After hovering in the middle of the pack in the title competition, For the Love of David received seven votes last night to win by one. So...the title for my new book, to be released in January 2013, is...For the Love of David suggested by Renee Wildes. Congratulations Renee! She wins a $25 gift certificate to amazon.com, thanks for her title contribution in the book acknowledgements, and a free signed copy of For the Love of David.

Thank you to everyone who suggest the 101 titles (literally...I received 101 unique titles). Interestingly enough, until last night, Finders Keepers,  Baby Mine, and Infant of Choice had been tied for first. I'm not certain what spurred the flurry of votes for For the Love of David during the eleventh hour, but I think it's great title.

I recently signed with Storyteller Publishing to publish my women’s fiction manuscript entitled Baby Drop. (Yeah!)

The problem is, my editor doesn’t care for the title. (It happens.)

Here’s where you can help.

Below is a brief synopsis of the story. Read it and suggest a title. I’ll collect all the suggestions, pick my favorites and put them to a vote on my website. The winner will be mentioned in the book’s acknowledgements, receive a free signed copy when the book is released, and receive a $25 amazon.com gift certificate. In case multiple people suggest the same winning title, the prize recipient will be the one who emailed the idea to me first.

Any questions?

Please send your title suggestions to laurel@laurelbradley.com or send it to me via my Contact Page.

Thank you,

Laurel

What happens when the college student who abandoned her baby finds the woman who rescued it and steals the infant back?

Marissa Fleming isn't ready to be a mother. She’s just a sophomore in college with her whole life ahead of her when an unplanned pregnancy changes everything. Her boyfriend isn't interested in being a father, abortion is out of the question, and she can't bring herself to tell her parents or her friends. She doesn't know what to do. So, she doesn't do anything. She keeps her condition a deep, dark secret until she gives birth--all alone in her dorm room. And then, there's another problem...what to do with the baby?

Libby Armstrong is an unhappy person. She's lonely, overweight, with low self-esteem and no direction in life until one November morning on her way into the grocery store to stock up on Oreos, she notices an athletic bag sitting next to the cart corral. Inside, she discovers a little miracle--a newborn baby boy abandoned outside on a cold Wisconsin morning as if he were an unwanted litter of kittens. She knows she should turn him in to the authorities, but she hates the thought of him going through the foster care system. In an instant, she makes a life-altering decision. She decides to keep him, telling everyone he is hers, that she didn't know she was pregnant. Lie upon lie upon lie. But Baby David is worth it. His presence changes Libby's life, and she finally realizes the happiness that had been missing.

But Marissa can't get her baby out of her head. When she'd made that terrible decision to give him up, she hadn't realized how strong the maternal connection would be. She becomes obsessed with finding him, and one day she gets a lucky break when her path crosses Libby’s. She steals him back and runs to a distant city. A fugitive with a huge responsibility. But is she prepared for what it takes to provide for herself and the tiny boy? Can Libby find solace with the hole that has been ripped in her heart?

 

Baby Drop is women's fiction set in 1980 Wisconsin. The plot was inspired by a story I heard on the radio years ago where a woman found a newborn in a bag outside the bank where she worked. She, of course, turned it over to the authorities. But I couldn't help wondering: what if?

A Life Worth Living is a book well worth reading.

Matthew Hunt is a guy to cheer for—human and flawed, but thoughtful, kind, and slightly disorganized. In a word, he’s real.

I admit to being a little concerned going into the story. What happens to him is not your normal escapist “happily ever after” material. He’s a nice guy with a rosy future all laid out when a car accident he doesn’t remember consigns him to life in a wheelchair. I thought, at first, it might be too much like real life, and I normally read to either learn or be entertained. I’m thrilled to say, A Life Worth Living accomplished both and contains the very satisfying, happy ending that the title promises.

I don’t know if someone with Matt’s injuries would appreciate the story, but I certainly did. By vicariously experiencing Matt’s life, I learned details I would have been afraid to ask a paralyzed person. I saw the challenges he faced, what he needed to do to overcome them, and the joy that comes from accepting life the way it is.

Lorrie Kruse was able to do this without making me squirm. Better yet, the characters and their lives were so captivating I didn’t even realize I was learning until after I’d finished the book.

A Life Worth Living is an uplifting book that captivated my attention with likeable and realistic characters in truly human circumstances. I’ll be watching for more from this author.

