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, Supplemental
Continuing the 12 Authors of Christmas, here’s suspense author Robin Caroll!
View the tour, including Rachel Hauck and Tricia Goyer’s authors, here.
Tell us about your first Christmas memory?
I was about 6 years old, and I remember that I'd wanted this cowgirl outfit so bad. My mother was a single mom then, with 3 kids (scary how we become our parents in some areas, huh?) and so we only really got one "big" present. I remember waking up that morning and going into the living room with my mom and sisters--we weren't allowed to go without us all going at once (yet another mirror of my mother I've become!)--and seeing a Baby Beans doll, which I'd also wanted. I was excited and immediately picked up the doll and began playing. Imagine my shocked surprise when my present under the tree from my mom was the cowgirl outfit!
Growing up, did your family have Christmas traditions?
Tell us how you incorporated them into your family life. Or, how you created new ones. Wow, I think I touched on a couple of them in the previous question. For me and my husband's traditions with our daughters....Christmas Eve, we bake pies and cookies and goodies. That night. my husband and daughters make cookies for Santa, then he reads them "Twas the Night Before Christmas" (okay, he reads the cajun version, but it's funny). Afterwards, I read them the birth story of Jesus and we set the Jesus candle out to light first thing in the morning. On Christmas Day, my children receive 3 gifts from Santa--which they are told is parallel to the 3 wisemen bringing gifts to Jesus at his birth. We light the Jesus candle and offer a prayer. Then the madness begins. Presents are opened, and dinner is started. My parents drive up Christmas morning, so I cook the whole big shebang and we normally eat around 2. And 3. And 4.....hey, I'm all about the food! LOL
When do you put up your tree? Describe the decorating at your house.
We normally drag the tree and stuff out the first weekend in December. This year, we hope to get it up by the second weekend in December. Every year, my mother buys each of our girls a keepsake ornament. These are what we use to decorate our tree, and my husband and I only set up the tree and put on the lights. The actual ornament placement is totally up to the kids. Sometimes it's pretty lopsided, but the tree is for them anyway, and if they love it, so be it.
What is your favorite Christmas song or album? (Feel free here to talk about choirs or other musical things you participate in during Christmas.)
I'm a sucker for Christmas music and we normally have the satelite Christmas music channel on during the holidays. I love "I'll be Home for Christmas", but it makes me cry.
Relive your childhood Christmas mornings for us.
Pretty much similar to what I listed above for our Christmas mornings. The only difference is that as a child, I had to go to my grandparents for lunch. Now, we made it a rule that we don't leave our house on Christmas Day.
Tell us about your Christmas setting--do you have a white Christmas?
Sometimes. Just depends around here. LOL Four or five years ago, our Christmas was so white that we were snowed in for almost a week after Christmas!
Confession time. Shop on line or at the mall?
Online...are you insane?
Christmas grows more and more commercial every year. Setting the hustle and bustle aside, what does Christmas really mean to you?
To me, this is the time where I personally am hit with the enormity of what Jesus came and did for me. Praying my children understand this explanation as they grow up.
It's Christmas day… what's for dinner? Do you make cookies or other traditional foods?
We have turkey, ham, dressing, green bean casserole, corn casserole, sweet potato casserole, English peas, mac & cheese, rolls and for dessert, chocolate pie, pumpkin pie, and either pecan or black walnut pie. And of course, all the decorated cookies!
Tell us about your favorite Christmas memory.
Christmas 1990. I'd been married a little over a year and our first daughter had just been born at the end of November. As I held her in the dark and stared at the tree lit up, the impact of what God did almost knocked me over. He sent his SON to die for ME. Holding my baby, I just couldn't even begin to imagine the scenario. It's stuck with me ever since and every Christmas morning, when I look at my daughters, I'm still awed because I know I could never sacrifice one of my children. It's pretty humbling.
What are your plans for this season?
Um, prayerfully, the same as in previous years.
Any final thoughts on Christmas?
I just pray everyone have a most blessed holiday season.
Camy here: Thanks for sharing, Robin!
If you guys haven’t read Bayou Justice yet, it’s a perfect mix of suspense and romance for your holiday season. It received a Top Pick award from Romantic Times magazine, and it’s worth every star!
I don’t know about you, but I tend to read more during Christmas week. If that’s true for you, pick up Robin’s book—you won’t be disappointed.
Continuing the 12 Authors of Christmas, here’s suspense author Robin Caroll!
