INTERVIEW WITH REGINA RODGERS, AUTHOR OF THE GAMBLE ON LOVE

Regina Rodgers has published her debut novel, The Gamble on Love. I found this inspirational historical romance delightful. Here is the blurb about it, followed by an interview.

What could a devil-may-care riverboat gambler and a widowed Christian horse rancher have in common?

As soon as Evangeline Gentry locks eyes with the rogue Black Jack Brannigan, he tells her she’s beautiful and insults her in the same breath. In spite of his insult, she can’t help the attraction she feels for him.

Jack soon lands in jail in Independence, Missouri. When he discovers his gambling winnings are gone from his saddlebags, he can’t pay his fine. To be released from jail, he must agree to thirty days of community service on Evangeline’s ranch.

For almost a month, Jack and Evangeline argue, take care of two orphaned children, and fall in love despite everything. After regaining his gambling winnings, will Jack decide to pursue his dreams in California, or stay and take the gamble on love?

       Interview

1.      When did you decide you wanted to be a writer of novels?

 

Probably in about 1995, I’d guess. That was when we got our first home computer. I’ve always loved to write. Even as a small child, I’d make up songs and sing them to my family and I used to write poems as a child.

But when I experienced a craving to read a particular kind of book and couldn’t find what I was looking for, I wrote it instead.

 

2.      How did your travels help you become a writer?

             Probably my biggest inspiration was living in Arizona. The Southwest United States has had a                 strong influence on me. I absolutely fell in love with the scenery. I loved the mystique of the                 distant mesas, the smells of the desert, the Native American culture and lore.

             I’m sure that subconsciously I’ve soaked up the culture of other places I’ve lived and traveled                 to, such as the warm friendly nature of most Southerners I’ve met. I’ve been very blessed to                 live in a multitude of places, from Italy to Monterey, California, to North Carolina – all                         The Gamble on Lovecourtesy of my husband’s career in the US Army.

 

3.      Do you have another career?

No, I’m retired from my 9-5 job at Social Services. Now my only jobs are writing and taking care of my family.

4.      How do you find time to write?

It’s not too difficult now that I’m retired, but sometimes I’ll lock myself up in my bedroom and let people know I’m busy. I confess, I need to set a real writing schedule and stick to it faithfully. It takes real discipline.

5.      What is the best time of day for you to write?

When I was working, I used to do my best writing late at night when my family was asleep and the house was quiet. Now, I find that early morning works best for me.

6.      How did you become interested in writing about the nineteenth century West?

I’ve always loved the old Westerns. Not only books but movies and TV shows. One of my earliest memories is getting up on Saturday morning and watching Westerns with my uncle. We watched Roy Rogers, Maverick, and several others. I’ve read all of Louis L’Amour’s books and a lot of Zane Grey. I’m a huge fan of Tony Hillerman and his Southwest mysteries too.

7.      What is the name of your new book?

My debut novel is The Gamble on Love.

8.      What is its genre?

It’s an Inspirational Historical Romance.

9.      Where is it available?

On Amazon in both paperback and Kindle.

10.   Who is your publisher?

Winged Publications.

11.   How did you find your publisher?

I discovered them through their Taking Flight contest. I’m a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the contest was shared through their website.

12.   Is it a stand alone or part of a series?

I am currently working on the prequel to The Gamble on Love. It tells the love story of secondary characters, Rusty and Rachel Cunningham. It’s set in Sonora, Mexico on a huge hacienda. I have plans for three books in this series.

13.   How long did it take you to write it?

Oh, gosh. I started The Gamble on Love several years ago, but put it aside until about a year ago. My daughter found the manuscript and wouldn’t let me rest until I finished it.

14.   When will your next book be published?

I hope to have it ready to publish by this coming spring or early summer.

15.   What kind of support do you get from friends and family for your writing?

My family and friends give me incredible support. You’d think I had written the next Gone With the Wind.

16.   Besides entertaining…and your book is very entertaining…what do you want the reader to take away from the experience of reading it?

I want the reader to come away with a new or renewed faith in God. I want them to remember that lives can be changed and reinvented when one trusts in God and puts their faith in Him. I love the message that, “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” And I always want my reader to get their Happily Ever After ending and put the book down feeling a little warmer inside for having read it.

