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Julie Worthington

The Light and the Dark…

In a recent conversation with someone near and dear, we discussed the good and the bad of what I write about. Please don’t get me wrong, this was not an argument in any way. I know there’s some trepidation on the part of some people… So, I thought I’d share a few thoughts on this topic. As in all things there’s both good and evil, light and dark… In this conversation we both agreed that just like in Star Wars, there’s good and bad, and there’s a balance between the two. We have to have, the really good to make up for the really bad…

I think sometimes we hear so much about the bad in our world that we can forget to look for the good. We hear about the war, terrorism, the civil unrest (even in our own country) and we see the bad. I don’t like to think about the bad guys who’ve hurt people, like Jim Jones or Warren Jeffs, but they are there and they did what they did. I like to focus on the good guys like Mother Theresa, Elenore Roosevelt, Eliza R. Snow, Jacob Hamblin, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, Joe Darger… the list goes on and on… people who live and lived as real heroes.

 I’m a very Pollyanna kind of person – if you don’t know who Pollyanna is please google it – but in short, she’s the girl who always looks for the good in every situation. I see the bad just as much as anyone else, but I choose to focus on the good. I see people helping people, I see people standing up for what they believe in, I see people finding happiness in adversity. So, I write about the good things, I don’t focus on the bad, there’s enough people writing about and reporting that. I hope to be the balance and show the good in our world…

In my book New Parish Sarah finds a way to be happy while discovering a very different way to live… the dark side of things are discussed, but I focus on the good.

Excerpt from New Parish:
Chapter 2 – Undecided

“Later that night there was a knock on Sarah’s bedroom door, “Come in,” she said, but Hannah had already opened the door and was entering the room.

            “Hey,” she said tentatively.

            “Hey,” Sarah replied curiously.

            “So, tell me about this New Parish place and plural marriage,” Hannah said, as she plopped down at the end of Sarah’s bed and sat with her legs crossed like an Indian – just like she used to do when they were kids.

            “What do you want to know?” Sarah inquired with surprise.

            “You’re not the only one who’s had “dating” experiences with guys who aren’t who you want to spend your life with. If this is a good thing, I might think about considering it too,” explained Hannah.

            “Oh,” Sarah said, now in complete surprise. “Okay, well, what I’ve learned so far is that they have the same beliefs we were taught growing up in the church, except, they still have everything that was restored and didn’t give anything up, back in the day.”

            “Okay, so how do they do it?” Hannah urged her sister on.

            “They use an old traditional matchmaking system, but no dowries. The girls have freedom to choose and get out of the marriage if it’s not working out. Brother Michael, the church leader is so funny…”

            Sarah spent over two hours explaining what she’d learned to Hannah. When Hannah finally left her room, Sarah felt like she somehow understood the whole thing better. As she lay there drifting off to sleep she thought, “Maybe explaining to Hannah clarified things in my own mind.” She felt very much at peace with things, and hoped she could stay that way.”

Find all the answers to Sarah’s journey in New Parish!

New Parish by Julie Worthington on Amazon.com –

https://www.amazon.com/New-Parish-Julie-Worthington/dp/1732224005/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535156774&sr=8-1&keywords=new+parish+by+julie+worthington    

Also available at:

Barnesandnoble.com

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/new-parish-julie-worthington/1129421210?ean=9781732224001     

Bee’s Grocery (in Centennial Park)

Changing Hands Bookstores in Phoenix and Tempe AZ

Coming soon to many new bookstores!

 

True North…

True north has many meanings for many people. Ask some people and they’ll tell you it’s the point on a compass, others will tell you it’s somewhere around the North Pole. While others know it’s the place where you belong, or the person you belong with, or the thing you’re supposed to be doing. True north is always that one thing that keeps us going, or centered, or focused when things don’t work out exactly the way we want.

We all have our own true north, the place we’re looking for, the place we’ve found, or the place we’re dreaming of… our true north, the thing, or place, or person that our needle will always point to.

True north can be in any direction – even west… In my book New Parish Sarah doesn’t give up on her true north. Her needle points passionately towards what she’s always wanted, but she finds her true north in a very different place and in a very different way than she’d ever imagined.

