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Tuesday, July 14, 2015

#TuesdayTreasure: Guest Post by Marion Ueckermann

Good Morning Friends and Welcome to another edition of Tuesday Treasures!

Today we welcome fellow Pelican Book Group author, Marion Ueckermann back to our blog with something she treasures....

It’s a little difficult to make out my Tuesday Treasure—that’s because it’s really, really, really old. In fact, this piece of paper, handwritten in 1891, is nearly 124 years old. Its shape, no longer square, has an arc to its edges due to the magic tape holding it all together.

This is my grandfather, Adam Morrison’s birth certificate. He was born on November 5th, and every year skies across the world are set ablaze with fireworks celebrating his birth. Joking...but I always thought it pretty cool that he was born on Guy Fawkes Day.
You’re probably thinking this is a strange treasure, but I guard this document with my life. That’s because this birth certificate gives me the right to hold a British Passport. Yet, I’m the only one of my siblings to have this amazing privilege. Why, you ask. Because this document alone is not enough to make me, or my siblings, a British citizen. However, combine this with my own birth certificate and voila—one British passport.
I was born in Northern Rhodesia, a British colony at the time of my birth. Two years later the country got independence from the United Kingdom and in 1964 changed the name to Zambia. My country of birth, combined with my paternal grandfather being born in the UK—Scotland to be more precise—has allowed me to be issued with a British passport, classifying me as a British citizen. Although my siblings can apply for an Ancestral Visa to live and work in the UK for five years with this birth certificate, they cannot get a British passport.
Oh, the privileges that have come with this document. But then, as the most widely travelled in our family, I guess God knew I’d need it the most when he planned my birth in Zambia.
I planned a little Zambian birth, too. My novella, Orphaned Hearts, which released independently this Friday, July 10th, and as part of the SPLASH! boxed set in June, is set on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River in Zambia. It’s an amazing place to visit, and you can do so from the comfort of your armchair...no passport required. So why not sit back, relax, and take a trip to Africa with me?

Will his past, or her future, keep their hearts orphaned?
When his wife dies in childbirth, Zambian conservationist Simon Hartley pours his life into raising his daughter and his orphan elephants. He has no time, or desire, to fall in love again. Or so he thinks.
Wanting to escape English society and postpone an arranged marriage, Lady Abigail Chadwick heads to Africa for a year to teach the children of the Good Shepherd Orphanage. Upon her arrival she is left stranded at Livingstone airport…until a reluctant Simon comes to her rescue.
Now only fears born of his loss, and secrets of the life she’s tried to leave behind, can stonewall their romance, budding in the heart of Africa.

                                         Purchase Links:

I’d love to interact with readers at any of the following places:

WEBSITE       http://marionueckermann.com/
TWITTER       https://twitter.com/ueckie


Follow the tour tomorrow:
Wednesday 15th ~ A Wednesday Wander to the Sycamore Fig

Marion Ueckermann’s passion for writing was sparked in 2001 when she moved to Ireland with her husband and two sons. Since then she has published devotional articles and stories in Winners, The One Year Devotional of Joy and Laughter, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miraculous Messages from Heaven.

Marion loves writing Contemporary Inspirational Romances set in novel places and has three Passport to Romance novellas published and contracted through White Rose Publishing, a Pelican Book Group imprint: her debut novella, Helsinki Sunrise; Oslo Overtures (August 2015); and Glasgow Grace (2016).

She lives in Pretoria East, South Africa in an empty nest with her husband and their crazy black Scottie, Wally.

 Wow! Hope you enjoyed this Tuesday Treasure as much as I did! See you in a couple of days for Thursday Thoughts and then Saturday Spotlight!

Until later...take care & God Bless!
PamT

12 comments:

Tanya Hanson said...

Wow, Marion, South Africa! How thrilling. Our exchange student daughter is from Finland so I do have your book tbr. And what a great treasure you have,and on Guy Fawkes Day, too. I can see why the birth certificate is precious to you. Wishing you tons of success for all your books. Hugs and prayers...

MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA said...

Marion, I found your post so interesting because I own a copy of my great-grandfather's birth certificate, dated 1887! So, I can relate to your treasure. Thank you for sharing this fascinating piece of your life.

Many blessings as you write for King Jesus!

MaryAnn Diorio
www.maryanndiorio.com

Kara said...

Wow. What an amazing treasure you have. That is so neat. And what a great setting for a romance. Sounds like a good one!

Unknown said...

I often say God works in amazing ways. But He can, He alone is God. Fun tidbit, Marion.

Alicia Dean said...

Wow, a very special treasure indeed. Very cool! Your story sounds wonderful. Wishing you the best!

Marionu said...

Thanks, ladies, for your thoughts. At first when I read Pam's brief to write about something I treasure, I wondered what would I write about. It very quickly came to me that if my house was burning down, that would probably be the first thing I'd grab to save. And it's been exciting to set a story in the land of my birth. It definitely won't be the last.

Tanya, that's exciting about your exchange student. You might not have followed the blog posts on my first Passport to Romance, Helsinki Sunrise, when I did a blog tour for it's release, but my son married a Finnish girl. You could say they inspired a lot of the writing of that book.

Jacqueline Seewald said...

So interesting to read novels set in different parts of the world!

MJ Schiller said...

I love the little fluke that you are a British citizen while your siblings aren't. Very interesting! And I agree with the rest, I've never read a romance set in Africa and it sounds intriguing. Best wishes for all your writing endeavors!

Maureen said...

Wow, how interesting! Truly a treasure :)

Winona Cross said...

My comment May be duplicated. Silly phone. I just have to respond to your treasure. Travel is my dearest dream but more than that having old wedding licenses, birth announcements, deaths, achievements, and letters is important to me. I'm Scot-Irish-English. I'm happy that Pam invited you to her blog. She's One of my dearest friends.

marilyn leach said...

What a genuine treasure. Just to have your grandfather's birth certificate is exciting, but to have the gifts it brings with it is awesome. Thanks for sharing with us. I love the fact that your stories take place all over the world. Cheers.

Marionu said...

Thank you Jacqueline, MJ, Maureen, Winona and Marilyn for your comments. It's so exciting to see how readers actually LOVE stories set in other parts of the world :) (because I love setting my stories in unusual places!)