Friday, March 25, 2011

Hawaii Introduced Me To A New Series--But it's not CBA.

First, a little trip down memory lane. We recently returned from a family vacation in Maui.

The plumeria flower is so beautiful, I just had to take a close-up of it. Every time I look at this picture I see my girls as they were in Maui. Each wearing a plumeria clip proudly in their hair, smiling more often than I have ever seen them do, and even giggling more too. I want to go back!


Notice those hair clips on our girls?

Wouldn't it have been marvelous if one of the many humpback whales that play so often in this water would have breached just as the photo was taken? If you look carefully though, dead center in the background, just before the next island comes into view, you can see a spot of spray from one. We loved to sit out on our lanai each morning and watch them show their stuff. It was literally a humpback whales playground out in this part of the ocean while we were there. Such a gift to see!

Okay, these are just palm trees, BUT, these are special ones! At least to me they are. These are fuzzy ones! Notice how full they are? They had far more layers of spikes than the average palm did. Can anyone familiar with palm trees tell me what variety these are, or are they just young ones? How I wish I could grow a garden beneath these magnificent palms in my own back yard. And now I look out and see the foot of snow covering our ground and know that will never be. All the more reason to get myself back to Hawaii then, right! Oh, please!

Okay, back to reality time. Now onto the real reason why I'm posting today--I want to share news about a book series that I really love. Now if you're the type to only read CBA material, then you might want to skip the rest of this post, because Emily March's new Eternity Springs series isn't technically CBA, but it sure does have Christian faith parts within it, and that's one of the reasons I'm so drawn to it.

On our last day in Hawaii we stopped into a book store and I discovered Angel's Rest sitting lonely on a cardboard stand with books from a totally different genre. Someone had obviously taken a peak, then dropped it on their tracks to the exit, and I'm so very glad they did! Their loss is my wonderful gain.

Since reading Angel's Rest I snagged the second novel, Hummingbird Lake, in the series a day before the actual release date at Chapters and have finished it, too. Can't wait for April's release of the third installment in the series, Heartache Falls. Which, from the excerpt in the back of Hummingbird Lake I suspect will be the most meaningful for me as the empty nest syndrome draws near. With our oldest heading for University in the fall, and our youngest jumping into high school as our never-meant-to-be-lost-in-the-middle daughter begins her eleventh grade I'm sure I'll be able to relate to Ali Timberlake in many ways. I'm really excited about reading this next one. Maybe it'll help me prepare for what's ahead and build more romance into my marriage too!

So, here's the link to Amazon.com for a peak at this series.
Use the click to look inside option to see if you like Emily March's writing as much as I do!


Till next time, keep healthy, be happy, and write on...


Surrendering to Him,
Eileen

9 comments:

Erica Vetsch said...

Yay for family vacations that provide memories for a lifetime, and yay for giggling girls!

I saw the series you mentioned in a recent copy of the RWA magazine. It sounds really good.

I think the palm tree might be a foxtail palm.

Must've been sad coming back to cold weather after all that warm sunshine.

Eileen Astels Watson said...

Foxtail palm--that is sooo fitting! Thanks, Erika!

Cold? Yes, doesn't help that my furnace took a break either yesterday. Talk about COLD!

Raquel Byrnes said...

I can't tell you how pleased I am to stumble across your blog. First, because I am a homeschool mom -- woo hoo! And second because of your content.
Posting your lock and key heart on my blog...because love IS worth waiting for. =)

Edge of Your Seat Romance

Anita said...

I LOVE the family picture! You all look so relaxed and happy. So nice that you had the opportunity to be in Hawaii together.

Nice that you've discovered a new series of books to enjoy, too. Nothing like a good book to take you to another place.

Diane Marie Shaw said...

It sounds like Hawaii was delightful for your family.
I am going to check out this author on your recommendation.

Susan Anne Mason said...

Hi Eileen,

Great to see you back in cyber-circulation again!

I'm so envious of your vacation in Hawaii. I was there many moons ago as a young, single girl with my cousin. I imagine it's changed a lot since then, but still as beautiful as ever. Aren't the Hawaiian people lovely?

Thanks for pointing out this series. I had seen an ad for it somewhere, probably in the RWA magazine, so I'll be sure to check it out. Nothing like a good book on vacation, is there?

Cheers,

Sue

Georgiana Daniels said...

What a fun vacation! Looks like you made some great memories.

It's great to see you, Eileen. Hope all is well =)

Jeanette Levellie said...

So glad you got to take this lovely trip! The plumeria ARE sweet, aren't they?

And thanks for the review. I've not read this author before.

Have a great week,
Jen

Jennifer Shirk said...

Hawaii?! I've always wanted to go there. Sounds like you had a fantastic family vacation. :-)