Excerpts from New Parish:

Chapter 1 – Bad Date

Sarah’s ponderings…

            “Around lunch time she headed out to the children’s center. As she walked down the busy Atlanta sidewalks she looked around at the horde of people on their way to their next destination. She thought about when she’d first moved to Atlanta and how excited she’d been to be living in a big city with so much going on. She’d lost that excitement: it had turned into a tired frustration. The city hadn’t contributed to her dreams at all, her experiences there had diminished them. Her thoughts went to how much her goals and dreams had fragmented over the last few years. Her career was great, but she’d planned on being married and having at least three children by the age of twenty-seven. She sighed thinking, “I have neither a husband or children.” Her frustration on this was starting to grow beyond the normal parameters. Her thoughts turned to her job, “Right out of college, I got this great job, doing what I love, being a graphic artist for children’s books. I’ve worked hard, and now I’m the top artist in the company. I chose this career so I could be a stay at home mom. Sheesh! What’s a girl gotta do to make her dreams come true?””

Part of Sarah’s first conversation with Brother Michael…

            ““Now, about our community and how we live,” Brother Michael went on, “we do live plural marriage, which Mary said you’re interested in. Is that right?”

            “Yes,” was all Sarah could say, she wondered if this guy would think she was serious or not, because she hadn’t been able to catch up to the conversation, the shock was slowing her thought processes down.

            “Why?” he asked, waiting for her response.

            “Honestly, I’ve always wanted to have a family, you know children… Well I’ve been trying to find a good man to do that with, and so far, I’ve had no luck at all,” Sarah felt dumb as she explained her dilemma, thinking, how could he take her seriously when she didn’t have a very significant reason for bothering him about this? It was an important reason to her but she felt like others might just laugh at her.

            “I see,” said Brother Michael after a slight pause. “This lifestyle has some challenges that go with it. We, of course, do support big families and having all the children you want to have, but living the way we do is a huge commitment. Do you think that would really be something you could do?”

            “I don’t know,” Sarah confessed, “I have a lot of questions.”

            “Fair enough,” Brother Michael replied. “What questions do you have?””

 

Find all the answers to Sarah’s questions in New Parish!

New Parish by Julie Worthington on Amazon.com –

https://www.amazon.com/New-Parish-Julie-Worthington/dp/1732224005/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535156774&sr=8-1&keywords=new+parish+by+julie+worthington   

Also available at:

Barnesandnoble.com

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/new-parish-julie-worthington/1129421210?ean=9781732224001    

Bee’s Grocery (in Centennial Park)

Changing Hands Bookstores in Phoenix and Tempe AZ

Coming soon to many new bookstores!

New Parish Free for Two Days!!!

New Parish is the kind of place when you go there, you want to know more, stay a while longer, and meet more people. No, it’s not perfect, but it is a little piece of heaven…

Hope you enjoy the free book, and the journey to New Parish!

New Parish by Julie Worthington on Amazon.com – Ebook free Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th !

https://www.amazon.com/New-Parish-Julie-Worthington/dp/1732224005/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535156774&sr=8-1&keywords=new+parish+by+julie+worthington  

Also available at:

Barnesandnoble.com

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/new-parish-julie-worthington/1129421210?ean=9781732224001   

Bee’s Grocery (in Centennial Park)

Changing Hands Bookstores in Phoenix and Tempe AZ

Coming soon to many new bookstores!

 

 

New Parish Match Making Advice

From days gone by there have been many different ways for a girl to get married. I think of Fiddler on the Roof and the Matchmaker who seems to be a busy body who gets into everyone’s business and does some gossiping, to the Native Americans and Islanders who got a horse, a cow, or whatever was available for the privilege of letting a man marry their daughter. There were of course large monetary dowries given in the high parts of our world… All through out history there have been arranged marriages, some as children, or before the children were born, some to merge families, or properties, or titles.

Now days we seem to have just one system for a girl to get married. Well, one that’s predominant – dating. In New Parish, Sarah gets very frustrated with that system and decides to try something old… As she begins to explore this old system she get some sage advice from the Church leader.

Excerpt from New Parish:

Chapter 4 – Girl Talk

“Brother Michael cleared his throat and said, “I wanted to take a few minutes before you go, to talk seriously with you about the decision you’re thinking about.”

            Sarah nodded and sipped her hot chocolate waiting for him to continue.

