| Guest Blog by Tara Taylor Quinn |
[Apr. 25th, 2011|08:46 am] |
Good morning, readers.
I'm hosting author Tara Taylor Quinn today on her mega-tour to promote her newest novel, based on a true story--hers! Not only is this a very brave thing to do, but it takes talent, which Tara has. And the book is going to help a lot of women because its focus is on domestic abuse and eventually finding peace and happiness. I'm buying copies for the battered women's shelter where I volunteer. So take a look at what she has to say! And certainly, go get the book. You won't regret it.
Kathy
From Tara: I am thrilled to be here today! I hope you all will take the time to look around. If you don’t know Kathryn, you’ll want to get to know her. If you do know her, you know what I’m talking about. Kathryn Shay writes books. She writes great books – books that tell stories that captivate you, but more, books that make a difference in the world. Kathryn and I started our careers at about the same time. We both wrote for Harlequin Superromance. Kathryn also taught school full time. Now she writes full time. And she’s written a book that is a must read. It’s a book about love and acceptance in a changing and confusing world. It’s a book about home and family and what those words really mean when life’s challenges are in their midst. It’s called The Perfect Family and you can find it right here on this site.
I saw a video this morning about a perfect family. It was a mom and dad and two kids who were setting off on a 2700 mile cross country trip with all of their belongings strapped to a little open air trailer hitched to the back of a very old beat up sedan. The couple was in their twenties. The kids about three and three months. The car looked like it was older than any of them. They were traveling through the mountains, heading east and got about forty miles from their starting when place when, in the mountains, pulling the trailer, that old car started to send up smoke signals from under the hood. They stopped and it was soon obvious that they were stranded on the sound of the road out in the middle of the desert with nothing but mountains around them. The nearest town was three miles away. Locking his wife and kids in the car, the young husband set out to walk that three miles with the sun beating down upon him. He reached the town – population about sixty – and happened upon a man with a water can, a truck, and a heart big enough to prompt him to offer to drive the young man back to his car. They got the car running and the young couple turned around, headed back to their starting point and straight to a garage where a mechanic spent the next two hours looking over everything under the hood of that car. His final determination…there was nothing that needed to be fixed. And so, once again, the couple started out toward their new home almost three thousand miles away. They couldn’t get there without traveling through the mountains and so they did. They passed the ten mile mark and then the twenty. The thirty mile mark came and left. And in the exact same spot their car once again gave out on them – blowing up smoke signals of doom. The young husband couldn’t believe it. He got out of the car, lifted the hood, and felt foolish and hopeless and he once again began the three mile trek to the little town ahead – the closest town.
And while that man had to have felt as though he was at the end of his rope, he kept walking. He had the weight of three other people on his shoulders in addition to his own. He had no money. And he kept walking anyway.
The incident is a true story. It took place thirty years ago. That young husband is now a successful leader who drives a very nice SUV that can tow just about anything up the mountain. The vehicle has enough seats to cart around his grown children and little grandchildren.
And the man’s message? Just keep walking. There is good up ahead. You might not see it. It might not come quickly. But it is there if you just keep walking.
Tim and I are very thankful that you all are walking with us as we continue on our tour to raise awareness for the fight against domestic violence. You are our bearers of the water can.
This post is brought to you as part of the It Happened On Maple Street International Blog Tour. For a complete tour schedule visit www.tarataylorquinn.com. All blog commenters are added to the weekly basket list. Gift Basket given each week to one randomly drawn name on the list.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, or if you suspect someone is, please contact www.thehotline.org, or call, toll free, 24/7, 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY). The call can be anonymous and is always confidential. There is not one second of life that is worth wasting.
Next tour stop, Tuesday April 26, All You Need Is Lists: http://allyouneedislists.com/.
To get your copy of It Happened On Maple Street, visit your favorite bookseller, or www.maplestreetbook.com.
Don’t miss The Chapman Files! Still available at: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Tara+Taylor+Quinn.
It Happened On Maple Street is soon to be available on Kindle and Nook, too! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0757315682/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d2_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0SKJ9D86BB5XG2BPT4MV&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846; http://search.barnesandnoble.com/It-Happened-on-Maple-Street/Tara-Taylor-Quinn/e/9780757315688/?itm=15&USRI=tara+taylor+quinn. |
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| Comments: |
From: ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=91.6) kcherubtx
2011-04-25 05:56 pm (UTC)
Guest Blog by Tara Taylor Quinn | (Link)
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A very interesting post, Tara - I liked it!. I am a Kathryn Shay fan, so thank you for the info about her new book. I've done my daily nudge to B&N for It Happened on Maple Street in e-book! Have a wonderful day.
What an inspiring story, and so very needed today... I always come away from your posts lifted in spirit!! Thanks so much for another great post!
Sometimes all you can do is keep walking!
From: (Anonymous)
2011-04-26 08:54 pm (UTC)
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Karen, River and Lynda,
Thank you all so much for the comments! I've been thinking about that video ever since I saw it. You just have to keep walking. Each step brings us closer to the good that awaits someplace up in the future.
Tara,
Thanks so much for guest blogging with us today. People enjoyed reading your post.
Kathy | |
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