Author Spotlight - Excerpt from Moving On

Enjoy this excerpt from June's Desert Breeze Release, "Moving on." June is offering a PDF copy of her novel to one lucky poster. Leave a comment between now and Sunday along with your email so we can get a hold of you. One lucky poster will be chosen on 19 Sep and announced here on the blog and on the DB Yahoo Group, Connections.
Moderator Steph

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His death would have been easier. Laura Barron avoided looking at the burgundy leather armchair as she slipped her mother's crocheted afghan off her shoulders and placed another log on the fire. Laura glanced out the front window as the snow swirled against the window panes and inched its way up the stone steps, already covering the front porch of her nineteenth century Chester County farmhouse outside of Philadelphia. With a sigh, she returned to the sofa vaguely aware of Vivaldi playing softly in the background and opened the editorial section of the Sunday paper. It was already history since it was now Tuesday evening, but between working and caring for her teenage daughter, Kim, she usually found herself behind on reading. It still felt strange to be sitting there alone.

She pictured Dave across from her in his chair reading his latest medical journal. Funny, she thought they were happy -- at least as happy as most of her friends after a marriage of nearly twenty years. Laura looked up as Kim came down the stairs two at a time. Everything her daughter did and said was quick. Her tongue was as agile as her one hundred-and-ten pound body. She had inherited Dave's dark brown hair and expressive eyes and Laura's fair complexion and slender curves. It was no wonder boys called her all the time. Sixteen was an exciting age, the transition from child to woman.

"Mom, the hem's coming out of my slacks, and I have to wear them tomorrow. Would you be a sweetheart and fix them for me?"
"Mmm, I suppose so, but why can't you wear something else?"

"I have to wear these. They go the best with my new sweater, and I told Lisa I was wearing red so she's planning to wear her red sweater, too." Kim's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Logical explanation. Laura smiled at her daughter. "I'll do it this time, but I've warned you that you should learn to sew. I'm not always going to be around to do it for you."

"You have to be around, at least till you're ancient. Who else will teach me how to take care of kids and all that stuff?"

Laura laughed and went over to the dry sink where she kept her sewing box. Kim went on chatting about her friends and the upcoming weekend. She told of her plans to go to an indoor skating rink on Saturday with her best friend, Lisa, plus five other girls from school. Lisa was in her class, and they attended the same small non-denominational church in West Chester, where Lisa's father was the pastor.

Kim and Laura had joined the church after the separation, since Dave had remained at their old church as part of the missions committee. Seeing him every week was too much of a strain, and people seemed to treat her differently once they were separated.

Laura watched as her daughter exclaimed over the all-night skate, expressing herself with her hands. She was entertaining and exuberant. That's what kept Laura going after Dave left.

Kim ran upstairs to answer her phone, and Laura's mind wandered again to the past. Why hadn't she seen it coming? Certainly the signs were all there. Perhaps she couldn't admit to herself that she had failed. Failed as a wife, anyhow. Her job was going well, and she'd been promoted two months before they broke up to assistant vice president. It was a small local bank, but it pleased her that she was rewarded for her efforts.

She should have seen it coming. Dave had joined the gym and went religiously every other morning to work out before heading for the hospital. Then there were the new suits and casual designer clothes. In the past she had to beg him to buy clothes for himself. He even changed from his childhood barber to a 'hair stylist.' She had figured it to be a midlife crisis though he was only forty-four.

Laura first saw Dave during her sophomore year in high school when she and her friends went to the football games. Dave Barron was the star running back, and all the girls had crushes on him. It was five years later that she and Dave officially met. She was home between semesters from Penn State, and he was on his break as a first year medical student at the University of
Pennsylvania. They were introduced at a Christmas party of a mutual friend. During school breaks they dated frequently, but their relationship did not develop into romance until her senior year of college.

She recalled the Christmas Eve when he promised to love her forever and placed a solitaire diamond on her hand. Not wanting to be apart any longer, they married the following December during his final year of medical school.

Dave was the only man she ever loved. She'd had crushes, but never knew the real thing until he came into her life. He also became her best friend.

As she hemmed the slacks, she thought back to the months before he left. He began staying late at the hospital, sometimes not arriving home until midnight. She never questioned him because there had always been trust between them.

Kim called down the stairs and shook Laura from her thoughts.

"No emergency on those slacks, Mom. School's going to be closed tomorrow because of the storm. I'm so mad."

"I'll finish them anyway, so you'll have them when you need them. How much snow do they predict?"

Kim came back down and plopped herself on the sofa across from Laura, folding her arms. "They thought it might be a foot or more by morning."

