What music groups/artists blast from your CD player while you write?
I play a mix, on shuffle, so that every song is a surprise. I enjoy some country, Celtic, rock, folk, jazz and blues so I don't know if I will hear James Taylor, Celine Dion or Kenny Rogers next.
I enjoy the same music. I know we also share strong views about the disabled. Please share yours.
I believe that people with disabilities should be treated with dignity and justice. I help to assess the quality of organizations that provide services to people. I also volunteer with my therapy dog at hospitals, long-term care facilities, and in the library where kids read to my dog Ollie.
So Ollie is smart with all that reading. Ollie can you read the name of our contest winner?
Woof! Donna K. Weaver, Donna please visit Lynette's blog http://www.lynetteendicott.blogspot.com/
and leave a comment with your email address so she can get you your copy. Congratulations!
Lynette, I know you have more pets at home, are they all as smart as Ollie?
I have adopted Ollie, two cats and a bird who somehow found their way to our house. But Ollie is the only one that listens while the kids read.
What or who inspires you to write?
Life is so interesting! There is endless variety in what people are like, and how their lives unfold. I think it is remarkable that people connect and fall in love, and I want to tell some of their stories.
Why did you begin writing?
I don't know why. I just know I always have. I got a diary when I was in 3rd grade, and kept a diary or journal through college. My Dad got me an electric typewriter (yes, I am that old) when I was 11 or 12, and I began typing stories. I love to read, but also have always had a desire to write stories whether or not anyone else read them.
What was your favorite book growing up that inspired you to try your hand at writing?
I read everything, and was fascinated with the variety in styles, topics and genres. I worked my way from mysteries through biographies and into sports fiction as a youngster, and turned to romance when I was old enough. I think that people who love reading always have stories cooking in their heads. At least I do. No one book inspired me to write, but in a way every book inspires me to know I can do my own approach and topic and be an author.
Wow, I think I stuck to westerns and horses as a youngster. Tell us about how you came up with your premise for More Than a Job?
I looked around and saw how many people are having to start over in life after the loss of a job. It is the story of so many people I know, and it is important that it be a story of hope and starting over in tough times.
For those who are not familiar with this story, would you please give us the blurb?
Paige Hamilton loses her job and career unexpectedly. Joshua Robinson is there in the parking lot to help her pick up the pieces of her work life - literally, from the box of spilled office items, and figuratively as she figures out how to be open to new things including him.
Is there a message in More Than a Job you want readers to grasp?
Sometimes we need to lose something to realize that we need to be open to how God moves in our lives. If we are too busy there won't be room for the things that really matter.
Wise words of advise. Thank you for coming Lynette.
Thank you.
More Than a Job is available at: http://www.desertbreezepublishing.com/
March 9, 2012
More Than a Job's first kiss
More Than a Job has received a Warm rating by the author.
This excerpt is unedited and used by permission of Lynette Endicott.
Enjoy!
He dropped it into her hand and let his fingers trail across her wrist before he moved them away."That one was always my favorite. It's an amethyst. Isn't it beautiful?"
"Amethyst is my birthstone." Her voice was low, almost a whisper, and filled with a kind of awe that touched him to the core.
"You have a February birthday, then." He frowned a minute, pulling words from a deep memory. "It is a crystal known for cleansing the aura, enhancing spiritual awareness, and…"
He struggled to remember the rest. Then he remembered and swallowed. "And attracting loving energy. It suits you." Loving energy emanated from Paige.
"It is beautiful."
He looked at her face, the perfection of her skin, slightly pink and so touchable, and he reached out one finger and ran it down her cheek. Electricity crackled up his arm.
"Yes, it is." He stopped at her mouth, shifted so his thumb was there instead, and hooked his finger under her chin. Then he lifted her eyes to his. "Beautiful," he repeated.
Her breathing picked up, and his own grew rapid and shallow, matching his speeding heart. He struggled to remember that he'd only seen this woman once before. He barely knew her, but somehow that didn't compute. The only thought he could process was how her lips would feel under his. He leaned forward for a little taste and found her lips parted ever so slightly and her breath tasting of cinnamon. She shifted a little closer.
She tasted of everything good and right in the world. Cinnamon and vanilla and honey. He moved his lips slowly, carefully, taking his time, giving her time to draw back or not, to do what she wanted and needed to do.
