I am an office supply junkie.
I love office supplies almost as much as I love bookstores.
And I adore office supplies I find in bookstores.
Like blank books.
Yes, I hoard them.
Here are a few of my collection.
Back before I had an Alphasmart, I used to hand write books in blank books. Whenever I saw one that appealed to me, I would buy it.
Now I rarely used them. But I love to look at them.
We all have regrets in our lives. Things we wish we could do over.
One of my biggies is that I saw my son lead the pep band at his high school basketball games only once. His last time. I enjoyed it. I like basketball. I liked the school community. I love my son.
I should have made the time to go to more of those games.
Today’s guest author, Linda Bradley, talks about summer.
Maggie Abernathy and I have a few things in common so our feelings about the summer months are quite similar. Maggie Abernathy is a school teacher and so am I. We both love summer days! It’s the time to rejuvenate, hide-away, and spend the days enjoying the summer sun. Summer is her favorite season. It’s my favorite season, too.
Maggie Abernathy lives in the suburb of Grosse Pointe in Michigan. It’s a charming place with a quaint village where one can shop, visit the library, or get a bite to eat. Maggie is lucky enough to live near the lake. It’s a place I know well, as it was my home for many years.
For Maggie, she spends quite some time tending her garden. She loves peonies, lilacs, and her tomatoes.
She becomes quite fond of the pooch that her mother left on her doorstep. Bones can be a rascal, but he’s lovable.
Maggie’s pastime is taking photographs. After she develops them, she paints them, something that she dreams about publishing someday. She loves cows.
Maggie Abernathy is a cancer survivor and so am I. After being diagnosed with breast cancer, I put my blinders on, went through two surgeries, and radiation. It prodded me to write Maggie’s story. I’ve been cancer-free for three years and I suspect Maggie will not have another bout of this trying disease. Several readers wanted to know if my debut novel, Maggie’s Way was autobiographical. Not really. Although we shared the experience of cancer and the same occupation, everything else is fictional. So I imagine, if I were to meet Maggie on a summer day at the beach, our conversation might sound something like this:
Me: May I pet your dog?
Maggie: (Smiles.) Absolutely, but I wouldn’t ask him to tend your garden.
Me: (With a chuckle.) Why is that?
Maggie: Let’s just say he likes tomatoes.
Me: I love his floppy jowls.
Maggie: He is kind of cute. My mom gave him to me. I suspect as a lesson. (Peers out over the lake and watches a young girl splash at the shore. The girl’s feet are covered with sand and her hair is damp.) Guess she didn’t want me to go through cancer alone.
Me: I’m sorry to here that. Been there done that and it sucked. I hate my tattoos.
Maggie: (With a grin) Sure does, but I’ll be okay. (Young girl runs over to where we stand and peers up at us.) Hi Chloe.
Chloe: Hi Maggie. I see Bones is behaving today. Good dog! (She pats his head and nuzzles her face close to his.)
Maggie: Yes, it’s a good day.
Me: It’s a great day with the sun. Summer is my favorite season.
Maggie: It’s my favorite season, too. My name is Maggie Abernathy.
Me: I’m Linda Bradley. Nice to meet you.
Chloe: I’m Chloe. Maggie’s not my mother, but I wish she was. She lives next door to me. I’m kind of like that kid that’s always around.
Maggie: (Smiles at Chloe.)
Me: You too must be good friends.
Chloe: (Shades her eyes and squints into the sun as she stares at Maggie.) I think we are. Are we good friends Maggie?
Maggie: Yes, we’re good friends.
Chloe: When do you think that happened cause I thought maybe you thought I was too much of a pest.
Maggie: Not sure, kiddo. Friendships are like magic. Sometimes they just happen.
Me: Kind of like a midnight wish on the wings of a summer fairy sprinkling her fairy dust over the people that love summer the most.
Maggie: (Smile grows bigger.)
Me: You do believe in fairies, don’t you?
Maggie and Chloe: (In unison) I do. (They share a quiet giggle and Chloe reaches up to hold her hand.)
Me: It was nice meeting you two. Enjoy the day. (I bend down and pat Bones’ knobby head.)
Maggie: (Nods) You, too.
Me: See you around. (I wave and walk away.)
Chloe: (Her voice trails into the breeze) She was nice. Remind me to make a wish on the summer moon tonight.
Linda’s inspiration comes from her favorite authors and life itself. Her women’s fiction highlights characters that peel away outer layers of life to discover the heart of their dreams with some unexpected twists and turns along the way. Her writing integrates humor found in everyday situations, as well as touching moments, thus creating avenues for readers to connect with her characters.
Linda has an Associates Degree in Interior Design and a Master’s Degree in Reading and Language Arts with undergraduate work in Elementary Education and Fine Arts. She wrote and illustrated a children’s book titled, The Hunter for her Master’s Degree. Linda is a member of RWA, as well as the Greater Detroit Chapter of RWA.
Linda has two grown sons, lives with her husband, and rescue dog in Royal Oak, Michigan.
Follow Linda on social media:
Every city has it’s local delicacy. My hometown has salt potatoes. No summer picnic, barbecue, or event is complete without them.
And what, you may ask, are salt potatoes?
They a small, new potatoes boiled in highly salted water and served drenched in melted butter.
And how did this divine creation come to be?
In the late 1800’s Syracuse was the American capitol of salt mining. (Which is why I often wonder if the term “back to the salt mines” is universal or something local.) Syracuse is still called “The Salt City.” Salt was “mined” by boiling off the water from the salt-water marshes around Onondaga Lake. The Irish workers would bring their substandard, undersized potatoes and boil them in salted water for their lunches.
This is why I named my fictional baseball team, the Syracuse Saltboilers.
There you have it.
P.S. The next Syracuse Saltboilers romance comes out on July 26.