            “As you’ve seen here plural marriage can be done successfully, but I want you to know that there can, and have been problems in the system. This is a very serious commitment for a person to make whether that person is a man or a woman. Everyone in a man’s family have to be willing to accept each other, as is, without thinking they have the right to change the other people involved. I’ve had to work with lots of women, over the years, who think it’s their right or responsibility to “help another wife” to change into what that wife thinks the other wife should be. You have to go into this willing to accept everyone, as is. Please think about that and give it some serious thought.”

            “Okay,” Sarah said as he paused.

            “Next I want you to spend some time thinking about the process of match making and guidance that we do here. For this to work you need to be committed to working with the church leaders and doing a lot of your own prayer and soul searching. This is not the easy thing that some might think it is. We want to do what Heavenly Father wants us to do, so we put all the effort into it that this process requires of us all. We don’t have a list of men who have paid us to get them a wife, nor do we even listen to them if they come to us with admonitions to give them a wife. This is done with and through the woman’s permission and choice. We guide, she chooses, if we get an impression that maybe this man would be a good husband for her and she doesn’t agree, the process continues until everyone is in agreement. The other church leaders and I will do the work for this to happen for you, if you will agree to do the work with us.”

            Sarah nodded again, listening intently to what Brother Michael was saying.

            “The last thing I want to suggest to you is to take some time to ponder and pray about this decision. This is your life. Is this really what you want for your life? This lifestyle has many blessings but it can also be considered a curse to those who don’t have the capacity to accept it in all its varied and sometimes complicated components. I want you to understand that I only want the best for you. If this is truly what you want to do, then I’ll do everything in my power to make it happen for you. But, if you have doubts about it, then take the time to find the answers you need to put those doubts to rest, before you make your decision. Okay?”

            Still nodding Sarah said, “Yes, and thanks for helping me, and for letting me come out here and stay in your home, with your family.”

            “You’re very welcome,” Brother Michael said with a smile and a wink, “I’ve got nothing to hide… really.””

 

There’s a special going on now, so, if you buy the paperback you can get the ebook for free.

New Parish by Julie Worthington on Amazon.com

https://www.amazon.com/New-Parish-Julie-Worthington/dp/1732224005/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535156774&sr=8-1&keywords=new+parish+by+julie+worthington

Also available at:

Barnesandnoble.com

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/new-parish-julie-worthington/1129421210?ean=9781732224001  

Bee’s Grocery (in Centennial Park)

Changing Hands Bookstores in Phoenix and Tempe AZ

Coming soon to many new bookstores!

 

New Parish Going Places

Have you ever looked off into the distance and wondered what was out there? Or have you ever seen an airplane flying far up in the sky and wondered where it was going and what things would be like when it got there? I have… I look at the distant mountains, vast prairies, the infinite sky, and wonder… I think that’s how New Parish was born. The main character, (Sarah), in New Parish not only has this wonder, but is also driven by her desires for a life that fulfills her completely.

Sarah travels to the distant mountains, over the vast prairies, and into the infinite sky to discover what’s there. Along the way she finds lifelong friends, cowboys, and eventually a way for all her dreams to come true…

Excerpt from New Parish:

Chapter 2 Undecided

“The frustration of it all boiled over in Sarah’s mind so she decided to go for a walk to try and clear her head.

            The cool air and busy sidewalks were almost enough to distract her mind from the pervading thoughts of how much this plural marriage thing could go wrong. She wanted to believe that things could be as wonderful as Mary said they were, but she knew how people could be, especially men… Her thoughts went to, “Maybe I should just drop the whole thing.” Then the idea of dating again entered her thoughts, which almost made her nauseous. Then the thought of giving up on her dream of having kids and a family came to her mind. A tear rolled down her face, which she quickly brushed away, that thought was the saddest one she’d ever had…

            Sarah looked up at the sky and saw a plane flying west, she knew she would be on one soon… flying west. She breathed out a sigh and with a new resolve, walked back to her apartment.”

Chapter 7 The Flight

“The plane entered the air without a bump. Sarah was immediately in awe at the scene below her. The inner wows were boiling up for Sarah, the breathtaking vistas as the plane turned, almost made her lose her resolve to stay calm in the presence of the cowboy.       