Her hand came up to his face and she angled in, deepening their kiss and stealing his reserve. Her fingers tested the feel of his hair, the stubble on his face, and then her tongue flicked the corner of his mouth.
Had he moaned out loud? He needed to press closer. He put his arm around her shoulder and shifted so their bodies touched as he pulled her against him.
This excerpt is unedited and used by permission of Lynette Endicott.
Enjoy!
He dropped it into her hand and let his fingers trail across her wrist before he moved them away."That one was always my favorite. It's an amethyst. Isn't it beautiful?"
"Amethyst is my birthstone." Her voice was low, almost a whisper, and filled with a kind of awe that touched him to the core.
"You have a February birthday, then." He frowned a minute, pulling words from a deep memory. "It is a crystal known for cleansing the aura, enhancing spiritual awareness, and…"
He struggled to remember the rest. Then he remembered and swallowed. "And attracting loving energy. It suits you." Loving energy emanated from Paige.
"It is beautiful."
He looked at her face, the perfection of her skin, slightly pink and so touchable, and he reached out one finger and ran it down her cheek. Electricity crackled up his arm.
"Yes, it is." He stopped at her mouth, shifted so his thumb was there instead, and hooked his finger under her chin. Then he lifted her eyes to his. "Beautiful," he repeated.
Her breathing picked up, and his own grew rapid and shallow, matching his speeding heart. He struggled to remember that he'd only seen this woman once before. He barely knew her, but somehow that didn't compute. The only thought he could process was how her lips would feel under his. He leaned forward for a little taste and found her lips parted ever so slightly and her breath tasting of cinnamon. She shifted a little closer.
She tasted of everything good and right in the world. Cinnamon and vanilla and honey. He moved his lips slowly, carefully, taking his time, giving her time to draw back or not, to do what she wanted and needed to do.
Her hand came up to his face and she angled in, deepening their kiss and stealing his reserve. Her fingers tested the feel of his hair, the stubble on his face, and then her tongue flicked the corner of his mouth.
Had he moaned out loud? He needed to press closer. He put his arm around her shoulder and shifted so their bodies touched as he pulled her against him.
March 8, 2012
More Than a Job's big surprise!
More Than a Job has received a Warm rating by the author.
This excerpt is unedited and used by permission of Lynette Endicott.
Enjoy!
"I'm Paige Hamilton, a friend of Don's." Time to bluff if he was going to get any attention. "I've been on the phone with his guardian and mother. She's on her way, but she wanted me to tell you she hopes you will do a scan." Well, if she knew the details, Meg would certainly require a scan.
"His guardian has requested it?"
"I'm worried, too," Paige pressed on. "He seems less responsive than usual, and I've known him for ten years. Aren't you concerned?"
"How is he less responsive?" Finally she had some attention.
"He keeps dozing off, and he doesn't open his eyes to answer my questions until I've asked two or three times. He could be in pain, of course, but it could be caused by something more."
Dr. Curtis sat down and wrote the order, and within minutes Paige sat in the waiting room outside the x-ray area, where they would check Don for broken bones and other injuries.
Paige sat back to relax, to close her eyes for a moment. Only a moment, because suddenly everyone around her moved very fast. First the technician told her the doctor needed to talk with her right away. Then the doctor who came wasn't the first one, but a neurosurgeon.
"He has a bleed on his brain," he told her. "We are going to do emergency surgery to evacuate the blood. If we don't, the pressure can cause serious injury or even death. We are taking him to prep him now."
Paige stepped up to the stretcher as they moved Don from the room. Paige took his hand and walked beside him. "Hey, Don, you awake?"
He didn't open his eyes, but frowned as if he were trying to open them.
"Your mom and I will be here when you wake up. It's going to be fine. You'll be okay."
"Miss, you'll have to wait in the waiting room," an attendant urged, and then Don was out of her hands and in surgery.
She should report this as neglect. It should never have happened.
"Miss?" A nurse said. "I need you to sign a consent form."
"I can't." Paige sighed. "I'm not his caregiver. I'm just a friend." She picked up his medication book and leafed through it. "Will this do until his mom arrives?" She handed her a general consent for emergency medical treatment, on the form she'd designed, signed my Meg.
The nurse studied it for a moment, then nodded. "This should be fine," she said. "Let me make a copy, and I'll get the original right back to you."
