Melissa Keir-Small Town Romance Author
  • Welcome
  • Blog
  • Melissa's Books
  • Missy's Children's Books
  • Contact me
  • Privacy Notice
  • Welcome
  • Blog
  • Melissa's Books
  • Missy's Children's Books
  • Contact me
  • Privacy Notice
Search

Melissa's Musings

Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy Shares about How a Teacher Made a Difference

3/31/2012

 
Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy stopped by today to talk about one of her favorite teachers.  It never ceases to amaze me how much of an impact teachers make on students' lives.

My seventh grade teacher phoned me the other night to talk about my novels and writing in general.  She thinks I’ve hit on something with my historical romances but let’s wind back the years for a minute.

Seventh grade is a long time ago for most of us and sometimes we prefer not to remember those awkward adolescent years.  But for me, seventh grade presented a pivotal point in my desire to become a writer and I found a teacher whose influence would stretch far beyond a single school year.

At the time, Mrs. Judy Buwalda had returned to her hometown, a small town
in the Missouri Ozarks where I was a recent transplant.  She spent some time working on the staff of major magazines but returned home with her daughter after being widowed at a young age.  She arrived just in time for a new project the local school district wanted to try– mini courses.

Once a week, seventh and eighth grade students were allowed to choose a
mini-course.  Subjects offered ranging from building birdhouses and learning to cook to creating a magazine. I already scribbled and dreamed of writing so I opted for the magazine course.  During the first semester of that year our class worked hard to learn how to put a magazine together from a pro.  We also wrote our articles and I remember being so proud when mine – an article about Hanukkah –was chosen for the magazine.  I still have my copy of our “Mini-Magazine” and I still have a friend and mentor in Judy.

Fast forward a few years and my former teacher returned to my life. After remarriage and spending years “back east”, Judy returned to Neosho with her husband, Bill Smith.  By the time she returned, I was established as a weekly columnist for the local newspaper and had a string of bylines.  I wrote one week about our little “mini magazine” and how much her guidance helped me.

She phoned me up when she read it and asked me to have lunch with her.  So I accepted and we had a blast over some Thai food.  Somewhere between the conversation and the memories we became friends, despite our age difference and our former association as teacher/student.

Now Judy and I talk about writing and our lives.  I’m delighted she’ll be one of those in attendance at our second annual author fair in the small town where we live and I’ll looking forward to our next lunch out.

I spent a few years in the classroom as a substitute teacher myself and
because of the excellent instructors like Judy, I made every effort to make a
positive difference.  Since the kids nicknamed me the “awesome sub”and now, three years after I subbed, I have former students who now call me a friend, I think I must have done something right.  I wish I had time to list every teacher who served as a mentor to me and encouraged me to pursue my dream of writing.

I dedicated one of my novels, Witness Protection Program, to another favorite teacher – Gary Sims – last fall because he always believed in me.

Next week my thirteenth novel and my sixth with Rebel Ink Press, will be available on April 3.  It’s not a historical novel– something Judy thinks will bring me the most success – but another romantic suspense.  Since my
previous romantic suspense with Rebel (Witness Protection Program) has been
one of my top selling books, I think readers will enjoy Miss Good Samaritan.  The next two Rebel titles after it will be historical so if Judy is reading this, I’ve got more on the way!

Picture
Miss Good Samaritan Blurb:
Robin Cavanaugh's ordinary Saturday goes awry when a wounded man leap into her car at a traffic light and refuses to go to the hospital. Robin's first instinct is to take him to the nearest police station but when he tells her his name, she realizes he's a member of her church. He swears he's one of the good guys and Robin feels inclined to believe him. So she takes him home and tends his wounds.

When his condition worsens, she even uses his cell phone to contact what turns out to be his brother, the local medical doctor. Robin soon learns that Gray is no criminal but an undercover agent whose life may be in danger.

As their relationship develops and Gray heals, Robin becomes part of the
action, too. When she gives him her heart and accepts his marriage
proposal, Robin has no idea if he'll survive his last undercover operation
or not.


Excerpt from Miss Good Samaritan/Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

    “It's okay, Robin. I don’t mind,”


     If he reacted or confessed to being a dangerous fugitive, she might not feel so guilty but remorse hung heavy on her soul.  “I do.”

    Her two words hung between them, suspended like a spider in a web.

    “Why?” Gray questioned.  He sounded sincere and without artifice.

    “I didn’t like what I found,” Robin said.  Her worst suspicions bubbled up with
force and she asked the hard questions she’d harbored. “Why do you have an officer’s badge and a gun? Did you kill the owner?”

    His eyes widened, large and luminous but she couldn’t tell if it was with shock or confusion. “Is that what you think?”

    Robin attempted to draw a breath and couldn’t breathe. Her heart
continued racing and her nerves jangled as she said, with a calm she lacked,
“Gray, I really don’t know what to think.  I don’t. I want to believe
you’re innocent but I don’t understand why you’d have these.


Thank you very much Lee Ann for coming by today.  Teachers have a soft spot in my heart.  As a teacher myself, I enjoy hearing about teachers who make a difference in a student's life.  Check out Lee Ann's upcoming release "Miss Good
Samaritan... a contemporary romantic suspense novel
 on sale April 3rd!

 

Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy link
3/30/2012 11:33:03 pm

Thanks so much for hosting me!

KT BISHOP link
3/30/2012 11:36:50 pm

Great post!


Comments are closed.

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Melissa Keir

    Gator Girl Extraordinaire

    RSS Feed



    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011

Proudly powered by Romance
Melissa Keir-Author

Photos used under Creative Commons from emilyonasunday, imagesbyk2 Photography, Beverly & Pack, thisreidwrites, jDevaun, Ken Wilcox., jan_krutisch, wiesiek_kr, ginnerobot, Tim RT, erasergirl, wheatfieldbrown, fivehanks, Ⅿeagan, theilr, symphony of love, Abhishek Singh Bailoo, Max Braun, Daniel Leininger, EliJerma, sean_reay, DafneCholet, Pablo Tocagni, kevin dooley, CarbonNYC, Loren Javier, marco monetti, shannonkringen, Peter Werkman (www.peterwerkman.nl), tekkbabe, Aditya Rakhman, MilitaryHealth, almarWho, raganmd, snowkei, wuestenigel, Amal Hathaway, augustineisnotmyname, digitizedchaos, photologue_np, -stamina-, Jessica_Branstetter, I woz ere, Erháld, Tostie14, kdinuraj, feline_dacat, RobBixbyPhotography, glaciernps, aussiegall, Pink Sherbet Photography, Poul-Werner, Loren Javier, Diamond Farah, AForestFrolic, williamcho, shannonkringen, gagilas, ben.fitzgerald, Tony Fischer Photography, rufusowliebat, emilianohorcada, George Deputee, LadyDragonflyCC - >;< - Spring in Michigan!, brick red, citymaus, Emery Co Photo, midiman, Thragor, jdegrazia, dane brian, sibikos, nan palmero, r.nial.bradshaw, US Army Africa, bambe1964
  • Welcome
  • Blog
  • Melissa's Books
  • Missy's Children's Books
  • Contact me
  • Privacy Notice