Tag Archives: Summer Storms by Rebekah Lyn

Loving the Small Town Life

14 Jun

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Is there any place better to live than in a small town? I know the shopping and entertainment leave a lot to be desired but what are they compared to kindness, friendship and a sense of community

Wednesday I started my day in a dental office waiting on Rebekah to have her stitches removed. Also waiting was a gentleman and within ten minutes we had covered growing up in Orlando and Sanford, how we came to live in this town, how Disney ruined Orlando, riding bikes all day as kids and no one worried, how hot Florida can be in July and finally, bonfires on the beach and how sad we are it is no longer allowed. I am sure we could have covered much more, but Rebekah was finished and we moved on.

Next we visited my former work place. I lost track of the conversation streams that were addressed in fifteen minutes but Mac iOS6 was an animated discussion as well as western vs. eastern Caribbean cruise preferences and why, Twinning’s new cold brew peach tea, Blackberry tea and porcelain tile vs. laminate flooring if you have a cat that chooses not to use the litter box.

Our final stop was at Teapots n Treasures, a brand new teahouse in our “downtown”. If you live in a small town, you understand the quotation marks. I was very excited to visit Teapots n Treasures because “taking tea” has become my new obsession and to my knowledge, in recent memory we have never had anything like it. No sooner had we settled into our cozy tea nook than I see my dear friend, Wanda and her friend being seated for lunch. With a smile and a wave, she comes into our nook bringing her friend.  In the course of introductions, it was discovered Wanda’s friend had read Rebekah’s book, Summer Storms. Rebekah was so pleased to meet a new reader face to face. They invited us to join them after our tea was done and we did. We picked up our teapot and cups, told the owner we were socializing, ignored the people giving us strange looks and made our way to their tea nook. What fun we had. Rebekah talked book stuff, I caught up on friend news. Along with the chitchat we also discussed a young family’s loss of their precious newborn girl. We are all praying for them as they grieve.  We were so blessed by our unexpected opportunity to visit with Wanda, Jamie and Joan. Wanda would call it a Divine Appointment.

I have never lived in a truly large city. What is it like?

Galatians 5:22-23

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Great New Review

2 Mar

Just received this great review for Summer Storms on Rebekah Lyn’s Facebook page.

Paige McNamara Sprowl
“Rebekah, I just finished Summer Storms; it was great. I really appreciate the spiritual theme; so refreshing compared to many “love stories” which don’t interest me because they’re too descriptive if you will. Well done, I could visualize everything as you described it too. Looking forward to the next book! :-)”

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First Grade Failure

16 Feb

I really did not like first grade. Except for our morning Bible time and singing, I can’t think of a single activity that I enjoyed. I was homesick everyday. Plus, they insisted that I draw pictures and take a nap, two things I did not like to do, nor intend to do. Are you starting to get the picture? I was a rebellious first grade failure.]

Second grade didn’t look promising on the first day of school but I was resigned to the reality of going to school. I was placed in the class of this tall red-haired woman.  In first grade I had seen her in the cafeteria, clumping around in her high heels and shouting for everyone to be quiet. One day I was sitting in the reading circle and my world exploded. I discovered I could read and reading meant all my questions could be answered. This began a life long love affair with books.

Since Rebekah published her eBook, I have discovered a veritable feast of digital authors and I want to read them all! There are a lot more talented writers than are ever published in Tyndale, Bethany or Thomas Nelson catalogs.

I love books. I love to read them, touch and smell them. I love discovering a great read on a library shelf or in the bargain bin. I love sharing them with friends and then discussing the characters. So how do I merge my love of paper with this new digital age? Any suggestions?

If you would like to read my favorite digital author check out

RebekahLyn’s Books and Publications Spotlight http://j.mp/wGaQSY

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Downtown or Sunday Will Never Be The Same

15 Feb

Mike, Rebekah and I went to downtown Orlando last Sunday. Our mission was to shoot video and pictures for Rebekah’s book trailers.

Usually Rebekah and I head off to Orlando for girl time but Sunday I invited Mike along as a courtesy. It turned out he was more than a courtesy he was our bodyguard.  Empty, dark  parking garages, closed restaurants and deserted buildings gave me the creeps.

I grew up in what I have come to think of as “the best of times”. The  50’s and 60’s. Sure we had the Cold War, duck and cover, Vietnam, riots and strife but a kid could play outside all day. In Orlando, we never locked our doors except at night when we put the hook and eye latch on. After school, I would have been a latch key child but the door wasn’t locked.

In high school, my sister in law to be and I would walk downtown to shop with no fear of being robbed or attacked. Walking through downtown last Sunday, I searched for signs of that gentler time. The only ones I could find were the public library and of course, the lake.

In the 50’s Lake Eola was THE place to be. It’s where you went on a Sunday afternoon. I imagine a lot of kids of my era have photo albums with pictures taken in front of beautiful flowers and foliage. Then the lake experienced a downtime. First the hippies came and then the homeless took over. Downtown wasted away.

Then downtown became cool again. Old homes were restored, the lake flourishes and downtown woke up. Well, except on Sunday afternoons.

If you would like to read a novel set in “new’ downtown  Orlando check out Summer Storms by Rebekah Lyn

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/summer-storms/18841461?showPreview

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