#SaturdaySpotlight: LoRee Peery & Paisley's Pattern!

Good Morning Friends,

Well the trip last week to Sam Rayburn lake in TX was wonderful. Caught quite a few fish. I'll be sharing that sometime in the future on Tuesday Treasure.

Also, beginning Monday June 1st, I have 2 contests going on in which you have the opportunity to win 1 of 5 copies of Circles of Fate! You'll see the announcement in the sidebar here on the blog but you can also get all the details HERE.

All that said, it is my pleasure to bring fellow Pelican Book Group author and friend, LoRee Peery back to the blog with her latest release, Paisley's Pattern!

Christian romance author LoRee Peery writes to feel alive, as a way of contributing, and to pass forward the hope of rescue from sin. She writes of redeeming grace with a sense of place. LoRee clings to I John 5:4 and prays her family sees that faith. She has authored the Frivolities Series and other e-books. Her desire for readers, the same as for her characters, is to discover where they fit in this life journey to best work out the Lord’s life plan. She is who she is by the grace of God: Christian, country girl, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend, and author. She’s been a reader since before kindergarten. One day she slapped a story in her lap. “I could write better than this.” (Lofty assumption, eh?) Her dear hubby challenged, “Why don’t you?” Thus her writing journey began many moons ago. Connect with LoRee through her website, twitter and Facebook! 

Paisley and Rob love each other, but neither is willing to correct what needs to be fixed in their relationship, so Paisley relocates out of state. When she discovers a secret that may repair Rob’s view of his past, she reaches out. Rob is still bitter over Paisley’s inability to commit and her habit of running, but he believes she sincerely cares for him, so he investigates her claim to have found his unknown heritage. After the emotional turmoil of meeting a family he knew nothing about, Rob’s love for Paisley convinces him to reconcile their differences. His world is incomplete without Paisley. However, she is reluctant to move forward, and has an opportunity to flee again. Will Rob help convince Paisley the answer is not to move again, but lies with the Lord, or will Rob lose Paisley forever?

Excerpt:

Rob attended to the slider, two open windows, and checked for unlocked doors. He returned to the great room.

Paisley rummaged in the kitchen beyond the dividing island. Her long layered skirt floated around her as she moved. She met his gaze and gave him what he called her secret smile. Women were complex creatures.

“You’re oblivious,” he said.

She gracefully slid coasters and placed tall glasses on the table in front of the couch. “Oblivious to what?”

He grazed a finger down her hairline, tucking her hair behind one ear. “You are lovely. Others see it. It’s one of the things that first drew me to you, because you are unaware of how you glow from within. You are interested in others and put them first.”

Her eyes drifted shut.

He used his left hand to trace her hairline. “You don’t give guys flirty looks and you aren’t prideful. The way you came to Rainbow’s aid and how you’ve worked so hard on the Waverly house, your actions are admirable.” He threaded his fingers into the hair at her nape and lifted the heavy mass off her shoulders. He smoothed the ends at her collarbones, inhaling her light floral scent before releasing the gold. Cupping her face in both hands, and moved in to sip the nectar of her sweet lips.

Don’t leave me again, my lovely lady. His plan was to show her she couldn’t live without him. He feared his dark world would return and last forever if that happened.

****

Would Paisley ever breathe again?

Rob curled her hair away from the damp skin of her neck and deepened their kiss.

Her toes ignited.

Her cognition sank into an endless sea of sensation. Her whole world at this moment in time was encapsulated in Rob. He surrounded her and invaded her sanity.

His heavy breathing as he pulled back told her their connection got to him as well.

The heat of his touch left a trail of awareness down her side as his fingertips brushed her ribs.

He released his hold on her arms.

Her knees noodled.

They slumped to the couch together.

He leaned forward and she raised her arms to shoulder height, palms out.

She couldn’t meet his gaze.

Rob coughed. Then he chuckled. And he laughed wholeheartedly, a sound she’d never heard. Even Sara in fine performance, hadn’t brought forth such a heartfelt reaction.

The beautiful tones astonished Paisley because Rob’s world had been so glum. What a thrilling, full-of-life, beautiful sound.

