Living the Dream by Mary Manners

 Living the Dream

by Mary Manners

 

 

Tomorrow morning before the sun rises I will board the Megabus to Orlando, Florida for the Romance Writers of America National conference. It has been eleven years since I last had the privilege of attending, and so very much has changed during the course of those years!

 

Eleven years ago I was an unpublished,  aspiring writer with very little idea of how the publishing world worked. I was working a full-time teaching job and raising my daughter. Life was hectic and I stayed up into the wee hours of the night to carve out precious writing time. I heard about RWA and joined, then saw that Nora Roberts was going to be at the conference. I have always loved her writing style, so, with stars in my eyes, I went to meet her. I also met so many friendly, gracious, and helpful aspiring and seasoned writers who shared invaluable information. I learned so much, and was filled with immeasurable hope that I could make my dream of becoming a professional author come true.

 

 



 

Now, as I prepare to return to the conference, I am retired from my day job. With more than fifty published books and novellas under my belt, I am living the dream as a full-time author. But I know there is still so much to learn. I am ready to spend time with my treasured friend and fellow writer Marianne Evans, network with writing friends and industry professionals, and soak up as much information as I possibly can. Who knows what the next eleven years might bring?

 

Onward...to the next adventure!

 



~~~~~

 

 

A Pocketful of Wishes (Picnics and Promises Collection)



When a job transfer causes Jenna Palmer’s family to relocate across the country, Jenna moves away from her best friend and first love Carter Stevens. She promises to find him again. But as the years slip away and she dives into a career in pediatric trauma surgery, all that is left of her one time love are the memories—and a wish on the lucky penny Carter gave her.

Carter Stevens never forgot his first love. On their final morning together he gave her a special token along with his promise to love her forever. Though years have passed as he’s climbed the ranks of the Maple Ridge Police Department, he still longs for another glimpse of the smiling, green-eyed beauty who stole his heart and shared his love of adventure.

An accident brings the pair together once again, and memories and reality collide. Can their promise stand, or will time crush their promise…and their love?

~~~~~

MARY MANNERS is an award-winning author who has spent a lifetime exploring her joy of writing.  A former teacher and intermediate school principal, Mary spent three decades sharing her love of learning. While growing up in Chicago Mary worked a variety of jobs including paper girl, figure skating instructor, pizza chef, lifeguard, and nanny. Many of these enriching and challenging experiences led to adventures that add a touch of humor to her stories. Mary loves long sunrise runs, ocean sunsets, and flavored coffee.

 

Connect with Mary at her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com. “Like” her author page on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.



 

 



Follow Your Passion by Mary Manners

I love to write. Penning stories is definitely my passion. I have been writing since before I knew how to form letters (I would scribble on paper and then share my story aloud). To me, writing is akin to breathing; I must engage in it to have life.

I am a pantster by nature, but I do begin each story by creating a notebook that contains basic story ideas and elements, as well as character traits and descriptions. This is especially necessary when constructing stories that are part of a series. My favorite part of writing is when a character does something completely unexpected. It’s so much fun to see where a story takes me.

One week, during middle school, I had a particularly rough time. I remember asking my dad why certain things happen. To answer, he brought home a poster of a dog in a washtub with the headline, “Is today really necessary?” He told me to use life experiences in my writing, and it worked. Now, when I write, I think of him and understand the purpose in certain life events.



I love coffee and scented candles. I never listen to music while I am creating, but scents really put me in the mood to write. If I am working on a Christmas novella in the summer, a pine-scented candle really helps to create an aura of the holiday season. My favorite writing days begin at about 4 am with a cup of black coffee and a veil of pre-sunrise darkness. It’s cool to create an entire alternate universe and watch it come alive while the world is still nestled soundly in bed.

