Sunday, February 28, 2010

Beth, Feb.13th,1961-Feb.28, 2010




Wildflowers by Dolly Parton

The hills were alive with wildflowers
And I was as wild, even wilder than they
For at least I could run, they just died in the sun
And I refused to just wither in place

Just a wild mountain rose, needing freedom to grow
So I ran fearing not where I'd go
When a flower grows wild, it can always survive
Wildflowers don't care where they grow

And the flowers I knew in the fields where I grew
Were content to be lost in the crowd
They were common and close, I had no room for growth
I wanted so much to branch out

I uprooted myself from home ground and left
Took my dreams and I took to the road
When a flower grows wild, it can always survive
Wildflowers don't care where they grow

I grew up fast and wild and I never felt right
In a garden so different from me
I just never belonged, I just longed to be gone
So the garden, one day, set me free

Hitched a ride with the wind and since he was my friend
I just let him decide where we'd go
When a flower grows wild, it can always survive
Wildflowers don't care where they grow


In memory of my beloved baby sister.
Lori Beth Browning Wilson.
Our own wild mountain rose...


Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Review: Reasons by Tracy Fabre


From the back cover of Reasons: Delphi Brent, seriously injured in a hit-and-run accident as a teenager, is ready to spend the summer with old family friends when her parents make a distressing confession: the driver of the car that nearly killed her was one of the three sons of the Laughlin family she's about to visit. They urge her to stay home and let the past be, but she resolves to go out West anyway to learn the truth about what happened the night she was struck and one of the Laughlin sons died. However, in reconnecting with the Laughlins, who operate a sprawling ranch in Colorado, Delphi learns a lot not only about brothers and families, but also about the reasons people keep secrets, and what to do with the truth once it's uncovered. She also falls in love with one of the Laughlin brothers, which wasn't part of the plan at all.

My thoughts:

About four hours ago I fished this book out of a stack I have on my desk,
and I just read the last page.
I would've finished it sooner but I was interrupted by hungry family members who wanted supper.
I loved this story-I loved the characters and I loved the way it flowed.
The pages seemed to turn themselves and I almost hated for it to end.

Tracy Fabre's book isn't just a cute little love story.
It's about families and the ties that bind,
and ultimately it is about forgiveness and redemption.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to more from this author.


About the author in her own words:
Vaguely-worded statements about "me"... from tracyfabre.com

I consider myself a resident of the "mid-South", which is defined as everything from Oklahoma to upper Alabama. I've lived in various southern states and feel a pretty strong connection to Alabama, which doesn't claim me but hasn't figured out how to stop me from coming around.

In fact, three of my other (also unpublished) novels are set on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay (a series of mysteries) and I hope you'll see them in print someday.

I really am a "closet writer," but you can find me posting bits of fluff on Gather.com (they can't figure out how to keep me from coming around, either).

Steadily writing for my own entertainment--because I just haven't been able to stop--for the last eight years, I am glad to finally get into print so I can find out whether anyone else has any interest in what I've
been doing "in the privacy of my own home" all this time!


Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: StoneGarden.net Publishing (February 25, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1600761259
ISBN-13: 978-1600761256
Disclosure: I received my review copy of Reasons from Renee Giroux of Stimulating-Conversation.com