Brother Michael played tour guide, telling them about the areas below, and what they were called by the locals, “Okay we’ll get a good look at New Parish, then go over the Ridge and the Gap so we can show our new friends the area.”

 

 

 

Do you want to find out for yourself what happens to Sarah in New Parish? New Parish is available on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and barnesandnoble.com  

Simply search New Parish by Julie Worthington or follow the links below…

Amazon.com – Buy the paperback and get the ebook for free!

https://www.amazon.com/New-Parish-Julie-Worthington/dp/1732224005/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1530209993&sr=8-1&keywords=new+parish+by+julie+worthington

Barnesandnoble.com

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/new-parish-julie-worthington/1129421210?ean=9781732224001

New Parish is really going places too! It’s available at Bee’s (in Centennial Park) and Changing Hands Bookstores in Phoenix and Tempe AZ –  coming soon to many new bookstores!

New Parish Anywhere…

New Parish is now available in ebook! All the great adventures, discoveries, and sitcom moments are ready to go with you wherever you want to take them.

Over the past couple of years, writing New Parish, the characters have become my friends. So now being able to share this amazing journey with everyone is a wonderful dream come true…  I’m writing again, the third book is well underway and has loads of surprises, a few tears, and of course sitcom moments. The edits for book two are coming along nicely as well, the book cover is in the planning stages – it’s going to be beautiful, stunning, and quite insightful. Hopefully next year will bring “Return to New Parish” to everyone…   

But until then…

Do you want New Parish in paperback? Do you want New Parish on ebook? Either way I hope you enjoy your visit…  

 

There’s a special going on now, so, if you buy the paperback you can get the ebook for free.

New Parish by Julie Worthington on Amazon.com

https://www.amazon.com/New-Parish-Julie-Worthington/dp/1732224005/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535156774&sr=8-1&keywords=new+parish+by+julie+worthington

Family…

Family means many different things to many different people. Some people think of groups of friends they belong to as family, others think of simply those they have a blood relationship with as family. Families come in all shapes and sizes, whether they are created by blood or other bonds… Families can have a single parent or many parents. Either way, family is always the place we call home, family is the place we find shelter from the storms of life, and family always include the people we love and who will be there for us. I think of it as an unwritten code – they don’t have to help you or be supportive… they just do.

My book New Parish is all about family… Sarah grows up in one kind of family, and decides to enter into another kind of family. This change creates a whole new dynamic for her old family and her new family… in the end they do what families do… they just do.

 

Excerpt from New Parish:

Chapter 6 – The Return (Sarah and her parents arriving in New Parish)

“Laden with luggage they all entered Brother Michael’s house, “Sarah! Oh it’s so good to see you again, Sweetie!” Susan came running up and gave her a big hug. Then shouted, “Sarah’s here!” toward the hallway in front of the entry.

            It looked like the house had began to ooze people, they poured in from every direction. Sarah was busy getting and giving hugs when she noticed her mom’s expression, it was one of sheer terror.

            Sarah suppressed a giggle and said, “Everyone, this is my mom and dad.”

“Here,” Brother Michael said placing the bags he had on the floor and taking charge, “Let me introduce you to my wives and you’ll catch the kids names eventually. This is Marla, Michelle, Lisa, Karen, Susan, Sharon, and Ann. Ladies this is David and Samantha Nichols.”

            Sarah almost burst out laughing when she looked at her dad’s expression, he was at another cross, this one was a cross between amusement and disbelief. Her mom looked even more traumatized, but graciously shook hands with each of Brother Michael’s wives as she was introduced.

            They were given a tour of the house, and shown the bedroom where Sarah would be sharing with Mary. All the while Sarah was suppressing giggles, her mom’s look of shock and her dad’s look of amusement was totally entertaining her. After the tour her dad was taken outside to see the huge pond where Brother Michael was encouraging wild geese and other migratory birds to stop over – and Sarah’s mom went up to her bedroom to help unpack her things.

When Mary stepped out for a moment to go get something Samantha said, “I honestly thought you were joking about him having that many wives.” She looked at Sarah with uncertainty in her expression and continued, “I could just pinch your father! He thinks it’s all uniquely charming. He’d better not get any ideas!””