To all new writers, my advice is to stick with it. Successful writers carry on even when it’s not fun, or they don’t feel like writing. You cannot wait for your muse to visit. You must go out and chase that muse, tackle him and drag him home. I spent many years running marathons. This training has helped me tremendously to stay true to my path as a writer, especially when the going gets tough. Never, ever give up.

~~~~~

Veiled Gems (Diamond Knot Dreams #1)

Lila Brooks believes in fairytale endings for everyone but herself. She coaxes her dream of opening a wedding shop into reality when she commissions Morgan Holt to transform a run-down Victorian house into an all-inclusive bridal boutique, Diamond Knot Dreams. Clover Cove’s residents have whispered that the house is filled with spirits, but superstitions have no place in Lila's life.

Morgan Holt spent the better part of his youth transplanted from one foster home to another. Separated from his older brother, Gunnar, at an early age, they’re reunited shortly after Morgan’s arrival to Clover Cove. But the last thing Morgan wants is to trust his heart again to a family—or a woman as beautiful as Lila Brooks. He has plans to finish work on the Victorian and then ride off into the sunset, a move he’s perfected over the years.

Soon Lila and Morgan have a chance at their own Happily Ever After, but will events from the past destroy their future?

~~~~~

Mary Manners is a country girl at heart who has spent a lifetime exploring her joy of writing. She has two sons, a daughter, and three beautiful grandchildren. She currently lives along the sunny shores of Jacksonville Beach with her husband Tim.

A former teacher as well an intermediate school principal, Mary spent three decades sharing her love of learning. While growing up in Chicago, Mary worked her way through a variety of jobs including paper girl, hot dog vendor, grocery store cashier, lifeguard, swim instructor, pizza chef, and nanny. Many of these experiences led to adventures that bring humor and insight to her stories. Mary loves long sunrise runs, ocean sunsets, and flavored coffee.

Connect with Mary at her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com. “Like” her author page on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.



Taking Chances by Mary Manners

 

 As children, everything around us is new and we are eager to dream big, make wishes, and take chances. The night sky is alit with twinkling opportunities to boldly cast our desires to the heavens as we wish upon stars. We believe those wishes...every last dream...will come true.

 

As time passes and we journey into adulthood, that unbridled eagerness more often than not gives way to caution. Our untarnished wonder at all the opportunities life has to offer begins to fade. We get caught up in the everyday chores and responsibilities of adulthood, and surrender to the familiarity of a daily routine. Children need to be fed, laundry sits in unsorted heaps along the floor, and the lawn is so tall it threatens to overtake the house.

 

Energy is zapped; the soul cries out and creativity weeps. Who has time for wishes, dreams and taking chances?

 



 

Life goes on, and days roll into weeks and months, and sometimes even years. If and when the opportunity arises for an afternoon outside of our routine, the body is so drained than an inner battle ensues...how should that time be spent?

 

Spend it by taking a trip back to the carefree days of childhood. Take a long walk to brush away the cobwebs from your mind and to let in the light. Savor the little things...the sweet scent of lilac, wispy cloud pictures along a cerulean sky, and the kiss of a warm breeze on your cheek.  Allow your mind to wander and dream as if you were a child again. Make a wish or two, and believe they will come true.

 

Then, act on those wishes and make them come true. Feel creativity return like a wash of sunlight over vast, green fields just ready for sowing. Plant seeds and watch them bloom into beautiful flowers. Then pluck a fragrant bloom or two--or an entire bouquet--and carry the blossoms home to remind you to keep a bit of childlike zest alive inside...to wish, to dream, and to never stop taking chances. 



 

 

~~~~~

 



 

Whispers at Willow Lake

 

With a father known as the town drunk and a mother who fled when he was only six, Ryder learned early on that the world can be a cold, unforgiving place. Only two people in his life have ever understood him:  "Mama" Stallings and sweet Ali Maclaren. But after a tragic accident, guilt chases Ryder from the town that's labeled him trouble, and from Ali.

 

Seven years later Ryder returns after Mama Stallings's death and finds that Ali is considering marriage to a man with a mean streak he masterfully hides from all but Ryder, a man who'll do whatever's necessary to remove Ryder from Willow Lake, and Ali's life, forever.

 

Can Ali find a way to forgive Ryder and can Ryder forgive himself before another tragedy occurs?



 