  

Joyful, Joyful

Photos of Ransom Canyon, Texas

       

Lately I've been busy finishing a new novel so you can enjoy giving it as a Christmas present. Where the Hummingbirds Feed is a tender love story between an emotionally defeated young woman and a young man who has been used by a gold digger. The romance surrounds a mysterious evil force, which reults in a shocking crime. Will good prevail?

Where the Hummingbirds Feed

 

Where the Hummingbirds Feed is a new novel. It's full of love, hardships, mystery, and suspense.

Lana Jacobs dreams of becoming a professional photographer. She loves to take pictures of the beauty surrounding her. Scenes of nature, such as hummingbirds and landscapes, challenge her to find the most interesting angles for her camera lens. Instead of spending her time looking at the world through a camera, Lana sits in an office, where she works at a profession she detests. Why? She tries to please her father.

She’s single. During her college years, guys took her on scary dates, and she learned not to trust men. Now she has given up on meeting someone. She needs a vacation spent in peace. Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas will provide plenty of scenery and solitude.

The last thing she wants is to meet a guy, but on the first evening at Petit Jean, an intriguing man catches her eye…and her heart. Kyle Bankston, an attractive, lonely man recovering from a failed romance with a gold digger, drives to Petit Jean Mountain every evening to enjoy dinner in the quaint lodge. He doesn’t want to become involved with anyone else, but he finds himself drawn to Lana.

Lana has hoped she could leave the baggage of her miserable past. In a new location for one week, she hopes to sleep through the night without the nightmares that have plagued her, but the dreams have come with her. After spending a night at the lodge, a despicable man gropes her. Something about him reminds her of a guy who ruined her college social life.

Her sinister past emerges when she least expects it. Lana needs courage and strength to combat the evil forces she encounters. The hazards of her life can cause her to shrivel into a passive person, or she can benefit from her experiences so she can let her love shine.

Reflexology: the benefits of foot massage

 

Here is a fascinating guest blog entry from a fellow novelist, Ruth Wong. After you enjoy the article, you will find her impressive biography. 

 Being trained in the Western science of biochemistry, I used to object to anything related to Chinese medicine and alternative healing, until we took a trip to Shanghai that changed my belief.

During a visit to our family in Hong Kong, we decided to detour to Mainland China. Back then, China just opened up to tourists. While our tour group went to Shanghai, one of my teeth gave me trouble. The pain became more intolerable by the minute. To our surprise, we noticed a sign in the hotel showing that a doctor specializing in reflexology resided there.

“I’m going to give it a try,” I muttered to my husband, my face contorted with agony. “It can’t get any worse anyway.”

I entered the doctor’s office and caught sight of a middle-aged woman sitting alone.

She gave me a questioning glance but didn’t say a word.

“I-I—” I grimaced with wry amusement, feeling foolish.

“Yes?” Her tone was gentle.

I swallowed. “I’m here for my toothache.”

She gestured for me to take a seat. “Please remove your shoes and socks.”

I did as she commanded. She wiped my right foot thoroughly with alcohol and pushed along the length of my sole. Pausing at one spot, she raised her head. “You had bronchitis recently?”

My jaw almost dropped to the floor. How did she know?

She moved to my other foot. After a moment, she looked at me again. “You have a diabetic family background.”

I couldn’t control my curiosity anymore. “You can tell from touching my feet?”

“Yes, I can.” She uttered one simple response and went back to work. “Which of your teeth gives you trouble?”

I opened my mouth and pointed to the culprit.

She nodded. “Be prepared. I’ll press hard on one of your toes. It’ll hurt like crazy, but your toothache will subside.”

I wasn’t fully convinced. Then she pushed down on the second toe of my right foot, and I almost jumped up from the chair.

“How does your tooth feel?” She calmly asked.

Tears gathered behind my eyelids. I didn’t know if it was because of the distractive pain on my toe or else, my toothache was gone. “It works.”

“Good. But the pain will be back. Next time when it starts, just massage this point.” She showed me the exact spot on my toe. “By the way, you can delay the onset of diabetes by pressing here.” She pointed to a small area on my sole. 

I walked out of her office with bewilderment in my heart. Entering our hotel room, I couldn’t help blurting out, “Ken, you wouldn’t believe what I’ve experienced.”

