What's all this about Throw Back Thursday? Books I remember from the past--Lenora Worth

Hello, my darlings. It's always fun to remember good things from the past, right? I'm not one to post pictures of Elnora in the good old days, but I do like to discuss books and movies that I remember from other eras. So I thought it would be fun to talk about some of the books and movies that had a big influence on us.

When I was in high school (and maybe even before that) in the early 70s. (Yes, I'm that old) one of my favorite books was "Practically Seventeen" by Rosamond du Jardin. This story captivated me since it was about young love and lots of angst. I must have read it ten times over the years. I wish I still had my frayed copy but I don't even remember what happened to it.

Of course, I love "Gone With the Wind" too. Sweeping saga abou a sassy southern bell who just wanted to be loved.

 

These are just two of my through-back Thursday books.

 

 And I'm adding one of my own. This is a reprint of one of my early books. It's always been a reader favorite so I'm thrilled that it's having another go:

 

 

 

What are some of your favorites?

Thursday Sisterhood with Margaret Daley

Family Status: Married

What Is Your Favorite Beverage: Tea--all kinds

What Is Your Favorite Food: Alaskan King Crab

What Is Your Favorite Thing to do During Free Time: go to the movie with a friend

Who Has Been the Most Influential Person in Your Life: my mother

First Book You Fell in Love With: Gone With the Wind

A Book You Wish You’d Written: Amazonia by James Rollins

First Book Published: Second Chance on Love, Silhouette Romance

Most Recent Book: Bodyguard Reunion, Love Inspired Suspense in May

Out Next: Her Hometown Hero, Love Inspired in September

How Many Have You Written: over 90

What Do You Know Now That You Wish You’d Known Then: How challenging writing and publishing a book is

What is Your Favorite Bible Story: I love both equally the Story of Ruth and Esther

What is Your Favorite Bible Verse: All things are possible through the Lord.

What is Your Favorite Hymn: Amazing Grace (I cry when I hear it.)

What is an Ongoing Prayer Request You Have: Show me what You want me to do—Your plan.

                    BTW, Margaret was one of the six original Craftie Ladies: center, row one

Thursday Sisterhood with Lenora Worth

Family Status: Married with two grown children

What Is Your Favorite Beverage: Coffee and the occasional glass of reisling

What Is Your Favorite Food: anything chocolate and anything cheesecake

What Is Your Favorite Thing to do During Free Time: walk on the beach

Who Has Been the Most Influential Person in Your Life: My deceased sister Glenda

First Book You Fell in Love With: Practically Seventeen by Rosamond Neal Du Jarding

A Book You Wish You�d Written:  Gone With the Wind

First Book Published: River's Call (Avalon)

Most Recent Book: That Wild Cowboy (Superromance) and An April Wedding (Zondervan) Both out in April 2014

Out Next: Forced Alliance (June 2014)

How Many Have You Written: Sixty

What Do You Know Now That You Wish You�d Known Then:  That this is not an easy job and that the business side of writing commercial fiction is just as important as writing commercial fiction.

What is Your Favorite Bible Story: The Prodigal Son

What is Your Favorite Bible Verse: Isaiah 40:8 "The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of God stands forever."

What is Your Favorite Hymn:  Come Thou Fount

What is an Ongoing Prayer Request You Have:  unspoken but family related :)

Thursday Sisterhood with Janet Lee Barton

                                         

What Is Your Favorite Beverage: Tea

What Is Your Favorite Food: Mexican

What Is Your Favorite Thing to do During Free Time:   I love to spend time with family and cook for them 

Who Has Been the Most Influential Person in Your Life:   Oh, my, this is not easy as there have been many—my parents, my fifth grade teacher, my husband and my daughter who have all ben very influential in my life. Some of them are not on this earth anymore. But I’d have to say, first and foremost, it would be our Lord and Savior who has influenced my life the most.

First Book You Fell in Love With:   Betsy Was a Junior by Maud Hart Lovelace—after that I had to read all the “Betsy” Books.  I think my love of series began through reading those stories

A Book You Wish You’d Written: Gone With The Wind

First Book Published: Family Circle

Most Recent Book: A Place of Refuge

Out Next: A Home for Her Heart

How Many Have You Written: 22 novels-counting the one coming out in September-- and 5 novellas. I’m working on book 23 now. 

What Do You Know Now That You Wish You’d Known Then:  How to keep the joy of writing that I had with my first book. 

What is Your Favorite Bible Story:  There are so many, but I’ve always loved  the story of Ruth

What is Your Favorite Bible Verse: Oh wow, I have many favorites, but John 3:16 and John 14:2 are two of them. Have you noticed I have a hard time choosing just one of anything.? :)

What is Your Favorite Hymn: Night, With Ebon Pinion   It always makes me think of what Jesus did for us, gave up for us. 

What is an Ongoing Prayer Request You Have: To live each day as God would have me do

NetFlix Feeds the Movie Buff in Me...by Lisa Mondello

I love movies as much as I love books. Whether the story's on the page or the big screen, it doesn't matter. I can't get enough, especially if it's a story I really, really love!

I'm a busy mom of 4 teenagers. If you're a mom at all you know that your day is pretty long and TV time usually happens around 10:30 or 11:00PM. At least for me it does. Having a DVR has given me the freedom to be able to get work done AND watch programs that I don't want to miss. When I sit down, I usually want to watch something on HG-TV or a good movie. (Usually a good movie.)

That's why NetFlix is my best friend. Like me, my youngest daughter is a movie buff. She loves all the old classics. (I remind her that some of those "classics" really aren't THAT old.) So when I look at my NetFlix queue and see Gone with the Wind or Casablanca on it, I get excited. I know I didn't put it there and when it comes in, it will be fun to share it with my daughter. I then want to tell her about more movies she's probably never heard of. African Queen with Kate Hepburn, The Sound of Music (one of my personal favorites!), anything with Al Pacino (she's a huge fan) or funny classics like What's Up Doc with Barbara Streisand are all fun to watch together. We both love WWII romances too and really love Shining Through with Melanie Griffith and Michael Douglas. Occasionally we come back to 2010 and have to watch something with Leo in it. (Let's face it. It's not a hardship and there are a ton of great movies to choose from like Blood Diamond and Shutter Island.)

When I find a movie I love, I watch it over and over again. I want to see how the characters develop throughout the story, how they interact with the other characters, the dynamics of family and friendship and how each scene contributes to the overall story until we get to the happy (hopefully) ending. Okay, sometimes it's not so happy. I can live with that as long as it's not totally depressing. I eventually stopped looking for a piece of driftwood for Jack Dawson because Rose did go on to live a full life after surviving the sinking of the Titanic.

I usually drive my husband crazy though. "How many times can you watch Out of Africa or A Walk in the Clouds?" I don't know, but apparently a lot because he's begun hiding the TV Guide on me so I won't know when they're on. I try to balance things out by watching Serenity, another personal favorite, or some other Sci-Fi movies that we both love. Although we're all big Sci-Fi fans in this house, I usually have to remind him that Steeple Hill books don't have aliens in them. But as soon as I get the okay from my editor, he'll be the first to know!

Share your favorite movie with me. My NetFlix queue has a lot room on it and I'm always up for discovering a great story that I've never seen. My daughter and I thank you!

Until next time, many blessings, Lisa Mondello