~~~~~

Mary Manners is an award-winning romance author who lives at the beautiful shores of Jax Beach with her husband, Tim. She loves swimming, running, flavored coffee and ocean-blue sunsets.

 

Mary believes everyone has a story to tell, and she loves to share hers. She writes inspirational romances of all lengths, from short stories to novels—something for everyone.

 

Learn more about Mary Manners at her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com



New Beginnings by Mary Manners

New Beginnings

By Mary Manners

 

 

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…a time to mourn and a time to dance…” Ecclesiastes 3:1…

 

As we approach Independence Day, I also embark upon a new adventure in life...retirement from a lifelong career in education and administration coupled with a move 500 miles south, to the sunny shores of Jacksonville, FL. Transitioning from a day job to full-time writing is much like being released into the sunlight with fledgling wings. The idea is surreal; beautiful and wonderful, yet at the same time a bit unnerving. Going from the familiarity of a massively time-crunched writing schedule to wide-open free time calls for more than a bit of organization.

 

Retirement is a new chapter filled with blank pages; a canvas just yearning for a vibrant splash of color. So many ideas swirl in a tempest, jockeying for the lead position in the creative storm. As a new routine takes shape, the tempest settles to match the rhythm of the ocean beyond my writing grotto. The storm takes on a life of its own in a flurry of words and sentences; pages begin to fill with a lifetime's worth of tales. Pure joy for my soul.

 

Yes, I have mourned the end a career that has blessed me immeasurably, one that has stood front and center for the majority of my life--teaching children. I will miss the smiling faces, the hugs and sheer wonder in the bright eyes of so many youngsters who have learned to love learning. But it is time to move on to the very passion that has lurked within the depths of my heart, waiting patiently so many years for its time to bloom. Writing is my heart and soul...breath itself.

 

So here I stand, in this new chapter, spreading my wings to the warm ocean breeze. Adventure springs wide and beckons. Stay tuned...

 

 

~~~~~

 

Love Notions





Jami Mitchell has come home to Heart’s Haven to open a bookshop with the inheritance Grandma left to her. Nana’s Novel Notions is the business of her dreams until she realizes who the tenant next door is: ruthless Riley Hunter. Growing up in the small town together, she’s watched him dance through women while she’s hidden her feelings with a Teflon exterior. How will she cope, when she can’t bear being in the same town with him--let alone neighbors?

Riley Hunter has sacrificed everything to shed the poverty of his childhood. While others held Sweet-sixteen parties, he cleaned up after them. But his hard work has paid off, and he’s opened an architecture firm in the growing town. He’s had a thing for Jami since high school, but she was the privileged girl who never gave him the time of day. Now she’s come home with a wad of cash and has set up a book store in the business complex he plans to buy out. Can the two put the past behind them, or will his dream shatter hers?

 

~~~~~

Mary Manners is an award-winning romance author who lives along the beautiful shores of Jax Beach with her husband Tim. She loves swimming, running, flavored coffee and ocean-blue sunsets.

Mary believes everyone has a story to tell, and she loves to share hers. She writes inspirational romances of all lengths, from short stories to novels—something for everyone.

Connect with Mary at her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 



New Beginnings by Mary Manners

New Beginnings

by

Mary Manners

 

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven..."

~ Ecclesiastes 3:1 ~



 

This month marks a huge milestone in my life -- retirement from a three-decade career of teaching and school administration. I have stepped into a school building for 6,196 mornings, and have only four days to go. It's barely believable that the end is so close. My feelings are mixed...excitement and sadness, fear and exhilaration. I will miss the children, but not the political red tape.

 

I began my teaching journey at the tender age of twenty-one, and spent the first several years working with special needs children. From there I moved to a decade of fourth grade and Junior Primary, and then traversed to middle school where I taught sixth, seventh, and eight grades. Three years ago I stepped into administration at an intermediate school. My career has spanned nine grades and four schools. Now, thirty-one years later, I will finish a journey that I have considered a blessing, and begin another that I have always dreamed of--full-time writing.

