キャミー・タング著「戌年」連載小説 プロのドッグトレーナーであるマリ・ムトウは、厄年を迎えている。 犬小屋と訓練所の改築をしながら、いつも不服そうにしている家族と同居することになった。母と姉に言わせれば、犬の毛とよだれかけにまみれる仕事は、家族にとって恥ずべきものだという。彼女は元カレを説得し、数ヶ月間犬を預かってもらうことにした。しかし、彼の兄は、数週間前に彼女が誤って車に追突した、怒り狂ったセキュリティ専門家であることが判明する。 アシュウィン・ケイトウは十分な問題を抱えている。叔母が玄関先に現れ、同居を希望している。彼は彼女にすべてを借りているので、断ることができません。母親が家を出て行った後、ネルおばさんはアシュウィンと弟を引き取り、愛のあるキリスト教の家庭で育てた。しかも、弟のダスティもアパートを追い出され、居場所を求めている。しかし、彼は犬を飼っている。そして、その犬の飼い主は誰だと思いますか? しかし、旧友でオアフ島のノースショアでデイスパを経営する私立探偵のエディサ・ゲレロから依頼を受ける。マリの施設で奇妙な破壊行為があり、3年前に失踪したエディサの妹の財布を発見する。エディサはマリが危険な目に遭っているのではと心配する。警備の専門家であるアシュウィンがすでにマリを知っていることを知ったエディサは、忙しい若い女性を密かに監視することを彼に依頼する。 アシュウィンは、活発でのんびりとしたドッグトレーナーに不本意ながら惹かれていく。彼女は、幸せそうな母親を思い出させる。その母親の裏切りによって、彼は人と距離を置くようになったのだ。マリは、アシュウィンの冷たい外見を見抜き、彼が家族に忠実な男であることを認める。彼は、彼女のキャリア選択を批判するだけの母親や姉とは違う。 マリのバラバラな家庭とアシュウィンのバラバラな家庭の中で、過去を隠そうとする人たちから、彼らの周りに危険が迫ってくるようになる。彼らは、影で動く秘密に光を当てることができるのか? 過去に発表されたパートへのリンクはこちら。 *** 第8章 - 恐ろしくも真っ白な不動産書類 『みんな仲良くできないのかな?』 マリは無用に力を込めて箱に本を投げ入れた。最近、なぜ彼女は人生の中で全員と言い争いをしているのだろう?もしかすると、これは本当に悪いアイデア
Captain’s Log, Stardate 10.26.2006
Today I’m joined by my friend Patti Hill! Patti’s first novel, Like a Watered Garden, was a finalist in the prestigious Christy Awards!
Patti's latest novel is In Every Flower, book 3 of the Garden Gates series.
Sometimes you get a second chance...
Remarriage isn't the happily-ever-after Mibby McManus hoped for. Between conflicting work schedules, a rebellious teenage son, a mother-in-law who can't get enough of the Food Channel, and a cat-in-law bent on destruction, Mibby and her new husband, Larry, never seem to find enough time for each other.
Then there's the part Mibby really didn't expect: the constant intrusion of memories.
Just when she thinks she's gotten back on track, a phone call from California unsettles everything. It's time for Mibby to face her past or risk losing everything.
And now, here’s Patti!
What inspired your Garden Gate series idea?
Like all potential writers, I'd heard over and over to write what you know about. I've been married to a horticulture genius for almost thirty years (We married when I was 12.) He owns a garden center, so gardening has always been a huge part of our relationship. It seemed so natural to create a garden designer who could move through character's garden gates and into their lives. Besides, it's very handy to live with your technical advisor.
What's next for you? Can you tell us about the story you're working on now?
I'm loving my next story, a stand-alone novel, tentatively titled The Queen of Sleepy Eye. It's a coming-of-age story of a mother and a daughter set in a smallish Colorado town in the 1970s. At that time, the town attracted a lot of attention for having more churches per capita than any other American city, a burgeoning coalmining operation, and an influx of back-to-nature types. What a mix! I love my main character, Amy, who is desperate for independence, and I'm very empathetic with the mother as my sons are thousands of miles away.
The story of your injury and how God worked through it all is very inspiring. How did you rupture a disk in your neck? Can you tell us about your recovery?
I ruptured my neck by lifting a heavy bag of books in an awkward position. The pain in my neck quickly subsided, but pain showed up in other interesting places, like my hands and feet. The pain was severe enough to keep me from touching a keyboard. It took 15 months for doctors to agree that surgery might help. In the meantime, pain stripped me down to the bone. I couldn't figure my way out of the dilemma, and really, I'm glad I couldn't. The pain forced me to look beyond this life and to live for the far shore. And I had never experienced such an intense time of intimacy with Jesus than during those years of injury and recuperation. My main character, Mibby, is struggling against incredible hardships in the second book. I borrowed a word picture from my own experience to help Mibby through hers. That's how art and life commingle.
Finish this sentence: Writing a novel is like...
twirling too many plates on sticks on a deserted island...in a hurricane!
Since you're Miss Gardener, if you were a flower, which would you be and why?
A sunflower! They are phototropic, meaning they follow the path of the sun through the day. I always want to have my eyes fixed on the Son.
