Update from City Nights Kerry and Anthony were married March 19, 2005 in Orlando. Both Kristina and her brother Eric were members of the wedding party and remain dear friends to this day. Kerry continued to teach elementary school until they welcomed their first child, a daughter, on Valentine's Day 2007. A son followed in July 2009. Over the years, she found ways to keep writing and teaching, and started a few home businesses, including selling essential oils and mentoring moms. Anthony continues to work as an engineer and is still the source of many eyerolls from his wife and now his tween daughter as well, which Kerry thinks has become a beloved sport to him. They love to use his travel points to jet off to exotic places like New England and to cheer on the University of Central Florida's football team. You can often find the family at a theme park if you're visiting Orlando, as both children are coaster junkies and their parents refuse to grow up. Kerry Evelyn has always been fascinated by people and the events in their lives that drive them to do what they do. A native of the Massachusetts SouthCoast, she changed her latitude in 2002 to teach in Florida and is now a crazy blessed wife and homeschooling mom near the Happiest Place on Earth. She is the author of the Crane’s Cove series, an inspirational romance set in picturesque Coastal Maine featuring stories of people hurting on the inside and their journeys from broken to happily ever after. Kerry is a member of several local and national writing organizations, a mentor to aspiring authors, and workshop presenter. She loves God, books of all kinds, traveling, taking selfies, sweet drinks, and escaping into her imagination where every child is happy and healthy, every house has a library, and her hubby wears coattails and a top hat 24/7. Visit www.kerryevelyn.com.
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Update from Amazing Grace Bud and Louise spent a lifetime together. Amazing Grace, the story of their falling in love, ended in 1947 Pittsburgh. They spent the next 27 years in Pleasant Hills, a south-hills suburb of Pittsburgh, raising two beautiful daughters, my Aunt Carolyn and my mom, Deborah. Following the war, Bud took over his dad’s successful furrier business, providing storage, cleaning, and repair of various furs. He and his brother purchased a small, single-engine plane together occasionally couriering friends and themselves to Florida or other locations around the United States. Following a tragic crash and death of his brother, Bud never flew again, focusing on furs, and briefly working for Abravanel Furs in Pittsburgh until his retirement. Once both of their daughters were married, he and Louise then moved to Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, where they spent the rest of their lives in a quaint house and property they purchased through Bud’s business contacts. There, he launched yet another business, becoming the go-to man in the area for customizing and repairing boat covers for Deep Creek Lake guests and residents, befriending such people like Jim Delligatti, the creator of the Big Mac. Louise remained the solid force in Bud’s life. After resigning from the Navy during the war, she acquired a nursing position at Macgee-Womens Hospital. While there, she attended hundreds of patients, keeping her rounds and easing the stress of others with her care for personal detail yet never quite coming across anyone like Bud. In 1992, Bud suffered a major stroke and was eventually checked into a nursing facility in Oakland, Maryland, just east of the Deep Creek Lake area. There, Louise visited Bud like clockwork, fluffing his pillows and keeping the nurses who worked there on their toes as if she worked there herself. Their daughter Carolyn, who had become a nurse herself, assisted where she could and was there in their final days together. She quietly observed Bud and Louise holding hands and staring glassy-eyed at each other as Bud’s condition slowly worsened and he eventually slipped away. At Bud’s funeral, Louise said very little. She requested a violin rendition of Amazing Grace. The song was played once more at a modest observance after Louise lost the fight with a serious bout of pneumonia. Since she was a war veteran, a couple Navy servicemen presented a flag-folding ceremony. Today, over 75 years after Bud and Louise locked eyes for the first time, I––one of their grandsons––keep Louise’s folded American flag in my office where I write. To this day, her loving yet coarse voice rings in my ears and my heart, keeping me motivated the same way Bud was undoubtedly kept in check. Currently at home in Central Florida, John Hope loves spending time with this family and friends. Whether he's traveling thousands of miles in a car or playing board games on the living room floor, he loves the company and conversations and laughs with the ones he loves. He often pulls from these times with his family and loved ones to create wonderfully tender moments and hilariously vivid characters in his writing.
Shortly after marrying the love of his life, John was blessed with the birth of his daughter and son. Reading night after night to his kids, he revived his writing by making up stories for his kids. This lead to a number of published books that came directly from these stories: The Band Aid, Frozen Floppies, and Pankyland. He still works as a software engineer, a career he enjoys at times, but his heart remains in his writing. Visit www.johnhopewriting.com. Update from Two Hungarian Doves Janos and Julianna lived a long fulfilled life as parents to their daughter Yolan and as grandparents. My husband Jim and his sister loved them and grew up close to where they lived in Yonkers, New York. They both passed away quietly around 1970 and lie side by side for eternity under the shade of an old elm tree in New York. Jasmine Tritten is an artist, writer and world traveler born in Denmark. She loves to write and has been journaling since childhood. Jasmine has written numerous short stories during the last five years that have been published in various journals and anthologies.
Her memoir, The Journey of an Adventuresome Dane, was published in 2015 and won an award. She wrote and illustrated her latest book, Kato’s Grand Adventure, a children’s story, which was published in July 2018. The short story, Two Hungarian Doves, was inspired after a trip to Hungary visiting relatives of her spouse. You can find her books on Amazon. Jasmine resides in enchanting Corrales, New Mexico with her husband and five cats. Update from The Gift of Gossamer Jean and Sam were married on June 6, 1953 in Bridgeport, Ohio at St. Anthony's church. Their reception was held at the house pictured above. The couple visited Atlantic City for their honeymoon. Sam had his work cut out for him when they came back: convincing Jean's mother he was a good match for her daughter. He used his charm to slowly win her over, complimenting her cooking every chance he got. "I never knew anyone who could fry chicken like you." His tactic worked and after many family dinners, and many compliments, she grew to love her son-in-law. Jean and Sam's first home was a four bedroom apartment they rented for $10 a month. It was on the second floor above her brother Joe and his wife. One day they ventured out of their apartment to visit one of the many relatives in town, Jean's aunt. Sam didn't think anything about the hole in his shirt. Par for the course for a bricklayer. Jean's aunt didn't agree. She stuck her finger in the hole and ripped Sam's shirt clean off! One year after their wedding, they welcomed their first child, a son, into the world. Over the years, the couple added three more, another boy and two girls, one of whom is my mother. Sam built three of the four houses their family lived in. Ironically, years after Sam passed, Jean reconnected with Bud and maintained a friendship with him for several years. Previously an elementary teacher, Arielle Haughee (Hoy) is a multi-genre author living in the Orlando area. She has a serious reading addiction, fantasy romance her absolute favorite, and loves nothing more than good conversation paired with a good wine. She is surrounded by males at home—a husband, two sons, and an energetic dog—and tries to integrate as much purple and flowers in the house as possible. Arielle is the owner of Orange Blossom Publishing and the author of children’s picture books Grumbler and Joyride (2019). She also writes short fiction for a number of anthologies and publications. She’s won three Royal Palm Literary Awards including First Place Published Flash Fiction for “Flight of a New Dawn” in 2018. Visit www.ariellehaughee.com. Did you enjoy the book? We'd love for you to give it a review! Positive reviews are the best gift you can give the authors and the publisher. It helps us sell more books!
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