 

Yes, from my earliest memory as a child I have longed to write. I shared stories before I even knew how to put them to paper. Through my journey, I promised myself that as soon as was contracted to be published that I would quit my teaching job. Well, I received 'the call' six years ago this month, and it has taken me this long to say my goodbyes to the school children I've grown to love. But I'm doing it...finally.

 

So, in just a few weeks I will begin this new season, and oh...it's going to be a joy! Stay tuned...I'll keep you posted on this much-anticipated adventure.

 

 

~~~~~

 

 

Bachelor Auction

Cooper Jackson...no, it can’t be. Wake up, wake up! The room began to whirl and harsh lights danced before Lexi’s eyes. She blinked hard once, twice, and heard a flurry of movement to her left. Then he strode out. He had to duck to clear a microphone suspended from the ceiling, and his height shaded the lights, easing the glare that burned her eyes. His dark hair was a bit shorter than she remembered, but it still fell in tousled waves across intense, smoky‐gray eyes.

The years had added muscle—lots of it. And he flashed the same ‘I can get out of anything’ grin that had melted her the first time they’d met, back in the school lunchroom in sixth grade, when he’d tried to swap his warm, stinky tuna fish on squashed white bread for the turkey and cheddar on wholegrain her mom had packed along with juicy red seedless grapes and a homemade frosted fudge brownie. That grin wouldn’t work its magic on her anymore. No way in...

“Hello, Lexi.”

Her insides turned to ice. His voice was deep, coaxing, just as she remembered. She sat paralyzed, speechless. Every thought flew from her mind. She gripped the armrests of the chair like life preservers on a sinking Titanic.

 



~~~~~

 



Mary Manners is an award-winning romance writer who lives in the beautiful foothills of East Tennessee with her husband Tim and the cherished cats they've rescued from local animal shelters...Neyland and Gus. She loves swimming, running, flavored coffee and Smoky Mountain sunsets.

Mary believes everyone has a story to tell, and she loves to share hers. She writes inspirational romances of all lengths, from short stories to novels—something for everyone.

Learn more about Mary Manners at her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com.



Seeds of Inspiration by Mary Manners

Seeds of Inspiration

by Mary Manners

 

"How much better to get wisdom than gold, to gain insight rather than silver."

 

~ Proverbs 16:16 ~

 

Sometimes it's hard to be still and listen. The world moves at a speed-of-light pace and we as humans tend to mimic the frenzy. It's do or die, sink or swim in today's society. The desire to juggle work, family, friendships and exercise (not to mention the shelves full of books on my to-read list) can do a real number on creativity. I've recently fallen victim to this and as a result my muse has been dry as the desert sand. From where is my next storyline going to come? I longed to breach the dam and have the creativity flowing once again.

 

So, I took a deep breath and made a point to be still and listen, and it wasn't long before a co-worker of mine cured what ailed me when she returned from a recent trip to New York City. She told me of her adventures, which had to do with homemade cannoli she'd bought for her friends and a canceled flight home that blocked the delivery. As she relayed with great animation the lengths she'd gone to in order to get those cannoli (and herself) home safely, I sat fully engrossed while I laughed at every twist and turn. I listened to her hilarious antics, and didn't say a word as she went on and on with her story.

 

Then, as the story wound to a close, a funny thing happened (beside the cannoli squashed in her suitcase). Creativity began to gush as the idea for a story formed. What came was a seed...a teeny-tiny seed, but one that might very well sprout and reach toward the heavens as a mighty oak. All because I put on the brakes for a few minutes in time, and slowed long enough to listen and laugh; laughter is good, too.

 

So, when the world tells you to rev the engines and forge full-steam ahead, fight the urge and take some time to reflect and listen with both ears. You might be surprised and well-please by what will come knocking at your creative door.