"It's nearly a foot already. It's so beautiful. Have you looked out?

"Yeah." Kim frowned and shook her head. "I had my whole day planned, and Lisa and I wanted to go shopping after school. Nothing ever works out."

"It will probably be over by Thursday. Maybe you can go shopping then."

"The sales are only for tomorrow, and I desperately need new jeans."

"Honey, you have at least five pairs in your drawer."

"They're way too big for me. You know I lost five pounds on my diet."

"I know and you're way too thin now. I wish you hadn't done that."

"Thin is in, Mom. You know that. Maybe that's one reason..." Her voice trailed off, and she looked away from her mother. "I have to call Lisa and tell her about school."

Laura knotted the thread and handed the finished slacks over to her daughter without a word.

"Sorry, Mom. I don't mean you're fat or anything."

"It's okay. I know what you mean. Deb is much thinner...and younger." She tried to keep the bitterness out of her tone as she mentioned Dave's fiancé. She wondered why the long engagement. After all, the divorce had been finalized for six months now.
Kim leaned over and kissed her mother goodnight and took the slacks as she went back upstairs.

Any mention of Deb or Dave brought back painful memories that Laura couldn't erase, though she thought she had trained her mind to avoid reverting to that difficult time in her life.

Maybe it was the smell of the burning wood and the memories of intimate evenings spent together that continued to haunt her.
Deb was thinner. Life was kind to her. She had beauty, youth, talent, and now -- Dave. And me? What do I have? Immediately the face of her beloved daughter filled Laura's mind. Some day she, too, will be gone and then what?

Her job filled her days, but not her nights. Not her weekends either, though as soon as it was warm enough, she planned to take some tennis lessons. Her backhand needed work. She played in a round robin every year at a local club. It was a good way to tone up.

Laura had friends, but most were married, and she never wanted to be a tagalong. It was time to develop more single friends who were as available as she. The one opportunity she had to date a man, she had ignored. No one appealed to her. It would always be Dave even if he never gave her a second thought.

Author Spotlight - June Bryan Belfie talks about her favorite authors

Author CS Lewis

Everyone has favorite authors. Mine vary with my stage of life and my mood. I was re-cuperating from an appendectomy when I was sixteen and Tennyson was my favorite. I remember sitting on our family's veranda reading aloud to my father. He was quite the romantic and encouraged my choice of authors. In fact my father read to me every night as a child. We went through the Doolittle series, Mary Poppins, Treasure Island, Winnie the Pooh, and Wind in the Willows together. I believe he enjoyed them as much as I did.

There are times when Dickens fulfills some need in my life. When I was pregnant with my first child I read every one of his books.

Then I discovered C.S. Lewis through Mere Christianity. What an original mind that man was given. Also Watchman Lee became important in my reading life.

Since writing romance literature, I switched over to that genre and discovered Karen Kingsbury, Francine Rivers, (one of my favorites), Lauraine Snelling, Lynn Austin, Robin Lee Hatcher, and Beverly Lewis. There are a lot of talented writers out there and each one brings their own voice and life experiences to their writing. I read a book every three or four days and have to write down the names or I find myself re-reading some!

Author Spotlight - June Bryan Belfie talks about her favorite movies

Movies played a large role in my childhood. Growing up in the forties and fifties, there was little else. Sunday nights the family sat and listened to the radio before television entered the scene. I kept a diary from age ten to thirteen and it's amazing how often I did go to the movie theatre. We even had double features on Saturdays.

The first movie I remember loving was Brief Encounter, which looking back seems like an odd choice for a ten-year-old girl. It was a love story. The music is what drew me in. When we left the theatre I raved about it and my father informed me that we had the recording at home. It was Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto and to this day it is my favorite piece of music. When I was in high school I purchased the piano score and attempted to play a few pages. It was over my head, but it was still a thrill to be able to play some of the brief passages that meant so much to me.

Later, I fell in love with Mary Poppins. I was a mother by then and used my young daughter as an excuse to see it three times! Having read it as a child, it had special meaning to me and Dick Van Dyke? Amazing dancer!

If I look back in the last few years, Slumdog Millionaire stands out as one of the best movies of all time. I was riveted to my seat. Of course, The Passion was also spell-binding in its portrayal of Christ's crucifixion. I will not watch it again, though it will stay with me for my lifetime.

Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, and some of the old Danny Kaye movies are still fun to watch.