Today I received a very nice email from the real Fuad Accawi. Well, "a" real Fuad Accawi. He is not the character nor is the character named for him, they simply share the name. 

Anyway, this Fuad Accawi is a very talented blade-smith, a master craftsman. His knives are works of art. Check out his website at: http://www.acremetalworks.com. I was glad I did.

Tomorrow, I'm blogging at Brittiany Koren's website "Written Dreams" on her Editing Essentials page.Brittiany is in the business of helping writers achieve their writing dreams.She's both personable and professional--a fabulous combination. Her site is well worth checking out if you are in need of editorial guidance.  http://writtendreams.com/index.html

Not so long ago, I was standing in the back yard when an eighteen inch fish fell out of the sky. I don’t know who was more surprised, me or my cat.

I searched the clear blue sky while my cat surveyed the scene from the safety of the garage.

I’ve read stories about water spouts or tornadoes that create funnels of water that empty lakes and ponds to later drop the lake, fish and all, miles away. But there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and there was just the fish, no water.

The fish was dead, but appeared whole and undamaged. I flipped it over with my foot. Two deep wounds marred the silvery perfection of the other side. Talon marks?

As I contemplated the wounds, an angry screech and raucous caws filled the air. An eagle swooped into view pursued by two crows. Everything became clear.

I scooped up my cat, who had decided fish falling from the sky was too wonderful a thing to ignore, and headed inside giving the eagle a chance to retrieve its catch.

This strange event made me think. How many times had I cast a lure into the lake in hope of catching a fish this size? How many times had my cat stared longingly into the aquarium at the meal that was both too near and too far? I’ve never caught a fish that large and my cat has never caught one of my finned friends. Most of the time things we want don’t just fall from the sky. Most of the time we have to work hard for what we get, thinking we deserve what we get, or even more, because we’ve earned it. But what if it’s all gift? If all we receive in this world in essence falls out of the blue into our undeserving hands.

Fish from heaven. Not something harried from unwilling hands, but gift. It makes me think and gives me hope. I am thankful that I don’t always get what I deserve—I have a wonderful husband, five fabulous kids, a sweet, daughter-in-law to be, health and a whole lot of happiness and success. Do I “deserve” it? Can anyone? What are the criteria for that?

We all are given things we don’t deserve—health/illness, wealth/poverty, joy/sadness, love/loneliness, success/frustrated desires… If everything (good or bad) is a gift, something given to us that we do not earn or “deserve”, then it’s not what we get but how we handle it that matters. Are we thankful like my cat? “Meow! Fish.” Or do we complain, like I did having to pick up and bury the dead fish when the eagle gave up on retrieving it?

Fish from heaven. How we react to life and the things that come to us out of the blue matters.

It’s amazing the thoughts a single fish can make trigger.

What do you think?Not so long ago, I was standing in the back yard when an eighteen inch fish fell out of the sky. I don’t know who was more surprised, me or my cat.

I searched the clear blue sky while my cat surveyed the scene from the safety of the garage.

I’ve read stories about water spouts or tornadoes that create funnels of water that empty lakes and ponds to later drop the lake, fish and all, miles away. But there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and there was just the fish, no water.

The fish was dead, but appeared whole and undamaged. I flipped it over with my foot. Two deep wounds marred the silvery perfection of the other side. Talon marks?

As I contemplated the wounds, an angry screech and raucous caws filled the air. An eagle swooped into view pursued by two crows. Everything became clear.

I scooped up my cat, who had decided fish falling from the sky was too wonderful a thing to ignore, and headed inside giving the eagle a chance to retrieve its catch.

This strange event made me think. How many times had I cast a lure into the lake in hope of catching a fish this size? How many times had my cat stared longingly into the aquarium at the meal that was both too near and too far? I’ve never caught a fish that large and my cat has never caught one of my finned friends. Most of the time things we want don’t just fall from the sky. Most of the time we have to work hard for what we get, thinking we deserve what we get, or even more, because we’ve earned it. But what if it’s all gift? If all we receive in this world in essence falls out of the blue into our undeserving hands.

Fish from heaven. Not something harried from unwilling hands, but gift. It makes me think and gives me hope. I am thankful that I don’t always get what I deserve—I have a wonderful husband, five fabulous kids, a sweet, daughter-in-law to be, health and a whole lot of happiness and success. Do I “deserve” it? Can anyone? What are the criteria for that?

