REMEMBERING CELIA by CHERYL PIERSON

Last month, many of us lost a dear friend, Celia Yeary. She was a woman I had never met in “real life” – but I felt like I’d known her forever, and I'm sure many of you felt the same way.

Celia and I were published within a few months of one another in 2009 (she was first!) by The Wild Rose Press. We went through that “first publishing experience” together, and I hope I was as good a sounding board for her as she was for me. It was comforting to have another new author to talk to about what was going on with our first “babies” being published and pushed out into the cruel world.

Celia was “a bit” older than I, and a wonderful combination of big sis/surrogate mom in a lot of ways—but most of all, she was a dear friend.

We talked about everything over the years. I always admired Celia’s determination and her courage to face whatever life threw her way. She chalked it up to being a fifth-generation Texan, and that might have been part of it, but I believe most of her inner strength came from deep within herself—no matter where she had been born and raised.

Celia went to college AFTER she was married and had small children—and that had to be tough. But she persevered. She received her BS in biology and went on for her Master’s degree in education. She taught school for many years and told me how she loved it, and how she missed it after retirement.

I knew Celia after that phase of her life was past, and we shared our passion for writing. We both wrote western romance stories, and loved to talk about our characters, and run scenes by one another. Celia was very meticulous in her writing process—more of a plotter than I am. We talked about everything under the sun along with our writing conversations. I treasured seeing her name pop up in my INBOX—she always made me laugh.

When we learned she had passed away, I felt like the world became a “dimmer” place—and of course, that’s true. Celia was one of the brightest stars I have ever known. I miss her. She was one of those people that is truly unforgettable, though I can hear her in my mind saying, “Me? Lands sakes, why would you say that?”

One of the main things I’ll always remember about Celia is her big heart. All you have to do is read one of her books and you’ll see it shine through. She spoke through her characters, and as all writers do, put some of herself into the people she created in her stories. She often told me this book, WISH FOR THE MOON, was the "book of my heart" and how glad she was to have it in print. I understood why--there is a LOT of Celia in these characters!

Her birthday was this past Saturday, August 25. Hard to believe she’s gone, but she’ll always be in my heart—a dear friend that I was so lucky to have known.

A NOVEL REBORN--WISH FOR THE MOON

Celia in a secret location--oh, okay--it's Las Vegas.

Wish for the Moon is a story I thought no one would take. I was writing romance novels and romantic short stories, and I knew this book would not fit any guidelines of the romance publishers I knew...and had books with.

I held the complete manuscript for a year or more, wondering where and when I would try for publication.

After studying several epresses, I found one who had no major agenda. They only looked for stories they liked. I took a deep breath and submitted it.

After one week, I was offered a contract with the note that read, "This is a wonderful story."

This was all well and good, but the problem was selling it. The small publisher did nothing, and I did not have an audience who might like it. So, it sat four years, earning little pittance.

Enter Prairie Rose Publications.

After a while I knew they had the attitude I did.

"A good story is...a good story."   

Perhaps all authors have a story they've written they call "the book of my heart." I use this term to describe a story I would write even though I might not find a publisher for it, and even though not one person would ever read it.

Why? Because the setting and some characters came from my childhood memories that I hold dear in my heart.

The setting I use is a tiny North Texas community called Salesville, which lies eight miles north of Mineral Wells in Palo Pinto County. First off, it is my birthplace--in 1940, and yes, I'm that old--and in that decade and even later in time, some people lived then as their ancestors had in the Nineteenth Century.

An abandoned farm that reminds me a bit of my grandparents' home in North Texas.

The particular place in my story is the family farm of my paternal grandparents, those wonderful loving people I called Granny and Papa.

But I wanted the story to take place in 1901. No problem, because in the 1940s, their house had no running water and no indoor plumbing as if the year was 1901. They did have electricity because I remember one light bulb that hung from a cord in the center of each room. Still, they used a kerosene lantern much of the time at night.

So, I have the setting, my grandparents' rickety weather-beaten house, a rose garden to one side, a screened-in porch attached to the back of the house, a barn, a pasture, and a well.

The story centers around the baby of the family, sixteen-year-old Annie McGinnis and her relationship with others in her world as she becomes a woman:
Her family~~mother; father; handsome, smart brother Kyle; and her big slow-witted brother Clifford.
Max Landry~~a troubled, bereft young man who wanders to their farm and stays a short while.
Old Blind Jerral~~a blind man who lives on a small place behind the McGinnis farm with his elderly mother. (I used my uncle as  model for Jerral. My uncle was blinded as a young man and lived on the farm for a long time.)
Later in the story, Jerral will play a big role in Annie's life.
Two Texas Rangers.

BLURB:
At the dawn of the Twentieth Century, sixteen-year-old Annie McGinnis wishes for a chance to see more of the world, since all she’s ever known is the family farm in North Texas. A mysterious visitor arrives who will change not only her life, but her family’s as well. To save Max Landry from a bogus charge, she follows him and the Texas Rangers back to the coal-mining town one county over where a murder occurred. The short journey sets Annie on a path of discovery—new horizons, an inner strength, and quite possibly…love.

