeking closure after a career related tragedy. SHOWDOWN AT U-DROP INN by Cait Collins
Raylen Dickey learns the difference between her friends, lovers, and enemies. FEAR OF HEIGHTS by Nandy Ekle
It’s A Book Event
It’s A Book Event
And You’re Invited!
Please help me celebrate the release of our new Anthology
OUR TIME ON ROUTE 66
Join me for a book signing event on historic Route 66
Saturday, December 1. — 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Lile Art Gallery
2719 SW 6th Avenue, Amarillo
Lile’s is home of the famous Cadilite jewelry, made from paint chips off the Cadillac ranch.
Scroll down for more about the book.
About the Book:
If you’re needing a unique gift or if you’re a fan of Route 66, this new anthology is for you!
OUR TIME ON ROUTE 66 tells of good times and bad, Love and heartache, from the past to beyond tomorrow, and all of them connected by one stop, the Tower Station and U-Drop Inn on Route 66.
It started as a dirt path connecting neighbors, communities, states and a nation. Route 66 was an overland route traveled by pioneers, migrant farmers and anyone going west looking for the American dream. From wagon ruts to an asphalt paved highway, it has connected generations of people.
Five unique short stories and novellas set on historic Route 66 in Texas.
A gripping story of family betrayal, deep despair, and a young girl’s courageous triumph. MAGGIE’S BETRAYAL by Natalie Bright
A young soldier leaves his new bride for war sharing their life through letters in this heartfelt story. WAITING by Rory C. Keel
A down-on-his-luck cowboy sees opportunity in a young widow’s neglected ranch in 1944 Texas. SUDDEN TURNS by Joe Nichols
A Cherokee Chief predicts Mora O’Hara’s future as she travels The Mother Road seeking closure after a career related tragedy. SHOWDOWN AT U-DROP INN by Cait Collins
Raylen Dickey learns the difference between her friends, lovers, and enemies. FEAR OF HEIGHTS by Nandy Ekle
Lessons Learned
Outtakes 353
Lessons Learned
By Cait Collins
After years of writing for broadcasters, non-profits, and corporate training groups, I was finally published. Our Time on Route 66is now available..I had always longed for a chance to sign my stories. It sounds a little silly, but autographing your works is a thrill. It’s a way of acknowledging writing success.
I so enjoyed our two days in Shamrock at the Route 66 Festival. Not only did I get to sign our books, I had the chance to meet the real travelers of the road. They taught me to see the Mother Road through the eyes of those who built the new highway. I met people who had traveled the route from Chicago to Los Angeles multiple times. I learned their stories and their dreams for revitalizing the old road. One group had recently purchased the Dutch Windsor’s Painted Desert Trading Post in Arizona. They have no plans to reopen the site. The goal is to restore and maintain a piece of American history. Their shirts had the white and red “Cold Drinks” logo from the sign painted on the exterior wall of the structure..
I was flipping through their coffee table book Route 66 Sightingsand came across a picture of the Santo Domingo Indian Trading Post. I had visited the post a number of years ago and even witnessed a trade between the proprietor and a Native American. Sadly the original structure has burned down. It has been rebuilt, but much of the history has been lost.
I met a Park Ranger who works at the Washita Battlefield near Cheyenne, Oklahoma. We talked about how the Sand Creek massacre triggered the Washita massacre. He said “If Sand Creek hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have a job.”
I was able to speak to children about rescue horses and how they have new lives because someone loved them and believed they could be rehabilitated. And Miss Route 66 spoke of her students and wanting them to learn more about writing.
It was a weekend of joy. Three of my sisters drove up to buy our books and get them signed. They will never truly understand how much their support means to me.
I photographed old cars. (I wish I owned the T-Bird.) And I relived a scene from my childhood. The Blarney Inn is an older motel built in the three-sided design from the fifties and sixties. From the outside the inn didn’t look like much. It has had a face lift, and the rooms have been updated. The place was immaculate.
I guess this is my long-winded way of saying the weekend was a success. I signed books, I made contact with others who love history and want to preserve the pieces that can be salvaged. I met with people who love to write and want to teach others to enjoy the written word. I rediscovered what I’ve always known, reaching out to new people and new ideas helps me grow not only as a writer, but also as a person.
Building an Anthology
POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE
Building an Anthology
By Nandy Ekle
This is how you build an anthology.
EDITING
Coming in June!
OUR TIME ON ROUTE 66 – FEAR OF HEIGHTS
FEAR OF HEIGHTS
Nandy Ekle
Raylene was in a hurry to get in the house. She thought she had seen her ex-husband’s truck in the neighborhood when she left for work that morning and she didn’t want to take a chance on him spotting her.
She dropped her purse and keys in the chair by the door. Her six-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Pearl, and her just-turned-five-year-old son, Jam, came bounding up the steps into the mobile home behind her, trying to tear each other apart.
“No, I get the first snack,” Pearl yelled.
“No, I do,” Jam yelled back.
“Ow! You pulled my hair! I’m telling. Mom, Jam pulled my hair and it really hurt!” She rubbed the offended part of her scalp, then she stomped on his foot.
Jam let out an amazing shriek. “Mom! Pearl stepped on my foot!”
Raylene took a deep breath and shut the door. “Stop it right now! Both of you. No snacks for anyone. Both of you get to your rooms while I figure out supper. Now.”
“But, Mom,” they both whined in unison.
Find this story and more in OUR TIME ON ROUTE 66.
Coming in JUNE.
Five authors tell five different stories, through five different time periods, and all crossing the same place—the Tower Station and U-drop Inn.
COMING SOON! OUR TIME ON ROUTE 66
OUR TIME ON ROUTE 66
Look for our new Wordsmith Six Book release.
This fantastic book, is a collection of stories that will take you on a journey on Route 66.
It started as a dirt path connecting neighbors, communities, states and finally a nation.
Route 66 was an overland route traveled by pioneers, migrant farmers and anyone going west looking for the American dream. From wagon ruts to an asphalt highway, it has connected generations of people.
Join us as we travel through time from the early days and well into the future on the Mother Road.
OUR TIME on Route 66 is full of stories that tell of good times and bad, love and heartache, from the past to beyond tomorrow, and all of them connected by one stop, the Tower Station, and U-Drop Inn.
Wordsmith Six 