June 20, 2006

WHISPERS

I came across this vignette along my run a few days ago. It made me stop and wonder …. who had hiked all the way up into these woods and so carefully propped those now drying and faded yellow roses up with rocks? Who had sat on that bench and looked out over White Gold? Was it one person? Or two? Was it twilight, or dawn? What had they been thinking? Feeling?

I sat on the bench and tried to touch the whispers of memories in those woods. They felt sad. Very sad. And so strong they gave me a shiver. Then I wanted to laugh out loud at my folly — because so often my imagination weaves stories into sensations that just aren’t there. Still … I came across the roses again today … and still, I wonder …

And this is how stories start for me, because by the end of my run I had a real character in my mind, with very real emotions, and he’d sat on that bench, with the roses on his lap, and the rain had been a fine mist …

Writing Week Challenge is going very well. I’m bang on schedule. YAY!! And if all goes according to plan, when I am done, I am going north to farmland with DD#2 where we will spend the day watching baby animals, avoiding irascible geese, and picking tons and tons of strawberries in the sun as a reward

And a special thank you to Bailey/Eve :). Guess what arrived in my mail box today? AUSSIE RULES!!! You rule, Eve. Thank you for the generous gift, friend.

My Path: Tin Pants, Lower Panorama

My Distance: 50:34 mins

My Beat: Falling in Love Again - Nina Simone (oh glorious, glorious, soulful voice)

Contest

Posted by Loreth @ 8:26 pm | THE RUNNING LIFE, THE WRITING LIFE

5 Responses to “WHISPERS”

On June 21st, 2006 at 6:09 am
Peggy Says:

I love being in the woods. Always have. As a kid I use to bike over to this patch of forest in the middle of the city and just walk or bike around it for hours. I think it’s the isolation from civilization, the feeling of being cut off from the rest of the world. I don’t know, but my favourite place to hike is in the woods.
On June 21st, 2006 at 6:25 am
Bailey Stewart Says:

When I was a child in Iowa we had woods at the end of our street. I used to spend the entire day there climbing over log “bridges” that crossed the shallow creeks; listen to the babbling brook. It was my imaginary world and where I think I learned the art of creativity. I’m wondering about the flowers too.

You’re very welcome. Just wait and see what’s coming next (insert maniacal laughter).
On June 21st, 2006 at 6:25 am
Bailey Stewart Says:

Oh, and Yay on the WWC.
On June 21st, 2006 at 6:52 am
Meretta Says:

Great job on the WWC, Loreth. Keep it up! Love the story of the roses and the woods. Love Nina Simone, too. She sends shivers down my spine!
On June 21st, 2006 at 8:24 am
Toni Anderson Says:

Seeing flowers in odd places always makes me sad.

I used to haunt the woods as a child. Funny how we watch our children so hard and yet we ourselves as children desperately needed that escape.

MANHUNTER dishes up “Creepy chills” - 1st review is in!

After Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer Gabe Caruso can’t save his fiancee from a sadistic serial killer, he has trouble dealing with the guilt. His only consolation is that he put the man in jail. Cutting himself off, Gabe takes a post in Black Arrow Falls, a small town in the Yukon. There, he meets tracker Silver Karvonen, a woman with secrets of her own. Both are stunned to feel the pull of attraction. Then the killer escapes, and Gabe knows that trouble is on the way. Loreth Anne White serves up some creepy chills in Manhunter (4), as a serial killer wages both psychological and physical warfare. This compelling tale, part of the Wild Country series, features two emotionally scarred people who discover that being together makes them stronger.

—Sandra Garcia-Myers

“THE HEART OF A RENEGADE is a skillfully crafted novel, packed with complex characters involved in a well-used plot line; however, it is innovatively done. Loreth Anne White’s pacing is superb, maintaining ever mounting intensity as the story plays out. This story is rich with detail, and a plot that could be expanded to a 450 page hardcover. That said, it does not feel as if it were condensed but evolves in the expected manner only to twist and turn a bit adding interest and suspense. The dynamics between Jessica and Luke are extraordinarily well handled.

White is a very gifted author and whose future novels will be sought out by this reviewer.”

–Thea Davis

A TOP PICK from Romantic Times BOOKreview for THE HEART OF A RENEGADE

“Luke Stone is just like a stone. After his pregnant wife is murdered, he closes up emotionally, until his employer asks him to protect Jessica Chan, who’s a target of the Chinese Triad Dragons for attempting to expose their atrocities. Luke doesn’t want to be responsible for anyone, and he’s surprised to find a kindred spirit in Jessica. When they’re on the run with only each other to lean on, their emotional barriers crumble. The Heart of a Renegade (4.5) is an action ride full of thrills and surprises and a love story that will make your heart beat faster.

Loreth Anne White has expanded her Shadow Soldiers series, and intriguing and dynamic characters continue to make it compelling.

—Sandra Garcia-Myers

And a five-star review from CataRomance.com:

From the instance THE HEART OF A RENEGADE starts, one will take an indrawn breath and continue to gasp until the explosive ending. The danger is believably suspenseful with heart-pounding threats, and how they are carried out is terrifying realistic. Just when one thinks all is going smoothly for the hero and heroine, more peril crops up and they must once again fight for their lives.

Luke and Jessica are one of the most endearing couples about whom I have had the pleasure to read, and their compelling story profoundly touched me. Whether they are fleeing from the enemy or expressing exactly how they feel on a subject, their actions are authentic and make them seem very true-to-life. Ms. White had me caring for this couple and what the future holds for them, causing numerous tension-filled moments during the story. THE HEART OF A RENEGADE masterfully evokes images and feelings to create an enthralling plus emotional story which never disappoints.
–Amelia Richard

SEDUCING THE MERCENRY earns Cata award