My "Big Idea" Lady by @KaraONealAuthor #RomanceGems

My mother can sing. Really, really well. She has a voice like Kathryn Grayson. They have similar looks, too. My mother is timeless and classic. She reminds me a lot of Jackie Kennedy. And, well, she was raised in that era, so....

She's good at a lot of things. Cooking, sewing, gardening, leading, directing, caring for others....

The list is endless. She worked for the American Heart Association for 20 years in Houston. Which means she worked with some VERY smart doctors, and they ended up nicknaming her the "velvet hammer". (I think I know why, but I've never actually asked.)

I call her the "Big Idea" lady because she was always making me do things. Sometimes these things were actually worthy, but other times.....UGH. Piano lessons? Really? No. (But I had to take them for FIVE years.)

Before my mother graduated from college, she was invited to attend the conservatory in Paris. I'm not really sure what that is, but she chose not to because she wanted a family.

She's been an amazing mother. There's no way I could tell y'all everything, but I have one example of her commitment.

My brother had seizures as a baby, and there were many appointments as doctors tried to figure out what was wrong. And, of course, there were many scary moments. One of those occurred either right before or right after church -- I can't remember because I was six. They had to take my brother to the hospital, and the only way my brother would sleep was on my mother's chest. So she stretched out on a gurney in her dress, slip, and hose and laid there for several hours so my brother could get a decent sleep. She couldn't move or she'd wake him.

"Mother" means so much that I doubt Webster accurately defines the word. "Father" means just as much, but this month is for the mothers. And they deserve ALL the roses.

It's quite fitting for me as my current release, MAGGIE'S SONG, which is available for pre-order, is about a mother who's risking so much to save her child. And not only that, the heroine can sing. Maybe not as well as my mother, but certainly well enough! Ha!

MAGGIE'S SONG

Pike’s Run, Texas, 1883

In the dead of night, Maggie Nelson flees New Orleans with her five-year old daughter, Iris. Maggie can’t live with her abusive husband any longer and seeks safety in the home and arms of her aunt, Aletta Williamson in Bordersville, near Pike’s Run, Texas. When she arrives, surprise her dear aunt, Maggie tells her Haywood died. She is too ashamed to tell the truth about her marriage.

Pete Jerkin, the town blacksmith and livery operator, is a leader in Bordersville. He is taken by Maggie and Iris, especially since the child doesn’t fear him. With his large stature, he usually puts off females and children. As Iris tugs on his heartstrings, his gaze strays to the lovely Maggie. But he’s promised himself he wouldn’t ever court a woman. Not again.

However, love is sneaky, and Pete can’t help himself. Neither can Maggie. As the weeks pass, she grows more scared each day that Pete will learn the truth about her husband, that Haywood will come knocking. And ruin everything.

BUY MAGGIE'S SONG

I was able to write this story because I had the best inspiration and role model for it. I've learned so much from my mom, and there isn't a way to properly thank her. Perhaps this blog post will do it. (I bet she's crying. Should I see that as success?)

I love you, Mama. Thank you.

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