Chapter 12 – Home (Part of the Thanksgiving gathering for both of Sarah’s families)

            “The next morning Sarah was up early so she could make her grandmother’s cinnamon rolls with Hannah and so she could get a hot shower before everyone got up and pilfered all the hot water. The kitchen was quiet when she entered but Hannah arrived soon after, they started the Christmas playlist – which always had to be playing when the family was preparing Thanksgiving food.  Then they began rolling out the yeast rolls and preparing them for the sprinkling of yummy stuff.

            “So I met this guy,” Hannah smiled slyly at Sarah. “He’s got promise, I think.”

            “Awesome! Tell me all about him!” Sarah demanded.

             Hannah giggled and said, “He’s a returned missionary, attending BYU like me, and he’s taking some programming classes with me. He’s really smart, and gets almost as good of grades as I do.”

            “He sounds okay,” Sarah smiled, “What’s he like? You know, sense of humor, common sense, financially responsible? That sort of thing, oh yeah and is he gorgeous?”

            “He’s very gorgeous!” Hannah smiled. “He’s got a good sense of humor sometimes he thinks he’s funnier than he is, but it’s good though, he’s cute and can pull it off.” She shrugged and continued, “I don’t know about common sense or finances yet, I only met him a couple of months ago.”

            “Ah, still in the early stages huh? Well make sure you be careful,” Sarah said in a big sisterly way.

            “Of course,” Hannah smiled and intentionally bumped Sarah’s arm to make her spill the cinnamon, “You too.”

            They both laughed and continued to sprinkle the rolled out yeast rolls with sugar and cinnamon. Not long after the cinnamon rolls were in the oven, there was a trickle of family invading the kitchen, the trickle soon turned into a flood with everyone present. The aroma of the cinnamon rolls had emanated from the kitchen and called the family together. As they began indulging in the wonderful treats, they were given their assignments for the day. There was so much food to be prepared for tomorrow’s feast that it would keep everyone busy, all day.

            The work began even before the cinnamon rolls were eaten. Most of the workers were holding a cinnamon roll in one hand, (or in their mouth), and doing the food prep single handedly. As the day went on they all were snacking on the food they were working on, so there was no reason to make lunch. It was a just grab something and keep working sort of thing, which was their usual for this day.

            Sarah noticed her mom enjoying the fact that there were thirteen more kids calling her, Grandma. She thought that maybe her mom was beginning to soften on the plural marriage situation, maybe. She decided to test the waters by asking, “So, how do you like being grandma to a bunch more kids?”

            Samantha smiled, “Oh its nice.” She paused letting the thick syrup she was pouring over the sweet potatoes drizzle into some areas that were not as drenched with the stuff then continued, “They’re really sweet kids, and so beautiful.” She looked at Sarah and asked, “How do you like being a mom?”

            “I’m loving it!” Sarah replied enthusiastically.

            “Are you still wanting to have a baby?” her mom inquired.

            “Yes,” Sarah answered reluctantly. “It just hasn’t happened yet.”

            “Oh,” Samantha looked concerned. “I didn’t know you were already trying.”

            Sarah shrugged, not really wanting to talk about this bit of sore frustration in her life.

            “Sometimes these things take time,” her mom consoled. “It’s easier to make a baby by accident than to plan on it.”

            Sarah smiled and admitted, “Max said I should try to chill about it. But I really want a baby. I’m a bit frustrated over it, and can’t really find a way to chill.”

            “It’ll happen,” her mom smiled at her.”  

Do you want to find out for yourself what happens next? New Parish is now available on Amazon.com

Simply search New Parish by Julie Worthington or follow the link below…

https://www.amazon.com/New-Parish-Julie-Worthington/dp/1732224005/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1530209993&sr=8-1&keywords=new+parish+by+julie+worthington

 

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men…

As humans we plan and scheme and work towards our goals. We want things to work out the way we have them planned… because that’s what we think is best. Yes, we plan, but our plans can get derailed… There are reasons that our plans can get derailed, a metaphorical brick wall can emerge, someone new and different comes into our lives, or even divine intervention can happen… and our plans change. Sometimes when we least expect it an idea that’s completely outside the box comes into play, something very different than what we had planned.