Still unable to look him in the eye, she giggled like a teenaged girl who entertained a boyfriend while babysitting.

“Hey, you two, you guys woke me up!” Sara stood in the doorway rubbing her eyes. “What’s so funny anyway? Are you two still telling redneck jokes?”

Paisley snorted, choking down more laughter.

Paisley's Pattern is available at Pelican Book Group and Amazon

Hope you enjoyed the spotlight!

See you next week.

Until then...take care and God Bless.

PamT

#ThursdayThoughts: Guest post by LoRee Peery

Good Morning Friends!

It is my pleasure to bring you this guest post by my friend and fellow Pelican Book Group author, LoRee Peery and while I'm introducing her, let me take a moment to wish her a very Happy & Blessed Birthday!

Do Names have Meaning?

I’m convinced names carry significance. Various cultures and history record an individual’s name as revealing who that person is, be it family, vocation, or location. There are even accounts of people going unnamed until who they are personality- or character-wise is discovered.

Have you ever looked up the meaning of your name? Mothers-to-be often check out baby name books before making selections. I have to admit I didn’t choose that route in naming my first two children, but before I decided on my youngest daughter’s name, I looked up the meanings of names on my list. God must have spoken to my heart, because I went with my first choice, which means a song.

My paternal grandmother died before I was born, and I was named for her best friend. My mom chose Loree for my name. I enjoy hearing how “pretty” it is, though not everyone knows how to say it. I was excited to discover my Latin name means victorious, based on the crown of laurel leaves placed on a victor’s head during Olympic games.

When I started school I got tired of correcting those who called me “Lori,” so I finally accepted that mispronunciation. I carried that name until around 1980, a couple years after my mother’s death. Mom didn’t name me Lori. I capitalized the R to make people consider how to say my name, and corrected anyone who pronounced it incorrectly.

One of the first writing workshops I attended had to do with naming character. As an author, I strive for my characters to reveal aspects of earthly Christian character, so I put thought into their names.

The hero of my upcoming release, Paisley’s Pattern, has always been troubled by his name. Instead of viewing Robin as “bright shining fame,” a form of excellence, he blames his mother for naming him after a bird. She did have a hippie phase and changed her surname to Paisley. He scoffed at that one too.

I had fun with transposing hero and heroine names in this story. Paisley Robbins is the heroine and their mixed-up names is the reason they became acquainted before this story begins. Paisley and Rob both grow in their spiritual lives as the story evolves. She tries to get Rob to see that his earthly name will change in heaven. At least four verses in the Bible refer to believers receiving new names in heaven.

God knows us by name, and gives us a new name. Names must matter to God. He changed a few that are recorded in the Bible. The familiar ones in Genesis are Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Jacob to Israel. In Matthew He changed Simon to Peter.

Many places in the Bible, Christians are addressed as beloved. How about that for a precious name? I believe and look forward to receiving a new name, though my earthly name reflects that I am a victorious overcomer.

LoRee Peery

Redeeming Grace with a Sense of Place

What an interesting post! I must admit, until recently I didn't check to see what my characters' names meant. They just came to me. But in a current WIP I researched names to fit the people in the story.

LoRee Peery is a lifelong Nebraskan who thanks her mother for teaching her to read when she was four. She has devoured books ever since. She and her husband have tackled some interesting projects over the course of their married life. For one, they built the home they live in with their own hands. They used to want more acres further away from city life, but one day LoRee realized they had their “greener on the other side of the fence” already. All it took was removing the hedge made of trees and bushes. LoRee feels grounded in her sense of place and considers it humbling to be redeemed by grace. She is blessed to have five children and eleven grandchildren. One-on-one time playing cards or Scrabble provides cherished moments and memories. Find out more about LoRee by visiting her website or connecting with her on Facebook and Twitter!

Paisley's Pattern releases May 8th from Pelican Book Group but find ALL of LoRee's titles HERE!

Well Friends, I certainly hope you enjoyed today's post and that you'll join me in wishing LoRee a Happy Birthday!

Leave a comment & you just might win your choice of one of LoRee's E-books!!

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

PamT