Happy April Fool's Day--Lenora Worth

I thought about fooling everyone by saying I'd just signed a million dollar contract complete with a movie deal and that Ryan Reynolds would be playing the lead.

Ha, ha. That would have been a good one. No April Fooling here, my darlings. I'm too tired to even try and fool anyone. We decided on a strange whim to move from our condo on the bay to a single-story house a couple of miles down the road. It happened rather quickly but now that we are in our new home, I'm happy to be here. (And so is Big Daddy.)  My new office has a view of the front yard and my potted palm tree and a view of the backyard and the little wooded area that we hope to cultivate into some sort of inviting park like area.

Here is my view now:

I can see through the house and the kitchen and into the back yard. I have a window to my right where a nice lot across the street is complete with palmetto palms and tall pines. It's quiet here and more spread out. Something a country girl loves. I will miss the beautiful water view I have enjoyed over the last few years but I'm still close to the ocean and the bay so the water is nearby.  Our new home is a little more private and a bit more roomy. You should all come and visit!!

But this big move has allowed me to go through my books and get them organized again. I have so many that I've kept for years. Early Penny Richards aka Bay Matthews, and those of my dear friends who've passed on--Suzannah Davis and Sandra Canfield and Kathy Burton. I have a big selection of Winnie Griggs, Marta Perry, Lyn Cote, Valarie Hansen and so many other Love Inspired writers, I can't name all of them here. But I have decided to take some time each day to read the books I have. Right now I'm reading a really good Regency from my friend Janet Justiss and a great LI suspense by Laura Scott. Am I blessed or what? Books have always made me feel safe and content. Now I have a room that is fast becoming a library. It's sunny and has big glass doors out onto a porch. I plan to read in that room a lot. Or work out there, too.

I posted this picture online but it shows  some of the many paperbacks I've collected through the years. I gave away a lot of books and my heart hurt a little each time a box went out the door. But I hope they will bring joy to someone else now.

So no matter where I live, I will always have books around me. Reading a good book is like having a friend with you. How can you ever be lonely or sad when you can get lost in the past or look toward the future through words? I hope wherever you are, you have books with you. No fooling!!!

Valentine Vacation--Chapter One--Lenora Worth

A Valentine Vacation—Chapter One—Lenora Worth


A crisp February wind blew over the ocean, sending Amelia Hart’s auburn hair flying out around her face. Amelia didn’t mind the cool wind. The ocean breeze felt good on her skin.

She was finally here, standing on a balcony in Florida, staring out at the Gulf of Mexico. Andrew had always promised her they’d take a trip to Florida and walk along the white sand together. But Andrew was gone and she was alone.

Was it a mistake to come here only two years after he’d died in a car accident? Her children had been adamant.

“Mom, you need a break,” twenty-year old Laura had told her.

“She’s right. Just accept this as our gift and go on the trip, please,” her brother Andrew, Jr. had insisted.

Had she become such a downer even her own children didn’t want her around?

“Well, no more of that,” she said into the wind, the feel of the sun on her face making her giggle. “I promised you, Andrew. I promised you I’d come here … and have a good time.”

She hoped she could live up to that promise.

“That Andrew is one lucky man.”

Startled, Amelia glanced over at the balcony next to hers and saw a dark-haired, pretty-eyed man grinning at her.

“He was a lucky man. And I was blessed to have him.”

The man leaned over the white iron railing. “But now?”

Amelia felt a sense of daring overcome her. “But now, he’s in heaven and I’m … I’m here for what my kids call a Valentine Vacation.”

The man stepped closer. “What a coincidence. I’m here for the very same thing.”