Coming Together by Jean C. Gordon

I love it when a community comes together for the good of all, whether it's picking up after a disaster, pulling together to save an historical building, or, like the village and hamlets in our township, finding a creative way to fund a community project. Keying off the fact that the village is a former rail hub, three years ago, our town started an annual summer exhibition of train sculptures.

Local businesses and individuals contribute to buy the forms and other supplies to create the sculptures. Potential artists submit sketches of their designs on a photocopy of what the undecorated train engine forms will look like. This year 20 designs were chosen and, since Memorial Day, the completed sculptures have been displayed along the streets of Ravena, Coeymans, Coeymans Hollow, and Alcove (the village and hamlets in our township). The week after Labor Day, the sculptures will be auctioned off at the Coeymans Marina and the proceeds will go toward youth programming for the community. Last year's auction funded a movie projector for the town's summer movie nights. The sculptures pictured are the ones I drive by on my way to the grocery store and church.

My next Love Inspired romance Holiday Homecoming (available now for preorder) features a community event, too, an ecumenical Christmas Pageant on Christmas Eve. Pastor Connor Donnelly is done with romance. After proposing to his high school sweetheart, Natalie Delacroix, five years ago—and being turned down—he’s putting all his time and energy into his community. He’s determined to make the Christmas pageant he’s directing a success. But family and friends are set on fixing up the good-looking bachelor in time for the holidays. And now that Natalie is back in Paradox Lake—and helping with the pageant—they might just succeed. Because working so closely with Natalie stirs up old feelings…and Connor starts to hope for a second chance with the one who got away.