As you know (or maybe you don't) I'm very food-oriented (I just went to a faboo Asian-fusion steak house and had kobe beef for the first time!). What's your favorite ethnic food and why?
Italian food full of garlic and fresh ingredients. Mexican food is a close second because of the layered flavors and portability.
You're a Curves member, right? Do you have any cool health and diet tips for me so I can one day look as fabulous as you do?
Are you sure you're thinking of the right Patti Hill? Okay then, yes, I go to Curves...I had a book signing there this weekend. But I also walk my dog most mornings or suffer the consequences. (Tillie moans the rest of the day, if I don't take her for our daily constitutional.) I drink three glasses of milk a day. But the most important thing is this: Don't ever try to use food to meet a need that can only be met by Jesus.
You're off the hot-seat! Any parting words?
The writing life isn't anything like I imagined it to be. First of all, editors aren't the pinched-faced curmudgeons I'd expected. I love my editor. She says nice things about my writing and then drops the boom. Also, meeting and knowing other writers has been like having a glimpse of heaven. We cheer each other on and love one another enough to say when we've missed the mark. The time I spend with writers is the truest expression of the body of Christ I've experienced. The best part is adding a new dimension of my walk with Christ. Co-creating with Him is a blast and very exciting. It's a ride!
Camy here: Thanks so much Patti!
Today I’m joined by my friend Patti Hill! Patti’s first novel, Like a Watered Garden, was a finalist in the prestigious Christy Awards!
Patti's latest novel is In Every Flower, book 3 of the Garden Gates series.
Sometimes you get a second chance...
Remarriage isn't the happily-ever-after Mibby McManus hoped for. Between conflicting work schedules, a rebellious teenage son, a mother-in-law who can't get enough of the Food Channel, and a cat-in-law bent on destruction, Mibby and her new husband, Larry, never seem to find enough time for each other.
Then there's the part Mibby really didn't expect: the constant intrusion of memories.
Just when she thinks she's gotten back on track, a phone call from California unsettles everything. It's time for Mibby to face her past or risk losing everything.
And now, here’s Patti!
What inspired your Garden Gate series idea?
Like all potential writers, I'd heard over and over to write what you know about. I've been married to a horticulture genius for almost thirty years (We married when I was 12.) He owns a garden center, so gardening has always been a huge part of our relationship. It seemed so natural to create a garden designer who could move through character's garden gates and into their lives. Besides, it's very handy to live with your technical advisor.
What's next for you? Can you tell us about the story you're working on now?
I'm loving my next story, a stand-alone novel, tentatively titled The Queen of Sleepy Eye. It's a coming-of-age story of a mother and a daughter set in a smallish Colorado town in the 1970s. At that time, the town attracted a lot of attention for having more churches per capita than any other American city, a burgeoning coalmining operation, and an influx of back-to-nature types. What a mix! I love my main character, Amy, who is desperate for independence, and I'm very empathetic with the mother as my sons are thousands of miles away.
The story of your injury and how God worked through it all is very inspiring. How did you rupture a disk in your neck? Can you tell us about your recovery?
I ruptured my neck by lifting a heavy bag of books in an awkward position. The pain in my neck quickly subsided, but pain showed up in other interesting places, like my hands and feet. The pain was severe enough to keep me from touching a keyboard. It took 15 months for doctors to agree that surgery might help. In the meantime, pain stripped me down to the bone. I couldn't figure my way out of the dilemma, and really, I'm glad I couldn't. The pain forced me to look beyond this life and to live for the far shore. And I had never experienced such an intense time of intimacy with Jesus than during those years of injury and recuperation. My main character, Mibby, is struggling against incredible hardships in the second book. I borrowed a word picture from my own experience to help Mibby through hers. That's how art and life commingle.
Finish this sentence: Writing a novel is like...
twirling too many plates on sticks on a deserted island...in a hurricane!
Since you're Miss Gardener, if you were a flower, which would you be and why?
A sunflower! They are phototropic, meaning they follow the path of the sun through the day. I always want to have my eyes fixed on the Son.
As you know (or maybe you don't) I'm very food-oriented (I just went to a faboo Asian-fusion steak house and had kobe beef for the first time!). What's your favorite ethnic food and why?
Italian food full of garlic and fresh ingredients. Mexican food is a close second because of the layered flavors and portability.
You're a Curves member, right? Do you have any cool health and diet tips for me so I can one day look as fabulous as you do?
Are you sure you're thinking of the right Patti Hill? Okay then, yes, I go to Curves...I had a book signing there this weekend. But I also walk my dog most mornings or suffer the consequences. (Tillie moans the rest of the day, if I don't take her for our daily constitutional.) I drink three glasses of milk a day. But the most important thing is this: Don't ever try to use food to meet a need that can only be met by Jesus.
You're off the hot-seat! Any parting words?
The writing life isn't anything like I imagined it to be. First of all, editors aren't the pinched-faced curmudgeons I'd expected. I love my editor. She says nice things about my writing and then drops the boom. Also, meeting and knowing other writers has been like having a glimpse of heaven. We cheer each other on and love one another enough to say when we've missed the mark. The time I spend with writers is the truest expression of the body of Christ I've experienced. The best part is adding a new dimension of my walk with Christ. Co-creating with Him is a blast and very exciting. It's a ride!
Camy here: Thanks so much Patti!