View the tour, including Rachel Hauck and Tricia Goyer’s authors, here.
Tell us about your first Christmas memory? I was about 6 years old, and I remember that I'd wanted this cowgirl outfit so bad. My mother was a single mom then, with 3 kids (scary how we become our parents in some areas, huh?) and so we only really got one "big" present. I remember waking up that morning and going into the living room with my mom and sisters--we weren't allowed to go without us all going at once (yet another mirror of my mother I've become!)--and seeing a Baby Beans doll, which I'd also wanted. I was excited and immediately picked up the doll and began playing. Imagine my shocked surprise when my present under the tree from my mom was the cowgirl outfit!
Growing up, did your family have Christmas traditions?
Tell us how you incorporated them into your family life. Or, how you created new ones. Wow, I think I touched on a couple of them in the previous question. For me and my husband's traditions with our daughters....Christmas Eve, we bake pies and cookies and goodies. That night. my husband and daughters make cookies for Santa, then he reads them "Twas the Night Before Christmas" (okay, he reads the cajun version, but it's funny). Afterwards, I read them the birth story of Jesus and we set the Jesus candle out to light first thing in the morning. On Christmas Day, my children receive 3 gifts from Santa--which they are told is parallel to the 3 wisemen bringing gifts to Jesus at his birth. We light the Jesus candle and offer a prayer. Then the madness begins. Presents are opened, and dinner is started. My parents drive up Christmas morning, so I cook the whole big shebang and we normally eat around 2. And 3. And 4.....hey, I'm all about the food! LOL
When do you put up your tree? Describe the decorating at your house.
We normally drag the tree and stuff out the first weekend in December. This year, we hope to get it up by the second weekend in December. Every year, my mother buys each of our girls a keepsake ornament. These are what we use to decorate our tree, and my husband and I only set up the tree and put on the lights. The actual ornament placement is totally up to the kids. Sometimes it's pretty lopsided, but the tree is for them anyway, and if they love it, so be it.
What is your favorite Christmas song or album? (Feel free here to talk about choirs or other musical things you participate in during Christmas.)
I'm a sucker for Christmas music and we normally have the satelite Christmas music channel on during the holidays. I love "I'll be Home for Christmas", but it makes me cry.
Relive your childhood Christmas mornings for us.
Pretty much similar to what I listed above for our Christmas mornings. The only difference is that as a child, I had to go to my grandparents for lunch. Now, we made it a rule that we don't leave our house on Christmas Day.
Tell us about your Christmas setting--do you have a white Christmas?
Sometimes. Just depends around here. LOL Four or five years ago, our Christmas was so white that we were snowed in for almost a week after Christmas!
Confession time. Shop on line or at the mall?
Online...are you insane?
Christmas grows more and more commercial every year. Setting the hustle and bustle aside, what does Christmas really mean to you?
To me, this is the time where I personally am hit with the enormity of what Jesus came and did for me. Praying my children understand this explanation as they grow up.
It's Christmas day… what's for dinner? Do you make cookies or other traditional foods?
We have turkey, ham, dressing, green bean casserole, corn casserole, sweet potato casserole, English peas, mac & cheese, rolls and for dessert, chocolate pie, pumpkin pie, and either pecan or black walnut pie. And of course, all the decorated cookies!
Tell us about your favorite Christmas memory.
Christmas 1990. I'd been married a little over a year and our first daughter had just been born at the end of November. As I held her in the dark and stared at the tree lit up, the impact of what God did almost knocked me over. He sent his SON to die for ME. Holding my baby, I just couldn't even begin to imagine the scenario. It's stuck with me ever since and every Christmas morning, when I look at my daughters, I'm still awed because I know I could never sacrifice one of my children. It's pretty humbling.
What are your plans for this season?
Um, prayerfully, the same as in previous years.
Any final thoughts on Christmas?
I just pray everyone have a most blessed holiday season.
Camy here: Thanks for sharing, Robin!If you guys haven’t read Bayou Justice yet, it’s a perfect mix of suspense and romance for your holiday season. It received a Top Pick award from Romantic Times magazine, and it’s worth every star!
I don’t know about you, but I tend to read more during Christmas week. If that’s true for you, pick up Robin’s book—you won’t be disappointed.
Comments
Im glad you got the cowgirl outfit.
your christmas sounds fun.
thanks for sharing.
Missy
You have a wonderful family, Robin!
Hugs,
Cheryl