In my book New Parish Sarah planned on getting married during or right after college. Then she planned on having a baby very soon after. Her plan was to have as many children as she could and be the ultimate soccer mom. At twenty-seven she couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong with her plan. She was way behind schedule and not able to find a decent guy to marry. She had dated all through college, and after. There were plenty of guys, they were all into themselves, jerks, or otherwise eew…

Excerpt from New Parish:

            “Around lunch time she headed out to the children’s center. As she walked down the busy Atlanta sidewalks she looked around at the horde of people on their way to their next destination. She thought about when she’d first moved to Atlanta and how excited she’d been to be living in a big city with so much going on. She’d lost that excitement: it had turned into a tired frustration. The city hadn’t contributed to her dreams at all, her experiences there had diminished them. Her thoughts went to how much her goals and dreams had fragmented over the last few years. Her career was great, but she’d planned on being married and having at least three children by the age of twenty-seven. She sighed thinking, “I have neither a husband or children.” Her frustration on this was starting to grow beyond the normal parameters. Her thoughts turned to her job, “Right out of college, I got this great job, doing what I love, being a graphic artist for children’s books. I’ve worked hard, and now I’m the top artist in the company. I chose this career so I could be a stay at home mom. Sheesh! What’s a girl gotta do to make her dreams come true?”

            Extremely loud sirens jolted Sarah out of her thoughts, she jumped and looked to see what was happening. “Oh, it’s just the cops,” she thought and walked on. No one else seemed to notice. Sighing she thought, “Growing up in Savannah didn’t really prepare me for living in the big city of Atlanta, or the daily adventure each time I leave my apartment.”

            She continued down the sidewalk a few more blocks and entering the children’s center, went to the front desk to sign in. She quickly scanned the sign-in sheet to see if Mary was already there. She was.

            “I can’t believe I’m actually going to ask her about this plural marriage thing,” Sarah thought to herself. “Am I really that desperate?””

Do you want to find out for yourself what happens next? New Parish is now available on Amazon.com

Simply search New Parish by Julie Worthington or follow the link below…

https://www.amazon.com/New-Parish-Julie-Worthington/dp/1732224005/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1530209993&sr=8-1&keywords=new+parish+by+julie+worthington

Books

For those of you who’ve read New Parish and have expressed that I should hurry up with getting Return to New Parish ready and out to you… I have a couple of suggestions for you to read till I can get Return to New Parish ready.

When Calls the Heart: Canadian West

https://www.amazon.com/When-Calls-Heart-Canadian-West/dp/076421229X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1533226155&sr=8-1&dpID=51uHyk%252BgZzL&preST=_SY344_BO1,204,203,200_QL70_&dpSrc=detail

I love Janette Oke’s writing. You can’t go wrong with any of her books. There are actually six books in this series. You’ll find them clean (without bad language and other stuff), well written, and full of the sweet romance I fuse into New Parish. Janette Oke’s books also have an eastern girl who goes west, back in the early days of the Canadian Mounties – not too different from the southern girl who goes west in New Parish…

Sackett’s Land

If you’re up for a bit of high adventure I’d recommend Sackett’s Land by Louis L’Amour

https://www.amazon.com/Sacketts-Land-Louis-LAmour-Collection/dp/0553062123/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1533257719&sr=8-1&dpID=51txj%252Bi8N-L&preST=_SY344_BO1,204,203,200_QL70_&dpSrc=detail

Louis L’Amour is one of my all time favorite writers. In my opinion this is his very best book. In it he tells the thrilling tale of the first Sackett who came to America. It has some swashbuckling adventures, romance, and living free in the way we can only dream of today.

But don’t worry I am busy getting Return to New Parish ready. I’ll give updates as things progress… Also watch out for some very exciting news on Brigham Tea Magazine! The western experience in all its flavors will be in there and available soon…

If you haven’t already gotten your copy of New Parish you can get it here:

https://www.amazon.com/New-Parish-Julie-Worthington/dp/1732224005/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1533258389&sr=1-2&keywords=new+parish

A sweat romantic comedy with sassy southern girls, cowboys, and a unique polygamous twist!

