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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…””

New Parish Available Now!!!

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

New Parish!!!!

New Parish –

It’s a fun story about a feisty southern girl that goes out west to find a new way of living in a small community on the Arizona strip. It’s got loads of real life, comedic situations, and some strong emotion. A romantic comedy that’s clean, with no bad language or other stuff.

Get your copy here –

https://www.amazon.com/New-Parish-Julie-Worthington/dp/1732224005/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1531160447&sr=8-1&keywords=new+parish+by+julie+worthington

New Parish!!!

Do you want to know what happens when a feisty southern girl meets a true west cowboy? I’ll give you a hint, there’s cows, hot chocolate, and red punch involved… along with anger, embarrassment, and –

Excerpt From New Parish:

            “Brother Michael smiled and said, “Max I’d like to introduce you to, Sarah, from Georgia.”

            Max pulled on the reins of his horse and stopped a few feet away, he smiled and drawled, “Howdy, ma’am.”

            Sarah was completely captivated by this cowboy, she thought his smile was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen, his deep blue eyes sparkled – she felt like her head was filled with something sweet and gooey which was slowing her thought processes down. Her brain was stuck on, “Oh my gosh, he’s so gorgeous…”

            Before she could reply to the cowboy’s greeting she heard someone shout, “NO!” ”

If you want to know what happens next get your copy of New Parish on Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/New-Parish-Julie-Worthington/dp/1732224005/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1530632057&sr=8-1&keywords=new+parish+by+julie+worthington

 

Colorful Characters

In life we meet many people, some stand out, others blend in. Colorful characters are ones we always remember, they don’t necessarily have to be bold and flamboyant, but often are very memorable in some way. Throughout my life I’ve met many people who have been memorable, some I’ve met in person, some I’ve met through other mediums such as literature, film, or stories told by people I know. I think the ones that have been memorable to me are the ones who I can connect with on some level, be that level humor, or emotion, or like circumstances. No matter what brings that memorable connection we all find colorful characters in our lives. In my book New Parish, there are a few memorable characters that I’ve connected with, I hope all of you will too when you read the book – very soon!

One of my favorite characters in New Parish is Uncle Alex. He’s definitely a colorful character in this book and plays a very large role in the next book, Return to New Parish.  He’s one of those people when you meet him you never quite forget him for many reasons. He’s got a lot of depth that isn’t always available at first sight. He’s a person who lives life full on, come heck or high water he’s going to be himself whether anyone likes it or not.

 

New Parish Coming Very Soon!!!

Excerpt from New Parish:

“Mary shrugged an ‘I have no clue shrug’ and said, “Hey do you want to go on the hayride? Looks like they’re getting the first one ready.”

            “Oh, yeah, sure,” Sarah said, “I’ve never been on a hayride before.”

            “I love them!” Mary said excitedly as they both sat their plates down for later and quickly walked toward the barn where people were climbing onboard the wagon.

            When they reached the wagon a very jovial voice said, “Well, hello there little Mary!”

            “Hi, Uncle Alex!” Mary returned smiling brightly at the man.

            “Who’s this pretty little filly with you?” asked Uncle Alex.

            Mary laughed and said, “This is my friend Sarah.”

            “Howdy ma’am,” Uncle Alex stretched out his hand to Sarah smiling broadly beneath his mustache.

            Sarah smiled back and took his hand, “Hi.” She mentally flushed the instant thoughts of the other cowboy that came to her mind when she heard Uncle Alex say ‘howdy ma’am and did her best to not let that interfere with her meeting this cowboy, and the impending fun.

            “You sure are a pretty little thing,” he smiled at her looking her up and down.

            Sarah blushed a bit, but recovered quickly, “Thank you, you’re not so bad yourself,” she returned the tease, looking him up and down. He was tall and slender, wearing a brown leather jacket with fringe, jeans, a leather belt with a large silver and turquoise buckle, a black cowboy hat with a silver and turquoise band, and black cowboy boots. He had 70/40 silver hair ratio with blue eyes that somehow reminded her of that cowboy she was trying very hard not to think of.

            Uncle Alex laughed loudly and said, “I like you.””

Letter to a Friend

Dear Friend,

I’d like to tell you about my new book, New Parish. It’s a literary fiction, romantic comedy, about a young southern woman, Sarah, who feels like life is passing her by – well the life she wants to have.

Sarah is of course full of southern sass, spunk, and moxie, which comes out often throughout the story. Her independent nature has her living in the big city of Atlanta, working in her dream job, and doing volunteer work at a children’s center. She has almost everything she wants, she’s near enough to go visit her family whenever she wants – in Savannah, she loves kids and gets to play with them on a regular basis – at the children’s center, her dream job is as a graphic artist for a large publishing company – working on children’s books, lets her work from home. What she doesn’t have is a wonderful husband, and awesome children of her own… this becomes more and more of a bother to her as she gets into her later 20’s.