Or to the new case manager. Somebody should be here by now. Somebody from the new company should care enough to be here and handle the things Don needed. This was not good.
"What do you mean, he's in surgery?" The voice was strident, angry, out of control. "How can he be in surgery? Who gave consent for that?"
He had to be the new manager of Robinson, Inc. Paige almost gagged when the realization sucker punched her. Well, all was not lost. Now she knew whom to tell, whom to hold responsible, but she wasn't going to be seeing much of him after today. A man who would let this happen to Don was not a man she wanted in her life.
This excerpt is unedited and used by permission of Lynette Endicott.
Enjoy!
"I'm Paige Hamilton, a friend of Don's." Time to bluff if he was going to get any attention. "I've been on the phone with his guardian and mother. She's on her way, but she wanted me to tell you she hopes you will do a scan." Well, if she knew the details, Meg would certainly require a scan.
"His guardian has requested it?"
"I'm worried, too," Paige pressed on. "He seems less responsive than usual, and I've known him for ten years. Aren't you concerned?"
"How is he less responsive?" Finally she had some attention.
"He keeps dozing off, and he doesn't open his eyes to answer my questions until I've asked two or three times. He could be in pain, of course, but it could be caused by something more."
Dr. Curtis sat down and wrote the order, and within minutes Paige sat in the waiting room outside the x-ray area, where they would check Don for broken bones and other injuries.
Paige sat back to relax, to close her eyes for a moment. Only a moment, because suddenly everyone around her moved very fast. First the technician told her the doctor needed to talk with her right away. Then the doctor who came wasn't the first one, but a neurosurgeon.
"He has a bleed on his brain," he told her. "We are going to do emergency surgery to evacuate the blood. If we don't, the pressure can cause serious injury or even death. We are taking him to prep him now."
Paige stepped up to the stretcher as they moved Don from the room. Paige took his hand and walked beside him. "Hey, Don, you awake?"
He didn't open his eyes, but frowned as if he were trying to open them.
"Your mom and I will be here when you wake up. It's going to be fine. You'll be okay."
"Miss, you'll have to wait in the waiting room," an attendant urged, and then Don was out of her hands and in surgery.
She should report this as neglect. It should never have happened.
"Miss?" A nurse said. "I need you to sign a consent form."
"I can't." Paige sighed. "I'm not his caregiver. I'm just a friend." She picked up his medication book and leafed through it. "Will this do until his mom arrives?" She handed her a general consent for emergency medical treatment, on the form she'd designed, signed my Meg.
The nurse studied it for a moment, then nodded. "This should be fine," she said. "Let me make a copy, and I'll get the original right back to you."
Or to the new case manager. Somebody should be here by now. Somebody from the new company should care enough to be here and handle the things Don needed. This was not good.
"What do you mean, he's in surgery?" The voice was strident, angry, out of control. "How can he be in surgery? Who gave consent for that?"
He had to be the new manager of Robinson, Inc. Paige almost gagged when the realization sucker punched her. Well, all was not lost. Now she knew whom to tell, whom to hold responsible, but she wasn't going to be seeing much of him after today. A man who would let this happen to Don was not a man she wanted in her life.
March 7, 2012
Lynette talks about PWD
PWD? What does that stand for?
Persons with Disabilities. The abbreviation is ironic, though. The idea was to stop using labels and start using "people" first. The initials have a risk of becoming a label themselves.
I was part of the disability rights movement, promoting things like the. Americans with Disabilities Act, for example, before I realized I was a person with disabilities. Did you know that before the ADA was passed in 1990 it was legal in this country for a store owner to exclude a person who used a wheelchair because they took up too much room in the aisles? I went to a public meeting in Kansas City in the late 80s and heard one person after another tell of the discrimination they faced because of their disability. The ADA is a matter of equal justice for people with disabilities.
Most of my early career, like Paige's (Paige is the heroine in More Than a Job), was with people with developmental disabilities. We were working for the right of people to live in the community and not in institutions. While group homes as opposed to individual apartments are not always the best solution, sharing a house and staff can work for some folks, so that is the setting that Paige works in. I have certainly seen poor health care for people with disabilities. Some of the people you run into don't give the same level of health response, and as in the story, sometimes advocacy with them has to be pushy.
