I pray your weekend was blessed.
Today's guest has shared treasures with us before so please welcome author Cynthi Ruchti back to our blog....
Little Treasures
When I watch HGTV renovations, I’m drawn to the minimalist
décor ideas—crisp, clean, open shelves with lots of white space. What I live with—on the other hand—is a mix of minimalist
and collector.
The little treasures I collect are either related to sweet
memories with family, or they relate to the books I write. I try to find at
least one iconic item to remind me of the process my heart went through when
writing each book, some heart connection to the story or the research trip or
the setting.
On a narrow wall between the front door and the largest
window in my office, I’ve hung sketches and photos and artwork representing
books already written or still in progress. A stone stagecoach inn from Cedarburg, WI, the setting for the novella collection, Cedar Creek Seasons. Next
to it, a photograph-turned-notecard of the woolen mill along Cedar Creek. Above
it, a page from a calendar, representing one of my early novels—When the Morning Glory Blooms. In the
middle, a gift from a friend—an image of Door County cherries after an ice
storm (from the novella collection, A
Door County Christmas). The sketch above the cherries is of a stone cottage
on historic Shake Rag street in Mineral Point, WI, the setting of a book yet to
be birthed. Tucked above that is a notecard made from a friend’s photograph of
the area around Madeline Island, WI—the setting of As Waters Gone By.
Along the low window ledge next to my desk is a collection of small treasures that either remind me of friends or of other books. Because I write stories-hemmed-in-hope, readers or friends will often send me hope reminders, like the bookmark in this image. Tucked behind the rock (it’s as close to granite countertops as I’ll ever get) is a small wooden canoe, a reminder of my debut novel—They Almost Always Come Home.
The Sea
Glass Hunter’s book was a gift from my sister after we’d spent a week
beachcombing and came home without a single discovery. In front of the book are
two pieces of sea glass I found on a subsequent trip—both of them white, and
poignant reminders of a book proposal now under consideration. The little
ceramic building is a yarn shop, part of my lit Christmas village collection
and a reminder of “Maybe Us,” my story in the Cedar Creek Seasons novella.
The Sea
Glass Hunter’s book was a gift from my sister after we’d spent a week
beachcombing and came home without a single discovery. In front of the book are
two pieces of sea glass I found on a subsequent trip—both of them white, and
poignant reminders of a book proposal now under consideration. The little
ceramic building is a yarn shop, part of my lit Christmas village collection
and a reminder of “Maybe Us,” my story in the Cedar Creek Seasons novella.The “Hope lives here” chalkboard showed up in a meaningful scene in As Waters Gone By. I’m getting ready to add a photo of the stunning boardwalk along the shore in Algoma, WI—the setting for Restoring Christmas, and a picture of the ancient walking bridge in Stillwater, MN—the setting for An Endless Christmas. The musical note ribbon is a reminder of the book Song of Silence.
And the hearts of handmade paper embedded with flower seeds
reminds me of my newest release—A Fragile
Hope.
A Fragile Hope
Hope grows when
seeds are planted—even in the muddy middle of life.
Josiah Chamberlain’s
life’s work revolves around repairing other people’s marriages. When his own is
threatened by his wife’s unexplained distance, and then threatened further when
she’s unexpectedly plunged into an unending fog, Josiah finds his expertise,
quick wit and clever quips are no match for a relationship that is clearly
broken.
Feeling betrayed,
confused, and ill-equipped for a crisis this crippling, he reexamines
everything he knows about the fragility of hope and the strength of his faith
and love. Love seems to have failed him. Will what’s left of his faith fail
him, too? Or will it be the one thing that holds him together and sears through
the impenetrable wall that separates them?
Cynthia Ruchti tells stories hemmed in hope through her novels,
novellas, nonfiction books, articles and devotionals.
Her latest release
is the novel A Fragile Hope. One of
Ruchti’s greatest joys is helping other writers grow in their craft. To that
end, she has with the Write-to-Publish conference and American Christian
Fiction Writers. She and her husband live in the heart of Wisconsin. Learn more
at www.cynthiaruchti.com.
Thank you so much, Cynthia for sharing your treasures with us!
I certainly hope you, friends, enjoyed today's post as much as I did and that you'll join me each week for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight.
Until next time take care and God bless.
PamT