After I told him the story, he shook his head. “I don’t believe it. It sounds like magic.”

I crossed my arms. “Why don’t you go check it out yourself?”

“But I’m not sick.” He scratched his head. “Did you say it only cost you twenty Chinese yuan? It’s not even five US dollars. Well, I’ll go.”

Thirty minutes later, Ken returned with a disbelieving expression on his face. “She touched my feet and told me I had appendicitis before. She also inquired why I wanted to see her since my health is excellent.”

Astonishing, isn’t it?

Since then, I’ve been massaging my feet every morning. My mother had her diabetic onset in her forties. I passed that age long ago and still haven’t developed diabetes. Maybe foot massage does delay the onset of diabetes.

Do a Google search, and you’ll find ~ 485,000,000 results on this subject. You can easily purchase a simple foot massage tool for a few bucks. Some books give elaborate illustrations about where to massage, etc. I found the simplest way is to massage your whole foot, bottom, top, and toes. If you make it too complicated, you’ll give it up sooner or later. Keep it simple and make it into a habit.

Author Bio: Ruth Wuwong obtained a master’s degree in Christian Studies from Logos Theological Seminary, a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Ohio State University, and an M.B.A. in finance and management from the University of Illinois. She has published 120+ scientific books and papers. Although she is a late comer into creative writing, so far, she has completed three books. She published Love at the Garden Tomb in 2022 and plans to publish two more books, Blazing China (a family saga about the cultural revolution in China) and Confessions of a Pastor’s Wife, a paraquel to Love at the Garden Tomb.

Two Kittens and a Dog

Greetings! A year ago, my daughter and son-in-law adopted Chevy, a German Shepherd, from the pound in Lubbock, TX. Christie and Brandt play with Chevy, but they have to leave him while they go to work. They adopted another dog as a playmate, but since she proved to be unsatisfactory, they returned her to the pound. John and I plan to bring Chevy down to our house to visit when he matures a bit. (We used to keep their dog Bubba with us, but he passed away.)

Some days I walk down to Chevy's house and find him sitting by the backyard gate, where he waits for his owners to come play with him. I give him affection and biscuits through the fence. When he gets an opportunity, he tries to drive the truck.

Chapter Two: A friend gave Christie, Brandt, and Chevy some kittens. The yellow one, an aggressive boy kitten, is Bright Eyes. The black one, a perfect tuxedo girl, is Nimby.

‌

‌

Pets make us smile. Most of my novels include pets--usually dogs and sometimes cats. Here's a story that includes an amazing dog--The Dream Bucket

Unforgettable Christmases

Trailer for Brilliant, Essential Language Reference

 

Ponderings over Styrofoam

 

Our nation now suffers a shortage of Styrofoam. The lack of sufficient amounts of Styrofoam is serious. So far, we haven’t found a solution to the problem. One manifestation of the predicament is the lack of 44 ounce drink cups. The Pandemic has caused people to buy to-go food. Also, we don’t have enough employees to wash dishes. With the stalling down of imports, restaurants cannot purchase cups with brand imprints from other countries. Suppliers within the United States have not been able to fill the orders for Styrofoam cups. Styrofoam shortage impacts restaurants nationwide (msn.com)

The trend in restaurants is to serve beverages in glass. Convenience stores have developed campaigns to encourage customers to bring their own containers. 

 My new interactive language reference book, Brilliant, https://www.amazon.com/Brilliant-Essential-Mary-Lou-Cheatham/dp/1888141980 contains a brief but valuable reference to the word Styrofoam. The “Quick Pronunciation Guide” on page 123 shows how some folks mispronounce the word and how it should be pronounced. The technique of saying the word correctly involves pronouncing each of the three syllables with some emphasis. Recognized authorities scoop over the middle syllable, but I don’t because some dear ones in the lower half of my beloved native state of Mississippi leave out the middle syllable entirely and thus make it a two-syllable word—STY FOAM.

I was visiting my sister, who lived in Laurel, MS. “Mary,” she said, “would you please bring in the styfoam [sic] cooler from the front doorsteps. I traveled southward toward the Gulf Coast and visited a friend who brought me a glass of Coke in a styfoam [sic] cup.