My disability is a chronic pain condition. Does it impact my life day to day? Sure. Does it keep me from living the life I want? No. You adapt, cope, figure out better ways to do things. I see that same tenacity and success to live independently in most of my friends who have disability.
The belief in the disability justice community is that every person has a right to community life and their disability is part of who they are. Think of disability as a characteristic like nationality, gender, height, weight. Each of us is different, and most of us who live long enough will experience disability at some point in their life. It is part of the whole of who we are.
Lynette Endicott, Author
Desert Breeze Publishing
"Where starting over is the path to romance".
Just Released - More than a Job
Coming August 21, 2012 - Animal Instincts
First of the Time after Time Saga with Tami Dee
Coming October 15, 2012 - Return of Joy
http://www.lynetteendicott.blogspot.com/
http://www.lynetteendicott.com/
Persons with Disabilities. The abbreviation is ironic, though. The idea was to stop using labels and start using "people" first. The initials have a risk of becoming a label themselves.
I was part of the disability rights movement, promoting things like the. Americans with Disabilities Act, for example, before I realized I was a person with disabilities. Did you know that before the ADA was passed in 1990 it was legal in this country for a store owner to exclude a person who used a wheelchair because they took up too much room in the aisles? I went to a public meeting in Kansas City in the late 80s and heard one person after another tell of the discrimination they faced because of their disability. The ADA is a matter of equal justice for people with disabilities.
Most of my early career, like Paige's (Paige is the heroine in More Than a Job), was with people with developmental disabilities. We were working for the right of people to live in the community and not in institutions. While group homes as opposed to individual apartments are not always the best solution, sharing a house and staff can work for some folks, so that is the setting that Paige works in. I have certainly seen poor health care for people with disabilities. Some of the people you run into don't give the same level of health response, and as in the story, sometimes advocacy with them has to be pushy.
My disability is a chronic pain condition. Does it impact my life day to day? Sure. Does it keep me from living the life I want? No. You adapt, cope, figure out better ways to do things. I see that same tenacity and success to live independently in most of my friends who have disability.
The belief in the disability justice community is that every person has a right to community life and their disability is part of who they are. Think of disability as a characteristic like nationality, gender, height, weight. Each of us is different, and most of us who live long enough will experience disability at some point in their life. It is part of the whole of who we are.
Lynette Endicott, Author
Desert Breeze Publishing
"Where starting over is the path to romance".
Just Released - More than a Job
Coming August 21, 2012 - Animal Instincts
First of the Time after Time Saga with Tami Dee
Coming October 15, 2012 - Return of Joy
http://www.lynetteendicott.blogspot.com/
http://www.lynetteendicott.com/
March 6, 2012
More Than a Job -- tickle tease
-- Let's tickle your senses with this teaser --
Paige Hamilton is a survivor, forced into seeking a new life when her job and ten-year career end at the hands of a new company owner. Joshua Robinson, a handsome stranger, is the first to help her through that transition.
Joshua relocates to Missouri from New Mexico – at least temporarily – to help his family assimilate the newly purchased group homes. As a nurse he is uniquely qualified to examine the direct services provided to residents of the dozen locations where people with mental retardation live. His first day on the job he startles a sobbing woman in the parking lot, causing her to fall. After picking up her spilled belongings and patching up her skinned hands and knees, he is pleased that she writes her phone number on his hand.
Will Paige hate the man who cost her a job or choose to take the chance of falling in love with her rescuer?
March 5, 2012
What's Up This Week ...
Make no mistake, this is not a how to guide for dummies.
Lynette tells me that she was born in Illinois, went to college in Nebraska, moved to Kansas as a newlywed and stayed 25 years. Now she and her husband are in Fresno, CA.Oh, and while she was in Kansas she got her Masters degree from the University of San Francisco.
Lynette and I are offering a chance to win a free ebook copy of More Than a Job. The rules are simple -- visit Lynette's blog www.lynetteendicott.blogspot.com and become a follower, then leave a comment reminding Lynette that you have done so and her week of review here. Become a follower here and mention it in your comment and you are entered a second time. Easy. Lynette will assign her dog to select a winning name and the winner will be announced on Saturday, the 10th on both blogs, so be sure to check back to see if you won!
If you are reading this on your computer, Lynette can send the copy through your email and wala! You don't have to wait for the post man, you don't have to run to your favorite bookstore!
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