Shannon here: Kregel/Summerside Press author, Miralee Ferrell shares her real life romance and a chance to win her book: Love Finds You in Bridal Veil, Oregon. Leave a comment on any post dated Oct 11 – 15 by Oct 16, 8:00 PM Central for a chance to win. Here’s Miralee:
The Study Hall Meeting
I met my husband, Allen during our senior year of high school the first day of study hall. But let me go back a few months to the final quarter of our junior year when he moved to town. The day he walked in wearing jeans, a belt with buckle, and cowboy boots, I thought, “Wow! What a good looking cowboy!” I quickly discovered, however, that he liked to skip school and earned the name of “our visitor” from our history teacher when he did decide to show up.
Now, fast forward to our senior year. I despaired when I discovered my study hall was comprised of myself and 13 guys. Couple that with a new, just out of college teacher who wanted to be everyone’s friend, and you have a recipe for disaster. I told my mom I wanted to change classes, but would have to give up another class I wanted to do so. She suggested I hold out a week and see if it got better. I did. It did. Several of the guys transferred, and the teacher slowly starting getting control.
Except when he’d leave the room, the guys would start a Sweet Tart fight…you know, the candy’s that come in the roll? And Allen decided he wanted to sit behind or right across from me, where he could flirt and annoy me with constant requests to go out with him. Each of which I turned down. “Why?” He’d ask. “Because I’m a Christian and you’re not,” I’d reply. He’d come back with a cheeky comment…. “You know you’re going to end up marrying me, so you might as well give in and go out with me.” Sigh. Little did I know, LOL.
After time our visits in homeroom took on a more serious air, with him sharing that his older brother was in seminary and had been talking to him about the Lord. Cool! I saw a glimmer of hope and added as much spiritual insight as I could. Eventually, I told him I’d pray about going out with him. He pointed to the sky and said “So, if He says it’s ok, you’ll go?” I told him yes. He met me the next morning at my locker and his first words were, “What did He say?”
He was the perfect gentleman on our date, and agreed to attend church each week with me, and showed a strong interest. A few months later he came to a personal decision to follow the Lord, and our relationship moved to the next level—one of mutual commitment. It’s been getting better ever since, and we just celebrated our 38th anniversary in July.
About Miralee: Miralee serves as president of the Portland, Oregon, chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers and belongs to a number of writer’s groups. She also speaks at women’s groups, libraries, and churches about her writing journey. When she started writing fiction Miralee believed that she’d always stay with women’s contemporary, but has since branched out to historical romance. Exploring family and marriage issues, The Other Daughter follows a family of four who receive a shock in the form of a 13-year-old girl who lands on their doorstep, claiming to be the daughter of the husband/father of the family—a girl they didn’t know existed. Finding Jeena features a secondary character from the first book and explores socioeconomic issues through a single woman’s sudden job-loss and ensuing struggle for survival.
She’s working on her third historical romance with Summerside Press in their Love Finds You series, set in Tombstone, Arizona. All the Love Finds You books are stand-alone novels, and take place in a real town in America. Miralee’s first two are set in 1877, Love Finds You in Last Chance, CA, and 1902, Love Finds You in Bridal Veil, Oregon. Each has a suspense thread as well as romance.
Miralee and her husband Allen live on 11 acres in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge in southern Washington State, where they love to garden, play with their dogs, take walks, and go sailing. Miralee also rides her horse on the wooded trails near their home with her grown daughter who lives nearby. Learn more about Miralee and her books at: www.miraleeferrell.com and www.miraleesdesk.blogspot.com. Her books can be found on Amazon.com and Christianbook.com
Come back Oct 15 for part two of Miralee’s real life romance.
What a great story! I can’t wait to get to part 2! Aren’t high school boys just the weirdest, sometimes? LOL I’ve known my hubby all my life, but it was actually in HS that I realized that he was a lot cuter than I had once thought…. 😉
LOL! I can’t agree more, Regina! Allen was a bit cocky and full of himself back then I’m afraid. Thankfully he’s mellowed with age and I’ve trained him over the years. 🙂 Thanks for reading and leaving a comment. I hope you’ll check out some of my books!
Miralee
Aren’t all high school boys cocky and full of themselves?
LOL! Yes, I think they probably are!
I’ve read a little about this book before now and i would like to win a copy of it. It’s sounds like it’s a good one. Crossing my fingers. In hopes of winning my email is: frt-1961@hotmail.com.
sorry first letters wrongin email.
rft-1961@hotmail.com.
I love to read about the authors – it makes reading your books so much more fun- like reading a friend’s book! And this is a great way to find new christian authors – my list is growing! Thanks for all the time you put in to your writing. In case I win, my email is babykf at hotmail dot com
There is nothing like a real life romance. A novel is good, but the real thing is SO special.
What a wonderful story! It is great to hear a true romance story, the kind that is faith-based and only grows stronger and more enriching through time in this day and age. With a real life romance to use as inspiration coupled with the gift of writing from God, is it any wonder you rock as an author?
Blessings!
You gals just bless my socks off with your comments, thank you! What a nice way to head to bed, after reading your kind remarks. I wish you could all win a book!!!
Miralee