Shannon here: Bonnie Leon shares insight into her real life romance plus a chance to win her latest Historical Romance, In the Land of White Nights. Comment or answer the question at the end of any post dated Nov 23 – 28 to enter the drawing. Deadline: Dec 3rd, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Bonnie:
- What’s the most romantic thing your spouse has ever done for you?
After our first child was born Greg and I were in love with our little boy and even more in love with each other. A wife might expect a bouquet of flowers from her husband, but Greg decided to do something a little different. After we rejoiced together, he went out and bought just one beautiful and perfect rose. He brought it to my room at the hospital. With tears in his eyes, he gave it to me and said simply, “Thank you.” Those two words are the most precious I’ve ever heard.
- What’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done for your spouse?
This probably doesn’t sound very romantic, but it was music to my husband’s ears (which is all that really counts). For his birthday I gave him a Las Vegas vacation for two along with tickets to the Richard Petty School of Driving, which meant he would get to drive a Nascar at the Las Vegas Speedway. The vacation and the drive were heavenly. Every time we talk about him driving that car I smile and so does he.
- Do you and your spouse have a favorite song?
We have a song with a favorite memory. We were engaged when he went to Viet Nam in 1970. When Christmas came that year I was missing him terribly. Back then we didn’t have Skype or the internet. We wrote letters. Greg was on the ship off the coast of Viet Nam for 10 ½ months and during that time The Carpenters came out with a Christmas song called Merry Christmas Darling. It was all about being away from the one you love at Chrstmas. I bought the single and sent it to Greg as a Christmas gift. On our 25th wedding anniversary my sister sang the song for us. We both cried.
Here’s the link if you’d like to hear the song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR1ujXx2p-I
- How soon after meeting your spouse did you know he was the one?
I think I knew the first time I met him. I was on my way out to a party when my brother brought him home. He and my brother were sailors on the same ship. We met for only a few minutes but I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I never dated anyone else after that. I was only seventeen and we were engaged two months later.
- Who is most romantic, you or your spouse?
Neither one of us is very good at being romantic on purpose. We both love those special moments that happen spontaneously. Gregory wrote some very romantic letters to me when he was overseas before we were married and I still have every one of them. So in that case I guess it is a draw, which one of us is more romantic. I think I’m a bit more pragmatic than Gregory and he is a bit of a dreamer.
- What is the most caring thing your spouse has ever done for you?
There is no way to choose just one thing. I was injured in a car accident in 1991 and left with permanent injuries. Ever since that time Greg has helped me in countless ways. Even to this day he is the one who mops and sweeps and vacuums. And if I cook he does the dishes or at least helps me. The most moving experience was a time when my back went out completely and we had to call an ambulance to get me to the hospital. He tried to lower me so I could sit, but I couldn’t do it so we stood holding onto each other, both of us crying. Not romance, but true love.
About Bonnie: Bonnie Leon is the author of twenty-one novels, including the recently released In the Land of White Nights, the popular Alaskan Skies and bestselling The Journey of Eleven Moons.
Bonnie’s books are being read internationally and she hears from readers in Australia, Europe, and even Africa.
She enjoys speaking for women’s groups and teaching at writing seminars and conventions and especially delights in mentoring young authors. These days, her time is filled with writing, being a grandmother and relishing precious time with her aged mother.
Bonnie and her husband, Greg, live in Southern Oregon. They have three grown children and seven grandchildren. Learn more & connect:
Bonnie’s Website Bonnie’s Facebook Bonnie’s Blog
Bonnie’s Twitter Bonnie’s Pinterest
About the book – In the Land of White Nights:
Anna or rivers of gold–which will captivate his heart?
The lure of the nineteenth-century gold rush calls to Erik, a civil-war veteran. He and Anna, his Aleutian bride, set sail for a new life together in Sitka.
Anna stands strong against the adversities of the new land with its unfamiliar culture and fearsome challenges. She fights her fears and the prejudice of others, while growing her newfound faith in the white man’s God.
When forced to move farther north and begin again, Anna refuses to give up, allowing nothing to stand in the way of her family’s happiness. They discover joy as well as heartache in the Alaskan wilderness. But will Erik’s love of gold put all they’ve worked so hard for in jeopardy?
Question for Readers: What is your favorite holiday tradition gone wrong?
Come back Dec 1st for Darlene Franklin!
making hot cocoa and mixing up salt with sugar! YUK!
Mine was when we had people coming over for Thanksgiving. They kept dropping out for some reason or another and we wound up with only 3 of us for dinner. So we did what everyone else was doing, we went out to eat.
I have a winner! Janet Estridge won the drawing. I appreciate Bonnie for being my guest and everyone else for stopping by.