Tag: Mothers

A Reluctant Daughter #SixSentenceStoryThursdayLinkUp #Excerpt #Inspiration

A photo of Abbie smiling in front of a white background. She has short brown hair which is cut short and frames her face. She is wearing a bright red shirt and a dark, flowy scarf swirled with hues of purple, pinks and blues.

As usual, Eve was in no hurry to visit her mother. When she reached the park, she sat on the same bench she’d shared with her father the week before, feeling the warm breeze, drinking in the scent of flowers and the pine tree under which the bench was situated. She heard the sounds of children from the nearby playground and felt at peace.

Fifteen minutes later, she reluctantly pulled herself to her feet and continued her slow, plodding pace. Inside the nursing home, the odors of disinfectant, urine, and feces turned her stomach more than usual. She decided to visit her mother first, then begin her hopefully fruitless search for Adele.

***

Thanks to Girlie on the Edge for inspiring me to post the above excerpt from The Red Dress with her six-sentence prompt word for this week in which the given word is “tree.” By the way, if you want to know why Eve is reluctant to visit her mother in the nursing home and why she hopes not to find Adele and, for that matter, who Adele is, read the book. You can click here to participate in this week’s hop and read other bloggers’ six-sentence creations.

 

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

The cover of the book features an older woman sitting in a wicker chair facing a window. The world beyond the window is bright, and several plants are visible on the terrace. Behind the woman’s chair is another plant, with a tall stalk and wide rounded leaves. The woman has short, white hair, glasses, a red sweater, and tan pants. The border of the picture is a taupe color and reads "Why Grandma Doesn't Know Me" above the photo and "Abbie Johnson Taylor" below it.

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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Yartzeit *anniversary of a loved one’s death* #SocialMediaMonday#Poetry #Inspiration

Here’s something from fellow poet Joan Myles that tugged at my heart. I’m planning to read her latest collection, One Goes to the Sea, and review it here sometime this month. So, please stay tuned. Meanwhile, here’s a poem she wrote as a tribute to her mother, who passed several years ago.

Yartzeit
my glass of wine sanctifies time
but can’t bring you back
again I open the window
as a sign for both of us

 

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At Twenty-One #OpenBookBlogHop #MondayMusings #Inspiration

Welcome to another edition of Open Book Blog Hop. This week’s question is: Where were you at 21? How does that reflect in your writing today?

When I was twenty-one in 1982, I entered my junior year at Rocky Mountain College, located in Billings, Montana, about 150 miles north of Sheridan, Wyoming, where I’ve lived since 1973. After attending the local college and living at home for two years, going to school away from home was quite an adjustment. Fortunately, it wasn’t that far away, and I came home weekends when I could get transportation.

I never considered a career in writing at the time. This was probably because my mother, may she rest in peace, rewrote most of my school papers, even when I was a student at Sheridan College. She taught English there and apparently didn’t want her fellow faculty members, from whom I took English, to see my less than adequate writing style. Who knows why she rewrote my high school assignments?

Instead of writing, I pursued a career involving music. Long story short, I became a registered music therapist and worked in nursing homes and other senior facilities for years. I didn’t do any serious writing until my mother passed away in 1999.

How about you? What were you doing at twenty-one? If you’re an author, how has that affected your writing? You can click here to participate in this week’s hop and read other bloggers’ responses.

A photo of Abbie smiling in front of a white background. She has short brown hair which is cut short and frames her face. She is wearing a bright red shirt and a dark, flowy scarf swirled with hues of purple, pinks and blues.

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

The cover of the book features an older woman sitting in a wicker chair facing a window. The world beyond the window is bright, and several plants are visible on the terrace. Behind the woman’s chair is another plant, with a tall stalk and wide rounded leaves. The woman has short, white hair, glasses, a red sweater, and tan pants. The border of the picture is a taupe color and reads "Why Grandma Doesn't Know Me" above the photo and "Abbie Johnson Taylor" below it.

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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TOP TEN THINGS YOU NEVER SHOULD HAVE ASKED YOUR MOTHER #WordPressWednesday #Reblogs #Inspiration

Image contains: Abbie, smiling.

This is a day late but hopefully not a dollar short. Yesterday, my mother would have  been eighty-six years old. May she rest in peace. Today’s WordPress Wednesday contribution is in her memory. Enjoy!

***

The inspiration for this list was a discussion between The Producer and me about how kids can light the parental upset fuse by a simple question. We both have asked some and have been asked some.

 

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Reading About Hardships #OpenBookBlogHop #Inspiration #WritingPrompts

Image contains: Abbie, smiling.

Welcome to another edition of Open Book Blog hop. This week’s question is: “What was your favorite young reader novel growing up?”

***

As a child, I loved the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My mother read most of the books to me because of my limited vision.

Through Mother’s excellent narration, I lost myself in the big woods, the prairie, or wherever the family lived. I endured dust storms and blizzards and  was cold, hungry, sick, and happy right along with them. It didn’t occur to me at the time, but I think this is good reading material for kids because it helps them understand what life was like centuries ago and be thankful for what they have now.

How about you? What books did you enjoy reading when you were growing up? You can click here to participate in this week’s hop and read what other bloggers have to say.

The family in my new novel, Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me, also suffers a hardship. It’s not as bad as what the Ingalls family endured, but it’s enough to tear the family apart, although everyone tries to put on a brave face. If you want to know more, see below for details and read the book.

***

 New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

Front cover image contains: elderly woman in red sweater sitting next to a window.

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?

***

Books

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