She’s dated, a lot! But hasn’t been able to find a decent guy to spend her life with… yet. She gave up on a knight in shining armor riding in on a white horse to rescue her long ago. She just wants someone nice, genuine, and not afraid to commit to a long term relationship.

Any who… her new friend Mary tells her about an option she hadn’t thought of before. Sarah goes from wondering if this new option is something she could really consider to wondering about her sanity for even thinking about it.

Hope you like my book… hope to hear from you soon…

Julie

P.S. Only about 3 more weeks till the book will be available!

 

Excerpt from New Parish:
From Chapter 5 – The Storm

            “Stepping out onto the sidewalk made her feel alive and in control, she was a kid again going out to have fun, she loved feeling this excitement. The burdens she’d been carrying were slowly abating and she was finding a calm happy place inside.

            She chose a table near the front of the very familiar restaurant and ordered the crab cake sandwich, which was what she always ordered there and quickly inhaled it. Being near the ocean always made her hungry. From her table she could see the beach and ocean beyond, something inside her longed to be there and feel the sand beneath her feet, so she didn’t linger at the restaurant.

            Before stepping from the pavement to the sand she removed her shoes so that she could enjoy every second of the experience. Tying the strings of her canvas sneakers together she hung them over the strap to her backpack which she slung over one shoulder. Her oversized blue denim shirt was perfect for this time and place. There were a few white puffy clouds in the sky of brilliant blue, the sun was shining down warming her face with its touch. The light cool breeze from the ocean fanned her long white boho skirt that hung down around her ankles. She took a deep breath and stepped out onto the sand to begin her journey toward the decision that would affect the rest of her life.

            Sarah had the beach mostly to herself, she could see a few sage gentlemen standing iconically on the pier fishing, but other than that she was alone with her thoughts and her decision.

            The white sand made a slight scrunching sound beneath her feet and she couldn’t resist digging her toes in it as she walked. The waves gently embracing the shore carried her thoughts to a place where there was no ocean – New Parish…

            Sarah sighed, “Living there would be so different, just the climate with its dry arid environment would be a challenge,” she thought. “I had to use loads more lotion when I was out there for just a few days. I could get used to that, and invest in tons of lip balm.” She pondered over the mountains and mesas of the surrounding areas of New Parish. She stopped her walk and stared out at the ocean waves in the far distance, some were creating little white caps. “It would be so far away from my family,” she thought. “I’m not one of those girls that needs to be near their mom, but living in Atlanta is near enough to go home any time I want.” Sarah sighed again, the “girl talk” session from her last night in New Parish came into her thoughts, “What if I get into a mess like some of those girls?” She walked on down the beach with her thoughts, feeling very heavy and worrisome now.”

Wednesday Morning…

Have you ever wondered what a writer does? Sometimes, of course, they write, other times you may see them staring off into space, this is called plotting….

Whether you’re a writer or not, I hope everyone  plots out a wonderful day today 😊

Oh, yeah… New Parish Coming Very Soon!!!

Waiting…

It seems sometimes that we spend our lives waiting… waiting for things to change, or waiting for things to get better, or waiting for the book cover to arrive… oh wait that’s probably just me. Anyways, waiting is part of our lives, maybe the part that we like least. In my book New Parish Sarah finds herself waiting for her dreams to come true and seeing them move further and further out of her reach.

What can we do when we get tasked with the dreaded waiting issue in our lives? I suppose we all have our different ways of dealing with it, trying to stay busy doing something, trying not to think about it, checking status… oh, wait that’s just me again.

There are times when our waiting brings us great joy, after the waiting is done – there are other times it simply brings relief that the waiting is over. Will Sarah find great joy, or the simple relief? Find out in New Parish…

New Parish Coming Soon!!!!!!

Excerpt from New Parish:

“That night, Thanksgiving Eve, as they were putting things in the fridge, doing the final clean up, and getting ready for the final stretch of food prep in the morning before the feast, Sarah’s mom said, “You know Sarah, Donnie’s back from Europe, he’s not married yet. He’d be a good catch.”

            “Eeew, Mom,” was Sarah’s instant reply, while Hannah giggled at her from the sink.

            “What’s wrong with him?” her mom asked in surprise.

            “Besides the fact that he’s completely self absorbed, thinks he’s the most intelligent person on the planet, lives in his parent’s basement and will never move out, is very condescending and talks down to everyone, and is a jerk – nothing really,” Sarah listed.

            “Okay, okay,” conceded her mom. “But, I’m sure if you give it some effort, you could find a really good guy. Have you tried some of those online things?”

            “Yes, I have,” Sarah rolled her eyes. “They’re not bad really, but online people can lie just as easily as they can in person, maybe even easier. I’m tired of “putting in effort” on guys who aren’t worth it.”

            “All men take work, even the really good ones,” advised Sarah’s mom. “They’re usually oblivious, forgetful, and have no clue, until a good woman works on them.”

            Sarah and Hannah both burst out laughing to hear their mom talking about men like that.

            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.”