Tag: Money

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New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

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Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

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Holiday Miracles: My Review of The Christmas Club by Barbara Hinske #FantasticFridayReads #Fiction #Inspiration

What Audible Says

Verna Lind expects Christmas of 1952 to be the best holiday she’s had since the war ended. But as she’s leaving the bank, a frigid wind off Lake Erie catches her hard-earned Christmas club savings, whisking the bills into the busy streets of downtown Cleveland and devastating her plans. Strangers come to her aid, though no one anticipates the power of their chance encounter or the seeds of happiness Verna’s lost money will sow.

From Barbara Hinske, best-selling author of the Rosemont series, comes this heartwarming Christmas tale celebrating the generosity of the human spirit and the irresistible pull of love – an instant holiday classic for admirers of It’s a Wonderful Life and “The Gift of the Magi.”

Buy from Audible.

My Thoughts

After reading Guiding Emily and reviewing it here last week, I decided to check out some of Barbara Hinske’s other books. I was drawn to this one, thinking it would be great at the top of my holiday reading list. It didn’t disappoint me.

I was amazed at the impact that six five dollar bills scattered to the four winds would have on so many people. I loved every character and found each scenario believable. The ending is priceless. The narrator of this Audible version does an excellent job. The Christmas Club well illustrates how magical this season can be. I hope you, like me, will make it a first on your holiday reading list this year.

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

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If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to my email list to receive my twice-yearly newsletter and other announcements. This is a one-way announcements list, meaning the only messages you’ll receive will come from me. So, you can rest assured that this list is low-traffic. Send a blank email to: newsfrommycorner+subscribe@groups.io You’ll receive a confirmation email. Reply to that with another blank message, and you should be good to go.

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

Photo Resize and Description by

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

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Never Stop Learning #MondayMusings #OpenBookBlogHop #Inspiration

It’s now time for another edition of Open Book Blog Hop. This week’s question is: “If you could take a free class at a university, what course would you take?” You can click here to participate in this week’s hop and read other bloggers’ responses.

Being a writer, I’m always interested in learning new techniques and want to be inspired to create new work. So, if I had an opportunity to take a free university course, it would be in writing fiction, poetry, or memoir. Would I have time? Probably not.

Even online college courses involve assignments and deadlines. With my own writing and other obligations, it would be a scramble. Every once in a while, though, I shell out some money for a writing class, and I make the time to do and learn, thus growing as an author.

How about you? What free university course would you take if you had a chance? It doesn’t have to be a writing class. Is there something else you’ve always been interested in such as astronomy? Tell us about it in the comment field or click the link above to participate in this week’s hop.

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

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New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

Photo Resize and Description by

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

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Some Things Money Can’t Buy #Reblog #Friday Fun Reads

Here’s an oldie but goodie from about this time last year. The book I’m reviewing teaches an important lesson about attitudes toward money. Happy reading!

Pay Day’

Reshonda Tate Billingsly, Richelle Denise, et al

This novel is about how coming into a lot of money all of a sudden can change one’s life. Four friends who work together at a Texas cable company form a lotto pool. When they all win millions of dollars, they quit their jobs and engage in foolish activities that get them into situations that are interesting, to say the least.

Each chapter is told, in turn, from the first person point of view of each of the four friends. In the audio version of this book, each main character’s story is told by a different narrator. All the readers do an excellent job of portraying these characters and anyone else associated with them.

However, this is one of those books I wish I hadn’t read. I didn’t like any of the main characters but was curious about what would happen to them once they won the lottery. Well, curiosity killed the cat. I hoped for a happier ending, but at least these people got what they deserved and learned that money can’t buy everything. Now, whenever I hear Abba’s song, “Money, Money, Money,” I’ll think of this book.

By the way, for those of you who use the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, The Red Dress is available for download from their site here. No matter how you read it, please be sure to review it wherever you can. That goes for all my books. Thank you for stopping by. Stay safe, happy, and healthy.

New! The Red Dress

When Eve went to her high school senior prom, she wore a red dress that her mother had made for her. That night, after dancing with the boy of her dreams, she caught him in the act with her best friend. Months later, Eve, a freshman in college, is bullied into giving the dress to her roommate. After her mother finds out, their relationship is never the same again.

Twenty-five years later, Eve, a bestselling author, is happily married with three children. Although her mother suffers from dementia, she still remembers, and Eve still harbors the guilt for giving the dress away. When she receives a Facebook friend request from her old college roommate and an invitation to her twenty-five-year high school class reunion, then meets her former best friend by chance, she must confront the past in order to face the future.

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My Ideal Nursing Home #Wednesday Words

If I had unlimited funds to start and maintain a business, I would open a nursing home. But this wouldn’t be just any nursing home run by a corporation whose bottom line is money and not the elderly and infirmed residents who live there. In my facility, caring and not money would truly be the heart of the matter. My facility probably wouldn’t have the capacity that many large, corporate-run homes do, but with a smaller population and more staff members, each person could have more individual attention.

The facility would be all on one floor and divided into four or five units, each with the capacity of twelve residents. Each resident would have his or her own room with an attached bathroom that wouldn’t just contain a toilet and sink but also a roll-in shower. Each unit would have one tub room in case a person prefers a bath instead of a shower.

Each room would also have its own phone, and wireless Internet service would be readily available. Of course, many nursing home residents are unable to use the Internet, but for those few such as my late husband who would benefit, the service would be there. Family members could use it when they come to visit.

Each unit would have its own nurse’s station, dining room, and a lounge with recliners where residents could watch TV or just relax and read a book. Each recliner, like each room, would be outfitted with a call button to make it easier for residents to request assistance when necessary.

Residents would be able to choose what they want to eat each day. At mealtime, a menu would be given to them or read to them if necessary, and their choices would be served restaurant-style.

Residents suffering from dementia would be placed in a locked unit, no different from the others except that all staff working in this unit, including therapists and activity specialists, would have had specialized training in helping residents with dementia.

Of course, my facility wouldn’t have to be a permanent home. It would offer respite care and rehabilitation. The therapy department would have all the necessary equipment and even a swimming pool of no more than five feet, where residents could participate in water therapy and water exercise classes. There could even be a hot tub.

Last but not least, my facility would have a large, centrally located activity room. One half of the room would contain chairs and tables for bingo and social events. The other half would be open and used for church services and other group activities. Any resident from any unit would be able to attend any activity and be notified of events in advance.

Of course, money doesn’t grow on trees or flow freely from a stream. But isn’t it fun to dream of what you could do with a never-ending supply? If you’d like to know more about the nursing home where my late husband recovered from his strokes, you can read My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds.

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Thanks to Stevie Turner for inspiring the above post. In this week’s Open Book Blog Hop, she asks what kind of business you would start if you had unlimited funding. To learn how you can participate on your own blog, click here.

By the way, for those of you who use the National Library Services for the Blind and Print Disabled, The Red Dress is available for download from their site here. No matter how you read it, please be sure to review it wherever you can. That goes for all my books. Thank you for stopping by. Stay safe, happy, and healthy.

New! The Red Dress

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My Books

My Amazon Author Page