Author Spotlight - June Bryan Belfie talks about writing inspirational romance

When asked why I enjoy writing inspirational novels, I have to admit I'm not certain. I don't have extra qualifications such as a divinity degree or a mission background. This I do have though -- a love for Christ and a desire to serve him. Since writing doesn't require heavy back-breaking physical work and it is something I desire to do, I pray for inspiration and guidance. He has brought people into my life who have encouraged me to write.

Perhaps having been divorced myself, spending six months in bed with herniated discs and suffering countless illnesses, (non life-threatening, but disabling temporarily), and experiencing problems with loved ones and friends, I've stored enough experience to feel qualified to write about life's challenges. And always, the Lord has given me the strength, the patience and the hope that has brought me through. In Stephen's Ministry I worked with individuals suffering serious personal problems. I did not advise, but merely stood alongside them, encouraging them to seek His counsel.

I write not only of the critical times, but also the joys we have in life -- observing a new birth, a laughing child, tenderness, love in its many forms. Each of us experiences different events, but some things surpass ethnicity, geography, even gender, so we can empathize with others - even fictional 'others.' My characters become very real to me and I hope to my readers as well.

I pray that my books will offer encouragement to others at times in their lives when a friend is what they need.

Author Spotlight - Q&A with Author June Bryan Belfie

STEPH: I don't know much about "Moving On." What's it about?

JUNE: Moving On tells the story of a divorcee, Laura, who has a teenage daughter, and her struggle to deal with rejection and loneliness. She learns to move-on in her life and develops a close friendship with a widower, Len, who is unable to free himself of his wife's memory. Was Dave, her ex-husband, planning to return to try again or did Laura discover her feelings for Len were more than friendship?

STEPH:Did you do a lot of research for the novel?

JUNE: Since the setting was a place I'd lived in, and I'd gone through a divorce myself, there was not much to research. When something comes up that I'm unsure of, I 'Google' or call a friend.

STEPH: How long did it take you to write?

JUNE: The first draft took about two or three months, but then with re-writes, add another six months or so. I'm never satisfied though and do many edits before I submit a manuscript. I asked a prolific writer once when he knew his book was finished. "When my publisher calls and says 'now'."



STEPH: What's the theme of the novel?

JUNE: Forgiveness. Without it, none of us can grow. And the only way to learn to forgive is through loving God and realizing how much he loves us and has forgiven us of all our sinfulness, when we are His children. As Laura learns to forgive Dave, she finds she can reach out to others.

STEPH: Hollywood is calling! Cast the main characters.

JUNE: Tough question. I see very few movies today. I find even the PG-13 movies are offensive sometimes. I do think John Hamm would make a good Len. (Friends with Kids) and Kristen Wiig (played Annie in Bridesmaids) would make a good Laura. She'd have to have the blonde hair, though. Easy to fix!

STEPH: How important is the setting to the novel?

JUNE: Actually, not that important, since the struggles of a single mom take place in all locations. Loneliness, sorrow, grief, and then joy and love are part of being human.
It was just easier for me to place my story in a setting that was familiar to me.

STEPH: What do you want readers to take away after reading the novel?

JUNE: I'd like them to realize that there is always hope. As long as we trust in God, He will be faithful to find someone or something to fulfill us. Laura was able to function without a husband since she had God. And who knows? Maybe she ends up with more!

STEPH: Are you a plotter or a panster?

JUNE: Definitely, a panster. I think about my plot and characters long before I put my hands to the computer. I know the beginning and the end, but then I let my characters take over and decide how we accomplish the eventual ending.

STEPH: Do you have any words of advice for aspiring writers?

JUNE: I think if I've learned anything it is this. Don't send your first manuscript out until you have edited, re-edited, many times. Then, set it aside and write something fresh. I have the first four manuscripts sitting in my flash drive. I still love my characters and the general plots, but I know I'll probably end up re-writing most of the books. Don't be impatient - write because you love to write - and don't even think about the money end of it. If money is your goal - go get a job.

STEPH: Tell us about the state you live in.

JUNE: I've spent all of my married life in Pennsylvania and love it. It's lush in the summer, colorful in the fall, crisp and white in the winter, (though I admit to preferring the warmth and sun of Florida in the winter now that we're retired), and bursting with color and new life in the spring. The people are friendly, and living in a small town, we don't deal with heavy traffic or much crime. If we get bored, which isn't often, we can head to Philadelphia or Harrisburg for some excitement.

STEPH: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one.

JUNE: Yes, I purchased a Kindle and enjoy using it, though it will never replace the pleasure of paper. Since I read before going to sleep, 500 page books are impossible to hold, but I even have War and Peace on my flat little reader.


Come visit me on the web at junesecondcup.blogspot.com or freshview.weebly.com