During our shortage of Styrofoam, I feel a compulsion to give the word some much needed attention. Besides observing the way to pronounce the word, we need to observe that it starts with a capital letter. Why?

Confusion over what Styrofoam is explains the capitalization of the S. Styrofoam as a trade-marked brand was patented in 1944. A product used in construction, it is often called Blue Board. <Styrofoam - Wikipedia>   Sometimes Styrofoam manifests itself as insulation panels.

What we usually call Styrofoam is a foamed lightweight, white, polystyrene we use for food packaging in fast restaurants. While some of us worry about the disappearing Styrofoam cups, others rejoice about the decline of the cup supply.

“Many environmental groups want to abolish foam entirely because if it ends up as litter, it can break down easily into small pieces, harming fish and animals that ingest it. For humans, plastic fibers have been found in everything from drinking water to table salt, though the long-term health consequences are still being studied.”Your Foam Coffee Cup Is Fighting for Its Life - The New York Times (nytimes.com) 

Brilliant, an Essential Language Reference Worth Crowing About

 Brilliant:Essential Language Reference is now available. It is a handy guide useful to look up words and expressions that speakers and writers often use but may not be sure about. The arrangement is alphabetical with items starting with each letter of the alphabet. 

It's here in time for Christmas gifts. If you are an employer or company manager, you will want to give a copy to every employee you supervise. It's helpful to have employees speak standard English, and this book contains some of the most glaring errors we hear often. 

You can order the Kindle version. Also it is available as a paperback or hardcover book. It is interactive with practice drills, but it is not a textbook. Some of the entries will make you chuckle. 

Two Fascinating Articles about Our Planet

 

Asteroid 3 Times Taller than Niagara Falls to Zip Past Earth on 1st Day of Fall

This article contains some exciting facts about an asteroid passing by the earth today. 

Did you know that  meteorological and astronomical fall start on 2 different dates? As a child, I felt confused about the two different times the seasons changed. Here's an article to clarify that fact.

We didn’t invent icon and iconic.

 

Ancient Words with New Meanings

Isn’t it amazing how the word iconic, which has been in our English language since 1650, is suddenly on the tip of everybody’s tongue in 2021? Until recently the word has been dormant. There are times when some folks on television try to be sincere and profound by saying iconic frequently, but they come across as comical. 

Iconic is a popular word. For example, antique sportscars have iconic designs, which are called rolling sculpture. Collectors preserve them as prototypes for future cars.

The new phrase, most iconic whatever of the century, has advanced swiftly to a prominent place on the list of things to say if we want to show that something is excellent, noteworthy, and popular. We now have the most iconic photos, movies, songs, musicians, actors, and images of the 20^th  or 21^st century.

Within the last few decades, the word icon has soared to the top of the popularity pile. The geeks have espoused the word and given it the meaning of a little screen picture that represents an app. Another modern use is a reference to someone people idolize, such as Elvis Presley or Marilyn Monroe.

Traditionally, the term icon has meant something entirely different. It was the visible representation of someone sacred or perhaps of a story from the Bible. Artists painted icons on wood, metal, cloth, or some other material. First aids to worship, they became sacred objects. The Eastern Orthodox Church still makes frequent use of icons.

An iconoclast is someone who destroys icons. Since the days of Moses and the Ten Commandments, the use of any graven image involving the worship of God has been forbidden. In the early Christian church, because most people could not read or write, icons were important for the ignorant peasants to learn about the Bible. In the eighth century, conflicts between powerful forces began over whether to break up the icons. In modern times, iconoclasts are people who seek to destroy any beliefs they dislike.

Just saying—is there a possibility that the word iconoclast could find some place in the e-jargon?

 

 

 

Where At

 

 Lately, it has been impossible to go through a day without hearing some one use at with where. Some of us, especially seniors, have a problem with this misuse of language. No matter how many times we hear it, we still cringe every time somebody says, "Where is it at?" 

As speakers of English, which is a stress rhythm language, we develop a sense of rhythm with emphasis on certain words or syllables within sentences. Here are two examples.

Example A: Where is it AT?

Example B: Where IS it?

The first with its heavy emphasis on at dominates most daily conversations, but my teachers told me not to use at with where. At is a preposition and it needs a noun or pronoun as an object. Ending a sentence with at is not incorrect, but my teachers considered it uncouth.

