Shannon here: James R. Callan proves there are two sides to every story. How he met his wife plus a chance to win her latest Suspense release, A Silver Medallion. Comment or answer the question at the end of this post to enter the drawing for an e-book copy. Deadline: Dec 17th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s James:
How We Met: He Said, She Said
Naturally, this story depends on who is telling it. Today, I’m telling it, so I will give it my spin. (We do both agree on the basics. It’s how you frame them that counts.)
When I first saw her, she was in an isolation cell at the mental hospital near the university where I was studying. It was a nice enough cell as isolation cells go. Well, I’d never seen one before, so who was I to judge. Iron bars on the window, padded walls and a door that only locked from the outside. It was a nice size, though, and much larger than I expected.
I was working on my dissertation for a Ph.D. in mathematics. The head of the department had been trying to get me to visit a state computer center and study a problem one of the agencies was having. I was not particularly interested in doing that, but to please the head of the department, I went.
The state had consolidated all of the computer facilities for the mental health department. Remember, this was back when a computer was massive, expensive, and not available to every facility. So, one wing of the local mental health facility was sectioned off and converted into a modern computer center. Those programmers high enough on the organizational chart got a private office. At this facility, that meant a room that was once an isolation cell.
Earlene was a programmer on the way up, so she had a nice, large private office – which just happened to have been an isolation cell in its past. To entice me to help with the problem, the director of the center moved a desk into Earlene’s large office and said I would have space there to work. That convinced me to take on the task. It was an interesting problem. And I would be sharing an office with a beautiful and interesting woman.
As it turned out, I did solve their problem, and I married Earlene.
Now, when she tells how we met, she claims we first met in the computer room. It’s been many, many years, so she might be exactly right. But, mine is a more interesting story. And it never ceases to grab the attention of the person who asks, “Where did you meet your wife?”
She quickly moved up to systems analyst and later started a database company. She was listed in Who’s Who of American Women and World Who’s Who of Women.
So, maybe she’s right and we first met in a computer room. It was in a mental hospital. And it was the start of something great in my life – and her life, I’ll claim.
In my latest suspense novel, A Silver Medallion, the heroine went on an interview for a job as a computer scientist. The man doing the interviewing later became her romantic interest. That relationship has progressed through two books in the series. I suspect that book three may include a wedding.
About James: After a successful career in mathematics and computer science, receiving grants from the National Science Foundation and NASA, and being listed in Who’s Who in Computer Science and Two Thousand Notable Americans, James R. Callan turned to his first love—writing. He has had four non-fiction books published. He now concentrates on his favorite genre, mystery/suspense. His eleventh book released in June, 2016. Learn more and connect:
James’ Website James’ Blog James’ Amazon Author Page
About the book – A Silver Medallion: Young, bright, unadventurous Crystal Moore comes face-to-face with slavery in today’s Dallas, Texas. A woman is held, not by chains, but by threats to her two small children left behind in Mexico. Should she escape, or even tell anybody of her situation, her children will be killed.
Crystal would like to walk away and forget she ever heard this. But her conscience won’t let her. Her parents were killed when she was just seven. She knows the heartache these children suffer. And she can’t sleep without hearing the cries of the two young girls and their mother.
Crystal knows the woman will never try to escape as long as her children are held hostage. Crystal realizes the only way to free her is to go to Mexico and rescue the girls first, for only if they are safe will the mother ever be free.
Crystal goes to Mexico and secures the help of the mysterious Juan Grande. But now, two powerful and ruthless men, one in Mexico and one in Texas, want Crystal dead.
She will need all the help she can get from a former bull rider, Crystal’s streetwise friend Brandi, and Crystal’s seventy-six year-old, feisty grandmother.
Can’t wait for the drawing. Get your copy now:
A Sliver Medallion – Kindle A Silver Medallion – Print
Question for Readers: Where’s the most interesting place you ever met someone new in your life?
Come back Dec 8th for Leeann Betts!
at a rodeo
A rodeo is a good place. Maybe better than a mental hospital. But I can’t complain as it has worked out very well. Thanks for commenting.
It would have to be online. I don’t really travel a lot, but I get online a lot and have met people I consider friends. Thanks for the giveaway, and the chance to win a copy of your book. It sounds Great.
I’d have to say church. We’ve made a lot of good friends there.
Second to that – writer’s conferences. I’ve gotten the opportunity to meet many of my favorite authors while learning how to write and then how to write better.
Thanks, Linda and Shannon, for your comments. Certainly church is a good place to meet a prospective spouse. Online? I guess it would work. I do know of some successes that met online. And I have to agree, a writer’s conference sounds like a good place. At the least, they would know the problems and stress of being a writer. Whatever works. For me, it was a mental hospital – okay, I’ll give in. A computer room.
I have a winner! Linda Moffit won the drawing. I appreciate James for being on my blog and everyone else for stopping by.
Thank you this looks like a really good book