December Member News

Books make wonderful gifts!

Linda Shuler, Hidden Shadows. Cassie Brighton, devastated by the death of her husband, flees to a remote homestead in the rugged Texas Hill Country. Alone in a ramshackle farmhouse steeped in family secrets, Cassie wages a battle of mind and heart as she struggles to overcome the sorrows of her past, begin anew, and confront the possibility of finding love again. Hidden Shadows is a story of healing, of connection: to the land, to our ancestors, to others, to ourselves – and to the redemptive power of love. 

Penny Sidoli, Stolen Moments for Art. This collection of poems reflect people in Penny’s life, men and women, and the environment, the pondering, the moments of grace and mystery. It illuminates the beauty in our world and highlights the dreams, mundane tasks and extraordinary challenges of our daily lives. 

Natalie Bright, “A Cowboy’s Christmas Blessing” is included in West Texas Christmas Stories, an anthology (Abilene Christian University Press) of more than 30 heart-warming and humorous Christmas stories—all set in West Texas or by West Texas writers. 

M.M. Justus Reunion, the second “Tale of the Unearthly Northwest”.  Lost in Time. In 1910 unemployed teacher Claudia Ogden has nowhere to go. She decides to bet her life on the rumor of a job in a remote town called Conconully.  But when she arrives and is hired, what at first seem like small eccentricities loom ever more inexplicably, mysteries that make no sense. That is, until she meets Conconully’s accidental magician, who wants her to save them. But from what?

Doris McCraw, writing as Angela Raines, Angel of Salvation Valley. Given a chance at freedom for a crime he didn't commit, Drew Carson must kill for his pardon. Taken to a lush valley where a beautiful woman lives, Luke, Drew's "rescuer", lets him know that the woman is his target--kill her, and he's a free man. But there's something strange about the valley. Time stands still, and nothing is as it seems. Will Drew trade murder for love? 

Doris/Angela also has a short story “Lost Night, in the anthology One Christmas Knight, a collection of Christmas stories from the medieval time period.

Finding Gold

by Doris McCraw 

In 1848 gold was found in California. Although there had been some placer gold found in the southeast, this was a game changer. When word arrived back east of the Mississippi the rush was on. Unfortunately many of the thousands who sailed around the southern tip of South America, crossed at Panama or traveled across country in wagons and carts failed to find enduring riches.

Then in 1859 another rush was on. There was gold found in Colorado and many who had missed the first rush headed west across the Great American Desert with Pike's Peak or Bust painted on their wagons. From 1859 on gold was found in most of the Western states, the Dakotas, Nevada, Montana, etc. The last rush was in the 1890′s in the Cripple Creek region of Colorado and in the Alaskan territory. Many people followed one rush after another, most to no avail.

In looking at the pattern, so many rushed over true wealth. In California some of the pristine areas were forever blighted. The Great American Desert was in reality part of the breadbasket of the nation. Forest, mountains, rivers all were all sacrificed to the need for quick wealth.

The quick wealth was another matter altogether. Some miners found gold nuggets just lying around, but most prospectors and miners worked hard, long hours and barely broke even. In the long run it was those who supplied the gold seekers, or processed the gold ore that won the prize.

Perhaps you are wondering why the history lesson. For me it is the lessons learned that make it worthwhile. Many times we search for the quick answer and the bonanza strike of gold in our lives and work. We dream of bestselling books, an easier life and more money. Those dreams can definitely come true. The thing we need to watch for; not rushing by and missing the true gold. Friends,family, home are the true gold. In our rush to find gold, savor the journey and those we share it with. In the end, they will be the ones who help us find our own gold.
written and copyrighted by Doris McCraw  http://renawomyn.blogspot.com/