Since newscasters, scholars, and other educated people use Example A without skipping a beat in their presentations and daily conversations, it’s time to research the situation.

Some members of a language forum concluded that Example A is improper. Both at and where convey the sense of location; therefore, using both words is redundant. In another forum, members expressed the opinion that we are dumbing down.

A third forum presents the expression where at and says it is a substandard expression.

We are going to the party.

Where at?

The only case I can imagine for using at is the effort of the speaker to give the expression rhythm. Where doesn’t need at to ask the question.

Here’s an expression that drives me mad:

Where is it located at?

 

Carryout

 

Say What?

 

My husband and I  bought some heavy items, which the clerk packed inside a box. By the end of her shift, she must have been exhausted from talking to people, but she politely smiled at us and said, “Y’ant a carryout?” (Contraction of you and want, pronounced yahnt.)

Neither of us knew what she was talking about. Finally, after she repeated her sentence, my husband told her no.

I told a family member about this conversation. He asked me, “What should she have said?”

I told him, “She could have said, ‘Do you want help carrying this out?’ ”

He laughed. “Why use seven words when you can say it in three?”

Research reveals that there is a hillbilly slang word, y’ant, which is not in standard dictionaries yet. It is usually follow by to, as in y’ant to, meaning do you want to.

Carry out or take out can mean the act of taking something out of a store or restaurant, but carry out does not usually refer to a person.

The good news is that if we return to that store and go to that checker’s register, we’ll know what she means. Now you know.

Gerrymander

 

What are the news commentators talking about?

Redistricting occurs constantly. Since the population densities of regions vary, legislative bodies have reasons to redistrict. As long as the United States has political parties and as long as people move, gerrymandering, which is the process of shifting boundaries not for the convenience of the citizens but to maximize the strength of whichever political party can get away with it.

In the early 1800’s Eldridge Gerry, the governor of Massachusetts, presided over a redistricting that made the electoral lines on the state’s map look silly. An opponent looked at the map and said a district looked like a salamander.

“No,” someone else said. “It’s a gerrymander.” 

Gerrymander can be used as a noun, adjective, or verb.

This Here and That There

 

Substandard Usage

When I was in high school, a cute boy was in my geometry class, but he couldn’t talk without saying this here or that there. Soon I wondered why I had found him attractive. His language created a response like a bad smell would have.

This means something nearby. To add here creates a redundant expression.

That refers to something more remotely located. That there also sounds redundant.

Omit here and there:

We took this here dog running in that there field.

Let me sharpen this here pencil so I can work that there problem.

It would be acceptable to use this or here, but don’t use both unless you are having trouble making a point.

Kathy McKinsey: I want to be Open About My Mental Illness

Kathy McKinsey: I want to be Open About My Mental Illness: When I was a young Christian, I was convinced my depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder were due to my own sin. I refused any medical ...

Perseid Annual Meteor Shower

 How To See Perseid Meteor Shower 2021 | AccuWeather

The Perseid (PUR see eed) Meteor Shower occurs annually around August 11. Astronomers consider the Perseid among the best known and most reliable showers. The name comes from the constellation Perseus (PUR see us) because the ancients believed the meteors came from a point in Perseus.

In its revolution around the sun, the earth passes through the garbage of space, which lights up in meteors. Children call these burning particles shooting stars. In real time, as I contemplate the Perseid Meteor Shower with you to read at some future time, it is happening. The scheduled dates are July 17, 2021, through August 24, 2021. Space scientists say the biggest fireworks show of meteors will be tonight, August 11-12. The meteors, which we perceive as shooting stars, are pieces of debris left behind by a huge comet. The meteors fly through space at 133,000 miles per hour and burst 60 miles from the earth. (Based on “Watch the Perseids Meteor Shower Peak in Night Skies,” by Nicholas St. Fleur, New York Times, August 11, 2021)

The parent body of the Perseid Meteor Shower is the Comet Swift-Tuttle, named after two men, Swift and Tuttle, who saw it independently of one another in July 1862. The comet appeared in 1992, when it was visible with binoculars. In 2126, it will be a bright comet [about seventeen miles wide] visible to naked eyes when it passes 14.2 million miles from Earth.