 

 

~~~~~

 

 

Heartache and Hope

 

 

Daylin Sullivan has a passion for two things: books and food. Both help her escape from a past riddled by abandonment; she spent her childhood passed from one foster family to the next. Life has mirrored a game of musical chairs until one New Year’s Eve she stumbles upon a Dash for the Dream brochure in the local diner. The team is a faith-based group that runs marathons to raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis research.

Patrick Litton is raising his six-year-old daughter Aubree alone. As the leader of Dash for the Dream, the widower works tirelessly to secure funding in search of better treatment for all those afflicted with CF, including Aubree. Patrick has no time for romance—until he meets Daylin at the Dash for the Dream kick-off party.

Daylin and Patrick don't expect to fall in love, but both learn that when it comes to romance, training for a marathon is the easiest part of their journey.



 



~~~~~



Mary Manners is an award-winning romance writer who lives in the beautiful foothills of East Tennessee with her husband Tim and the cherished cats they've rescued from local animal shelters...Neyland and Gus. She loves swimming, running, flavored coffee and Smoky Mountain sunsets.

Mary believes everyone has a story to tell, and she loves to share hers. She writes inspirational romances of all lengths, from short stories to novels—something for everyone.

Visit Mary Manners at her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com.

 

 

 



All Things New

All Things New

by Mary Manners

 



He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"

~ Revelation 21:5 ~

 
Some of you may know that in addition to being a writer, I am also blessed to have spent twenty-seven years educating children as a public school teacher, and am currently in my third year as a school administrator at a local intermediate school. As I head into the second full week of this new school year, I am warmed by the eager smiles on the faces of the young children that are entrusted to my care each day. These youngsters have a passion for life and learning, as well as an eagerness for all of the adventures yet to come. There is a pep in their step and an enthusiastic, sing-song tone to their voice as they wish me good morning. It’s a wonderful thing…a true blessing to me as I greet them at the front doors of the school as the sun rises each weekday. I watch them rush down the hall, their backpacks filled with fresh supplies and textbooks, and wonder what each child might grow up to become. Every day is important; each moment—every word—counts.

Often, I consider my good fortune to be blessed with two professions that I hold so dear to my heart…educating children and writing books. The two seem to go hand in hand. A new school year is much like the adventure of embarking on a fresh story; both unfold with a great deal of anticipation as well as a sprinkle of surprises along the way. Opportunities abound and a sense of fulfillment unfolds as all thoughts and plans come together. Even so, one never knows what a new day—or the turn-of-a-page—might bring.

Everything new…that’s our gift each day in education, whether we are on the teaching or learning side of the desk. It’s also our gift with each book we open, whether we are on the writing or reading end of the page. I choose to embrace the newness, and take joy in the blessings that each opportunity brings. Will you join me?

~~~~~

Mary Manners is an award-winning romance writer who lives in the beautiful foothills of East Tennessee with her husband Tim and the cherished cats they've rescued from local animal shelters...Lucky and Gus. She loves swimming, running, flavored coffee and Smoky Mountain sunsets.

Mary believes everyone has a story to tell, and she loves to share hers. She writes inspirational romances of all lengths, from short stories to novels—something for everyone.

Learn more about Mary Manners at her website: www.MaryMannersRomance.com.

~~~~~

Disguised Blessings

Jaxon Briscoe has enjoyed a decade as the beloved star center of the Chicago Blackhawks. But off the ice, a string of reckless relationships has resulted in an accusation that he's fathered a child. As Jaxon's conscience is tossed into a firestorm, he learns his nephew, Grayson, has been expelled from school, and Jax is blindsided when Gray shows up on his doorstep—for good.

Adrienne Price carries a heavy secret...pregnant at a young age, she gave up her daughter for adoption in the hopes that the child might have a better life. Now, Adrienne's vowed to help teens rise above unsavory situations. As a result of God's grace, her project, Second Chances Day School, has prospered beyond her wildest imagination. But when Jax's troubled nephew enrolls at Second Chances, Adrianne is faced with a big challenge in the form of a hockey player with a bad reputation and a lot of boyish charm.

Can Adrienne and Jax finally find real love?