We all are given things we don’t deserve—health/illness, wealth/poverty, joy/sadness, love/loneliness, success/frustrated desires… If everything (good or bad) is a gift, something given to us that we do not earn or “deserve”, then it’s not what we get but how we handle it that matters. Are we thankful like my cat? “Meow! Fish.” Or do we complain, like I did having to pick up and bury the dead fish when the eagle gave up on retrieving it?

Fish from heaven. How we react to life and the things that come to us out of the blue matters.

It’s amazing the thoughts a single fish can make trigger.

What do you think?

I blogged about popularity at  http://kelseyopsahl.blogspot.com/2012/06/guest-post-giveaway-popular-by-laurel.html today. I'd love to hear your comments.

Here it is in its entirety.

I received a list of questions for a recent on-line interview and was asked to pick five. One of the questions threw me for a loop. It asked if I was popular in high school.

Popular. What does that have to do with anything? Popular.

I stared at the question for a long time remembering my high school years. Back then, I was a little awkward, but not horribly so. I was honor roll smart but not valedictorian smart. I dated my share of guys but didn’t fall in love. I had a nice circle of friends, but popular? No. I wasn’t popular by any stretch of the imagination. I’m not sure what it requires to be popular. I didn’t know then, didn’t know when my kids were in high school even though some of them were, and I don’t really know now. Viewed from the outside popular people seem to have a list of characteristics that shouldn’t make them popular, but apparently does.

Clearly, I wasn’t looking at popularity correctly. Time to do some research.

So, naturally I did what everyone does when faced with one of life’s pressing questions—I consulted musical lyrics. (This is why I love Sondheim’s Into the Woods so much, but I digress.)  Wicked has a very clever song on that deals with the question of popularity. In it, I learned that my aptitude wasn’t the problem. It is, I’m afraid, rather a perceptional issue. How the heck does a person change the way she’s viewed?

Elphaba required a change in hair style and clothing.

Clothing… Hmmm… I have no idea what type of clothing that might be the popular kind. Sporty, classy contemporary, dress casual (whatever that is), or the latest in tart-wear? Clearly I need help as much help today as I did back in high school, though there seemed to be fewer clothing options then. Does this mean jeans aren’t jeans?

But back to the song…

The list of challenges continued. Apparently, I also needed to hang with the very people I couldn’t hang with because I wasn’t what they were, namely, popular. I also needed to be “good at sports.” No luck there. I may have looked athletic at different times in my life, but trust me, appearances can be deceiving.

I think the key might be held in Glenda’s direction to follow her lead. Elphaba became popular because Glenda decided to befriend her and Glenda was popular.

Case solved.

To be popular, you need to be popular.

Sigh. Does anyone out there have greater insight they’d like to share?

Trust No One is officially out today. Yeah!

Alaskan bookie has posted a review at: http://alaskanbookie.blogspot.com/2012/06/review-trust-no-one.html And an interview at:http://alaskanbookie.blogspot.com/2012/06/author-interview-with-laurel-bradley.html

Check it out!

 

“The pacing was perfect”  ~ Stephantois for LASR Mystery (Full review)

“This is a twisting-turning edge-of-your-seat thrill ride, where every secret revealed just adds to more doubt, more lies.” ~Author Renee Wildes

"Trust No One…will keep the reader entranced until its very last pages when the bad guy reveals himself.” ~Alice D. for Readers Favorite (Full Review)

The apple tree outside the kitchen window is a cloud of pale pink and white blossoms. Despite an early spring and subsequent frosts, there will be a bumper crop of apples this year. At least in my yard. But that isn’t the only thing I’m expecting to see a bumper crop of. Lately, a flock of grackles have decided that my back yard would make a great rookery. There’s a nest in the hollowed crook between two pine trees, another in a hollow branch in the apple tree, and still others in the large soft maple. 

It brings to mind the nursery rhyme about four and twenty black birds baked in a pie. Grackles are black-ish birds and you’d need at four and twenty to stuff a nice size pie, though there would be so many bones, I don’t you’d have to be starving to make them into a pie.

Which, naturally, makes me think of Little House on the Prairie where Laura Ingalls Wilder writes about Ma cooking up some of the pesky birds after they’d destroyed the oat crop and were well on their way to eating up the corn. There were only twelve in that pie as I recall. 

Interesting where the mind goes. From apples, to grackles, to pie, to famous children’s books... With this kind of concentration, it’s a wonder I get anything done.