Comet Swift-Tuttle has been described as the “single most dangerous object known to humanity.” Although it comes close to the earth and our moon, scientists have recalculated the comet’s orbit, and they assure us that it will not present danger to the earth for the next two thousand years. In the year 3044, however, the comet is expected to pass one million miles—not too close to do harm—from Earth. (Paraphrased from Wikipedia articles)

The comet is at its farthest point from us now. I wondered how we could see so many meteors from such a great distance. An article featured on the website of the International Meteor Organization explained that it is possible to see them.

###

All day yesterday, I was excited about seeing the Perseid Meteor Shower. As soon as light disappeared from our windows, I rushed out the front door to check on our situation. The sun was dropping behind a few clouds, the overhead sky was almost clear, and the sliver of a new moon was setting. Conditions looked promising for us to go out later and watch for meteors, but as on many nights, our resident skunk had spewed his odors throughout our yard.

“We’ll need to go in the car to look,” I told John as I filled the dishwasher. He had cooked a marvelous meal. Therefore, it was my job to do the dishes, although we usually end up doing dishes together.

About 10:30, he became anxious to see the show. Since we knew we couldn’t watch from the stone bench in the front yard, we rushed around gathering binoculars and jumped into the car. Hoping to find a dimly lighted spot, we drove through the Canyon. He wanted to drive down a road we know about in the cotton fields, but I objected. I didn’t feel brave enough.

We decided to go onto the farm to market road, which is a dark, paved highway. John pulled onto the wide shoulder and stopped the car. We made sure the doors were locked, and he turned off the headlights. He turned on the flashers, and we opened the skylight. I felt romantic because we were parking, frightened because we were sitting on the side of a busy road, and excited about the possibilities of seeing shooting stars. (When I was a child, we saw meteors every night as we watched the sky on our front porch in the country. It was not like I’d never seen them, but the show was supposed to be fantastic.)

Hardly any cars were on the road, but one car came toward us. Oh, no, I thought when the car slowed a bit. Somebody will think we’re in trouble and offer to help us. As the car disappeared behind us, I sighed in relief and returned to looking overhead for meteors.

“It’s a cop!” John sounded upset. “I didn’t bring my billfold.”

I felt panicky. We were going to need to do some fast talking.

As the deputy sheriff came to the driver’s side and shined his flashlight into the car, John lowered the window.

We both talked. In a cheerful fashion, we explained that we were watching the stars.

“I just wanted to check on you.” He must have been contacted by the traveler who had passed us a few minutes earlier. “Have a good time. Be careful.”

As he walked away, John started the car. I rejoiced because the officer had not asked to see John’s driver’s license.

We returned to the Canyon and slowed down at dark spots. Eventually we returned to our driveway, where we sat a few minutes. I saw one meteor.

“I’m going in.” John backed the car inside the garage.

“I’m so sorry. I have a confession to make.”

“What?”

A mixture of remorse and giggles overwhelmed me. “I had the wrong night.” 

Tonight, we'll watch.

Clichés: Some clichés are idioms, but not all idioms are clichés.

 

Talking or writing without being overpowered by excessive clichés is a challenge. Soon after we find a new way to say something, we overwork it and create a new cliché. In writing, clichés can bore the reader. In conversation, they may give the impression that someone isn’t listening or someone cannot think of anything interesting to say. Overuse of any expression can become irritating to those receiving it.

Clichés are not entirely bad. They can be fun if they are expressions used within in a group such as a family or a working team. They can be inside jokes or special ways to convey feelings within a clan. Many clichés are idioms, and idioms are valuable tools to becoming comfortable with the English language. They help children learn to read and second-language learners learn to speak.

•        We have a good show on tap.

•        Once upon a time…

•        Better late than never.

•        Tomorrow is another day.

•        It is what it is.

•        Dumb as a doorknob.

•        Dumb as a rock.

•        A cat on a hot tin roof.

•        Working like a dog.

•        Eating like a pig.

•        Cooking enough to feed an army.

•        Live and let live.

•        Out of sight, out of mind.

•        Fresh as a daisy.

•        The course of true love never runs smoothly.

•        Happily ever after.

•        She rolled her eyes.

•        Mean as a junk yard dog.

•        Live and learn. Die and forget it all.

•        Enough is enough.

•        That puts the lid on the jar.