 

 

Circle of Life…

Have you ever watched a dog chasing its tail? It’s hilarious, until the dog actually catches its tail… then, if we’re honest with ourselves, it’s even funnier. The dog will look around in shock wondering who it was that bite him. I can’t help myself every time I see this happen I laugh, not that I don’t have the greatest sympathies for the animal, but we humans do the same thing. We run around in circles and when we finally reach our goal we look around to see who smacked us with it. We simply want what we want, and think getting what we want will make us happy. Sometimes we have to chase our tails many times to get to what we want… each time the trail ends with, at least, a bit of disappointment.

It’s only when we decide to do something different that we are finally able to achieve something different. In my book New Parish, Sarah spent her early twenties chasing here tail, dating guys that were all disappointments. Then she decided to do something different and got a very different outcome…

First couple of pages from New Parish:

“Chapter 1

Bad Date

            Sarah slammed the door to her apartment as she entered, then slowly let out a growl, she’d held the anger, embarrassment, and hurt in until she got home. She took a deep breath to calm herself. “Men!” she whisper shouted so her neighbors wouldn’t hear her aggravation. 

            The evening had been another dating disaster. Sarah always thought, or hoped with each new guy that there might be potential for the future, but each time she’d been completely disappointed. This evening she’d been out with an absolutely handsome guy, who was very sweet. She’d known him for only a few weeks. They’d met when he’d started volunteering at the same children’s center, where Sarah had been volunteering for several years – since she’d moved to Atlanta. When she saw him working and interacting with the kids there, he seemed very nice and obviously loved kids – that was a win-win, to Sarah. So, when he’d asked her out she’d immediately agreed, with a big smile, and great expectations. He wasn’t like the last guy she’d gone out with, all macho and Neanderthal, she’d sworn off that type of man forever. This guy was very nice, and she was naturally very excited to get to know him better.

            They met at the restaurant he’d suggested, and things were going really well. The ambience of the restaurant, the conversation, the food – everything that evening was just about perfect, perfect, until a well coiffed young man came to their table and started shouting at her date for cheating on him… The very loud accusations included information that Sarah really didn’t want to know about the guy that she’d wanted to think of as being nice, and exciting, and having potential. The man shouting at her date revealed that he and her date had made commitments, and he took those commitments very seriously. Things went downhill from there. Her date tried to explain to his “friend” that he wasn’t really cheating on him because Sarah, as he pointed out, was a girl. That didn’t float for either his friend or Sarah. Instead of staying in her seat and waiting for the drama to unfold even further, Sarah stood, and gracefully left the restaurant detaching herself from the episode…  she never looked back. The embarrassment of that date would live with her for a very long time.

“How am I supposed to know which guys to go out with and which ones to not go out with?” she groaned within herself.

            She pulled her long brown hair back into a ponytail and looked at herself in the mirror as she pulled on her pajamas. She scanned her bangs hanging over her forehead while some of the layered strands fell loosely around her face. The events of the evening were flashing through her mind like an old movie, as she thought to herself, “I’m not ugly… why can’t I find a good man? I have curves in all the right places, with ample endowments.” This had been a source of a pride with her as a girl and more especially as she got a little older. Sarah thought it was fun how boys would stutter and stammer at times if she wore a low cut blouse. Her five foot seven, somewhat athletic frame carried her very well, she thought, as she scanned for flaws. She looked at her face to check out what others would see when they looked at her. She had always thought her nose was a bit small but it looked okay, her brown eyes were a little big but they were okay too. “What’s wrong with me?” she asked aloud in frustration. 

            Sarah’s mind went to something her new friend Mary had said when they were working together at the children’s center. Mary had mentioned her home, a place called New Parish in Arizona. Sarah had known her for a few months. Mary was only going to be there for a while longer, just until she finished her degree in early childhood development with the work study program she was involved in at the children’s center.

Sarah thought about the day she’d been complaining about the poor dating prospects and her dream of being a mom floating away from her, when Mary revealed to her that in the community she came from, the people did plural marriages. So, any girl could get a good man and not have to worry about missing out on being a mom. Mary’s descriptions of her home made it sound like a little piece of heaven, where people lived happy lives, and found their happily ever afters.

Sarah sighed, thinking of the small rural community Mary had described, “Maybe…””

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https://www.amazon.com/New-Parish-Julie-Worthington/dp/1732224005/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1530921759&sr=8-1&keywords=new+parish+by+julie+worthington