EXCERPT:
   She stood still and studied him, frightened, sorrowful. “Max?”
   “What, sweet Annie?”
   “Why did you kiss me?”
   Max looked into her eyes, shaking his head slightly, pausing before he said, “You know, I shouldn’t have done that. It was wrong of me. I do apologize.”
   Sudden anger rose in her breast. She jerked her hands from his and stepped back. “That is very cruel, Max Landry. Did you know that? Do you know what you’ve done? You’ve made me seem pathetic. Kissing me so sweetly and then taking it back. That’s not a kind thing to do. Suppose…suppose some girl fell in love with you, when…you did that to her. Don’t you see it would break her heart? If I were you, I would do some thinking on how you go about kissing girls all over the place!”
    She whirled away from him and began to walk, taking long, angry strides. He watched her for a moment; then took off after her. By the time they were about a couple of hundred yards from the back fence, he walked beside her, but neither spoke. All Annie wanted to do was to get home and go to her room for while. She needed to be alone.
    Their arrival was not how she envisioned it, however. Tied at the post at the side of the house were two horses. Both carried a rifle in a sheath on one side of the saddle. At that moment, Grover and Helen walked out the back door of the screened porch. Two men, dressed alike in brown Western-style pants, white shirts with black string ties, and tan Stetsons, walked out behind them.
   Even from this distance, Annie could see the silver circle-star badge of the Texas Rangers pinned to their shirts and imprinted on their big oval belt buckles.
~~*~~
I'll give away a free copy of Wish for the Moon. Leave a comment, please. And thank you one and all for visiting.

Amazon Link:  http://amzn.com/B00SM09DSK 

Nook Link:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wish-for-the-moon-celia-yeary/1104178133?ean=2940149980390

Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit 'o Texas

 

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New Release --- WISH FOR THE MOON by Celia Yeary -- Free Book Giveaway!

We will be giving away a free copy of WISH FOR THE MOON by Celia Yeary, so be sure an leave a comment to enter the drawing.

BLURB:
At the dawn of the Twentieth Century, sixteen-year-old Annie McGinnis wishes for a chance to see more of the world, since all she’s ever known is the family farm in North Texas. A mysterious visitor arrives who will change not only her life, but her family’s as well. To save Max Landry from a bogus charge, she follows him and the Texas Rangers back to the coal-mining town one county over where a murder occurred. The short journey sets Annie on a path of discovery—new horizons, an inner strength, and quite possibly…love.

EXCERPT:

    “I’ve never been anywhere, at least far away. Oh, how I would love to go to Paris, too, and New York. Other than Brazos City, I’ve only been over to Mineral Wells, once. Did you know they have the healing water baths there in two hotels? People come from all over. Anyway, we went to a fair and rode a Ferris wheel and a carousel, and ate hot dogs from a stand, and even had fairy fluff. I didn’t really care for that pink gooey junk, though. It was sort of disappointing, you know? What you saw was something awful pretty and it promised to be something outstanding, but when you bit into it, all you got was a mouthful of airy stuff that just disappeared in your mouth.”
    Max stopped in the field, took Annie’s arm, and turned her toward him. “Did you know, Annie McGinnis, you’ve just articulated how I feel much of the time?”
    “What…what do you mean, ar-ticu-lated?” she asked with widened eyes.
    Before he answered, he lowered the tote to the ground, and placed his hands low on his hips, gazing away from her. Words wouldn’t come exactly as he wanted, but she had expressed the convoluted thoughts he had in his head much of the time.
    He turned back and said very slowly, “Often I see something nice I might like to have, a big house, one of those new motor cars they’re making now, a new tailored suit with a hat to match, or…a family…” His voice trailed off as if he forgot what he wanted to say, but really, he just didn’t know how to express his feelings.
    “Go ahead, Max, say it,” she urged gently. “A family to come home to.”
    He shook his head. “But it could all disappear in an instant, right before your eyes. Don’t you see?     It’s not worth it in the end. You think you have something forever and bang, it’s all gone. Turned to nothing in your mouth when at first, it seemed so sweet.”
    Annie stepped closer to him and placed her hands on his upper arms. He stood still and looked at her, waiting for her to speak. His heart beat hard against his ribs, and the warmth from her small hands burned through his shirtsleeves, but he didn’t move and waited for her to speak.
    “Max,” she began very softly, “don’t you see? Life hurts sometimes, doesn’t it? Does that mean you hide away, and curl up and die because you’re afraid? Even animals don’t do that, Max. They move on, find another burrow, another place and maybe another family, but they start over somehow.     You can’t run forever, you know. Soon, you should stop, make a decision, and move on toward your goal. Wandering about like the hoboes that sometime sit under the trestle isn’t for you. You’re too smart and too good to give up on the life the Lord gave you. Wouldn’t you be ashamed of yourself? Stand up, Max, and move on. Find your place and live.”
    Max couldn’t move and he was even afraid to breathe. Before he could stop his emotions, a lone tear leaked out of the corner of one eye. Without thinking, he pulled Annie to him, and kissed her sweetly and sincerely on her soft lips.
    When he broke the kiss, she smiled at him like the angel she was. “Let’s keep moving, you think?” Max asked.
    “Yes,” she said, and smiled so brightly that he thought he might break down and really cry.
    “Come on, then,” he said. “Show me the way.”

LINKS:   

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